The Damned Demon
chapter-681

Arthur's eyes flicked between Rachel and Lenny, his brow raising slightly as he spoke, "Rachel? I didn't expect to see you here. Were you here to train by any chance?"

The students around them whispered excitedly, their eyes wide as they took in the unexpected appearance of the Daughter of Justice. Some of the boys and young men exchanged glances, clearly captivated by her presence. Dressed in casual attire, she looked even more stunning than usual, her natural beauty amplified by her confident and relaxed demeanor. What a goddess…

Rachel smiled lightly, shaking her head, "Not at all. Lenny was just doing some warm-up, and I had a bit of business to discuss with him. We happened to bump into each other here."

Lenny shot Arthur an irritated look, "What are you doing here, anyway? Shouldn't you be out there doing quests or something?" Lenny felt that each time he saw this fucker's face, it just made him feel more irked.

Arthur gave a polite, measured smile, "I came to the headquarters to talk to the President. But since he asked me to wait, I thought I'd give the new students a tour of the Hall of Echoed Valor in the meantime."

Arthur never expected this to happen since the students happened to see him and few of them begged him to give them a tour despite the fact that he was never a student here.

And so he found himself unable to refuse and ended up here. He was also curious about the Hall of Echoed Valor and wanted to explore it.

"That's so nice of you," Rachel said with a gentle smile, "Then we shouldn't disturb you any further." She turned slightly as if to leave.

But just then, a young girl in the group, her eyes sparkling with excitement, raised her hand and blurted out, "Miss Sterling! Can you please give us a combined tour?"

Rachel paused, glancing at the girl with a surprised yet warm look. Lenny, however, clicked his tongue in annoyance and glared down at the student, "Tch, a student like you is demanding a full-fledged Hunter to give you a tour? Have some sense, will ya?"

The girl's face blanched, and she lowered her head, shrinking under his withering gaze. Her excitement faded, replaced by fear.

The other students were also startled and scared when they heard the angry voice of the Supreme Commander.

But Rachel raised a hand, her voice soothing and calm. "It's fine." She turned to the girl, her smile returning, "I was once a student at this academy. So I suppose I can do this small thing for my juniors."

Lenny sighed in frustration but didn't argue. He knew he couldn't stop her.

Arthur smiled appreciatively, "That's very kind of you, Rachel. Thank you."

The students' faces lit up in excitement, their admiration for Rachel growing even more. They huddled closer, eager to hear what she had to say.

Rachel pointed towards the large crystal that dominated the center of the room, perched on a raised dais. "Do you see this large crystal here?" she asked, her voice carrying a sense of reverence. The students nodded eagerly, their eyes glued to the glowing gem.

"This is the Echo Crystal," Rachel explained, "It has stored the 'Echoes' of every legendary Hunter, so even if they have long passed away, their Echoes can still be used to train the next generation of Hunters. Every Echo of a Hunter resembles them in almost every way in combat since they are based on the real ones. You can imagine it as a device scanning your fighting style, abilities, and anything related to combat to create a realistic Echo."

"That's so fascinating!" one of the students exclaimed. "But is it true that not all Hunters can have their Echoes created using this crystal?" he asked with a curious look, his brows furrowed.

Arthur watched Rachel intently, his arms crossed as he listened. Lenny, despite his earlier annoyance, stayed close by, his eyes fixed on Rachel, clearly more interested in her presence than the topic at hand.

Rachel nodded, offering a brief smile, "That's partly true. Any Hunter with enough reputation can have their Echo created. But the Echo will be discarded once they die. The Hall of Echoed Valor only keeps the Echoes of those Hunters who have showcased unmatched valor, strength, or achievements in their time for eternity. For example, my Echo might be discarded if I don't achieve something great for humanity."

The students gasped softly, looks of awe and respect in their eyes as they absorbed her words. They nodded in understanding, marveling at the weight of what she said.

Then, a boy at the back hesitantly raised his hand, his voice tentative, "Uhm… Is it true that the Echo of the Go—uh, I mean, the Corrupted Prince is still present in the crystal?"

The room fell silent, and several students gasped, their eyes darting around nervously. The boy who asked the question turned pale, realizing he might have crossed a line. He swallowed hard, shrinking back as if expecting a rebuke.

Rachel's expression shifted slightly, a flicker of something unreadable passing through her eyes. Arthur's eyes were filled with a heavy light, but they held a hint of curiosity.

Lenny's jaw tightened at the mention of that name and clicked his tongue, "Of course, it's not t-"

"Yes," Rachel suddenly interjected as if she didn't even hear him, her voice steady but tinged with something deeper, "His Echo is still here. The council decided to keep it because, despite everything, his power and skills were unparalleled. He was once the strongest Hunter among us, and his Echo serves as a reminder of what can happen when such power is misused. And practically, we have only benefits to gain by using his Echo to train. The stronger foes we face, the stronger we become."

Lenny wanted to ask why she told them that, but then he realized they were bound to find out anyway, and she saved him from some embarrassment.

The students exchanged glances, their faces reflecting a mixture of fear and fascination. The Corrupted Prince was a figure shrouded in legend and infamy, a symbol of both greatness and downfall. They were all alive when it happened, and some of them couldn't process it, but it was all true.

"But Miss Sterling," one of the students spoke up, his voice shaky, "Isn't it dangerous to have his Echo here? What if it… does something to our mind when we connect with the crystal?"

Rachel shook her head, a small, sad smile tugging at her lips, "An Echo can't act on its own. It's just a reflection of what the Hunter was in life, a tool for training. It has no will of its own. But it can teach us valuable lessons, even if those lessons come from the darkest of places."

Rachel saw how her father had twisted the truth so much that these youngsters were afraid of Cedric even after his death. It made her feel more sorry for what happened to his legacy.

One of the students hesitated before raising her hand, her voice timid as she asked, "Is it possible to see an Echo battle, recreating the final battle of the Corrupted Prince against those 25 brave Hunters?"

A murmur of surprise rippled through the group. Rachel and Arthur exchanged a glance, their brows lifting in unison. Lenny, however, clenched his jaw, his expression souring.

"Why do you want to see that?" Lenny snapped, his irritation palpable, "We don't have time to waste on such nonsense. Just scoot out of this hall immediately," His words were harsh, and the girl flinched, lowering her gaze to the ground.

Arthur stepped in, his voice calm and reassuring, "It's true that a battle like that would take at least an hour. We don't have the time for that during this tour. But, if you don't mind me asking, why are you curious about it?"

The girl sighed, still hesitant, but Arthur's gentle demeanor seemed to give her courage, "I heard it took those brave Hunters more than an hour to bring him down because of the Demon King helping him. So I just wanted to see how long it would take if the Corrupted Prince was alone."

Rachel nodded slowly, her gaze thoughtful. "I understand. That was a legendary battle, and it's natural to be curious. But recreating it in full would take too long. However," she added, smiling softly, "the crystal also has a special function. It can run a quick simulation of the battle and show us the end result in just a few seconds."

Arthur's eyebrows rose in genuine surprise. "Really? That sounds like an interesting function." His curiosity was piqued. The Corrupted Prince was a figure of both infamy and mystery, and as someone who had deeply affected his family, especially his sister to go missing, Arthur couldn't help but want to see just how powerful this man truly was, even if it was only through an Echo.

"Please, can we see it?" the girl asked eagerly, and this time, several other students nodded along, their eyes wide with interest. They had only heard stories about that fateful battle, and the chance to witness even a shadow of it was too tempting to pass up.

Rachel glanced at Lenny, who looked like he was chewing on nails, and then back at the hopeful faces of the students. "Alright," she said with a pleasant smile, "if you all want to see it, I don't see why not."

She stepped towards the console, placing her hand on it to activate the crystal. But as she was about to press the button to start the simulation, Lenny stepped in front of her, his stance rigid and defensive.

"You can't do this," Lenny said, his voice low and intense, "Trust me, your dad wouldn't like this one bit. You have no idea how dangerous this situation can be."

Rachel blinked, genuinely perplexed, "What do you mean, dangerous? It's just a simulation. Wouldn't it be good to show the students how brave Hunters came together to vanquish such evil?"

Lenny cleared his throat, his eyes darting nervously around, "You don't get it," he said, his voice strained, "It's not that simple. Your dad gave strict orders not to let anything like this happen. So you can't do this, Rachel."

Rachel sighed, "Lenny, I appreciate your concern, but you're overreacting. It's just a simulation."

Before she could finish her sentence, a sudden movement caught her eye.

She turned, her brows lifting in surprise as Arthur stepped forward and pressed the button to start the simulation.

"Arthur, what are you—?" Rachel began, but it was too late. The console lit up, and a hum of energy filled the air as the crystal glowed brightly, the simulation already beginning to take form.

"No! Stop!" Lenny roared, his face pale with a mixture of fear and fury as he lunged forward, but the crystal had already begun its work!