Chapter 525 — Save Him?

[Outside Lufen Portal]

Snow fell in thick sheets across the entire field, blanketing equipment and soldiers in white.

The portal entrance stood silent, its dimensional barrier showing no movement.

Around it, thousands of soldiers stood in formation, weapons ready, their eyes locked on the portal entrance.

Beyond the military cordon, hundreds of reporters had set up their equipment, cameras pointed at the shimmering barrier, broadcasting to every corner of the Federation.

In homes across all five regions, people sat frozen in front of their screens.

Factories had shut down production lines so workers could watch.

Schools had wheeled televisions into cafeterias, students packed shoulder to shoulder.

Bars and restaurants played the broadcast on every available screen, patrons standing rather than sitting, drinks forgotten.

The forums had exploded, comment counts climbing into the millions.

[FederationWatch - Live Thread]

User_7823: It’s been twenty minutes since he went in. The survivors came out almost immediately. Why hasn’t he?

NobleHunter44: Because he’s dead, obviously. What did you think would happen when one person faced thousands of giants alone?

CommonSenseGuy: The young chief is still in there. Damian Valcor walked into a death trap.

BelieverInHeroes: He saved those people in under a minute. Give him time.

RealistCheck: Saving unarmed civilians is different from fighting an army. He’s not coming back.

The thread refreshed, new comments appearing faster than anyone could read them.

AcademyStudent_2027: I can’t watch this anymore. Someone DO something!

MilitaryVet88: What can anyone do? The giant army is waiting on the other side. Sending more people in would just mean more deaths.

DespairSpreader: This is what happens when kids play hero. Another talented awakener wasted.

****

Major General Kane stood at the forefront, his hands clenched behind his back hard enough to make his knuckles ache.

His eyes never left the portal entrance.

’Come on, kid... Don’t make me explain to the entire Federation how I let you walk in there alone...’

Behind him, reporters shifted restlessly, cameras clicking, microphones ready.

The survivors huddled together under medical tents, healing potions working to close wounds, their faces showing exhaustion mixed with desperate hope.

Commander Reeves sat with his daughter in his arms, his remaining hand stroking her hair, his eyes never leaving the portal.

"Is he going to come back, Papa?"

The little girl’s voice came out small and scared.

Reeves’s throat worked, his mouth opening but no answer emerging.

’I don’t know, sweetheart... I really don’t know.’

At some distance, Squad Ten stood together in a tight cluster.

"Senior."

Helena turned toward where the Sword Demon stood.

"You’re the strongest among us."

Her voice gained desperation.

"Surely if you entered, you could save him! You’re an old A rank, you have decades of experience, you–"

"Save him?"

The Sword Demon’s voice emerged quiet and amused.

Whispers exploded through the nearby soldiers and reporters.

"Wait, is that–"

"The Sword Demon?! The one from the stories?!"

"I thought he was dead!"

"He’s the oldest A rank–"

"What’s he doing here?!"

The Sword Demon’s smile widened, becoming something sharp and knowing.

His blindfolded face turned toward Helena, then swept across the assembled crowd.

"All of you are greatly underestimating my squad leader."

His voice carried clearly despite the falling snow, cutting through whispers and camera clicks.

"The one who needs saving isn’t him."

He paused, his smile becoming wider.

"It’s the giants who should be praying for mercy right now."

Silence crashed down across the entire field.

Every eye tracked toward the Sword Demon, processing his words.

Then–

CRACK

The portal’s dimensional barrier flickered, energy surging across its surface in patterns that made the air scream.

"IT’S OPENING!"

The shout came from a dozen throats simultaneously.

Cameras swiveled, reporters surged forward against the barriers, soldiers raised their weapons on instinct.

The portal barrier peeled back, energy dissipating as the dimensional seal released.

And pressure crashed outward like a physical wave.

Everyone within a hundred meters stumbled backward, hands coming up to their chests as weight crushed down on them.

Then a boot emerged from the portal.

BOOM

The ground beneath it caved in immediately, concrete shattering into a crater meters wide.

Thud Thud Thud

The pressure intensified for one heartbeat, becoming so heavy that weaker soldiers collapsed to their knees.

Then it vanished completely, cut off like someone had severed the source.

Damian stepped fully through the portal, his second boot touching down on broken ground.

The black Obsidian Hide armor was destroyed, caved in across the torso, scorched and warped from extreme heat, both horns broken off at the stumps.

But he stood upright, his movements steady despite the damage, his helmet tracking across the assembled crowd.

"..."

Nobody moved or breathed as billions of people across five regions sat frozen, watching through screens as the armored figure surveyed the field.

Damian’s helmet turned, finding Major General Kane standing with his mouth open.

"Headquarters of the Military Police."

His voice emerged distorted through the damaged helmet, but carrying clearly.

"Where is it?"

Kane’s hand rose without conscious thought, his arm extending to point northeast.

Damian’s helmet dipped once in acknowledgment.

Then he started walking, his boots crunching through snow with measured steps.

Tap Tap Tap

The sound echoed across the silent field, each footfall hitting like a drum.

Kane’s awareness snapped back suddenly, his thoughts catching up to reality.

"WAIT!"

The shout tore from his throat.

"What happened in there?!"

Kane’s voice rose higher, carrying questions.

"The Young Chief! Krazgor Ironjaw! What about him?!"

The questions everyone wanted answered.

Damian’s footsteps continued their rhythm, not acknowledging the shouting behind him.

Then his voice spread across the field, quiet but somehow carrying to every corner, to every microphone and every camera.

"He’s dead."

Silence crashed down like the world itself had stopped breathing.

Everyone just stood there blankly, their minds processing the spoken words.

Damian kept walking, his boots leaving prints in white powder.

Tap Tap Tap

Then a reporter’s voice cut through the quiet, shaking and desperate.

"MR. VALCOR!"

A woman had pushed past the security barrier, her cameraman struggling to keep up, her microphone extended toward Damian’s retreating form.

"The entire Federation wants to know!"

Her voice cracked.

"Why did you enter that portal?! Why did you risk your life when everyone else refused?!"

The questions tumbled out rapid and overlapping.

Damian’s footsteps finally stopped.

His helmet tilted back toward the assembled crowd, toward the cameras and reporters and watching billions.

Click Click Click Click Click

Every camera fired simultaneously, capturing the moment.

The tall figure standing in falling snow, his damaged armor showing the price of what he’d done, his posture absolutely unbowed.

"Why not?"

The two words carried the same weight as before, simple and devastating.

Then he turned away and continued walking, disappearing into the falling snow.

Tap Tap Tap

The footsteps faded gradually, becoming distant, finally vanishing completely.

And only then did the world seem to breathe again.

"Did he–"

"He actually–"

"The Young Chief is dead?!"

"How is that even possible?!"

"He went in alone and–"

Whispers exploded through the crowd like a dam breaking, voices overlapping, disbelief mixing with awe.

But doubt crept in quickly, spreading through the assembled military personnel and reporters.

"Can we confirm that?"

A Major turned toward his subordinates.

"Do we have any verification? Any proof beyond his word?"

"He could be lying to save face–"

"Or he didn’t even encounter the Young Chief, maybe he just hid until–"

"BREAKING NEWS!"

The shout came from one of the reporters at the back, her face pale as she stared at her tablet.

Her cameraman swiveled toward her immediately, broadcasting her shocked expression.

"The Sage has issued an official statement!"

Her voice rose, carrying across the field.

"Confirmed kill! The Young Chief of the Ironjaw Tribe, Krazgor Ironjaw, is confirmed dead!"

She looked up from her screen, her eyes wide.

"Damian Valcor entered Lufen Portal at 14:47. He emerged at 15:12. Total time elapsed: twenty-five minutes."

Her hands shook on the tablet.

"In twenty-five minutes, he evacuated all survivors and killed one of the fourteen Young Chiefs leading the Giant war effort!"

Other reporters picked up the thread immediately, their voices overlapping in a cascade of broadcasting.

"This is unprecedented in Federation military history!"

"The youngest A+ rank on record has achieved what would have required an entire army!"

"Seventeen years old and he’s already–"

"Sources confirm the Sage’s statement is being distributed to all military channels!"

"The Giant army is in chaos, their command structure–"

The forums exploded.

[FederationWatch - Live Thread]

RealistCheck: I WAS WRONG I WAS SO FUCKING WRONG

BelieverInHeroes: I TOLD YOU! I FUCKING TOLD YOU!

NobleHunter44: How is this possible? HOW?!

User_7823: WHY NOT?! THAT’S WHY!

CommonSenseGuy: Common sense just died. I don’t know anything anymore.

AcademyStudent_2027: DAMIAN VALCOR! DAMIAN VALCOR! DAMIAN VALCOR! DAMIAN VALCOR!

The thread crashed from traffic overload, came back online and crashed again.

Across every forum, every social media platform and every communication channel in the Federation, two words spread like wildfire.

Why not?

And billions of people who’d been holding their breath finally exhaled.