Death only works if it's permanent.
Lucien had miscalculated.
The Countermeasure No One Expected
Ace didn't fight the erasure directly.
He bypassed it.
Mike entered The Hague tribunal at 9:01 a.m.
"This hearing," Mike said clearly, "concerns the illegal nullification of a protected legal actor."
The room stirred.
A judge frowned. "On whose behalf?"
Mike didn't hesitate.
"On behalf of the global legal system."
Fight #1,739Opponent: Standing denialStatus: Challenged
Ace Reappears Everywhere
Simultaneously:
A U.N. observer cited Ace's filings
A Swiss court referenced his precedent
An African trade council acknowledged his authority
Katrina stared at the screen. "You're… everywhere."
Ace replied over secure line, "You can't erase a pattern."
Fight #1,756Opponent: Identity deletionStatus: Failing
Lucien Loses Patience
The call came.
Lucien's voice was colder now.
"You're abusing loopholes," Lucien said.
Ace replied evenly, "You built them."
Lucien snapped, "This was meant to end you."
Ace's tone didn't change.
"It did," Ace said. "Just not the way you intended."
Fight #1,773Opponent: Strategic arroganceStatus: Punished
The Judgment
The tribunal ruled.
Interference.Abuse of regulatory coordination.Illegal identity nullification.
All traced back—indirectly but undeniably—to Moreau-controlled entities.
The ruling didn't destroy Lucien.
But it branded him.
Fight #1,789Opponent: Global legitimacyStatus: Damaged
Ace Returns Fully
By nightfall:
Accounts restored
Travel cleared
Recognition reinstated
Ace walked back into his office as if he'd never left.
The firm stood when he entered.
Not out of fear.
Out of certainty.
Fight #1,804Opponent: AbsenceStatus: Reversed
Private Moment
Later, alone with Evelyn.
"They tried to erase you," she said.
Ace took her hand.
"And failed."
She searched his face.
"They'll never stop."
Ace nodded.
"Good," he said. "Neither will I."
Fight #1,820Opponent: FinalityStatus: Denied
End of Chapter 29
Lucien Moreau had attempted assassination without violence.
Ace Charles survived death without a body.
And now the world understood something terrifying:
You could remove a man from the system.
But you could not remove the system he had become.