The perspective shifted to Wesley. The elderly City Lord was still describing the terrifying Giant Tree, continuing for quite some time before changing the subject.
"Rest assured, everyone," he said. "As long as we can defend Feid City, the Republic will forge that ultimate enchanted weapon within half a moon. I will entrust it to you all, hoping it will aid us in the final battle!"
"Understood," Wesley nodded. With this information, they had essentially pieced together everything about the Dimensional Rift Incident. They knew the objective, the rewards for clearing it, and the details about the enemies.
"Prepare yourselves," Wesley said gravely. "Let's get that ritual underway before the monsters lay siege to the city. When the time comes, the three of you should stay well back. I'll activate the ritual myself once the enemies appear."
"Captain... isn't that reckless?"
"Let me handle it instead!"
The other two team members voiced their concerns, knowing that the ritual's summoner would be in the greatest danger. The tentacles summoned by the ritual wouldn't abide by any 'summoned creature' rules, ignoring the summoner and attacking indiscriminately. Even if the summoner managed to evade the initial wave, their proximity to the tentacles meant they were highly likely to suffer severe contamination.
As the three men began to argue, Gladys, the team's only woman with blue hair, turned to the elderly City Lord and asked, "If the prophecy states that we will save this nation, could you tell us the exact wording of the prophecy?" Clearly, she was still searching for alternative solutions.
Perhaps because the prophecy was etched so deeply in his memory, the City Lord replied without hesitation, "The prophecy states: 'When the Republic faces its darkest hour, and Feid City becomes the front line, Destiny's Chosen, clad in strange garments, will harness the power of Heavenly Fire to save this nation!'"
The instant the City Lord finished speaking, a thunderous roar erupted, growing louder as it approached. Soon, the ground began to tremble faintly beneath their feet.
"An earthquake? No, that doesn't feel right!" Wesley dashed out of the house, freezing the moment he looked up. The northern sky had inexplicably turned crimson, and a colossal pillar of fire soared into the heavens, as if welding earth and sky together.
"Heavenly Fire! Is this the Heavenly Fire?!" The elderly City Lord, who had also rushed outside, immediately knelt, tears streaming down his face. "It's true... the prophecy has come to pass! When the Destiny's Chosen descends, the power of the Heavenly Fire will save this nation!"
"Thank you, thank you all!" The old man repeatedly thanked Wesley, bowing deeply. "You acted immediately after gathering intelligence on those monsters? Truly worthy of being the Destiny's Chosen!"
In stark contrast, Wesley's face was a mask of utter confusion.
What the hell is going on?
What's happening?
Wait, this prophecy is coming true way too fast, isn't it?
And what exactly is this Heavenly Fire?
Though the City Lord was prostrating himself in gratitude, Wesley knew better than anyone whether he had unleashed this Heavenly Fire.
If I had this kind of power, would I have just been arguing with my teammates about who should perform the summoning ritual?
Or perhaps the City Lord's information was all a lie, a deliberate misdirection? Maybe this wasn't a combat-focused Dimensional Rift at all, but something else entirely...?
As Wesley pondered this, everything around him suddenly blurred. Apart from his three teammates, both the City Lord before him and the world itself grew increasingly indistinct.
The City Lord seemed to be saying, "Esteemed guests, even though you've saved our kingdom, please accept your reward! However, the most powerful enchanted weapon hasn't been fully forged yet. It will require some time..."
Before he could finish, Wesley found himself ejected from the Dimensional Rift and back in the real world.
"Huh?" Wesley blinked in confusion.
Half a month? I can't even wait a second!
"So, what exactly just happened?" Wesley's gaze swept across his three teammates before settling on the silver-haired young girl.
Naturally, after erasing her embarrassing past, Firefly had also sensed the blurring sensation. She immediately found an empty space to revert to her original form, and sure enough, she returned to the real world the next moment.
Noticing Wesley looking at her, Firefly naturally adopted a bewildered expression. "Huh? I was just shopping on the street. How did I suddenly end up back here?"
In truth, she was genuinely confused. Wait, is the Dimensional Rift really over? Just like that?
Still, the completion rate for "Iron Cavalry" had jumped significantly after they destroyed the Giant Tree, now at 6%. That single tree had contributed 4.5% to the completion rate—three times more than the entire previous wave of monsters combined.
So, that Giant Tree was... perhaps... probably... might have been... pretty strong?
Unable to unravel the mystery, Firefly decided to stop dwelling on it for now. After all, when dealing with Dimensional Rifts, strange occurrences were to be expected.
Wesley glanced upward. The Dimensional Rift in the sky had already vanished. After a moment of silence, he said, "Let's go. We need to return to the Superhuman Association."
Their immediate priorities were to secure a legal identity and social assistance for Firefly, an Outsider, and to compile a comprehensive report on the Otherworld Dimensional Rift Incident.
Wesley meticulously recorded everything exactly as it happened, leaving the rest for the Superhuman Association's higher-ups to figure out.
Inside the association's main hall, Wesley gestured for Firefly to take a seat anywhere she pleased. He then pulled up a chair, armed with a pen and a form, and began questioning her on the spot.
"Miss Firefly, how old are you?"
"...Eighteen." Don't ask. She's always eighteen—the perfect age for a beautiful young girl.
Without hesitation, Wesley scribbled on the form while continuing his inquiry. "And... Miss Firefly, do you have any particular talents or skills? Perhaps a Super Ability of some kind?"
"Talents... Singing, I guess. But... what exactly do you mean by Super Abilities? Are they like in the stories? Creating fire or ice, telekinesis...?" Firefly shook her head.
Wesley pressed on, "I see... Could you describe the world you came from? What was it like?"