CHAPTER 254: EPIC RANK (PART 1)

Azrael arrived at the teleportation hub of the academy, and just like last time, after stepping into the teleportation formation, he was instantly transported to Mira’s office.

When he appeared inside her office, he noticed that no one was there, so he walked to one of the chairs and sat down.

While waiting for Mira to return, he opened the messages Oliver had sent him a few minutes ago and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

’Around two days, huh...’ He muttered inwardly. ’I can wait for that.’

Azrael had asked Oliver to prepare a potion that would help him break through to the Epic Rank, as well as gather the materials required for the mid-level advancement of the Unyielding Body.

Oliver already had the potion ready, but the materials for Unyielding Body would take around two days to collect.

Although Azrael wanted to break through to the Epic Rank as soon as possible, he knew that improving the level of Unyielding Body would benefit him greatly in the future. So, he decided to wait for two days and only break through after upgrading it.

’Until the materials for Unyielding Body arrive, I should be able to reach the entry level in the Eye of the Eternal Storm Essentia Art,’ Azrael thought to himself.

He was lost in his thoughts when suddenly, a spatial rift opened in the middle of the office, and Mira stepped out from it.

Seeing her emerge directly from a spatial rift, Azrael was taken aback and couldn’t help but glance at the office door in the corner, giving it a disdainful look.

’No one even uses that poor thing anymore. Shouldn’t it just go ahead and commit suicide already for being so useless?’ He thought sarcastically.

Mira glanced at Azrael before walking over to her chair and sitting down.

"How was your mission?" She asked casually.

"It was good..." Azrael replied calmly. "Though, it was far more dangerous than the information you gave me suggested."

"It only became dangerous because you acted on your own," Mira rolled her eyes at his response. "If you had retreated right after finding their hideout, you wouldn’t have faced any danger."

Azrael remained silent at her words since he knew she was right.

However, he didn’t regret his actions. After all, if he had retreated immediately after locating the Transcendent Organization’s hideout, he would have missed many valuable things. Not to mention, No. 4 would have died there if he hadn’t entered the hideout and killed Boris.

Seeing that Azrael stayed quiet, Mira shook her head slightly before continuing.

"Since all three of you decided to act on your own, there’s no point in blaming anyone," She said before her expression turned serious.

"Anyway, the reason I called you so soon after your return has something to do with the ruins you entered."

Azrael raised an eyebrow when he heard that and waited silently for her to continue.

Mira remained quiet for a moment before finally speaking.

"Have you seen the news about the strange phenomenon that occurred a few days ago?"

"Yes," Azrael nodded. "You mean the one where the stars began glowing red all across Genesis, right?"

He had heard people from the security forces talking about the strange event while he was on Planet Fras.

On his way back from the Flato Solar System, he had checked the news himself and knew that something major had happened.

’Does she also think that phenomenon is connected to the Ancient Ruins?’ He thought inwardly.

In fact, when Azrael had checked the exact timing of the phenomenon, he found that it had occurred right when he sat on the Sanguinal Throne and obtained his Eternal Grade Bloodline.

Although he felt the phenomenon might have been caused by his Bloodline awakening, he wasn’t completely sure.

There was also the issue of Vanessa trying to open the black door located behind the throne.

While Luo Bingqing and Elyara hadn’t seen her doing so, since part of the sand castle had collapsed and blocked their view, it was still possible that she had succeeded in opening the door using the blood of her companions.

The timing of his bloodline awakening and Vanessa’s attempt to open the door had been very close, so it was entirely possible that the phenomenon was caused by her successfully unlocking it.

Although Nalvadir had told him that opening that door with blood was akin to inviting one’s own doom, the possibility couldn’t be ruled out.

Of course, it was also possible that neither his bloodline nor the black door had anything to do with the event and that the phenomenon had been triggered by an entirely different cause.

Still, judging from the blood-soaked environment of the ruins and the fact that the stars had glowed crimson as though drenched in blood, it seemed highly likely that the two were connected.

When Mira heard Azrael say that he already knew about the phenomenon, she nodded and asked seriously, "What do you think about it?"

Azrael frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you think that phenomenon might be related to those Ancient Ruins?"

Mira stared at him intently, carefully observing his expression for any signs that he knew something.

However, she was disappointed when she saw his face remain completely impassive. He showed no reaction whatsoever to her question.

"I’m not sure," Azrael replied after a pause, shaking his head. "But the chances are actually quite high. The entire environment of that ruin was drenched in blood, and from what I read, the stars glowed a deep crimson, as if stained by it. So there’s a strong possibility that the phenomenon was somehow connected to the ruins."

Mira raised an eyebrow, surprised by his straightforward admission. She hadn’t expected him to acknowledge that the event might be related to the ruins, especially since doing so could lead to an investigation involving him.

Still, she didn’t let her surprise show on her face and continued curiously, "Since you think it might be connected to the ruins, do you have any idea what could have triggered it?"

Azrael had been expecting this question, so he didn’t hesitate to answer.

"I can only think of that black door inside the ruins," He said seriously. "According to the reports I’ve seen, the timing of that phenomenon perfectly overlaps with the moment they tried to open it."

Mira frowned slightly at his words.

"You said that both the people from the Transcendent Organization and the security forces entered that black door. Are you suggesting they were responsible for the phenomenon?"

"If the phenomenon is truly related to the ruins, I can’t think of anything else that could have triggered it," Azrael said, nodding slightly.

"Are you sure there wasn’t anything else that could have caused it?" Mira asked, looking deeply into his eyes.

"As I said, I’m not sure," Azrael replied, shaking his head. "There might have been other things in the ruins that Elyara, Luo Bingqing, and I overlooked. We didn’t even get the chance to explore the underground tunnels they had created, so it’s possible something important was hidden there."

Mira continued to stare at him for a moment before finally nodding.

"I see," She said, leaning back in her chair. "The entrance to the ruins has already collapsed, hasn’t it?"

"Yes, it collapsed just a few minutes after we left Planet Fras."

Mira sighed softly and shook her head.

"What a pity. If the entrance hadn’t collapsed, we could have sent a team to investigate."

Azrael didn’t respond, quietly thinking about the ruins key that he still had stored in his inventory.

’Well, it’ll be a while before I use it anyway,’ He thought.

"By the way," Mira suddenly said, shifting the topic, "You’re already at the peak of the Class Rank. When are you planning to break through to the Epic Rank?"

"In two or three days," Azrael replied. "I need to prepare a few things before attempting the breakthrough."

"I see," Mira nodded, waving her hand dismissively. "You can go back now. Contact me once you’ve broken through to the Epic Rank."

Azrael nodded and stood up to leave. Just as he was about to step into the teleportation formation, Mira seemed to recall something and spoke seriously.

"By the way, don’t think about entering the Eonrift right after your breakthrough. Wait for a while before going in. The Eonrift is currently going through the Blood Moon Phase."

Azrael paused mid-step and frowned slightly.

"How long does this Blood Moon Phase last?" He asked.

Mira shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

"It’s uncertain. It might end tomorrow, or it might last an entire month. Blood Moon Phases are always unpredictable, so don’t think about entering until it’s over."

Azrael sighed inwardly before nodding. "Got it."

Mira didn’t say anything else and waved her hand. As she did, a teleportation formation lit up beneath Azrael’s feet, and his body slowly vanished from the room.

Once he was gone, Mira shook her head and smiled faintly.

"What a cunning child."