Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

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"Alright, guys...this is it."

The person who's leading the group, a creature that bears a close resemblance to that of a mantis, spoke to address the people behind him. His sharp eyes gazed at them sternly and strictly.

"Past this gate is the endless expanse of the void." He stated, "Yes, we are not going that deep, only patrolling the area close to the walls to assess the situation. But this doesn't mean that our safety is guaranteed even with the density of void becoming lesser due to the recent tide."

"If you have any changes of heart, do take action now. I won't be tolerating insubordination out in the field."

The aura of the 7th Stage Transitional Realm expert buzzed from the mantis' body, exerting pressure on the group of people he's addressing to exert pressure on them as a form of intimidation.

His warning wasn't to be taken lightly. Everybody knew that he meant every word. He wouldn't hesitate to kill them should they fail to follow his orders out in the field.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Despite his pressure and intimidation, though, none of the participants backed down from the mission. This secretly pleased the team leader, but of course he wouldn't show that.

"Alright. Since you've all made up your mind, let's not delay any further."

The mantis team leader turned around and nodded at the guardians who were guarding the humongous gates behind them.

Cedric gazed at these large gates, feeling a bit of amazement in his heart.

He has heard stories about how these gates came to be...

It is said that these gates have been here since the Ancient Era, the time when the primordial beings were still around. The materials used to create this thing were strictly kept secret by 'The Six', yet it was also rumored that even if they knew about it, creating something like this was nearly impossible in the current era because some of the materials used have gone extinct.

These gates seal the only stable entrance to the void.

To those who had been working at the Border Patrol Camps, one of the most common knowledge they'd have to know is that the Scarlet Division Wall, the very thing that prevents the void from swallowing the entire realm, was in constant rotation. Always in motion. It is also commonly known that fissures or holes on this wall can sometimes appear.

The entrance behind these gates is only one of the few that remains static. Whether it's the ancients or the gates who make this possible doesn't really matter at this point. Since it's sealed most of the time anyway, it's become one of the most secure ways to enter the void.

Since neither he nor anybody from the group decided to back out, the team leader proceeded with their clearance. After signing all the warrants and permissions, the guardians of the gate made way for them.

At the team leader's pace, they walked right up to the gate. It didn't take long before it began opening outwards.

Psssh!!! Whirl!!!

The sound of a gas leak and sharp gast echoed in their ears at the same time. The gigantic doors opened outwards, slowly but surely revealing what's on the other side.

The door wasn't completely open. It parted just enough for the group to pass through and reveal just a little bit of what it sealed behind.

And even though they were briefed about what they would see, the group was still surprised at its sight.

A large gaping maw of the abyss stared right back at them. It swirled at varying speeds, almost causing some sort of optical illusion. Staring at it made everybody feel a great repulsion stemming from the very depths of their soul. Their instincts screamed at them to run away from this place or to not enter that thing because only death awaits them on the other side.

Cedric was no different. In fact, with his acute senses, he felt this more strongly than them. However, he also knew that this was just a logical reaction of his existence since he's born inside the primordial chaos, and the void was a harmful thing to creatures like him. They already told them that they'd feel this way and spoke of ways to deal with it should it become too much.

Fortunately, Cedric had developed some form of resistance against this. He's no stranger at traversing places he shouldn't be in anyway.

The mantis team leader saw their reactions but didn't do or say anything. He just waited until everybody got a hold of themselves. If it turns out that there are some who couldn't do that, then it is not too late to dismiss them from the team since they'd just be burdens out in the field.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for everybody to adjust. They're still apprehensive of what they're about to do, and their instincts are still screaming at them to retreat, but they won't back down from this.

Seeing this, the mantis team leader told everybody to brace themselves as he led them past the gaping abyssal maw.

Cedric wisely kept his sensory field to its utmost minimal degree as he passed through the entrance. The void isn't something he could carelessly inspect at his current level of strength, and he feared that he would see some insanity-inducing horrors if he kept his sensory field at maximum and that would jeopardize his state, which is simply a big mistake in the middle of a mission like this.

But even with his preparations, the creepy and replusive touch of the void still horrified him. And this is with the protection of the Void Suit too.

Every single cell in his body was attempting to get as far away as they possibly could from the touch of the void. If it weren't for Cedric taking direct control over his sensory and motor skills, he would've bolted through sheer instinct already.

Going through the entrace was a swift experience; everybody appeared on the other side of the wall after a few seconds. However, those few seconds felt like years to some of them. Nobody threw up from it, but it's clear that everybody greatly disliked the experience.

Cedric, despite his discomfort, recovered pretty quickly. He couldn't help but look back and feel a slight panic rising from his chest when he saw the gates closing behind them.

Then he remembered that unless it's necessary, that thing will always be closed for safety reasons.

His gaze then landed on the environment around them, and once again, he couldn't help but feel stunned.

Cedric almost thought that his senses were going haywire at this place because nothing makes sense.

To him, it's like his directional orientation was being severely tested. His ideas of front, back, left, and right, as well as above and below, were all in a mess.

The void wasn't empty and pitch black as one would initially think. It's just...colorless and depressing.

It's like he's looking at a drawn world. All he sees are outlines and shapes that contract and move in nonsensical ways. The only color he could see out here were them, living beings, and from this, it was painfully clear that they do not belong here.

Cedric couldn't even begin to spread his senses out for surveillance. It's not so shameful to admit that he's scared to do so. The things he could already see in his naked eyes already caused an instinctive terror within him; how could anybody expect him to inspect deeper?

"Hurry up and recover! We're on a time crunch here. Remember! We only have a week to do our job and we must return here at the same hour we appeared here. If we're delayed, we'll be trapped here forever."

The sharp screech of their team leader echoed in their ears through their visors. It was only here when others were reminded of their purpose.

Furthermore, the idea of being left in the place forever inspired immense terror within them, so they steeled their resolve and forcibly swallowed their complaints.

Seeing this, the team leader didn't continue scolding them. Instead, he began reminding them of their task and assigning their parts.

The group will move as a tight unit. Cedric was placed at the core of the formation due to them knowing that he's a forging master and one of the weaker members of the group. Aside from helping in observations, he's mostly in charge of logistics, meaning that he'd be carrying most of their supplies as they moved. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing for him.

After delegating responsibilities, the group was ordered to move.

Their patrol route wasn't long. They only have a week to survey the area, after all. Plus, they're expected to return near the gates at the same hour they arrived here, or else they'd be left here forever.

Cedric could feel the collective apprehension and supressed terror of his group as they moved. He couldn't blame them; after all, they're truly stepping out of their comfort zones here.

And as he observed the world around them as they moved, he couldn't help but think:

'And this is what it looks like when the density of the void was at its low point.'