Initiating Countermeasures!

The people flying in the vortex's direction could be seen everywhere, and Lian could see their crowns shining. Previously, the majority of the crowns were all gray. However, they were all changing in colors. They were yellow, red, green, blue, purple, brown... any color that one could think of; it was probably there. Duran and Carol's crowns were also going through the same transformation. However, there was one exception, and that was Lian's own crown. 'It's turning... transparent?'

That was correct. Lian's gray crown wasn't changing like the others. Instead, his crown was losing color. It was as if it was changing into a crystal or a glass crown. Well, that's as far as he could see. After all, it was hard to look at the crown on his head. He could only see the fringes of its border. Usually, he had to use a mirror to see it whole. He obviously didn't have the chance to use a mirror now.

Lian then threw those thoughts behind his mind. So what if the crowns were changing colors? He didn't even know if he would survive this.

Eventually, Lian's group was dragged all the way up to the vortex of purple clouds in the sky. It was at that moment that they finally could see something.

"Look! What's that?!"

At the very center of the vortex, Lian saw what seemed to be another world... or so he thought. That's because it was hard to make out, not to mention that it was a panoramic view from high up in the skies.

Carol noticed something else, though. "Eh? The rubble, equipment, and everything else that touches that portal is disappearing."

Duran and Lian, who had their eyes enamored by the scenery of the other side, now stopped to pay attention to that. Surprisingly, Carol was right. Everything that touched the 'portal' or whatever it was, seemed to transform into powder before disappearing.

"Are we going to die?" Duran asked in a loud voice.

"I don't think so," Lian answered straight away, also speaking loudly due to the situation. "Pay attention to the people who get close to the other side. Only their clothes are being transformed into powder."

"What?! They're getting stripped naked?!" Carol couldn't help but exclaim in response. "Shameless!!!"

Duran and Lian looked at Carol as if they were looking at an idiot. "And that's what you're worried about?"

"Leave me alone!" Carol was basically doing her best not to lose her mind, so thinking about something like that was probably a good option.

It went without saying that Carol, Duran, and Lian also reached the 'portal' at some point. Sure enough, their clothes and anything that wasn't part of their bodies suddenly transformed into powder before being blown away. That also included their phones, accessories, and so on.

Seeing that, Lian finally understood. The trees around them were also passing through the portal. They were not being transformed into powder. "I get it. Only living things can go through that shit. Everything else is eliminated!"

Carol, who had her eyes closed, didn't care about it. "We can pay attention to that if we survive this shit!"

Duran totally agreed with her, shouting, "Indeed! If you guys have any last words, you better say them now."

Lian's mouth twitched after hearing that. "Last words are said to those who stay alive. What's the point if we're all going to die?!"

"Who decided that?" Duran didn't care. "It's also an opportunity. Shout out your most embarrassing things since those who hear it won't live to tell others. You have no imagination, as always! What are you, a mummy?"

"Fuck you! This grandfather has more imagination in his pinky than you have in your entire brain." Of course, Lian didn't relent.

Carol didn't know whether to laugh or cry already. They were both naked, holding her, a woman, who was also naked, about to be sucked into a portal or whatever it was. The entire world was going through that. How could those two still bicker at each other during a time like this?

*Vup, vup, vup!*

Eventually, they touched the 'portal' amid the clouds before they were sent to the other side. For a moment, it seemed like countless light-years passed right in front of their eyes. They couldn't even tell whether they still existed or not. Earth? Purple clouds? Vortex? Portal? All of that became meaningless for that fraction of a moment.

*Va, va, va, va, va, va...*

However, they soon recovered their sense as they arrived at whatever place that was. Not only them, but Lian's group could also see countless people appearing around them as well. It was an ocean of naked people of all ages, from babies, kids, teenagers, and middle-aged people, all the way to the old people.

It's just that no one was paying attention to the others at the moment? Why? That's because they had just appeared high up in the skies!

"Ahhhhhhhh!"

Carol immediately let out a shrill scream as she began to fall from the skies. Obviously, Duran and Lian did the same. The three, along with the people who continued to appear, were simply free-falling, and the speed of their fall only increased with every passing second.

Lian quickly calmed down and looked around him. He was trying to find any way to survive, or they would simply smash against the ground. After a bit, he noticed something somewhere on the right side. "Duran, Carol, there! There seems to be a lake. Try to stabilize your bodies and change the direction we're falling in!"

Duran immediately screamed back, "Are you crazy? At this speed, falling into water or the ground is pretty much the same thing!"

"Then do you have a better idea?!" Lian immediately asked back.

Carol finally opened her eyes and looked in the direction Lian pointed out. "A-Alright, let's try it!"

It was obvious that Lian's group wasn't the only one with that idea. Everywhere around him, he could see people trying to change their direction in the air, aiming for the lake.

Soon, they began to see people smashing against the water as well as the ground around them. They tried not to pay attention to them since neither side seemed to be having much luck. It was definitely a gory sight to behold.

"We're dead!" Duran braced himself as he shouted.

Lian and Carol also thought the same, even though they reached the range of the water.

However, it was at that moment that Lian heard a voice resound inside his mind.

-Seems like you are fucked, uh?-

-Can't be helped...-

-Initializing Countermeasures!-

Lian was taken aback. He couldn't tell where that voice came from. Nonetheless, he would hold anything that could give him a chance to survive at the moment. "Then go ahead and start it!"

Too bad nothing happened.

-Ah! There isn't energy available!-

-Wait a moment, please.-

-Reassessing the situation...-

-Reassessing...-

-Reassessing...-

-Result: You are basically dead-

There was a second of silence until suddenly, the voice spoke again.

-Ahem... It was good to meet you-

Lian had one more reason to cry now. "Fuck you!"