Chapter 120: Evidence Delivered
Reinhard and the others watched through the door’s narrow gap.
As the rest of the guards rushed down the stairs after the Director, their boots moved against the stone steps.
The sounds faded gradually, and then they waited an extra five minutes just in case any guards came. And Reinhard quickly used Grand Scan to check for anyone around before he then nodded.
"Let’s go now." Reinhard whispered.
They left the room quickly and began moving back through the corridor they’d come from. The elevator was their goal as they planned to leave the research center since it now had guards and the Director walking around.
They moved through the underground facility, retracing their path. But now they could see the destruction the Three Phantasm Beasts had caused during their rampage.
A section of the wall had been completely demolished, it wasn’t cracked. But reduced to rubble that littered the floor in chunks ranging from pebble-sized to pieces larger than a wheel.
Metal poles rose up from the remaining structure, twisted and bent from forces that had exceeded their structural limits.
Blood marked the floor in several places, leading Marie to frown while Nikki sighed.
Some splashed across the floor and the walls, with some even reaching the ceilings. Others created small pools of blood, suggesting bodies had lain there before being moved or before the victims had crawled away seeking help.
A door hung from a single hinge, its frame bent beyond recognition. Through the opening, they could see an office space completely destroyed.
Desks had been crushed flat, filing cabinets torn open with their contents scattered, and shelves were broken into pieces.
One wall bore bones sticking out of it like roots with scorched marks in between them in unnatural patterns. Three Mekhko guards sprawled nearby, bloody and wounded but most likely dead.
The corridor ahead looked like an ice cave. As the walls were covered in frost, with cracks spreading through them. Even walking through made Reinhard and the others slightly shiver at how cold it was.
And then their eyes slightly widened at the guard who was frozen solid with his mouth stretched open and eyes wide.
Reinhard’s frowned even more as they continued, and he thought. This was what Phantasm Beasts could do when unleashed, and these were only three, relatively contained in an underground space. If dozens were released on Phane City’s streets...
They reached the elevator without encountering any guards. Everyone was either downstairs dealing with the aftermath or had fled entirely. They quickly entered the elevator and as they pulled the lever, they were being pulled up.
They rode in silence to the ground floor, then navigated back through the building using the same careful stealth that had gotten them inside.
The bathroom window opened smoothly. They climbed through one at a time, then Marie closed it carefully behind them.
The grounds were quiet, patrol routes unchanged. They moved through the bushes on the right side, checking constantly for guards.
The wall approached, and they scaled it quickly, dropping into the alleyway beyond.
Normal clothing replaced their black suits within minutes. The transformation from infiltrators to ordinary citizens was complete, and they began the walk back toward their hotel.
...
Inside room 540, everyone gathered around the table while Vanna’s projection materialized.
Reinhard, Marie, Roana, and Scáth took turns explaining what they’d found. The dimensional research, the theories about Professor Atlas’s higher dimensions, and the plan to summon Fenrir not for destruction but for knowledge about traversing realities.
Vanna’s expression remained composed throughout most of the explanation. But her eyes widened slightly when they reached the part about Mekhko Research being the originators rather than the Sinners.
Gran’s eyes widened in shock. "They want to summon a Beast Spirit to learn dimensional travel? And doesn’t care what it does after they learn this!? The arrogance..."
Joseph frowned as he crossed his arms and said. "This changes everything. If it’s Mekhko rather than just the Sinners, then it becomes even more difficult."
Niki nodded as her fingers drummed against her leg while she furrowed her brows. "I am just surprised by their reasoning."
"They’re hoping to summon Fenrir in hopes of being taught the secrets to dimension traveling..." Vanna said slowly, processing implications. "I wasn’t expecting this. I thought it was the Sinners’ main idea, but to think it was Mekhko."
Roana sighed, her golden eyes troubled. "The Sinners are likely going to use Fenrir for their own gains. But the idea and plan to summon it is the Mekhko Research Group’s doing."
Gran’s frown deepened as he fell into thought before saying. "If it’s Mekhko, then this becomes a bit more difficult. Because, unlike just dealing with Phineas, the Mekhko Research Group is spread across the entire Hesod continent." His voice grew more strained. "Even if we deal with them in Phane City, they can just decide to do it again in another city or place we wouldn’t know about."
Reinhard shook his head and then sighed. "That isn’t the scariest part. It’s the fact they can just splinter off a group of them to work on the summoning of Fenrir while acting like they’re trying to prevent it."
Joseph’s eyes widened slightly, understanding dawning. "To keep our attention away from the small group. And the worst part is, we don’t know how many small groups they can make to do this... This is troublesome."
Vanna nodded, her composed mask cracking slightly to show concern. "This is why we need to get the Empire to fully see the Mekhko Research Center as a danger. We need official action, not just Academy intervention."
Roana reached into her bag, pulling out files they’d taken. "We have documents detailing their actions and desired goals."
Vanna’s eyes lit up, leading to a smile appearing on her face. It was the first visible one Reinhard had ever seen from her. "Very good. With this, we can have the Empire not only open an investigation but keep eyes on Mekhko’s other branches."
She leaned forward slightly in the projection. "Everyone, take out your files. I’ll send over the White Kun to retrieve them."
Scáth, Marie, and Roana began pulling documents from their bags, creating stacks on the table. Papers documenting dimensional research, Salem Town journals, and recruitment records showing systematic targeting of vulnerable populations.
Reinhard reached into his own bag, withdrawing most of his files. But he kept one back, the report about Mekhko’s golden child, the experiments forcing early Beast Spirit connections. He wanted to study it more thoroughly and see if he could find related documents later.
The files stacked impressively on the table, physical evidence of crimes and intentions that would be undeniable once properly analyzed.
Vanna nodded in satisfaction.
Then, space twisted above the table before a white portal appeared and gave off a shimmering light. Then, out of the portal rushed a white hawk that descended and gave out a soft cry.
The hawk’s talons closed around the file stack, gripping with strength that didn’t damage the papers. It flapped its wings once before ascending back into the air and heading to the window.
Then another silver portal appeared directly in front of the window. The hawk entered without hesitation, and both portals collapsed simultaneously, leaving no trace they’d existed.