Hero Hack: Reversing Heroes and Raising Harem-Chapter 153: Velra Declares. Zain Denies

Zain walked into the Hero Association, calm as ever.

He looked around until he spotted Blazren near the mission board.

He raised a hand casually.

"Hello, old man."

Blazren turned slowly. His face was not calm. It was serious.

His arms were crossed, and his eyes were sharp.

"I need to talk to you," Blazren said.

Zain blinked. "Sure. Something happen?"

Blazren didn’t answer.

He simply nodded toward one of the side rooms.

Zain followed him in, still relaxed. The door closed behind them.

Blazren stood in the middle of the room, fists clenched.

"Zain," he said in a low voice, "are you helping the Velvet Demon?"

Zain’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Velvet Demon? You mean the villain that’s been causing trouble?"

Blazren nodded. "Yes. Her."

Zain frowned. "Of course not. Why would I help a villain?"

Blazren didn’t ease up. He took a step forward.

"Then tell me—why is her group called the Heavenly Demon Sect?"

Zain’s eyes widened. "What?"

Blazren repeated it.

"She said it herself. She formed a group. And she named it after you."

Zain looked stunned. "You’re serious?"

Blazren nodded.

Zain’s calm broke. His brow twitched. He took a step back, clearly angry and confused.

"How dare they..." he muttered.

Blazren watched him carefully. "So you didn’t know?"

Zain looked him in the eye. "Of course not! That’s my name."

He clenched his fists.

"I never gave anyone permission to use it."

Blazren raised an eyebrow.

"Then why would she do it? She said it like a proud title."

Zain looked away, his mind racing.

"I don’t know... maybe she’s trying to stir things up."

Blazren crossed his arms. "Or?"

Zain scratched the back of his neck, his brow furrowed.

"Or... maybe she’s just a fan of the Heavenly Demon Sect novel."

Blazren blinked. "You’re joking."

Zain shrugged.

"I don’t know. Some people like dramatic names. That novel’s pretty popular in the underworld."

Blazren didn’t laugh.

"This isn’t a joke, Zain. She’s a serious threat."

"She killed Valcair. She’s taking over his whole network."

Zain nodded slowly. "Yeah, I heard."

Blazren stepped closer. "If she keeps using that name... people will link her to you."

Zain muttered, "Then they’re idiots."

Blazren frowned.

"You’re strong, Zain. But your image still matters."

"People trust you. Don’t let that name drag you down."

Zain looked at him and smirked a little. "Thanks for the reminder, old man."

Blazren’s eyes didn’t soften. "Don’t thank me. Just be careful."

Zain turned toward the door. "I will."

Before he left, Blazren added one more thing.

"If she really is doing this just to play around with your name... put an end to it."

Zain paused, then nodded.

"I will."

And then he stepped out, his eyes colder than before.

---

The moment Zain stepped out of the hero association, he let out a soft laugh.

"Heh... my act is really an S-Rank."

He walked casually down the hall, hands in his pockets, a smirk on his face.

"Blazren believed me completely. Not even a single doubt left in his eyes."

He chuckled again, shaking his head slightly.

"He’ll probably tell the others too. ’Zain’s not involved. He’s still a hero.’"

Zain looked out the nearby window, watching a few B-Rank heroes training below.

"For now... they won’t know a thing about me."

His smirk deepened.

"No one suspects the truth."

He walked past a few passing staff members.

They nodded at him. He nodded back, calm and relaxed like nothing happened.

Once he reached the stairs, he muttered under his breath, "Time to meet Velra."

He stepped outside the building, the sunlight hitting his face.

"We need to talk about what’s next," he said to himself.

"She got their attention. Now we decide how to use it."

Zain looked up at the sky, eyes glowing faintly.

"Heavenly Demon Sect... let’s see what kind of fear we can spread next."

---

Zain walked through the ruined outer zone until he reached the hidden entrance of the Heavenly Demon Sect’s new base.

The area looked abandoned on the outside.

But the moment he stepped near the side gate, two female slaves appeared silently.

Their eyes widened when they saw him.

"It’s him."

"The master has arrived."

They quickly bowed and led him down a narrow path between crumbled buildings.

One of them pressed a hidden switch on the wall.

A section of stone slid open, revealing a secret passage.

"Please follow us," one said softly.

Zain nodded and walked with them.

They led him through the tunnel quickly, lighted only by dim pink glow lines on the walls.

Finally, the path opened into the main command chamber.

At the center stood Velra, waiting with her arms behind her back.

Her mask was off, and her rose-pink eyes locked onto him the moment he entered.

She smiled.

"Master," she said proudly, "what do you think of my act?"

Zain walked closer, smirking.

"Good enough," he said.

"You did what I wanted. The world knows about our group now."

Velra gave a slight bow, eyes still full of pride. "Then I’ve done well."

She looked back up. "And what about you, Master? Did you manage to fool them?"

Zain laughed lightly.

"Oh, they believe me."

Velra tilted her head. "All of them?"

"Blazren. His whole team. Even the scouts." Zain smirked.

"They think I’m angry someone used my name."

Velra chuckled. "That’s perfect."

Zain nodded. "I told them I had nothing to do with you or the group."

"And they just accepted that?" she asked, amused.

Zain shrugged. "I acted surprised. Said I was insulted. Even added a little anger."

Velra smiled. "What a professional actor."

Zain grinned. "Exactly. They won’t question me for a while."

She stepped a little closer, voice soft. "So what do we do next?"

Zain glanced around the base, eyes sharp.

"For now, gather the girls," he said. "I want to announce something."

Velra nodded without hesitation. "Yes, Master. I’ll bring them right away."

She turned and walked off quickly, activating her ability to call them all.