Rosaline shot him a glare sharp enough to cut steel. "Watch your tone."

Just then, Phoenix and the others approached, lugging the frozen corpse of Jeremiah encased in ice.

"Rosaline," Wesley said with a grin, ignoring the tension, "you're still as gorgeous as ever."

Her eyes chilled ten degrees. "And you still can't shut up."

Wesley winced, lips clamping shut.

Dale only shook his head at their banter. "Hurry it up."

"Fine," Vince said flatly. "Rosaline and I are Level Five. The rest of the squad's at Level Four." He and Rosaline released controlled ripples of Force, letting the others feel it.

A moment later, Wesley, Luke, and even Dale's expression flickered with surprise.

"You're both right at the edge of a breakthrough?" Wesley blurted.

"Two captains on one team?" Luke added. "That puts you in the running for this year's Elite Teams."

"Elite team, huh?" Vince allowed himself a faint smile. "We'll see." He brushed past Dale and climbed into the chopper.

The others followed.

"What's an elite team?" Axel whispered as he and Millers settled in.

Millers grinned. "Exactly what it sounds like—a squad stacked with elites."

"Useless." Kaia swatted him. "Listen, Axel—the Syndicate keeps four elite squads. They only take on A-rank missions and above. No standard patrols, no grunt work. Training and top-tier ops, that's it."

"They're all Level Five," she continued. "And strong enough to fight Level Six awakened. Some are on par with captains themselves."

Axel sat back, stunned. He hadn't realized the Syndicate's strength ran that deep.

"Not just strength," Millers added. "They get custom Original Instruments, priority resources, and access to The Dragon Pond. And best of all—they're allowed to live permanently in Krythos' core city."

Ordinary squads like Obsidian and Gray Wolf handled routine assignments, moving from one mission zone to another. Elite teams were a different breed entirely. They were permanently stationed in the Syndicate's core cities. On the surface, it looked like the difference between being busy and being idle, but the reality ran deeper.

Permanent stationing meant access—direct integration into the political and aristocratic circles of a city. For an Awakener's family, it meant security, privilege, and the chance to climb higher than simple combat ever allowed. Sometimes it even opened doors to politics—if you knew how to play the game.

"To be on par with a Level 6 Awakener… that's no easy feat." Axel frowned, remembering the last time he'd seen such power. Back in Drakenfall, Xander's single, contemptuous snort had nearly reduced several Level 5 members of the Windsor family to spitting blood.

Neither Vince nor Rosaline joined the conversation about elite teams. They both sat quietly, while Dale—perched nearby—couldn't quite hide the smug pride flickering in his eyes.

The ambush they'd been expecting never came. It was only when their helicopters touched down in Northern Suppression Town that the Obsidian team realized the true scale of the operation. On the tarmac, waiting for them, were Sethan—the commander of the Survey Corps—along with Xander, Gordon, and two other leaders from the Ministry of Defense and the Survey Corps.

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When Leona laid eyes on the four massive ice sculptures, and the lifeless figures sealed inside, her expression faltered for just a moment. Pain flashed across her face before she masked it and strode over to Vince.

"You killed my men?"

Vince hesitated only briefly before answering, voice steady. "Yes."

Leona took a sharp breath, clearly restraining the words on the tip of her tongue. At last, she waved her hand. "Enough. Everyone to the meeting room. I want the full report."

"Hah! Good boy." Xander strode forward, grinning, and hammered Vince's chest twice with his fist. The dull thud echoed.

Vince gave him a withering look. "So that's where Wesley picked up that bad habit."

Xander only laughed louder. "Details, details. Forget about it. Just make sure your evidence is tight. Otherwise that old hag is going to make a mess out of this."

Vince glanced toward the conference room doors. "This was mostly Axel's work."

........

"Leona, start the questioning. And—" Sethan leaned close, his voice low. "Keep your temper."

Leona gave a curt nod. "Alright. Axel, isn't it? From the beginning."

With the leaders sitting stiffly at attention, Axel recounted everything he'd told the Obsidian team.

.......

"I discovered that although Jeremiah had an airtight alibi, in truth, he was a concealed Level 5 Awakener…"

......

As the account continued, Sethan's skepticism slowly dissolved. This kid—barely twenty—was calm, sharp, and ruthlessly logical. His mind worked like no one Sethan had ever seen before.

Where the hell did this freak come from? The thought hung in every leader's mind as they exchanged astonished glances.

"Xander… this is one of yours? Damn, he's sharp," Gordon muttered, his tone edged with genuine respect. Leona sat speechless, while Xander simply basked in their surprise, smug as ever.

"…And to avoid civilian casualties, I devised a plan—" Axel finished the last part, and silence fell across the room. One by one, the leaders set down their pens and teacups.

Leona exhaled long and slow. "Brilliant."

"Xander, you're a lucky bastard," she added, shooting him a sharp look. Xander only grinned wider.

"The only pity," Sethan murmured, "is that Jeremiah killed himself."

Xander sobered, nodding at last. "True. Still, you boys did good. I'll call in some favors from Isaac when I'm back. See what I can secure for your team." His gaze lingered on Axel with something like approval.

"Axel," Sethan said patiently, noticing the young man's hesitation, "is there anything else?"

Axel gave a short nod. "Yes. But I'd prefer to discuss it privately."

The remark drew a few raised brows. One of the Ministry leaders chuckled. "Cautious one, aren't you?"

Sethan didn't miss a beat. "Alright. Xander and I will stay. Everyone else—out."

The room emptied until only three leaders remained. Sethan leaned back in his chair, studying Axel carefully.

"My Talent," Axel began, "is called All Things Simulation. I can simulate abilities similar to an Undead Guide. From Jeremiah's spirit, I learned his obsession before death was to rebuild something called the Stormhold Imperium."

He paused, then added, "I also checked Jeremiah's records on the way here. There's no trace of any Stormhold affiliation in his file."

Sethan's casual demeanor evaporated. The weight of Axel's words settled over the room.

"Jeremiah… and the Stormhold Imperium." Sethan's tone sharpened, edged with unease. He sighed, his voice lower now. "If I'd known you could do this, I never would've let another Awakened waste the spirit. Information like that… it changes everything."

He glanced at the empty air, brows furrowed. "But it's too late. The spirit will have faded. Even if I'd called you immediately, by the time you arrived there wouldn't have been much left to see."

Axel's heart stirred, but he kept his expression carefully neutral. Quietly, he said, "Perhaps… I could still try."

Sethan raised an eyebrow. "The spirit's almost gone. You can?"

Axel hesitated just long enough to keep his secrets safe. "I can't say for certain."

In truth, he was already weighing the value of Jeremiah's two Level 5 crystals. Even half-dissipated, they were priceless.

"Mr. Xander, you head back first. Keep this under wraps. I'll take Axel there alone."

Xander nodded, expression grim. Project Spider had already flushed out a handful of spies, but no one could say for sure if others were still buried inside the ranks.

Soon after, Axel followed Sethan into a heavily guarded military compound.

"The five confirmed spies and fifteen suspects are all locked down here in isolation," Sethan explained as they walked.

"Suspects?" Axel frowned.

"Yeah. Some of them covered their tracks too well. We can't prove it yet, so we're keeping them all under observation."

By the time they reached the corridor, Axel could already see through a reinforced glass pane — a soldier inside, wrists and ankles chained with heavy steel.

"What if we never figure it out? They can't all be spies," Axel muttered.

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