Chapter 118: A Counterproductive Move

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To be honest, Mulan knew very well that his strength exceeded the ordinary definition of someone who had only just entered the supernatural realm. But there was no way he could stand against the entire Twilight Troupe. He also knew perfectly well that the blow he had just delivered with all his strength had definitely achieved something.

Though Mulan was moving across the rooftops, he was not traveling at full speed. He maintained roughly the same distance from the Solens garrison troops marching in formation through the streets below, and the Chris siblings did not seem particularly anxious either.

Mulan leaped from roof to roof. The alchemist Matt lagged some distance behind, carried by the Avenger, while Chris followed a few yards away.

“You two don’t seem to be in much of a hurry either?”

Mulan glanced at Chris and asked casually.

In the direction of Square-Corner Tower, a large area was still blazing with fire. The fires caused by the earlier explosions and incendiary bombs remained severe there. Chris looked toward that area as she answered Mulan.

“What the Twilight Troupe wants is what lies inside the vault. But that vault isn’t something that can be opened at will, so there’s no need for us to hurry. Besides, our forces are insufficient at present. It suits us perfectly to let those greedy people in the city wear themselves down a little.”

Mulan gave Chris a long look. Her thinking was rather close to his own.

“Sounds like things are getting intense over there!”

From their current distance, Mulan and the others could already hear the sounds of battle coming from Square-Corner Tower.

In fact, the fighting at Square-Corner Tower had already grown more than twice as fierce as before. Not only were many people directly or indirectly attacking around the red-skinned giant, but others had also gone to surround the tower itself.

After all, everyone wanted what was inside Square-Corner Tower. If this band of thieves simply carried it away, then everyone’s efforts would have been for nothing.

Most people intended either to make a show of contributing without exerting themselves, or merely to issue a warning. But the members of the Twilight Troupe were almost all lunatics. At this moment, they had actually begun attacking those on the outskirts. Whether one was a powerful wielder of mysterious forces or merely an ordinary passerby, anything that displeased them was eliminated without exception.

As a result, many people lingering nearby were dragged into the battle, and some of those with considerable strength were provoked into fighting in earnest.

“Boom...!” “Bang!”

“Rumble...!”

Roars of battle continued both inside and outside Square-Corner Tower, and the clashes came in rapid succession. Yet because most of the fighters were not particularly high-ranked, they relied more heavily on their physical abilities. Thus, in the streets outside, the red figure charged about like a human tank. Every obstacle before him—gas streetlamps, walls, even entire buildings—was smashed apart or pierced through one after another.

The people around him attacked while constantly dodging. Almost no one was willing to confront him head-on. By contrast, the fighting near Square-Corner Tower was exceptionally fierce.

Before long, Mulan could see the streets ahead. He glanced at Square-Corner Tower, then at the red figure rampaging through the area, and could not help frowning.

The odds of keeping all these people here were slim.

“Garrison troops, halt—”

As a former officer, Mulan directly took over command from the tense officer in charge. All the garrison soldiers came to a halt amid nervous breathing, their steps somewhat disordered.

“Everyone, there’s no need to panic. Just as you did during training, steady your breathing first. Then advance in formation and divide into units to occupy the various streets...”

Mulan continued issuing orders, while the officers at every level below handled the detailed deployment of the formations.

Though the armies of Dierga were far weaker than they had once been, the true rot lay among the upper ranks, particularly the noble officers. The training of ordinary soldiers and junior officers was still reasonably reliable. Thus, as long as someone gave an order, even local garrison soldiers who had never seen a battlefield would instinctively choose to obey.

A succession of fairly orderly footsteps rang out. The streets and key positions throughout the surrounding blocks were gradually occupied by garrison soldiers in Diergan uniforms, their rifles all aimed toward the area ahead.

“Even inhuman beings fear fire and bullets!”

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Mulan’s voice carried in every direction. Inwardly, he added: At least bullets can have a considerable effect.

Those who heard Mulan’s voice were not only the Solens soldiers, but also the two sides fighting around Square-Corner Tower and the nearby streets. No matter how mad the members of the Twilight Troupe were, they still felt a certain pressure at this moment. They knew that Dierga’s experts had arrived, while the others surrounding the tower could not help feeling delighted.

“The Diergans are here!”

The red-skinned giant in the street immediately abandoned his pursuit and turned to look at the rooftop on the distant corner. Ignoring the troops stationed at the surrounding intersections, he stared directly at the five people standing there.

They were Mulan, Chris, Matt, the Avenger, and Farolynchi. Mulan naturally stood in the middle.

Five of them!

This was more troublesome than he had expected!

The red-skinned giant was not truly as mindless as his appearance suggested. He was capable of judging the situation, and seeing Mulan and the others made him considerably more wary.

Mulan swept his gaze over the red figure, then turned toward Square-Corner Tower.

“All soldiers, hear my order. The red man is the primary threat. Anyone emerging from Square-Corner Tower is the secondary threat. You are authorized to open fire on all of them. Officers will direct volleys.”

“To all friends assisting in the attack, leave Square-Corner Tower immediately.”

As he issued his orders, Mulan also shouted a warning to anyone who might still be fighting the Twilight Troupe inside the tower. But this concern proved unnecessary. Those assisting had already withdrawn from Square-Corner Tower at the first opportunity.

“Ready—aim—fire!”

“Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!”...

While the red-skinned giant was still on guard against Mulan, all the soldiers in the three streets surrounding his position opened fire at once.

Diergan rifle rounds possessed immense kinetic force and penetrating power, and the soldiers’ aim was not poor. Yet the red-skinned giant actually endured the barrage head-on. The countless bullets striking his body seemed only to disturb the red radiance surrounding him.

“Ready! Fire!”

The soldiers were terrified, but their daily training prompted them to eject the spent casings and reload almost instinctively. When the next order came, they once again raised their rifles and fired in unison.

This time, the red-skinned giant crashed with a roar into a nearby building. The soldiers realized that their opponent did fear bullets after all.

But Mulan knew that what the man feared even more was the second attack concealed within the storm of gunfire—the attack that would come from Mulan himself or from one of the people beside him.

Mulan slowly lowered himself into a half-kneeling position, clasped his hands together, and gently closed his eyes.

“Lord of Light, fountainhead of hope, I offer you my devout prayer... Grant me the power of light!”

This was the prayer of a Radiant Knight. It resembled a form of suggestion, but it truly could stir the magic within one’s body. Naturally, Mulan’s object of prayer was not some so-called Lord of Holy Light, but rather the light he yearned for within his heart.

The Dawn Mark in his palm grew searingly hot. From the depths of Mulan’s heart, from his spirit, body, and soul, a blazing radiance arose, bathing his entire form in dense white light.

This was a highly concentrated manifestation of radiant power. It did not require a profound rank or sophisticated technique, but after his previous attack, no one would dare underestimate Mulan.

A pair of enormous radiant wings spread behind him. The shadow of a totem emerged, growing ever clearer beneath the radiance.

“A totem!”

The red-skinned giant hiding inside one of the buildings drew his brows tightly together. At a shattered window on the first floor of Square-Corner Tower, another member of the Twilight Troupe witnessed the same scene. They had been too far away aboard the airship before, but now they finally had some understanding of the rank of this Diergan expert.

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At least the pinnacle of the Third Rank. In all likelihood, he was a Fourth-Rank existence—or higher.

He cannot be defeated by force!

The woman standing at the broken window of Square-Corner Tower immediately hurried to the basement and shouted to her companions, who were still deciphering the vault.

“A totem—and a Lightwing Totem at that! He is very likely a Radiant Knight of the Fourth Rank or above!”

Everyone’s expression turned solemn. Although they had claimed before that they had killed high-ranked beings, all of them knew how difficult it had been. And extraordinary professionals known as “knights” had always been among the most difficult and most monstrous of all supernatural practitioners to advance.

Because although they were all extraordinary beings, knights imposed the harshest demands upon themselves. From spirit, body, and soul to every skill and every branch of ability, a knight had to bring every requirement to its peak before advancing. And when facing a powerful enemy, no matter how adverse the circumstances, their fighting spirit had to remain at its height. Even when confronted with certain death, they could never retreat.

“Everyone remembers what happened when Dierga’s previous Radiant Knight died, don’t you?”

“We do...”

The speaker instinctively swallowed. Though the death of that Radiant Knight had dealt a severe blow to Dierga’s morale, the Basmann Allied Army had paid an appalling price in return.

“But the man outside is seriously wounded. That has to count for something!”

A savage glint appeared in the leader’s eyes. His former tension once again gave way to madness. First, he looked toward the disheveled man who was still deciphering the spell formation.

“Keep working on the vault. Can you manage on your own?”

“As long as none of you are completely dead, I don’t think I’ll have much trouble.”

The leader nodded, then turned his gaze toward the others.

“Use everything you have. We’re going up there. We’ll surround and kill that wounded Radiant Knight with all our strength. We must either kill him or drive him off. Who has the courage to come?”

After a brief silence, someone began to laugh.

“Hahahaha! Now that’s exciting!”

“None of you are allowed to retreat, or we’ll all die!”

“If we can kill this Radiant Knight...”

“Hahahaha! Then Dierga will hate us forever!”

“We’ll definitely be wanted!”

“Do you think we’ll make the Holy Hall’s Gray List?”

“Maybe even the Black List?”

The lunatics of the Twilight Troupe went mad once more, rushing out of Square-Corner Tower in an instant. Apart from the Radiant Knight, nothing else seemed worthy of their attention.

What Mulan had not expected was that he had originally intended to bluff the Twilight Troupe and place them under pressure, only to achieve the opposite effect.