'Hah… I didn't want to go down that path, but things can't be helped.' Drakmor briefly closed his eyes and sighed, guessing as much. 'There was no point in meeting most of us from the very start.'
The dragon observed the frozen devils and wondered, many of the Enforcers doing the same. Alexander had not provided a clear response, so he couldn't jump to conclusions.
"W-What do you mean we have corrupted agents in our midst?" An Enforcer asked in disbelief.
"It's exactly what it means" Alexander looked at the faces of the Enforcers, his gaze moving from right to left. "There are those amongst you who have been compromised."
"And you're telling us you're the only one capable of spotting them?"
There was no way they had failed to sense that vile essence in their midst. Although the Enforcers glanced at each other with a bit of caution in their eyes, they were not actually worried.
After all, the corruption didn't take effect instantly. It took time; time they had to resist, to fight back, or to escape.
"Yes." Alexander turned to the Enforcer who questioned him. "I can count fourteen compromised Enforcers gathered here."
The atmosphere suddenly grew tense as everyone became more cautious and guarded than before, though they did not move from their positions; they were too proud to show any signs of weakness.
Even so, suspicion towards the two frozen devils continued to increase.
"This is ludicrous. You can point fingers at those you think are compromised, but how are you going to prove what you just said? If your plan is to sow discord among us, then you'd better think again."
"Had you had the ability to deal with the corruption you created, I wouldn't be here, would I?" Alexander countered, once again raising a valid point.
Recalling the feed they watched of Alexander dealing with the corrupted and ruined universe, they knew he was the best person qualified to deal with the vile essence.
So it wasn't far-fetched that he could spot those who carried traces of that abhorrent essence.
"But what do you intend to do?" Another question was directed at Alexander. "Let's say what you said is correct, and there are compromised Enforcers among us.
"But as far as we are concerned, there hasn't been anything unusual with any of us. We're all doing our best to find Zauren and bring his madness to an end?"
Alexander did not immediately reply, letting out a subtle sigh no one missed. As much as he was getting annoyed with the questions being thrown his way, the Enforcer was right.
The Enforcers had been dealing with their corrupted comrades for thousands of years. Just because he said there were compromised Enforcers among their ranks did not amount to anything.
But there was a problem with the reception he was receiving from his revelation. 'They still aren't getting how messed up their actions are. In that case…'
"Mm!"
A sudden and overbearing pressure fell on the Enforcers, forcing most of them onto their knees.
Most.
Many among the chiefs were able to resist the pressure, but could barely stay on their feet.
The only ones who were left standing were Rycan, the two devils and those who had accompanied Alexander and his friends here.
"T-The hell…"
"W-What is the meaning of this?!"
"How dare you?!"
The surrounding space for hundreds of kilometres rumbled and shook, as hundreds of Enforcers unleashed their existential presence in an attempt to break free.
The combined might of their auras was so overwhelmingly strong that the fabric outside of Alexander's domain shattered and tore off from the rest of the universe, resulting in the creation of an isolated space.
With spacetime under his absolute control in the bounds of his domain, Alexander was capable of increasing pressure as many times as he desired.
He stripped away the Enforcers' ability to express or utilise their energies, rendering them weakened and useless.
"Maybe I wasn't clear enough." Alexander's voice overshadowed the rain of curses and demands to be released. "You put all of reality in danger, and you think having compromised agents among your ranks doesn't matter?!"
A pulling gesture of his left hand brought to the forefront seven Enforcers who had managed to stand on their feet despite the tyrannical weight they bore.
Another gesture with his right hand pulled another seven out of the struggling Enforcers.
"T-That can't be…" Rycan muttered incredulously.
The fourteen Enforcers Alexander pulled out wore expressions of abject shock and disbelief.
However, the remaining Enforcers were the ones most shocked when the fourteen were brought out.
Among the compromised Enforcers, none were of the demon or devil race, as many of them thought — Gru'ey and Fre'er were not among them.
Three were of different beastman lineages, six were long-eared elves, and the rest belonged to the angelic race!
More than half were of the race that denoted purity, especially for the angelic race and their doctrines. The doubt was understandable.
"Ugh!"
Alexander made a palm-pressing gesture, and all fourteen agents fell to their knees. The compromised Enforcers struggled and attempted to unleash their power, but to no avail.
"You won't be escaping my domain that way…" Alexander said. "Unless, of course, you use that vile essence you have hidden in your cores."
"..."
Even while still struggling, the Enforcers did not dare miss what was transpiring before Alexander.
Calyndra and the others beside Drakmor could not help but swallow hard, realising just how fortunate they were.
'Haha… And we call ourselves the direct subordinates of the Supreme One.' Calyndra laughed in self-mockery, looking at her kneeling and struggling colleagues.
'If he wanted to harm me at that time, I would have been dead. This Deviant Veilwalker is a different being from the rest of us.
'What use is our strength when he can render us useless!' It was a hard pill to swallow and a rude awakening for the gathered Enforcers.
Fortunately for them, they were not alone. Alexander's friends and fiancée were seeing a new side of Alexander that they didn't know about.
The domineering display left Julia a swallowing mess with a racing mind and heart.
Ross and Cassandra, on the other hand, clenched their fists as they yearned for such power, their hearts and cores thumping excitedly.
'A-Alex was always this strong…?!' The redhead inwardly screamed, taking in the shocked expressions of the Enforcers.
"Y-You're making a mistake!" One of the angelic beings yelled, their golden aura flaring wildly. "Do you even know what I am?!"
The angelic being managed to tilt his head to look at his colleagues, but there was no help when they were all rooted in place.
"What you are has nothing to do with anything," Alexander replied. "The abhorrent essence does not differentiate between positive or negative energy. It simply takes…"
"A-Alexander…?" Rycan called out, prompting Alex to look over to him. "Are you sure they're really compromised?" His eyes darted towards the angelic beings more than the others.
"I am…" Alexander understood the beastman's doubts. "They did well in hiding it from everyone.
"However, what they didn't count on was that the corruption had become a part of themselves, infusing their very existential framework. Just making contact with my essence, even with your skin, would reveal the traces."
Unable to refute Alexander's words, the beastman sighed and resigned himself to watching how things played out.
He glanced in Drakmor's direction and expressed, completely ignoring the suffering of the others. 'Did you always know the kid was this powerful?'
'I had my suspicions.' Drakmor replied, intentionally broadcasting his words through the connection. 'But there's something different from when I took him to meet the Supreme One. He seems more sure of himself and his abilities.'
'Isn't that the same for beings like us?' Nyssa asked what everyone was thinking.
'Maybe,' Drakmor affirmed. 'Then again, this is simply from my observations and instinct. Aside from the Supreme One, I don't think any of us can defeat him. That energy of his makes all the difference.'
'...'
"So…" Alexander turned his gaze back to the kneeling Enforcers before him. "Are you going to talk, or do I have to make you?"
"Ugh…"
Multiple groans escaped the compromised Enforcers as Alexander increased the pressure once more. "Y-You're really making a mistake here, Alexander! Do you really think we Chief Enforcers are so easily corrupted?! We may not be like you, but we are not weak!"
"..."
Alexander did not reply, silently watching them struggle.
"I don't think they would know anything useful, Lord Alexander." Drakmor's voice drew everyone's attention. "Zauren is one slippery being. He had never stayed in one place for too long. So even if they know something, it wouldn't be useful to you."
"I've considered that possibility, Lord Drakmor." Alexander nodded. "What I want from them isn't information about Zauren and his whereabouts. You guys said the corrupted fusion grew a conscience, correct?" The dragon nodded.
"That means Zauren already knows what's going on here," Alex added and then looked back at the Enforcers before him, glaring. "What I want is for them to admit that they have been corrupted."
"To what end..?" Nyssa echoed, confused.
"Do I cleanse them, or do I erase them?" Alexander answered. "Depending on the extent of the corruption, these Enforcers are either too far gone, or they have a chance at being saved."