Chapter 339

The trial court was eerily quiet as everyone in the hall waited for the judgment that Sir Raptor would make. Clara had given them her word that she would find the evidence that would prove Ronan wasn’t the one who killed Blazer. Once the truth behind Blazer’s death came to light, then surely Ronan’s trial would naturally be concluded and all of this would finally end.

Sir Raptor finally opened his steely eyes as he spoke, his voice easily reaching everyone present in the room.

"I pass my judgment. Ronan Steele’s sentence shall be shifted by five more days. The Tryst Guild, as the supporting group, should try everything within their power to find and present the evidence that proves his uninvolvement in Blazer’s death. But by the end of the fifth day, if no words or evidence are found, then he shall be marked guilty for the crime, and his punishment shall be death by essence suffocation."

Everyone felt a chill crawl down their spine.

Death by suffocating the essence out of one’s body was one of the most harrowing ways to die.

Still, they all nodded.

Going against Sir Raptor any further would be a foolish decision. He stood on par with the S-Rankers themselves, and even the S-Rankers had accepted his judgment. Surely Han and the rest would not try to cause any more trouble.

The Undying Flame’s blazing gaze rested on Ronan for quite some time before he finally looked away and headed out.

The other heroes started departing as well since the trial was officially placed on hold for now.

As the group left one after another, Han was met by the members of A6 who had stood by his side.

"Thanks a lot for your support back there," Han said with a genuine smile.

Sincerely, he had been a bit surprised that Elexa and the other two had chosen to side against the Undying Flame. After all, the S-Rankers were their role models, the heroes they looked up to the most. It would have been more reasonable if they had sided with them instead.

Well, that was all in the past now.

Han was simply glad they had stood with them. At least it made things a little easier.

"You don’t need to thank us," Elexa said. "I know for certain that Ronan wouldn’t be Blazer’s murderer. And trust me, I could tell that video was clearly forged. I spent more time with Blazer than most, and many of the things he said and did in that recording were a little out of character."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Sir Flame should’ve noticed it too if he had paid closer attention, but I guess he was still mourning and consumed with rage over finding his brother’s killer."

Han nodded in understanding.

He knew the Undying Flame wasn’t truly a bad person. It was just that he wasn’t in the right state of mind after watching that forged video.

"Whatever you’re planning to do," Elexa continued, "I suggest you focus on finding the man who delivered the device. He’s the prime key to getting Ronan out without any trouble."

Han nodded again.

They knew that already.

If they wanted to save Ronan without clashing against the S-Rankers or standing against the entire Hero Association, then they needed to find that man.

He was the solution to everything.

But that was exactly the problem.

Even now, his clones were scattered everywhere searching for the man, yet he still couldn’t find a single trace of him.

Balor and the others exchanged a few more words with Han before eventually leaving as well.

Clara’s attention was already locked onto her device as she began gathering every piece of evidence she could find. There was no time to waste.

Knowing they would likely be taking Ronan back to ARC soon, Han stepped forward.

Step.

Step.

A figure suddenly blocked his path.

His gaze was chilly and cold.

It was none other than the Crimson Reaper, the S-Rank hero Han had been forced to knock out during the incident where they infiltrated ARC.

"I don’t want any trouble," Han said calmly. "I just want to talk to a friend."

The red-haired hero’s eyes twitched slightly.

"You don’t want trouble, yet you caused trouble everywhere."

Han gave him a sincere apologetic look.

"You have to understand... I had no choice but to knock you out back then. There really wasn’t any other way—"

"Wait..." one of ARC’s subordinates suddenly whispered into another’s ear, though his voice still reached the entire group anyway. "Is that the legendary whitehead that took Sir Crimson down with a single attack?"

"I think so. And here I was believing it was just some exaggerated rumor. But Sir Crimson was actually one-shotted... an incredible S-Class hero, one-shotted..."

"You two keep your filthy mouths shut before I shut them for you myself," Crimson growled without even turning around. "And trust me, you won’t be able to use them anymore after I’m done."

The two ARC members didn’t need to be warned twice.

They instantly straightened their backs, their faces returning to the serious expressions of trained military personnel.

Crimson turned his eyes back toward Han, who remained calm as ever.

He snorted.

"Well, you have five minutes to say whatever you want to him."

After saying that, he walked away, leaving Han alone with Ronan.

Ronan slowly looked up.

His blank face finally showed a hint of emotion.

An emotion Han recognized all too well.

Guilt.Ronan looked at Han, holding his gaze for a long while before finally speaking.

"You know... you guys don’t need to do all this for me. I can survive on my own," Ronan said quietly.

The Tryst Guild had risen to worldwide fame after news of their role in bringing down the vile Cursed Organization spread across the globe. Their achievements had shaken the world, and countless people praised them for destroying one of the most corrupt and inhumane organizations to ever exist.

But the moment Ronan’s identity as the Exterminator was revealed, their reputation suffered a massive blow.

The world, despite knowing how much the guild had sacrificed to eradicate the Cursed Organization, still refused to see the Tryst Guild in a good light. Criticism flooded in from everywhere, all because they had accepted Ronan as one of their own.

And Ronan, as much as he hated to admit it, felt guilty.

He felt like he was dragging down everything Han had built from the ground up.

He didn’t want that.

Not at all.

Han looked into Ronan’s eyes and immediately understood what he was thinking. He simply gave him an assuring smile before speaking.

"You really don’t have to worry about that. You’re innocent, and we all believe in you, Ronan. So I want you to believe in us as well."

Han’s smile widened slightly.

"Before the timer the judge gave us runs out, we’re going to present the evidence and get your freedom back. I promise. I won’t allow any member of my guild to face injustice... especially not a friend."

Ronan’s gaze became somber.

"I trust you..." he muttered softly. "You’re the person I trust the most, Han. So I’ll stay here and wait to be rescued once again... just like that day at the park."

Han chuckled softly before patting him on the shoulder.

"Wait just a little longer. You’ll become a free man again."

Some minutes later...

Han and the others were already inside ZOM on their way back to Selene City.

The city was now far beyond its former peak. In fact, it had become comparable to the highest-tier cities in the world. With its advanced defenses, massive military-grade machinery, powerful mechs, and the overwhelming strength and numbers of the Tryst Guild heroes, Selene had transformed into an enormous fortress.

If enemies like the Dark Emissaries who attacked before ever tried invading again, they wouldn’t even survive long enough to harm anyone.

That was how much Selene — and the Tryst Guild as a whole — had changed.

Han sat quietly inside the command room, his chin resting against his hand as he sank deep into thought.

Two people occupied his mind right now.

One of them was the Dark Goblin.

From everything the Wolfbull Lord had told him, that creature had already surpassed the boundaries of an S-Rank monster, meaning it could very well stand on the same level as the current Han. Coupled with the Dark Goblin’s strange nature and the instinctive cruelty of Dark Goblins — beings that existed only to spread destruction and suffering among humans — Han found the situation deeply unsettling.

Especially now that the goblin was ordering monsters to stabilize portals connected to the human world.

Just what the hell was that creature planning?

"Hey, man!"

Han suddenly felt someone snap their fingers in front of his face.

He turned and saw Aiden staring at him with a baffled expression.

"You’ve been zoning out for a while now," Aiden said.

Han gave him a helpless look.

"Sorry. Just occupied with some things. So, what is it?"

Aiden narrowed his eyes at him for a moment before shrugging.

"There’s a Red Portal spotted a few miles away from here. I came to tell you to let me clear this one."

He grinned.

"You aren’t the only one that should deal with those portals, you know. We subordinates need some experience too."

Han stared at him for a long moment.

Sincerely, two of his clones had already been preparing to enter the portal before Aiden even arrived. But seeing the excitement on Aiden’s face, Han could already tell what this was truly about.

The idiot simply wanted to add more beast DNA to his collection.

Han sighed before eventually nodding.

"Fine. You can go ahead. Just be careful."

Even though Aiden was extremely powerful, Red Portals were still dangerous.

Aiden instantly beamed.

"Thanks, boss!"

He gave Han a dramatic salute, grinning mischievously.

Han only waved him off.

"Go before I change my mind."

Aiden stiffened before quickly turning to leave, but then suddenly stopped.

Without turning around, he spoke calmly.

"Don’t worry too much about Ronan. I’m sure Clara will find the evidence we need."

And with that, he ran off excitedly toward what was essentially a nest filled with nightmarish monsters.

Han only shook his head.

Truthfully, he wasn’t that worried about Ronan.

Even if Clara failed to find the evidence, Han would still save Ronan no matter the cost.

The person he was truly concerned about was someone else entirely.

That stranger who had delivered the forged evidence during the trial.

Han’s instincts kept screaming at him over and over again.

That man was dangerous.

Very dangerous.

He needed to find him before he did something that would greatly affect everything around him.

Meanwhile, far away from Han’s location...

Deep within the Western Continent...

The Undying Flame stood frozen in shock as he stared at the remains of the Flame Guild headquarters.

The entire place was burning.

Literal flames engulfed everything.

It looked as though the guild had been ravaged by countless S-Rank beasts.

The members behind him quickly absorbed the flames, suppressing the raging inferno before they cautiously stepped inside.

What greeted them made their blood run cold.

Everywhere was ruined.

Corpses of Flame Guild members littered the ground, torn apart and shredded beyond recognition. Buildings had collapsed, blood stained the streets, and destruction covered every corner.

There were no survivors.

The fifty-plus heroes standing behind the Undying Flame covered their mouths in horror as despair washed over them.

Over a thousand guild members had been stationed here...

Yet not a single one survived.

"What the hell happened here..." one of the Flame Guild members muttered in disbelief.

Another suddenly widened his eyes.

"Wait... aren’t there micro CCTV sets hidden around the headquarters? Even if some were destroyed, they’re sturdy enough that at least a few should’ve survived. There has to be footage of what happened here."

The others immediately turned toward him.

Who in the world would dare target one of the largest Hero Guilds on the entire planet like this?

One of the heroes quickly pulled out a device and connected to the surviving cameras.

For a few moments, the screen remained black.

Then suddenly—

Static.

The footage finally appeared.

The replay began from the very start.

A man dressed completely in black stood outside the walls of the Flame Guild.

The heroes guarding the entrance questioned him repeatedly, asking his business with the guild, but no matter what they said, the stranger never uttered a single word.

His head remained lowered beneath the hood covering his face.

They threatened him.

Insulted him.

Cursed at him.

Yet he simply stood there silently.

Just watching the footage alone was enough to send chills through the observing heroes.

All except the Undying Flame.

Because the moment he saw the figure’s build, recognition flashed across his face.

It was exactly the same as before.

And just as the thought crossed his mind, the figure slowly raised his head.

Twin purple eyes glowed beneath the hood like dark suns.

His blank gaze carried a twisted amusement as his lips curled upward into a slight smile.

A deathly smile.

The Undying Flame’s expression changed instantly as his fists clenched tightly.

"It’s him again..." he muttered darkly.

"It’s the same man .... that accursed Ronan Steele."