The body and soul of living beings are two inseparable and interdependent components.

The Holy Academy, located in the Angel City, is the world’s largest and most authoritative institution for theological research.

They have proposed a theory. The concept of 【Cycle】.

The energy of this world, whether it be mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, or elemental magic, can ultimately be categorized as 【Matter】. The power representing the mind and soul is collectively referred to as 【Void】.

Everything in existence is composed of a combination of 【Matter】 and 【Void】 energy, and the total amount of these energies remains constant, continually cycling.

Every living being, after birth, needs to absorb energy from the world, either 【Matter】 or 【Void】, in order to grow stronger and accumulate more energy. Their role in this process is to keep these two types of energy flowing and active, preventing the world from stagnating.

However, this energy does not disappear. When living beings die, their 【Matter】 body and 【Void】 soul return to the world, transforming into pure energy and entering the next cycle.

This is the 【Theory of Energy Conservation】 concerning the relationship between the world and living beings, proposed by the Holy Academy three hundred years ago.

But soon after, scholars put forward a more terrifying hypothesis. Since the energy of the world is absolutely conserved, if there were intruders who only absorb energy without returning it, or who plunder energy to other worlds, over time, the total amount of energy in one world, whether 【Matter】 or 【Void】, would continuously decrease.

One day, if the world’s energy becomes so depleted that even the basic cycles can no longer function, the structure of the world will collapse. The sun and moon in the sky will lose their light, and all living beings will face extinction, dying one after another. In such a scenario, the world itself will be destroyed.

This hypothetical theory is known as the 【Theory of Cycle Stability Structure】.

A key piece of evidence that supports the construction and acceptance of these two theories lies in the fact that the Holy Empire has relentlessly fought against an external entity known as demons throughout history.

Demons do not need food, nor do they seem to have any interest in wealth or beauty. These terrifying creatures, said to come from another world, crave something else—the intense emotions and souls of living beings.

Their acts of corruption and slaughter are not merely for the sake of satisfying their savage desires. Essentially, they extract 【Void】 energy from the intense emotions emitted by people. Some powerful demons even possess the ability to directly devour the souls of the living.

This is a form of plunder, one world plundering from another. When this hypothesis is combined with the 【Theory of Energy Conservation】 and the 【Theory of Cycle Stability Structure】 proposed by the Holy Academy, many of the demons’ behaviors throughout history can be reasonably explained.

Moreover, even without considering the plundering between worlds, there are elements within the world that could be seen as “bugs.” For instance, certain life forms composed purely of 【Void】 energy, essentially souls, lack any 【Matter】 structure. Consequently, they do not have a lifespan and, without external interference, can exist indefinitely.

To the world as a whole, these beings are like parasites that only consume and never give back. The energy they absorb will never return to the cycle through death.

While a small number may seem insignificant, if their numbers grow too large or if some individuals accumulate vast amounts of energy and continue to consume more, growing without limit, it will inevitably lead to unimaginably terrible consequences.

Based on this concept, the Holy Academy proposed that it is necessary to impose restrictions on, or even eradicate, invaders from other worlds and soul plunderers. This suggestion was unanimously agreed upon.

Whenever traces of such beings are found, it is imperative to act as quickly as possible, using any means necessary to control or eliminate them. This is a widely shared understanding within the Holy Empire, especially among the higher ranks, and is considered even more critical than internal conflicts between families.

This is also one of the key reasons why the Holy Empire has relentlessly opposed demonic invasions.

“I see, so that’s why you temporarily set aside your original plans and hurried here to deal with this issue, Yuna?”

In the quiet chamber, the Saintess solemnly nodded.

“That’s correct. It was just speculation before, but after seeing this girl and assessing the situation firsthand, I am now completely certain. No matter what that strange mask truly is or what its purpose might be, its method of soul plundering is too cruel, far beyond what the temple can tolerate. It has already been classified as a 【demon】 and must be dealt with accordingly.”

“Perhaps its single existence might not be enough to affect the continuity of the world’s structure, but if we discover it and choose not to act, over time, as more and more similar things appear and grow stronger, it will become truly uncontrollable.”

“Even stepping back from that, as the Bright Light Saintess and the head of the Summerfield family, I cannot allow such a cruel monster to roam freely in the city. We must… find it as quickly as possible.”

“Hmm… the cycle and stability of the world’s structure…”

Without paying attention to Miss White Fox’s contemplative muttering, Yuna turned to the surviving Holy Knight, who had just recounted the events of the previous night in full detail, and solemnly said,

“Sir Jeremy, please try to recall more details—describe the appearance of that mask and any noteworthy details or language it used after it possessed someone. These could be crucial in helping us locate it.”

Since Yuna and Violet hadn’t concealed their earlier conversation, Jeremy, who had heard everything, likely grasped the gravity of the situation. Despite his exhaustion and weariness, he furrowed his brow and began to think deeply.

“Basically… I’ve already mentioned everything I could think of. Since I was a newcomer to the team, the senior members were taking care of me. When they noticed something was wrong, they immediately told me to go and seek reinforcements.”

“Captain Karina is a 【Fearless Knight】 rank, and her Holy Light abilities are excellent. Far stronger than all of us combined.”

“Although I’m not entirely sure why she refuses to accept a promotion and insists on staying as a small squad captain, her strength is undeniable. Even if we had called in other patrol teams from neighboring districts, they would have been sent to their deaths in vain. So, at that time, my only option was to head straight to the Knights’ Headquarters and seek help from other 【Fearless Knight】 or stronger warriors.”

“Even though I did my best, the district we were patrolling is quite a distance from the Bright Light Temple. The round trip took nearly half an hour, and by the time I arrived with reinforcements, it was already…”

Feeling that recounting these details was of little value, Jeremy paused for a moment before adding, “As for the appearance of that mask, I’ve already described it. It was an oval shape, predominantly white, but the facial features and expression were drawn in black ink, with a long, grinning mouth. Also…”

“The patterns on it seemed to change… right? Ugh, you already mentioned all of this! Can’t you give us some more useful information to work with?”

Jeremy seemed to hesitate for a moment at Miss White Fox’s exasperated remark. He glanced at her cute fox mask, which had a predominantly white and red color scheme, but then he simply lowered his head, looking ashamed.

“I’m sorry, but that’s really all I know…”

“Tch… this is so frustrating! Get out of my way!”

Having had enough of what she saw as a pointless and aimless waste of time, Violet angrily stood up and strode over to the corpse of one of the fallen, named Arden, a Ghost Warrior Tribe who, for some reason, had become a Holy Knight.

“Watch closely! This is how you gather information!”