"How long can you two keep this up?" I asked quietly.
Sung-min didn't answer immediately.
Min-jae laughed under his breath. "Longer than they can."
But I could feel it.
The drain.
The pressure.
This wasn't meant to be cleared by three Espers and one guide.
This was no different from a siege.
And the agency was still nowhere in sight.
I swallowed hard.
If something stronger comes through that crack…
I raised my head, eyes fixed on the pulsing rift.
"Be ready," I said. "This isn't the last wave."
The crack beat again.
And this time—
Something on the other side answered.
The crack began to pulse once again.
No, not like a simple pulse this time, but a convulsion. Like it was forcing itself to spit out something it ate.
That... Did not look like a good sign.
The light around it distorted violently, stretching and snapping like torn fabric. The air screamed as pressure slammed outward, forcing all of us to brace ourselves.
"No—" I whispered.
