Lord Of Beasts-Chapter 62: Beast Swarm Part 1

Ethan fell in behind his assigned group.

Each group selected a different large tunnel that branched out from the central cavern.

The plan had been simple, logical, and the best thing they could come up with at the time: find the Boss Beast, then return to this point. If they regrouped, they would have the best chance of facing whatever Boss Beast was in this gate.

It made sense, was safe, and controlled.

Ethan had thought so too, at least at the time...

The E Ranks, including him, were carrying the backpacks they were given before entering the gate. Within were supplies, basic provisions, and emergency equipment.

It was nothing fancy, but it could help if needed.

The bag also wasn’t too heavy, though it did bother Ethan slightly. He had gotten used to fighting in sandals and rags without anything restricting his movement, but he didn’t complain.

And as they moved through the dark tunnel, he and the A Rank at the back of the group were told to hold torches and light the way.

That was as useful as they were going to be.

Not that Ethan minded being underestimated; if anything, he preferred it. Instead, he was more focused on gauging the abilities of the Titled in his group.

Jared Flint walked at the front of the group, his giant body and reinforced armour giving him a reliable presence. He was a man built to endure impact, perfect for his Title, Iron Rebound.

From what he described, he could reflect a portion of the damage sustained. On top of that, his durability and physical strength were enhanced massively.

It was a simple but effective skill set.

Behind him, two D Ranks followed.

One carried a short blade, his ability allowing him to release small bursts of compressed air with each strike.

Nothing special, just increased impact on his attacks.

The other was a woman with muscular arms who wielded an axe.

Her ability lets her reinforce her strikes with kinetic energy, but only after charging it for a few seconds.

’One-dimensional,’ Ethan thought. ’Lower-ranked titles really are like this.’

He exhaled quietly.

’I’m probably the only D Rank walking around with this many skills. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if some B Ranks don’t have more than a couple uses of their Title.’

But that wasn’t important right now.

And as many skills as he had, he was still far from being able to clear such a gate alone, so he remained silent at the back of the group.

Beside him, the A Rank was also silent as ever, but she was much more nervous, her head lowered slightly.

Jared had made it clear before they entered.

"E Rank, stay back and watch our rear."

Then he glanced at the A Rank.

"You too."

Ethan had almost laughed at the time; an A Rank was being told to stay out of the way.

That was unheard of.

But he didn’t question it since she didn’t object or seem bothered by it.

They moved deeper into the select tunnel, the cavern behind them fading. The tunnel felt endless as they continued down it, unsure what it had in store for them.

That uncertainty left them tense, weapons ready, and eyes sharp.

For a while, there was nothing - no movement or even sounds.

Just silence.

Almost too much silence...

Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’This feels wrong.’

That’s when he felt it: a faint vibration.

It was just a low rumble beneath their feet, but it was starting to grow, quickly at that.

"Stop," Jared said instantly.

Everyone froze.

The rumbling intensified: dust fell from the ceiling and tiny pebbles bounced along the ground.

Ethan’s gaze snapped upward.

’No way...’

They came from the walls, the ceiling, and the ground itself.

It was as if the tunnel itself had cracked open, and out of it poured a swarm of giant ants, the smallest of them the size of a dog. As for the largest of them...

They were the size of cars!

Chitinous bodies, jagged mandibles, and glossy black exoskeletons that reflected the dim torchlight - they were creatures straight out of an entomophobe’s nightmare.

’Why can’t they just call it people who are scared of insects. There’s no need for all those fancy names,’ Ethan groaned internally.

Their legs scraped against the stone with a sharp, grating screech that sent chills down his spine. But then his attention was drawn to the blue windows that flickered into existence above their heads.

Ethan’s grip tightened around the torch.

’Oh... fuck...’

-

Gates, for the most part, remained open even after the clearing squad entered - unless there were specific limits on how many beings could pass through.

But humanity rarely had more Titled than necessary to clear a Gate, so it was still very uncommon.

This one, located in the Brooklyn Industrial District, had initially been classified as low risk. It was supposed to be a routine clearance, a standard operation, especially with an experienced central squad consisting of a B Rank and four C Ranks.

And yet, its energy signature suddenly changed as soon as the clearing squad entered the gate.

The Titled Association Headquarters instantly picked this up...

Inside a technologically advanced control room, dozens of suited personnel moved rapidly between stations. With their tablets in hand, their eyes were locked onto massive digital displays.

The Gate radar spiked - a small Gate in southwestern New York expanded.

It wasn’t drastic, and it was barely enough to increase it to the next rank, but it was enough to raise alarms. More concerning was that the Gate closed despite expanding, meaning additional personnel couldn’t be sent in to support.

And then, even more alarming, it changed colour to purple.

That alone sent a ripple of tension through the entire room.

Their classification system on the radar was simple: yellow gates were stable, orange gates were unstable, red gates were on the verge of breaking or had already broken.

The danger and urgency scaled with the colours.

Then, to measure the rank of the gate and the threats within, it was the size of the gate on the radar, which was gauged by its energy signature.

A small yellow gate meant a manageable threat.

A massive red signature meant something catastrophic.

But this gate didn’t follow those rules, and thus was a purple gate, a gate that couldn’t be accurately measured by their systems.

And there was nothing worse than something that couldn’t be calculated or predicted, especially when it related to public safety.

As such, the anomaly was immediately reported.

General Harold Whitaker listened in silence as the report came in before speaking clearly.

"Keep this contained. Monitor it constantly. I want updates on everything."

There was no hesitation or panic in his voice, just pure resolve.

He pulled up the list of Titled inside the Gate, his eyes scanning over the names. Of them, only three stood out, and the fact that they rang a bell to him alone meant something.

"Darius, he’s quite skilled and reliable. A good track record for a B Rank."

A pause.

"Then there’s that A Rank..."

He exhaled quietly, not even bothering to say anything about her.

"And this Ethan guy again?"

His gaze lingered.

The same name that seemed to have drawn the attention of Detective Holt, who never followed an empty lead.

"Coincidence? I think not. As Luke would say, there are no coincidences in this world."

But that didn’t make sense.

"Even S Ranks can’t influence Gates, let alone an E Rank."

Still, he didn’t like it, any of it.

"Deploy the nearest A Rank to the site," he ordered.

It was just a precaution in case anything went wrong, and it would help keep things under control.

But within minutes, things were already spiralling.

Reporters flooded the area with cameras, microphones, and live feeds.

Everyone wanted to be the first to know what was happening inside, and more importantly, who or what would come out.

If anything or anyone made it out at all...