Chapter 427 — How Is That Possible
5 min read ·
Cough
The sound cut through the rain.
’Who–’
Damian’s body went rigid on pure instinct, his hand moving toward his spatial ring before his exhausted mind caught up with the motion.
A man stood ten meters away, his robes dark and the black mask covering his face was smooth and featureless.
Luna’s arms loosened around Damian, her body tensing.
The man’s voice came out filtered, distorted by whatever technology the mask used.
"Damian Valcor."
Damian stood slowly, his movements careful. Luna rose beside him, her silver eyes locked on the masked figure.
’Those robes... that mask...’
His mind cataloged details on instinct.
’One of the five...’
The thought settled cold and certain.
’The Regional Governors... The five masked figures who report directly to the Chairman and oversee entire regions of the Federation. Nobody knows their identities...’
He’d heard about them in passing, whispers in the Academy.
’And one of them is standing in front of me.’
The man took a step forward, water splashing under his boots.
"I am the Central Region Governor." His filtered voice carried authority that made the air feel heavier. "I need you to come with me for some inquiries regarding tonight’s events."
Luna moved, stepping slightly in front of Damian, her chin lifting.
"Can’t this wait?" Her voice came out sharper than Damian had ever heard it. "He hasn’t rested at all. He’s injured and exhausted and he just–"
"Luna."
Damian’s hand touched her shoulder, gentle but firm.
She turned toward him, her eyes showing something desperate.
"Go to the headquarters."
His voice stayed quiet, steady despite the exhaustion pulling at every word.
"I’ll come back after finishing this."
"Damian, you can barely–"
"I’ll be fine."
He met her gaze, held it until she understood.
’The Central Region Governor came personally. I can’t just say no...’
Luna’s jaw worked, her hands clenching at her sides.
But she nodded once, sharp and reluctant.
Her eyes found the Governor, and something cold bled into her expression before she turned and walked away.
The Governor moved closer, his boots making no sound despite the wet ground.
"This won’t take long."
Damian said nothing, just waited.
The Governor’s hand came up, resting on Damian’s shoulder.
’SS rank.’
The realization hit immediately as the world twisted.
****
One moment, there was rain and darkness.
And the next, a large room with stone walls and a long table stretching across the center.
Damian’s boots hit the solid floor, his stomach lurching from the transition.
’Void travel... Only SS ranks can move through the void like that...’
He’d felt it before thanks to his Master and Royce Patriarch.
The room came into focus as his vision cleared.
Gregor sat near the middle of the table, exhaustion written across every line of his weathered face.
He’d been mid-sentence when they appeared, his words cutting off as his eyes found Damian.
’He was explaining what happened... probably got here before me to give his version of events...’
To the side, standing rather than sitting, were faces Damian recognized immediately.
Salazar Blackwood looked like he’d walked through a slaughterhouse, his black suit torn in dozens of places, blood soaking through so heavily that the original color was barely visible.
His face showed fatigue that went beyond physical, his eyes carrying weight that hadn’t been there the last time Damian had seen him.
’Months ago...’
The thought came with unexpected weight.
’Before everything with his family forcing him to sever our ties.’
Richard Evergreen’s white medical coat was stained red, cuts across his face and arms speaking to recent combat.
Vivian Verratoux’s pink hair was disheveled, her appearance marred by dirt and blood.
Emmanuel Langsten stood furthest from the others, his blue hair singed in places, burn marks visible on his hands and neck.
Nathan Brock’s massive frame showed damage, bruises covering his arms, his bald head sporting a nasty gash that had been recently healed.
All of them looked like they’d been through hell.
’The Academy reinforcements...’
Damian’s mind processed what he was seeing, connecting dots that had been loose threads.
’Castor sensed powerful fluctuations from the Academy’s direction... So they were the ones trying to reach us... The ones who got intercepted...’
"..."
The room held absolute silence for three heartbeats.
Then Nathan’s voice broke it, his deep tone carrying something between relief and exasperation.
"Madman, where have you been for the past few months?"
The nickname landed with familiarity, bringing memories of the gravity training room.
Damian moved toward the table, his boots clicking against stone, and sat down in the chair beside Gregor.
"Was in the forest where Royce Patriarch left me for no apparent reason." His voice came out flat and matter-of-fact. "And then the red sky started."
Shock rippled across every face.
Even the Governor, who’d been moving toward the head of the table, stopped mid-step.
’Royce Patriarch?’
The thought showed clearly on multiple faces.
’What was a Patriarch doing discussing anything with a student? And leaving him in a forest?’
Emmanuel’s mouth opened, then closed again.
Vivian’s eyes narrowed, calculation bleeding through the exhaustion on her face.
Richard’s hand came up, rubbing his temple like a headache was forming.
Salazar’s eyes remained forward, but something shifted in his posture.
The Governor recovered first, continuing to the head of the table and settling into the chair with deliberate calm.
"Let’s talk about the current situation."
His filtered voice pulled everyone back to the present as he turned his masked face toward Damian.
"We already roughly know what has happened through initial reports. The SFD is still interviewing everyone and compiling witness statements." He paused. "But I need you to tell us about your involvement directly."
Damian’s hands rested on the table as he told them everything excluding the Bloodworth skill.
His voice stayed quiet throughout, factual and detached, like he was discussing something that had happened to someone else entirely.
"..."
When he finished, silence fell across the room like a blanket.
Nobody moved or spoke.
Vivian broke it first, her voice coming out strained and disbelieving.
"You were the one who lifted all those people?"
Her pink eyes locked onto Damian’s face, searching for any sign of deception.
"Despite being only B+ rank? How is that even possible?"