Multiple streams captured the chaos unfolding at the Streamer Awards, each offering a unique perspective. Reactions varied wildly, from utter disbelief to blind adoration of Julian Winters.
But amid the frenzy, some viewers took a more analytical approach, replaying the footage and focusing on every frame that happened to capture Julian. The closer they looked, the quieter their reactions became—shifting from skepticism to stunned awe.
<...Are you saying he’s naturally that strong? I call cap.>
The live chats spiraled into chaos, messages flooding in so quickly they became unreadable. The one constant was Julian—every comment, every theory revolved around him.
As for the man at the center of the storm, Julian was currently dashing across the large auditorium, Ellie cradled securely in his arms.
While the chaos was everywhere, his only focus now was singular: getting her to safety. He was headed toward the auditorium’s security, which was stationed near the exits. Some of them fought the daemon mantis at first, but their first priority was to minimize casualties, and evacuating the people proved to be the better approach.
And there was one more reason why they were able to focus on evacuating the people instead, and now that reason was standing right in front of them—Julian Winters.
Each and every one of them froze on the spot, their eyes staring at Julian in disbelief.
Wasn’t he just fighting the daemons? How was he suddenly here?
They continued to stare at Julian, and the bloodied rapier hanging to his waist. They did not even notice he was carrying someone until he gently set her on her feet.
“Make sure she gets out safely,” he said.
One of the officers hesitated, glancing between Julian and Ellie. “Who… are you?”
Julian tilted his head slightly, but he did not answer at all and turned back toward the auditorium, where the sound of screeching daemons and chaos was still as consistent and as loud as before. He had already dispatched at least 6 daemons, and yet more of them still come.
“Wait, you can’t go back in there alone!” one of the officers called out, stepping forward to stop Julian. But he was completely ignored, and the only thing he could do was watch as Julian grabbed the sharp blade of the daemon mantis, throwing it in the air and slamming it on the ground before finishing it with his rapier.
The security team all slowly looked at each other before turning their attention to Ellie.
We… better keep her safe, is what they all thought.
Julian, having just dispatched another mantis, tilted his head toward the exit. As soon as he heard Ellie being personally escorted by one of the security personnel, a small breath escaped his lips. And without hesitation, he rushed toward another figure surrounded by the bodies of daemons—Kitty.
Julian had always been averse to modern equipment and weapons. He loved doing things by hand, feeling every step of the process on a spiritual level. Modern equipment, with its reliance on machines and automated printing, lacked that connection. You clicked a button, waited, and voilà—a new piece of gear. It was boring even to think about.
But now, standing in the chaos, watching Kitty in action, he couldn’t help but marvel at what her combat armor could do.
Since donning the armor, Kitty hadn’t even touched the ground. From the faint hum of her movements, Julian guessed the suit was equipped with small boosters that allowed her to fly or glide effortlessly through the air.
And at first, he thought she was using a gun—but no, it was a primitive weapon made with the current technology—a bow and arrow.
Each arrow pierced through the tough exoskeletons of the daemons with incredible speed. The sheer number of enemies she had taken down had already surpassed Julian’s count. Even more impressive, the arrows returned to her after each shot, guided by advanced tracking technology.
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Julian’s mind wandered briefly. If he could create equipment like that—modern yet designed to look like it belonged in Artemia—he could take it with him without alerting some eyes.
Perhaps it was time to reconsider modern crafting.
But that thought would have to wait.
As Julian approached, Kitty descended, her boosters humming softly as she landed.
“What is it?” she asked. Though her helmet obscured her face, her voice came through clearly… and it was tinged with confusion. “You didn’t finish what you were saying earlier before you stormed off with your girlfriend.”
“We need to go inside the portal.”
“Huh?” Kitty stepped closer to Julian, her tone incredulous. “Did I hear you correctly? Did you just say we should go into that portal? The same portal where these bastards keep coming from?”
“Yes,” Julian replied with a calm hum. “MEGAN told me the only way to stop them is to enter the portal, find the tower, and destroy the black cube at the top floor.”
“Wait, wait—where did your AI even get that information—”
Before she could finish, Julian violently shoved her away. The force was enough for her to think her internal organs were left behind. But her boosters activated on their own, lifting her into the air just as a mantis daemon’s blade slashed through the space where she had been standing.
“You…” she muttered, quickly drawing her bow and shooting the mantis in the head. It crumpled instantly to the floor as she returned to Julian’s side. “...Is your AI actually letting you see everything happening in this auditorium?”
“That’s not relevant right now,” Julian replied, pointing toward the portal without looking at it. “We need to go inside.”
“You’re insane,” Kitty said. Despite her words, there was a trace of excitement in her voice. “Just the two of us?”
“I believe we can manage,” Julian replied with another hum. Then, without warning, he knelt slightly before launching himself upward with such force that the floor beneath him cracked. He shot straight toward the portal without a moment’s hesitation.
“Insane…” Kitty whispered, staring at the portal. “...Just what’s up with that guy’s body?”
She stood frozen for a few seconds, torn between hesitation and curiosity. But after a moment, a small scoff escaped her lips. She activated her boosters and flew toward the portal.
“Here goes nothing,” she muttered, gritting her teeth as a mix of fear and excitement coursed through her. The portal loomed closer, its swirling energy both mesmerizing and terrifying. Kitty held her breath as she passed through it—and held it even tighter when she saw what was inside.
She had expected to be greeted by dozens of daemons, prepared to fly up in the air and rain fire at the monsters, but…
There was nothing.
Not a single daemon awaited them on the other side.
Only Julian was there, his broad back framed against the edge of the cliff they had emerged onto. Kitty carefully approached, stopping beside him, her eyes widening behind her helmet as she saw the horizon.
“That’s… a forest, right?” Kitty asked, glancing at the sea of trees stretching endlessly before them.
“But… why is everything so dark and… gray? And are those rocks floating?”
They stood atop a small plateau surrounded by a vast, lifeless forest. While Kitty was awed by the surreal view, Julian remained focused, his heightened senses rippling across the terrain below.
“There’s no wind here,” he muttered, stepping back slightly. “And there are several daemons beneath us, hiding.”
“Okay… that’s just creepy. How would you even know that?” Kitty narrowed her eyes, suspicion creeping into her voice. “Did you already send some sort of probe down there?”
“Something like that,” Julian replied with a hum. “Do you see any sign of the tower?”
“Yeah, there.” Kitty pointed toward the distance. Unfortunately, Julian’s abnormal senses didn’t seem to extend far enough to detect the tower just yet. “...You know where I’m pointing, right?”
“Yes.” Julian nodded slightly. “But I’m afraid I’m still blind. Can you carry us there?”
“You want me to carry you?” Kitty asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.
“Yes. Can you do that?”
“...Most men I know would be too embarrassed to even ask that.”
“I would assume so,” Julian replied calmly as he stepped closer to Kitty, stretching his arms out. “How do you want me?”
“Just…” Kitty breathed out a small laugh, shaking her head in amusement before pulling a rope from her armor. She began expertly tying it around Julian, creating a harness.
But as she drew closer to him, her hands suddenly stopped.
How could they not, when she just heard him sniff her?
“Did… you just smell me?” she asked.
“Yes. I apologize,” Julian answered without hesitation. “You smell good. Easy to remember.”
“Don’t… remember me by my scent,” Kitty muttered, her tone flustered. “I put on a ton of perfume because of the event.”
“I know you’re wearing perfume. I meant your scent. Each of us has a unique scent, and yours is quite distinct.”
“Are you a dog?”
“No.”
“O...kay… This is getting kind of awkward,” Kitty said, chuckling nervously as she tightened the last knot. “Okay, all done. Try not to move too much—we really don’t want to fall into that forest with all those monsters waiting for us.”
“Hm.”
Julian gripped his rapier tightly as Kitty’s armor boosters hummed to life. Without warning, she lifted off, dragging him along. A smirk crawled across Kitty’s face as she glanced at Julian, expecting him to panic or flail. But her smirk vanished when she saw his composure.
He wasn’t panicking at all.
She thought about saying something, but the serious expression on his face silenced her. Instead, a small smile formed beneath her helmet as she focused on the horizon ahead.
This place is strange, she thought. Of course, she’d expected as much—daemons had been a mystery humanity hadn’t solved in over a thousand years. Yet, here she was, right in their territory.
And aside from the desolate gray landscape and the floating rocks that defied the laws of physics, it just looked… familiar.
“Are we just on another planet?” she muttered to herself. “But my armor says the oxygen levels and gravity are the same as Earth’s. But this is clearly not Earth, so another planet?”
Julian, naturally, heard her. “MEGAN says it’s a possibility,” he replied, turning his head so that MEGAN could scan the area. “But it’s hard to tell since something’s covering the sky.”
“Yeah…” Kitty looked up at the dark, oppressive sky. “Some sort of fog or miasma. And the tower—it looks man-made. Did… the daemons build it?”
“Man-made…” Julian whispered, the phrase stirring memories of the visions he’d seen in Erin’s grave. The humanoid daemons.
Could they have been the ones who built these structures?
Before he could even be lost in his own thoughts, however, a loud, grating buzz filled his ears.
“I think we should go down now,” Julian said abruptly as he realized what the sound was.
“Huh? Why would we—” Kitty turned to question him, but her words stopped short when she looked back and saw the reason.
A cloud was following them.
No, not a cloud.
Dozens upon dozens of mantis daemons were flying toward them, tracking their every move in the air.
“Ah… crap.”
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