"Helena, go bring me some mana stones!" commanded Cardinal Hildred, her eyes fixed on Zero.
"Understood!" Priestess Helena replied quickly, scurrying out to retrieve the precious mana stone.
As soon as the stone was brought back, it was fed to the Nexus Scepter, which began to glow with renewed power.
Cardinal Hildred then placed the artifact on Zero's head.
"Haha… You had rejected me once, but you won't be able to this time. Consider this your honor!"
She declared triumphantly.
Zero felt the dark energy coursing through his body and struggled to resist, even though he was normally able to control such effects. However, he was handcuffed which disrupted his control and Cardinal Hildred was using the artifact in close proximity, making it impossible to fight back.
Cardinal Hildred pushed the power of the Nexus Scepter to its limits, determined to break Zero's will and become her loyal slave. He felt his body and mind slipping away, and he knew he was in danger.
Zero tried to resist, but it was too late. Another consciousness seemed to take over, and he slowly lost consciousness.
Cardinal Hildred and her followers waited eagerly, while Saintess Amelia watched in horror. She was powerless to stop what was happening. She was devastated and she had given up on any hope.
"Haha… Looks like everything is going well. Jester, stand up!"
Cardinal Hildred happily ordered. She waited for Zero to obediently obey her order.
Time passed but there was no movement from Zero. Cardinal Hildred was as confused as everyone else.
"Is his body in that bad shape? Or is it the handcuffs?"
Cardinal Hildred wondered aloud, and then send a Rank-A Holy Knight to check on Zero's physical state. After all, even if he was mind-controlled, if his body was broken, he wouldn't be able to follow her commands.
But before the knight could even reach him, Zero suddenly burst forth with an explosion of Dark Energy, breaking the handcuffs effortlessly and sending the knight flying into the wall with a deafening crash.
"KEKEKE… THIS BOY IS TOO SOFT! GETTING HIS ASS KICKED BECAUSE OF SOME GIRL. HE SHOULD HAVE JUST KILLED EVERYONE!"
Zero's voice was chilling, laced with a terrifying murderous intent. He laughed like a psycho and with his body in a bloody mess, it fitted his image.
Everyone present was shocked and terrified. They had never seen such raw power before, and moreover, they realized that Zero was using Dark Energy.
They whispered in disbelief, as Zero stood there, a dark aura surrounding him.
Cardinal Hildred was at a loss for words. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Nexus Scepter had failed to control Zero's mind, and he was now radiating with dark energy, a power that only Devil Contractors and Devils possessed.
( Is he someone sent by The Lord? Or someone working undercover like me? )
She began to doubt whether he was on her side or not. Only Devils and Devil Contractors could use Dark Energy and they were servants of the Lord, so she thought that Zero might be the same as her.
"Who exactly are you? Did The Lord send you here?"
She asked, her voice trembling with fear. But Zero paid her no attention. He seemed to be talking to himself, lost in his own world.
"You don't mind if I kill everyone here, right?"
He asked, his voice cold and menacing.
( … Whatever! They are just some insignificant characters. Do what you want. )
Cardinal Hildred was startled by Zero's declaration. She wanted to know whether Zero was on her side or not but she was certain that Lord had not sent him. Even if he did, she was sure that he was a danger to her life.
"Keke... Then let me show you how to do the job properly!" The Emperor Of Destruction exclaimed, his voice filled with an intense excitement that made the Cardinal's blood run cold.
With a look of horror on her face, the Cardinal watched as Zero's eyes bore into hers with deadly killing intent. The Dark Energy around him surged and intensified, sending shivers down her spine as she realized the grave danger she was in.
But instead of backing down, Cardinal Hildred resorted to threatening. "Stop! Don't you care about Saintess' life? You better stay down or else she will be killed!" she shouted, her voice trembling with fear.
Adeline was ready to strike at Saintess' throat. However, the person whose life is being threatened was not afraid nor was she paying attention to the knife below her neck. She looked at Zero in surprise.
As a person who could see through people and their mana, Saintess had never seen Zero's Dark mana so intense before. Even when Zero used dark energy, it was always mixed with his other elements.
But this time, it was different. Saintess couldn't detect any other elements, and she wasn't even sure if it was the same Zero as before. His mana was vastly different from his usual mana, and if she hadn't seen him change in front of her, she might have suspected that it was someone else in disguise.
"YOU DARE THREATEN ME!"
The Emperor Of Destruction growled, his voice dripping with menace and sending a cold shiver down Cardinal Hildred's spine.
She remembered the first time she met the Lord and how tiny she had felt in his presence. And now, she felt just as small and helpless in the presence of Zero. She was now certain that Zero was not working for The Lord at all. With this kind of strength, one wouldn't work for another unless they were stronger than Rank-SS.
Zero glared at her with such fury that she felt like she might be ripped apart at any moment. If there was one thing that the Emperor Of Destruction hated, it was being threatened with the life of others.
"Kill her immediately!"
Cardinal Hildred yelled nervously. She knew that it was impossible to have Jester/Zero now. It also didn't seem like threatening him with Saintess' life would work.
And with Zero showing a somewhat dangerous level of power, she knew that she might need to retreat. However, before that she had to complete one of the missions which was killing Saintess.
Capturing Saintess would have been better but with the situation at hand, she didn't think that was possible. So, her best move was to kill Saintess and escape.
[ "Demonic Emperor Sword: Abyssal Riftblade" ]
The Emperor Of Destruction used a technique that seemingly broke reality into two. The people around Zero didn't know what had happened but felt that something around them broke apart.
And the next second you know, Zero disappeared from his initial position and reached where Adeline was.
This left everyone bewildered.
Even the two Rank-S Holy Knights didn't have the time to react or felt that he moved at all. For others, they didn't know what had happened at all.
In a millisecond, before Adeline even cut one millimeter of Saintess' flesh, she was knocked out by Zero. Her sword fell out of her hand and she fell to the ground as well.
Then he proceeded to break the handcuff allowing Saintess to regain her abilities.
Zero said almost as if ordering her to do so.
Saintess' Amelia stared at him surprised. She couldn't process what was happening and nodded her head.
Cardinal Hildred ordered her men immediately. The two Rank-S Holy Knights and the other Rank-A Holy Knights immediately charged at Zero and Saintess.
Zero didn't even seem to see them as a threat. He just sneered and then proceeded to swing his sword with Dark Energy cloaking the sword.
[ "Demonic Emperor Sword: Extermination Blast" ]
The Emperor Of Destruction unleashed a blast of Dark Energy.
All the Holy Knights stopped in their tracks and proceeded to protect themselves while the two Rank-S Holy Knights went to protect Cardinal Hildred.
Cardinal Hildred looked startled and scared. Despite her arrogance, she was also someone who knew that there are people that you shouldn't mess with, and in her mind, Zero was also one of them.
Priestess Helena's body was trembling hard and she couldn't maintain her sanity. She also remembered the time when she had to meet with The Lord who is a Rank-SS Devil. It had become somewhat of a trauma and she couldn't stop trembling.
However, Priestess Helena's instinct was quick to react. She quickly hid behind Cardinal Hildred as she knew that Rank-S Holy Knights would protect her.
The sound of the blast echoed through the Cathedral, shattering windows and knocking over walls. The force of the explosion was immense, and the ground shook beneath their feet.
The two Rank-S Holy Knights used their powers to shield Cardinal Hildred and Priestess Helena from the brunt of the attack, but the other Holy Knights were not so lucky. They were thrown back by the force of the blast, their bodies slamming into walls and crumbling statues.
Cardinal Hildred's gaze locked onto Zero and the others. Her usual arrogance was replaced with a deep-seated fear that caused her to tremble uncontrollably. In her terror, she fumbled the Nexus Scepter, dropping it to the ground with a loud clatter.
Before them stood the man responsible for the chaos, his body smeared with blood and gripping a sword tightly in his hand. The air around him crackled with a dark aura, making Zero appear as the very embodiment of destruction.
The Emperor Of Destruction!