Nick investigated the city, and after some hours, he found the reason why the humans acted so strangely.
Every month, every citizen was forced to work with one Specter.
The Specter caused them excruciating pain for a couple of minutes before releasing them.
Due to the length of the torture, the citizens came in groups, and Nick could watch the torture.
It was quite obvious. The Specter grew more powerful by causing pain to the humans.
Incorrect.
That was what almost everyone believed, but the truth was different.
Nick disguised himself as a normal human and entered the Containment Unit.
The Specter he saw looked different than he had expected.
It wore crude armor and carried several weapons with it.
As soon as the group entered, the Revolutionary, as Nick called it, went to work.
It drew its weapons and slowly created several cuts in all of the humans.
Then, when it was done, it let everyone go.
On the surface, all of this made sense, but Nick noticed a couple of important things.
First of all, the Specter's appearance and conduct didn't fit together.
A Specter's appearance generally fit the kind of suffering it dished out.
If a Specter grew more powerful by cutting people, they would look like a doctor, a crazy murderer, a tentacle filled with swords, or something similar.
Additionally, when the Revolutionary inflicted the cuts, it didn't seem to prioritize pain.
Instead, it was like it just went through the motions.
Nick also sensed a weird kind of ability being put into play.
He couldn't see what it did to the humans, but he could feel the fluctuations.
Lastly, and most importantly…
The Specter's Zephyx generation did not change when it inflicted any cuts.
It was like the cuts were not relevant to its Zephyx production at all.
'When the humans were about to enter the Containment Unit, they didn't even seem scared. Instead, they just seemed angry.'
'Or, more fittingly, they seemed to be filled with hate.'
'Anger tends to make people lose control of their actions, but these people don't lose control.'
'They are not lashing out at the guards because of their emotions.'
'They are lashing out because it benefits their greater goal.'
'They are fearless and filled with hate.'
'And that's exactly what this is about.'
'I need to confirm this by looking at other cities as well, but I believe War's new servant is related to the feeling of hatred, and this specific servant creates hatred via suppression and one more important thing.'
'Fearlessness. I believe its ability sucks the fear out of people, forcing the government to crack down harder on them. Fearlessness also creates this unified resistance the citizens are exhibiting.'
'When you are suppressed tremendously, and you are unable to feel fear, the next thing you feel will be hatred for the oppressor.'
'This kind of resistance could also be viewed as a war, which would fit War's interest.'
'Fearlessness, hatred, and war.'
'Wrath is similar to hatred, but it is also very different.'
'Anger is hot, while hatred is cold.'
'Anger is reckless, while hatred is methodical.'
'Anger vanishes quickly, while hatred lasts long.'
'I can't be entirely sure if this Specter is truly a servant of War's new servant, but I can tell with certainty that the leaders of this city are working together with a Specter that causes immense suffering to the general populace.'
Naturally, Nick had remained hidden while he was in the Containment Unit and gave the Specter the illusion that it had cut him.
The Specter was only an Early Demon, which meant Nick could control its perception for a long time without running out of Zephyx.
After leaving the Containment Unit, Nick started to investigate the leaders of the city.
He wanted to see who was involved.
'I just hope it doesn't involve all of the Heroes.'
Since Nick wanted to make sure that he didn't condemn an innocent person, he investigated the leadership for almost two weeks.
When he finished his investigation, Nick felt relieved.
There were four Heroes in the city, and three of them acted in a very interesting way.
They seemed nervous.
The refusal of the normal people to comply caused them immense pressure.
They advocated for more leniency for the citizens but didn't include the Revolutionary during these pleas.
They just wanted to ease up on the suppression.
However, the CZE of the Manufacturer owning the Revolutionary constantly told them that they were too late.
If they gave any leniency to the people, the people would take that opportunity and fully revolt.
The leaders had to keep suppressing the citizens. Otherwise, things would go out of control.
From inside the group of leaders, these words made sense, but Nick could see through the thinly veiled deception.
'A revolution amongst the common people generally occurs if they are unhappy about the state of matters. Logically, if you improve the state, the resistance will also weaken.'
'It makes sense, and it's definitely worth a try. Additionally, so what if they revolt even more? You are a Hero, and even tens of thousands of normal people can't kill you. You have absolute power.'
'I think this guy knows that the mental state of the normal people has been altered, and he is actually right. If we take this altered mental state into account, giving them leniency would truly backfire.'
'I'm pretty sure this guy is working for War's new servant.'
Nick made his judgment and prepared himself.
Since this was a relatively new servant, Aegis didn't know a lot about it.
Additionally, this servant was intelligent, which meant that it could talk.
'I should order an investigation into the Specter itself. It might give us important knowledge of War's new servant. The sooner we know what we are dealing with, the easier it will be to counter.'
Nick looked in the direction of the CZE of the biggest Manufacturer in the city.
'You will be my first target.'
'You might have sold out humanity for your personal gain, but you will repay humanity.'
'And you will regret your choice deeply!'
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