Chapter 201: The War Isn’t Over

The dimensional rift lit up the sky once again.

James studied the readings on his devices while Pix fluttered in front of the main screen. The structures the hunters had destroyed had stopped emitting energy, but the portal hadn’t weakened as much as they had expected.

On the contrary, a new fluctuation rippled across its surface.

"That doesn’t make sense," James muttered.

"What doesn’t?" Pix asked.

"We destroyed several structures, and the energy flow decreased. Yet the rift remains stable."

James zoomed in on the map of the area. The markers representing the destroyed devices had gone dark, while the others remained active.

"Maybe the remaining structures are compensating for the losses," Pix suggested.

"That’s possible. But there’s something else."

The researcher compared the environmental readings with those recorded before the invasion. The difference was considerable. The energy detected around the portal had decreased ever since the devices began activating.

This wasn’t a simple disturbance.

Something was draining energy from the area.

"Pix, I need you to analyze the relationship between the portal’s fluctuations and the ambient energy."

"Already on it."

The little pixie flapped her wings and projected several graphs amid flashes of light.

"The readings match. Every time the structures activate, some of the surrounding energy is drawn toward the rift."

James frowned.

"Are they absorbing energy from our world?"

"Not exactly like a creature directly consuming whatever it finds. It looks like they’re collecting the energy and transferring it through the dimensional connection."

The researcher looked at the screen again.

If they were right, those structures weren’t simple stabilizers. They were part of a system that allowed energy to be extracted from their dimension and sent to the other side.

But for what purpose?

Before he could come up with another hypothesis, a voice burst through the communicator.

"James, we need information about those things!" one of the hunters shouted.

"We can’t destroy all of them while the invaders keep protecting them!"

James activated the general channel.

"Listen carefully. The structures are connected to the portal’s energy flow. Keep attacking their joints and bases. Every device we destroy reduces the amount of energy they can transfer."

He paused.

"But don’t let your guard down. We still don’t know what will happen if we manage to destroy them all."

◇◆◇

Armstrong deflected a slash and struck his opponent with the pommel of his sword.

The invader leader retreated only a few steps.

His black armor was damaged in several places, but he continued moving with terrifying precision. The violet lines running across his body glowed whenever he released energy.

Armstrong took a deep breath. He couldn’t afford to lose his concentration.

However, the lingering effects of the last violet wave still left him feeling uneasy. His muscles had felt heavier for several seconds, and although he had regained much of his strength, he couldn’t ignore what had happened.

His opponent, on the other hand, seemed pleased.

"I see your men are starting to understand," he remarked.

"Understand what?"

The leader gestured toward the structures still glowing in the distance.

"The purpose of our arrival."

Armstrong tightened his grip on his sword.

"You talk too much for someone who claims to have victory within his grasp."

The invader let out a brief laugh.

"Do you think we came all this way for your territory? Your buildings, your metals, or your resources?"

Armstrong didn’t answer.

"All of that is insignificant."

The leader raised his sword, and violet energy spread along its blade.

"What we’re after is far more valuable."

He lunged forward.

Armstrong blocked the strike, but the force of the impact drove him backward.

The invader continued attacking, giving him no time to respond.

"Your world possesses an abundant supply of energy," he continued as their swords clashed.

"Energy we can put to use."

Armstrong deflected a thrust and counterattacked.

"Then you’ll have to take it over our dead bodies."

"That’s precisely what we’re doing."

The leader unleashed a burst of violet energy that forced the captain to leap backward.

The explosion shook the asphalt.

Armstrong landed on one knee but immediately rose to his feet.

This wasn’t just a military invasion.

His enemies intended to claim something that even humanity didn’t fully understand.

And if they succeeded, the consequences could be far worse than the destruction of a city.

◇◆◇

"The structure is losing energy!" Evan shouted.

Amber turned toward the column her squad had brought down earlier. Its violet glow had almost completely disappeared, and the metal wreckage lay motionless on the ground.

"Then let’s keep going with the others!" she replied.

Millie took a hit against the makeshift shield she’d formed with her arms and stumbled back several steps.

"Sounds like a fantastic idea! Especially if we can finish before they break every bone in my body!"

Amber flashed a brief smile and propelled herself forward.

At the same time, Wayne maintained several energy plates around another structure. The surfaces began closing in, crushing the device until it became a mangled mass of metal.

Farther away, Don Rouch manipulated the joints of a third column while Duncan kept the invaders at bay. Ivy spread her roots to immobilize any enemies who tried to approach.

The squads were making progress.

But enemy resistance grew with every structure they destroyed.

The invaders had abandoned any attempt to advance in a disorganized manner. Now, they focused on protecting the remaining devices, even if it meant sacrificing several of their comrades.

Timothy knocked an enemy down with a punch and watched as three more charged toward his squad.

"They have no intention of letting us through!"

"Very observant!" one of his teammates replied.

Timothy grinned and hardened his muscles again.

"Then we’ll just have to fight our way through!"

◇◆◇

Liam fired at an invader attempting to attack Lydia from the side.

The creature fell, and his wife’s hardened tentacles knocked aside another enemy approaching from the front.

"Are you okay?" Liam asked.

"Yes. But they just keep coming."

Liam surveyed the battlefield.

His teammates were holding their ground, though their exhaustion was becoming increasingly apparent. Jordan had several wounds on his arms, Ray was breathing heavily, and Chuck had stopped cracking jokes for the first time in several minutes.

Lena and Carol were still fighting, while Emily helped keep the enemies trying to surround them at bay.

Liam looked toward the portal again.

’At this rate, we’ll be exhausted before we destroy all the structures.’

Then he remembered James’s words.

The devices were transferring energy through the rift.

Maybe they didn’t need to destroy every single one to stop the invasion. If they could find the point where the energy flow converged, they might be able to interrupt the process at its source.

"Lydia, I need Nora to find the structure with the highest energy concentration."

Lydia relayed the order while her tentacles held two invaders at bay.

Nora sent her small shadow creatures down the side streets. A few seconds later, one of them returned with information.

"There’s a different structure," the hunter reported.

"It’s closer to the portal, and it has many more metal connections than the others."

Liam narrowed his eyes.

"Can you guide us to it?"

"Yes. But there are a lot of enemies."

"Then we’ll have to fight our way through."

Before he could give the order, the ground began to tremble.

Another wave swept through the area.

Liam felt his legs grow heavy and had to brace himself against the nearest wall.

Lydia staggered as well.

In the distance, the remaining structures began glowing simultaneously.

"Liam!" she exclaimed.

Liam looked up.

The violet lines on the devices seemed to connect through flashes of light rippling across the ground. The energy appeared to converge at a single point: the enormous rift dominating the sky.

Then he realized that destroying the structures wouldn’t be enough unless they found the main source.

◇◆◇

At the command center, James stared at the new readings, his face pale.

Pix hovered motionless in front of the screen.

"I understand now," she murmured.

James turned toward the little fairy.

"What do you mean?"

Pix pointed at the representation of the rift.

"These structures aren’t generating energy. They’re collecting it and sending it through the connection."

"And what’s on the other side?"

The little fairy took a few seconds to answer.

"Someone is receiving it."

A chill ran down James’s spine.

Pix projected several old records. Readings from the altered dungeons, dimensional fluctuations, and signals they’d detected through other connections appeared one after another.

Everything seemed to be part of the same phenomenon.

"James, remember that this isn’t the first dimension they’ve invaded."

The researcher stared at her in silence.

"What are you saying?"

Pix lowered her voice.

"What I’m saying is that they’re doing the same thing in other worlds. They conquer them, extract their energy, and use it to grow stronger before invading the next one."

James stared at the rift, unable to look away.

Suddenly, the altered dungeons and the connections that had been responding to one another took on a far more terrifying meaning.

This war wasn’t an isolated event.

It was part of a dimensional expansion.

And humanity had become its next target.