CHAPTER 102: LARGE SCALE INVESTIGATION!

A long period of time had passed, and the final Hollowed One finally collapsed with a screeching howl, its chest caving in beneath a crimson-flamed strike from Albedo’s fist.

Its body writhed for only a moment before dissolving into ash, leaving nothing but a black scorch mark on the blood-stained cobblestones.

Albedo exhaled through his nose, his breath misting faintly in the night air. The echo of battle still clung to the streets, the distant shrieks of dying Hollowed, the heavy panting of exhausted students who had joined the fight, and the lingering stench of ichor burning in the lamplight.

Morgana stood nearby, shadows still coiled like serpents around her feet, her obsidian eyes glimmering faint red. Sweat dampened her hair, but her grin hadn’t faltered once during the fight. Her fingers twitched faintly, her Gift hungering for more blood to spill.

Elara, by contrast, looked drained, as she was currently beginning to suffer from Mana Exhaustion, but she still managed to look around and scan for potential lingering threats that could spring a surprise attack.

The street was now silent aside from the intense blaring of horns, which were the Academy’s alarms, and he knew various Professors would probably be arriving in the area sometime soon.

"That’s the last of them here," he said flatly. His tone wasn’t triumphant. It was matter-of-fact, cold. He already knew what came next.

"You two stay here," Albedo continued. His voice carried command, a steel edge that left little room for argument, "Professors will arrive soon. Let them handle the stragglers. I need to confirm something."

Elara frowned, pushing off the wall she was bracing herself on, "Albedo, "

But Albedo quickly cut her off, his voice even but final, "You’re both exhausted. Don’t push past your limits. Stay safe."

For a moment, Morgana looked like she would argue as well, her shadows stirring irritably at the thought of being sidelined. But then she took a deep breathe and nodded, "Fine, just...don’t get hurt,"

Albedo gave her the faintest ghost of a nod, then turned away. He immediately leapt onto Ember and rode the Celestial Mare.

Ember darted down the street as he rode towards the Academy Medical Bay. Soon he arrived, sending Ember back to the Beast Space as he walked through the alleys and scorched environment where the aftermath of battle lingered.

Students and guards were tending to the wounded, dragging corpses of Hollowed into piles for purification. The air was thick with the iron scent of blood and the acrid tang of mana-burn.

Whispers followed him as he passed, many students recognizing him from both the Mid-Terms, and how he saved many of them during the initial attack.

However, Albedo ignored all of it, his mind was sharp, locked on the pieces falling into place and getting closer to cracking the puzzle.

But Albedo ignored it all. His mind was sharp, locked on the pieces falling into place.

The Hollowed Ones today definitely couldn’t be random. He remembered how sick the various students were when he visited the Medical Bay with Luna, and he also realized that all of the students he saw become Hollowed Ones were commoners, just like the sick students.

There had to be some kind of connection. He walked through the Medical Bay, seeing various wards with dozens of students in beds being healed by the healers and being checked for signs of the Hollowed.

Soon, he entered a different room and spotted Professor Luna, who was standing amidst the chaos, her eyes tracking the room.

"I thought you’d show up," Luna said as she noticed him.

"I don’t die easily," Albedo replied curtly, his gaze already sweeping over the restrained patients.,"What’s their condition?"

Luna studied him for a moment before gesturing toward the nearest bed. A boy lay there, pale and sweating, his veins faintly darkened, his chest rising and falling erratically.

"Their mana is all unstable and their body is feverish. The only reason they hadn’t transformed is because the Medical Bay is completely covered in an Anti-Abyssal Formation, so its resisting the full transformation,"

Albedo’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of cold calculation flashing in their depths as he finally asked, "Have you found the source?"

Luna’s lips pressed into a thin line. She glanced at the boy’s trembling body, then slowly shook her head, "All of them share the same affliction. Abyssal mana," she said evenly.

"It is coursing through their veins, subtle at first, nearly indistinguishable from ordinary mana if you don’t know what to look for. That’s how they dodged the Eye of Aeons. Today, all of the dormant Abyssal Mana gathered at their heart and detonated, warping them into Hollowed Ones. Somehow, they’ve all been infected. The question is how."

"There’s obviously some kind of trick that was used to get the Abyssal Mana into their body. Only certain commoners felt this as well, not all of them," Albedo said as he thought.

Then, after a pause, Luna’s tone softened, almost contemplative, "I’d like to meet your friend, Elara Vance."

Albedo’s eyes flicked toward her, a faint shift of suspicion flashing behind his calm mask, "Why?"

"Because she was among those sickened, wasn’t she?" Luna asked, not accusing, just matter-of-fact, her insight as sharp as any blade. "She resisted. That makes her case... unique and Nymarielle can use her abilities to understand why,"

Albedo considered Luna’s words carefully. Her logic was sound, and deep down he already knew Elara’s case was too much of an anomaly to ignore. Slowly, he inclined his head.

"I’ll call her," he said, quickly calling Elara, her tired voice coming through, "Albedo? Did something happen?"

"Meet me at Professor Luna’s office in the Beastarium Spire. It’s important." He quickly said.

A pause, followed by a faint exhale. "Understood. I’ll be there."

He cut off the call and glanced at Luna who didn’t waste a single second, and with a motion of her hand, the space around the duo warped like rippling water. In an instant, Albedo felt the disorienting tug of Luna’s teleportation spell, and when the sensation faded, the two of them stood in the Luna’s Office.

Luna crossed her arms, her expression sharpening, "She’ll come quickly. Sit."

Albedo didn’t. He remained standing, hands clasped behind his back, mind turning over possibilities.

Moments later, light footsteps echoed through the chamber. Elara entered, still pale, her auburn hair clinging slightly from sweat, but her green eyes were sharp with determination.

"Albedo," she said, then glanced toward Luna and gave a slight but respectful curtsy, "Professor."

Luna gave a curt nod. "Thank you for coming. I’ll be blunt: I wish to investigate why you remained stable while others who shared your symptoms became Hollowed. Something within you resisted."

Elara stiffened slightly. Her gaze darted toward Albedo, as if to ask if he truly trusted this, but his steady nod seemed to calm her.

"Alright," she said at last.

Luna’s eyes flickered, "Then let us begin."

The air rippled behind her, and from the veil of light emerged Nymarielle. The Leviathan’s form shimmered in its medium size, coils of sapphire and obsidian scales glistening faintly, fins crackling with black lightning.

The sheer presence of her serpentine body filled half the chamber, regal and terrifying.

Elara instinctively took a step back, eyes wide as she saw the mysterious beast she didn’t recognize, "That’s,"

"Remain calm, it’s just my beast" Luna interrupted. "She will not harm you. Nymarielle will merely... perceive you."

The Leviathan’s gaze locked onto Elara. For a moment, the chamber fell silent, as though all the air had been drawn out.

A pulse of deep blue light radiated from Nymarielle’s runes, washing over Elara’s body like a tidal wave. Elara gasped softly, clutching her arms as if under unseen pressure.

Albedo’s sharp eyes caught it instantly, the way her veins pulsed faintly with an oily, unnatural hue before fading back beneath her skin.

Then Nymarielle’s voice rang out, not aloud, but directly within Albedo and Luna’s minds. Her tone was cold, regal, almost ancient.

"There is still Abyssal mana within her, but it is almost entirely dispelled. From what I can sense, the Abyssal Mana entered through a technique she used before the symptoms disappeared,"

Albedo’s gaze hardened, immediately turning toward Elara, "What technique were you using before again?"

"Oh, it was called the Circle of Renewal, it was one given to be by the Common Glory club before you gave me that gift," She explained.

Luna’s brows furrowed, her black wings twitching slightly. "Circle of Renewal?"

Elara nodded quickly, words spilling as if trying to justify herself. "It was supposed to circulate mana in a cleansing loop, balancing the flow, refreshing the body. I felt better when I used it, at least until I got sick and was bedridden. But when I switched to the technique you gave me, Albedo, the exhaustion stopped entirely."

For a long moment, silence pressed against the chamber. Albedo’s eyes narrowed, the implications falling into place with brutal clarity.

"So," he said slowly, voice laced with quiet venom, "this Circle of Renewal was like a slow poison, while it would help people improve their power in the short term...."

"It will slowly create Abyssal Mana within them until it is time to strike," Luna continued his sentence, "You’re quite lucky Albedo gave you that new technique you’re using. Indirectly saved your life,"

Nymarielle’s mental voice thrummed with grim confirmation.

"Yes. The Circle of Renewal is no mere technique. It is a vessel. A cage designed not to purge Abyssal energy, but to welcome it. Whoever spread it within the Academy ensured that those who practiced it became seeds for corruption."

Elara’s face drained of color, "You mean... I was—"

"You were a target," Albedo cut her off coldly, though his eyes softened just enough to ease the blow. "But you’re still here because you stopped before it could finish its work."

The chamber darkened as Luna’s aura surged, her eyes narrowing into slits of burning rage, "Then it seems the Club Common Glory has much to answer for."