Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

Chapter 1092: Crimson Star

More people gathered as time passed, to what it seemed like a promised time when the heroes would enter the portal.

Rudy learned that in the states, the government decided when and who would enter a portal, unlike in other countries, where it was the hero organization who took control over such things.

The other countries who liked to refer to themselves as independent had also started to follow the state's protocol, slowly reaping the power off the hero organization.

Rudy made a few friends just by talking to them. Surprisingly, most of them were girls and also acquaintances of Triss.

"Come on~ Rudy~! You are so funny~" A girl laughed uncontrollably as she smashed her fist on the table.

"No seriously. That guy was like 'What the fuck?' and I told him 'Yeah, what the fuck do you think you are doing on the university campus at 3AM?'. He said, 'I forgot to take my stash from the locker.' Of course, I would have believed him if he wasn't naked and covered in weird glowing substances. And on his chest there was 'I can suck my own dick'."

"Hehahaha!" They all laughed.

"Stop it~!"

"What made it worse is that he wasn't a student, but a professor who was rumored to have an illicit relationship with the first year girls. Later in the court, I spoke in his support and provided proof. Yes, it was that naked picture of him."

"You have got to be lying! That's so hilarious~! Hahaha!"

While everyone in the group was laughing, Triss seemed annoyed for some reason. She glared at Rudy and wherever their eyes met, she rolled her eyes and let out a sigh.

Maybe Rudy's jokes were boring, but the other people in the group were having fun, so he entertained them.

Suddenly, a siren blared and everyone went dead silent.

Until now, they were enjoying their time talking and having fun with their friends and colleagues, but as soon as the siren blared, all of their expressions challenged and they began picking their gears up, getting ready to fight.

One by one, they passed through a checking process and entered the portal.

"What's that checking for?" Rudy asked Triss.

"It's to make sure a lower rank hero doesn't go in and get themselves killed. Many stupid and greedy heroes have done that in the past and that has never ended well." Triss responded as she played with her hero device.

"And what's the real reason?"

"They just want to boast their power and humiliate the heroes. Even the strongest have to follow the order of an imbecile who can't even do anything without their weapons."

"That sounds perfect."

Although around fifty heroes had gathered, a few of them were already denied entry for some reason.

"Do they not realize how foolish they are being with their petty and clownish behaviour? If the heroes don't clear the portal, the ones to die first will be the fucking civilians? What if all the heroes protest and don't clear the gate? Won't they come begging for help?"

"Yeah, that has happened before. And you know how they pushed their propaganda? They blamed it on heroes, calling us selfish. They said we put money and fame over the lives of innocent people and didn't clear the portal."

'Oh man, I think I am in support of the hero organization. Maybe I should ask Eric to join them seriously instead of spying on them?' Rudy wondered.

When Rudy tried to pass through the portal, he was stopped.

"Show your Hero ID," they demanded.

"I don't have—" Rudy couldn't care less about the rules or the consequences. But before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Triss.

"He is a member of my guild. Let him pass."

The guard looked at Triss and muttered, "Crimson Star."

Triss frowned and remarked, "I am no longer an active hero. Call me by my name."

"You are taking part in the raid, so you will be called by your hero name. Also, I need to check his ID before we let him through."

"Oh? Out of the fifty heroes who gathered here, thirty of them are my guild members. Do you want me to stop them from participating in this raid?"

The guards whispered to each other and contacted someone via their device.

Rudy hacked into the network to listen to what they were talking about.

[Crimson star is participating in the raid?! What did you stop her?! Are you out of your mind? Let her through before she gets angry! Don't you know she owns the rights to each and every portal that appears in the States? You can't stop an owner from entering their property!]

"But chief—"

[Her entire guild gets entry without any questions asked. You do know that she is the one who will pay you your salary, right? You are guarding her property! You are a watchman!]

Rudy activated his supervision to see the expression of the guard, and it was amusing.

"You may go."

Triss pushed Rudy into the portal with her with a smirk on her face.

"They have left their brains in the government's cunts," Triss mumbled in anger.

"You hold authority over them, so why don't you just…" Rudy stopped when he realized what was going on.

It was easier to deal with them that way.

'Yeah, I would do the same.'

"Are you ready?" Triss had begun to warm up and stretch.

"This is my first time in a raid."

The sky was dark and alive with flashing purple lightning. The ground was glowing with strange energy, cracked and uneven. Huge monsters were wandering everywhere, their cries echoing like thunder.

Triss couldn't help but chuckle at Rudy. With a smile on her face, she said, "I am curious about who you are. But… I am also afraid of you. I don't know what your goal is. Maybe I will end up regretting trusting you."

"Or perhaps you will beg for more once I give you the taste of my—"

"Stop there. I don't want to listen to your vulgar jokes anymore."

They joined with the other heroes and discussed the attack plan. Everyone was assigned a different task according to their prowess. But since they were oblivious of Rudy's power, Triss took his responsibility.

"He and I will go separately," she told them.

Although they seemed reluctant to let her go, they could not speak against the guild master's order.

"Ring the siren if you need me. I will come to you before the siren ends. Also, make sure that the injured are healed, first and fast."

Rudy and Triss then went far away to start their challenge.