Two maws appeared below the Right Arm and the Inferno.
The Champion was about to become the first level nine Extractor.
"I am the Trickster, and I can manipulate enemies. If you need my help, just call for me," Nick transmitted to the maws as they consumed the two Shields.
The Maw didn't answer, but Nick knew that it had heard what he said.
As soon as Nick was done talking, one of the beams became redder, and that was exactly why he had just said that.
Now, Nick knew which beam belonged to the Maw.
Naturally, the Maw didn't answer since it didn't care.
Nick had already suspected that the Maw lacked intelligence, and this basically confirmed it.
The Maw simply acted on instinct and just captured its food.
In fact, a moment after the beam became redder, it turned fainter again.
All the information Nick had just given the Maw had already been forgotten due to its limited intelligence.
The two Shields vanished, and Nick was left alone in the Containment Unit.
A moment later, Nick dismantled the Containment Unit and left.
As soon as the Champion advanced, his perception would be able to cover the entire world.
From now on, Nick couldn't travel in the open anymore.
Meanwhile, far away, the eight Shields found themselves in isolated rooms.
The Right Arm and the Inferno simply waited in the flesh room.
They were not ready to advance, and they couldn't get the Maw's ability.
Naturally, the other Shields were in the same boat.
Everyone just waited.
The only one who was actually doing something was the Champion.
Several hours passed as the Champion looked at the fleshy walls with determined eyes.
'I am going to save humanity!' the Champion thought.
'I sacrificed so much to get here. Humanity has sacrificed so much!'
'Humanity relies on me, and the Sun wants me to usher in a new age for humanity!'
'The alien menace has to be stopped,and we must protect the Sun.'
'The Sun is the only reason why humanity still exists!'
'I might be the Champion of Light, but I am not the Champion of Humanity yet.'
'I must first become the Champion of Humanity!'
The Champion was determined.
He would save humanity, no matter what it took!
In the beginning, the Champion had felt envious of the old Champion.
The old Champion had built Aegis, and he had been humanity's sole protection.
How could he possibly live up to that?
But after several centuries, the Champion finally gained the confidence.
Now, he didn't view the old Champion as competition anymore.
Instead, he saw the old Champion as an ancestor.
Without the old Champion's power, the new Champion wouldn't be where he was today.
'I hate that I have to put my friends in danger,' the Champion thought. 'I hate that everyone has to sacrifice so much.'
The Champion's Zephyx Synchronizer attuned to the Maw, and he felt himself growing stronger.
He felt his perception improving, but the walls of the Maw still kept it in check.
Eventually, he stood up, his eyes filled with determination.
Humanity's hope had been born.
The Champion of Humanity had appeared.
The first level nine Extractor.
'And there will be many more!' the Champion thought.
A moment later, the fleshy wall parted, revealing a complex maze of flesh.
The Champion walked out.
The other Shields also walked out.
All of their perceptions were suppressed, and they essentially blindly traversed the maze.
The first people who found each other were the Champion and the new Left Arm.
As soon as they met, they nodded at each other.
Instead, they traveled together.
Within a matter of minutes, the Champion met up with five of his Shields, including the Peak Protector, who had become a Shield just to trigger the Maw.
"Where are the other two?" the Champion asked.
"I saw the Inferno earlier,but he just ran away before I could say anything," one of the Shields said.
At that moment, the Inferno and the Right Arm walked out from behind a wall.
The two sides looked at each other.
As the Champion saw the two of them, he was surprised to find that they were Mid Shields already.
Instead of being weakened, they had been strengthened.
"Inferno, former Right Arm," the Champion spoke in greeting.
The atmosphere was awkward.
"Is it finally time?" the Inferno asked with a snort. "What's the plan?"
The former Right Arm just smiled and let the Inferno talk.
"I am unsure if I can share my plan with you," the Champion said. "You have been under the Trickster's control for centuries. I do not know which side you stand on."
"Nothing has changed," the Inferno said. "I stand with humanity."
"I stand with humanity," the former Right Arm confirmed.
The Champion furrowed his brows.
He was exceptionally good at telling if somebody was lying.
He could see that the two Shields were not nervous, and they didn't seem to be lying.
Either the Trickster had them under such perfect control that there wasn't even an iota of doubt in their minds, or they were still themselves.
"What do you consider being on humanity's side?" the Champion asked. "Is it Aegis' side?"
The former Right Arm smiled bitterly.
"No," he answered. "We are on humanity's side. Aegis is not on humanity's side."
The other Shields narrowed their eyes, and the atmosphere intensified.
"I see," the Champion said with a sigh.
"Your mind has been controlled by the Trickster."
"Just like the Technician."
Surprisingly, the two Shields didn't immediately disagree.
"The Trickster changed parts of our memories. It does have that power," the former Right Arm said.
When the other Shields heard that, they furrowed their brows.
Usually, people who were being controlled by a Specter vehemently denied the fact that they were being controlled.
"But we agreed to it," the Inferno added.
The atmosphere became tense.