Ethan sighed and continued. "I don’t fault you."

Nathan glanced toward him once more.

"I don’t fault you for how far you’re willing to go."

Truth be told...We eventually discovered that you and my mother were both still alive, so we made plans to search for you both."

"In fact..." A little smile crossed Ethan’s face. "Bernadette is probably still out there somewhere doing exactly that... I haven’t even told her that you’re here yet."

Nathan couldn’t help but smile a little himself.

Ethan drew a slow breath. "Listen...At the end of the day, your goal and mine are the same."

"You want your wife out of there, and I don’t want my mother remaining a prisoner to anyone either. So... maybe we should start considering other alternatives."

Nathan turned his head slightly. "What other alternatives are there?"

He sighed, "I must tell you, Ethan...There is no one in this world capable of fighting against the Dragon Emperor."

"Not unless they possess power that has already surpassed mortality and have become something akin to a deity."

Ethan had this confident smile on his face as he replied. "If the power you require isl something that approaches that of a god, then I think there really are other alternatives."

Nathan’s brows drew together. "What do you mean?"

Before Ethan could answer, the front door burst open.

"Babe!" Isabella came running out of the manor with an Arcphone clutched in her hand. "There’s a problem!"

The urgency in her voice immediately drew both Ethan’s and Nathan’s attention.

"What happened?" Ethan asked, looking alarmed himself.

She hurried over before raising the Arcphone for him to see. "It’s everywhere and trending across the entire online space."

"This was broadcasted live."

Their eyes focused on the screen that carried a clip of a live news broadcast.

Dark Nova was standing in the midst of countless reporters who had several microphones pointed towards his face. He had been crowded around the temporary stage erected outside the Morgenstein Estate.

Dark Nova looked directly into the cameras as he began. "My name is Dark Nova."

"For years, I have carried the title of Hero because I believe justice should belong to every innocent person equally. I also believe that no crime should remain buried simply because time has passed, nor because those responsible possess influence, wealth, or power."

His voice seemed calm.

"Today, I stand before the people of Gritnia because I have concluded an investigation whose truth was hidden for months."

A murmur spread throughout the gathered reporters.

Dark Nova continued. "The deaths of several Family Heads were not committed by the individual the public has been led to believe. It was not committed by Lady Audrey Desdemona"

"But I have identified those truly responsible."

He began reading their full names one after another. Each name caused another wave of commotion among the reporters.

Dark Nova remained completely unfazed. "These individuals are directly connected to multiple murders committed throughout this country."

"I do not have the authority or the desire to ask the innocent to place themselves in danger, but there is a group I now call upon."

"To every person who has chosen to bear the title of Hero, to every individual who claims to stand for justice, to everyone who believes the innocent deserves protection."

"I ask for your aid."

"If you possess any information regarding these individuals, if you encounter them and if you are capable of apprehending them...Then do so immediately and bring them into custody."

"I will personally see that justice is carried out."

He took one final look into the camera. "Today, we bring an end to this."

Every one of them staring at that screen in the compound had different levels of shock.

"Ah shit..’ Ethan cursed.

But there was a problem.

The broadcast Ethan had just watched had begun circulating across the online space nearly ten minutes ago. And the response so far had been terrifyingly swift.

Dark Nova was always seen as the country’s Number One Hero, and for years, his name had become synonymous with justice itself.

He had always been right about every criminal he had exposed, every murderer he had accused and every investigation he had concluded.

And in fact, before he became an agent of the Western Coalition, crime throughout Gritnia had reached one of its lowest points under his watch.

So people trusted him and Heroes admired him.

There were countless individuals who believed that if Dark Nova called someone guilty, then that person was guilty and there was no room for doubt.

Within minutes of the broadcast ending, discussions had already erupted throughout the country.

The ordinary populace could do little more than speculate, but they were never the ones Dark Nova was calling to arms.

The ones who answered his call, were the heroes who immediately began taking action the moment they heard the names.

But it wasn’t just them.

The Vampire and Werewolf Families whose leaders had been murdered or mysteriously disappeared had spent months grieving without ever receiving what they considered true justice.

The moment Dark Nova identified those responsible, many of them began moving as well.

Additionally, there were those from the several guilds throughout the country who had never hidden their dissatisfaction toward Ethan Stark especially as they still held him responsible for the decline they faced in profits from monster parts sales.

They always wanted an opportunity to bring down Ethan and now, Dark Nova had handed them one.

One after another, people began searching for every individual whose name had been announced.

Some of them had found themselves immediately attracting suspicious stares from those around them, and others discovered they were already being followed.

Across the city, the hunt had already begun.

...

But that wasn’t the only problem...

Right then, something had descended so fast into Stark Residence, causing a deafening shockwave that erupted across the estate, along with the dust that billowed outward as the figure landed in the compound.

This figure had crossed the sky at such an overwhelming speed that by the time the magical senses of those below registered his approach, the hero had already arrived.

Standing there...Was Dark Nova.

His cape settled behind him as the wind gradually died away.

His eyes swept across those gathered from Ethan, to Nathan and Jillia, who were the demons he had been searching for.

And finally...Isabella

——

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