SSS Frost Sovereign: Rewinding The Apocalypse!-Chapter 65: The second gate!

At the mention of the name, Liam’s mood visibly darkened. He scoffed, taking a slow sip from his cup.

"That bastard. He has been stealing the spotlight from the very start. The spotlight that should have been ours," he muttered.

"Looking at him, I already know he will not come over to us. Not with how close he is to Albert."

He finally turned to face Dane, eyes cold.

"We should just crush all of them at once."

Dane smiled, then let out a quiet laugh. "I see. That is true."

He took a few unhurried steps closer, stopping near the foot of the bed.

"Our faction is patient," Dane said calmly.

"We have bided our time long enough. But soon, we will need to make our move. And to do that, we need a firm hold over this vicinity."

"I understand that already," Liam replied.

Dane turned smoothly toward the door, his movements fluid and unhurried, as if the decision had already been made long before this conversation.

"Hmph. Still, Maxwell is quite the sly bastard," he added as he walked away.

He lifted one hand in a casual, dismissive gesture, fingers flicking lightly in the air. "But that alone is enough to restrain the ’governor,’ is it?"

Liam huffed, a faint, knowing smile tugging at his lips.

"No," he said quietly. "It is not."

Meanwhile, back at the training ground, another pulse of electricity detonated across the ruined yard, the blast rolling outward like a shockwave.

Everyone was hurled back again, boots scraping across broken stone and ash.

They were battered.

But this time, they stayed on their feet.

Katar’s form turned toward Matt, crackling arcs of lightning crawling over his white fur, illuminating the scars and soot clinging to him.

"You better do something this time," Katar growled, his voice low and dangerous.

The moment stretched thin. The air screamed with tension.

Matt exhaled slowly, shoulders rising and falling as he centered himself.

His jaw clenched, knuckles whitening as he drew in another breath.

Then he stepped forward, planting his foot into the fractured ground with intent, his posture shifting from hesitation to commitment.

His palm flattened, arm extending as he reached for the strongest technique he could muster.

Across from him, Katar’s body coiled like a storm given flesh.

Lightning surged in jagged veins across his frame, sparks snapping into the air around him, the ozone stinging everyone’s noses.

But before Katar could unleash another blast, Matt moved.

He slashed his hand downward in a clean, horizontal arc toward Katar.

"Outer Reach, Surge Destructo!"

The air warped.

Katar felt it instantly. A crawling pressure skimmed across his skin, as though invisible currents were raking over his body.

The moment he tried to release his gathered lightning, Matt’s attack erupted across his outer layer, tearing through the space around him and violently dispersing the electricity he had been shaping.

The charged arcs shattered into nothing, fading into harmless sparks.

’That is enough output this time,’ Katar thought as the last traces of lightning dissolved into the air.

He was not injured, but he had been forced to reinforce his body to keep Matt’s attack from biting deeper. A slow grin crept across his feline face.

’That is how you do it.’

Matt, meanwhile, swayed on his feet. Seeing his strongest attack brushed aside so easily made his chest tighten, breath coming heavier.

Still, he did not fall.

Neither did the others.

Bruised, scorched, trembling, but still standing.

Katar let out a short huff that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. "You have not made any progress, you useless twits."

The smile on his face betrayed the cruelty of the words. Everyone could tell. For once, it was praise.

"Matt, Eric," Katar continued, eyes flicking toward them.

Both of them stood hunched slightly forward, hands on their knees, chests heaving as they fought to stay upright.

"You need to refine those new skills of yours. They are sloppy."

Then he turned to Alia.

She was half kneeling, one hand pressed to her side, hair clinging to her damp forehead, eyes watery but stubbornly defiant.

"You are still a wince."

Alia blinked. "A... a wince?"

Her mouth opened in protest, cheeks flushing, torn between being offended and relieved that she was still conscious.

Katar’s gaze shifted to Reya.

The soldier stood rigid, spine straight out of habit even while her legs shook from strain, fists clenched as if she could punch exhaustion itself.

"You fight like a brute," Katar said flatly.

"Too direct. Too predictable. A trained soldier who has not learned when to be subtle is just a loud target."

Reya’s jaw tightened, eyes flashing, but she said nothing.

Finally, Katar’s eyes settled on Icard.

"Do not think you are anything special."

Icard met his gaze without flinching, expression calm, unreadable.

Katar faced them all again. "I managed to draw out at least one new skill from each of you. Refine them. Though I doubt you will have the luxury of time before the second gate arrives."

He turned away then. "That is all for today. Assume your recovery stances."

The moment the words left his mouth, their bodies gave out. One by one, they collapsed onto the cracked ground, chests heaving, limbs too heavy to lift.

’Good,’ Katar thought, padding toward a heap of rubble, his massive form moving lazily.

’They can withstand this much. Is it because of the soldier girl? Or have they simply stopped being fragile?’

"Katar, you will be coming with us through the gates, right?" Alia asked, propping herself up on her elbows, eyes bright with hope.

Katar shook his head immediately.

"No. I do not feel like it. At this point, you can handle yourselves in there. That is why I have suffered to train you this much."

"But..." Alia started.

Icard lifted a hand slightly, signaling her to stop. A faint, mischievous smile played on his lips as he looked at Katar.

"I think I know the solution to your problem this time, Katar."

"You are coming with us, bro," Matt muttered weakly from the ground.

Katar shot him a glare over his shoulder.

And it was then the wind changed.

A strange current swept in from the distant ruins, carrying with it a low, humming pressure.

Far off, between collapsed buildings, a soft green radiance bloomed into existence, washing the broken skyline in an eerie glow.

The air itself seemed to thicken around that distant light, as if the world were holding its breath.

Everyone felt it.

Icard slowly lifted his gaze, eyes locking onto the green shimmer.

"It has come," he muttered. "The gate."