BXBX NOVEL Chapter 152: Revelation
[If you didn't mean to arrive at this location, please turn around and leave. The area behind the walls is filled with dangers that not even the System could accurately calculate.]
Cedric wasn't the only one who received this notice.
That much was obvious by how at least 90% of the students suddenly froze in their seats.
As if the fact that they were riding a bus to get there wasn't enough, the system kindly decided to warn them just to drive the idea home.
"So you've received the warning, it seems." Orion's voice cut through their thoughts. He looked at them with a blank expression and said: "No, this isn't a mistake. The Acala System is way too advanced for something like that."
"The Acala System is made for humans. No Demon or Demon Hybrid would ever be able to use it. In exchange for the security however, the Acala System's prowess became limited to just the Human territory."
"Out of all of us, Acala was the one who was injured the most in the war because she's literally the consciousness of our world. She already did her best to shelter us from harm and give us a chance to become stronger. Even if she wanted to help, her abilities are now extremely limited because she has gotten weak from all the malicious attacks of the demons."
"At least 75% of Prime Earth had been lost to demons. In Acala's case, that's 75% of her actual body. It's already a miracle that she's still alive. Each day passed, the Demons' corruption gnaws deeper and deeper into her flesh, consuming and changing her."
"If the Demon Race conquers the last 25% of this world, meaning if we lose what territory we have left, then it's safe to say that we will then be extinct. Don't hope for mercy because Demons wouldn't let us be after defeating us."
"Because her power is limited to our territory, it would make sense why the Acala System would lose functions the deeper you go into the Outer World. Don't worry though, your mission is to just patrol the borders. We won't send you to the jaws of hell...not yet at least, so relax a bit."
If that was supposed to make the students feel better, then it clearly wasn't working. All it did was to make them feel worse than before.
The fact that the Acala System could only be used within Human Territory was news for most of the students. As much as they didn't want to believe it, there's proof that they couldn't deny it.
However, just as they thought that this was it for the revelations, Orion revealed another important piece of information.
"...1000 miles away from our territory is still relatively safe for the most part. However, one still has to be careful since the environment out there is unpredictable. Even Tier 9s would die there if they're not paying attention. Beyond that, you'd find all sorts of horrors and nightmares that would kill Tier 9s in just a glance."
"I know what you're thinking; 'How is that possible, Sir? According to the news, the OWET team goes way deeper out there. How come they could return safely? Is the media lying to us?' No, they're not. The reason why is because the Tier 9 that you know isn't the end of the road."
"From a simple mortal transitioning to Tier 1 all the way to Tier 9, we call this the Superhuman Realm. They are strong within human territory but still an ant in the grand scheme of things."
"What comes after that is the Planar Traveller Realm. As the name suggests, these people reach a level of strength where they can roam the entire world and, so long as they're being careful, come back alive. This realm has 9 Tiers as well, just like the previous one."
"At the same time, there are Demons around who are just as strong as them. We call them Demon Lords, and there are a lot of them out there. There's even more out of this world, waiting for a chance to descend and set the world ablaze. The Purgatory realm is the only thing stopping them from totally doing so."
This time, even Cedric was mildly surprised by this. Yeah, he already guessed that there might be something more to humanity's Power Level System, he just wasn't expecting it to be revealed this way. He couldn't get his information from the official forums so he thought that he needed more credentials and authority for it.
"And beyond that, the Planar Traveller Realm is the Star Traveller Realm. Only those who reached the latter could go anywhere in this world unhindered. Our dear Headmaster - Lissandra Mardeux, is one of such people. Aside from her, there's the Lifestyle Guild's Tech God - Charles Makarov, the Wandering Swordmaster - Old Man Jin, and the Sorcerer Supreme - Hayden Clover.
There might be more on the Military's side but I do not know of them."
"Together, they are the Pillars of Humanity. Everyone, except Old Man Jin, stays within human territory to protect us. The reason being is that, if they make any movements, then the Demon Kings that hid themselves in our world will notice it, and a terrible clash that could cause mass destruction will ensue."
The freshmen felt chills running down their spine when they imagined how terrible that scenario would be.
"You might be hailed as geniuses in the city you grew up in but in the grand scheme of things, you're irrelevant. None of you possess enough strength to refute that or protect yourselves completely from the real dangers of this world."
"The Hell Dives you face each month is nothing but a smelting trial forced upon you to make sure that, if things go south, you could, at the very least, fight. Surviving is an entirely different matter."
"In truth, all of you are sheltered and catered to. Your pride and supremacy that you've shown in the academy were mere delusions of grandeur in front of the real world. If the idea hasn't sunk in yet, follow me. I'll show you an undeniable truth about the reality that you live in."
The students didn't even realize that the bus already landed. Not until Orion stood up and got off the bus.
While the rest of the students were still hesitating, they saw Cedric standing up almost as soon as Orion left the bus.
Unlike them, Cedric already knew what Orion wanted to show them, but who was he to ruin the surprise for everyone else?
He didn't say anything and just stood behind Orion, silently waiting until the rest of his batchmates gathered the courage to join them here.
It took longer than expected. Eventually though, everyone left the bus and as soon as they did, they were met with a vast field of depressing sight.
They stood on top of the Eastern Great Wall. Looking at the world beyond Humanity's territory.
They were greeted by a scene straight out of Hell. The view reminded them so much of what Purgatory looked like; blackened soil oozing with corruption, rivers of vicuous blood with bones floating above the surface...
Haunting howls echoed from a distance. The land was desolated, not even a single blade of grass could be seen growing out there. The shadows seemed to be moving and making shapes under the veil of darkness, and the skies...oh, the skies...
Despite the fact that it was supposed to be the middle of the day, the skies out there were mostly clear aside from the occasional dark clouds. The sky was completely black. Not a single star was in sight.
Inevitably, their gazes land on the shattered moon above. The poor thing barely provided visibility for anybody. But the dreadful feeling of wrongness that's really throwing most of them off at this sight was the absence of the sun.
Where is the Sun?
"If you're looking for the Sun, you better stop looking." Orion's voice cuts through their haze. "Even if you were to travel all over the Outer World, you will not see it, simply because it is gone."
And there it is, the horror dawning upon the freshmen's faces upon the reveal of this fact.
"The Sun has disappeared since the beginning of the Superhuman Era. It was swallowed by the Demon King Asmodeus back then, permanently ridding us of its blessings."
Orion then faced the students and continued: "It was His Highness - Malik the Bold, the 5th Legendary Hero, who killed the Demon King. But even his death couldn't bring back our sun. The real sun."
"The sun that you see back there? That's fake. It was created by the 'House of Light' as a remembrance of what the real sun looks and feels like. However, it's been centuries since someone saw and felt what the real sun looked like, so who could truly say if their creation was accurate?"
"This is what the real world looks like. This...is the real situation of our world...the real situation of Humanity."
"Carve this image in your mind. I don't care if it haunts you for the rest of your life, I want you to remember it."
"This is proof that in front of real power, everything else is irrelevant."