Location: Inside the Indian Gate – Outer Field Base, "The Threshold"
The inside of the Gate wasn't hell.
It was worse.
A field of cracked obsidian, ash storms howling through twisted spires of bone and metal. The sky overhead was a swirling mass of red clouds, and the horizon trembled with shadows.
But India came prepared.
Within three hours of entry, the National Awakened Command set up the Outer Field Base – codenamed "The Threshold." It was a miracle of organization in chaos: powered by relic generators, shielded by formation arrays, and manned by the best the subcontinent had to offer.
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[SYSTEM RECOGNITION – ACTIVE]
[Command Post Established: Outer Field Base – "The Threshold"]
[Leadership: Dev Rajan & Meera Sharma (UR-Rank)]
[Command Authority Verified]
[System Assistance Activated for Registered Post Holders]
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I. Command Structure: India's Gate Campaign
1. High Command (UR-Rank Leadership Core)
Dev Rajan – Commander-in-Chief
Role: Overall battle strategy, frontline assault decisions, morale and tactical deployment.
Specialty: Adaptive Martial Body, Soulcore Amplification.
Meera Sharma – Deputy Commander, Relic Control Specialist
Role: Environmental adaptation, command relay, relic-field augmentation.
Specialty: Arcane Relic Mastery, Zone Memory Recall.
2. Heaven & Earth Paradox Pair
Princess Aishani Rathore – Strategic Envoy, Political Morale Anchor
Role: Nobility liaison, team synergy calibration, celestial map manipulation.
Specialty: Celestial Binding, Light-based Zone Projection.
Veer Jatav – Frontline Breaker, Chaos Initiator
Role: Disruption specialist, beast handling, berserker zone breach.
Specialty: Street-Style Combat Augmentation, Awakened Intuition, Unknown Relic Affinity.
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II. National Elite Task Force – "Gatebreaker Battalion" (121 Members)
Organized into Four Operational Units:
1. Unit One – Ashvins (Assault Spear)
Objective: Breach enemy formations, first contact, rapid strike.
Leader: Major Arjun Patel (SS-Rank, Spear-Type)
Special Skill: Eight-Legged Blitz Style
Notables:
Rina D'Souza (S-Rank, Wind Elementalist)
Sukhdev Rathi (S-Rank, Heavy Blade Duelist)
2. Unit Two – Garuda Division (Aerial & Recon)
Objective: Aerial scouting, transport, high-mobility strikes.
Leader: Squad Captain Tanaya Joshi (SS-Rank, Wind-Wing Relic)
Special Skill: Falcon Glide Sync + Enhanced Topo-Sight
Notables:
Kavi Nair (S-Rank, Lightning Archer)
Anil Mahajan (A-Rank, Sonic Dash)
3. Unit Three – Naga Contingent (Defense & Support)
Objective: Territory defense, energy fields, healing.
Leader: Commander Bhairav Singh (SS-Rank, Earth Manipulation)
Special Skill: Living Fortress Mode
Notables:
Dr. Neha Verma (S-Rank, Life Magic Healer)
Satyam Thakur (S-Rank, Barrier Architect)
4. Unit Four – Agni Edge (Special Ops)
Objective: Stealth missions, sabotage, infiltration.
Leader: Agent Vikram Prasad (SS-Rank, Shadow Blink User)
Special Skill: Dimensional Shard Movement
Notables:
Iman Hussain (S-Rank, Fire-Whip User)
Yukti Banerjee (A-Rank, Illusion Mage)
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III. Support & Logistics Teams (Non-Combat Essential Personnel)
1. Medical Core – Sanjeevani Team
Head: Dr. Ishita Rao – Legendary healer, tower-certified, Den survivor.
System Access: Authorized Instant Heal Burst (limited to 3 uses per day)
2. Relic Analysts & Forgers
Lead Engineer: Guru Vikrant Sharma
Creator of India's custom Relic "Trinetra Blade"
Team Role: Weapon maintenance, adaptive enhancement, artifact research.
3. Tactical Think Tank – Chakravyuh Cell
Head: Professor Yashwant Iyer (Tower Research Scholar)
Function: Predictive enemy analysis, path mapping, system loophole detection.
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IV. Gate Mechanics Unveiled – Phase 1 Briefing
Upon initial analysis and System data-sharing, the Gate revealed its internal structure was divided into Five Major Stages, each with increasing difficulty, terrain alteration, and System-imposed psychological effects.
Each stage corresponds to a Chakra-aligned Trial, matching elements of Indian lore but twisted into brutal, mutated versions.
1. Muladhara Field – Trial of Base Survival
Environment: Red sands, low-oxygen, constant tremors
Threat: Elemental beasts, starvation protocols
2. Swadhisthana Depths – Trial of Temptation
Environment: Illusion zones, emotional memories weaponized
Threat: Sanity Loss, Ego Corruption
(Further stages hidden until prior clearance)
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V. Character Focus: Heaven & Earth Paradox Development
Princess Aishani Rathore – Despite her royal upbringing, Aishani immediately adapted to battle routine. She spent hours reviewing relic designs, questioning pathing logic, and even personally healed wounded soldiers with her celestial light—something few royalty would do.
But it wasn't her power that inspired others—it was her silence. She never shouted. Never ordered. But everyone moved when she moved.
She found herself unexpectedly drawn to Veer's chaos.
Veer Jatav, for his part, wasn't subtle. He ate like a beast, trained nonstop, fought until unconscious, and grinned at death. But his eyes? Calculated. Hungry. Sharp.
They trained together once.
And it caused a ripple.
Veer shattered five training dummies.
Aishani bent light into a prism sword that split the sky.
"You're chaos," she told him.
"You're a stuck-up angel," he shot back.
They didn't say more—but the base whispered about their chemistry.
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VI. World Tension Rising
Back outside the Gate, the world spiraled.
WAU Internal Reports:
22 countries requested permission to "observe." Denied.
Black-market relic trade for Indian artifacts surged 300%.
Rumors of sabotage attempts against India surfaced. Two were confirmed.
In Tokyo, Kaito received a strange message via the System:
> [The Gate is not what it seems. Watch carefully.] – Unknown Sender
He stared at the message, frowning.
"Aya," he said.
"Hm?"
"The real trial… might not be inside the Gate."
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VII. Final Countdown
As the 72-hour entry window concluded, the System sealed the Gate, locking in India's fate.
Inside, at "The Threshold," final prayers were said.
Dev stood before the assembled warriors.
"We fight not for glory," he said. "But for every soul outside that cannot lift a weapon. We are India's last line. And humanity's first hope."
Aishani raised her blade.
Veer cracked his knuckles.
Meera released her relic into its final awakened form: a floating lotus that shimmered with time magic.
Then the horn blew.
And the Gate's First Stage opened.
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TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 17 – The Crimson Trial of Muladhara