Hero Hack: Reversing Heroes and Raising Harem-Chapter 231: Hero Files Lied

Blazren stood silent for a moment, his ember-orange eyes locked on Zain’s back.

The smoke from the battlefield still lingered in the air, curling around them.

Then he frowned, taking a slow step forward.

"What do you mean by that?" Blazren asked.

"You said you were the Heavenly Demon before you became a hero. How is that even possible?"

Zain didn’t turn. He just listened.

Blazren continued, voice tighter now.

"You’re from C-Zone. I’ve read your files. There’s no record of you doing anything criminal there. No traces. No signs."

His brow furrowed deeper.

"Was the Heavenly Demon Sect there too? Were you hiding them underground? Or was it all fake from the start?"

Zain finally turned, his eyes calm and unreadable.

He gave a slow smirk.

"You wouldn’t understand," he said. "Even if I explained it, you wouldn’t get it."

Blazren narrowed his eyes. "Try me."

Zain took a step closer, folding his arms.

"I wasn’t made by this world, Blazren. I came into it already carrying a name."

"I was the Heavenly Demon before I ever put on a hero badge."

Blazren flinched slightly, processing the words.

"But that doesn’t mean I’m a villain," Zain added.

"All my targets—every last one—have been villains, slavers, corrupted heroes, abusers."

"People who hide behind rules while destroying lives."

He spread his arms slightly.

"You can call me a dark hero. Maybe I don’t follow your codes."

"But I don’t hurt the innocent. I protect my own. And I destroy the rotten."

Blazren took another step forward, slower now.

"I knew you were ruthless," he said. "But I never thought you’d run your own sect. I didn’t think you’d lead something like that."

Zain shrugged.

"I never hid it," he said. "I just never said it out loud. That’s not the same thing."

He looked up toward the smoky sky and let out a soft breath.

"And now that the secret’s out..."

He turned his gaze back to Blazren.

"There’s no point pretending anymore."

Zain reached behind his back and removed the thin, silver chain that held his AA-Rank hero badge.

He looked at it once, then let it drop to the ground.

"I’m done being a hero."

Blazren didn’t move. He watched the badge fall and clatter softly against the dirt.

Zain walked a few paces past him but stopped.

"Blazren," he said, voice quiet but steady. "I always respected you. More than most."

He looked back.

"I even thought of you as a friend. Still do."

Blazren’s flames burned lower now, just flickers on his shoulders.

"You’re walking away from everything we’ve fought for," he said. "You know that, right?"

Zain nodded. "And I’m walking toward something stronger. Something I believe in."

He turned fully now, eyes focused.

"But don’t stand in our way."

His tone sharpened.

"We’re not villains. We’re not mindless killers. You can call us an outlaw group. You can call us monsters."

He took a step closer.

"But we’re not the ones starting this chaos."

Blazren held his breath.

Zain’s voice dropped lower.

"We are the Heavenly Demon Sect. We don’t ask permission. We act."

The two stared at each other, firelight reflecting off their eyes.

Blazren finally exhaled. "You really believe that?"

Zain nodded again. "I do."

His voice hardened.

"And if the Hero Association sends people after us—if you stand in our way—I won’t hold back."

Blazren’s fists slowly opened. The flames died completely.

Zain took one last look at him.

"I don’t want to fight you, old man. But I will, if I have to."

He turned.

The wind picked up, catching the edge of his coat.

"Goodbye, Blazren," he said.

"For now."

Then Zain vanished into the smoke and shadows, leaving only silence behind.

---

Blazren sat alone in the AA-Rank lounge, elbows resting on the table, his fingers folded under his chin.

The lights overhead buzzed softly. His eyes were locked on the floor.

Neuro approached silently, visor flickering with faint data streams.

"Hey, old man," he said, his voice flat but not cold.

"Why do you look like someone just shut off your flames?"

Blazren didn’t answer right away.

Neuro tapped a few buttons on the side of his visor.

"Town scans report ninety percent cleared. Mutant count is down."

"Civilian loss: minimal. Hero casualties: five percent. Statistically acceptable for an unexpected coordinated assault."

He tilted his head slightly.

"Are we going over hero casualties again?" he asked.

"Because statistically, five percent is a low-loss margin for a multi-zone assault."

Blazren didn’t respond right away. His eyes stayed on the floor.

His fingers flexed once, then slowly curled into a fist on the table.

"No," he said at last, voice low.

"It’s not about the casualties."

He leaned back in his seat and let out a long breath.

"It’s Zain."

Neuro’s brow twitched. His voice stayed flat. "Is he dead?"

Blazren shook his head once. "No. Worse."

There was a long pause.

"He’s the Heavenly Demon."

Neuro blinked once. Then let out a short, sharp laugh.

"You’re joking," he said. "He named himself after the Heavenly Demon, sure—but that was just a flair choice. A dramatic alias. Like half the newbies."

Blazren didn’t smile. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, staring straight at Neuro.

"I’m not joking."

"I mean he’s actually the Heavenly Demon."

"The leader of the sect. The one you’ve been tracking for months."

Neuro stopped laughing.

His smile faded.

The corner of his eye twitched, and he slowly turned toward Blazren.

"...No. That doesn’t align."

He tapped two fingers to his visor. Data flickered in rapid flashes across his lens.

"I ran hundreds of projections. Ran his background four times. Threat probability never broke twenty-five percent. Ranked him as low combat impact early on."

"His growth curve was fast—but not unnatural."

He frowned now, visibly computing.

"C-Zone origin. No past affiliations. No movement logs matching the sect’s timeline."

Neuro leaned back slightly, voice colder.

"You’re telling me that kid, the one I personally flagged as high potential but low risk..."

"...is that man?"

Blazren nodded once, his expression firm.

"If you don’t believe me," he said, "watch the damn video."

Neuro turned toward him, a hint of doubt still in his eyes.

"What video?"

Blazren reached into his jacket, pulled out a small data chip, and held it out.

"See for yourself."

Neuro slotted it into his visor. The playback began.

Zain stood in the center of the screen, calm, commanding. Velra Vantess stood beside him.

Neuro’s eyes narrowed. "The Velvet Demon..."

The video played Zain’s voice: "I am the Heavenly Demon."

Neuro said nothing for a long moment.

His hands moved faster, pulling up archived footage, cross-referencing tone, facial pattern, eye angle.

Silence stretched.

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