The Icestorm looked with shock at Nick.
Not Greed?
She almost couldn't believe what she had just heard.
Then, she turned back to the Champion.
His sword was still in his hands, but he hadn't made a move.
"Is this a joke?" the Inferno asked with narrowed eyes.
"I don't know, is it?" Nick asked, turning to him. "Maybe you are Greed."
Naturally, when the Icestorm believed that Nick would essentially kill her, she had suffered quite a bit.
The pain of being innocent and being executed for crimes one didn't commit was immense.
Nick's ability had picked up that suffering, and it had been quite immense.
She couldn't possibly be Greed.
"You're accusing me next?" the Inferno asked with narrowed eyes.
"I got a 50% chance of being right," Nick said. "If the Champion cuts your head off and you're still alive, we will know."
"I have a duty to fulfill. The pressure on my shoulders is immense, and I'm fully committed. 50/50 are pretty good odds."
The Inferno narrowed his eyes.
"Come! Do it then!" he said. "If humanity takes such gambles, it deserves its current situation!"
The other Shields furrowed their brows.
However, they did not exactly disagree with the Inferno's words.
Nick narrowed his eyes.
"Deactivate your Barrier and get on your knees," Nick said.
The air in the room became scorching hot.
"Over my dead body," he said with a dark tone.
"Her words are my words," the Champion spoke as he slowly descended from his throne, his sword still in his hands.
The Inferno glared at the Champion. "I will not bend my knee to someone who doesn't deserve it."
The other Shields took in deep breaths.
"The Sun is our enemy, but you keep talking about it being our ally," the Inferno said. "Maybe you are Greed?"
The Champion's eyes narrowed.
"If I understood you correctly," Nick said calmly, "you are opposed to getting on your knees. You're not opposed to handing over your Barrier, correct?"
The Inferno snorted.
Then, he took out his Barrier and tossed it to Nick without a word.
The Champion didn't say anything, but he was seething with rage at the Inferno's accusation.
Nobody noticed, but deep inside, the Champion was also afraid.
If the Shields revolted against him, the Sun would wipe Aegis from the face of the Earth!
The Champion genuinely believed the lies the Sun had fed him, and he wanted to help humanity.
He didn't want Aegis to be destroyed.
It was his mission to make Aegis flourish!
"As long as you do not resist, you will not die," Nick said calmly.
"Do your worst," the Inferno said.
Nick wordlessly walked to the Inferno's back and pulled out a long and thin needle.
"This might hurt a bit," he said.
Then, Nick stabbed the needle into the Inferno's neck.
Human bodies were not very durable, and even a child had enough power to ram a syringe into an adult man's veins.
The Inferno felt the needle hit his Zephyx Synchronizer, and his entire body shook in pain.
The next moment, Nick used the needle as a medium and attacked the Zephyx Synchronizer with his Specter Zephyx.
The Inferno's body shook, and he gritted his teeth.
Nick was impressed that he didn't shout.
This was one of the most painful things a human could experience.
Essentially, the Specter Zephyx disrupted the Zephyx Synchronizer and caused immense damage.
Yet, the Inferno only grunted quietly from time to time.
Nick pulled the needle back out.
"Quite impressive," Nick said, walking away from the Inferno.
Then, he turned to the Champion before returning the Inferno's Barrier. "He's safe."
The Inferno rubbed the back of his neck and snorted. "I have to admit, that hurt a bit."
Finally, everyone turned to the Juggernaut.
The Juggernaut just laughed and shrugged. "Go ahead," he said casually.
Without being ordered, the Juggernaut pulled out his Barrier and threw it to Nick.
Nick wordlessly approached the Juggernaut's neck and pulled out his needle.
Then, he inserted it into the Juggernaut's neck and touched his Zephyx Synchronizer.
Nick infused the Juggernaut's Zephyx Synchronizer with his Specter Zephyx, and it wreaked havoc.
The Juggernaut fell to his knees and started to sweat profusely.
Everyone could see that he was in immense pain.
"Just a bit more," Nick said, strengthening his Zephyx.
"Argh!" the Juggernaut shouted.
BANG!
Then, he kicked Nick away.
Nick's back hit the wall, and his body exploded.
"Are you crazy?! Do you want to kill me?!" the Juggernaut shouted in rage and panic.
Everyone looked with horror at the desecrated body.
The Juggernaut noticed the change in tone and also looked at Nick's body.
When he saw it, his eyes widened in horror.
"I… I…" he stuttered. "I didn't mean to!"
Then, he fell on his ass. "That wasn't on purpose!"
Everyone looked with furrowed brows at him.
Was it?
Without Nick, they couldn't be sure if he was Greed or not.
But then, their attention was drawn back to the desecrated body.
The flesh reformed, and the exposed Specter Core shone.
A moment later, Nick's body recovered.
A human would have died.
But he was no human.
"A Specter?" the Icestorm asked in shock.
"That makes my words more believable, does it not?" Nick asked calmly. "After all, we Specters are only interested in our powers and survival."
"If I am willing to bet my life on something, it means I am 100% certain I am right."
Everyone just looked with shock at Nick.
They had another Specter working for them?
They thought they only had the one!
Then, Nick turned to the shocked Juggernaut.
"Nice try," he said.
Nick calmly walked to the Champion.
"When I came in contact with him, he told me that he would kill me by accident and unmask me as a Specter if I didn't cover for him," Nick said.
The Inferno narrowed his eyes.
He had known that Nick was a Specter when he felt the Specter Zephyx in his Zephyx Synchronizer.
But he hadn't unveiled Nick's secret.
"He is Greed," Nick said. "I am 100% sure."
Then, Nick looked at the Juggernaut. "You are an Initial Adversary, and we need one we can work with. You will be quite useful, and we won't kill you."
"But we will cut off your head anyway, and after we're done with that, we will incinerate your body."
The Juggernaut just looked with horror at Nick.
"My words are the Champion's words," Nick said. "If I don't unmask Greed, I will die."
Silence.
Yet, only the outside was silent.
In truth, Nick and the Juggernaut were communicating secretly.
And several seconds later, the Juggernaut stood up.
"Fine, you got me," he said, scratching the side of his head.
"Yes, I am Greed."
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