Atlas lifted the flower from the ground into a magic bubble and then held it in his hand. Immediately after, he turned around and approached the professors.
"I will give you names. You know best how to find the devil worshippers—find these people and question them," Atlas said suddenly.
The weight of the young man’s expression, the certainty in his gaze, and his unwavering confidence made each professor instinctively nod.
"I need to get in touch with my sister as quickly as possible, I have more names that all of you could ever imagine," Atlas said. Then, turning to one of the student committee members, he asked, "Could you take me to the communications room, if possible?"
A short while later, Atlas left the room with Elise and the other student committee members, all of whom shot him glances filled with curiosity.
How did he know so much about the devil worshippers?
After a long walk of almost twenty minutes, Atlas finally reached the communication room. He looked at the professor inside and said, "Please connect me to the Imperial Palace, professor."
The professor glanced at Atlas in surprise, then at the student committee members behind him.
Of course, he had also been affected by the explosion that had shaken the academy just a short while ago.
"Please do as the young master says, professor. It’s really important," Elise suddenly said. At that, the professor had no choice but to comply.
He quickly opened a cupboard, retrieved an orb labeled Epsilon Sun Palace, and placed it onto the holder on the table. Then, channeling mana into the orb, he waited as it began to flicker.
After nearly three tense minutes, the orb finally steadied into a steady glow, revealing the image on the other side to Atlas.
"You are connected to the Epsilon Sun Palace. May I know your request?" a voice—as cocky as ever—suddenly reached Atlas’ ears.
"I seek Eva, the Empire’s most powerful knight, the general of the First Knightly Order, and the emperor’s chief bodyguard, under the name of Cordelia, Headmaster of the Hero Academy Globe," he replied, watching the orb carefully.
"Oh really? And who’s calling again?" the cocky voice asked.
"Atlas," he answered simply.
That was enough to make the voice fall silent. A moment later, the person on the other end stood up in a hurry. Eva gave them enough orders just in case.
And so, the wait began.
The afternoon had already faded into evening, and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that night had nearly arrived. That alone suggested Eva might already be asleep.
Nevertheless, Atlas wasn’t just trying to reach his sister—he was trying to reach both her and the imperial family itself.
On top of that, the fact that he was making the call under Lady Cordelia’s name was almost a national crisis. To put it bluntly, the emperor himself had to wake up and take control of the situation.
Even the emperor had to tread carefully around Cordelia—the most powerful person in the world—who wielded the attributes of the 48 magic rings, even if he was the ruler of the Epsilon Empire.
After nearly an hour, a familiar face appeared in the orb, staring back at Atlas.
At that moment, every member of the student committee froze in silence, standing as still as ancient trees.
"Sis," Atlas said calmly.
"Seriously, you’ve been at the academy for about two weeks now, and the more I hear about what you’ve done, the angrier and prouder I feel. Tell me, is the student committee here to complain about you to me?" Eva asked.
Atlas shook his head and said, "Sis, the situation is serious." The seriousness on his face seemed to deepen with each passing second.
Seeing this, Eva set aside her playful demeanor, frowned, and asked, "What happened?"
"It would be best if you heard what happened along with the empress and, if possible, the emperor himself," Atlas said calmly.
Eva immediately agreed and sent one of the servants to summon them.
"How serious is it?" she asked, her frown deepening, obvious worry for her little brother in her eyes.
"I mean, if I hadn’t had Professor Dumgrith or the others with me, I’d be dead," Atlas replied.
Hearing those words, Eva shook her head in disbelief and stood up. "I’m on my way to the academy," she declared.
"Wait—wait!" Atlas interjected quickly. "Don’t rush for no reason. Calm down a little."
Taking a deep breath, he scratched his head and said, "I’ll explain." Then, he waited.
Not even ten minutes had passed before Emperor Aether and Empress Aelia stood beside Eva on the other side of the sphere.
"Atlas, it’s been almost three years. I’ve seen the servants’ anxiety with my own eyes. What’s going on?" Aether asked suddenly.
"Uncle," Atlas said, his voice steady. Every pair of eyes fixed on him in astonishment.
"There is a significant demon-worshipping influence in the academy. I defeated one of them in the arena, and another sacrificed himself trying to kill me. I know the names of almost all of them, and among them, unfortunately, are the children of imperial nobles—and even the nobles themselves," Atlas explained.
Aether shook his head. "Tell me everything, second by second, without skipping a single detail," he said, leaning closer to the orb.
"Alright... Then I’ll start from the beginning—what happened on my way to the academy and everything that followed," Atlas said.
And so, a long conversation began—one that would last until the early hours of the morning.
Meanwhile, outside, Professor Dumgrith and his people were sealing the academy’s exits, ensuring no one could leave or enter until Cordelia arrived.
But there was one thing Atlas didn’t know.
In the short time he had spent meditating, the devil worshippers had already managed to take control of the first-year students—and even some of the upperclassmen.
So, while the massacre Atlas intended to carry out would weaken the devil worshippers in the Epsilon Empire, it would not eradicate them completely.
Which meant Atlas and the others had to act quickly.
Maybe—just maybe—they could still turn the students back from the path they were heading down.
They only had to show them the fate that awaited them if they continued.