Chapter 336 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Han, unlike the others, watched the scene before him calmly, knowing full well that this was far from real. He had seen what the Smashers were... or more correctly, what Buster had made them into.

They were ruthless, more monster than hero to be precise, so there was no way in hell Buster would be acting that kind and heroic. Something was surely wrong with the video being projected for all to see. Furthermore, Ronan had told them the truth about Blazer’s death; Buster, that maniac, had killed him. Han wasn’t surprised, though.

He and the rest had lived through Ronan’s memory and had a feeling for how horrid and inhumane Buster really was, so him killing Blazer didn’t sound out of the question.

In short, Han knew at a single glance that the projected video was forged.

But who forged something this perfect? If Han and the others didn’t know how the story actually played out, they would have found themselves swayed by this fake evidence. It was just that convincing. This could become a big problem for them... a really big problem.

With this forged evidence, Ronan’s reputation would be totally ruined and he would be sentenced to death, unless Clara could by some miracle pull out counter-evidence that would negate the stranger’s own. Now, it was not that Han lacked confidence in Clara, but this might very well be above her level.

Han’s gaze shifted to the man who had presented the evidence; he would have a lot of explaining to do very soon. Han was still contemplating whether to use the Eye of Defiance or some other extreme method to question the man and make him explain how he got his hands on something so convincing yet faked, or if he should just break some bones and make him confess.

He was still in the middle of this thought when he sensed movement from the seats of the Elite S-Class heroes.

The Undying Flame, without any words or warning, shot forward like a rocket. His punch was covered in annihilating red flames as he shot straight for his target: Ronan. Han blinked and used teleportation, appearing right in front of the punch. Using one of his high-ranked skills, Repel, he directly canceled out the Undying Flame’s punch, using its own force to attack him back.

It was a powerful skill, but it worked best when the opponent was caught off guard. Yet, the Undying Flame regained his bearing quickly and landed calmly, heat rolling out through the massive courtroom.

His flame power had always been unmatched in the world, and he was like a walking sun. His calmness usually kept his overwhelming power in check, but now that he was far from calm, the flames were being released in waves, forcing the people in the room to break free from their stupor. They looked at the scene before them in shock.

It seemed the Undying Flame had totally decided to kill Ronan and burn him alive to avenge his brother. Meanwhile, it appeared the Fire God, Han Trystan, wouldn’t stand aside and watch one of his elite friends get killed.

Undying Flame looked at Han with rising anger, his words coming out like rumbling fire. "You really don’t want to cross me, Fire God," he said, his voice airtight as the pressure rose.

Han looked at him calmly. Sincerely, this was all getting out of hand, and the worst scenario he wanted to avoid was the one happening now. They might have to break Ronan out of here the hard way, which was such a hassle. Han held the Undying Flame’s rotating gaze firmly for a second before he spoke.

"Sincerely speaking, I don’t care much about that. What I am going to tell you this once is this: no one will be touching a hair on his head, not while I’m standing right here."

The meaning behind Han’s words was clear: if they wanted to get their hands on Ronan, they would need to go through him first.

Now, that begged the question: who would? Han was by far one of the most powerful uprising heroes in human history. His record of awakening as an E-Rank had been revealed several months ago, which shocked many; there were very few people who ever managed to increase their awakening rank.

It was simply unheard of, yet Han had done it, and what he achieved was beyond normal. He had crossed large awakening gaps and directly entered the A-Rank. Many suspected that might even be a lie and that he might very well be another powerful S-Rank. So, who would be crazy enough to want to face an S-Rank?

The answer: another overpowered S-Rank.

The Undying Flame’s gaze changed. "Sincerely, I have no problem with you," he said, "but if you intend on protecting that monster you call a friend, then whatever happens from here on out, bear with it."

The Undying Flame’s body started to rise high into the air. Flames roared to life around him, flowing in a spiral. His red hair became flames and his eyes held a hellish red glow. The temperature rose so sharply that many mundane humans and those at low ranks felt their skin suffer terrible burns.

"Flame is not taking it casually," the Beast said. This was one of the three forms that Flame only used when he was mad. The fact that he was using his first combat form against a little hero like Han suggested only one thing: he was too angry right now to even think clearly.

His mind must have been consumed with rage, or at least close to it.

"Should we stop him?" Lord Tech asked, his gaze narrowing. He really wasn’t looking forward to choosing sides. As an S-Class hero, he would naturally have to side with Flame, but that would mean facing off against his little sister’s guild, meaning he would be going against Clara.

"No, let’s watch a bit more," the Beast said with a calm face, though internally he was grinning ferociously. Let’s see just how strong the Fire God really is. Surely he would have known by now that trying to face Flame would require him to go all out.

The Beast was wrong... extremely so. Han looked at the Undying Flame, his gaze still calm as the heat washed over him. He felt nothing from those flames. Right now, if he were to rank them, he was confident enough to say that Thunderwrath was on the same level as Flame.

If Han merged with him, he would surely be stronger. Ifrit was slightly weaker, but if Han fused with him, that alone should still be enough to handle Undying Flame. Since he was not ready to show the world all of his cards here, he would be sticking primarily with fire abilities.

Well, Han had used another ability to repel Flame’s first attack, but he couldn’t bother much about that now.

Han’s gaze turned a bit bluer, if that were possible, as he called out a single name. "Ifrit," he said.

The world answered his words with nearly immediate effect. A large flame pillar descended right beside him. When it disappeared, a being wreathed entirely in flames stood there. His gaze washed over the crowd and then at Undying Flame, who was radiating immense heat energy in the sky, with indifference.

He then looked at Han as if asking why he was summoned. Han looked at Ifrit; surely this guy’s pride seemed to be increasing day by day.

"Let’s show that guy up there he is not the only one that controls flame. You are the Spirit of Fire after all, and I am the Fire God. Let’s show him exactly why we have those titles."

Ifrit seemed to agree as his presence radiated immense heat. Many people’s skin began burning, and Sir Raptor finally reacted. He had been too caught up in a state of shock watching the rules of the courtroom... which stated no fighting is allowed... already being broken.

He broke out of his stupor and raised his hands, then clapped them together. Following the clap, all of the people in the courtroom below B-Rank were directly taken out of the room.

The B-Rank and higher could manage on their own, so he didn’t bother with them, though with a snap of his fingers, a thin shield of wind appeared around their bodies, protecting them from the excessive heat. Many felt their bodies cool slightly and felt grateful for the intervention..

Sir Raptor faced the battle that seemed about to break out, his gaze darkening. If it were before, he would have stopped it calmly; heck, Crimson would have stopped it by now. But the one doing the breaking was a powerful S-Ranker, someone even stronger than him.

After all, Flame was ranked in the top three for a reason. Still, what shocked Sir Raptor the most was the fact that the white and black-haired hero, Han Trystan, had just pulled out a powerful summon with so much heat. It was as if its mere presence controlled and made fire bow to its will.

"This is getting out of hand. It needs to be stopped before those two fight and destroy the trial court," Sir Raptor thought.

"Merge," Han said.

Ifrit merged with him, and soon he was transformed into his Fire God state, the one many knew him by... the very reason he received the Fire God title. A large wheel of flames formed on Han’s back as he moved into the air at the same height as the Undying Flame, who glared at him.

"You are making a terrible choice. Whether that small fire summon of yours merges with you or not, you still wouldn’t be able to fight me," Undying Flame said.

Han looked at him calmly and shook his head. "That is not clear yet, and Ifrit’s flame can be a bit of a menace as well."

The reaction from the other heroes was swift and instant. Many heroes moved in an instant, standing behind Flame, their gaze sharp. Shae Shin and the rest rushed and stood behind Han.

The six-eyed mediator conducting the trial felt fear seeing this. He decided to run for his life, but as he turned, a blonde-haired boy was standing there with a wide grin on his face.

"Since it seems we are going to be fighting everyone after all, why don’t I smash your head first?"

"Please do..."

Before the six-eyed man could beg, Aiden’s fist collided with his face. His glasses shattered, his nose broke, and he was sent flying.

Aiden stepped closer to the front where Han was, his grin not matching the tension building up.

"I guess the easy way has failed. Now there is only one way that remains. The hard way."

Aiden grinned. "This will be fun."