In a secluded corner of Celestaria, a place devoid of any life and long proclaid as a forbidden zone where no living being could survive for even a few seconds, an unusual group of guests had arrived. The air was thick with an oppressive silence, broken only by the faint crackle of residual dark energy that perated the area.
These guests were humanoid in appearance, but their black eyes with red irises and the two pairs of horns erging from the sides of their heads marked them unmistakably as Infernals, the sworn enemies of Celestaria's residents. The Infernals moved with a purposeful grace, their presence a harbinger of impending doom.
The leader of the group, a towering figure with horns that curved elegantly backward, surveyed the desolate landscape. His eyes glowed with a malevolent light as he turned to his companions.
"We are here," he announced, his voice a deep rumble that seed to vibrate through the very ground. "The forbidden zone of Celestaria. Our entry point into their world."
Another Infernal, slightly smaller but with an air of cold calculation, stepped forward. "The residents of Celestaria have beco complacent," she said, her voice sharp and precise. "They believe this place to be untouchable, a safe haven from our reach. We will show them how wrong they are."
The group spread out, each mber taking up a strategic position. Their dark auras pulsed in the dim light, a stark contrast to the lifeless surroundings. As they prepared their incantations and set up their ritual circle, the air grew even heavier with the sense of impending conflict.
The leader raised his hands, and a dark, swirling vortex began to form in the center of their circle. "Let us begin," he intoned. "By the ti we are done, Celestaria will know the true aning of despair."
The Infernals chanted in unison, their voices rging into a haunting lody that echoed across the forbidden zone. The vortex expanded, its dark tendrils reaching out as if seeking to consu everything in their path.
In the heart of Celestaria, Jake felt a sudden, inexplicable chill. He paused in his training, his senses alert. Sothing was coming. Sothing dark and powerful. He knew he had to be ready.
The Infernals were here, and the battle for Celestaria was about to begin.
[It seems the passive effect of Path Finder Authority is working properly,] Nexus comnted as Jake focused on the unusual feeling that gnawed at the edges of his consciousness.
"It's normal, I guess," Jake replied, his gaze fixed on the swirling black and red portal that had ford at the entrance of their academy. "After all, tomorrow is the day we leave for The Red Hell."
*******
Just before the scheduled date, Jake returned from his intensive training. As expected, he witnessed the phenonon of the gate forming right in front of his eyes.
At first, a small crack appeared at the academy's entrance. The crack began to draw in mana and other energies from the atmosphere, alerting the powerhouses of the academy. They rushed to investigate, their initial concern turning to intrigue when they saw it was rely the formation of a gate.
The crack, after absorbing sufficient energy, expanded into a pitch-black sphere. The sphere started rotating and spinning rapidly, thinning out until it reduced to a swirling circle. The gate had fully ford.
Experts from the academy examined it ticulously and decided to na it "Red Hell." This na was inspired by the red earth and the fiery landscape visible through the portal, which seed to promise a harsh and treacherous environnt on the other side it.
Experts determined the portal's limit to be S rank, unaware that it could be forcibly expanded to include Title Awakened ranks through certain sacrifices or, as the Infernals would call them, rituals.
Jake, standing with his friends and staring at the portal, thought, 'It seems their trap is ready, their aim being to kill all the younger generation.' His gaze turned predatory as he considered the implications. 'But will it happen?'
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Unlike others, Jake was privy to the true nature of the portal. He knew that the limit would be expanded to Title Awakened rank on the day of entry. Having already reached the Baron rank, he understood the gravity of the situation.
The trap set to kill Celestaria's descendants would, in turn, beco a lethal snare for the Infernals who aid to cripple Celestaria by eliminating its best and brightest kida of this generation.
"Little do they know that we have the upper hand," Jake mused, his confidence bolstered by his unique knowledge. "This trap is going to backfire spectacularly."
[Yep, not to ntion loot—their bodies, their energies, exps, and more from their storage rings] Nexus said excitedly.
Jake nodded and thought, 'I can't wait for it.'
Soon he saw Ragur and the four chief elders. They looked at each and every student before addressing the crowd. "This gate, since it's ford right in front of the Academy gate, we can only raid it."
"The limit is S rank for this gate, and we have decided to select the top 25 of our students who satisfy the gate condition to be S rank," Ragur announced.
"This portal will stabilize after a week, so we have plenty of ti to prepare," another elder added, and everyone nodded in agreent.
With that, they dismissed the gathering.
"Hey! Are you planning sothing?" Suddenly, Jake's focus shifted to Jimmy, who asked him with a curious look.
"What do you an?" Jake tilted his head, feigning ignorance.
"Well, you have this smile on your face—you usually make it when you're planning sothing sinister," Jimmy said, causing their other friends to nod in agreent.
Jake looked at them, then nodded and said, "You can think of it like that."
His friends exchanged glances, a mix of excitent and concern in their eyes.
"Don't look at like that, I won't be doing anything dangerous," Jake said, causing his friends to look at him with even more worry.
Sighing in defeat, Jake decided to co clean. "Alright, listen up. I need to tell you sothing important about the Infernals and their plan."
Everyone's attention was imdiately fixed on Jake. He took a deep breath and continued, "The Infernals are planning to ambush the students. Their goal is to kill us and take our places. Once they've infiltrated, they'll use that position to destroy Celestaria Academy from within."
His friends' expressions shifted from worry to shock and then to anger.
"Those bastards," Ramis muttered, clenching his fists.
Everyone shared his sentints, frowning in unison. Then Mark, the most ordinary guy in Jake's group, asked Jake.
"How do you know about this?" He asked, looking directly at Jake.
His question made everyone else look at Jake too.
"Well... Ahem, let's go ho, and then I'll tell you," Jake, unable to co up with an excuse, decided to buy so ti and started heading ho with his friends in tow.
'Quickly co up with a plan,' Jake ntally urged Myne and Nexus.
[Just tell them you used Divination magic,] Nexus suggested.
'Is there even Divination magic in this world?' Jake replied speechlessly to Nexus's solution.
"How about saying you raided a gate, found an infernal there, and after torturing him, you acquired the info?" Myne suggested.
'You do know our academy has magic formations that can detect even the slightest amount of infernal aura. Do you think anyone will believe I fought and then tortured an infernal to gain this info?' Jake asked ntally, causing both Nexus and Myne to fall silent.
After all, as Jake pointed out, no one would believe him. If he had truly fought an infernal, there would be so traces of it.
Jake and his friends walked in silence, the weight of their curiosity palpable. As they approached Jake's ho, he ntally urged Myne and Nexus for a plausible explanation.
[Okay, how about this?] Nexus finally suggested. [Say you encountered a rogue Infernal outside the Academy's boundaries, in a place where the detection formations don't reach. You captured it, extracted information, and then cleansed yourself of any traces before returning.]
'That might work,' Jake thought, nodding internally. 'Sounds more believable than divination magic.'
Once they were inside Jake's ho, he gathered everyone in the living room. "Alright, I'll explain how I found out about the Infernals' plan."
The room was quiet, everyone focused on Jake.
"I encountered a rogue Infernal while training in a secluded area far from the Academy's detection formations," Jake began, weaving the story carefully. "It was a tough fight, but I managed to capture it. Using so, let's say, persuasive thods, I extracted the information about their ambush plan. Afterward, I cleansed myself of any traces of Infernal energy before returning to the Academy."
Ramis looked skeptical but nodded. "That sounds risky, but if anyone could pull it off, it's you."
Mark nodded and said " yes, cleansing yourself was avoid move or you might have been imprisoned if there was even a slightest Infernal aura on you "
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