The Phantom's Gambit - Chapter 6: Altercation

One moment, Lucas closed his eyes to sleep. The next, he opened them to find himself not in his bedroom, but in a courtroom.Even more startling, he was in a different body.Lucas was confused, but there was no time to dwell on it.Why?Because....“Your Honour, please sentence him to death!”the prosecutor demanded, looking directly at Lucas, who was seated on the judge's bench.'It seems I have become a judge.' Lucas realized.

Beneath the vast and infinite starry skies of the universe, countless tribes engage in endless strife, and the flames of war remain unquenched.Rising from insignificance, he possessed no exceptional talents, except for the ability to draw upon the fruits of cultivation from the future.Yet, in a single night, he understood the Dao, and took a step that shattered the shackles of life.With but a thought, he grasped the universal powers, casually breaking down the barriers between spirit and reality.To him, even the most profound and enigmatic of secret tomes were as simple and dull as children's books.Still, he had to go back and fill in the gaps of his cultivation...Some appeared to be glorious, unparalleled geniuses.In reality, they practiced like mad in the shadows to repay their debts...

In the year 298 from the era of the gods, elementary school girls Sumi Washio, Sonoko Nogi, and Gin Minowa are tasked with an important mission. They are to become heroes and fight Vertex, a mysterious enemy that is attacking Shinju-sama, the god tree that protects Shikoku, the only area in the world that is still habitable. What they don’t know, is that this fight will cost them more than they could have ever imagined.

“Heroes killed my parents. Now I wear the mask of one. Until I can bury them all.”At seven years old, Hernan Vale watched his parents — two powerful heroes — brutally executed in their own home by the very people they trusted most: the legendary super-team known as the Zodiac 13.They thought he was dead.They made sure the world blamed villains.They covered their tracks.But Hernan survived — and never forgot.Ten years later, under a false name, Hernan enters the prestigious Hero Academy, hailed as a prodigy. To the world, he’s a rising star. To his classmates, he’s charming, calm, unstoppable.But inside?He’s a weapon. Waiting. Smiling. Counting names.As he trains to become a licensed hero, fights real villains, and rises through the ranks, Hernan plays the long game — earning the trust of the Zodiac, learning their routines, studying their weaknesses. One by one, he’ll bring them down.And this time, he won’t hide in the closet.But the deeper he goes, the more blood he spills — the more he wonders if he’s becoming worse than the monsters he’s hunting.And when love, loyalty, and lies collide, Hernan may have to decide:Will he save the world like they think he will...or finish burning it down?