"You finally showed up… Leroy."
Miyaki's voice trembled in relief, her dark-red aura slowly disappearing as she had placed all her trust in him.
From the doorway, Leroy stepped forward, his expression calm yet firm, determination burning in his eyes. Behind him, several soldiers followed, their armor clinking faintly as they tried to steady themselves in the suffocating tension that filled the courtroom.
The atmosphere shifted the moment he entered.
The storm of lightning, the chaos of voices, the terror gripping the crowd—everything seemed to pause.
At the center, Skyler's crackling aura flickered out, his body frozen as if instinctively acknowledging the weight of Leroy's presence. The three leaders, blades still drawn at Skyler's throat, glanced sharply in Leroy's direction—surprise flickering in their eyes.
Leroy exhaled softly, scanning the ruined hall with empathy in his gaze, then lifted his chin to address them all.
"My apologies for arriving late."
His words weren't loud, yet they carried, resonating through the silence. Whispers died instantly. All eyes shifted to him.
"I'll handle it from here."
The three leaders hesitated, but Leroy walked past them with unshaken steps, his boots echoing firmly against the stone floor. Every movement was steady, unwavering.
And then, above, the great chair stirred.
The elderly Judge, who had hidden himself behind his shadow when the lightning storm erupted, slowly revealed himself again. Adjusting his glasses, he peered down at Leroy with an unreadable expression.
With a deep breath of relief, the Judge was clearly shaken by what had just unfolded. His stern voice wavered as he finally spoke:
"Y–Your Majesty—"
"Judge, let's go on with another trial."
Leroy raised his head calmly.
"Another trial?"
The words echoed across the chamber.
Murmurs spread through the hall like ripples in water. Confusion and disbelief filled the air.
The Judge narrowed his eyes, but before he could object further, Leroy met his gaze and said, steady and unshakable.
"Trust me on this."
That alone silenced him.
The crowd, however, erupted in questions and whispers. The air was thick with doubt, unease, and curiosity—nobody knew what Leroy was planning.
Then, Leroy raised his hand slightly, a silent signal.
At once, the soldiers behind him moved forward, dragging several figures into the light. The metallic clink of chains scraped against the floor as they forced three men down to their knees in the center of the courtroom.
Gasps filled the chamber.
"They are…?"
The Judge asks in surprise.
"Hey! What the hell's going on!?"
One of them spat as they struggled, shouting against their bindings.
The soldiers pushed them down firmly, making them sit upright before the court. My eyes widened as I got a closer look. Their sneering faces, those cruel eyes—I remembered them.
Siana whispered sharply at my side, her voice trembling in realization.
"Aki, aren't those people who chased us that night!? The ones in the dark hallway, when we first met Skyler!"
Her words rang true, the memory flooding back like lightning striking all at once.
The crowd's confusion gave way to shock. And for the first time since the trial began, Skyler's eyes moved—flicking toward the captured gangsters.
"Hey! Aren't you the one who stole the ring!?"
One of the gangsters, a bald man with deep scars running across his face, snarled, glaring at Skyler with hatred. But Skyler only stared back in silence. No reaction. No recognition.
It was as if the memory of that man had been erased from him entirely. That calm indifference made the bald man snap, his face twisting in anger.
"Damn you… Don't you dare act like you forgot!"
The crowd erupted in murmurs. Confusion stirred even among the leaders.
"Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this?"
Serphina finally asked, her voice steady but sharp as her eyes flickered toward Leroy.
Before Leroy could respond, Skyler's ears caught something faint.
A voice.
Soft, trembling, but unmistakably hers.
"…Sky…"
Aina's voice.
In that instant, Skyler moved. He turned away from the scene and strode toward her.
"Aina…"
She was still on the floor, struggling weakly to rise. When her eyes finally lifted to meet his, tears were already falling down her cheeks, but she smiled anyway.
Fragile, trembling, yet shining with relief.
"Sky… I knew you still had the soft side in you."
She let out a small, shaky laugh, almost like a joke, even though her voice was breaking.
"Hehe…"
The sight of her battered, crying, yet still smiling for him stabbed something deep inside Skyler.
For the first time in years, he felt it. A heavy, aching guilt twisted in his chest, and though he said nothing.
The look in his eyes said everything Aina needed to hear.
Suddenly, Skyler lifted his hand and, without a word, gently placed it on Aina's head.
His palm was warm, steady—so different from the cold, unreadable man he had been moments before.
"...I'm sorry, Aina."
His voice was low, almost a whisper.
Aina's eyes widened, her breath catching. For the first time in what felt like forever, she heard him—the real Skyler, not the cold mask he always wore. Tears spilled freely down her cheeks, but this time, her lips curved into a radiant, trembling smile.
That single moment, so simple yet so raw, rippled through the courtroom like a wave.
The crowd, who had moments ago whispered in doubt and fear, now looked on in stunned silence. Some gasped softly, others shifted uncomfortably, as if their perception of Skyler was being rewritten right before their eyes.
Even the leaders, hardened and unyielding, faltered. Serphina's stern gaze softened just slightly, Zephier clenched his fist in pity, and Thalios exhaled as if weighed by something heavy.
"…Tch. What's going on here?"
One of the captured gangsters growled, looking restless.
"Boss, what's happening?!"
Another whispered in panic.
"Do you think I know, idiot!?"
The scarred leader spat, his eyes darting between Skyler and Leroy, sweat trailing down his forehead.
The tension in the hall shifted completely, and at the center of it all, Leroy finally stepped forward, his voice firm as it echoed through the courtroom.
"Now… let's continue."
Leroy stepped forward, his voice firm but steady, echoing through the courtroom.
"Before we continue this judgment, there is something you all must know. Something that was hidden until last night."
The crowd murmured, unsettled. Even the Judge leaned forward slightly, curiosity flickering behind his glasses.
Leroy's gaze shifted toward Skyler, then toward Aina, before speaking again.
"Yesterday, when I confronted Skyler in his cell, I witnessed it with my own eyes. His cybernetic arm… released a black aura. That same aura carried a presence I recognized."
The audience stiffened, whispers rising again.
"It was the same presence tied to the ring."
Gasps scattered through the hall.
Leroy continued, his tone growing sharper.
"That ring, for these gang members, was no ordinary treasure. It was stolen years ago from a hidden chest, its power unknown to them at the time. And yet, it has the same essence as the darkness that flows within Skyler's arm."
He paused, allowing the weight of his words to settle before continuing.
"A few months ago, Miho Takashi, an assassin maid who was still secretly aligned with the enemy, was the one who informed me of the ring's existence. She tracked it down to the gang's hideout, where they had already claimed it for themselves."
The Judge stiffened, the leaders stayed quiet, and even the gangsters looked restless under the soldiers' grip. Leroy's expression hardened as he continued his explanation before the silent court.
"A month ago, Miho Takashi found Skyler."
Leroy's words carried weight, and the sound alone pressed tension into the room.
"She reported back to me… but what she claimed was troubling. She told me Skyler was working with 'him', The Dark Silencer. With Droven's side."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Aina's eyes widened, her hand clutching at her chest.
But Leroy's tone sharpened, filled with suspicion.
"Yet, I did not believe her. No… I could not. I have known Skyler far too long to trust such words blindly. Miho's story was filled with cracks, and her loyalty had always been shadowed with doubt."
He stepped forward, his cape brushing against the broken floor as his voice grew firm.
"So, I made my own plan."
His gaze shifted toward Skyler, locking eyes with him.
"Rather than believe a traitor's whispers, I wanted to see the truth for myself. Whether you were truly lost to the darkness… or whether you were still the man I once knew."
The courtroom grew so silent, even the sound of chains clinking against Skyler's wrist echoed like thunder.
"That is why I sent you that letter, Skyler. A secret mission. To retrieve the ring from the gang's base. To prove, not only your strength, but your loyalty. If you had truly been working with the enemy, the truth would have been revealed in your actions."
The Judge's eyes widened in shock, and Seraphina's eyes narrowed in thought.
At the center of it all, Skyler stood motionless, his eyes trembling ever so slightly as the truth unfolded.
"And of course, this information alone does not prove Skyler's innocence."
Leroy's voice echoed through the hall.
His gaze hardened, and he gestured toward the prisoners.
"That is why I brought them here."
Whispers rose from the crowd. Soldiers tightened their grip on the bound gangsters, forcing them to kneel in front of everyone.
"At midnight yesterday, my men and I raided their base. We demanded answers."
The Judge leaned forward, startled. Even the three leaders exchanged uneasy glances, but then the gangster boss chuckled.
At first, a low sound, then a full, reckless laugh that filled the chamber.
"Your Majesty, I don't even know what you're babbling about. Us? Work with that bastard? Don't make me laugh!"
The scarred man grinned with crooked teeth.
"Boss, wait! We weren't supposed to—"
One of his underlings hissed.
The boss snapped, spittle flying from his mouth:
"Shut up, idiot! Look around! Do you think we're getting out of here alive? Heh, don't make me laugh. So what if that fool of a doctor wanted to scare me?"
Suddenly, thin wisps of black aura began to seep from his tattoos, curling up his arms like living smoke. The soldiers staggered back in alarm.
The boss's eyes widened slightly, but he kept laughing, unaware of the danger consuming him.
"He's always rambling about pain, experiments, war… about stealing whatever that 'thing' is would change everything. Hah! Like I ever cared about his nonsense!"
The black aura flared, spreading faster now, making the air heavy and foul. Leroy's expression tensed; he recognized the ominous energy immediately.
"Even that doctor said: "If you reveal anything, you'll bring yourself to hell." HA! Like I'd believe that curse!"
The gangster sneered as his voice rose,
"Boss…"
His underlying whimper, backing away.
The gangster threw back his head and roared:
"Well, guess what! That bastard is still out there! The Dark Silencer—Dr. Crissar! I met him with my own eyes!"
The black aura writhed like a living storm, swallowing the gangster's body until only a distorted husk remained. His veins pulsed with darkness, his skin splitting and cracking as white light flickered from his eyes.
The chamber froze in horror. Soldiers dropped their weapons. The Judge clung to his chair, trembling.
But Leroy's eyes widened in recognition. That pressure—he had felt it before.
A flash of memory: Skyler's chains snapping, lightning raging through the prison cell. But this… this wasn't lightning. This was detonation.
His blood ran cold.
"No… not here, not now…"
Then Leroy roared, his voice cutting through the chaos:
"EVERYONE OUT! NOW! HE'S ABOUT TO EXPLODE!"
The crowd erupted in screams, scattering toward the doors. Swords and armor clattered as soldiers scrambled to obey. The gangster's body convulsed violently, his eyes flashing in rapid bursts of white light—like a countdown to annihilation.
"Move! Move! Move!"
Soldiers screamed. Miyaki shoved me and Warson toward the exit. Even the three leaders hesitated, sensing the lethal energy radiating from the man's body.
But there was no time.
The possessed gangster arched his back, his mouth opening in a voiceless howl as his skin began to rupture. The air itself seemed to vibrate.
Leroy clenched his teeth.
"It's too late…!"
In a single motion, he lunged forward, seizing the man's body with both hands. The aura burned against his skin, but he held firm, dragging the writhing mass toward the abyss at the edge of the chamber.
"Everyone get down!"
He bellowed.
And with all his strength, he hurled the body into the endless chasm below.
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then—
BOOOOOOOM!
The explosion tore through the depths with a deafening roar, shaking the entire hall. The ground quaked, pillars cracked, dust and smoke shot upward like a volcanic blast. A shockwave of black fire surged past, rattling every bone in the room.
I hit the floor hard, covering my head as debris rained down. Screams echoed, drowned out by the thunder of destruction.
When the smoke finally began to settle, the abyss still burned with twisted black flames…
And Leroy stood at the edge, cloak whipping in the hot wind, his expression grim.
But it wasn't over.
The explosion's shockwave didn't just stop at the abyss—it spread upward. The entire foundation groaned and cracked, dust raining from the ceiling. Pillars snapped like dry twigs. The walls of the chamber split apart, jagged fissures spreading like spiderwebs.
"Damn it… the whole building is collapsing!"
Warson shouted, shielding a group of civilians.
Leroy's voice thundered over the chaos, sharp and commanding the three leaders.
"Get everyone out—NOW!"
The three leaders immediately broke into action, their weapons flashing as they slashed falling debris, carving paths for the people to flee. Zephier's blades spun in a protective arc, cutting rubble apart. Thalios summoned torrents of water to shield the fleeing crowd from fire and dust. Serphina's black swords slash through the collapsing walls from crushing the evacuees.
But even with them, it wasn't enough.
The ceiling cracked open with a deafening roar, boulders raining down like meteors.
In a blur, Skyler moved. Lightning surged across his body as he dashed through the collapsing chaos. He swept Aina into his arms, then—without slowing—he reached out, seizing the hands of terrified townsfolk trapped under falling beams.
With inhuman speed, he pulled them free, carrying as many as he could with every strike of his thunder-charged feet.
"Sky…!"
Aina gasped, clinging to him, her chest glowing faintly in resonance with his aura.
Miyaki grit her teeth, her red aura bursting to life as she lifted shattered stone off a group of soldiers, hurling the debris aside like it weighed nothing.
"Keep going! Don't stop running!"
She roared.
Siana and I sprinted together, guiding stragglers through the cracks in the collapsing hall. Warson supported the Judge on his back, refusing to leave him behind.
The floor buckled. A massive column split apart, collapsing directly toward the survivors still scrambling near the entrance.
"Not yet!"
Skyler's lightning flared as he leapt forward, fists glowing white. With a single explosive strike, he shattered the falling column to rubble, clearing the final path.
And then—
The survivors burst out into the open air, tumbling into the courtyard just as the entire building gave way behind them. Ground shuddered as with a bone-rattling crash, the grand hall caved in completely, swallowed by smoke and rubble.
Everyone… had made it out alive.
People stared back at the ruins in silence, hearts pounding as lungs heaved.
The once-proud chamber was gone, reduced to nothing but stone and dust.