'Well… That's another job completed.' Nova thought. He lowered his hands once he determined the battle was over. 'Now…'
He scanned the surroundings, assessing the damage.
Part of the block had been destroyed: shattered pavement, cracked sidewalks, and shards of glass scattered among the debris. Many of the vehicles were crushed like soda cans.
Smoke was still rising from the flames left behind by Rober's explosion.
'Poor owners of those cars. Maybe insurance will help with the damage.'
Shaking his head in disappointment, he dusted off his trench coat with a couple of pats and walked toward his friends. As he did, he looked around for injured or dead civilians.
'No injured. No casualties. Excellent. Setting that aside, the government will cover the damage to the buildings and vehicles.'
He felt proud of his small contribution.
'Yeah. Everything went the way it was supposed to.'
His thoughts echoed with a calm, relaxed tone, as if nothing truly bothered him.
After a few steps, he crouched down to check on Rober. He pressed two fingers against his neck and felt a pulse.
'Well, at least he's not dead. One less thing to worry about.'
He nodded in approval after confirming the boy was still alive. Then he turned his attention elsewhere.
'Girls.'
Elara was prying her shield out of the ground while Miyu helped her.
When the roots had crushed down on the armored girl during the fight, the shield had been driven deep into the pavement. Now, while Miyu pulled at the straps inside the massive silver shield, Elara gripped the top edge from above.
When they finally managed to yank it free, Miyu fell backward. Elara looked at her with a genuine—cold—smile and helped her back to her feet.
At such a simple, everyday gesture, Nova smiled faintly. He approached the girls, leaving the unconscious Rober on the ground.
"Are you okay, Elara? You're not feeling overwhelmed or anything?" Nova asked.
Elara looked at him and shook her head.
"I'm fine. Miyu's fine too."
Miyu smiled casually.
"We're good, Nova. You don't have to worry so much about us. You know—we do this every day."
"Okay. Okay. Sorry for being concerned."
Stepping back, Nova looked toward the far end of the street, where a strange dark-purple light illuminated the sides of the buildings. A sinister atmosphere emanated from that spot.
'We should hurry…'
Knowing what it was, he put on a serious expression, preparing to deal with the problem. However, someone tapped his shoulder, pulling him from his thoughts.
It was Miyu.
"Spacing out again?" the feline girl asked curiously. "What are you staring at, huh?"
Nova raised an eyebrow, confused.
'Hm? Do I really look that distracted? I was just… thinking, you know?'
"Yeah, sure. That's exactly what you were doing, Mr. Thinker. We've got a Portal to close. No time to waste."
"Huh. What a coincidence. I was just thinking about that."
"Then we've got something else in common. Isn't that nice?" Miyu said, smiling at Nova.
"No," he replied instantly.
Miyu frowned and crossed her arms.
"Fine! Let's just go close the portal already!"
Without offering any further explanation, like a storm with legs, Miyu took off running toward the distant light.
'Now what did I say?' he thought with a dry smile.
Miyu had always been a cheerful, cute girl. You could tell exactly how she felt just by watching the movement of her tail and ears as she ran toward the light.
It could be said that this was a disadvantage for humans with the special conditions caused by the Psychological Virus, since their emotions were often revealed through their physical reactions.
After cleaning her shield, Elara approached Nova—the soft creaking of her armor audible with every step. The flames in the background complemented her elegant and cold, yet strangely pleasant beauty.
"Want me to carry Rober?" she asked confidently.
"Nah. Your hands are full. My turn."
"Great. Then let's finish the job and go home."
They continued toward the source of the disaster. The scene repeated itself there. The street was wrecked, cars crushed, windows shattered.
It seemed the Aberration had managed to move a few blocks away from the Portal's location, but the destruction it left behind was obvious.
The circular expanse of black light floating above the broken asphalt looked like a manifestation from beyond. Its edges, glowing in bright purples, were completely irregular, as if the air and the portal were merging into a blurred vision.
Soft, ghostly murmurs drifted from within—a dark circle resembling boiling tar, streaked with faint purple glimmers and occasional flashes of white lightning.
The feline girl, who had arrived ahead of the others, pulled a small rectangular plate from her fish-shaped bag. She held it up like a video game console and declared:
"Alright, everyone pay attention!"
"Just do it already, Miyu," Elara and Nova suggested at the same time.
"I'm getting to it. Don't rush me," Miyu said, shaking her head while looking at the plate in her hand.
Meanwhile, Nova carried Rober over his shoulder. Noticing the size of the portal, he glanced at the sides of the road to estimate its diameter.
'Definitely about two meters wide. Ugh. I don't even want to imagine how many more Aberrations are hiding on the other side.'
If an army of plant-type Aberrations started pouring out nonstop, it would be a catastrophe for the entire city. The Elite Empaths would have to be deployed to save it.
They were incredibly lucky only one Aberration had emerged.
Ever since the asteroid fell to Earth and reshaped the entire planet, Dimensional Portals and Aberrations had continued to appear. Humanity had always been mystified by how the portals worked and where they led. All they knew was that the mysterious energy brought by the asteroid was the cause.
Too many things had changed after the impact—from the planet's geography to the races that inhabited it. A very notable example were the humans who survived the impact, became infected with a primitive version of the Psychological Virus, and mutated.
At first, the virus was a deadly disease that arrived with the asteroid. But those who survived it grew stronger and gained a wide variety of powers thanks to the mutation. In some cases, human morphology changed.
Miyu and Rober were descendants of those humans.
"This is where the job ends!"
The plate in Miyu's hand was silver, with geometric lines that looked like cables sealed in resin—it bore a company logo stamped along the edges: [Daytech].
Without hesitation, the feline girl pressed a button on the corner of the plate and tossed it beneath the portal.
With a metallic clank, the plate expanded into a long, thin platform. It now matched the portal's width.
A sharp, ringing sound—like rapid metallic tapping—emanated from the device. Immediately after, a semi-transparent, wind-like aura began absorbing the portal.
The platform wasn't absorbing the portal itself—it was draining its energy. A portal without energy is a closed portal, after all.
The portal shrank, weakening as its energy was siphoned away. It released spectral noises that sounded like agonized wails from beyond.
What lies on the other side of the portal? If you have a death wish, feel free to step through. Chances are you'll meet a beautiful female Aberration who'll slice you apart or crush you a thousand and one times.