Chapter 726: The Goddess’s Will Is Absolute

And now, a young man was sitting in front of him, claiming that he had fought two creatures of this rank at the same time.

"Mr. Vorhelm..." Nathaniel asked slowly. "How did you actually survive?"

Lian shrugged.

"Fortunately, I’m still here."

Evelyn stared at him for a moment, but Nathaniel had noticed something else.

"There’s something I find strange."

His gaze moved toward Lian’s face and hands.

"You said you were involved in a battle this intense, but you don’t seem to have suffered even a single injury."

Young Vorhelm glanced at himself.

"I was injured, more than you think."

"Then how...?"

"I leveled up twice during the battles."

Nathaniel became silent, and Lian continued.

"You probably know what leveling up does to physical injuries."

The colonel slowly nodded, but instead of reducing his surprise, this answer had created another question.

If this boy had gained two levels under such conditions, it meant he had also killed a considerable number of powerful creatures during those battles.

"And how did you finally survive that battle?" Evelyn asked.

Lian thought for several seconds, this was a part of the report that he needed to explain more carefully.

"I fought and held out for as long as I could, then the Final Judgment of Hollow Sun began, and everything fell into chaos."

His gaze moved toward the window for a moment.

"I think that event indirectly saved us, the last thing I remember is waking up again and finding ourselves outside the curtain."

Nathaniel did not take his eyes off Lian.

"So you don’t know what happened to those two Unholy?"

"Not for certain, at that time, I was more worried about staying alive."

The colonel remained silent for a moment and then closed the file.

"I think we have enough information for now."

Evelyn nodded.

"Once the condition of your three companions becomes stable, we’ll examine their reports as well."

Lian stood up.

"So can I leave?"

"Yes." Nathaniel stood up. "In any case, Mr. Vorhelm, we more or less know where we can find you, and we’d appreciate it if you could deliver this report to Mr. Silas when you return to the academy."

Then he picked up a document from the table and handed it to him.

"Good...then have a nice day." He took the document and left the room, and the door closed behind him.

Evelyn looked at the door for a few moments and then said.

"I don’t think he told us the whole truth."

Nathaniel closed the file.

"Neither do I."

"Then why did you let him leave?"

"Because we still have no reason to keep him here, besides, we have three other witnesses under our care, we can compare their reports."

She remained silent for a moment and then looked at the file again.

"A young man managed to hold out against two Unholy at the same time...and at Levels 35 and 28, my God." She took a deep breath.

This was not an ordinary matter, teams of professional Awakened were always sent to hunt Unholy creatures, and it was impossible for a human to face a monster of that rank alone, especially when their levels were close.

That was simply asking to die.

And yet, the young man who had just been here, if he had told the truth, was far more than a young genius.

"If what he said is true, we’re talking about a talent that might change the balance of power within the next few years."

Nathaniel leaned back in his chair.

"And if he hasn’t told us the whole truth, he might already be much more powerful than we imagine."

Evelyn thought for several seconds and then said.

"Keep the report confidential until we examine the statements of the other three, if he told the truth, we need to send the report directly to the President of the Federation."

The colonel nodded.

A few moments later, the woman asked.

"Nathaniel... do you think we’ll have another Celestial?"

The man looked at the closed file.

"Yeah."

He paused briefly.

"And perhaps sooner than we think."

Then he continued in a lower voice.

"Of course, we shouldn’t expect anything less from someone a Celestial personally wanted to recruit."

"Ah...anyway, we have a lot of work to do, the situation is worse than we thought, six talented young people and a large number of our forces have been killed, it’s going to be a busy week."

The woman also nodded, the deaths of so many people were not a simple matter, and many institutions and organizations would have to explain what had happened to their families.

Lian walked through the main hallway of the command building.

On the surface, he seemed to be leaving the complex, but after reaching a quiet hallway, he slowed his steps and looked around for a moment.

’Now it’s your turn, Noah.’

[ Abyss Veil Activated ]

Lian’s presence was hidden from his surroundings, and he headed toward the medical section without attracting the attention of the Federation forces.

His mana was still very low, but the small amount that had recovered during this time was enough for limited use of the skill.

A few minutes later, he reached the medical building.

After his report, new safety measures had been put in place, contact with the three survivors had been limited, and the healers were examining the effects of the spiritual corruption.

He first checked the condition of Rindo and Alicia.

Both were still unconscious, but their conditions were stable, the unnatural whiteness in their eyes had decreased more than before, and there were no signs that the corruption was spreading further.

’Good, these two will probably recover.’

Then his gaze fell on the room at the end of the hallway.

Noah was being treated there.

One of the healers was standing beside his bed and checking his condition, after recording several results, the man gathered his equipment and left the room.

Lian waited until his footsteps faded down the hallway, then entered the room and closed the door behind him.

Noah was still unconscious.

His face was pale, and his quiet breathing could barely be heard, his half-open eyes still showed traces of unnatural whiteness.

Lian stood beside the bed and looked at his face for several seconds.

What a shame.

A short memory from their journey appeared in his mind.

When the caravan had been attacked by the Black Vultures, this boy had helped everyone who was injured.

At the emergency base inside the Land of the First Dawn, he had always been ready to help at any moment, had taken on many responsibilities, and was trusted and liked by everyone.

At that time, Lian had thought Noah was genuinely a kind person, and perhaps he was.

But that same man had later stabbed him in the back.

Young Vorhelm let out a short sigh and then focused his attention on the Eclipse Core.

A small amount of its energy had recovered, and that was enough to wake him up.

A thin thread of Eclipse Energy formed between his fingers.

He slowly sent it into the structure of the spiritual corruption remaining inside Noah, and the energy began breaking down the parts that had disturbed the connection between his consciousness and body.

But this process was not painless.

First, the fingers of Noah’s right hand moved, then the muscles in his neck tightened, and his breathing stopped for a moment.

His body twisted on the bed, his hands grabbed the bedsheet without control, and a deep frown appeared on his forehead.

Deep inside his head, he felt as if threads attached to his mind were being forcibly pulled away.

His eyelids trembled, and then his eyes opened.

He tried to take a deep breath, but a sharp pain spread through his head, and a broken sound came from his throat.

At that moment, the image of the man standing beside his bed became clear.

Dark hair.

A familiar face.

And the same calm gaze he had seen many times throughout the journey.

Lian Vorhelm.

For a moment, Noah forgot to breathe, his last clear memory was of the dagger he had driven into Lian’s body from behind.

He had been certain the strike was deadly.

But now, that same man was standing in front of him without the slightest sign of injury.

Noah’s lips parted, but before he could scream, Lian placed his index finger against his lips.

"Shh, be quiet."

Noah remained motionless.

His gaze remained fixed on Lian’s face; as if he were looking at the ghost of someone he had killed himself.

Young Vorhelm gave a short smile.

"You must be wondering how I’m still alive, huh?"

Then he leaned forward slightly.

"I have to say, unfortunately, you chose the wrong target."

Noah tried to move backward.

But his weak body still did not follow his commands properly, and he only managed to move a few centimeters across the bed.

Lian pulled the chair beside the bed closer and sat down.

"Well, let’s start with a simple question."

He placed his hands on the chair’s armrests.

"Why?"

Noah did not answer, and his gaze kept moving toward the room’s door.

"Are you waiting for someone?" Lian noticed.

The young Frenchman pressed his lips together.

"I..."

But he did not finish his sentence.

Young Vorhelm waited for several seconds and then let out a short sigh.

"You know, Noah, after a long time, I felt like I’d found a new friend."

His gaze remained on Noah’s face for a moment.

"A friend I could trust, someone who, when standing behind me, I wouldn’t have to worry about stabbing me in the back."

He paused briefly.

"But in the end, that’s exactly what happened."

Noah lowered his head, his fingers tightened around the bedsheet, for a few moments, it seemed as if he wanted to say something, but finally, he only whispered.

"The Goddess’s will... is absolute."

Lian looked at him for several seconds.

"I know."

Then he lowered his head slightly.

"I’m just disappointed."

Noah raised his gaze, and for a moment, something like hesitation passed across his face.

"There’s one more thing I want to know." Lian leaned back in his chair again and then added.

"When you stabbed me in the back, was someone controlling you? Were you under pressure? Were you forced?"

Silence followed.

The young Frenchman looked at his face for several seconds and then slowly shook his head.

"No."

"So it was your own choice."

"It was my lady’s order."

"That’s not what I asked."

Noah opened his mouth, but he had no answer, and young Vorhelm remained silent for a moment.

He had consciously taken the dagger, consciously waited for the right opportunity, and consciously attacked someone who had trusted him throughout the journey.

’So you did it just because she ordered you to...’ Lian lowered his gaze slightly.