CHAPTER 38: EX 38. NIKKO YAKOMOTO

The Federation prided itself on the fairness of its laws it was strict, unyielding, and blind to status. Nobles, commoners, and soldiers alike were bound by the same rules. If someone was suspected of a crime, they would be detained until proven innocent, regardless of lineage or influence.

But while the law didn’t discriminate, investigators did. Handling a noble required delicate precision. Because if that noble turned out to be innocent... they had the means to turn an investigator’s life into a walking nightmare. Many careers had ended from a single wrongful accusation.

Yet in Leon’s case, things were different. The charges were real. Had Gordon followed proper procedure and performed an actual investigation with the aid of a trial taker with a lie-detection skill or talent during questioning, he might have gotten the outcome he desired: a guilty verdict and justification for his hatred.

But the truth had never been Gordon’s priority—torment had.

And Leon’s parents knew that. After a quick background check on Gordon they found out everything they needed to know—his festering hatred for nobles, his repeated failures, and his need to assert dominance where he had none.

Selena, after reining in her fury, made a calculated move. She called Gordon not just as a silent threat, but to bruise his ego and stall him long enough for their real plan to unfold.

Because they knew the truth: the longer their son remained in custody, the more warped and dangerous the situation would become.

So, after rattling Gordon’s pride, they made the real call—the one that would flip the entire board in their favor.

Because while the Federation swore allegiance to the law, even the law had its limits—especially when absolute power stepped into the room. And Nikko Yakomoto was the embodiment of that power.

The moment Nikko’s pressure blasted Gordon into the wall, the atmosphere in the room shifted. Blood dripped from Gordon’s lips as he hung there, stunned and broken. Meanwhile, Nikko turned to Leon with a smile as if she hadn’t just sent a man flying across the room with raw force.

"After all this time, this is the only way you could ask me to pay you back? Bailing you out of jail?" she said, tone playful, as if wounded by the lack of creativity.

Leon simply responded, "Thank you."

Nikko blinked, staring at him, disappointed by the lackluster response. She then sighed and shook her head.

"You’re still treating me like a stranger," she said, but there was no bitterness in her voice. "But that’s alright. Just means you’re as real as ever."

After a short pause, Nikko added, "If that’s all, your dad asked me to take you home."

Leon nodded, but his eyes didn’t leave Gordon. "There’s still something I need to do first."

He walked toward the man still embedded in the wall.

A sword shimmered into existence in Leon’s right hand, drawn from his inventory in a blink. He stopped in front of Gordon, gaze icy and unyielding.

"Time to pay your debt," Leon said coldly.

Gordon tried to move, but his battered body wouldn’t respond. All he could do was shiver.

Then Leon swung.

To the gathered soldiers, it looked like a single slash. Quick, clean, efficient. But to the Black Vanguard and Nikko—powerhouses with eyes honed beyond human—they saw the truth.

Leon had struck not once, but dozens of times. His blade moved so fast that Gordon’s body hadn’t even realized it had been cut yet.

Before Leon returned the sword to his inventory and turned away.

Only then did Gordon’s body respond.

Thin, red lines suddenly etched themselves across his torso—slashing marks that burst into deep wounds a breath later.

But it was his right arm that took the worst of it. Tendons, muscle, and nerves shredded into ribbons. As they became Useless.

Gordon screamed.

It wasn’t like the screams Leon had heard from the other rooms. This one was different—ripped straight from the soul. It was the cry of a man realizing too late that he’d picked the wrong enemy.

The soldiers flinched at the sound, but none moved. Who would dare intervene against someone protected by the Governor’s daughter?

And just like that, without another word, Leon and Nikko walked out of the base.

Ready to head back to the Kael estate.

****

Leon sat in the passenger seat, his gaze drifting toward Nikko as she handled the wheel with one hand and a breeze of confidence. She radiated a kind of effortless defiance—the kind that made it seem like the world itself would break before it could ever hold her back.

That same wild, untouchable energy was likely why she insisted on driving herself. She’d never been one to let others act on her behalf—understandable, given everything she’d endured in the past.

His thoughts were interrupted by her voice.

"You’ve been staring at me for a while now," she said, eyes still fixed on the road. "Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for me."

Leon didn’t react to her teasing. He simply leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep as if her words hadn’t reached him.

"Shameless," Nikko muttered under her breath, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

But the mood shifted a moment later.

"Is it true?" she asked, her tone turning serious. "Did you really increase the difficulty of your trial?"

She wasn’t asking out of curiosity. Nikko wasn’t the type to involve herself in anything without reason. The fact that Leon’s parents had called her meant only one thing: their son was actually guilty. Otherwise, they would’ve let the Federation’s system run its course without interference.

Leon’s eyes opened slowly. He didn’t answer right away. Then he turned slightly and asked, "What do you think?"

Nikko chuckled and shot him a quick glance—just a flick of the eyes before returning her focus to the road.

"I think," she said, a grin spreading across her face, "you’re just as insane as you were eleven years ago."

Leon allowed himself a rare, subtle smile. "You’d be surprised. I’m a lot calmer now."

"Bullshit," Nikko said without missing a beat.

Leon smirked at her blunt response, the weight of the day easing slightly from his shoulders.

Outside, the scenery blurred past the window as the car sped through Federation roads, crossing checkpoints with little resistance. After all, who would dare stop the daughter of the Governor?

As the skyline shifted and the distinct buildings of the Kael Domain came into view, the air inside the vehicle carried a rare sense of ease.

And through it all the car drove steadily onward... toward home.

...

...

...

A/N: That’s it for the mass release hope you guys enjoyed it and thank you for reading..

...

...

...