Chapter 108: Hyperion Thinks Hes Got a Screw Loose

Chapter 108: Hyperion Thinks He's Got a Screw Loose

On the campus of Ikerite University, the secluded woodland path gleamed like a brilliant gem. Autumn sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting picturesque patterns upon the limestone walkway.

Hyperion had instantly stopped in her tracks. Her amber eyes were wide with disbelief, as if she was questioning whether Lance had truly lost his marbles. She clutched the hem of his coat tightly, as though afraid he might suddenly rush off and leap off a cliff.

Glancing around to ensure no one was watching, she dragged Lance to the edge of the path and lowered her voice to ask, "H-how could you even think of seeking out a cardinal of the Church of Resurrection?!"

In this school... No, in this entire world, there had never been a student crazy enough to go seek out someone like that! Furthermore, this project, In Search of a Primal Tablet Bearer, was by no means something designed by the university for students to risk their lives on!

Hyperion knew that while others might act crazy, Lance was genuinely a bit out there. He was the type to actually follow through on his insane ideas. She dared not go along with his absolutely bonkers project, yet she also dared not let him go off and do something reckless on his own!

Lance began to explain his scheme to Hyperion in a low whisper, "I really think we could pull off something huge. Information doesn't travel easily between the Northern and Southern Continents. We could find a way to use disguises and assume new identities, cross the ocean to the North, and then infiltrate the Annihilation branch of the cult. Once there, if we play to our strengths and steadily climb the ranks within the cult, we might get the chance to meet Cardinal Askesan himself."

He grew increasingly animated as he spoke, as if he couldn't wait to start this self-devised assignment. "And think about it, Hyperion, since our continent has rules allowing people to view the Primal Tablets, maybe the cult has a way for their followers to view a cardinal's Primal Tablet, too!"

Hyperion was left completely dumbfounded. A long period of time passed as she stood there, utterly stunned. Then, she clutched her forehead and shook her head. She couldn't tell if she had picked up bad habits, or had been led astray after spending so much time with Lance, or if Lance's reasoning was simply sound. However, she actually found herself thinking that this plan didn't seem all that dangerous compared to their antics at Purgatory Corridor Academy!

The waters separating the Northern and Southern Continents were surrounded by the perilous Sea of Spectral Servitude. This was a massive, cataclysmic phenomenon that had been triggered by the collapse of a Level 9 Shadow Realm dimension. Over a thousand years had passed, yet it still had not dissipated.

The chaotic magical storms along this maritime route rendered most spells ineffective and made it impossible to establish magical communication between the continents. Information could only be conveyed via large merchant vessels making scheduled crossings, or by powerful individuals traversing the treacherous waters.

Consequently, the two of them arriving in the Northern Continent would be akin to a pair of newcomers appearing out of nowhere. If they could manage to capture a member of the cult from the Southern Continent and extract details about their identity, they might even be able to legitimately infiltrate the cult's northern branch by posing as members themselves.

Hyperion swallowed hard and asked, "Are you sure you really want to choose this as your project?"

Lance nodded, his eyes clear and resolute. "If you agree to it, then I'd like to go for it."

Hyperion bit her lower lip as a growing sense of foreboding washed over her. She wasn't worried about the danger of infiltrating the Church of Resurrection. After all, Lance was an enormous source of danger himself. Nor was she worried about the Human Kingdom Alliance Council misunderstanding their actions. That group already harbored suspicions about them anyway.

What truly terrified Hyperion was this: in her experience, once Lance found himself in a lawless environment, he would adapt with frightening speed, master skills beyond the reach of ordinary people, and evolve into something truly monstrous.

She was deeply concerned that this infiltration mission would spiral out of control, that he might accidentally become too successful and end up rising to the upper echelons of the cult!

If that happened, they would become notorious villains across the Northern Continent, and there would be no clearing their names once they returned to the Southern Continent! Yet, looking into Lance's eyes now, she felt that even if she refused to go, he would inevitably find a way to seek out Cardinal Askesan on his own. She was even less comfortable letting him run wild by himself.

"There's no helping it, I suppose I'll go with you. So, what's the plan?" Hyperion sighed, wearing a look of resignation. She knew Lance definitely had some scheme up his sleeve.

Lance pointed out, "Hyperion, you realize this, right? If we can capture members of the cult here in the Southern Continent, we can steal their identities. That would make it much easier to infiltrate their branches in the Northern Continent."

Hyperion nodded seriously. "Mm, I was thinking the same thing. But how are we supposed to catch them?"

Simply defeating these unpredictable cultists was difficult enough. Capturing one alive for interrogation was a whole different level of challenge.

Even if they could capture them, regulations strictly prohibited the private interrogation of cultists. This was because there had been cases in the past where individuals who engaged too deeply with cultists found themselves unwittingly corrupted. The Kingdom of Hutton required that captured cultists be handed over to the authorities immediately, and it was a measure taken with the safety of its citizens in mind.

"Hyperion, there is almost certainly a mole from the Church of Resurrection within our school. That's the only way those cultists could have ambushed us inside our Shadow Realm challenge." Lance's expression grew increasingly serious. Failing to catch this criminal was still weighing heavily on his mind.

After the previous incident, he realized that encountering a cultist in their Shadow Realm challenge who was specifically targeting Hyperion wasn't a mere coincidence. Someone within the school had been keeping a close, untraceable watch on them from afar.

On the day they headed toward the building housing the sealed Void Gate, that mole had used communication magic to relay information to various cultists. These cultists then initiated the matching process around the same time, ensuring a high probability of entering the same Shadow Realm instance as Hyperion to hunt her down once inside.

Hyperion felt a twinge of nervousness upon hearing this. "Do you want to catch that mole and interrogate them?"

She had never sensed any signs of being watched, yet as he said, someone in the academy was undoubtedly leaking information to the cult.

Lance shook his head helplessly. "There's no point in trying to catch that guy for now. Even my teacher couldn't find him."

When Talia had been in a good mood, he had mentioned that a Church of Resurrection assassin might be targeting him and Hyperion. Although his intention was to trick the demon princess into doing some legwork, she had surprisingly agreed to investigate the matter without hesitation.

However, even with her immense power, she had observed the area around Lance and Hyperion for some time without detecting anyone spying on them. That left only one possible answer. That mole must have blended perfectly into the student body, employing the most primitive yet flawless method of surveillance: simply observing them naturally during the course of their daily lives.

This meant the individual left no telltale traces behind, making it nearly impossible to lure them into a trap. If Lance and Hyperion were to depart for the Shadow Realm again, intelligence would inevitably leak to the cult.

Upon hearing Lance's explanation, Hyperion felt a sense of relief wash over her, mingling with her lingering anxiety. Just as she had begun to panic, feeling overwhelmed by the threat of an unseen observer she couldn't handle on her own, she found out that her teammate had already made every preparation and devised a thorough plan for any eventuality.

The feeling of having someone to rely on was something she hadn't experienced since her father disappeared. With genuine appreciation, Hyperion said, "Next time, I really ought to pay a visit to your teacher to express my gratitude..."

Her tone soon turned hesitant. "But...if my presence might displease her, perhaps it would be better if you simply conveyed my thanks on my behalf."

She was certainly curious about the kind of remarkable person capable of handling a student like Lance. However, upon reflection, she realized that not everyone shared her teammate's friendly attitude toward the demon race. For her, a part-demon loathed by humanity, paying an uninvited visit would likely only serve to upset Lance's teacher.