Hero Association Headquarters, Hero City 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Within a chamber that carried a weight of tension, the kind that made even the air feel sharp, Eventide stood in the middle, her cloak folded neatly behind her shoulders, eyes scanning the three figures seated before her.

One sat in the center, silent and still. The other two flanked him like watchful wolves, but far less patient.

"You attacked Cruxius Blac?" the man on the left barked, half-rising from his seat. "Are you out of your mind?"

The woman on the right slammed her palm on the polished desk. "He’s the heir of the Blac Corporation, Eventide! Not some thug in Zone 3!"

"We’ve just started recovering from the incident with that Ryken idiot who attacked him in Spain," the man growled. "Do you forget how humiliating that press conference was for the Association? How we had to throw Zone 7 of the Villain Syndicate under the bus to save face?"

"And now," the woman hissed, "you repeat the exact same mistake."

Eventide’s eyes didn’t waver. "It wasn’t intentional. I misread the target."

The woman stood abruptly. "This isn’t a missed shot; it’s a diplomatic grenade! The Blac Corporation has already been breathing down our necks. The Hero Association is walking a razor-thin line. We’ve been trying to rebuild our image while cleaning out the Villain Syndicate from Zone 7—and then you go and assault Cruxius Blac?"

"I’m not afraid of what comes from this," Eventide said, her voice low but steady.

"Then you’re reckless," the man spat.

"No," she corrected, her gaze narrowing. "I’m calculating. Cruxius won’t retaliate. Not over this."

The center figure finally stirred, but said nothing. The room’s energy shifted—tighter now.

"And how are you so sure?" the woman asked.

"Because his current intentions from this attack were not to target the Hero Association but something else." Even tired, she recalled how she had seen him intentionally throwing that blade at her suddenly and then him jumping from the window while acting as if she had attacked him.

All while confusing her as he leaped from there, bewildering her at first, but through the windowpane, she saw him rubbing his hips against Ytrisia as both of them fell on a nearby hoarding board.

It became even clearer that his real target from the beginning was to utilize this event to get closer to that woman.

Something which was expected from a playboy like Cruxius Blac, whose reputation was well known to those who had information about him.

The woman raised a brow. "You’re trusting a man who just used a small attack on him against the whole Hero Association and even targeted the heroes by suggesting something so ridiculous as to have chips embedded in them? Forget about that; this was sheer humiliation which most superheroes never forget considering their privacy would be threatened by this?"

Eventide clenched her jaw subtly. "I know what I saw. He didn’t come to get intel. He came to flirt with Ytrisia."

That name lingered. The silence grew deeper.

"...So, he knew that you were going to attack, manipulated you into acting as if this whole thing were going to favor him to get closer to another superhero when he clearly saw his instance against them. Do you think we are fools?" The woman was clearly pissed off, looking even tired as she found her committing a mistake that was good enough to corner her.

Finally, she was able to speak or have the chance to intimidate Eventide.

Eventide did commit a very serious mistake that might cost them heavily.

While she seemed to claim that he had an agenda.

And an agenda where things were very random. There was not a single chance for Cruxius Blac to know that they were going to attack someone within that same hospital for him to arrive there at the exact time when Eventide attacked him and to be present in the same room.

How ridiculous it was to begin with?

"...Did you say you tracked him?" But the voice came from the one who remained silent until now, the one seated in the middle, observing everything until now and even considering the mistake Eventide confirmed after she explained the whole scenario.

It was Elbawar, seated with a narrowed gaze, clearly thinking how the chances of it being coincidence were there, but definitely the possibility of manipulation could not be overlooked, especially after what the press conference had resulted in for the Hero Association.

Elbawar finally spoke, his voice deep, composed, yet carrying an edge that made even the woman flanking him flinch slightly.

"...So you tracked him, but still fell into his game."

Eventide didn’t reply.

Elbawar’s gaze pierced through her.

"I guarantee he will not do such a thing as recklessly holding another press conference," she said, trying to regain footing.

Elbawar leaned forward slightly. "Fine then. If that’s what you hope, Eventide... but if it is, then you will be the one to explain things and solve this yourself."

He was about to continue, but before the final words could leave his lips—

SLAM

The double doors burst open. A figure stepped in briskly—one of the Association’s reconnaissance heroes, panting, clearly aware of the tension he’d just pierced through.

The woman on the right narrowed her eyes. "This better be—"

But he raised his hand, clutching a tablet. "Urgent," he said simply, handing it straight to Elbawar.

The moment the screen turned on, Elbawar’s eyes widened subtly.

The others stood up behind him as he silently turned the tablet for them to see.

A livestream. Already millions watching.

The Blac Corporation Press Conference was in full swing.

And standing at the front, sharp in a fitted black coat with the corporation’s sigil glowing behind him, was Cruxius.

"...This is real time," the reconnaissance hero added grimly.

Elbawar tapped the table. "Put it on the main screen."

Within seconds, the room’s central holo-display flickered and burst into life. The high-definition feed revealed Cruxius calmly facing the crowd, dozens of microphones pointed his way.

"—We begin today with a simple statement," Cruxius said, voice smooth, confident. "The Hero Association has lost its control. It has fallen from grace. And today, we present undeniable proof."