The sky over the city darkened with an ominous, unnatural hue as the latest Gate materialized in its center. As it tore open, its otherworldly energy sent shivers down spines, and an aura of dread rippled through the crowd of fleeing civilians. Monstrous figures began to emerge, their grotesque forms and bloodcurdling roars adding to the chaos.

The Gates, which had begun appearing 30 years ago, were portals to nightmarish dimensions; to combat the menace, Awakened by the same mysterious event humans with superpowers—Espers—were commissioned by the government.

Dressed in a dark tactical outfit that hugged his lean, muscular frame, Ogata exuded a terrifying calmness. His eyes, already sharp and calculating, shone with an eerie, otherworldly light. With each shot from his rifle—a weapon specially modified to channel his Esper abilities—a monster fell, its body dissipating into a dark mist. His powers were a deadly combination of enhanced marksmanship and kinetic energy manipulation, allowing him to control the trajectory and impact of each bullet with deadly accuracy.

Amidst the chaos, something caught his attention—an ordinary human in the throes of panic, fleeing from one of the fiendish creatures. Ogataʼs senses tingled, a rare and unexpected sensation cutting through his usual indifference. He could sense it—the hidden potential of a Guide, resonating with his own energy. Guides were rare, especially ones that could potentially match his high rank.

“This might be interesting,” he muttered under his breath, a dark smirk forming on his lips. He moved with a predatorʼs grace, effortlessly dodging debris and chaos.

The person stumbled, clearly overwhelmed by the chaos around them. Ogata reached out with a firm grip, pulling them out of harmʼs way. His touch was cold and unyielding, but there was something strangely reassuring about it.

“Stay close if you want to live,” Ogata ordered, releasing their arm, his focus shifting back to the monster-infested chaos surrounding them.