An iconic mask with a red diamond appeared on Celine's face casually as a malevolent suit of black armor surrounded her. The only thing on Celine's mind was how to proceed forward.
She felt the slave seal become stronger, forcing her to move closer towards Malphus because the seal was weakening and Malphus needed to strengthen it. So, Celine left the bloodied room without making a sound.
It was easy to find Malphus and have him strengthen the seal for her, but his face was full of displeasure. It seemed he didn't want to see Celine or a Valerian ever again.
"Fuck off," he muttered when he saw her annoying sight.
"Is that an order?" Celine questioned emptionlessly.
"Stay in this castle, don't talk to anybody or do anything stupid, and come to make sure your seal is still strong. Now, fuck off." Malphus abruptly kicked her out with his divinity she could not resist but Celine gracefully stepped away.
Out of Malphus's sight, Celine mumbled to herself. "I didn't intend to do this, but Ray's involvement in actively seeking help has led me to this."
She sighed in an annoyed manner at how her friend was calling for help even though she had already offered him in the past, but Celine put those thoughts behind herself.
"Let's make the world know of the Diamond Night."
…
Malphus was a ruler, a conqueror, and a malevolent dictator who used his overwhelming power to control others. His trusted people were slaves and his own soldiers were slaves to him but they couldn't act against the Conquering God.
Nevertheless, people still tried to act against him. Dozens of citizens inside the castle formulated plans to overthrow his supreme position and cooperated to take his throne.
However, the leader of the rebellion soon saw a horrifying sight in the night.
He was laying in his bed, peacefully sleeping the night away when his instincts warned him of danger. He felt a disturbance in the air with his magical affinity and became cautious as he woke.
His eyes scrambled everywhere in panic as he slowly raised a firearm while backing away. The eerie sound of complete silence worried him as he slowly backed into a corner.
The absence of sound, the constant wary feeling, all of this made him shout. "Who's there!"
He began to fear for his life. Had someone somehow determined his position as leader of the rebellion against Malphus? Impossible! He kept the fact well hidden and barely left any traces.
After a few seconds, he began to calm. Maybe he was just imagining things. Slowly, he let down his guard and that was when a small gust of wind blew by.
He didn't think it was anything until he felt a sharp sense of pain across his neck. Then, he started to fly?
It took him one more moment to understand what had happened. When he looked to the floor he saw his body, detached from his head, and carved with an insignia unforgettable.
Across the man's chest, there was a red diamond carved into his flesh. Not only that, but some parts around him began to change into an ominous black.
"What th-" the man couldn't even finish his thought before losing consciousness permenantly.
The culprit of the scene moved stealthily away without even so much as a sound.
"So if use my divinity to enhance my vitality, I can cut through them in one strike. Good to know," the genderless figure fled the scene.
Dozens of murder scenes carefully decorated like the last appeared within Solaria Castle, Malphus' house. Rumors began to spread about the murderer behind the scene and tidbits of the truth began to reveal themselves.
The rumors spreading within the rebels were that the Diamond Night, a secret shadow bodyguard of Malphus, had found them and began to kill mercilessly while not forgetting to leave behind their trademark.
Of course, Celine had already knew of the rebels beforehand and so had Malphus but he decided to let them collude to grow his popularity. However, Celine killing them was still an act of kindness because they were rebels so she hadn't felt pain from her slave seal.
In the end, it was a benefit for Malphus but a loophole Celine used easily.
Celine was sure by now that the rumors would spread far and eventually reach Ray. She knew Ray was smart enough to hypothesize the identity of the Diamond Knight so she stopped after around a dozen kills. Anymore and the slave seal could perceive this act as going against Malphus' will.
"Malphus will probably punish me for this and I won't be let off easy, considering his bad mental state," Celine surmised.
She was ready for torture or anything else but there was one thing she feared.
"I hope he hasn't figured out how to counteract the 'change' I did to myself," she shivered in fear.
It was an act she hated so much that went against the core of her being she couldn't even muster the power to make it happen. Celine knew it nigh impossible for him to change her back but the thought still sent her shivers.
Celine then began to think of the strength Malphus held. "He's awfully weak for a God, right?" Celine's experience was rough so that was her only conclusion.
"Arthur could beat me so easily he didn't even have to look, Cronos can give true deaths depending on the 'control' he has, and the True Demon God is so powerful even Gods cannot look at him without being in pain."
"Isn't Malphus surprisingly weak in comparison?"
"Maybe there is something I'm missing."
Celine simply added that thought into her plans and hoped Ray would somehow reach her soon.
She was counting on an old friend to help her get out but she wondered how he was doing.