"Of course not," the Tinkerer said with a laugh. "Even without a Barrier, the Demon wouldn't have enough power to influence a Shield's mind."
The Champion looked at the fleshy ground.
The Right Arm smiled gently. "Thank you for the answer," he said.
The Tinkerer just raised an eyebrow in skepticism.
The next moment, the Right Arm looked at the Inferno and nodded.
A cocky smile appeared on the Inferno, and he nodded back.
BOOOOOM!
The Inferno suddenly exploded forward as fire gathered all around him.
The Champion was pulled out of his thoughts, but a moment of distraction was all the Inferno needed.
The Tinkerer immediately activated her Barrier, but then, she realized something horrifying.
The Maw had destroyed their Barriers!
They had no means of defense!
They could only attack.
Meanwhile, the former Right Arm started to shine in a gentle light, and the Inferno's fire grew even stronger.
He pierced forward with his spear.
BOOOOM!
Everyone's eyes widened as the Inferno's spear entered the Tinkerer's body.
BANG!
Then, the Tinkerer exploded into a ball of fire.
Immediately, everyone jumped back.
The Champion narrowed his eyes and pulled out his sword.
An explosion of light occurred, and the Inferno was pushed back.
"What is the meaning of this?!" the Champion shouted in rage.
The Inferno grinned cockily while the former Right Arm smiled peacefully.
"Julian Winter is our master," the former Right Arm said. "He needs more power. If we want to save humanity, we need to make Julian stronger."
"Julian is humanity's savior."
The Champion gritted his teeth.
Earlier, the two of them had talked like they had been following the Trickster voluntarily, but now, they talked like people who had been forcefully brainwashed!
Was all of this just for show?!
Was this the Trickster's plan?!
The Champion tightly held his sword.
The answers were not important.
The two of them had killed the Tinkerer, which made them Aegis' enemies.
He had no other choice.
The Champion's eyes turned white, and an irresistible domain of light expanded from around him.
The Inferno and the former Right Arm just looked at the domain.
They weren't even trying to evade.
"Did that sound familiar?" the Inferno asked.
The next moment, he was consumed by the Champion's light.
The former Right Arm released a peaceful chuckle as he was also enveloped.
The next moment, the light vanished.
The former Right Arm and the Inferno had vanished.
The fleshy walls and floor in the surrounding 200 meters had also completely vanished, leaving an open space.
This was the Champion's new ability.
Domain of Light.
This was not something any human could withstand.
Silence.
The Champion took a deep breath.
Did that sound familiar?
Yes, it sounded familiar.
Before the Technician died, he had spoken similar words.
Could a Demon control a Shield?
No.
But then, what about the Technician?
The Trickster must have had control of the Technician's mind for a long time.
The Technician and the old Left Arm constantly helped him.
They had been close allies for a long time.
Did Julian control both of their minds?
That was impossible.
But then… why?
Why did they help him so much?
Why did the Technician sacrifice his life to allow the Trickster to escape?
Naturally, the Inferno and the former Right Arm knew that they couldn't possibly kill the Champion.
Yet, they still wanted to help Nick, and the best way was to cause as much suffering as possible.
That was why they had sowed doubts in everyone's minds before killing the Tinkerer.
Sorrow, grief, and hatred would enter the Shields' hearts, and Nick would benefit.
"I'm sorry," the Champion said. "I was distracted, and that cost us our friend."
The other Shields were in different states of shock, anger, and acceptance.
One of them had died, but they had already expected something like this to happen.
"It was two against six," the new Right Arm said. "Don't take responsibility for every mistake. We also didn't react in time."
The other Shields nodded in agreement.
The sudden attack had caught all of them off-guard.
The Champion wasn't the only one who blamed himself.
"In the end, they were also just marionettes," one of the Shields said. "We can't believe anything the Trickster or its servants tell us. There is a reason why we gave it that name."
"Don't let your confidence be shaken," the Shield added, looking at the Champion. "The Trickster's specialty is tricking people and playing them for fools."
"Be stalwart, and do not think about the Trickster's words. Most likely, it said all of these things just to make you doubt yourself so that you won't kill it when you finally attain the power to do so."
The Champion didn't answer.
To be truthful, his confidence was shaken.
Logic told him that this was all just an elaborate ploy from the Trickster to cause more suffering so that it might grow stronger.
And yet, his emotions were telling him that something didn't feel right.
The Champion closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.
"Let's proceed with the plan," he said as he opened his eyes again.
He couldn't think about these things for now.
This was one of the most critical missions Aegis had ever undertaken.
The others nodded and readied their weapons.
"We are in this together," the Champion said. "For humanity, we must stand strong."
Everyone nodded again.
"I trust you, and I know that everyone will play their part perfectly. The plan has to be amended due to the Tinkerer's death."
"Mirana," the Champion said as he looked at a tall woman carrying two guards. "You have to take the Tinkerer's part."
"No issue," Mirana confirmed with a nod.
The next moment, the Champion closed his eyes again.
He moved his hand to his bare chest.
Then, he buried his hand in his chest.
He split his skin and flesh.
His hand pierced into his stomach, and he pulled something out.
It was a Space Bag.
The Maw took everything from its contestants except for their weapons.
Because of that, the Champion had hidden this Space Bag in his stomach.
His body healed, and he threw the Space Bag to Mirana.
"Does everyone know what they have to do?" he asked.
Everyone nodded.
"Then, let's begin."
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