I Merged with a Forbidden SSS-Rank Nanosuit After Being Abandoned-Chapter 80 - Memories Of The Past 2

The courtroom remained deathly silent, everyone’s attention drawn to the judge.

Zion’s body trembled at the center of the room, the cold from the restraints making his hands go numb.

His eyes remained locked on the judge, too scared to look around at the other people.

"Prisoner Zion from the noble Arakiel family," the judge said, his voice echoing loud and clear. "You stand before this court accused of gross negligence, insubordination, and the willful sabotage of a highly valuable military operation."

As the judge finished, a ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd.

Zion felt his body stiffening.

"No—" he tried to say, but the cloth around his mouth muffled the sound completely.

Inside, Zion’s eyes narrowed, anger flashing through them.

’They didn’t even let me speak,’ he thought, clenching his fists.

A panel lit up in front of the judge, projecting a rotating hologram of an ancient underground bunker in its full glory.

An image Zion knew all too well, as he’d prepared for that mission for three months together with his crew.

Finally, another rotating hologram replaced the first one. This hologram displayed the same bunker, only now all that was left was a massive crater.

"This operation," the judge continued, "was intended to recover a relic of immense strategic value. A relic your squad was specifically assigned to secure."

His body nodded slowly, but he couldn’t say anything.

Zion remembered perfectly what had happened, what kind of relic it was, how they would secure it—and especially where he was stationed.

’That relic was also an inheritance of some sort,’ he thought, narrowing his eyes. ’Which explains why it was so valuable.’

He paused for a moment. ’To this day, I wonder what actually happened inside the bunker.’

The hologram in front of the judge suddenly turned off as he folded his hands together.

Inside, Zion’s eyes went wide, snapping him out of his thoughts completely.

This was something he would never forget.

"The prosecution will now present testimony from the squad leader who survived the incident." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

His body trembled, chains rattling as he lifted his head.

Soft footsteps echoed through the courtroom as a familiar person walked to the stage.

His uniform was perfect, though his posture was stiff and his shoulders were strained, as if he’d been through immense grief.

It was his best friend, Xera, who had now stepped onto the witness stand.

Zion’s body reacted instantly, a flash of relief mixed with hope flooding through him.

"He’s here," his past self mumbled into the cloth, desperation in his voice. "He’ll clear this up... He has to."

The judge looked at him, nodding once.

"State your name and position."

"Xera Nephim," he replied, voice hoarse but steady. "Squad leader of the Imperial Vanguard’s 20342 unit."

The judge nodded again, gesturing slowly.

"You may begin your testimony."

Xera took a deep breath, staring at all the people in the courtroom.

"For three months," he started, "our unit prepared for this mission. Every possible situation was planned very carefully, to prevent failure."

Zion watched closely, trembling from fury within his body.

’This is it,’ he thought. ’This is the moment.’

"Zion Arakiel," Xera continued, "has been my best friend for years. He was assigned to support the mission aboard the battleship due to his technical expertise and special situation."

His body trembled, hope flooding through him more and more.

Meanwhile, Xera paused and nodded once, as if confirming his own words.

"He was not physically present inside the bunker."

His body nearly went limp from relief.

’Finally, everything is over,’ he had thought at the time. ’I get to go back to my family again.’

A few murmurs spread through the courtroom.

But then—

"However," Xera said quietly.

His body froze.

"The systems he was in charge of were critical to our operation," he continued. "But... they failed."

Gasps echoed through the courtroom.

"Not only did the systems fail," he said, his voice suddenly firm, "a signal was released from our battleship, triggering the bunker’s self-destruct sequence."

The people in the courtroom started murmuring loudly, some even standing up to scream.

"Outrageous!"

"Kill him!"

"My child died because of you!"

The judge was quick to act, slamming his hammer down on the table.

"Silence!" he shouted coldly.

Meanwhile, Zion’s body had gone rigid, its expression full of disbelief.

Zion just stared at Xera silently, fury seething deep within him.

He knew this was far from over.

"A catastrophic explosion destroyed the bunker," Xera continued, lifting his head with tears streaming down his face. "I barely survived, thanks to a life-saving artifact I managed to activate at the last moment."

He paused, sniffling once.

"But many of my comrades... and closest friends, weren’t that lucky."

Silence fell over the courtroom, every eye shifting to Zion’s shaking body with utter disdain.

"That’s not true!" he tried to scream, but only a muffled sound came out.

Even Zion could feel it, this was the moment something changed inside him. The sadness vanished instantly, leaving only bitter hatred, anger, and resentment behind.

"And what about yesterday?" the judge asked, staring at Xera. "Did you not go to meet with the perpetrator?"

Xera’s gaze flickered to Zion for a moment, then he nodded slowly.

"I confronted him," he said, his voice cold. "But not only did he refuse to take responsibility, he also begged me to help him escape and lie to the court."

The room erupted, but Zion couldn’t hear it any longer.

His body stared at Xera, hearing nothing but a ringing sound as blood vessels in his eyes burst from anger.

The judge raised his hand, a small smirk on his face.

"Thank you for your testimony."

He paused.

"Your commitment to the truth, even when it meant speaking against your own friend, will be duly noted."

Xera bowed slightly, then stepped away from the podium.

Zion’s body kept staring at him, trembling in fury.

Even Zion himself could barely contain himself.

Then, another familiar name was called.

And another.

One by one, all surviving participants in the mission stepped forward.

They used to be his comrades and closest friends, people who had laughed together, cried together, trained together, and trusted him.

Yet they all took the stand, staring at him coldly while lying through their teeth.

By the time the last of them stepped forward, Zion’s body barely reacted anymore.

His pounding heart filled his ears, racing in fury.

But Zion himself wasn’t done.

His breathing turned heavy, his teeth grinding as he was overwhelmed by anger.

He raised his hand, feeling an invisible force blocking him from interfering right in front of him.

’They all...’ he thought, slamming his fist against the barrier. ’Deserve to die.’

He punched it again.

And again.

As he struck the barrier over and over, the judge leaned forward.

"After reviewing the testimonies," he said calmly, "and considering the overwhelming evidence presented—"

Zion punched again, harder this time.

His body inside the memory reacted, chains rattling as it shook.