The road began to slope downward, the trees thinning out as the formation marched toward the valley. Hajin kept his hands in his pockets, his boots crunching softly on the dry leaves.

’What are those two actually up to?’ he stared at the back of the Knight Captain’s helmet, his mind spinning.

The system had clearly flagged them as a high threat level, yet the knights had just let them go without a second thought. He couldn’t understand it, because if those two were indeed demons, they should have been questioned more thoroughly.

He thought back to the demon girl standing in the clearing. The way she had smiled at him and waved felt strangely familiar, like a memory he couldn’t quite grasp.

He was certain he had never met her, but the feeling of familiarity remained.

’Could it be because of the Goddess fragment?’ he wondered, his hand brushing against the spirit ring on his finger.

Maybe the essence inside him was reacting to their presence, or maybe there was another connection he didn’t know about.

But even putting that aside, the biggest mystery was the knights. ’How could the Captain and the other knights not feel their demonic mana?’ he glanced at the knights marching in front of him.

The entire squad had passed right by them without drawing a sword.

Demonic mana was usually thick and disgusting, but there had been absolutely nothing in the air. Their concealment must be incredibly advanced to fool a Knight Captain, or maybe the system was detecting something else entirely.

He shook his head, trying to push the thought away. ’I hope we just met by accident and we won’t see each other again.’

But that smile kept replaying in his head, the way she had looked directly at him and waved like she already knew who he was.

An hour passed and the trees finally gave way to open ground as the Gate came into view.

Even from a distance, everyone in the formation could feel it. The air grew heavy, the mana around the Gate pressing down on them with a suffocating weight that made breathing feel like a chore.

Several of the younger knights shifted uncomfortably, their armor clinking as they adjusted their grip on their weapons.

Hajin stared at the pulsing tear, his jaw tightening as the pressure washed over him.

’If it feels like this on the outside,’ he thought, his hand tightening inside his pocket, ’then just how is it on the inside?’

The guards at the valley outpost noticed the dust cloud from the horses, quickly standing at attention as the squad approached.

The Captain pulled his horse to a stop near the barrier, returning their salutes with a crisp nod.

"At ease," the Captain said, looking over the defensive line. "Did anything change since the noon report?"

The lead guard stepped forward, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword, "Captain, we were just about to send a runner," he said.

"What happened?" Helen asked, riding up beside the Captain while her hand rested on her weapon.

"The mana leaking from the rift began to surge about an hour ago," the guard explained, pointing toward the pulsing blue tear. "We think the gate is becoming more unstable because the fluctuations are already twice as strong as this morning."

The Captain stared at the rift in silence, his expression hardening while the dark blue energy rippled through the grass.

"Did you see any monsters trying to break through?" he asked, his voice dropping into a serious tone.

"No, sir, the perimeter is clear for now," the guard shook his head, "but the pressure is making the horses nervous."

Hajin listened to the exchange from the back of the group, his hand brushing against the spirit ring in his pocket. He could feel the heavy mana waves hitting his skin, the pressure feeling intense on his chest.

’This is definitely not a normal gate,’ he thought, watching the purple sparks crackle along the edges of the tear.

He turned his head to look at the three girls standing behind him. Juna had her tail wrapped tightly around her leg, her ears twitched flat against her hair.

Loccy was clutching the edge of her tunic, her legs slightly shaking while she stared at the glowing portal. Even Vella was unusually quiet, her eyes fixed on the rising mist.

He let out a quiet, nervous chuckle, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

Juna’s ears shot up, her eyes narrowing as she glared at him. "What is so funny, Master?" she whispered, her voice tight. "We are about to walk into a complete mess."

"Maybe he is just happy to have three worried girls following him around," Vella teased, though her voice lacked its usual playful bounce.

Loccy puffed out her chest, squeezing her small fists together as she tried to stand taller. "I can protect you!" she declared, her ears twitching rapidly. "I am super strong now, so you do not have to worry." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

He smirked, his tension easing a little as he looked at her.

’This is going to be pretty hard on them,’ he thought, but he knew they all needed this to grow.

Ouro was full of Gates ten times stronger than this one, so they had to become strong enough to challenge the monsters ahead.

"Just focus on staying close," he whispered back, keeping his voice low while the Captain finished speaking with the guards. "We are not here to fail."

The Captain turned his horse around to face the waiting knights after finishing his conversation with the lead guard. He raised his hand, signaling the squad leaders to draw closer.

"Vanguards, form a defensive wedge the moment we cross the threshold," the Captain ordered, his voice loud and commanding.

"The mana leakage is severe, so expect spatial distortion and sudden environmental shifts inside. Support squads will keep the barrier spells active to protect the center."

He looked at the nervous faces of the younger knights, his expression stern. "This is not a routine patrol. The king trusts us to hold the line, so do not let the pressure break your discipline. Keep your formations tight, watch the flanks, and we will clear this rift together."

The Captain dismounted from his horse, handing the reins to the lead guard. Behind him, the rest of the knights did the same, their armor clinking as they checked their weapons one final time.

He turned back toward the rift, looking at the shifting blue light.

"Follow my lead," he commanded, stepping forward into the gate.

The knights began to march in order, following the Captain through the gate. Hajin took a deep breath, stepping into the light alongside Juna, Loccy, and Vella.

From a distant ridge, the two demons watched the raid team disappear into the gate. Their eyes reflected the unstable blue light of the Gate, faint smiles spreading across their faces.