"Well, given that I have the ability to do so, there's no point in not using those skills, right?" Sero asked, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "I'll just have to be careful."

Aphiel gave him a concerned frown. "You are right, of course. If you can do so, then there is no reason not to. However, I must warn you to be cautious. Do not push yourself too hard, and if you begin to feel... different, stop immediately."

"Considering I've already been told how much I've changed..." Sero gave a cheeky smile, much to Aphiel's displeasure. "In any case, don't worry too much about me. I'm not going to let it get out of hand."

"If you say so," the goddess replied, though she didn't sound entirely convinced. "At any rate, I believe I need some time to retrace the energy left behind prior. In doing so, perhaps I may be able to find a lead as to the whereabouts of a Culling Pillar."

Sero hesitated for a moment, an idea forming in his mind. Aphiel noticed the look on his face and eyed him warily.

"Champion? What are you planning?"

"Well," Sero scratched the back of his head. "I'm pretty sure you're not going to like it, but do you recall me copying the Resurrect skill from Dr. Malek?"

Aphiel nodded, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I do recall. What of it?"

"Technically, I assume there's Necromancer-type Ascendants around, right?"

"Correct...?" the goddess's expression suddenly slackened. "Oh no, Sero. What are you getting at?"

"Exactly what you're thinking," Sero grimaced as he stood up, his body humming with mana. "I'm gonna see if I can cast Resurrect on the Culling members I killed here, see if they know where Dr. Malek or any other Pillars are hiding."

Aphiel's eyes widened in horror. "Sero, that is... that is a terrible idea! What if it goes wrong?"

"Well, that's why I have you here, right?" he replied dryly, casting Resurrect on the ground before the altar. A green mist emitted from his palms, swirling around before coalescing into a figure.

"What- what is this?" The pale sunken face of Thaddeus sneered as he gazed around the altar room in confusion. His eyes fell on Sero, and his expression grew even more twisted. "You."

Sero had to hold himself back from unleashing a surprising rage that had welled up within him. Taking a deep breath, he found it easy to control Thaddeus's movements without the use of the Dominate skill. With a pained cry, the resurrected Pillar member fell to his knees, gazing up at Sero with hatred in his eyes.

"Where are the other Culling Pillar members hiding?" Sero demanded, his voice cold and hard. "Where can I find them?"

Thaddeus spat at Sero's feet, his lips curling back in a snarl. "I will never betray them, you monster! Even if you kill me again, I will not give you what you seek!"

Sero let out a humorless snort as he knelt down to stare into Thaddeus's eyes. "Oh, I'd love to kill you again. Unfortunately for you, I don't need to torture you to get what I needed. I was just asking first to give you some sort of mercy."

Before Thaddeus could question what Sero meant, he casted Mind Search on the Pillar member, diving deep into his thoughts and memories. A few moments later, he pulled out a location from Thaddeus's mind: underneath the remodeled hospital where all of this began.

"There you go," Sero said, standing up. "You're useful after all." With that, he released Resurrect on Thaddeus, reducing the resurrected Pillar member to a cloud of dust once again. He could feel the weight of Aphiel's gaze on his back.

"I'm sorry, Aphiel," Sero said, turning to face her. "I know it was hard for you to see that. But I had to get the information."

Sero expected her to be angry, or indignant. After all, he figured that divinity figures were particular towards manipulation of life and death. However, the goddess's projection simply regarded him with a sad look.

"I cannot help but refuse to believe that the champion I first brought back to Earth would be capable of acts like this," Aphiel finally said, her voice quiet and distant. "You... you were not like this before."

"I hadn't lost people I cared about back then," Sero quietly countered, walking past the goddess. "I was naïve to believe that the world was all sunshine, that I'd be able to get whatever I wanted for selfish reasons."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know I'm not the same person I was before. But I can't just stand by and do nothing. I have to try and make things right, somehow. And if that means using powers or doing things that might not be... pure, then so be it."

"Be careful, champion." Aphiel said, her voice heavy with unspoken words. "You have the potential to wield great power, but also great corruption. I will not interfere in your path, but I beg of you, do not lose sight of who you truly are."

"And who is that, exactly?" Sero muttered under his breath, heading for the exit. A sudden presence caused him to freeze in place. He turned around slowly, seeing a small, ghostly figure of someone he thought was long gone.

"Mr. Sero...? Is that you...?" Casey's voice was barely more than a whisper, his form shimmering like a mirage in the dim light of the hallway.

"Casey...?" Sero whispered, his heart aching for the spectral boy. "You're... alive?"

Of course, Sero knew Casey wasn't back from the dead, but there wasn't an explanation as to why he was suddenly seeing the boy's ghost. Especially after he had released his Resurrect skill.

"I don't... think so?" Casey said, his eyes sparkling with ignorance and confusion. Sero wanted nothing more than to hug him, but something kept him from moving. "Why do you look so sad, Mr. Sero?"

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Sero gritted his teeth, his heart aching. "It's... complicated, Casey. I... I wish I could tell you everything. But you have to go. You need to find peace." He took a step forward, reaching out a hand. "Please, Casey. You don't belong here."

"Yeah... you're right," Casey tilted his head. "I think... there was something telling me... that you needed to see me again. Before I go."

Sero sucked in a deep breath. He had thought that seeing Casey killed right in front of his eyes would be the worst pain he'd feel so far, but he was wrong. "I'm... glad I could see you again," he said, his voice choked with emotion. "I'll... I'll miss you." He reached out, gently touching the ghostly boy's cheek with one finger. "Please, find your peace, Casey."

Casey smiled brightly at Sero, his innocent eyes sparkling with something akin to gratitude. "I'm glad you're okay, Mr. Sero. Can you let Miss Amaya, Miss Nala, Miss Luna... can you let everyone know I miss them?"

Sero nodded, swallowing hard to keep the lump from forming in his throat. "I will, Casey. I promise." He took one last look at the ghostly boy, feeling a strange mix of pain and peace wash over him. "I'll... I'll see you later."

With a final, ghostly wink, Casey disappeared, leaving Sero alone with his thoughts. He turned back to Aphiel, his expression a dark mix of determination and sorrow. "Let's find them," he said, his voice cold and resolute. "I'm gonna hunt down every last Culling member."

----------------------------------------

Sero stood at the edge of the guarded hospital perimeter, quietly gazing at the imposing building. He could feel the weight of his decision pressing down on him, the responsibility to protect those he cared about, and the burden of avenging those who could no longer fight for themselves. Beside him, Aphiel shifted uncomfortably, her gaze darting between the guards and the entrance to the building.

It seemed as though Madison had taken today's shift, unaware that Sero had been there for a while. Honestly, Sero didn't really have to sneak around, he could have just entered through the front normally and got into the secret area underneath the hospital.

"What is on your mind, champion?" Aphiel asked softly, tilting her head at him. "You seem... distant."

Sero inhaled deeply through his nose. After being made aware of his growing sensitivity to evil energy, he was now capable of sensing the dark auras that leaked out from underneath the hospital. He had already written messages to most of the alliance members, ready to be mass sent when Sero felt like the time was right. Everyone would be notified of the situation, and would shortly come to the hospital.

However, Sero didn't want to risk any Culling member being alerted of the alliance, which was why he chose to arrive alone. That, and the fact that what he was about to do was going to be pretty damn risky. Not to mention incredibly stupid and reckless.

"Just... up in my head. That's all," Sero replied, forcing a smile onto his face. "Wish me luck."

Aphiel didn't seem convinced, but she nodded anyway. "I will be here if you need me. Hopefully nothing prevents me from communicating with you again, but I should trust that my projection magic will be able to bypass such barriers."

Sero gave the goddess a thumbs up as he launched into action. His Detect skill was on high alert as he shifted into shadows, zipping around the guards and medical staff undetected. Hitting them with a combination of Charm and Dominate, Sero's plan revolved around bringing the entirety of the hospital under his control.

Thankfully, Madison was unaware of his presence as he quickly seized command of all the hospital residents. Some proved a bit difficult to control, but a simple Cat Paradox remedied that. With only the Deathwalker left, Sero carefully snuck up on the unsuspecting Janitor.

He wasn't expecting it to be easy, and his assumption was right as Madison stiffened when Sero approached. In a split second, the Deathwalker whirled around, throwing what looked like deadly golden syringes at Sero.

Maybe it was because his reflexes grew sharper with every near death he had, but Sero deftly dodged the projectiles while simultaneously sending out a combination of a Charm and Dominate. He might've overcharged it a bit, as Madison let out a short, painful shriek before falling under his control.

"Oops," Sero muttered under his breath before finally exerting his will on the entire hospital populace. It took a tremendous amount of mana and willpower, which was manageably taken care of by another Cat Paradox.

Staff and patients alike evacuated the hospital in a calm, trance-like manner. Sero watched from the shadows, a satisfied smile creeping onto his face. It was a miracle that everything had gone so smoothly. He had expected at least one person to put up a fight, but it seemed that his control over them was absolute.

"Honestly, I'd made a pretty powerful villain-like enemy," Sero dryly remarked to himself, much to Aphiel's displeasure.

"Please do not entertain that notion, champion," Aphiel wearily sighed. "Given your reputation, it may not be hard for some to believe."

Sero simply grinned back in response, not really taking the goddess' words to heart. He was still reveling in the excitement of his daring heist. The thought of being a powerful villain, controlling an entire hospital full of people, was kind of... arousing.

He quickly shook his head, remembering his original task of getting beneath the hospital and confronting whatever Culling Pillar members were hiding there. Sero jogged through the hypnotized crowd, checking on his mana reserves. He hit the button on his phone, sending the mass text to everyone. At the very least, he'd have at least ten minutes before they arrived.

He knew it was probably a dumb choice to barge in solo, but this was one thing Sero was fairly certain he had a lead over. Mainly due to discovering his newfound sensitivity to the negative energy. Sero desperately hoped that Dr. Malek wasn't aware of this yet, and would be caught unprepared.

Sero approached the hospital's underground parking garage and began to make his way towards the maintenance tunnels. His senses were on high alert, his Detect skill on full throttle. Moss and Lime had summoned themselves, the dragons sniffing around for any traces of negative energy that might betray the presence of Culling members. As he neared the entrance to the tunnels, he felt a strange presence, like a dark shadow lurking just out of sight. With a surge of determination, he pushed open the door and stepped into the dimly lit tunnel.

The air was thick with malevolence, making it difficult for Sero to breathe. His eyes darted left and right, searching for any sign of the Culling members. He could feel them, just beyond his perception. As he moved deeper into the tunnel, the pressure of the negative energy grew stronger, making it harder to focus.

He heard a faint rustling sound coming from up ahead. Moss and Lime perked up, their green eyes glowing brightly in the darkness. Sero nodded to them, readying his spells. He crept silently down the tunnel, conjuring his sword and activating his efficiencies.

As he rounded a corner, he found himself face to face with Dr. Malek and two of his subordinates. The doctor's aura was darker than ever before, crackling with malevolent energy. The two minions flanked him, their faces twisted into hateful expressions.

"Well, shit." Sero didn't expect to run into Dr. Malek right away.

"Sero," Dr. Malek gazed at him sadly. "I thought you would have learned your lesson by now."

"I did." Sero smiled thinly as he released his hold over the controlled citizens above. With nothing to drain his resources, Moss and Lime jumped into action, restoring his stamina and mana by hounding the two minions beside Dr. Malek.

With a roar, Sero immediately let loose, green crackling mana filling the air as he unleashed a devastating barrage of energy bolts at the doctor and his minions. Dr. Malek's aura flared, absorbing some of the energy before it could harm him, but not enough to completely negate the assault. One of the minions was struck full in the chest, his body engulfed in green flame as he exploded in a shower of gore. The other minion, taken by surprise, was knocked back by a powerful wave of force.

Sero heard clamoring as more Culling members rushed down the tunnel. In a split second, Sero casted an empowered Ground Fortress, bringing down several entrances, but not all of them. He glanced back at Dr. Malek, itching to enact his vengeance.