Chapter 21: The Red Gate

[ STORE ]

[ … ][ ### ]

[ WRATH OF WAR ][ 4.000.000 G ]

[ METEORIC ORE BLADE ][ 3.500.000 G ]

[ CHAOS BATTLE AXE ][ 3.750.000 G ]

[ LION GREAT BOW ][ 3.700.000 G ]

[ HEAVEN PIERCING SPEAR ][ 3.450.000 G ]

[ … ][ ### ]

[ -7.700.000 G ]

[ You have purchased [ WRATH OF WAR ] ]

[ You have purchased [ LION GREAT BOW ] ]

A long midnight black katana shimmered into my right hand. Bright pulses of purple energy pulsed along its edge as lightning flickered in pulses. A golden habaki above its black guard while a gold pommel sat at the end.

[ WRATH OF WAR ]

[ TYPE: KATANA ]

[ CLASS: A ]

[ +240 Attack ]

[ 45% Chance of inflicting bleed effect. ]

In my left hand, a wide gold and black bow came into existence in a dance of purple particles. Its thick golden grip glimmered as a twisting string of gold wrapped around the belly. On the ends were intricate golden nots, which held tight a thick yellow bowstring. Its length was as wide as my height.

[ LION GREAT BOW ]

[ TYPE: BOW ]

[ CLASS: A ]

[ +275 Attack ]

[ Arrows will be imbued with Gravity Magic. ]

[ Unique Skill: Radahn's Rain]

[ Your arrows will pour like rain from the heavens. ]

I smirked as I looked at my new weapons. I placed the bow on my back and slid the katana into its sheath at my left hip. A black leather quiver filled with arrows sat horizontally on my lower back. On my upper back were the Ice Dragon and Atlantean blades. They were inside my newly bought double dagger harness. I reached over my shoulders and drew my daggers. They sliced through the air as I flipped them into a reverse grip.

"Now I feel like my namesake." I said and slid my blades back into their sheaths. I wore a tight grey shirt with a loose black jacket. Below my waist were black jeans and shoes. Overall, I was prepped for war. "Sadly, I won't need all this."

With a mental command, I dismissed my bow, quiver, daggers, and katana. Looking over at my desk's clock, I saw it was time to leave for the C-Rank dungeon raid. Hopefully, I'll get the chance to do something this time. I stepped out of my room and made my way downstairs. I reached the main floor and saw Komachi and my parents waiting for me.

"What's going on?" I asked as I stepped forward. My mom had tears in the corner of her eyes as she looked at me with worry. My father smiled and rubbed her shoulder.

"Nothing, son. We're just seeing you off on your second raid. Today's the day you'll be allowed to fight. Right?" My father said as he looked at me with pride. I smiled and nodded. "Knock 'em dead son."

"Yeah, You got it." I said and watched as Komachi came up to me and hugged me. I smiled slightly and returned it.

"Hachiman. You let the stronger Hunters take care of the dangerous monsters, okay? Just make sure you come back safe and sound!" My mother said as she wiped a few stray tears on her cheeks. I smiled softly and nodded.

"Komachi. I have to go." I said softly and rubbed my sister's back. She shook her head into my chest and spoke into my shirt.

"Don't wanna." Komachi said, looking up at me with a worried expression. I sighed softly and rubbed the top of her head, ruffling her hair and causing her to pout.

"When you come back, you're going to take me out to eat sushi." Komachi said. It wasn't a request. I smiled and nodded.

"You got it." I said. Komachi's frown bloomed into a smile, and she let me go. I looked over at my family and said my goodbyes. With that done, I left my home and headed towards the Gate.

x x x

I looked around the small abandoned neighborhood located west of the Kanagawa Ward. This location was a hot spot for Gate appearances, which caused the surrounding homes to be abandoned. These grounds were also popular for different Guilds to use as training grounds for new recruits, which made a prime spot for any Guild to acquire.

The way Gates works, at least in Japan, is that not just any hunter can enter them. No, once a Gate appears, there's a small time window when a Guild can apply to the Hunters Association to acquire sole ownership of it. While they did have to pay to reserve it, the sheer amount of essence stone and mana crystals they could extract from it would easily win back their deposit and then some. Not to mention all the monster parts that can be sold. Gates were as profitable as they were dangerous.

Walking along the neighborhood streets, I saw more Hunters walking toward the Gate. I hummed and inspected them as they passed me. These must be members of the Rising Sun Guild. I saw a large spinning portal over a small playground for children. I looked around and saw ten hunters standing around the Gate.

"Ah! Are you also a trail hunter!" An upbeat voice spoke from behind me. I turned around and saw a beautiful girl with blonde hair that turned into a shade of pink at the ends. Her sparkling pink eyes looked at me with interest as she approached me. She wore a steel breastplate over a tight white cloak with intricate pink stripes. Under it was a short shirt that stopped halfway over her thighs. On her feet were silver boots with hearts. On her waist was a pink rapier. "I'm Marin Kitagawa! A D-Rank trail Hunter!"

"Where'd you get gear that resembles Asuna's from SAO?" I asked, bewildered, as Marin jumped in happiness. "Did you get it custom ordered?"

"OMG! Yes! You know where it's from!" Marin yelled and spun to show off her extremely well-made gear. "My boyfriend helped make it for me! Isn't it amazing?!"

"It's impressive. I'm Hachiman Hikigaya, E-Rank." I said with a small smile. We then noticed a running boy around our age with fluffy brown hair. He was wearing a blue hoodie with a green backpack over his shoulders. His old sneakers dashed along the street as he came to a stop in front of us. The fluffy-haired boy pushed up his large round glasses and panted.

"You alright?" Marin asked as she looked at the boy in concern. The boy nodded and stood up.

"Y-yes! I'm fine! I'm not late, am I?!" The boy said. He looked over at the spinning portal and sighed in relief as he saw all the gathered Hunters. "Thank goodness! I made it on time. Ah! Sorry! My name is Shinji Sasaki! A E-Rank! It's nice to meet you both. You wouldn't happen to also be trail hunters?"

"We are!" Marin said with a grin and held a hand on her rapier's handle. I nodded alongside her, and Shinji smiled in relief.

"I'm happy to hear that! I was worried I'd be the only trail hunter here." Shinji said with a sigh. Before we could talk any further, a loud voice called everyone over to the Gate.

"Hello Everyone! For those who don't know me, I'm Anno Isamu. Manager of the first administration of the Rising Sword Guild. Beside me is Yogi Mariko, my assistant manager." Anno said and motioned to the women beside him.

Anno Isamu was a man in his late twenties. He had combed black hair and black eyes. He wore a black and white suit with a black tie. Yogi Mariko was a young woman with orange hair and blue eyes. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and she wore a similar black and white suit.

"As you all know, the raid team will be clearing this C-Rank dungeon today. Today's raid team will comprise six B-ranks, three C-ranks, and one A. Joining them will be three trail hunters. Let's give them a warm welcome." Yogi said and motioned to Marin, Shinji, and me. The small group of hunters looked at us and greeted us with nods. They didn't look overly excited at seeing us.

"Now then, I'll leave the rest to Ozaki Hideaki." Anno said as they walked off to the side with Yogi. A large man in a silver and grey suit of armor walked forward and smiled at us. From under his helmet, shot brown hair could be seen. Ozaki had a large shield and a bronze hammer the size of his body.

"Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Ozaki. An A-ranked hunter and the raid leader for today. Now then, enough chit-chat. Let's get this Gate closed, people." Ozaki said and marched into the Gate without much fanfare. The rest of the raid team followed him without a word.

"Well, that was lame." Marin said and sighed. The three of us walked towards the Gate together. "The last raid team I was part of had much more oomph!"

"Not mine; they were kinda like this, too." Shinji said, pulling out a small dagger from his backpack.

"Well, we're not going on a field trip. We're going to fight dangerous monsters; be on guard." I said while looking at them both in the eyes. They seemed slightly ashamed and nodded at my words. Marin and Shinji stepped in first, vanishing into the other dimension.

A strong sense of foreboding took over my body as I stepped into the portal. What is this feeling? This wasn't how the last dungeon felt like. Just before my head entered the dungeon, I saw it explode in size and become a dark shade of red. Lighting burst out from inside and ran along the streets and walls of the nearby homes.

"NO WAY!" Anno yelled as he watched the massive red Gate swirl violently. "A red Gate?! Quickly, call Ms. Shiori immediately!"

"On it!" Yogi yelled in fear and dialed the number to the Guild Master of the Rising Sun Guild.

x x x

"A red gate?!"

A woman with long black hair with pink highlights yelled into her phone. Her red eyes looked down at her large, expensive desk with concern and worry. She was dressed in a white satin blouse and a tight black skirt. On her feet were black knockout boots. This was Izumi Shiori, an S-Rank Hunter and Guild Master of the Rising Sun Guild.

"There's only ever been two other sightings of red gates. Each one other resulted in the deaths of everyone involved." Izumi said and marched out of her office and into a wide wooden hallway, gaining surprised looks from her secretary and employees as she stormed through her Guild headquarters. "You two stay put. I'm on my way."

x x x

"Where are we?!"

"T-this doesn't look like a dungeon!"

"No way! The Gate's gone!"

I took in my surroundings and was assaulted by a strong gust of ice-cold wind and falling snow. We were all in a forest filled with pine trees and thick snow. The Hunters of the Rising Sun Gulid began to look around in a panic. Marin and Shinji looked around with a look of confusion, but they had yet to realize the weight of the situation. Are we in another dimension?

"Wow! A winter setting. How exciting!" Marin looked down at the snow. "I thought all the dungeons took place in boring old caves."

"I wish they would have told us the dungeon would take place in the snow. It's freezing!" Shinji said and rubbed his arms. His breath came out in white wisps. I walked forward and felt my senses blare at me loudly.

Loud whooshes cut through the air, and two ice arrows flew through the air. I moved in a blur and caught the arrow that would have stabbed into Marin's head. She squeaked in surprise and fell back on the snow. Compared to Radahn's arrows, these are nothing.

A sicking squelch was heard in the center of the leading group of hunters, and a man in his mid-twenties fell onto the ground with an arrow stabbed deeply into his head. Blood seeped from his wound and was absorbed by the snow. I looked at his dead body in surprise. Shit! I turned towards the directions the arrows flew from and found shadowed human-like figures standing on the branches of some of the trees.

"I-ICE ELVES!" A woman with short black hair yelled and took a shaky step back. She was dressed in a brown cloak with a wooden staff in her hands. This caused everyone to get into defensive positions.

I glared at the blue-skinned elves. No wonder I couldn't sense them; they're out of my range. I snapped the arrow in my hand into several shards of ice. Shinji looked at the Elves with barely contained fear.

"We're all going to die. Those creatures are a run-on sight! We have to leave!" Shinji said and began to run off. I spun around and glared at him.

"Don't move!" I commanded, causing Shinji to freeze mid-step and end up falling face-first on the snow. "Kitagawa. Keep an eye on him."

"R-right!" Marin said quickly. She ran towards Shinji and helped him up.

The Ice Elves were tall with flowing white hair and sharp blue eyes. As their name invoked, they had long, pointy ears. They wore thick white and blue parkas while they held a wooden bow in their hands. The two up on the trees smiled viscously at us from their branches. There's little to nothing regarding them. But from the lone Hunter that did manage to escape, he called them Ice Slayers. These guys are dangerous. I'm betting there's more of them too.

The Elf on the right scanned everyone on the ground and then made a slicing motion across his neck. They then vanished into the forest behind them in a burst of speed. Scouts?

"Damn. It seems we're inside a Red Gate. This means no one can enter the dungeon to offer us any support." Ozaki said and turned to everyone. Marin and Shinji stepped next to me and looked at Ozaki with worry. "With the fact that there are Ice Elves here, our chances of survival have dropped by ninety percent. I doubt we'll be able to hold out for a dungeon break to escape."

"A Red Gate?" Shinji shouted. "I've never heard of such a thing!"

Several of the gathered Hunters winced and looked down with worry. The female mage from earlier swallowed profoundly and turned to Shinji. "A Red Gate is a special Gate that connects us to another dimension. Once you step foot inside, you become completely cut off from our world. In other words, there is no escaping this place until you defeat the Boss or a break occurs."

"So... we're stranded here." Marin whispered, and a look of horror grew on her face. Her body began to shake, and her eyes grew panicked.

"Okay. Let's not panic." Ozaki said, stabbing his shield into the ground, causing the snow beneath it to crunch. "We're in an impossible situation. We need to handle this carefully and logically. Now, a dungeon break can occur after several weeks or months. So we have to try and survive until it does so."

Everyone nodded and looked over the supplies they brought with them. Marin grew nervous since she didn't bring anything besides her rapier. Rationing or finding food will be necessary. Before that, we'll have to find shelter from the snow.

"The minimum difficulty requirement for a Red Gate is B-Rank. In a dangerous place like this... it's hard to promise we will all survive." Ozaki said gravely. I felt all the B-ranks looking at the three of us in pity. These bastards already counted us out. To them, we're as good as dead.

"To avoid that. I'm forming a strong strike squad to focus on finding the Boss and killing it. Which means we'll have to split up." Ozaki then scanned the members of his Guild and grimaced. "Everyone but Hirano Kazuo, Okino Akio, and Yamamoto Hana will join my team."

"Y-you can't be serious!" A man dressed in light knight armor and a green body suit yelled. He had spiky red hair and blue eyes. This was Hirano Kazuo, a C-Rank. "We won't survive with just the six of us! These are inexperienced kids!"

"H-he's right! Why don't we all travel together?! We'll be stronger as a group!" A man dressed in a dark blue combat jacket and pants yelled. A bow and quiver rested on his back. His short black hair and eyes looked at Ozaki pleadingly. This was Okino Akio, a C-Rank.

I expected the woman, Yamamoto Hana, to protest as well, but she looked over to us and smiled reassuringly. She had bright pink hair and purple eyes. She was dressed in a dark pink mage's cloak, and a large book rested inside the pouch that hung on her left hip. From her get-up, it was safe to assume she was a Mage. Despite her efforts, her smile shook in fear.

"It's okay, you three. I'll make sure we all make it back home. Okay?" Yamamoto said with a motherly smile.

"You may see this as us abandoning you six to die. But if we bring those who would slow us down, We'll all be doomed. So I'm leaving the task of... finding shelter to you six. That way, we'll have shelter to return to when we come back tonight." Ozaki said calmly, which calmed the three older Hunters slightly. "I wish you all good luck."

Is that his excuse? Anyone with eyes could see having the strongest Hunters together would ensure their survival. He just doesn't want to admit it. I glared at the A-Rank as he began to walk in the direction the Ice Elves left. The rest of the B-Ranks didn't even look back at us as they followed him. Is this how Hunters treat those weaker than them? Even those in the same Guild? Survival of the fittest? How cruel.

"A-a day in a Red Gate is equivalent to one hour back on earth." Okino muttered as he sat down on the snow and hugged his knees. A look of defeat rested over his face. "If they don't succeed, we could be here for months... even a year. We'll be long dead before that."

I looked around at the defeated looks of those around me in disgust. Wow! Where'd that come from? Marin grabbed my wrist as I tried to figure out where that emotion came from. I turned to her and saw Shinji behind her—a look of cold acceptance on his face.

"Hey, Hikigaya? W-what do we do?" Marin asked me. I looked at the experienced Hunters and saw Yamamoto trying to cheer up both men. It didn't seem like it was working. I guess it's up to me.

"First of all, we need to leave the area. Those Ice Elves saw us here, so it'd be best if we weren't still here. Otherwise, we might get ambushed." I began walking into the forest and stopped when I saw the three adults looking at me with wonder and confusion. Marin and Shinji followed behind me and turned to them.

"Since Ozaki, who was supposed to be our chaperon, left us to die, it's up to you three to watch over us. Whether you want to sit and wallow in sadness is your business. Or you can get up and follow me. I'm not planning on dying here." With my piece said. I began heading deeper into the woods, followed by my fellow trail hunters. I wonder why they're listening to me so easily. Is it because I saved Kitagawa and stopped Sasaki from running off? Whatever it was, they had placed their trust in me.

After several moments, the sounds of three more footsteps joined our own. Hirano quickly jogged up next to me. "You have quite the level head, kid. Thanks for reminding me that we're the adults here. Sorry about that."

"Yeah, I guess we let fear rule our minds for a second." Okino said with a frown as he took the rear of our group. Yamamoto just smiled at the two men, happy they snapped out of their pathetic hump.

"Hold on." Shinji said suddenly, causing the adults to scan the trees wildly. I looked over where Shinji was staring and saw several trees with claw marks. "These slashes... These territorial markings are made by some type of bear monster."

"They must be Ice Bears." Yamamoto said, looking around at several trees with the same markings. "They're prevalent in snowy environments like this one. We should turn back before we run into them."

"It might be a good idea to keep going." Shinji said, surprising everyone but me. I had realized what he was getting at.

"If Ice Bears occupy this area, then that would mean we wouldn't have to worry about other monsters in this dimension. Just the Ice Bears." I said with a grin. "Not bad, Shinji."

Shinji blushed under my praise and rubbed the back of his head with a chuckle. "Well, in preparation for becoming a Hunter, I did a lot of studying on all the known monster types and environments ever recorded in the Gates around the world. I guess it came in handy after all."

"Wow! You're like an encyclopedia then!" Marin said in amazement and slapped Shinji's arm. "Pretty impressive, Sasaki!"

Shinji blushed hotly from Marin's praise and tried to act cool. He must have a crush on her. It'll crush him when he finds out she's taken. Hirano, Yamamoto, and Okino walked up to me with nervous looks.

"While that may be true. I'm not sure if we can handle fighting Ice Bears; the three of us are just C-ranks while you kids are weaker than that." Okino said and shook from the cold. It was then that I finally picked up that everyone was freezing by how they shook and how their teeth rattled slightly.

"Hah... don't worry about the bears. I'll take care of them." I said and began browsing the Systems store. After spending sixty gold, I pulled out six fur-lined winter coats. "Here. Everyone take one."

[ FUR COAT ]

[ TYPE: MISC ]

[ CLASS: E ]

[ Wearing this will increase your body temperature. ]

"I-it can't be! Spacial magic!" Yamamoto said in awe as she caught one of the coats I threw at everyone. The rest of my group looked at me with confusion and surprise.

"I heard you could only summon two or three items at a time! How are you able to pull out so many?!" Shinji said in amazement as he slipped on his coat. Marin nodded excitedly once her coat was on.

"I thought you were just an E-Rank, kid." Hirano said and looked at me with renewed expectations. Just who are you?"

Everyone looked at me with expectant looks as they waited for an answer. I slipped on my own jacket and ignored them. "I'm what's going to make sure you all get home, knowing that. I want you all not to ask me anything about my abilities. If you do that, I promise you will all survive this and return to your loved ones. Do we have a deal?"

Marin quickly nodded with a cheery 'Okay!'. Shinji smiled and agreed. The three adults looked at one another in trepidation; after a short while, they nodded at me.

"Good." I said and summoned my Wrath of War katana to my hip while also equipping the Cloak of Serpopard. I walked in front of my group and held an arm out. "Then just sit back and relax. I'll take care of everything in this world. Alone."

Everyone looked at me in confusion, but suddenly, loud, heavy footsteps rushed through the snow. A low growl approached us as they all turned to the large white bear rushing toward us.

"An Ice Bear!" Shinji yelled and backed up in fear. Marin, Hirano, and Okino took out their swords with nervous expressions. Yamamoto opened her book and raised a glowing hand in the bear's direction. I looked over my shoulder and eyed them all sharply.

"Didn't you hear me? I said I'd be fighting alone."

The Ice Bear was finally on us. It raised a sizeable white paw at us; its long, sharp claws glimmered in the light and released a loud, angry roar. With a swing, the bear's claws rushed at me. Fully intent on bisecting my body. I dashed forward and drew my black katana.

A loud thump echoed in the forest as the Ice Bear's body was split in half by my swift attack. Blood and organs slid out of its body, releasing waves of steam from their heat. I flicked my sword to get rid of any blood and sheathed it. I turned back and saw them all looking at me with awe. Marin took a step forward and spoke in a whisper.

"Who are you?"

x x x

[ (!) Authors Note ]

Hello, my faithful readers! I have a message to send out to you all. I've been mulling around the prospect of writing another story in the Oregairu world with our favorite loner as the lead. This one would be centered on a zombie apocalypse; how original, I know. This story idea has been brewing inside my mind after watching a few old zombie movies and re-playing The Last of Us. I want to tell a story with the Oregairu cast in those settings. Let me know what you think, and I hope you all continue reading and enjoying this story as it is released!