Liberation (2) - Chapter 128: The Divine Star Arrives
While watching the exchange meet at Sanctuary Stadium like everyone else, Shania rushed off in a hurry upon hearing about the Twilight Prayer. The news of a massive commotion at the Tower of Salvation—of all places, in the research lab of the Wise Star Abraham Nobwells— was enough to jolt even her heavy frame to its feet.
“Where is the Divine Star headed?”
“Did something happen?”
As Shania dashed out urgently, the nearby guests shot her puzzled looks, but Eirin Likar, the vice dean of Celestial Academy, calmly filled the spot she'd vacated and soothed them.
“Everyone, the dean just had some brief business to attend to. Please relax and enjoy the exchange meet.”
Eirin's demeanor was so composed that even those who'd been suspicious let their doubts fade and returned to the training grounds to watch the event.
After calming the guests and guiding them away, Eirin maintained her outward poise without showing a hint of alarm, but inwardly, she was deeply rattled.
What in the world...?
Eirin had no idea what was going on either. She could only hope that since Shania had stepped in, the matter would be resolved as quietly as possible.
Abandoning the guests she was supposed to attend to, Shania arrived at the Tower of Salvation, panting heavily as she gazed up at the spire.
“Wh-what...”
Shania was so stunned that she muttered to herself. The Tower of Salvation was in a wretched state.
The top of the tower—where Abraham Nobwells's research lab was located—had a massive hole blasted through the wall. It wasn't just the wall; the ceiling and roof above the lab had vanished entirely.
Shania stared blankly at the absurd sight before snapping back to her senses and entering the spire. It must have taken quite a hit, as cracks spiderwebbed across the walls she passed.
Fortunately, the central pillar holding the tower together seemed intact, but the fact that cracks had formed in walls designed to withstand ordinary impacts made it clear this was no minor incident.
Shania wiped a bead of cold sweat from her brow as she eyed the fissures.
No way... did the Wise Star engage in battle here?
Considering that Abraham Nobwells's spirit was an earth-attribute spirit, the damage to the tower made sense. But why would he fight in his own research lab, of all places, surrounded by his precious experiments?
To uncover the reason, Shania ascended the Tower of Salvation as quickly as possible.
And the first thing that caught her eye was a girl with familiar brown hair.
“...Yeonhui?”
“Ah, Dean Shania.”
It was Yeonhui, gazing at Shania with her pretty orange eyes. She bowed politely in greeting, then spoke as if she'd been waiting for her arrival.
“Perfect timing. We were just in need of someone to help clean this up...”
“Clean up? What on earth happened to make you say that?”
Shania said as she looked ahead—and froze, her expression and body stiffening.
Starting with the gaping hole in one wall and ceiling, the research lab was an utter wreck. There was Ciela Teraport and Clarice Levatein, whose presence made no sense; Elena Apocalipse and Serena Eldark, gripping their weapons as if they'd just been in a fight; and Seong Hyun-jin.
Everything was baffling, but what shocked Shania most was something else entirely.
“......Abraham?”
Abraham Nobwells lay collapsed on the lab floor in a pitiful state. A massive gash marred his body, and blood—clearly his—pooled beneath him.
The moment she saw his wretched form, Shania's voice turned icy, her face hardening.
“What... exactly have you all done?”
Her reaction was understandable. Leaving aside that they were fellow Palstar Heroes, Shania was the one sponsoring Abraham right now.
As the atmosphere grew tense, Yeonhui stepped in to calm her.
“Please calm down, Dean. The junior had no choice but to fight.”
“What are you...”
“Look over there.”
Yeonhui, who seemed to have already figured out what had been in Abraham's lab, pointed to one corner.
Shania's eyes widened in shock at the sight, the tension melting away. Visibly flustered, she even stumbled over her words.
“Th-this... how in the world...”
It was unmistakably the traces of forbidden research. There was no way Shania wouldn't recognize it.
As Shania stood there, stunned, one of the female students approached and spoke up.
“This is what the Wise Star was doing on his own, with your sponsorship, Dean.”
It was Elena, speaking calmly. She sheathed her sword and stepped forward to explain the situation.
“The Wise Star Abraham Nobwells was researching the taboo of spirit arts: Life Creation.”
“Th-that can't be. Abraham knows better than anyone the problems that would cause...”
“It's hard to believe, I know, but you're seeing it with your own eyes.”
Shania pressed a hand to her forehead at Elena's words.
“...So you killed Abraham for it?”
“We didn't kill him.”
Elena glanced briefly at Seong Hyun-jin as she continued.
“We nearly did, but Junior Seong Hyun-jin changed his mind at the last moment, and that's why he's still alive.”
Seong Hyun-jin sat slumped wearily in Serena's arms.
The third form of his Heaven Destroying Sword, Parcheon, had enough power to cleave Abraham in half. But Seong Hyun-jin didn't want him dying to escape his sins.
Even if it was all for one last glimpse of his daughter, shirking responsibility and dodging punishment through death would be the real wrong.
So at the final moment, Seong Hyun-jin twisted his blade. Abraham ended up with a grievous wound, but Seong Hyun-jin's sword spared his life.
“...So Seong Hyun-jin was the one who struck him down.”
Shania gazed at Seong Hyun-jin and Abraham for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.
She wasn't thrilled that Abraham, whom she sponsored, had ended up like this, but Seong Hyun-jin's judgment had been right.
She didn't know how Abraham's taboo spirit research had been discovered by these students, but once exposed, failing to act would have meant Abraham slaughtering everyone present.
The only puzzling part was how Seong Hyun-jin had subdued him.
I knew Seong Hyun-jin was exceptionally strong, but...
Worthy of his master Karin, he surpassed his peers—not just in strength, but as a fully realized swordsman. His slow-growing half-elf body kept him from perfection, but Shania knew he could hold his own against most active swordsmen right now.
The fact that he could pierce her Divine Spirit Law: Eden was proof enough.
But that didn't mean she thought he could defeat a Palstar Hero going all out. His body hadn't fully matured, so she figured he couldn't quite reach their level yet.
Was there something more?
Shania found it intriguing. For now, she turned to Yeonhui with a request.
“...Yeonhui, can you heal Abraham?”
“Yes.”
Yeonhui nodded and approached Abraham. Placing her hand on his barely breathing wound, she invoked true divine power.
The god's power, channeled through her blessing, slowly mended his grave injury.
Confirming Abraham's life was no longer in danger, Shania approached the exhausted Seong Hyun-jin. She acknowledged the crucial role he and his group had played in containing the incident before it escalated.
“Thanks to you all, we stopped this before it blew up. I don't know how you found out about Abraham's actions, but thank you for putting a halt to it.”
“......”
Seong Hyun-jin, too drained to reply, merely nodded faintly.
“May I hear the full story from you, Miss Serena?”
“...Yes, of course.”
“And it was time for the Twilight Prayer, wasn't it? You skipped it.”
“......”
Serena broke into a cold sweat, unable to respond, but Shania waved it off.
“I'll let it slide this time due to the circumstances, but don't let it happen again.”
“Th-thank you...”
“I should be thanking you.”
Shania glanced sharply at Abraham, who was receiving treatment from Yeonhui.
“Someone had to stop his mess. If this had continued, I might have gotten dragged into it too.”
“...It was a mess, but Abraham might not have had a choice. He didn't seem to have anyone around to stop him.”
Shania tilted her head at Serena's words.
“Abraham wanted to see his daughter again—the one he lost in an accident.”
“......”
Shania's expression hardened as she listened. She knew well about Abraham losing his daughter in the Eden Conflagration.
Understanding why Abraham— who knew full well the repercussions of Life Creation—had gone this far, Shania spoke bitterly.
“......So that's why he resorted to something this absurd.”
She sighed deeply, then checked on the students' well-being first.
“Is everyone all right? No injuries?”
“No major ones.”
“Even so, get checked at the medical facilities just in case. Seong Hyun-jin needs proper rest, so we'll arrange a place.”
“What about Abraham?”
After a moment's thought at Serena's question, Shania replied.
“Once he regains consciousness, we'll interrogate him and hand him over to the judiciary to face justice. Life Creation research is a major crime in every nation.”
“...I see.”
“Especially in the Holy Kingdom. Attempting it is seen as encroaching on divine domain...”
Shania sighed again, clearly conflicted about the fate of someone she'd brought here.
“...A harsh punishment awaits. They might spare him execution out of respect for his achievements in saving lives, but he could rot in prison for life.”
Serena nodded slightly at Shania's words, then asked about the research.
“What about the research itself?”
“We'll submit only the necessary evidence and dispose of the rest. No good comes from this getting out.”
Shania eyed the organic matter culturing in the test tubes as she spoke.
“Submit this as evidence, and destroy all records of the creation process. Without Abraham, no one could replicate it from the results alone.”
“...Wouldn't it be better to submit something else as evidence?”
“This is the surest way. Do you have another idea, Miss Serena?”
Serena shared her thoughts at Shania's question.
“...I agree it's the safest.”
“Then why suggest otherwise?”
“It's still something meant to replace his daughter from a father's perspective... Using it as evidence would subject it to all sorts of experiments. That's just too cruel.”
“......”
“Even if they experiment, without Abraham, they couldn't properly reverse-engineer the process...”
“A replacement for his daughter...”
Shania gazed at the organic matter floating in the test tube. Small, but unmistakably alive with a beating heart—what meaning did it hold?
She asked Serena.
“Do you think this could truly replace Abraham's daughter... Estella?”
“No.”
“Then? If it's just an experiment, what's wrong with using it for further tests?”
“It's simply a vessel for a father's desperate wish... I don't want to let it suffer.”
Shania paused at Serena's words.
...A vessel for a father's desperate wish.
It was sentimental, but not incomprehensible. Shania pondered for a moment.
“...Hmm.”
After some deliberation, she proposed a new solution.
“How about this?”
“Pardon?”
“Submitting something else as evidence has issues. The research records can't be disclosed, and this doll has no direct link to life research.”
“Yes, that's true...”
“To hand Abraham to the judiciary, we need solid proof. If we can't use this organic matter as you suggest, we need equivalent evidence. Excluding the undisclosed records, there's nothing else, right?”
Serena nodded, realizing she had no counter.
“So, have Miss Serena provide evidence equivalent to the research records.”
“...Me, create it?”
“More precisely, have someone you ask create it.”
Shania continued.
“Your father.”
“......Pardon?”
“If the Dragon Star testifies about the Wise Star Abraham's taboo research, the judiciary will accept it as evidence. He's not just any Palstar Hero—he's the dragon clan's leader.”
She added.
“With your father's testimony, plus secondary evidence like this doll... the judiciary shouldn't have trouble ruling.”
“......”
“What do you say? If you want to let this organic matter rest in peace as you wish, that's the only way.”
Serena hesitated briefly but quickly saw Shania was right—there were no other options. She accepted the proposal.
“All right. I'll contact my father.”
“Good. Ask him to come to Celestial Academy. We'll preserve the scene in the meantime.”
With a light snap of her fingers, a golden barrier enveloped the entire lab.
“You can leave without issue. Just know you can't come back in.”
“...Ah, yes.”
“I'll handle the rest, so everyone head back. And don't speak of what happened here anywhere else.”
Serena nodded at Shania's words, helping Seong Hyun-jin to his feet. Ciela approached then.
“I'll help, junior.”
“...Yeah.”
Serena and Ciela supported Seong Hyun-jin, while Elena and Clarice followed them out of the lab.
“Yeonhui, that's enough. You should go too.”
“Yes, Dean.”
Yeonhui bowed politely.
“I'll leave the rest to you.”
“Of course.”