I created a foundation

His distorted face melted in the sunlight, his hideous eyeballs turned into green smoke, and his wildly dancing tentacles drooped weakly, and then turned into ashes.

The terrifying battle that lasted the entire night and nearly pushed Yukino into despair finally came to an end in this way.

The sun is shining brightly in the classroom.

The Nightmare's huge body had disappeared without a trace, leaving only some traces of corrosion and burning on the ground and walls, proving that he had existed.

The strong smell of blood and burnt odor in the air is gradually being diluted by the cool air in the early morning, and is being replaced by the unique fresh scent of sunshine.

Yukino was breathing heavily, every muscle in her body screaming in protest.

She slowly put down the "Yeshai" in her hand, and leaned the tip of the knife against the ground, supporting her almost exhausted body.

Sweat soaked her clothes, which stuck tightly to her body, outlining the girl's slender yet resilient lines.

The animalistic features on her body began to slowly fade away.

The pair of alertly erect white animal ears on top of its head trembled slightly, then slowly shrank as if shy, and finally disappeared among the black hair.

The furry tail that was shaking restlessly behind it gradually became transparent, and finally turned into specks of light and merged into the air.

The powerful force receded from her limbs and bones like a tide, followed by an extreme fatigue that almost drowned her.

But her eyes were unusually bright.

She looked at the empty floor beneath her feet, where only traces of battle remained and the sunlight cast mottled shadows.

Then she slowly raised her head and looked out the window.

The morning sun had risen completely, and its golden light filled the entire world, including her face, giving her slightly pale skin a warm color.

For the first time, the corners of Yukino's mouth, which always looked cold and distant, lifted slightly, revealing a faint smile of relief.

The smile was very shallow, almost imperceptible, but it was like the first melting of ice and snow, bringing with it the freshness and tranquility of the sun after the rain.

She took a slow, deep breath and let it out slowly.

The last wisp of black ash completely dissipated without a trace in the bright sunlight of the classroom.

In the dim morning light, a ray of pale golden sunlight struggled to penetrate the air filled with smoke and the smell of blood, and shone obliquely into the classroom that was almost razed to the ground.

Broken tables and chairs, charred walls, scattered rubble and broken glass silently tell of the brutality of last night's battle.

In the air, the fine dust left after the nightmare dissipated had not yet completely settled, mixed with the strong smell of blood and the unique smell of ozone after thunder and lightning, forming a nauseating and complex smell.

Yukinoshita Yukino stood in the center of the mess.

She supported the almost bent blade of the Yesai with one hand. The dark red blood on the blade had not yet dried, reflecting a strange light in the morning light.

Her breathing was still a little disordered, and the strands of hair on her forehead were soaked with sweat, sticking to her smooth forehead. Her pure white combat uniform was stained with large patches of dirt and blood, and several damaged areas revealed the scraped skin underneath.

After a night of fierce fighting, even with her strengthened physique, she felt waves of fatigue deep in her bones.

But her eyes were still as sharp as an eagle, scanning the surroundings vigilantly to make sure there were no more potential threats.

The world seemed to be completely quiet at this moment.

Only her slightly heavy breathing echoed in the empty ruins.

Sudden.

"Buzz—buzz—buzz—buzz—"

Without warning, a sharp, almost frantic vibration erupted from the pocket of her combat uniform.

The sound was sharp and rapid, as if the energy that had been accumulated for a long time had found an outlet at this moment. It was so intense that Yukino's body trembled slightly.

Her brows furrowed instantly.

This was the unique vibration pattern of the Foundation's internal encrypted communicator, but this was the first time she had encountered such a high-frequency and high-intensity vibration.

Yukino stretched out her slightly trembling hand and took out the palm-sized black metal communicator from her pocket.

Get it cold.

The screen lit up with a vibration, and the dazzling white light made her squint subconsciously.

The next moment, her pupils suddenly contracted.

On the screen, dense red exclamation marks emerged like a tide, and one after another, the highest priority unread messages and missed communication requests were refreshed frantically, almost completely submerging the small screen.

[Emergency! Investigator Yukinoshita, please report the situation immediately! I repeat, please report the situation immediately!]

Sender: Foundation Headquarters Command Center.

Sent time: last night, 23:05.

[Yukino! If you hear me, please answer! We've lost your life signal and communication link! Report your coordinates immediately!]

Sender: Kasumigaoka Utaha.

Sent time: last night, 23:18.

The tone of this message carried a subtle, commanding concern that was unique to Kasumigaoka Utaha.

[Yukinoshita! What the hell happened over there? Why can't I get in touch with you?! Headquarters is in chaos!]

Sender: Kasumigaoka Utaha.

Sent time: last night, 23:30.

Between the lines, it is not difficult to imagine the anxiety of the senior student with long black hair and sharp tongue at this moment.

[Yukino-chan! Yukino-chan! Are you okay?! Answer me now, you idiot Yukino!]

From: Eriri Sawamura Spencer.

Sent time: 00:15 this morning.

The iconic, anxious cry of the blonde girl with twin ponytails seemed to penetrate the screen and ring directly into Yukino's ears.

Yukinoshita-san, if you receive this, please be sure to reply. Your safety is your top priority.

Sender: Kato Megumi.

Sent time: 00:47 this morning.

His tone was as calm as ever, yet it exuded a reassuring calmness.

All units, attention! S-class communications blackout has occurred in the target area. Preliminary assessment: High-intensity energy interference or unknown anomalous capabilities. All attempts to contact Investigator Yukinoshita have failed.

Sender: Foundation Technology Department.

Sent time: 01:20 this morning.

[Yukino, if you can still see this message, do everything you can to save yourself. Support is being mobilized, but breaking through the signal blockade will take time. Don't give up.]

Sender: Busujima Saeko.

Sent time: 02:00 this morning.

The calm and resolute words came from the equally powerful kendo girl.

Yukino's breathing became rapid without her noticing.

Her fingers slid stiffly up the screen, and each message was like a cold knife, constantly cutting her nerves that had just relaxed.

The date of signature of each message was like a heavy hammer, hitting her heart hard.

The earliest...

Six hours ago!

Her eyes were fixed on those glaring time stamps, and her brain seemed to be emptied in an instant, leaving a blank.

Six hours…

Last night, from the moment she stepped into this classroom and started a life-and-death battle with the nightmare, until now...

For a full six hours, her contact with the outside world was completely cut off!

A terrible thought emerged from the deepest part of her heart like a poisonous snake, quickly wrapping around her limbs.

That demon's blood magic...

Its ability is not just to create illusions that are realistic enough, and not just to drag other people's consciousness into nightmares.

It constructs an invisible and absolutely isolated "field" with this classroom, or perhaps even the entire teaching building, as the core.

Within this field, all electronic signals and all energy fluctuations are completely shielded, distorted, and swallowed up.

She tried to contact headquarters several times last night, but the communicator had no response. At the time, she simply thought that the energy impact of the battle had affected the equipment.

Now that I think about it, it wasn't an equipment failure at all.

Rather, she fell into a carefully laid, isolated trap from the very beginning.

For the past six hours, she had not been carrying out an ambush and clearing mission with backup support and the ability to call for reinforcements at any time.

She was trapped in a pitch-black cage, unable to hear any cries for help or transmit any information, undergoing a battle with no escape route and no support...

Alone.

This realization, like a pale bolt of lightning, suddenly split apart all her luck and relief.

The slight sense of relief and accomplishment after killing the powerful enemy disappeared at this moment, and was replaced by a belated but more intense fear.

If...if she had made any mistake in judgment last night...

If she hadn't been able to see through Nightmare's illusion in time...

If her strength had been exhausted earlier...

Then, she will die here.

Died here silently.

No one will even know what happened to her, or how she fought.

The Foundation will only record the disappearance of one investigator.

That's it.

She tightly gripped the communicator that was still vibrating slightly, her knuckles turning bluish-white from the excessive force.

An indescribable chill suddenly shot up from the soles of her feet, along her icy spine and rushed to the top of her head in an instant.

All the blood in her body seemed to freeze in an instant.