Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 825: Strong Presence

Caelum’s eyes shifted slowly.

They settled on Sera.

For a brief moment, he did not speak. He simply looked at her.

Then his voice descended.

"Who are you?"

At the same time, something unseen tightened.

It did not spread across the field like before but compressed into a thin, invisible line that pressed directly onto Sera alone.

No one else felt it.

Not the soldiers.

Not the students.

Not even the Rank Three instructors scattered around the perimeter.

Only Sera.

To her, it felt as if the air around her shoulders had thickened into something viscous. Her breathing became subtly heavier.

Her heart rate spiked as her instincts screamed louder than before.

Is this a warning, she thought.

Yet even as anxiety crept along her spine, it only confirmed what she already believed.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

She straightened slightly despite the pressure.

"I am Instructor Sera," she said, her voice steady even as her pulse hammered. "Michael Norman is a student under my academy’s supervision. As his instructor, I have the right to know his status and the reason for his detainment."

Her words were respectful but firm.

It only made Caelum’s temple twitch faintly.

A headache crept in again.

He had almost forgotten.

The reason the academies were even here in the first place.

The expedition.

Students had entered Hell as part of supervised exploration and training. That naturally meant academy instructors had accompanied them.

And that also explained something else.

Why Arven had appeared when he did.

Why he had been close enough to intervene earlier.

At the time, Caelum had not dwelled on it deeply.

But now, in hindsight, the alignment of events was becoming inconvenient.

His gaze shifted slightly past Sera.

He could already feel it.

Other gazes.

Not interfering yet, but very much paying attention.

Normally, Caelum would not bother entertaining such thoughts if they involved individuals weaker than him in power or status.

But the current situation was different.

Because the youth in question was not ordinary.

Every move taken around Michael now had future implications.

Implications that could spiral far beyond Caelum himself.

Even this current act, taking Michael away, was not something he did lightly.

In truth, there was reluctance beneath his cold exterior.

He understood the optics.

To the academies, this could be interpreted as the Federation abducting one of their brightest talents.

To the scattered power blocs observing quietly from afar, it could be seen as suppression.

And to certain higher ups within the Federation...

He already knew how it would play out.

He would be the one acting as the heavy hand.

The one creating friction.

While another figure above him would step in later as the mediator.

The good cop.

Reaping cooperation and gratitude, all while he carried the burden of being remembered as the aggressor.

Caelum exhaled slowly through his nose.

His gaze returned to Sera.

The pressure on her shoulders increased by a fraction, enough to remind her of the gulf between Rank Three and Rank Four.

And yet, she still did not bow or retreat.

That alone earned the faintest flicker of acknowledgment in his eyes.

Troublesome, he thought.

Unfortunately, she was also not insignificant enough to silence without consequence.

His gaze then shifted back toward Michael, who still hung suspended in the air.

The situation had grown more complicated than he preferred.

But the outcome had not changed.

Michael would still come with him.

One way or another.

And it had to happen before that crazy man came out too.

Caelum’s gaze lingered on Sera for another moment before it softened slightly.

When he spoke again, his tone had lost a portion of its earlier edge.

"Because of several reasons, I cannot disclose the specifics of the situation," he said calmly. "However, the academy need not worry."

His eyes flicked briefly toward Michael’s suspended figure before returning to Sera.

"The student is safe. Nothing will happen to him. I only require him for clarification on certain matters. He will be returned shortly."

Sera listened carefully.

But as she stood there, something began to nag at her instincts.

A detail that did not sit right.

Her gaze shifted upward again.

To Michael.

Only then did she realize it.

Michael had not said a single word.

Not when his name was called.

Not when she intervened.

Not even now.

That alone made her pulse tighten.

She had seen Michael in combat and had spoken with him before. She had seen the composure he maintained even under lethal pressure.

Silence like this did not match his personality.

Unfortunately, from her angle, she could not see his expression clearly.

But her instincts screamed that something was wrong.

Thinking quickly, she spoke again.

"Then I would like to speak with my student first."

Her tone remained respectful, but more direct now.

"If he is to be taken, I believe it is reasonable for me to confirm his condition personally."

For a brief second, it looked like Caelum might respond.

But another voice cut in first.

The old man in Federation military uniform stepped forward slightly in midair, his presence sharp and authoritative.

"No."

The single word landed heavily.

His gaze rested on Sera, colder than Caelum’s had been.

"You will not interrupt official Federation business."

There was no softness in his tone.

"This matter has been classified under military jurisdiction," he continued. "Your academy’s supervisory authority does not extend into Federation investigative operations."

Sera’s jaw tightened faintly.

She did not lower her head.

But the refusal had been absolute.

Behind her, a few other academy instructors had begun stepping closer, drawn by the escalating tension.

The atmosphere across the military post had shifted subtly again.

Students sensed it.

Soldiers sensed it.

Even those too weak to understand the deeper political layers could feel that something serious was unfolding above them.

Meanwhile, Michael’s body continued to rise slowly through the air, helplessly drawn upward by an invisible force he could neither resist nor sever.

It was then a voice echoed around the entire surroundings.

"Who dares to hurt my disciple?!"