Chapter 224: Arrest

Chapter 224: Chapter 224: Arrest

Seth’s strength had been terrifying when turned against him. Now, after the battle and the difficult process of absorbing that power, Lucian had transformed a deadly threat into a leap forward in cultivation.

He flexed his fingers, feeling the difference in his mana circulation.

His core was denser. His reserves had expanded. His control over his power felt more stable, and the oppressive pressure that had once separated him from Seth’s realm no longer seemed quite so insurmountable.

"Not bad," Lucian murmured.

Mickey stared at him.

"You just broke through after that fight?"

Lucian glanced at him.

"Would you prefer I waited?"

"Honestly? I would prefer you stopped making the rest of us feel useless."

Clara let out a quiet laugh, though the sound soon gave way to a tired sigh. She leaned back against the broken stone behind her.

"Just make sure you can still stand when we’re ready to leave."

Lucian’s smile widened.

"We’ll see."

He closed his eyes again, settling into meditation to stabilize his new realm.

Elsewhere, World Government, Cairo

The same day, far from the shattered Apep fortress, a different battle was being fought.

Not with swords or mana, but with evidence.

Inside a secure chamber belonging to the World Government, representatives of the Knights of the Horizon stood before senior officials. Documents, financial records, witness statements, and intercepted communications covered the table before them.

The evidence painted a damning picture.

The Nasrullah family had maintained connections with vampires while publicly presenting itself as a respectable political dynasty. Records indicated that members of the family had helped conceal the Apep vampires’ activities, obstruct investigations, and suppress information about the crimes committed by the Apep clans.

Worse still, the documents showed deliberate efforts to cover the vampires’ tracks and hide the extent of their involvement from the authorities.

One government official slowly lowered the final report.

"Are you telling us that these accusations involve Minister Harun Nasrullah himself?"

The Knight standing at the head of the table met his gaze without hesitation.

"We have submitted the evidence. You can verify every major claim independently. The question is no longer whether the matter deserves investigation."

He pushed another folder across the table.

"The question is how long these people have been allowed to operate above the law."

Silence filled the chamber.

The World Government had tolerated political maneuvering and disputes between powerful families for generations. But evidence of deliberate cooperation with vampires, combined with the concealment of the Apep clans’ crimes, crossed a line that could not simply be ignored.

The Knights had made their move.

And this time, they had not come with accusations alone.

They had come prepared to prove them.

Orders were issued. Investigators were dispatched, warrants were prepared, and the relevant authorities began coordinating their response.

Minister Harun Nasrullah possessed no awakened ability of his own. He was an unawakened man whose influence came from political connections, wealth, and the network of powerful individuals who protected him. Among his personal security detail were bodyguards who had reached the Peak Grand Core Realm.

For years, that protection had made him difficult to challenge.

But political power could not erase a documented conspiracy.

That evening, officials arrived to arrest him.

His Peak Grand Core bodyguards were ordered to stand down while the authorities presented the warrant and the evidence supporting it. The confrontation remained tense, but the World Government had committed itself to the operation, and the Knights stood alongside its representatives.

Harun Nasrullah’s expression darkened as the charges were read.

"This is a mistake," he declared. "You have no idea who you’re dealing with."

The official overseeing the arrest showed no reaction.

"You will have the opportunity to answer these allegations through the proper process."

Harun looked toward his guards, then toward the assembled officers.

For the first time in a long while, his political influence could not immediately make the problem disappear.

The restraints closed around his wrists.

Minister Harun Nasrullah was arrested that day.

The news would send shockwaves through the political establishment. The Nasrullah family’s alleged ties to vampires, their concealment of the Apep clans’ crimes, and the evidence delivered by the Knights of the Horizon could no longer be buried quietly.

By sunrise, every major news network was reporting the same story. A senior minister of the World Government, a man whose influence stretched across several continents, had been taken into custody following an investigation into his connections with the Apep vampire clan.

The official statement was brief. The evidence was not.

Financial records, intercepted communications, witness testimonies, and documents recovered from the Apep fortress painted a damning picture. For years, members of the Nasrullah family had allegedly helped conceal vampire activities, obstructed investigations into missing civilians, and suppressed reports concerning the Apep clan’s blood farms. Worse, several officials had received orders to destroy evidence whenever the vampires’ operations threatened to become public.

The Knights of the Horizon had delivered the evidence directly to the World Government.

They had also insisted that the investigation extend beyond Harun himself.

That demand frightened people far more than the arrest.

In a fortified detention facility beneath New Geneva, Harun sat across from three investigators. His expensive suit was wrinkled, and the handcuffs around his wrists seemed almost insulting to a man who had spent decades commanding ministers, generals, and awakened officials.

"You have made a serious mistake," he said calmly. "Do you understand who I am?"

One investigator pushed a document across the table.

"We understand precisely who you are, Minister."

Harun glanced at the page. It contained a record of payments routed through shell companies, all leading back to accounts associated with the Apep clan.

His expression barely changed.

"Fabricated."

Another document followed. Then another.

A message authorizing the transfer of captured civilians. A report identifying a vampire safe house. An order to redirect an investigation away from a missing-persons case.

Harun’s jaw tightened.

"These documents prove nothing without context."

"Then explain the context."

He leaned back and smiled, though the gesture lacked its earlier confidence.

"I will speak with my lawyer."

"You may. Until then, you will remain here."

For the first time in years, Harun Nasrullah discovered that influence could not open every door.

His family had powerful allies. His bodyguards were Peak Grand Core cultivators. His political connections reached into institutions that ordinary citizens could barely imagine.

But none of those things could erase the evidence already in the hands of the Knights.

And somewhere beyond the reach of his influence, the man who had helped expose his crimes was becoming even more dangerous.