Chapter 122: A One-Man Show

The weather in Solons City grew even more somber due to the rapidly expanding darkness. Although this darkness only enshrouded one specific area, it felt as though the entire city were under its influence.

"What on earth is happening?"

"Who is that figure in the darkness?"

Those who had come to Solons for the auction were filled with suspicion and dread. Many wore expressions of apprehension, and Chris and her companions could hardly hide their anxiety.

"I’m afraid the Radiant Knight is in a precarious situation."

"That person clearly means no good."

"We need to retreat further. This aura of darkness is definitely not something friendly!"

"Move!"

One by one, the bystanders retreated, the oppressive aura of darkness spreading with an intense weight. It wasn't just them; even the original Solons garrison troops were falling back in a frenzy, as were the residents on the outskirts. No one wanted to come into contact with that dark substance. Many of the garrison soldiers carried nothing but their personal weapons, leaving their heavy machine guns behind in their haste.

"Quick, quick, retreat! Don't touch that thing!"

"Sir, the Knight is still inside!"

"Move! The Knight is incredibly powerful; he can handle it..."

We cannot help him...

Faced with the terrorists of the Twilight Brigade, the Solons garrison had barely managed to hold their ground thanks to the buff of the Radiant Power. But this darkness now exerted a profound and disturbing psychological influence. Within that dark substance, there seemed to be a natural repulsive force; not only did ordinary people feel panic, but even the crazed members of the Twilight Brigade had no desire to get near it.

At this moment, the Twilight Brigade also retreated again and again. Their leader wore a grim expression, and suddenly, someone had a realization.

"Get that guy out of the basement quickly. Who knows what might happen if he gets tainted by this dark substance."

"I'll go get him."

"Be fast. This might be connected to the Underworld; the barrier here could potentially be weakened!"

The conversation among the Twilight Brigade members alerted some of the onlookers on the periphery, who retreated even faster. In the basement, the man who had been at a critical moment of breaking the spell formation was dragged out by two of his companions.

"What are you doing? I was just a moment away! Dammit, I was just about to crack this fascinating formation..."

"Shut up! Look outside!"

The woman’s sharp, stern voice cut through the scruffy man’s struggle. He noticed that something was wrong and looked up and to the side. The darkness was eroding the area rapidly; they had left with only a dozen meters to spare, and had they been a few seconds later, they would have been swallowed whole.

The center of the battlefield naturally drew the most attention. Light and darkness lingered there, but the light was merely a small patch, while everything else was submerged in shadow.

"What is this? That person doesn't look like our ally!"

"Of course not. But his target is clearly the severely wounded Radiant Knight. We’d best not provoke him; this guy is definitely not an ordinary transcendent."

The scruffy man looked at the light within the darkness. A totem had already manifested behind the Radiant Knight, but that light looked like a candle flame amidst a raging storm, a sight that made one’s heart skip a beat.

"The injuries on the Radiant Knight were caused by him, right?"

"No, judging by their previous exchange, they don't know each other. This mysterious person sought him out on his own. It seems related to the 'Power of Destiny.' He wants the Radiant Knight to stand on his side; if he refuses, he will eliminate him..."

The woman remembered the details clearly and explained them briefly to her companion.

"Stop dragging us, run yourself!"

The people on the periphery were moving quickly, glancing back as they fled. The dark substance seemed to spread faster in the air than on the ground, allowing some of the Solons residents to escape.

In the center, that patch of light appeared faint yet resilient. Mullan looked up at the dark shadows, a slight smile playing on his lips. With a sword in one hand and a gun in the other, he stood tall, staring straight ahead as a searing white flame ignited upon him.

In the heart of the darkness, black flames rose from the shadowy figure.

"It seems it will be difficult for me, Mullan Jonst, to walk out of here today. Leave your name, so I know who my opponent is!"

Mullan pointed his longsword at the shadow, while simultaneously observing himself from another perspective, ensuring his posture was filled with a sense of heroic grandeur.

"I said, I don't want to kill you. I want you to be my companion. If you are willing, I would be more than happy to help you clear away the trouble here."

The figure in the darkness turned to look at the periphery, their eyes filled with ghostly blue flames. The members of the Twilight Brigade all felt a jolt in their hearts; it was obvious the stranger was looking at them. The way he could manipulate their emotions, the way he drew out the fear buried within them, made them extremely uncomfortable, and they all instinctively retreated again.

"No need! I have no use for the help of evil! And I will never walk the same path as you."

"Is that so? You haven't even listened to my proposal in detail; that is truly a pity!"

Within the darkness, a pair of wings that seemed to transcend the shadows unfolded. Everyone near the darkness felt a faint, stinging pain in their minds, and some Solons residents even felt dizzy and faint.

"Then I am sorry. Your existence is destined to be a powerful obstacle for us; I am afraid I must ask you to depart from this world!"

*Whoosh—*

The infinite darkness seemed to transform into a massive tidal wave, surging toward the patch of light.

*Bang! Bang!*

Two bolts of Radiant Javelins, long-charged in the darkness, shot out alongside the flash of gunfire from Mullan’s hand, piercing the darkness toward the shadow.

*Boom...*

The roof where the shadow stood collapsed, turning into a chaos of black and white. The Radiant Knight’s shadow shone with a brilliant radiance, like a towering giant of light. At the same time, a terrifying dark figure appeared in the shadows, clearly a similar manifestation of a totem.

*Boom...*

The collision between the two sides shook the entire field of darkness. The center had turned completely grey and white; the sound was deafening, and the sensory stimulation of light and darkness was intense. Although there were no exaggerated shockwaves of energy, no one wanted to be caught in the middle.

"I'm afraid the Radiant Knight has given up on suppressing his injuries and chosen a fight to the death!"

The Twilight Brigade had retreated almost to the edge of Solons City, watching from the high buildings nearby as the light and darkness intertwined in the distance.

"I have to say, Knight-class professionals are tough. I feel a bit of regret for this Radiant Knight."

"His name is Mullan Jonst?"

"Yes. I have some impression of the name Jonst. There was a page about it in the files provided by Basman earlier. It seems to be one of the thirteen ancient Guardian Knight families of Dirga. They have been silent for hundreds of years; I thought their bloodline had long since been severed. I didn't expect there to be an inheritor."

From the location of the corner tower, the tremors of light and darkness were moving rapidly. Mullan’s experience right now was quite novel; although it was, in a sense, a one-man show, it felt like having two bodies, immersed in the strange experience of self-dueling.

The clash of light and darkness looked fierce, but in reality, it was much like a firework display. After all, the Radiant Knight was a master of light manipulation, and the actual energy release was minimal, but it was certainly enough to bluff everyone. After all, everyone was scared enough to run away.

"Knight, I am coming to save you!"

Well, there was one exception.

A hulking figure, after enduring for a moment, finally charged into the darkness that no one else dared to step into. It was the Avenger from the outskirts. He held firmly to the belief that the Knight was his only hope, and since the Alchemist had not given an order to stop him, he simply followed his heart and charged in like a madman.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

Because the dark power impaired the Avenger's vision, he crashed through several already crumbling buildings, causing more destruction than Mullan, the one who was merely acting.