Chapter 63: The City Gate

The off-road path Master Abraham took had been carved out by countless other wheels before theirs. Normal civilians never took this path; only the government’s military and executioners with an agenda like Black Zero.

The trip from Master Abraham’s apartment to the border wall of District 04 took at least thirty minutes. And after leaving the district, the APC drove for over an hour before they spotted the overhead railway that headed out from District 06 in the distance and followed its direction.

Roy and Abraham didn’t talk much, with the former mainly being paranoid about the being that was watching him through his shadow.

’What if there is nothing in my shadow and Master Abraham was just manipulating me so I could tell him more about my system?’ Roy silently monitored his master. He wanted to believe this was some part of a larger ploy the man had, but he highly doubted that. His mentor no longer worked for the Executioners Association or the government and was mainly a shut-in until Donald came.

’I wonder, though, just how much has he seen that’s made him so… jaded?’ Roy couldn’t even begin to fathom.

“What made you suddenly decide to do this?” Master Abraham suddenly asked, not even glancing at Roy.

Roy sat upright in his seat and yawned.

“Well, before I woke up at the hospital, I had a dream—no, a nightmare that Chris had killed Jane, Pierre, and all my other classmates. And forced me to look at their bloodied faces. At first, I was horrified because I thought it was all real. And then he showed me Donald and my grandmother’s faces.

“I was still scared shitless, but then I realized it was just a dream, as there was no way Nana and Donald could be among them. And then, I forced myself to wake up…”

Roy looked down at his palm. “But the fear and grief I felt… I could shake ’em off. If anything happens, it would be my fault since I know I can be stronger, but just too lazy to make the necessary decisions when they count.”

Master Abraham looked at Roy with understanding eyes.

Then, he voiced in a tone tinged with something inscrutable, “The guilt.”

Roy nodded, feeling the paraphrasing accurate. “The guilt.”

He looked at his mentor and felt there was no better time to ask: “Master Abraham, what really happened in that false gate?”

“…”

Black Zero took a while before answering.

“It was a massacre. We stood no chance,” he said solemnly.

“I’m sorry.” Roy didn’t seek to pry any further.

He thought back to what Master Abraham said about the chaos surrounding him, the gate that claimed his parents’ lives and almost claimed his, and finally, the voice he heard from that false gate in District 03.

“And there’s something else…” Roy began and informed Master Abraham of what he had heard that day. There was no point in keeping such a weird occurrence secret. And compared to his [Link] skill secret, this was inconsequential.

“Hm, I’ve never heard of voices coming from a gate,” said the C-Class Executioner.

“Do you think it has something to do with the gate from six years ago? Maybe they’re—”

“Still alive?” Master Abraham shook his head. “Never allow yourself to think that. That voice wasn’t a sign of anything good. Abyss creatures with eerie powers like that are a dime a dozen. This only proves something in God’s Abyss is calling your attention.”

He took a few seconds to think and added, “Until you’re strong enough to defeat a devil, I think you should forgo entering Gates.”

A cold chill ran up Roy’s spine. This warning was timely. Because, if that voice was really from an abyss creature that could mimic his mother’s voice and had set its eyes on him, there was no telling the perils that would befall him and whoever would be unlucky enough to follow him into God’s Abyss.

’Phew. Thank goodness. I would’ve been a goner if I chose to go join an unofficial raid party.’ He let out a sigh of relief.

On the way to the City Gate, a small horde of another breed of abysshounds chased the vehicle, led by two strange beasts. This was just a telltale sign that a gate had broken in the area. Abraham ran over a few, but never slowed down or stopped the vehicle, whereas Roy took the blaster pistol and used the abysshounds as target practice. Eventually, the horde grew tired and gave up.

At last, just a few minutes past six, they arrived at their destination. But it had been only an hour since they spotted the railway in the distance.

Three military vehicles drove up to the APC, inquired of Master Abraham to show his Executioner’s License, and escorted the vehicle to the base.

As they drove, Roy couldn’t help but marvel at the great feat of engineering that was the Intercity Railway. It was practically a tube that connected District 06 to some district in the next city, with a high-speed bullet train atop, and a high-speed cargo train below. At least, that was what Roy read on the holoNet.

The tube passed through a hole in a rectangular wall, a wall made up of the strongest metals and fortified with the skills of countless irregulars. There was a black, metallic arch, a structure in the shape of one-quarter of a sphere, merged into the wall, with the tube serving as its peak. This structure served as both the logistical hub of the City Gate and a military outpost.

Here, at the edge of the city, the protective dome could be seen more visually, starting at where the City Gate stopped. It was a constant ripple of blue and white, with the world beyond it looking like a different realm entirely.

With a graze, the tires of the APC came to a halt, and the master-student duo jumped down from the vehicle onto the plain sand.

They were escorted by five soldiers to the front of the massive arch structure, and cameras and defensive weaponry watched them like hawks.

The leading soldier made a few hand gestures to the cameras, and instead of a door opening on the black structure, a platform arose from the ground, and they entered.

Of course, they had previously informed Executioner Abraham to leave all weapons behind and searched them to make sure. When it came to Black Zero, such an act was pointless, as he could always summon his Array. However, even executioners had to follow protocol.

The elevator led them down first, then forward. It was the weirdest elevator Roy had entered to date.

When the door opened, Roy’s eyes widened in an attempt to match the scale of what was before him. Inside the archdome was huge!

Countless soldiers, scientists, mechanics, welders, and more moved about their jobs in a speedy and coordinated fashion. But Roy wouldn’t have even noticed, as his gaze was on the objects at the top of the archdome, the major attraction.

Roy glanced at his mentor, who observed the area measuredly, scanning.

’He’s probably thinking of murder,’ Roy lampooned.

“This way please,” the soldier voiced, drawing their attention, “Mr. Professor will attend to you, Black Zero.”

Referring to an executioner by their pseudonym was the standard way to address them in a formal setting. The executioner that was to receive them could be the General of the Army, but when being referred to another executioner, his pseudonym was to be used. There was no retirement for an executioner, even if they went on to pursue other jobs. Once the E.A. needed them, they were obliged to respond.

“Once an executioner, always an executioner,” Roy muttered, something he read on the forum, and followed the soldiers through a few twists and turns.

’If Chris were here, he would’ve known who this Mr. Professor is. Ugh, such a lame name…’

Finally, they arrived at a door and were led in.

“Please wait here, sir. Mr. Professor will arrive shortly,” was what the soldier said before leaving.

Master Abraham took a few lazy steps around the waiting room, scanning the area again before sitting down.

’What is even going through this psycho of a mentor’s head? I’m sure he’s using [Solve for X] or something.’

Roy, who was already sitting, asked, “Master, do you know this Mr. Professor?”

“Just some old man,” the C-Class Executioner said when the door opened.

“Old man, you say?”

Right then, an extremely skinny man donned in a white overcoat with long, draggy black hair with a round hairline entered. He wore a permanent smile that made Roy’s skin crawl.

’How creepy.’

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