A youth from one of the blue-robed families scowled in annoyance. Only then did Axel and the others realize they were all trapped inside a massive blue energy barrier.

Immediately, shouts erupted around them.

"What's going on?!" "Why are we still stuck here?!"

The once-relieved atmosphere instantly turned tense.

The members of the Whisper Syndicate and the Survey Corps stood in heavy silence.

"Tobias, what the hell is going on?" Miller muttered as he walked over.

Tobias and Caius spotted him and Axel, relief flashing across their faces. "Glad you two made it out," Tobias said. "But listen—this mission was a bloodbath. The remnants of the Holy Light Organization really did show up."

Miller blinked. "Weren't they supposed to be wiped out?"

"Zoey, the eldest daughter of the Silverwyn family, Varek from Havoc Division, and Easton Windsor—all dead inside the Abyss. These were top-tier talents. Usually, the Abyss is more like a cultivation ground; accidents are rare. But with so many corpses piling up this time, the higher-ups suspect there are still Holy Light remnants hiding among us."

Miller's lips twitched. He knew damn well neither he nor Axel had anything to do with the Holy Light Organization. Still, Tobias wasn't wrong about one thing: Axel probably was responsible for half the deaths.

"So how the hell are they planning to investigate?" Miller asked.

"Anyone who got their hands on a Heavenly Spirit Fruit is under suspicion," Tobias explained. He had arrived earlier, so he knew the details.

Across the field, several aristocratic clans were already bickering with the military, their anger boiling over at the loss of their young heirs.

Then a cold, disembodied voice cut through the noise: "Everyone will undergo inspection."

The chatter died instantly.

Axel felt two icy stares lock onto him. Interesting, he thought.

One belonged to Gideon, the Havoc Division's branch president in Langford. The other came from Jamin of the Windsor family. Axel ignored them both, waiting calmly. He had already hidden the Life Crystal and Heavenly Spirit Fruit inside his Space Capsule. Let them search all they wanted—he wasn't worried.

Meanwhile, more than ten kilometers from the Abyss, an elderly man in a long robe clenched his fists as he stared at the shimmering blue barrier. His breathing was ragged.

"Axel…" Isaac muttered.

The moment he had received the order to destroy the Heavenly Spirit Fruit tree, he knew this operation was going to be deadly.

Time dragged on, his chest tightening with every second.

Then— "It's starting."

Isaac inhaled sharply. Even from this distance, he could feel the massive surge of spiritual power pouring into the barrier.

A crimson beam of light lanced down, locking onto a figure inside.

"I—I only took one out of curiosity!" The man caught in the sweep panicked. He was pushing thirty, one of the older participants here, and his face twisted with desperation. "Caleb, you saw me! When we fought the Holy Light bastards, I threw everything I had into it! You can vouch for me!"

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His voice cracked as he begged, but Caleb's expression was grim. He took a half step back, clearly wanting no part of this.

"Who is he?" Sethan, draped in a military officer's coat, asked lazily.

"A Free Awakener. Name's Thomas," his assistant replied.

Sethan yawned, glancing at the military tent nearby. "He's done for, then?"

No one answered, but the crushing mental pressure had already been withdrawn.

Sethan waved his hand with a bored expression. "Fine. Drag him off for questioning."

Thomas screamed and fought as soldiers hauled him away, the light barrier dissolved as if he had never been there.

Axel frowned, watching the scene unfold.

"Captain Rosaline!" Miller's mood immediately brightened as he spotted Rosaline and Vince. He waved with a mischievous grin.

Axel felt a weight lift off his chest too and stepped forward with a faint smile.

"How was the harvest?" Rosaline asked. Despite her usually stern demeanor, relief softened her tone. Lilith—whom she despised—had gone into the Abyss three years ago and come out leagues stronger. She wanted to see if Axel had pulled off something similar.

"Not bad," Miller said with a smirk. "Though I did have one hell of a dream. Dreamed I turned into a cow and someone kept shoving grass down my throat. I still feel sick thinking about it."

Rosaline rolled her eyes at his nonsense and shifted her gaze to Axel. Her eyes widened, and even Vince looked shaken.

"Axel… you've already advanced to a Level Four Awakener?!"

Before Axel could respond, Gabriel and Jorvan approached.

"Axel, thanks to you we got out alive," Gabriel said earnestly. "The Remington family's estate is in Rutherford. You're welcome there anytime."

Jorvan nodded politely to Rosaline and Vince before steering Gabriel away.

But Gabriel wasn't done. "Axel, seriously—come to Rutherford! I'll take you out for dinner—"

"Enough!" Jorvan snapped, twisting Gabriel's ear hard. "Make a fool of yourself in front of half the noble families?"

"Ow, ow, ow! That hurts!" Gabriel yelped, staggering as his brother dragged him off.

......

Although their exit had been a bit comical, Vince and Rosaline remained frozen, staring at Axel in disbelief.

"The Remington family? You actually saved someone from the Remington family?" Vince asked.

"Eh, I just got lucky," Axel said with a shrug. "Jorvan's a Poison Master. He ran into a mutant with insanely high resistance, so I gave him a hand."

Axel chuckled, but Rosaline shot him a glare sharp enough to cut steel. "Honestly."

Caught, Axel scratched his cheek, embarrassed. She knew him too well. "Fine, fine. It was a Blackwinged Dragonbird. I… slashed it pretty hard."

Both Rosaline and Vince twitched at the corners of their mouths, their expressions caught somewhere between awe and unease. Taking down a peak-level 4 mutant with one blow wasn't something any normal peer of his should've been capable of.

"Unbelievable," Vince muttered.

Rosaline nodded gravely. "At this point, Axel's already stronger than you. So stop making him do all the chores. From now on, Miller—you're the weakest. You do them."

Miller's grin froze on his face. "Wait, what? Rosaline, why is it always me who gets screwed over?"

He wore a pitiful look, but he didn't actually argue back. Instead, he chewed over a much heavier thought. He was holding on to a crucial piece of information… and couldn't decide whether to share it with them.

.....

"Axel!"

The shout cracked the air. Not far away, Jamin stood with his face pale and twisted, his old, cloudy eyes burning with fury. "Easton was already at the peak of Level 4! How the hell could he have died in there?"

"It had to be Axel. It had to be him!" Jamin's voice shook with venom. If it weren't for the crowd, he would have stormed forward with the family's enforcers and dragged Axel off himself.

Beside him, Felix could only stare. How did this stubborn old bastard ever serve as Chief Justice of Mirabelle?

Felix's voice came out flat, almost tired. "Even if Axel wanted to, he doesn't have that kind of strength. And Easton wasn't the only one—plenty from other families died too."

Jamin's rage faltered, but only slightly. His glare clung to Axel's retreating back like poison. "Then tell me, Felix… what the fuck do we do now?"

"Nothing," Felix said simply.

That single word made Jamin snap. He grabbed Felix by the collar, teeth bared. "What did you just say? Say that again and I'll cut you to ribbons myself."

Felix's eyes turned cold. "Mr. Jamin, I respect your position in the Windsor family. You're Brooks' elder. But stop thinking with your grudges and think with your damn head. This helps no one—not you, not the family."

His voice sharpened to a blade. "Didn't you see who was just smiling and chatting with Axel? The Remingtons. Tell me, can the Windsor family afford to offend the Remington family?"

Felix's words hit like a bucket of ice water. The Remingtons—one of the Five Great Houses of Krythos. Lords in the Senate, armies of experts at their beck and call. No, Windsor couldn't afford that fight. Not even close.

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