Rosaline stepped forward, her voice crisp. “Axel was with us the entire time. He couldn’t have killed Jude. And let’s not forget—you’re the ones who claimed Jude committed suicide in the first place. Now you’re backpedaling? This is absurd.”

“Is it?” Felix’s smile didn’t fade. “Then the Truth Pill will clear things up, won’t it?”

Kaia snapped. “Truth Pills are strictly regulated. Only for suspect. They’re not candy.”

“They’re for emergencies,” Felix replied smoothly. “And if Axel’s innocent, the governor will personally compensate him. Fair and generous. So—Axel, do you dare?”

All eyes turned.

Axel stepped forward. “Afraid? Of what?” he said quietly, and then smiled. “Sure. Let’s do it.”

Felix’s fingers hovered over the pill case—but hesitated.

Was this kid bluffing? His expression hadn’t changed once since this started. Not even when Brooks showed up.

Jamin scowled. “It’s him. I’m seeing, ....the intel’s solid.”

Vince and the others exchanged a quick glance. Then, one by one, they relaxed slightly. With Axel's current mental state and awakening rank, Truth Pills wouldn’t even work.

“Wait.”

Brooks finally spoke, his tone calm but heavier than before.

Everyone turned toward him.

He eyed Axel for a long moment, then exhaled slowly. “I’m a little surprised… but if I’m not mistaken, Truth Pills won’t work on him.”

Confusion rippled through the Windsor awakeners. Even Jamin looked momentarily lost.

Brooks continued, gaze sharp. “You’re a level three awakened, aren’t you? High-tier, too.”

The words landed like thunder.

A young man—barely twenty—and already a top-grade level 3 awakener? No wonder Xander had shown up in person.

Brooks’ expression didn’t change much, but his eyes darkened. For the first time, a genuine, quiet killing intent flickered beneath the surface.

Jamin’s voice cracked slightly. “Level three?! That’s… that’s not possible!”

“Truth Pills are no good, huh?” Jamin muttered. Then his eyes lit up with an idea. “Then let’s do a soul search!”

The entire plaza went still. Even Felix’s expression twitched.

“Soul search never lies,” Jamin said with a sick smile. “And that’s my specialty.”

Xander laughed coldly, cigarette still burning between his fingers. “Brooks,” he said, not even looking at Jamin, “if your family’s dogs are this dumb, maybe keep them inside. Don’t let them bark in public.”

“You son of a—!” Jamin’s face flushed red, neck veins bulging. “Kill them both, Brooks. Him and that old bastard!”

Brooks raised a hand sharply. “Enough, second uncle.”

Even he had to admit—Jamin was being an idiot tonight.

Soul search? Everyone knew that was just a polite term for mental execution.

If the caster—Jamin—had even a hint of killing intent, he could shatter the victim’s mind in an instant. Turn them into a vegetable. Or worse, outright kill them.

“Still,” Brooks said with a smile, “it’s not a bad idea. You can pick someone else to conduct the soul search—anyone you trust. Fair enough?”

Xander let out a sharp scoff. “Sounds fair? Based on what?”

His voice hardened, cutting through the night air like a blade. “Jude protected Cody and nearly got my team killed in the wild. If he'd made it to military court, he’d have been sentenced to death regardless. Now, he either offed himself or got dealt with. And based on that flimsy guess of yours, you want to rummage through my man’s mind? Dream the fuck on.”

Xander didn’t soften his tone at all, even while facing Brooks—one of the most feared seventh-level Awakeners in Mirabelle. The defiance made the Windsor family twitch.

They were used to treating Brooks like a living god. They had never seen anyone dare talk to him like that, let alone someone weaker.

Brooks simply sighed. “And what if I insist?”

The words were soft—but the moment he said them, a pressure unlike anything before rippled through the air.

Force energy blanketed the hotel grounds like a rising tide.

It was suffocating.

Even the pavement seemed to hum. The very air felt like it was cracking under the weight.

“Behind me,” Xander said calmly.

The pressure mounted fast, like a storm about to break. Obsidian Squad struggled to stand straight. Without Xander shielding them, they'd already be on their knees.

Brooks was testing Axel. His power was lashing out like a whip, searching for cracks.

Again he asked, “Have you thought it through? What if I must?”

Felix stood to the side, hands behind his back, satisfied. Everything was still unfolding exactly the way he wanted.

And then—

“You’re welcome to try.”

The voice was calm. Controlled. But it carried enough weight to shift the entire atmosphere in an instant.

Everyone—Whisper Syndicate, Windsor family, even the watching locals—felt the pressure vanish like fog in sunlight.

And then he stepped forward.

A tall man in a long black coat.

Brooks froze. “Nolan?!”

Axel’s heart skipped a beat. Nolan had actually come. He hadn't shown up when they were stranded in the Mirabelle Mountains, but here he was now. Standing right in front of them like a silent wall.

The Windsor crowd collectively stiffened. Brooks’ force pressure—broken, shattered, like it had never existed.

And Brooks... looked rattled.

“Going after juniors now, Brooks?” Nolan asked coldly.

Brooks inhaled slowly. He already knew—when Nolan appeared, it meant this battle was over.

“I didn’t think you’d show up,” Brooks said, his voice losing its edge. “This isn’t like you.”

“Then maybe,” Nolan replied, still facing away from the others, “you don’t know me as well as you think.”

A flicker of tension passed between Brooks and Felix. Felix subtly shook his head, face stiff.

Brooks sighed. “Very well. Let’s end it here tonight. As for the earlier attack... I’ll have someone issue a formal apology. Nolan, I trust that’ll suffice?”

The Windsor family behind him sucked in a collective breath.

“Brooks, but what about Jude—” Jamin started, voice thick with rage.

“Enough,” Brooks cut him off sharply. He turned to Jamin and gave a slow, deliberate shake of his head.

Jamin’s face turned red. His throat worked furiously, but no words came out.

His son was dead. The Windsor family’s biggest trump card had been exposed. And now—he had to back down, apologize even?

It was more humiliating than if they’d just lost the fight.

“Fine!” Jamin spat, voice raw. He turned without another word.

But before he left, he gave Axel one last look.

......

Inside the car, Jamin’s fury was barely contained. His voice trembled with rage. “Brooks, why the hell did we have to back down?! That damn Nolan is just a dog for the Remington family!”

Felix, seated beside them, blanched. He quickly raised a finger to his lips. “Mr. Jamin, keep it down. At this distance... he still hears you.”

“I want him to hear it,” Jamin snapped.

Brooks said nothing for a moment. He looked out the window, watching the lights of Mirabelle blur past as they drove away. His sigh was deep and tired.

The Windsor family seemed like a towering empire in this city, the most powerful name in all of Mirabelle. But Brooks knew the truth—Mirabelle was small. Distant. A corner of the world that didn’t matter much to the great powers at the heart of Krythos.

“We’ve never really fought before,” Brooks said slowly. “But now I’m sure. I’m not his equal. He’s on the verge of breaking into Eighth Level—Sea Realm.”

That silenced the entire car. Jamin’s jaw twitched, but he said nothing for a long time.

Finally, he muttered, “I lost my damn temper tonight.”

There was a heavy pause.

“But Axel… he’s a fucking problem. If we missed this chance to take him out, I don’t know when we’ll get another.”

Brooks didn’t argue. Felix, nodded slowly.

A talent like Axel—young, without any powerful backers, and already this strong? It was terrifying.

Brooks stared out the window again. “The Abyss opens next year. Easton should be back by then. We’ll deal with it then.”

Just hearing the name *Easton* made Jamin’s eyes light up.

Easton Windsor—the most gifted youth in the family since Brooks himself.

“If Axel gets sent into the Abyss… well,” Jamin said, a cruel smile tugging at his lips, “let’s see how long he lasts.”