Blackheart.
Firstborn son of the Lord of Hell.
To obtain his power, one must sacrifice the person closest to them?
Some viewers wanted to laugh, finding the premise absurd.
But...
Carrie's voice was cold and mechanical. Had it been any other tone—sweet or melodic, for instance—the audience would have immediately suspected she was merely reciting a script. Instead, her delivery seemed to tell the world:
Believe it or not. I don't care.
This created a subtle, chilling effect.
The crowds sitting before their television sets watched Nick Rice on the screen—huddled in his chair like a stray dog—and began forming their own judgments.
Many, however, had already made up their minds.
"Record everything."
"Run a background check."
"Consult with our witch allies. Ask about this 'Syndra'."
"The Dark Sovereign?"
"A century spent focusing on the infernal plane?"
Inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. hub, Maria Hill issued a rapid-fire string of commands before turning to Commander Victoria Hand.
"Have we established a link with the Order of Dorian?"
Victoria Hand nodded. "They are being contacted as we speak."
The Order of Dorian.
A religious sect that had focused exclusively on hunting witches for several centuries. Put simply, just as Locke firmly believed that anyone connected to Hell was evil, the Order of Dorian believed that all witches were inherently malevolent.
Inside a deceptively modern skyscraper in New York City.
An elderly priest clad in the vestments of the Order opened a television feed. Watching Carrie on the screen and the dark magic sphere she idly toyed with in her hand, he wiped beads of sweat from his forehead. He turned to a younger priest standing nearby. "Where is Kaulder currently located?"
"I've just made contact," the younger priest replied. "He is in Sokovia."
The elderly priest gripped his crucifix with trembling fingers, his eyes never leaving the image of Carrie. His lips quivered slightly. "Such immense power... how can a witch of this magnitude exist? Is she here for *that* item?"
The younger priest remained silent, but as he stared at the screen, his gaze turned profoundly subtle.
...
Back at the New Jersey water plant.
Carrie stood up, thrusting the dark energy sphere directly toward Nick Rice's face.
"You may call your master to the surface now."
Locke had already vanished from the camera's view.
This mission might have been titled 'Five-Star Good Citizen of New York City'.
But...
That was merely the system's unique sense of dark humor. If one analyzed the objectives, the task should have been titled: 『Expose Him! Blackheart!』
If Blackheart manifested, Carrie could provide a solid defense, but she couldn't achieve total suppression.
Therefore...
It was time for Shining Zero to take the stage.
Bound to the chair, Nick Rice's survival instinct exploded. Seeing Carrie's icy expression as she slowly pressed the dark orb closer, he didn't even have time to try bargaining for his life again. With a desperate roar, he acted as a medium, issuing a formal invitation to his master, Blackheart.
In an instant.
Nick Rice's eyes rolled back into a stark white. Black mist erupted, spreading through the room with violent speed.
The power of Hell was surging upward at a staggering rate.
The next second.
"ROAR!"
An endless torrent of black vapor billowed out from Nick Rice's body. Once the mist completely enveloped him, the chair holding him shattered into splinters with a heavy *bang*. A roar erupted from his throat—but the voice coming out of Nick Rice's mouth was entirely different: "ZERO!!!"
At this moment, the entity inhabiting Nick Rice's physical form was Blackheart himself.
*Sizzle!*
Having just ascended from the abyss, Blackheart's form dripped with viscid ichor that hissed and burned against the floor. He stared intensely at Carrie, but his focus immediately shifted toward the source of her power.
"Zero. It is you again."
"Zero?"
"Get that on record, now."
"Who is this 'Zero'?"
"What's the status of the signal trace?"
"We've confirmed the origin is in New Jersey, but the precise coordinates are still locked."
"Authorize the paranormal energy satellite. Scan the New Jersey sector immediately."
"Understood."
Commander Victoria Hand stood with her fingers interlaced, staring at the screen. Amidst the swirling black fog, a sinister face flickered in and out of the darkness, its eyes glinting with malice.
The viewership metrics continued to skyrocket.
However, in the real-time public discussions, a small faction began to voice opinions that this was surely a high-end special effects display.
At the water plant, as the thick black mist scorched the ground like molten lava, the darkness intensified. With a twisted, predatory expression, Blackheart extended a demonic claw from the shadows, lunging toward Carrie.
Right then.
*Hum!*
A brilliant pillar of light descended upon Carrie.
Then.
In front of her, Carrie's energy receded like a tide. The light coalesced, shielding her and forming the distinct outline of a human figure.
Blackheart's face contorted with rage. "ZERO!"
Ultraman...
Ahem.
Locke raised his head. Endless power manifested as pure radiance, taking the form of Shining Zero.
The figure was a brilliant silver-white.
Purely from aesthetic appearance, it was the quintessential embodiment of a hero of justice.
"Holy shit!"
"Who is this now?"
"Another witch?"
"This Blackheart guy seems to recognize him."
"Old rivals?"
As the public watched the drama unfold with heated excitement, the broadcast suddenly flickered. In the upper-right corner of the screen, a line of special effect watermarks appeared.
WTF?
『Current Influence Multiplier: x88!』
『Current Influence Multiplier: x92!』
『Current Influence Multiplier: x99!』
『Current Influence Multiplier: x100 (Maximum Multiplier Achieved)!』
"That's enough."
Locke felt the influence value hit its peak the moment Zero appeared. He noted the achievement internally before addressing Blackheart.
"You do not belong in the mortal realm, Blackheart, firstborn of Hell. Your attempts to turn this world into a mere extension of your father's domain must end."
He had zero interest in playing the role of a truth-seeker for the masses.
The only reason he was doing this was because the mission rewards were calculated based on influence.
It was all for the sake of the quest.
Therefore, once his mission rewards reached the maximum multiplier, his clone in the library stopped intercepting S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intrusion signals, allowing them to track the feed as they pleased.
The mission was done. It was time for Blackheart to leave.
Blackheart roared, "It truly is you! I will hunt you down, and just as my father dealt with Zarathos, I will turn your skull into my drinking flagon and my chamber pot!"
Truthfully, under normal circumstances, a son of a Hell Lord would never have lowered himself to notice or respond to a prayer as lowly as Nick Rice's.
But...
Blackheart had detected a lingering trace of Zero's aura on Nick Rice's soul. That was why he had ascended.
He wanted revenge!
No one steals what belongs to the great son of the Lord of Hell and lives.
Finally, Blackheart was face-to-face with Zero again.
Though the appearance had changed, the aura was unmistakable.
The same arrogance—even more insufferable than his own.
Blackheart's face twisted in fury!
And then... nothing happened.
His power...
How did it seem to have grown even stronger?
Blackheart stared at Locke with an uncertain, shifting expression. He was filled with murderous intent, but if raw fury was enough to win a fight, why would anyone bother with actual strength?
"You—"
Locke had no intention of letting Blackheart finish his dialogue. He extended a single finger, pointing it directly at the demon.
"Return to the abyss, Blackheart. The mortal realm does not permit the footsteps of a creature as foul as you!"
Feeling the overwhelming pressure of the force sweeping him out of the material plane once more, Blackheart let out a final, savage howl: "Damn you, Zero! I will return! When my true body descends, I will teach you the meaning of—"
*Bang!*
Endless black fog, met by an infinite surge of light, vanished in an instant. Under the weight of Locke's single gesture, Blackheart was erased from the plant without a trace.
A brief, heavy silence filled the warehouse.
The next second.
*Thump.*
Nick Rice's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed onto the floor.
Beads of sweat formed on Carrie's forehead.
Just then.
The unconscious Nick Rice abruptly snapped his eyes open and let out a blood-curdling shriek. The sound was so agonizing it was chilling to the bone.
"What's happening?"
"Blackheart is claiming what is his. He is taking him back to Hell."
Patty Finn looked at Locke, who had reappeared by her side. She stared at the floor where a flicker of ghostly, pale fire suddenly ignited on Nick Rice's body.
"Mr. Peerless, that 'Zero' just now..."
Locke smiled. "All supernatural power comes with a price. There are no exceptions."
"Then Ms. Syndra..."
"Correct. Just as obtaining Blackheart's power required the sacrifice of a loved one's soul."
Locke's expression remained calm.
"However, the price Syndra must pay... is simply to never lower her head."
Patty Finn blinked, stunned.
"To never lower her head?"
Locke smiled but said no more. He simply watched as Nick Rice's screams faded into silence, his body crumbling into ash within a circle of spectral flames.
『Ding!』
『Mission Completed: "Five-Star Good Citizen of New York City"』
『Base Rewards: "500 Achievement Points", "500 Potential Points"』
『Multiplier: "x100"』
『Final Rewards: "50,000 Achievement Points", "50,000 Potential Points"』
『Status Updated!』
『Name: Locke Broughton (Unique Player)』
『Identity: "Peerless Assassin" (Available Forms: Transcendent Witch, Monarch Vampire)』
『Achievement Points: 160,000』
『Potential Points: 190,000』
『Empyrean...』
*Thump-thump-thump!*
As Locke finished settling his rewards, the rhythmic thrum of law enforcement helicopters appeared overhead, precisely on schedule.
"It is time for me to depart."
Locke smiled and extended his right hand toward Ms. Patty Finn.
"I look forward to our continued collaboration in the future."
Patty Finn snapped back to reality and shook his hand. "Goodbye, Mr. Peerless."
Locke withdrew his hand, nodded to Carrie—who remained as cold and detached as ever—and vanished toward the rear exit of the warehouse just as George led his tactical team through the front doors.
***
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