Chapter 420 Chapter428 – It’s all arranged

“If the border isn’t in danger, how am I supposed to prove my achievement?” Axel’s recorded voice continued, laced with eerie calm. “All of you… will just be sacrifices for my success in this beast tide.” Then—

A deafening roar exploded through the recording. The sheer ferocity of it made several officers visibly flinch.

A beast horde of that scale… The implications were horrifying. The room fell into a heavy silence before, almost in unison, every gaze turned toward Axel.

.....

“Phoenix, what the hell are you doing?!”

“Phoenix, calm down!”

Millers and Vince barely managed to restrain him. A second slower, and Phoenix would have smashed the only TV in the room to pieces.

His eyes were bloodshot, chest heaving violently. It took him several seconds just to get his breathing under control before he dropped heavily to the floor.

“This is bullshit…” he rasped, voice thick with anger. “There’s no way Axel said anything like that. This is completely fabricated!”

Millers nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “It’s sloppy. Honestly, it’s painful to even listen to.” He scoffed. “With his personality? His brains? There’s no way he’d get caught in a recording like that.”

A pause. “If anything, he’d be the one setting someone else up—hell, he’d fake the recording himself—”

“Holy shit, Phoenix, don’t—!”

Bang!

The watermelon sitting untouched on the table exploded into pulp. If Vince hadn’t grabbed him in time, that would’ve been Millers’ head.

Meanwhile, the online reaction couldn’t have been more different.

“Shoot him on the spot!”

“The evidence is right there—why even bother with a trial? Are they protecting him?”

“Execute him!”

Public opinion surged like a tidal wave.

.......

“Axel, do you have anything to say?”

Axel smiled. The voice in the recording—the tone, cadence, even the smallest inflection—was a perfect match to his own.

There was only one explanation. An Awakened with a voice-mimicry ability. And not just any amateur—someone operating at a level at least equal to him.

“You people really went all out trying to kill me,” Axel said, almost admiringly, as he looked at Zachariah.

Tap. Tap.

Before Zachariah could respond, Lamar rapped his fingers lightly against the table. “Axel. Stick to what’s relevant.”

“My apologies,” Axel said with a faint smile. “But there’s not much to say about completely fabricated evidence.”

Lamar rested his chin on his hand, eyes narrowing. “So you’re claiming Zachariah presented false evidence?”

“Of course.”

“And how do you intend to prove that?”

Axel shrugged. “After I was assigned to his team, we never even met again.”

“Who can testify to that? My teammates. Every one of them.”

Lamar gave a small nod and gestured. Moments later, a group of soldiers escorted someone forward.

“Mr. Lamar… hello. I’m Sergio.” His voice carried a trace of nervousness.

“Sergio…” Lamar paused briefly, then smiled faintly. “After the split, did Axel ever meet Zachariah again?”

Sergio steadied himself and shook his head. “No. After we split up, we followed Axel’s suggestion and headed to the City of Sin. We’ve been operating together ever since.”

Lamar nodded, about to continue—

Tap. Tap. Soft, deliberate knocking echoed through the hall, cutting him off.

“Mr. Lamar… may I ask the witness a few questions?” Zahir said, idly twirling his cane.

“Of course.”

Zahir turned slowly toward Sergio, his gaze calm but sharp. “A member of the Blackthorn family… Tell me, can you prove Axel never met with Zachariah?”

“Yes—”

“Oh?” Zahir cut in smoothly. “So you’ve been with him every second?”

Sergio hesitated. “…That’s impossible.”

“Then let me rephrase.” Zahir stroked the polished handle of his cane. “What’s the longest you’ve been apart? A full day, perhaps?”

Sergio faltered. “…There have been times like that.” He forced himself to continue, choosing honesty. “But even a day isn’t enough. Traveling from the City of Sin to the northern blockade—”

“You’re saying he didn’t have time to commit the crime?” Zahir interrupted, eyes flashing. “With the right Original Instruments and sufficient Primal Stones—or a Level Six Awakener with spatial abilities—that distance is trivial.”

“But Axel isn’t—”

“Isn’t?” Zahir’s gaze shifted meaningfully to Axel. “If I recall correctly… his talent is All Things Simulation, yes?”

The room erupted. A speed-enhancing technique? A spatial ability?

Ordinary Awakeners could only dream of such things. But Axel… wasn’t ordinary.

Sergio’s face changed instantly. This was spiraling out of control.

“Axel does have All Things Simulation,” Sergio said quickly, “but he doesn’t have any spatial or speed-type abilities—”

“Doesn’t have them,” Zahir cut in again, his tone sharpening, “or you’ve simply never seen them?”

Silence.

“If you’re certain,” Zahir continued coldly, “then prove it. Otherwise… I have every reason to suspect you’re covering for him.”

Sergio opened his mouth. Closed it. “…I can’t prove it.”

......

“Damn it, Sergio’s useless!” Nigel muttered in the waiting area, frustration written all over his face.

Beside him stood Terrence, Kenneth, Ferdinand, and the rest. As key witnesses, they were waiting to be called at any moment.

They had been confident—certain that once they testified, Zachariah’s lies would collapse instantly. Instead, their sharpest mind had walked straight into a trap.

“There’s no way to prove something like that,” Terrence said with a helpless sigh. “There’s no technique or device that can verify which abilities someone has mastered under All Things Simulation.”

Nigel hesitated for a moment, then straightened.

“I trust Axel,” he said firmly. “There’s no way he did this. And with how close we are—if he had that kind of ability, he wouldn’t hide it from us.”

“…Lil… Lilith…” Kenneth’s voice suddenly broke the tension.

“What the—?!” Nigel and Terrence clamped a hand over his mouth instantly.

“Kenneth, shut the hell up if you don’t want to die,” Nigel hissed.

Lilith. Their former teammate. At the most critical moment, she had revealed powers none of them had ever seen before—and crushed them completely.

Why bring her up now? Was Kenneth implying… Axel might be the same?

They wanted to deny it. But the memory of that moment—burned into their minds—shook their certainty.

Could it be…?

......

“Hey, kid. You’re awfully young to be traveling alone.” At Dune Station, a security officer checked her ID, then glanced at the small figure wrapped head to toe in a cloak.

She didn’t respond. With a slight frown, he handed the ID back. “Be careful out there.”

Annabelle passed through the checkpoint without a word. Only after she was inside did she lift her head slightly.

Her gaze locked onto the television mounted high on the wall. Her grip tightened around the dagger hidden beneath her cloak. “Big brother… wait for me.”

.....

“Is everything in place?”

At the far end of the Silverwyn seating area, Zoltan sat cloaked in shadow, his hood pulled low. He blended so completely into the dim light of the hall that most wouldn’t even notice he was there.

Behind him, Zephyr leaned in, voice barely above a whisper.

“It’s all arranged. The commanders in the City of Sin have already confirmed it—Axel has multiple records of leaving the city.”

He paused, then continued, tone colder. “And… according to reliable intel, one of those times, a Level Seven Blackwing Dragon appeared shortly after he left. It attacked the City of Sin.”

“They suspect he has some kind of ability—something that attracts mutated beasts without putting himself at risk. They’re prepared to testify when the time comes.”

Zoltan nodded faintly. “That’s enough… Zephyr.”

A brief silence followed. Then, quietly—

“Do you think… it’s him?”

“The evidence is undeniable.” Zephyr’s gaze locked onto Axel, ice-cold. “That little monster needs to be put down today. Justice will prevail.”

“Justice will prevail…” Zoltan repeated softly, a mocking smile tugging at his lips. The Silverwyn family is justice.

.......

“Axel, your witnesses can’t prove you never met Zachariah,” Lamar said slowly, watching him closely. “Do you have anything else to say?”

Axel smiled, about to respond—

Then his expression shifted. Without a word, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone.

Zahir’s face darkened instantly. “Where are the guards?!” he snapped. “How the hell did he bring a communication device into the courtroom? Are you all incompetent?!”