The swirling blue vortex they called a portal still lingered across various regions.
It had been seven days since they began monitoring it, yet nothing unusual had been detected.
Three knights had been assigned to guard the portal.
"How are the knights inside faring?"
The three guards immediately turned toward the source of the voice. Startled, they quickly stood in a straight line and bowed deeply upon seeing the approaching figure, a nobleman. It was none other than Klaus Sylstallone, Head of the Academy and only son of Grand Duke Sylstallone.
Klaus arrived with Joe following closely behind.
One of the three knights spoke up. "As of now, the ten knights sent to investigate inside the portal have yet to return, sir."
Klaus's brow furrowed. "It's already been five days."
A few days earlier, when Klaus had come personally to inspect the site of the portal's appearance, he immediately concluded that it served as a gateway between their world and another.
A few day ago, Klaus had intended to enter the portal alone, but Joe had stopped him with a convincing argument.
"You are the Head of Callister Academy. No one knows what lies beyond this mysterious portal. If you fail to return, the Academy will be in grave danger!"
Joe's words had swayed him, and Klaus instead ordered ten knights to enter and investigate. He had placed high hopes on them, for each possessed exceptional skill. Yet now, they were still missing.
"There's no other choice. I'll go and check it myself." Klaus stepped toward the portal, but Joe quickly moved to block his path.
"No, sir!"
"What's wrong with you, Joe? You know our situation is urgent. We can't waste any more time."
"Even so, I cannot allow you!"
Klaus exhaled heavily. "Joe, the ten knights I sent were all top graduates of Callister Academy. Even though they cannot use magic, they are swordsmen of the highest—"
Klaus suddenly stopped mid-sentence, as if a crucial realization had struck him.
Joe looked puzzled. "Sir, what's wrong?"
Instead of answering, Klaus let out a small laugh, confusing Joe even further.
A sharp sigh escaped him before he spoke, "The squad I chose may be top graduates, but they are merely swordsmen. Unlike Swordsman Mages, they cannot wield magic. If they encountered an entity capable of magic in there… their deaths were inevitable."
Joe's eyes widened in shock at the explanation.
Klaus gave a bitter smile. "I've made a grave mistake."
Joe fell silent, unsure how to respond. The real question now was: what kind of entity existed beyond that portal, powerful enough to wipe out ten elite knights?
Before they could think further, one of the guards suddenly shouted.
"The portal is changing!"
Klaus and Joe spun around. Their eyes widened as the once-calm blue vortex began to shift.
Curiosity outweighed fear as they waited to see what would emerge. The swirling blue color deepened into a crimson-purple hue.
Klaus's eyes narrowed as an immense wave of magical pressure surged from the portal. Scarlet light flared around his wrists, shaping itself into a magical sword.
"Sir!" Joe gasped, startled by the sudden appearance of the weapon. But moments later, his own expression changed, he also felt the oppressive magical force.
"Joe, you feel it too, don't you?" Klaus asked knowingly.
Joe gave a slow nod. "Yes."
"Evacuate the citizens as far from here as possible!" Klaus commanded.
Without hesitation, the three knights obeyed, leaving only Klaus and Joe at the site. Moments later, a massive leg emerged from the portal. Both men froze in shock at its size. Then came a head, followed by the rest of the body.
It was a creature—about the size of an elephant, but unlike any natural beast.
A giant spider. Its body was darker than night, far more ominous than common arachnids. Klaus was certain, it was no mere animal. It was a monster.
One after another, a total of twelve emerged from the portal, shrieking with twisted delight at finding a new world.
And the outbreak wasn't limited to the capital, monsters appeared from every portal across the Alexander Empire. Every single one was the same species, giant spiders.
In the North, Riana led the fight against them. In the South, Crown Prince Xavier Alexander battled the threat. In the West, Kai Luant, only son of Count Luant, took the frontlines.
They were the strongest Swordsman Mages of 10th generation.
Of all regions in the Empire, the East alone had no portal. The reason was unknown, but it quickly became the safest evacuation zone for the North and South.
In the West, however, was forced to retreat to the mountains, as there was no safe route to the East.
_
_
"Grandma, isn't this…!?" Zeha's eyes went wide as she saw the long sword resting perfectly inside the chest.
"This is the White Sword. Surely you've heard of it?" the grandma asked, lifting the blade from the box.
Zeha couldn't take his eyes off the gleaming, majestic weapon. His voice trembled. "Y-yes. This is the only sword capable of accepting every magic element."
The grandma gave a faint, crooked smile. "And now, I'm giving it to you."
"W-what?" Zeha froze, unable to believe his ears.
"You are the first student I've ever gifted a sword to."
"W-what?" he repeated, still stunned. Then, coming to his senses, he protested, "Why would you give me something this extraordinary?!"
"We still don't know your element. When your seal is broken one day, you won't have trouble finding a weapon suited to you."
Every Swordsman Mage had a unique sword designed for their magic element and energy capacity, so the weapon could handle their power without breaking. Crafting such a sword took a long time.
The White Sword, however, was legendary, it could adapt to any element and store limitless magical energy.
This had been proven by the Academy itself.
"You may not need it now," she continued, "but this sword exists for those who will one day require it, like you."
"It's mine to give, since I was the one who found it."
Zeha still hesitated, feeling unworthy of something so precious. After all, he was only a commoner.
The grandma sighed in resignation. "Enough. Let's go, you have training to do."
"O-okay…"
"Grandma, what are we hunting today?" Zeha asked as they ventured deep into the forest.
"We're going to hunt—" She stopped abruptly, turning toward a powerful presence radiating immense magical energy.
"Zeha, stay behind me," she ordered firmly.
He didn't understand why she was suddenly so alert, but he could sense her tension.
Slowly, she advanced toward the source. Minutes passed without a single creature appearing, until they saw it.
A massive blue magic circle, twice the size of her house. Her throat went dry as she realized this was the source of the overwhelming magic.
"G-grandma… w-what… is that?!"