Chapter 108: Purple Mist

Many in the city of Solence heard the thunderous roar, their hearts pounding with sudden fear. While most were unaware of what had transpired, Mulan and his team reacted instantly, knowing that someone was undoubtedly stirring up trouble.

The "Avenger" was a product of alchemy. Although these alchemical constructs were rarely perfect, they could generally serve as excellent servants if the mixture was balanced correctly. This time, however, the proportions were clearly flawed.

The self-awareness developed by this particular Avenger had far exceeded normal parameters, yet its reasoning remained exceptionally simple. Once it reached a conclusion, it acted immediately, charging into the streets toward its target. Due to the alchemical bonds forged during its creation, the Avenger possessed a vague sense of its target's location, a perception that grew clearer the closer it drew.

"I want... to become human!"

The Avenger bellowed, charging with the speed of a galloping horse. It barreled through the streets, its presence terrifying, causing the residents of Solence to scramble in desperate retreat.

A carriage approached from the side, unable to dodge in time, and collided directly with the cloaked Avenger. The creature merely glanced at the oncoming vehicle a split second before impact.

"Roar!"

The Avenger let out a shout and swung its fist at the carriage, catching one of the horses squarely in the head.

*Bang...*

Hooves trampled against the Avenger, and the momentum of the carriage pressed into it, forcing it back several steps. But the entire carriage was sent tumbling, flipping onto its side and sliding across the street.

*Boom...*

*Whinny...*

One horse collapsed to the ground, letting out mournful cries beside the wreckage, while the other lay still. The coachman had been knocked unconscious. From inside the carriage, a door was forced open, and a dazed gentleman crawled out, looking around in bewilderment.

"Why... did you hit me?"

The Avenger glared at the carriage and the man upon it. Its height of over two meters exerted an immense sense of oppression on an ordinary person, especially one already reeling from a car accident.

"I... we didn't... we didn't mean to hit you..."

"Hmph!"

The Avenger snorted coldly and stepped forward. The gentleman turned deathly pale, wanting to retreat but trapped by the carriage wreckage.

The Avenger ignored the man entirely, instead walking over to the horse that had fallen and was struggling to rise, pinned by the harness and the weight of the carriage.

"You... why... did you hit me?"

The horse, already in a state of terror, neighed incessantly.

"Urrgh..."

*Smack!*

The Avenger dealt a single palm strike, and the horse's whinny was cut short as it fell unconscious.

Having dealt with the horse, the Avenger rose again and continued running into the distance. Only then did the onlookers watching from afar dare to approach the overturned carriage.

The Avenger caused several accidents along its path, throwing everything into a state of panic. By the time Mulan and his team arrived at the scene, they encountered two carriage wrecks, with Solence police officers already attending to one of them.

"My lord, this is quite strange. The auction hasn't even begun yet; who would be in such a hurry to burn bridges with us in Dieljia?"

"Let's follow them and find out."

Mulan stood outside the crowd, watching as the officers questioned the shaken gentleman, who described a hulking brute colliding with his carriage and knocking a horse unconscious before moving on.

"Move out, let's pursue."

As soon as Mulan finished speaking, he took the lead, heading in the direction the Avenger had fled. Among his intelligence agents, several were surprisingly able to keep up with his pace—it was clear that many of these men were far from ordinary.

However, the one tailing the Avenger most closely was not Mulan, but Chrissy. She was swifter and more stealthy; she had once managed to get close to the Avenger, but the creature only obeyed its brother's commands and ignored her completely.

After traversing nearly half of Solence, the Avenger arrived outside an inn. Without giving anyone inside a moment to react, it charged directly toward the main entrance—or rather, toward a man who was just stepping out.

"It’s you! You are my enemy. I will tear you apart, I will devour you!"

"You..."

The man in the formal suit only had time to look up before colliding with the Avenger. It felt to him as if he had been struck by a train.

*Bang...* *Bang...* *Crash...* *Boom...*

The Avenger slammed into the man, carrying him deep into the inn. Tables, chairs, and debris in the lobby were sent flying. The other patrons screamed and scrambled to hide, and the innkeeper cowered beneath the counter in terror.

*Boom...*

With another thunderous crash, the back wall of the inn was blown open, and the Avenger carried the man out into the distance.

"You're courting death!"

A roar erupted from the man. He planted his feet, blocked the Avenger’s arms with his own hands, and unleashed immense strength to wrestle with the creature. Yet, their backward momentum did not slow much; they plowed through countless doors, windows, and walls, smashing straight through several houses.

Chrissy had been hot on the Avenger’s heels, but seeing this scene, she couldn't help but slow her pace in shock.

"This Avenger is that strong?"

The Alchemical Association occasionally produced unexpected results. The "Philosopher's Stone"—hailed as one of the supreme works among alchemists—was actually an accidental discovery. In Chrissy's view, this Avenger was clearly her brother's own accidental masterpiece.

*Boom...*

Another massive explosion tore through one of the houses. Glass from windows and doors flew, walls shattered, and flames and thick smoke billowed into the air.

The Avenger flew out from the smoke and dust, then crashed heavily into a shop on the opposite side of the street.

A moment later, the man who had been struck by the Avenger walked slowly out of the haze. Of course, he no longer looked anything like a gentleman; his leather shoes were worn through, his cuffs were gone, and his clothes were in tatters.

"No matter who you are, you’re dead today!"

Before his voice had even faded, the man vanished from where he stood. In an instant, he appeared before the Avenger, which was just trying to rise, and delivered a flurry of punches and kicks to its chest, targeting the heart.

*Bang, bang, bang...* *Thud, thud, thud...* *Boom...*

The Avenger had no time to retaliate before it was sent flying again, crashing directly into the interior of a nearby house. The man exhaled a long breath toward the house. Without any extra movement, a sudden burst of fire ignited inside, followed by an explosion.

*Boom...*

A spray of glass, wood splinters, and stone flew outward.

Chrissy dared not get too close. Looking at the flames from afar, a sense of dread surfaced on her face. The shadow that man cast over her was difficult to overcome, and she could only stand on a rooftop in the distance, hesitating.

When Mulan and his team from the Seventh Division arrived, they saw several burning houses, and another explosion rocked a building not far away.

*Boom...*

The blast occurred less than twenty meters from Mulan and his men. The shockwave forced Mulan to cover his face with his hand, his coat flapping violently in the wind.

"Those bastards!"

Mulan’s face twisted in rage, and he cursed through gritted teeth. As an extraordinary entity of the Dieljia Empire, he had to make an appearance and show his stance—partly out of duty, and partly because his own future was at stake.

Within the swirling smoke of the explosion, the perpetrators finally appeared. A nearly naked brute was engaged in a brawl with a man—or rather, the brute was being beaten unilaterally, attempting to retaliate but failing to land a single hit.

The brute’s skin, once somewhat pale, had turned sallow and charred from the explosions. Its body was constantly rupturing, spraying transparent fluid and fragments of flesh. Though covered in countless wounds, it seemed unfazed, continuing to roar and fight its opponent.

Mulan extended his left hand, and a cane slid from his sleeve into his palm—it appeared to have been hidden in his sleeve, but in reality, it had manifested from within. With his right hand, he drew his "Wheel Light" from the inner side of his coat.

"Act as the situation dictates. This concerns the dignity of the Empire!"

"Yes, sir!"

As soon as Mulan finished speaking, he leaped into the air, firing toward the combatants from a height of over ten meters. His focus was, of course, on the one whose attacks were more refined. As he did so, he let out a cold, sharp shout.

"This is the Dieljia Empire!"

*Bang, bang, bang, bang...*

The "Wheel Light" fired four shots in rapid succession. Blinding light erupted in the air as the javelin-like bullets locked down the man’s surroundings.

*Thud...* *Thud...* *Bang...*

Three bullets struck the target. One passed straight through, but it gave Mulan an inexplicable feeling of hitting nothingness.

A purple mist instantly erupted from the man's wounds. The next moment, a burst of flames exploded right in front of Mulan.

*Boom...*

The flames instantly swallowed Mulan in mid-air.