I Died and Received an SSS-Rank Unique Ability-Chapter 98: Courtroom 2

Vale turned just in time to see Sir Tyne lunging at him, dagger in hand, his face twisted with resentment. The Courtroom’s stale air seemed to tighten around them, every breath heavy with tension. He shifted, sidestepping at the last second, angling the mana-suppressing cuffs to deflect the strike. The clang of metal echoed sharply. Sir Tyne stumbled, crashing onto the Courtroom floor with a heavy thud that resonated through the silent chamber.

Guards surged forward as the lead judge rose sharply from his seat, eyes blazing with authority. "Seize him!" the judge commanded, pointing at Sir Tyne. "Drag him out before he—" His voice cut off abruptly, swallowed by chaos.

Sir Tyne sprang back to his feet, spittle flying from his lips in furious bursts. "He’s a monster! He killed—" The guards slammed into him, dragging him bodily from the chamber. His screams echoed even as the doors slammed shut behind him, a haunting reminder of the fury barely contained.

But Vale hardly noticed.

His eyes were fixed on the cuffs—on the place where the dagger had struck. The runes etched into the metal flickered, fractured, like cracks spidering through ancient glass. Something had changed.

He could feel it now—mana, faint but undeniable, gathering deep within his core. The suppression field was weakening. The cuffs, once airtight against his Awakened essence, were no longer working as intended. They wouldn’t hold much longer.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Vale’s lips, a spark of hope in the shadow of his chains. Then, just as quickly, he buried it—masking his expression beneath a veil of indifference. No one could know—not yet.

Moments passed. Slowly, the Courtroom began to settle, the tension retreating like a receding tide. Whispers died. Stares faded.

Then—smack. The gavel slammed down, sharp and final, snapping all attention to the front of the chamber.

"Let us proceed," the center judge declared, his voice cold and resolute from the highest seat.

Myrin adjusted her robes and stepped back into place beside the defence bench, her expression unreadable. If the Courtroom had been shaken before, now it stood on the edge of something far more fragile—doubt. And doubt was dangerous in a room where justice came wrapped in masks and spoken from thrones.

Vale remained silent, back straight, wrists heavy with chains, but inside, he was calculating. The layout hadn’t changed since the trial began, but he had. And if it came to it, if he needed to move... he could.

The judge motioned to the prosecutor. "Continue with your witnesses."

The man in crimson robes bowed slightly, still recovering from the Courtroom’s earlier chaos. "We call Erland of the Southern Outpost to testify."

The side door creaked open as a tall, weathered man in scorched armour stepped forward. One of the people Vale had seen right after the illusion of mind control faded away.

Vale’s gaze flicked to him and back again. The man had only seen the aftermath of what happened, at least to Vale’s knowledge. What use would that be to him?

Erland took the stand, his hand placed firmly on the truth stone. The prosecutor began his slow walk toward him, his voice once again oily and composed. "Erland, please describe what you saw the night of the massacre."

Erland didn’t blink. "I saw a monster. But not the kind you think."

Gasps returned like ripples across water.

"I saw a man surrounded by corpses," he continued steadily. "No words were said. I saw the General charge toward Vale, only to die at his blade... And... he didn’t kill twenty-three people." He looked directly at the judge. "By my count, it was twenty-one."

The prosecutor’s face soured. "Objection. This undermines the records—"

"Not an objection," the lead judge snapped. "Correction noted. Continue."

Erland’s eyes shifted, landing on Vale. There was no warmth, no hatred—just memory. "But... he didn’t look like himself. The moment the General died, something in his expression shifted, as if an illusion had been snapped." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Myrin leaned forward. "What do you mean by illusion?"

Erland hesitated. "Well... there were rumours about a monster that can create illusions, causing carnage inside the Fourth Barrier. But we had never seen it."

That murmur returned—but it was more curious this time. Less sure.

The judge raised a hand. "Enough. Let this record state that Erland’s testimony has been received."

Erland stepped down and was gone.

Vale’s heart was beating louder now, not from fear, but from awareness.

He could feel the mana in the room. Not just his own—he could now feel the traces of mana leaking from every person in here, his core drawing at as much of it as it could.

The cuffs sparked once more before the runes turned dark. He shifted subtly, testing their weight. He could snap them with ease now if he wanted to. A sudden wave of strength returned to his limbs as mana surged within him.

But before he could dwell on his next decision, a thunderous crash split the air.

Everyone froze at the sound.

The doors at the back of the Courtroom trembled from the impact, dust drifting down from the arch above them. Another sound followed—something heavy, metallic, crashing against stone.

Another strike—this time closer and louder. Faint screams echoed from the hallway beyond.

The judges stood at once. "Guards! Check who dares to cause a commotion in my Courtroom!"

But before they could approach the doorway, the doors exploded inward.

A guard flew through the air like a ragdoll, crashing into the polished stone floor, blood trailing behind him in a wide arc.

And then—something stepped through the wreckage.

A massive armoured figure loomed into view, its heavy boots thudding ominously against the stone floor, echoing like the heartbeat of war itself.

Not less than a moment later, two more figures emerged from behind the colossal man, their faces partially shadowed but unmistakably familiar.

Vale stood completely still.

Except for the faintest, quietest crack of a smile returning to his lips—a recognition of the people before him hitting him like a hammer blow.