Chapter 69: He Is Taking Every Danger on Himself!
"You wanted evidence."
Joren’s gaze swept across the reporters before settling on Orson.
"And you. You wanted evidence too, did you not?"
He raised his left hand, revealing the black tactical watch around his wrist.
"Then enjoy the show."
One tap against the screen.
Buzz.
A deep blue beam shot upward and spread across the air.
Within seconds, an enormous holographic screen appeared above the ruined gates of the House Hurst estate, wide enough for everyone present to see clearly.
No blur.
No censorship.
The image showed the abandoned school building, dark and sinister beneath the night sky.
Then the recording began.
"Roar!"
An inhuman howl rolled across the estate.
A two and a half meter monster appeared on the screen, its entire body covered in scales.
It crouched over a pile of torn flesh, feeding.
A human arm lay among the remains.
So did scraps of a school uniform.
Several reporters vomited on the spot.
The scene changed.
Hector Tyren’s smug face filled the projection, his voice carrying clearly through the street.
"Do not feel wronged, Joren. Becoming nourishment for Dace on his path to Rank Five is the greatest honor of your life."
"Once he finishes eating these thirteen students..."
"When Dace reaches Rank Five, even Antares Command will not be able to touch us!"
There it was.
Proof beyond dispute.
The recording lasted only a few minutes.
Long enough to capture Dace openly admitting that he had eaten people.
Long enough to show Hector treating those lives as nothing.
Long enough to reveal the Lord Bloodfiend standing behind House Hurst.
When the final image faded, the holographic screen dissolved into blue light.
The reporters who had been demanding an apology from Antares Command now stood pale and rigid.
What had they just done?
They had defended a nest of cannibals.
They had condemned soldiers who bled to protect the city.
The live broadcasts reacted first.
For one second, the flood of comments insulting Antares Command seemed to freeze.
Then a far greater storm broke loose.
[Animals! They are worse than animals!]
[I was defending House Hurst a minute ago. I want to slap myself to death.]
[They ate people? This is the great philanthropist everyone praised?]
[Kill them! Every last one!]
[Antares Command did the right thing! A family like this deserves to be cut apart piece by piece!]
Public opinion reversed in an instant.
No public relations campaign could wash away a crime like this.
Some acts crossed the final boundary of what it meant to be human.
The reporters packed around the House Hurst estate retreated as though fleeing a plague.
None wanted even the smallest connection to the family now.
A few people, overcome by rage, grabbed stones and water bottles from the ground and hurled them at Orson.
Then an immense pressure descended from above.
It covered the entire estate like a mountain falling from the sky.
The man who had remained hidden until now finally moved.
"Hmph."
The single sound made every eardrum ache.
Manester emerged from the darkness with his hands behind his back.
Kyo followed, resting his heavy sword across one shoulder, menace written across his face.
The presence of two top level experts silenced the entire street.
"Have you seen enough?"
Manester did not raise his voice.
He did not need to.
His gaze passed over the trembling reporters.
"This is the innocence you spoke of?"
"This is the truth you demanded?"
No one answered.
Only the frantic flash of cameras remained, recording the Commander’s fury.
Antares Command had endured the accusations and abuse without striking back.
Now the Frontier Marshal had thrown the evidence in everyone’s face.
Who still dared stand in their way?
"Antares Command is carrying out an operation. All unrelated personnel, clear the area!"
"Not even a cockroach leaves House Hurst tonight!"
The soldiers surged forward and shoved the stunned reporters aside.
Black armor moved like a steel tide.
In the confusion, the reporter with the pointed beard lowered his head and tried to slip into the crowd.
He knew he had performed far too eagerly before.
Now he wanted nothing more than to disappear.
A special operations boot stepped into his path.
"Leaving already?"
Alar leaned closer, his grin carrying no warmth.
"You were shouting pretty loudly a moment ago."
The reporter’s knees nearly gave out.
He held up his press badge with both hands.
"What are you doing?"
"I am a reporter. I have the right to conduct interviews. You cannot..."
Thump.
Alar kicked him squarely in the rear.
The man flew through the air like a ball and crashed into the roadside bushes.
His scream carried across the street.
Alar lowered his foot, his face turning fierce.
"This is an active Antares Command operation."
"He was acting suspiciously and attempting to breach the line."
"I have reason to suspect he is an accomplice of House Hurst."
With Manester and Kyo present, the soldiers no longer had any concerns.
Thousands of eyes turned toward Joren, waiting for the order.
"All units, listen!"
His voice rolled across the formation.
Every soldier tightened with anticipation.
"Remain where you are."
"Maintain the perimeter."
"I will lead the assault alone."
The momentum died so abruptly that it felt as though every warrior had charged to the edge of battle only for his belt to come loose.
Thousands of Antares Command soldiers remained frozen with their blades half drawn.
Kaia.
Jazz.
Every fully armed elite behind them.
This was not how the scene was supposed to go.
Normally, the Frontier Marshal should have raised a hand and shouted for everyone to follow him.
Then the entire army would roar and crush House Hurst beneath its boots.
Remain outside?
What kind of tactic was that?
It was less a battle plan than a refusal to treat House Hurst as an actual threat.
Joren kept his back to them.
Bring everyone inside?
Then why had he gone through all the trouble of surrounding the estate?
House Hurst had almost certainly hidden plenty of Fiend transformed fighters within its grounds.
Every one of them was worth Bloodstars.
His voice came again, calm and unquestionable.
"You will continue carrying out the great and difficult task of maintaining the encirclement."
"All I need to do is kill everyone inside."
This time, they heard him clearly.
Very clearly.
The soldiers exchanged glances.
Every one of them was itching to charge in and start cutting, but an order was an order.
No one moved.
Alar stared at Joren’s lean silhouette.
"The Frontier Marshal does not want us taking casualties."
His voice dropped.
"House Hurst is a den of monsters. A trapped beast is most dangerous when it knows there is no escape."
"He intends to carry every risk by himself."
Jazz’s massive frame trembled.
His eyes nearly filled with tears.
"That is vision."
"That is leadership."
"We chose the right man."
A solemn, almost heroic atmosphere spread through the ranks of Antares Command.
Had Joren known what they were thinking, he might have coughed up blood.
Orson’s face had turned black.
They were discussing their plans right in front of him.
Loudly.
As though he did not exist.
"Hahahaha!"
Orson suddenly threw back his head and laughed.
The sound came out sharp and ghostlike.
His body began to convulse.
Something writhed beneath his skin.
"You want to use House Hurst to establish your authority?"
"You want to climb over my corpse?"
"You arrogant little bastard!"
Crack.
Crack.
Bones split and shifted.
Before the terrified cameras, Orson’s expensive suit tore apart.
His body, once barely taller than average, swelled violently.
Scarlet bone spikes ripped through his back.
His skin darkened into a deep red, moving beneath the surface like molten rock.
A terrifying aura swept across the estate.
It did not belong to a human.
It carried brutality.
Bloodlust.
Chaos.
Bloodfiend.
"Middle stage Rank Five!"
Manester’s pupils contracted.
"That old bastard hid it well."
"He became a Fiend long ago."
Kyo’s expression changed too.
Orson was already moving.
"Your life for my son’s!"