Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler

They were alone in the room. Why was Axel denying it so hard? Was he trying to act tough? Or was he so terrified that he was rambling like an idiot?

Before she could process it, Axel's voice turned low and dangerous. "I'd run if I were you. Quit being naive. The only reason they let you go was so they could hunt you down all at once."

His tone sent a chill down her spine. She opened her mouth to argue— Then came the laughter.

"Hahahahaha! You two… don't bother running. Neither of you are leaving."

The sound of shattering glass exploded through the room. A massive figure crashed through the window, landing in a crouch. Muscular, tattooed, and radiating killing intent, Blackstone grinned cruelly as he looked between Axel and Esme. "Whisper Syndicate? Heh. Guess you bastards were hiding deeper than I thought."

Esme froze in terror. What?! She finally understood the look Axel had given her. She had walked straight into a fucking trap.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about! What proof do you have? Which ear did you hear me say that?" She stammered, trying to backpedal.

Axel, meanwhile, just narrowed his eyes. So it was him. The one who had been watching him. The one who had tampered with his room.

Blackstone must have been waiting for the right moment to strike. And thanks to Esme running her mouth like an idiot, he had handed Blackstone all the justification he needed.

Axel exhaled, shaking his head. Fucking fantastic. This just got a lot more complicated.

"Surround them! No one leaves! Go call the boss and the others!" Blackstone's voice rang out with authority, his eyes locked on Axel. The woman beside him was secondary—if he tried to escape, Axel would be the first to die.

"Shit… it's over." Esme was panicking. She hadn't expected her own words to dig her grave this fast. Whether Axel lived or died was irrelevant—but if her identity got out, she was done for.

Sin City wouldn't let a Whisper Syndicate rat walk free. The thought made something snap inside her.

Her eyes gleamed with ferocity—if she had to cut her way out, so be it. Blackstone was strong, but she was sure he wasn't Level Three. If she went all out, he wouldn't be able to stop her.

But… even if she got out of this room, what then? She'd be running from the entire damn city. No escape. No survival.

A heavy killing intent began to rise from her, her instincts screaming at her to fight or die.

Axel, watching her closely, frowned. If this idiot rushed out, she'd be dead in seconds—and her death would only make his own situation worse.

Leaning slightly toward her, he murmured under his breath. "Don't be stupid. What the fuck are you afraid of? I'm not part of the Whisper Syndicate—how the hell is he going to prove it?"

She didn't give a shit what he was saying. But… Axel's voice had a strange pull.

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She suddenly recalled his battle with Harrison, the brutality, the precision, the cold control. The intensity of her killing intent wavered. Then—she hesitated.

The second she did, she regretted it. Why the fuck was she listening to him?

She glanced around. More and more people were closing in. Escape was getting impossible.

"She admitted it herself. Let's hear your explanation now." Blackstone's grin widened. He wasn't in a rush to kill Axel. No—he wanted to humiliate him. He wanted to bring this directly to Declan, let him see with his own eyes that the guy he had put in charge of the Exotic Beast Pill business was a fucking traitor.

One by one, more gang members poured into the room, weapons drawn. Some looked confused, others tense. A few men dragged in a tied-up fat man, who blinked around, clearly groggy.

Axel's eyes flickered. Good. At least the guy remembered his warning—don't say a word until Axel spoke.

Minutes later, the gang boss himself arrived. Declan strode in, flanked by several of his top men. His expression was dark—he had clearly already heard what was going on.

Blackstone greeted him with a smirk, confident and self-assured. "Boss, lucky I found out early. This little bastard admitted he's from the Whisper Syndicate!" His voice rang loud, twisting the truth.

In Blackstone's mind, it made no difference—he heard it with his own ears. That was enough.

Axel's mind was racing. Blackstone's claim was his weak spot. He had something Blackstone didn't know about. His hidden camera had recorded everything.

Problem was—if he used the footage, it would expose Esme's threat too. The way she spoke had been too natural, too real. There were only two of them in the room at the time.

It wouldn't just clear Axel. This had to be handled another way. Axel's eyes flickered. There was still one card left to play.

Declan was not an idiot. He already knew Blackstone resented Axel being put in charge of the Exotic Beast Pill business. But at the same time, Blackstone wasn't stupid enough to make false accusations.

In Sin City, Whisper Syndicate was an instant death sentence. Declan's gaze darkened as he turned toward Axel. "Axel, do you have anything else to say?" Declan's voice was ice cold.

If this accusation stuck, Axel was dead—but Declan's reputation would take a hit too. After all, he was the one who had promoted Axel. If his judgment was that flawed, the gang would start questioning his leadership.

Tension in the room was thick enough to choke on. Jade's face paled as more gang members flooded in.

She had only meant to threaten Axel, to scare him. She never imagined that someone was listening in.

Now, with multiple Level Three Awakeners in the room, and her own injuries slowing her down, she had no chance to escape.

Regret hit her like a punch to the gut. Not because of what she had said—but because she had been stupid enough to listen to Axel and not fight her way out when she had the chance.

"Boss, this is nothing but an attempt to stir shit up. I have nothing to explain." Axel's voice was calm, almost bored.

Declan's eyes narrowed. He didn't want to be embarrassed in front of his men, but he couldn't figure out how the hell Axel planned to clear himself.

"Oh?" The gang leader's fingers tapped against his belt, his eyes searching Axel for an answer.

"There's someone who can prove my innocence." The conviction in Axel's voice made Declan pause. For the first time that night, a flicker of hope sparked in his mind.

The other gang members, however, were watching like spectators at a bloodbath, waiting to see if Axel could somehow pull off a miracle.

"He's just making excuses," Blackstone sneered, his voice dripping with confidence. Things had gone way better than expected.

He had barely needed to lift a finger, and Axel had handed him the perfect opportunity to kill him.

"Come with me, Mr. Declan." Axel's casual wave broke the tension in the room. If Axel really was with the Whisper Syndicate, then nothing Declan did could save him.

Even if Declan wanted Axel in charge of the Exotic Beast Pill business, there were rules in Sin City. Traitors Didn't Live. He motioned for his men to follow.

Blackstone, meanwhile, was smug as hell, walking just behind Declan with his arms crossed. "Waste of fucking time," Caden muttered from Blackstone's side.

He didn't give a shit what Axel was about to pull. The more noise Axel made, the more embarrassing it would be for Declan later. Either way, Blackstone came out on top.