The first thing Michael did after settling his thoughts was to reach into his storage space.
What he brought out was the map he had obtained from the Federation Station on the First Floor.
His purpose for doing this was simple. He needed to find his way back to the station.
Though the station had been destroyed in the battle against the demonic supernatural faction Rank Four powerhouse, it did not an its portal was unusable.
Michael's gaze lingered on the empty space around his wrist for a brief mont.
Back then, a navigation bracelet had been issued to him and the other students, functioning as a guiding tool for Federation students who needed to retreat to the Federation Stations.
The bracelet that had once been there was long gone.
Destroyed in battle.
He could still rember the mont it shattered during his clash with the Rank Four supernatural from the demonic faction.
If it had still existed, he could have simply used it to make his way directly back to the Federation Station instead of relying on a map. But that option was no longer available.
Michael studied the terrain layout on the First Floor map, comparing the surrounding landmarks to determine which matched his current location.
It did not take long before his eyes settled on a marked route.
That path connected directly to the Federation Station.
Michael morized the direction, then returned the map to his storage space.
He did not imdiately begin moving toward the station.
Instead, he remained where he stood, eyes narrowing slightly as caution resurfaced in his thoughts.
Preparations.
He needed to make so.
There was no guarantee the situation ahead would be simple.
Michael did not know if the two Rank Four superpowers who had shown abnormal interest in him were waiting at the Federation Station.
It was possible.
If it was Director Arven waiting, the situation might still be manageable.
Michael did not trust the man, but Arven at least ca from the sa academy as him, giving them a certain level of connection.
Their interactions, while tense or strange, had never crossed into outright hostility.
The Federation General, however, was different.
Thinking about that man alone caused Michael's expression to darken slightly.
Even if he had not inflicted harm that Michael could classify as severe, the act of rendering him unconscious had broken sothing fundantal.
Trust.
Michael would rather avoid dealing with that man again.
At least not now.
So before heading toward the station, he began preparing concealnt asures.
The first thing he did was cancel his Wisdom State.
The subtle clarity in his perception dimd as the state withdrew.
In its place, Michael copied the trait of another undead.
Fade.
Fade was one of his undead. An assassin type entity.
Through his Law, Michael could replicate the traits of his contracted
undead.
The shift occurred imdiately.
His aura thinned.
His presence faded into the surrounding environnt like mist
dissolving into air.
Even his footsteps seed lighter, quieter, less intrusive.
But Michael did not stop there.
Concealnt of this level against Rank Four existences would likely be
ineffective.
He raised his hand slightly.
Two faint summoning ripples appeared beside him.
Blue.
Purple.
The two butterfly like undead materialized softly in the air.
Without needing instruction, they moved.
Each settled gently against one of Michael's ears, taking the appearance of ornantal butterfly earrings.
These two specialized in illusion.
The mont they settled, layered concealnt effects activated.
Visual presence distortion.
Energy signature masking.
Environntal blending.
Working together with Fade's suppression trait, the three
concealnt effects overlapped seamlessly.
Michael's figure did not disappear.
But to external perception, he beca forgettable.
Difficult to track.
Hard to lock onto.
Even active scanning would struggle unless perford by soone
significantly stronger than him.
Michael exhaled slowly.
Satisfied.
This was enough preparation for now.
If those Rank Four superpowers were truly waiting ahead, this would
at least give him maneuvering space.
And if they were not, then there was no harm in caution.
With preparations complete, Michael finally began moving toward the
Federation Station.
It did not take long.
Soon, the ruined outline of the settlent appeared within Michael's
field of vision.
He slowed slightly as he approached, concealnt layers still fully active around him.
The huge circular walls he had once seen from afar were now broken.
Sections of the massive defensive ring had collapsed inward, leaving jagged gaps that exposed the interior of the station completely.
Scorch marks stained the stone.
Other sections looked as if they had been torn apart by overwhelming
force rather than siege weaponry.
The buildings within the station had fared no better.
Collapsed structures lay scattered across the interior.
So had been reduced to rubble.
Others stood partially intact but hollowed out, their interiors blackened by the aftermath of battle.
This much still looked familiar to Michael.
After all, he had been involved in the battle that took place here.
The confrontation between the Federation forces and the demonic supernatural faction had reached its peak within this very settlent. He could still rember the pressure that had filled the air that day.
The suffocating presence of the Rank Four powerhouse that had descended near the end of the battle.
Back then, the ruins had been fresh.
The battlefield had been filled almost exclusively with Federation combatants and demonic supernaturals.
But now, the scene before him was different.
There were people everywhere.
Dozens.
Perhaps even hundreds scattered across the ruined settlent.
Michael's gaze swept across them calmly.
Many looked around his age.
So still wore academy uniform robes, though many had removed
or damaged theirs during their expeditions.
Even without the robes as identifiers, Michael could tell imdiately
what they were.
Students. Awakener Academy students.
The sa batch that had entered Hell alongside him.
First years like him.
Michael scanned faces carefully as he walked silently along the edge
of the ruined wall.
But he saw no one familiar.
No academy figures he personally recognized.
That was not surprising.
Since concealnt was active and no one paid attention to him,
Michael shifted focus.
He began listening to conversations around him.
Small groups had ford across the ruined settlent. Students rested, discussed, argued, and exchanged information gathered from their expeditions.
If he wanted to understand the current situation in Hell, this was the
fastest way.
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