Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

"What! You've encountered the high-dimensional demon itself!"

As the Captain of Squad One detailed the full process of the mission and mentioned the demons in the cavern, the usually quiet superior officer suddenly stood up and stared at him with burning eyes, asking with some distrust, "Are you sure it was the demon itself?"

Captain One, who had been full of confidence a moment ago, was also taken aback and subconsciously glanced back at Bai E standing to the side behind him, "It was... right?"

If it wasn't the demon itself, then what could it be?

It had the ability to share real scenes with everyone at the same time and could even create unique horrifying illusions for each person based on their deepest fears to force them into a state of terror.

Although none of the warriors or refugees had ever seen the true form of a demon before, after a discussion, everyone agreed that the creature could be nothing other than a demon.

"..." The officer responsible for listening to the report turned serious.

Confronting a demon was no trifling matter.

In some places, even information about demons was forbidden, let alone facing a demon in the flesh.

Even just meeting those powerful high-dimensional creatures carried the risk of corruption. That was the expertise of the bigwigs at the Heretical Arbitration House, not something ordinary people could take lightly, and even he was not fully versed in the intricacies of it all.

"Wait here, I will call for a user of Spiritual Energy."

"Yes."

Captain One instinctively agreed immediately.

In the silent room, the members of the united squad looked at each other.

"Seems like a serious matter?"

"Wasn't it driven away by Bai E? Shouldn't be any problem, right?"

The fight was over; wasn't everything settled after reporting and rewarding their achievements?

The soldiers who had never dealt with the realm of demons were just as ignorant of the significance behind this caution.

Seeing the superior officer's reaction, everyone felt somewhat uneasy.

Without speaking, all eyes inadvertently swept over Bai E—if there really was a problem, this War God would probably be the most troublesome one.

...

But in a moment, a tall and lanky man pushed aside the curtain and strode into the room.

"You encountered the demon itself?"

The voice of the Spiritual Energy user resonated with a hum, as if imbued with a specific Magic Power that made it difficult to tell lies.

Some basic enhancements, such as improved reflexes or physical stamina, were common abilities of a user of Spiritual Energy.

But each Spiritual Energy user's core ability was different, and this user's core ability was to make it difficult for people to tell lies with ease.

However... this was never a lie.

"Yes, sir."

After a moment of collected contemplation, Captain One showed the responsibility he was supposed to.

The facts remained facts, and would not change no matter how many times one asked.

"We all encountered the demon, and it was Soldier Bai E who defeated it by himself!"

No matter what awaited them, the facts needed to be stated.

"Who is Bai E?"

"I am," Bai E stepped forward, taking the initiative to answer.

"You defeated the demon by yourself?" The Spiritual Energy user fixed his gaze on Bai E. He felt this young man looked somewhat familiar, but had no time to ponder it further.

Looking at Bai E's eyes, veiled with a light mist, "The demon died before you?"

"No, sir! It was banished. It retreated back into the high-dimensional space," Bai E answered calmly, hands clasped behind his back.

The Spiritual Energy user frowned slightly, "How can you be sure it was the high-dimensional space?"

"After it was defeated, the space became hazy, too blinding to look at, and it stirred up a tempest in our minds. I believe these are the traits of the high-dimensional space. Moreover, there were over four hundred refugees present, and they all know."

"Over four hundred refugees saw it as well?" The Spiritual Energy user muttered softly, "This is troublesome."

Without meaning to, he glanced back at the officer who had called him over, somewhat blaming him for not sharing such crucial information...

Then he continued to question Bai E, "What about them? Why did you alone defeat the demon?"

"They were temporarily incapacitated by the demon's corrupting power and I escorted them outside the cavern to rest."

"So only you alone faced the demon? They were just corrupted by its power?"

"Yes, sir! But there were also over four hundred refugees with me inside the cavern."

"..." The Spiritual Energy user lapsed into silence, then spoke to the officer receiving the brief after a moment, "Step outside with me."

After leaving the room, out of earshot of the soldiers, the Spiritual Energy user stopped and with a grave expression said to the officer, "I suspect they are lying."

As for the purpose... perhaps it was to claim military honors?

Most soldiers are loyal, but beneath loyalty, it's not inconceivable that some harbor personal motives.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

As a user of Spiritual Energy, he was more aware of the mysteries of the high-dimensional space than ordinary people, including middle and senior military officers who had not come into contact with the Spiritual Power World.

This era was one of decay and darkness; none could escape it.

The people living in this time, with all their belligerence, bloodlust, jealousy, and twisted tendencies, was it really just due to human nature alone?

No!

The sinful presence seeping from the high-dimensional space was constantly influencing this world!

Every breath of air and every bite of food and drink was saturated with sin.

Every creature would, over the long years, be corrupted by the madness in the very air they breathed, deep into their bones; none could avoid it, it was merely a question of time.

Before succumbing to corruption, the value one could provide to the human empire defined the contribution of a person's life.

So, in a world where even betrayal seemed so justifiable, some soldiers seeking personal gain through lies... was unfortunately all too normal.

"Isn't it true that no one could lie before you?" The officer was puzzled, which was precisely why he had sought out this particularly skilled Spiritual Energy user.

"My ability is not an absolute rule."

Those who lied before him would be overwhelmed by the pressure of their guilty conscience in an instant. But if someone had received specialized training or possessed a corresponding resistance, naturally they could be immune.

Spiritual Energy is some kind of ability that transcends common sense, but in essence, it is also just another form of contest.

"So what they said was fine?" the officer frowned tightly.

"I don't know where they got some of this knowledge about demons, but what they said was basically not a big problem," the Spiritual Energy wielder shook his head.

Normally circulated information about demons wouldn't contain such detailed content, such as each person's subjective impression of demons, the demons' mental interference with everyone, and the presence felt when demons are repelled back into high-dimensional space... Without personal experience, it would be difficult to speak so accurately and confidently.

And it was even a solo defeat, which was completely off the mark!

Putting aside the truth of this military achievement, just to say... But how could this possibly be true?!

Demons are also hierarchical!

Ordinary common demon foot soldiers can actually be completely killed in the material world; it's only those so-called "origin demons," whose core is linked to the source of emotions, that have the special privilege of retreating to high-dimensional space to recuperate after suffering fatal blows in the material world.

Do these special squad soldiers really understand how powerful an origin demon is?

If they truly encountered a demon of that caliber, even the enforcers of the Heretical Arbitration House would probably need to be on high alert.

Without assembling a small team of at least ten people, those enforcers would probably not even dare to glance at It.

Such an existence, defeated by you, a mere foot soldier, alone?

And to even directly annihilate its physical body in the material world, sending the demon... back to slumber within high-dimensional space?

Do you think you're the War God Ares himself?

The officer didn't have the Spiritual Energy wielder's complex thoughts and just furrowed his brow, focusing on the present, "So, what do we do now?"

Defeated a high-dimensional demon, but without a shred of evidence, how is this to be handled?

Is this military merit to be recorded or not?

Even if it were to be recorded... How would one record a solo defeat of a demon?

There were no standards or precedents to reference...

"Or... just rub it out and forget it," the officer couldn't be bothered with the hassle.

"Record it! Of course, it must be recorded," the Spiritual Energy wielder insisted.

For the warrior himself, fairness is necessary.

For the military camp, lying is the beginning of corruption.

Excellent soldiers deserve commendation, while corrupted soldiers must undergo cleansing.

Either a cleansing of the spirit or a cleansing of the body.

Otherwise, bigger mistakes will emerge in the future!

"Let's go back there!"

...

"Are you willing to take full responsibility for your words?" the Spiritual Energy wielder stood before Bai E, staring silently into his eyes.

"I am willing," Bai E's voice was resounding and powerful.

The Spiritual Energy wielder then turned to the other members of this joint squad, "And you?"

"Willing!"

"Good," the Spiritual Energy wielder nodded, "Since you insist, I can then tell you everything that is about to happen. Remember, this is your own choice..."

The Spiritual Energy wielder, with hands clasped behind his back, swept his stern gaze over all the soldiers before him, "Anyone who has directly gazed upon a high-dimensional demon has a high probability of being contaminated by the demon! Even though you are now warriors of the empire, it is very possible that you have unwittingly joined the ranks of the demons.

With your own hands, you'll destroy everything that you were supposed to protect!"

"..."

The warriors who had never encountered such information began to show visible panic.

The Spiritual Energy wielder was pleased with this reaction; there was hope for those willing to turn back.

The psychological counseling team in the camp was there for this purpose.

"If you are certain that you truly encountered a high-dimensional demon, then I will request that the enforcers from the Heretical Arbitration House conduct a final arbitration for you.

If it is confirmed that you are still the empire's most loyal warriors, then you will receive the commendations you deserve.

But if... you have unknowingly become the minions and slaves of those demons, then... the Spiritual Energy Furnace awaits you!"

If it's a lie, surely these words would be enough to make them recoil.

Once they recoil, their resolve would no longer be firm.

Before him, lies have nowhere to hide!

The Spiritual Energy wielder's gaze held a faint foggy light, calmly waiting for the chain collapse triggered by some point among these warriors.

The buzzing voice still echoed in the room, with a determined voice ringing out first.

"In the name of the empire, I shall prove my loyalty!"

Bai E spoke out emotionlessly.

The demon had indeed been truly repelled by himself; this was an undeniable fact.

The panel acknowledged everything, and up until now, there was no judgment related to corruption.

Bai E believed he was clean.

The initial voice solidified the resolve of the warriors who had felt uneasy because of the Spiritual Energy wielder's words.

Yes, this was the truth.

Although they hadn't been much help in the process of repelling the demon, this was the fact!

The credit that belonged to Bai E should not be buried!

Furthermore... if they had indeed been unwittingly corrupted by the demons...

Then for humanity... for the empire... they should ensure their own cleanliness!

The city could be destroyed tomorrow, could be breached by external enemies, but should never! Perish at the hands of the warriors who once protected everything!

"In the name of the empire, I shall prove my loyalty!"

All the soldiers cried out in unison!