Imperial Capital, Martial Arts Association headquarters.
Inside a heavily guarded conference room, the atmosphere was so tense it felt like water could drip from the air.
Every person seated around the long conference table was powerful enough to make the East Continent tremble with a single stomp.
There were Alliance officials, top experts from the Association, senior professors from Imperial Martial University, and several Military Department heavyweights with stars on their shoulders.
Everyone's gaze converged on the enormous holographic projection at the front of the room.
It showed a three-dimensional map of the Imperial Capital, dotted with countless red warning markers. Complex streams of data refreshed like waterfalls, making for a shocking sight.
"Based on our continuous monitoring of spatial fluctuations over the past three months..."
A gray-haired expert in gold-rimmed glasses rose and pointed his laser pointer at the center of the map, where the area marked as the highest threat zone lay beneath Imperial Martial University.
"...we can be reasonably certain that the spatial structure around the Imperial Capital is becoming extremely unstable."
His voice was steady, but the implications weighed heavily on everyone present.
"Our conclusion is that the energy inside the S-rank Rift sealed by Imperial Martial University is rising sharply. The seal... probably won't hold much longer."
An S-rank Rift!
Those four words hung over everyone's hearts like an invisible mountain.
"How much time do we have?"
A middle-aged officer in a crisp military uniform, his expression stern, asked in a low voice.
The expert adjusted his glasses, his tone growing even graver. "We can't predict it precisely. It could be a year, or it could... be next month."
"Could this be related to the recent activities of the Beast God Cult?" The officer's gaze was sharp as a blade.
"Very likely."
The expert nodded