Chapter 346

Ronan stared ahead of him in complete silence.

The system screen that was supposed to accompany him was nowhere to be found.

Ronan focused and attempted to call upon the system once more, but there was no answer.

No flash of a blue screen.

No monotone voice ringing inside his ears.

The system truly seemed to have gone dormant.

His gaze shifted toward the man sitting right across from him.

The man flinched ever so slightly before withdrawing his hand.

Crimson Scale frowned from the side, feeling slightly annoyed as he thought that perhaps Ronan had rejected the man’s ability once again.

However, before he could say a word, Mr. Dave’s voice reached his ears.

"It’s done."

"His power has been suppressed."

Hearing those words, Crimson Scale let out a long sigh of relief.

His expression clearly showed how seriously he had taken this matter.

"I see."

He wanted to say more, but something about Mr. Dave’s voice caught his attention.

Moments ago it had been vibrant and firm.

Yet now it sounded weak and frail, as if he had been running a marathon for hours and had exhausted every ounce of strength within him.

Crimson Scale was about to ask why his voice sounded so strained before realizing it must have something to do with suppressing Ronan’s powers and abilities.

The more Crimson Scale witnessed, the more stunned he became.

After all, this was the same man who had once suppressed three S-Rankers consecutively without showing even the slightest sign of exhaustion.

Yet after suppressing the power of a single teenager, he looked as though he had been completely drained dry.

Just how powerful is he?

Crimson Scale thought as he gave Ronan a wary look.

Ronan turned and met his gaze.

His eyes remained calm, yet there was a slight flicker of displeasure hidden within them.

"We are done."

"Thank you for your cooperation."

Crimson Scale gave Ronan an approving nod.

Ronan didn’t speak.

Instead, he simply looked at the man seated before him, his gaze becoming even blanker than usual.

Now he finally understood why this man was considered one of the government’s special agents.

His skill could only be described with a single word.

Incredible.

Ronan had practically been weakened by over eighty percent.

With Onslaught gone, his System inaccessible, and especially with Switch locked away, he was practically a shell of his former self.

And based on the System’s final notification before entering dormancy, only this man could lift the suppression.

Otherwise, he would remain in this state indefinitely.

Even Ronan couldn’t help but feel slightly impressed.

"I see why you remain a secret to the world now."

He spoke as he silently rose from his chair.

"If the world knew about your power, then you would surely be hunted down."

Ronan’s voice remained calm.

Mr. Dave’s ability simply posed too great a threat.

Once the world learned about it, countless powerful individuals would seek him out.

The man let out a small chuckle.

His tone still sounded exhausted as he replied.

"Actually... I’ve been hunted for a very long time now."

"And the ones doing the hunting are monsters."

His face tightened slightly as memories from the past surfaced in his mind.

Then he continued.

"That’s why I decided to work for the government."

"So they could ensure my safety."

"Especially from him."

"That one-eyed freak."

Ronan looked at him calmly.

He could hear the man’s heartbeat.

Whoever this one-eyed freak was, he had clearly traumatized the special government agent.

The man seemed to be trembling simply from recalling those memories.

"I see."

That was all Ronan said.

Then he shifted his gaze back toward Crimson Scale.

"I believe we are done here."

"So take me to whatever cell you’ve prepared."

"I am tired of waiting around."

Crimson Scale nodded.

He spoke briefly into the black watch strapped to his wrist.

A few minutes later, one of Arc’s high-ranking members entered the room and escorted Ronan toward his holding cell.

With his powers greatly suppressed and nearly sealed away entirely, Crimson Scale could finally rest easy.

At least now, there was no way for Ronan to simply walk out of his cell whenever he pleased.

Or so he believed.

After Ronan was escorted away, Crimson Scale turned his gaze toward the man who was still clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

Crimson Scale had heard parts of the tragic history that had befallen Mr. Dave.

And he could already guess who this one-eyed man was.

An infamous assassin.

A monster feared by both awakened and non-awakened alike.

Hero or villain.

Old or young.

It made no difference.

The man with the eyepatch.

The terrifying individual rumored to possess the ability to kill even S-Rankers.

A legendary assassin who remained at large despite countless attempts to apprehend him.

Placing a reassuring hand on the seated man’s shoulder, Crimson Scale spoke.

"Don’t worry."

"He will be caught soon."

Mr. Dave merely nodded slightly before closing his eyes and attempting to regain his composure.

After a while, he managed to calm down.

Although he still felt unusually drained.

The amount of energy required to suppress Ronan’s abilities had been tremendous.

So tremendous, in fact, that he felt it might take several days before he fully recovered his exhausted strength.

"Let’s head back."

Mr. Dave spoke as he slowly stood up.

Crimson Scale nodded.

He knew that allowing Mr. Dave to remain too far away from a secured location could place him in danger.

So he immediately decided to escort him personally.

"Let me escort you."

"That is the least I can do for you, after all."

Mr. Dave nodded and smiled.

"Thank you."

With that, the two took another exit different from the one Ronan had taken and appeared on another pathway.

As they continued to walk, Crimson Scale couldn’t help but voice the question that had been lingering in his mind.

"So, what do you think?"

"Do you think he is stronger than Buster?"

Mr. Dave remained silent for a while before slowly nodding.

"Yes, he is."

Crimson Scale gulped ever so slightly when he heard that.

He had his suspicions, and now that they had been confirmed, he couldn’t stop a shiver from running down his body.

Buster was strong.

Extremely strong.

Even Crimson Scale himself wasn’t certain he could defeat Buster in a fight.

If he wanted to compare them, he would say they were perhaps equal at best.

And now Mr. Dave had confirmed that Ronan was stronger than Buster.

Meaning...

He was stronger than Crimson Scale as well.

As if that revelation wasn’t shocking enough, Mr. Dave dropped another bombshell.

"Actually, I believe he possesses power rivaling Tech or Flame."

His voice was calm, but the implications of those words were anything but.

"Those four at the very top are the only people I believe would be on his level."

He was speaking his sincere thoughts.

Just the fact that he had needed to drain his entire energy reserve to suppress Ronan’s abilities should have already revealed everything that needed to be known.

Crimson Scale slowly nodded.

He had guessed as much.

If Ronan was truly as strong as those standing at the pinnacle, and the Fire God was around that same level as well, then who was to say the other core members of the Tryst Guild weren’t equally powerful?

Wouldn’t that mean that the newly established guild possessed power rivaling the great Hero Guilds themselves?

My hunch is right.

I must prevent a war from breaking out at all costs.

And I hope they are able to prove that he truly wasn’t Blazer’s killer and bring this brewing conflict to an end before it even gets the chance to begin.

Soon, the two arrived at one of Arc’s exterior exits.

Several personnel dressed in Arc uniforms stood guard around the area.

And parked nearby was a miniature airship.

However, as the two continued walking forward, something strange happened.

One of the Arc members came rushing toward them while carrying several documents.

Due to his speed, he accidentally crashed directly into Mr. Dave.

Mr. Dave nearly lost his footing but was caught in time by Crimson Scale.

Crimson Scale immediately shot the subordinate a glare.

The gray-haired man quickly formed an apologetic expression before speaking in an urgent tone.

"Sir, a Red Portal Break has occurred in a city not far from here."

"None of the heroes stationed there can stop the beasts coming out of it."

"They’ve requested immediate support."

He handed over the documents he had been carrying.

Crimson Scale quickly scanned through them.

Moments later, his expression darkened slightly.

He turned toward Mr. Dave and gave him an apologetic look.

It seemed he would have to leave immediately and wouldn’t be able to escort him back as promised.

"Don’t worry about me."

Mr. Dave spoke after noticing the look.

"I’ll be fine."

His tone emphasized that Crimson Scale’s priority should be saving as many lives as possible.

"Thanks."

Crimson Scale nodded.

Without wasting another second, he headed toward a different airship and departed.

Mr. Dave also entered the airship that had been prepared for him.

After taking a seat, however, he frowned as he looked down at his hand.

He could be said to be extremely familiar with energy.

And right now, he felt as though something had been taken from him.

The sensation was vague.

Almost impossible to pinpoint.

But it had occurred the moment that Arc member had bumped into him.

His gaze shifted back toward the gray-haired officer, who was currently discussing something with several colleagues nearby.

As the airship slowly began to lift off, Mr. Dave’s eyes caught something.

Wait... 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Was that gray-haired Arc officer smiling while looking at him from the corner of his eye?