Chapter427 – A live broadcast?

In the front row, officers with hollow eyes and stone-hard expressions sat in silence, arms resting on the table.

“Mr. Geoffrey… why are there so many officers this time?” one of his subordinates whispered.

For a place as small as Northern Spiritual Town, the sheer number of high-ranking officials was unsettling. Even though the northern border crisis had been resolved, Krythos was still on edge.

Geoffrey exhaled quietly before replying, his voice low. “Because… this trial isn’t just about a verdict anymore. The Silverwyn family and the legion’s top brass are using it as leverage in a power struggle.”

Even as he said it, disbelief flickered in his eyes. Axel… already had that kind of influence? Man… you’ve got to be innocent… Geoffrey prayed silently.

Just then, a figure—unremarkable in height—walked past him.

“Huh?” Geoffrey glanced over instinctively—and froze.

The entire hall seemed to fall silent the moment the man appeared. Every officer’s gaze snapped toward him.

“Mr. Lamar.”

“Commander Lamar.”

Several officers rose slightly in acknowledgment.

“Mr. Lamar, cutting it a bit close, aren’t you?” An elderly man in an old-fashioned military uniform tapped his cane. This was Zahir, current head of the Silverwyn family.

“Not late.” Lamar smiled faintly as he walked forward, only taking his seat once he reached the long table at the center of the stage.

A ripple of confusion spread through the room.

“What’s going on?”

“Commander Lamar is presiding over the trial himself?” A collective gasp followed.

“The main act hasn’t arrived yet,” Lamar said calmly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “So no—I’m not late.”

At that moment, two escort teams entered from opposite sides and led their prisoners onto separate platforms.

Their eyes met. And just like that, the atmosphere shifted.

“Isn’t that Zachariah from the Silverwyn family?” whispers spread through the crowd.

Zachariah looked nothing like himself. His clothes were disheveled, his eyes darting wildly. The moment he saw Axel, he recoiled as if struck by lightning.

“Don’t come any closer!” he shouted, voice cracking.

“I heard most of his squad was wiped out during the beast tide…”

“Yeah… either dead or severely wounded. It broke him.”

“So he lost it after seeing Axel?”

“…Damn. He used to be a hero of Krythos.”

.......

“What a performance…” Axel watched as several Silverwyn members rushed to steady Zachariah, his expression barely changing.

Then something else caught his eye. The camera equipment around the hall looked… different. More advanced. More deliberate.

Almost like— A live broadcast?

Axel frowned slightly. “They’re streaming this?”

.......

“Damn it.”

“Typical Silverwyn move.”

At a rest stop in Mirabelle, members of Obsidian were gathered around a large screen, watching in tense silence.

.....

Thump.

In her home, Annabelle shot upright, her face dark.

She had already seen the online discussions surrounding Axel—hours of digging through forums, forcing herself to stay away.

Telling herself she couldn’t interfere. That she’d only make things worse. Otherwise…

She would’ve already stormed Northern Spiritual Town and slaughtered every last one of them.

“Haa…” She exhaled slowly, forcing her breathing to steady.

“Calm down… calm down…”

“You’re still not strong enough to stand beside him… You need to endure… just endure…”

After several long breaths, the violent purple glow in her eyes gradually faded.

......

At the same time, reports began flooding every major outlet.

“Axel acted recklessly, drawing in a massive wave of mutated beasts before abandoning his team—leading to heavy casualties among fellow Awakened.”

“He lured the beasts straight toward Northern Spiritual Town, triggering the northern border crisis.” Each headline hit harder than the last.

Then came the trending posts: “Brother… you died for nothing!”

“For my sister Willow—Axel, that murderer, must pay!”

Before the trial had even begun, public opinion had already been weaponized.

.....

“Sir…” Inside the courtroom, an officer stepped forward and held up a tablet behind Lamar. “Should we… intervene?”

Lamar’s brow twitched slightly. His gaze flicked, almost unconsciously, toward Zahir in the audience.

Right on cue, Zahir smiled. Polite on the surface. Provocative underneath.

“…Not yet.” Lamar waved him off, his expression returning to calm indifference.

Inside the hall, Axel had no access to the outside chaos. But the cameras.

Zachariah’s breakdown. The tension in the room—

It didn’t take much to piece things together.

“Presiding Judge,” Axel said calmly, looking straight at Lamar, “shall we begin?”

His tone sharpened slightly. “I doubt on one was interested in watching Mr. Zachariah continue his pathetic little breakdown.”

Lamar glanced between Axel—calm as ever—and Zachariah, who was finally starting to steady himself. He gave a small nod.

“Let’s begin. Zachariah, tell me what happened beyond the northern border.”

Zachariah shot Axel a fearful look before speaking, his voice unsteady.

“We had already identified a weak point and were preparing to break through and reinforce Northern Spiritual Town. Then… Axel showed up.”

“Earlier, due to disagreements, we split into two teams. After that, he came to us, saying he’d found a way to take control of the City of Sin—but didn’t have enough strength. He wanted me to pull my men back and assist him.”

“At the time, the border situation was critical. There was no way I could agree to that, so I refused—firmly.”

Zachariah’s expression twisted, fear creeping back into his eyes. “And then… he snapped. He unleashed his full power and drew a massive number of mutated beasts straight toward us!”

A murmur spread through the room. “To keep us from escaping, he—he headed straight for Northern Spiritual Town!” Zachariah’s voice rose uncontrollably. “He charged straight at the town! We had no choice but to pursue him to stop him, and then… and then…”

His voice broke. He couldn’t go on. Silence fell. Lamar turned his gaze to Axel. “Is what he said true?”

“He’s talking out of his ass,” Axel replied flatly.

“Axel,” Lamar said, his tone sharpening, “you understand the consequences if his testimony proves true, don’t you?”

“I do.” Axel shrugged. “Otherwise, why would I even bother showing up today?”

A ripple of disapproval passed through the officers in the audience.

Arrogant. Reckless. Completely lacking discipline. This was exactly what Lamar had anticipated.

Let him stumble. Let him feel the pressure. Only when he truly understood his own flaws would Lamar step in—correct him, control him, and make him useful.

Lamar leaned forward slightly. “Axel, regardless of the truth, you need to defend yourself. If you don’t, I will accept his accusations and proceed with sentencing—for desertion and related charges.”

Axel let out a long sigh. “What he said is completely fabricated. How the hell am I supposed to defend myself against something that never even happened?”

He paused, glancing at Lamar—and catching the faint flicker of killing intent in his eyes.

“…Fine,” Axel added lazily. “I have no idea what happened to them. After we split up, I never saw them again. Whatever story he’s telling? Not my problem.”

Lamar’s brow twitched, but he didn’t interrupt. “Zachariah,” he said instead, “do you have anything to support your claims? Any evidence?”

Zachariah clenched his jaw, then raised a hand. “I… I do.”

He pulled out a small recorder and placed it on the table. “I secretly recorded my conversation with Axel. Once you hear it, you’ll know the truth.”

Lamar gave a slight gesture. His deputy stepped forward immediately, took the device, and connected it to the playback system. A moment later—

The recording began.

“…Axel, have you lost your mind? You’ve drawn in this many mutated beasts?” Zachariah’s voice rang out—panicked, disbelieving.

A second voice followed.

Axel’s. Cold. Detached. Almost amused. “Heh. You didn’t appreciate the chance to earn merit with me. I didn’t have much choice but to do this.”

A chill swept through the room.

“But what you’re doing will push the northern border into a full-blown crisis!”