Earlier, when Nick had approached the Juggernaut, Greed, it initiated a conversation.
It happened as soon as Nick infused Greed with Specter Zephyx.
At that moment, Greed suspected that this newcomer had a method of unmasking Specters that had never been seen before.
Even more, Greed didn't know how this ability worked, and he didn't know how to counter it.
"If you unmask me, I will kill you and make it seem like an accident."
That was what Greed had transmitted to Nick via the unique method the Specters used to communicate.
The Champion could overhear human voice transmissions, but he couldn't overhear Specters talking to each other.
When Greed said that, Nick didn't show any sign of panic.
"If I don't unmask you, I will die," he transmitted back. "The Champion will strike me down, and I can't survive an attack from him. On the contrary, you have to be careful with how you strike me. If it's too strong, you become suspicious."
At that point, Greed already started to act like it was in pain.
"You can talk with the Champion, but you can't talk with me. I am a Specter, and if I am found out, I will die. I refuse to let you kill me," it said.
"And why do you think you will be killed? You are inside Aegis' headquarters, and Aegis desperately needs Adversaries. Even more, you are easy to work with. If you just come clean on your own and willingly hand yourself over, both of us will survive," Nick answered.
By now, Greed was acting like it was in unimaginable pain.
That was when Greed hit Nick.
Instead of talking more, it wanted to take Nick by surprise.
If Nick died, Aegis wouldn't have any proof.
It was normal for a human to lash out when they were in incredible pain.
Would Aegis kill him just due to a hunch?
Sure, they would be forever suspicious of him, but that was better than directly dying.
The entire spiel played out in front of them, and when Nick had recovered, he was the one who initiated the conversation.
"There's no going back anymore," he transmitted. "If you resist, you will die. You can't kill me anymore since everyone is ready to attack you now."
"Death will kill me," Greed answered. "If I'm lucky, I can break out of this room and flee. Death will attack and back me up."
"Are you even listening to yourself?" Nick asked. "You think Death will back you up? The Trio, or more precisely Duo, is not ready to strike. There are five Shields, including the Champion, in this very building."
"Do you believe Death is so stupid? Do you think it will risk unmasking its location? Alternatively, do you think it can resist the power of five Shields while staying far out in the ocean, striking from hundreds of kilometers away?"
"You don't have to be antagonistic to humanity. I am a Specter, and I am working with humanity. I have been working with humanity for a while now, and they allowed me to become powerful."
"The Trio and Corruptors don't know about my existence, which means I can openly walk among the Specters. Additionally, I have a human identity, and all the Shields know about my status."
"No one is my enemy. Everyone works together with me. The only threat right now is you."
"As long as you are inside a Containment Unit, humanity won't kill you. In fact, Aegis will even feed you plenty of powerful Extractors."
"Working with you is infinitely easier than working with the False Prophet. Aegis might even be interested in increasing your power even further."
"On your own, how can you ever become an Early Adversary? Sure, you could manipulate the other Shields, but what about becoming a Mid Adversary?"
"Meanwhile, Aegis will push you to become a Peak Adversary at some point."
"Your power has value to Aegis, and you can use that value in negotiations."
"Help humanity, and you will help yourself."
"Or you can try to run away and die miserably. It's your choice."
At that point, Greed just looked at Nick.
That was when he told everyone about its identity.
The room fell silent.
The Politician gritted his teeth.
Thanks to his brilliant mind, he immediately combined all the clues and realized that Greed had manipulated him.
Zandur had always praised the Politician.
He said that the Politician, as the new Left Arm, would get to work with the False Prophet and become an Early Shield. Then, with his brilliance, he could probably even convince the Champion that he would be more useful as a Mid Shield.
Finally, he could become the backbone of humanity.
Of course, the Politician knew that this couldn't happen, but Greed's words or influence just put his fire of ambition in him.
He wanted to go even higher.
He wanted to become even more important.
And yet, reality would hit him hard.
The Politician was not allowed to work with the False Prophet.
The damage to humanity was just too immense.
In order for the Politician to become an Early Shield by just working with the False Prophet, humanity would most likely lose tens of cities, tens of Agents, and a couple of Protectors.
This cost was simply too high.
The Politician knew from the very beginning that this was impossible.
And yet, he was still disappointed when reality smacked him in the face.
Disappointment, bitterness, hopelessness.
This was how Greed became more powerful.
While the Politician was furious at himself, the others were shocked.
The Wall had worked with the old Right Arm many times, and Zandur had been the Right Arm's most talented student.
Zandur was outstanding, and he was supposed to be the Right Arm's replacement when the Right Arm inevitably died.
And now, the Wall was supposed to believe that this youngster with a bright future was a Specter?
Meanwhile,the Technician had already suspected Zandur.
The primary reason was the battle against the Trio of Destruction and Death.
When Zandur appeared, War had stopped attacking.
War had just readied a gigantic and devastating strike, but when Zandur arrived, it hesitated, giving Zandur an opportunity to close the gap.
The author's . If he gets more than 1000€ per month, he will increase the number of words in the chapter.