Arven was not willing to let that happen. After all, the other party was from the Federation, an organization that had always antagonized the academies.
Also, if before he did not particularly care about Michael, now he did. Michael had beco interesting.
Arven sighed softly, as if mildly inconvenienced, and then moved as well.
Neither of them, not Caelum and not Arven, believed Michael had left the Fifteenth Floor.
Michael had just awakened his Law seed.
He should not have the refinent to shift space to such an absurd degree.
So the conclusion both n reached was simple.
Michael had just moved beyond their imdiate sensing range.
Either way, he was still on the Fifteenth Floor.
Sowhere.
Caelum's anger kept building as he searched.
He expanded his perception again and again.
"Where's this brat?"
And as both Rank Four superpowers searched the Fifteenth Floor with different thods and different intentions, neither realized the truth.
Michael was truly no longer within their hunting ground at all.
Back at the Federation Station, Michael's pupils contracted slightly. They were looking for him.
For a breath, he remained still, hidden in plain sight.
Even if soone glanced his way, their attention slid off him.
But inside Michael's mind, thoughts began moving quickly.
Why would Federation soldiers in Hell be searching for him?
A first year student.
It made no sense.
Then an image rose uninvited.
An old looking man with a cold gaze.
Caelum.
Michael's eyes narrowed slightly.
It had to be him.
Director Arven was dangerous in his own way, but Arven did not feel like the kind of person who could casually mobilize Federation soldiers. Even if Arven had influence, the Federation was not the academy. It was a giant that moved by hierarchy and command.
Caelum fit that structure.
Looking at how he also did not seem to mind knocking a junior unconscious, Caelum was the kind of man who would probably not mind using soldiers to corner a student.
Michael's jaw tightened faintly.
Of course, it was also possible this was not only Caelum's decision.
It could be the wish of two Rank Four superpowers.
Michael slowly exhaled.
The conversation in front of him continued but he paid no more mind to it now.
Michael's gaze flicked toward the direction the soldiers had gone. Their formation was tight.
Michael did not like repeating experiences.
Right now, all this only strengthened the one conclusion Michael had already reached the mont he arrived back on the First Floor.
He needed to leave Hell as soon as possible.
If Caelum was truly involved, then ti was not on Michael's side.
He needed to leave Hell.
Before Caelum's hand reached him again.
"Just what do they want from ?"
Michael could not help but have the thought again when a more
terrifying one ca.
"Is it because of my secrets? Did I expose myself?"
At this point Michael started to look a bit uneasy.
If he knew all this was because one party saw him as a holy child and
wanted control over him, and another was simply trying to be annoying to that sa party, his expression would surely have been colorful.
Sowhere deeper within the ruined Federation Station, beyond the scattered student groups and broken defensive rings, a temporary command post had been established inside what used to be the
station's administrative hall.
The structure itself had partially collapsed, one side of the roof caved in, allowing the blue sky of Hell to loom overhead. Yet the interior had been cleared enough for operation.
A group of Federation soldiers approached from the outer corridors, their boots crunching over fractured stone and debris as they
entered.
They stopped before a man standing beside a tactical projection array.
He wore heavier armor than the rest, the insignia on his shoulder
marked with command authority. His presence was steady, disciplined, and far more oppressive than the soldiers under him. One of the reporting soldiers stepped forward and saluted.
"Sir."
The superior did not turn imdiately. His eyes remained on the floating terrain projection of the First Floor ruins, multiple scanning
markers blinking across it.
"Report," he said calmly.
The soldier straightened slightly.
"We've completed another sweep across the outer sector," he said.
"No sign of the target."
The superior finally looked at him.
"And the inner settlent?"
"Already searched twice, sir. Nothing"
A brief silence followed.
The superior gave a small nod.
"Understood."
He did not look surprised.
"Any other problems?" he asked.
The reporting soldier hesitated slightly before answering.
"Yes, sir."
The superior's gaze sharpened a fraction.
"Speak"
"It's the academies on the other side," the soldier said. "They've begun pressing again. They're demanding the portals be reopened imdiately so their students can return."
The superior's expression did not change, but the air around him
cooled slightly.
"They're calling this an unnecessary detainnt," the soldier continued. "So of the academy representatives are saying we're overstepping jurisdiction by locking down evacuation." Another soldier beside him added,
"They're also asking why the search is focused on a single student
when there were casualties and injuries that should take priority." The superior turned fully now, folding his arms behind his back.
"Sir?"
"Nothing," he said, dismissing the concern with a small motion of his
hand.
He looked back at the projection array, gaze resting on the portal zone at the center of the ruined station.
"The academies are free to apply pressure," he said calmly. "But until
we receive direct clearance from General Caelum, the portals remain
closed."
"Yes, sir."
"And if they escalate complaints?"
"We defer them to Federation High Command," the superior replied
without hesitation. "This operation is under military jurisdiction until
concluded."
The soldiers saluted again.
"Understood, sir."
They turned and left to continue the search.
The superior remained where he was, eyes lingering on the blinking
search markers across the ruined station.
"A student worth locking down Hell for..." he muttered under his
breath.
Then his gaze drifted faintly upward, as though imagining sothing beyond the battlefield.
"Just what exactly are you, Michael Norman?"
However, only a few minutes passed before the sa group of soldiers returned again.
"Sir!" one of them called out sharply.
The superior turned this ti, already sensing the shift in their tone.
"What happened?" he asked.
The reporting soldier saluted quickly before speaking. "We've been ordered to open access to the portal, sir."
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