Chapter 88: The Demon Returned from Hell
The inspection report of the soil sample was stamped with multiple seals, from the Military Intelligence Bureau as well as various authoritative certification organizations…
The marks of these seals varied in age; some appeared to be a century old, while others were clearly stamped only in the last few decades.
It was evident that during the nearly two hundred years the soil sample had been archived, different inspectors had repeatedly tested it as detection technology progressed, yet they all reached the same conclusion.
Rast gently closed the briefcase in front of him.
Confidential documents from nearly two hundred years ago…
Combined with the soil sample and that black-and-white old photograph.
These three archival items of a museum-level nature interweave to present a concise and credible conclusion—
“Canaan” was a small town that once truly existed in the present world, not located in the Granwill Empire, but in the northern borders of the Fran Kingdom.
However, about two hundred years ago, a disaster named the “Fares Explosion” erased the entire Canaan from the map, as if with an eraser.
All that remained was the void in the photograph that clashed with the surrounding scenery.
Or to put it more directly—
What he had personally witnessed and regarded as a safe haven, “Canaan,” was merely a wisp of dust from history.
In the real world, this small town had long since ceased to exist.
…
“In the military, intelligence is classified into ten levels, corresponding to the tier of power the information involves.”
“A level seven classification means the intelligence content directly or indirectly relates to a legend.”
“Level nine signifies a divine descent of a true god, or an apocalyptic disaster on par with that level of power.”
“Only such high-tier extraordinary events could trigger a large-scale phenomenon of ‘temporal extinction,’ directly erasing a region of dozens of kilometers from the world.”
“Of course—if it were a legend specializing in temporal abilities, it could also cause temporal extinction… but currently known sequences contain no path capable of interfering with time and space.”
“Moreover, the temporal-themed Night Blades are exceedingly rare, and both cultivating and developing them are extraordinarily difficult. The documented users of temporal Night Blades in the Tower of Secrets have only reached the Fourth Tier before being unable to advance further.”
“Therefore, the probability of a temporal-themed legend appearing in the current world is even smaller than the former two possibilities.”
Beside him, Ingrid added a few comments.
She walked over to Rast’s side and took the two briefcases from the boy’s hands.
Even with Ingrid’s authority, the borrowing of documents and artifacts from the archives comes with strict time limits, and they must be returned immediately after use.
However, at the moment Ingrid accepted the briefcases, she suddenly noticed Rast’s hands trembling slightly.
This surprised her; the request to assist in querying the Canaan archives in the Tower of Secrets had been sent to her by Hiltina in the name of the academy, so Ingrid did not know Rast’s past or why this junior would seek an ancient place name from nearly two hundred years ago.
Or perhaps Rast was simply a lackey sent by the academy?
But being valued by Mr. Silver indicated that his character was quite dedicated, much like the current Round Table chief, Akshia, whom Ingrid had encountered before. Aside from her pursuit in her heart, she remained indifferent to everything external and would not easily waver.
From her previous interactions with Rast, this junior, who came from a similar background, should also have this personality type. He had always maintained an unpredictable and mysterious demeanor, so it was unbecoming of him to lose composure now.
Yet when Ingrid looked up to Rast’s face with a hint of confusion, she suddenly froze; she saw a side of Rast she had never encountered before.
It was a look that was hard to describe in words. The light in his pitch-black eyes was as vicious as a sickle, like a ferocious lone wolf…
But at the same time, his expression was so fragile and lost, as if he were a child desolate after being told by an adult that Santa Claus did not exist and the light giant was merely a fabricated childish story.
It also reminded her of a fragile porcelain vase, cracked and only able to be glued together with low-quality glue, ready to shatter at any moment.
Strangely enough, her junior was merely at the Second Tier, while Ingrid had already stepped into the Sixth Tier…
However, looking at the terrifying light in the boy’s eyes, for a brief moment, Ingrid distinctly felt her heart flutter.
As if some inexplicable disaster was about to strike in the Tower of Secrets, enveloping everything, herself included.
But eventually, that dazzling light gradually dimmed, and he turned back into the handsome boy who had amazed Ingrid upon their first meeting.
Rast’s once slightly trembling hands suddenly steadied: “Senior, I would like to ask you a question.”
“Throughout history, there has not been a definitive conclusion regarding the existence of the historical echoes in the Night World, right?”
“Yes.”
Ingrid nodded: “This question has been debated by Night Travelers from across the Western Continent for nearly a thousand years, and they may continue to argue for many more.”
“The historical background of the Night World echoes indeed stems from the past… but if they were merely illusions and echoes, they could not manifest as so real.”
“According to the records of the Tower of Secrets, even true legends cannot perceive differences between the Night World and reality, no matter how they observe; it clearly exists as a tangible world.”
“Moreover, if everything in the Night World is illusory, how do we explain the dusk disasters descending into the real world?”
She tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear: “Therefore, some scholars have even proposed a hypothesis… that the world we currently inhabit may be a large-scale, prolonged echo of the Night World, and we are merely unknowing native copies projected from it.”
“Of course, unless the Night World we inhabit collapses one day, this hypothesis can neither be proven nor disproven, rendering it practically meaningless.”
Ingrid smiled slightly: “However, if that speculation about the End Echo is true—”
“Then perhaps if we conquer all seventy-two Night Worlds and clear the final End Echo, we will finally learn all the secrets of the Night World.”
While answering, Ingrid also observed Rast’s expression out of the corner of her eye.
His face returned to its usual calmness, and even his pitch-black pupils regained their stillness, resembling a clear pool that swallowed light, leaving only the deep darkness behind.
If this were an ordinary person, they might think that Rast’s fleeting expression was merely an illusion of their own.
But as a Sixth Tier Extraordinary, through constant use of the Night Blade “Shadow Iron,” her control over her own body had reached the limits of humanity—
Ingrid knew it was not an illusion.
The junior who seemed indifferent to everything before her clearly harbored something exceptionally terrifying within.
As if he were… a demon returned from hell.
(End of Chapter)
