Kaiden's eyes locked on Maximilian Vice.

It was not the gaze of a celebrated hero basking in applause, nor the stoic calm of a man standing tall under the President's blessing. No, this was different. His stare was cold, absolute, a storm of supremacy and hatred so pure it was suffocating.

A stare of judgment.

A stare of vengeance.

A stare that promised blood.

Maximilian stiffened. His throat bobbed. For a heartbeat, he looked like a boy caught stealing in the dark. Yet arrogance, the best shield his swollen ego had ever known, slowly forced his chin upward. His pulse pounded in his ears, but still, he met Kaiden's gaze with his jowls trembling with defiance.

And then, like an unwelcome mosquito in the middle of the tension, his phone began to buzz.

Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz.

He cursed silently. The damn thing rattled against his thigh, a pulse that mirrored his hammering heart. He'd set it to silent, of course; he wasn't a fool. Only he could feel the vibration. But the constant trembling in his pocket drove nails into his already tense nerves.

With a growl, he slipped a hand into his pants, thumbed the side button, and killed the soundless intrusion. The buzzing stopped.

He exhaled with his nostrils flaring, and with an arrogant tilt of his head, raised his nose in Kaiden's direction as if to sneer: 'What are you staring at, dumbass?'

It was a small, petty defiance, but for a man drowning under Kaiden's stare, it was all he had left.

And then Scarlet pulled her own phone from her elegant lady's bag. It was fiery red as well, just like every single item the woman wore, save for a few black accents that made the red pop even more. Scarlet was dedicated to her favorite color.

She glanced at the screen, then gave a long, low whistle. Turning lazily toward Maximilian, her lips curved into a grin hot enough to burn.

"Ouch," she groaned theatrically as if she'd just been punched in the guts. "You might want to see what your cronies want, fatty~"

As the president's ceremony continued uninterrupted by the little hushed commotion in the back that couldn't even be heard through the distance, some cameras that were turned toward them began snapping with renewed fervor. The Flame Monarch had just dragged him back into the spotlight.

Maximilian's jaw clenched so hard his teeth ground audibly. He sent her a sharp side-eye, brimming with annoyance, hatred, and the desperate wish that she would combust into ashes. But Scarlet's smirk only widened, daring him to say anything out loud.

His hand shook as it reached once more into his pocket. He pulled out the phone, which was already buzzing again.

He read the message.

And his heart froze.

What welcomed his eyes were two posts.

Two posts that had gone live mere moments ago.

The first opened with a simple video feed that was broadcast across both the global net and the Awakened Platform. A man and woman sat side by side, with their firm gazes looking into the camera.

"I am Talia Runewoven," the woman began. She was not dressed in an elegant suit, but in her favored gear, which she wore while smithing, making her look truly genuine. Her voice was soft but carrying the practiced weight of leadership. "Guild leader of Runewoven."

"I'm Diaz," the man beside her added. "B-tier Awakened, member of Runewoven."

Talia drew in a breath and began. "Recently, ChronosX hosted a video conference. In it, they spoke… extremely rude and cruel things about Kaiden Grey and his Valhalla's Sinners." Her lips thinned with visible anger, showing in her eyes. "We won't claim to know them as deeply as their CEO, Maximilian Vice, seems to believe he does. But what we can speak on is our own experience interacting with the group."

Diaz leaned forward. "Runewoven was given a time-limit dungeon assignment by the association. One we couldn't clear on our own due to the dungeon's level cap, making things difficult for us due to a tragedy that occurred in the previous low-level dungeon undertaking. As such, we were staring at ruin. At potential dissolution. So the guild leadership reached out, and I'm so glad they did. We asked Kaiden Grey and his people for help."

His voice grew rough, still the same no-nonsense guy as always. "And they came through. Professional. Disciplined. Team players in every sense. I've been to dozens of parties over the years, but if I could choose who to fight beside every single time, it would be them. Every damn time."

Then Talia spoke up once again. A tear streaked down her cheek, smudging the corner of her makeup. "Kaiden Grey saved my guild. The guild my late father left me. The most vivid memory I still carry of him, his life's work. For that, I will always be grateful. If the day comes, I would not only be glad to work with Valhalla's Sinners again as mercenaries we hire, but I would be proud to call them members of our guild."

Diaz's poker face disintegrated as he smiled, "And I would be proud to call Kaiden Grey my good friend."

The feed cut.

No raised voices. No rage. No firebrand speeches. Just two people. Honest. Raw. They weren't trying to scream over Maximilian's words of fantasy and theories that were presented as if they were facts. The words spoken in this post were simply true and genuine.

And then came the second post.

The color drained from Maximilian's face before he even processed its title. He clicked play, only to freeze as the camera showed a young woman. Blonde. Fragile. Her hands trembled in her lap.

And she sobbed.

"I've been raped by Maximilian Vice."

The world seemed to tilt.

Maximilian's scream ripped through the air like a banshee's wail, shattering the reverent hush of the ceremony. "What?!"

Every camera swung to him. Every ear heard his madness.

Two attendants rushed to his side, seizing his arms and all but dragging him bodily from the chamber. He kicked, snarled, spat with his dignity unraveling in front of millions.

"Alexandraaaaaaaa!!!!!!!" Maximilian roared as he disappeared behind the double doors.

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