The group somehow made it safely back to Garrison No. 7.
As they disembarked, Venus reached for Ryu's hand, her grip firm and worried. She knew all too well what came next. One of the six Junior Blood Legion members was dead — and that meant a serious investigation was inevitable.
Felix and Rudos stayed silent, uncertain how the situation would unfold. Irina stood a few steps behind, her gaze fixed on Ryu's back, hands pressed together as if in prayer.
Waiting at the base of the ladder was the Garrison Leader, Boron Varn. Judging from his expression, the news had already traveled ahead through the ship's communication channels. He was not alone; several Captains stood beside him, their faces tense.
Ryu stepped down, meeting their stares without hesitation. His face carried the weight of dread, but there was no fear in his eyes.
Before he could say more, Commander Varn lifted a hand, cutting him off.
"Not here. You will give your explanation in my office. Blood Legion's Commander Noah and Aurora are waiting for you there." His tone was flat, unblinking.
"Commander Noah… and Aurora?" Ryu and the others exchanged shocked glances.
Nevertheless, they headed toward the meeting room.
Inside, the air was heavy with authority. Sitting at the far end of the table was Noah, the golden-haired S-Rank evolver known as the Fireball King. His very presence radiated heat, as if the room itself dared not grow cold in his vicinity.
Beside him stood Aurora, the famed Divine Healer. Her long white hair shimmered under the overhead lights, and her serene beauty contrasted sharply with the tension in the room. Yet behind that calm gaze was a sharpness that could cut through any falsehood.
Both of them looked toward Ryu the moment he stepped inside.
Noah leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping rhythmically against the table.
"Ryuzen De Manus," he said, his voice deep and controlled, yet carrying a faint heat that matched the nickname Fireball King. "One of our six Junior Blood Legion members is dead… and you're the only one who returned from his side alive."
Aurora's gaze didn't waver. She studied every detail — his posture, the faint twitch in his fingers, the tension in his jaw. "We'll need the truth. All of it," she said softly, though the undertone in her voice left no room for evasion.
Commander Boron Varn stood at the side, arms crossed, watching like a silent judge.
Ryu stepped forward, his expression grim but controlled. "Luthor is gone. We encountered something beyond our current rank… something I could barely escape from."
Noah's eyes narrowed. "Beyond your rank? Or beyond your control?"
The words lingered in the air like embers ready to spark a fire.
Aurora finally spoke again. "Describe it clearly, junior."
Ryu's mind raced. He needed to make them believe the danger was real — but not so real they'd send their full force into his path. And above all, he had to keep the truth about his origin.
He took a slow breath. "It wasn't human. It wasn't beast. It was… a Hollow King. No some kind of lord perhaps.."
The room went silent. Even Noah stopped tapping his fingers, his expression darkening the moment he heard the word "Lord."
"Lord Class?" Aurora repeated, her voice tight with disbelief. There was a flicker of fear in her tone.
"Yes... his name is Void Lord Azathoth."
The sharp intake of breath did not come from anyone else, but from Noah himself. His usual easygoing demeanor vanished, replaced by a look of grave seriousness.
When the name Azathoth left Ryuzen's lips, Noah shot up from his seat as if stung.
"You mean to tell me you faced Void Lord Azathoth... and lived? Explain yourself, now."
Ryuzen lowered his gaze, his voice heavy with carefully measured sorrow. "It was early at dawn. I had stepped outside the tent to keep watch. Not long after, Luthor joined me, saying he needed some air.
But then, we heard it... a deep, rumbling noise from far away. When we looked up to the sky, there was a massive shadow moving behind the mountains."
He paused, letting his words settle before continuing. "We were curious. So we went to see for ourselves. That was our mistake.
We found a giant... dark-skinned, the size of a small mountain. Two horns curved from its skull, and three great crimson eyes burned like hellfire. It was searching... for something."
Aurora's hands tightened in her lap. "And?"
"It saw us," Ryuzen said, his voice dropping lower. "It said its name was Azathoth... and that it had been hunting Luthor for a long time. Then... it revealed the truth. Luthor was a dragon in disguise.
Before I could react, it seized him... and devoured him whole."
His voice cracked slightly. "I tried. I swear I tried to save him. But I was useless. Powerless. I ran.
I abandoned my comrade. I am nothing but a coward, Commanders. I do not deserve to remain in the Junior Blood Legion. Release me from this position at once."
Noah's brow furrowed, the fire in his eyes dimmed by the weight of Ryu's words.
Everything matches what he knew of Azathoth's features. The Hollows enmity toward Dragons wasn't something new. The highers ups knew more than ordinary people.
Still, it was a shocking news to hear that a Dragon was disguising themself right under their nose. And that too so perfectly.
Venus and others too loooked surprised by the news.
For a long moment, no one spoke. The air in the office felt thick, as though the very mention of the Void Lord's name had drawn some unseen shadow over them.
Aurora's lips pressed into a thin line, her gaze shifting from Ryu to Noah. "Junior, If this is true… the fact that any of you made it back alive is already a miracle."
Commander Varn's expression remained unreadable, but his fingers drummed against his arm, betraying the tension building within him.
Noah finally broke the silence. "Void Lord Azathoth isn't a foe we can provoke recklessly. If his attention is drawn to this sector, the Legion will have to prepare for large-scale defense… or retreat entirely." His voice was steady, but the undertone was grim.
Aurora turned back to Ryu. "You might have abandoned your comrade, yet you returned with this warning to your team and us. That isn't cowardice, Ryuzen— it's survival. If what you say is true, the entire Garrison may owe you their lives."
Her words seemed to soften the weight in the room.
Even Noah's guarded expression softened. His gaze swept over each of their faces before he finally spoke.
"Since you've all come this far, it's time you learned some truths," he said. "Secrets about the Hollows, about Dragons... and about how humans are entangled in it all."
At those words, the entire Junior Blood Legion straightened in their seats, eyes fixed on him. The air grew heavier with anticipation. Each of them wanted to know the real story behind the Apocalyptic Hollow Waves—and the hidden ties binding these forces together.