Chapter 158: Teasing

"Ugh, ah..."

The sewers of Digo were early-era constructions. To a rat, they were as wide as tunnels, but to an adult human, they felt like a cramped, narrow coffin—filled to the brim with excrement, urine, and filth.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

The Shadow Fiend struggled and writhed, but inevitably smeared his body with muck.

"Meow~"

Another cat's meow echoed. The Shadow Fiend's body suddenly stiffened, and he snapped back to his senses. There was something far more bizarre right in front of him.

"Who are you? Who are you?"

The phantom, or rather the familiar, standing before him was identical to the Shadow Fiend himself in both appearance and aura. He could not possibly mistake it, yet whatever was controlling it right now was definitely not the Shadow Fiend himself.

So the High Prelate hadn't been slandering him intentionally after all. The two clerics had been telling the truth!

The black cat licked its paw while tilting its head to look at the Shadow Fiend, then walked toward him with an elegant gait. The Shadow Fiend's pupils constricted slightly, his gaze locked fixedly onto the black cat.

"Who are you? Why frame me?"

If he could capture this person, if he could bring him before the High Prelate and the Queen, everything that belonged to him would be restored. The Shadow Fiend couldn't help but think this, and his magic power even began to vaguely gather.

Mulan was currently suspended in the air, staring toward the city, but in reality, he was multitasking. Or rather, his consciousness was more heavily focused within the darkness.

Compared to the Shadow Fiend's laborious resonance, the black cat's resonance—which required no physical transformation—was far easier for Mulan to manage.

Had it not been for the Shadow Fiend serving as his teacher, Mulan would never have thought of this way to utilize power: directly forming a resonance solely using the power of darkness, rather than relying on the close proximity of a "projectile" like Father Bondi.

At this moment, Mulan felt as though he had become the black cat, while the Shadow Fiend squeezed inside the sewer tunnel appeared gigantic by comparison.

The cat's vertical slit pupils looked at the Shadow Fiend with keen interest, sweeping over the wounds on his body. Utilizing the resonant frequency of their shared origin, Mulan could even feel the magic power slowly gathering within the Shadow Fiend's body. Yet, given his wretched state, both the quality and quantity of this magic power were incomparable to the pure power of a dark demon.

The Shadow Fiend stared back just as fiercely at the black cat. Through the cat's gaze, he inexplicably sensed a mocking, playful derision. Then, with a flash of light, a tearing sensation and piercing pain struck his face.

The black cat slashed several terrifying gasps across the Shadow Fiend's face, tearing open his left eyelid and the skin around his eye, practically giving his eye a window-widening surgery.

The power of shadows poured out of the Shadow Fiend, wrapping around the black cat like a series of tentacles. However, the black cat's body was impossibly agile, far surpassing a normal familiar. With a few bounds and leaps, it evaded every single shadow tentacle.

Before the Shadow Fiend could react, pain flared across his face once more. Looking at the black cat again, a large chunk of his cheek flesh had been torn away. A piece of meat hung from the cat's paw, which it shook off and discarded to the side, drawing a few scrambling rats that rushed over to devour it.

"You're courting death!"

Fear mixed with fury; the Shadow Fiend snapped completely. The shadows on his body poured out continuously like flowing water, completely filling this section of the sewer and transforming him into a massive black python.

"Hiss-roar—"

Thump, thump, thump...

Muffled sounds echoed through the sewer as a black python chased after a black cat.

"Who are you? Why are you able to steal my magic power? Who are you?"

Hidden within the python's belly, the Shadow Fiend roared in a low voice. He couldn't care about anything else anymore. As long as he could prove his innocence, he wouldn't fear being caught; he would be able to offer an explanation to both the Queen and the Holy See.

Every animal in the sewer was affected. Wherever the dark power passed, countless rats and bugs crawled out of the drainage systems, running amok in the streets and even into people's homes.

The black cat fled continuously, and during the process, it actually opened its mouth to speak in a human voice.

"Do you know where Awen is? I want to ask him why he saw an Evil God during the Holy Mountain baptism, why he brought the Evil God's power back. I want to ask him—tell me where Awen is..."

"I don't know any Awen! Give me back my magic power!"

The power of shadows collided within the sewer, causing some of the streets above to begin collapsing.

"Pathetic transcendent, you are as pathetic as any mortal. Pitiful human, may the Holy Light protect you and send you to hell sooner..."

The cat's voice was exceedingly bizarre, at times filled with resentment toward the affairs of the Holy See, and at other times sounding like a pious cleric.

Yet the Shadow Fiend still couldn't catch this black cat.

Above ground, the High Prelate had naturally noticed the changes within the sewer. That wave of magic power was far too distinct compared to before, not to mention the frantic escape of snakes, insects, and rodents.

Just as the Prelate was turning this over in his mind, several sharp shrieks pierced the air—the cries of gargoyles.

The Prelate looked up to see at least dozens of gargoyles beginning to dive downward. Clutched in the talons of one gargoyle in the middle was a person.

"Wait, do not disturb..."

The Prelate tried to intervene, but before he could finish his sentence, Mulan descended from the sky with a booming shout.

"By order of the Queen, we pursue the traitor Galmos! Drag him out for me!"

"Roar—"

In an instant, this district was swallowed by the wings of gargoyles as numerous beasts dove down, slamming their claws onto the ground.

"Thump," "Thump," "Thump," "Thump"...

The gargoyles' talons smashed directly into the pavement, tearing down into the sewer—one, two, three...

The swarm of gargoyles ripped apart the roofing of the sewers across this entire neighborhood. High above in the air, Mulan had already raised his wheel of light.

Amidst the snowy night, the power of the Radiance Knight unfolded, bringing brilliance to the dark night.

It was only at this moment, feeling the light that seemed a bit too glaring for his current state, that the Shadow Fiend realized he had been found by his pursuers.

"Listen to my explanation! I am innocent! I am innocent, I have evidence!"

"Bang—"

The gunshot drowned out the hysterical shouting. A javelin-like beam of light fell from the sky, reaching the ground in a flash.

That power—a bullet wreathed in ribbons of light like a warrior's thrown spear—was destined to pierce its enemy.

"Stop!"

A white-robed figure appeared before the Shadow Fiend just as the light spear struck home.

Boom—

A visible shockwave mixed with radiant ripples surged outward. The snow and even the displaced paving stones of the street were churned up and crushed outward in all directions, scattering the surrounding gargoyles.

Moments later, the light dissipated. The High Prelate had blocked the blow in front of the Shadow Fiend. He looked up into the air, where a man in formal wear without a top hat hovered beneath a gargoyle's talons, his slightly long hair fluttering in the snowy night wind.

"The Holy Spear of Light. It really is you, Mulan!"

Hanging from the gargoyle above, Mulan looked down at the High Prelate and the Shadow Fiend beside him, saying calmly,

"Lord High Prelate, if I recall correctly, this individual is supposed to be the God-Desecrator you spoke of? Setting aside the fact that I wasn't necessarily here to take his life, I don't understand why Lord High Prelate chose to block that strike for him?"

As Mulan spoke, another gargoyle drew close to him. Atop it sat a figure clad in red robes, her body swathed in binding bandages like a mummy.

Schabastina looked from Mulan to the High Prelate, struck by an absurd feeling. This Professor Johnst probably knew the Prelate would intervene and deliberately unleashed that strike.

Of course, to the High Prelate, the situation was not like that at all. He quickly explained,

"Although this man is a God-Desecrator, matters are not so simple. There are undoubtedly others behind him, and I intend to use him to find them."

"Yes, yes, yes! There are others! No, no, I am not an accomplice!"

The Shadow Fiend's voice trembled slightly with excitement and terror, becoming somewhat incoherent. He struggled to his feet and pointed toward the black cat not far away.

"It's it! It's it, it's all framing me! Prelate, Knight Johnst, it's all the cat's doing! Catch it, and you can prove my innocence to Her Majesty the Queen!"

The Shadow Fiend was beside himself with excitement, knowing his name could finally be cleared.

Mulan frowned slightly, glancing at the High Prelate and then at the red-robed professor beside him. After a moment of thought, he signaled the gargoyle to slowly lower its altitude.

The sky overhead was nearly devoid of falling snowflakes, having been completely encircled by the shroud of gargoyles.

Seeing that Mulan made no aggressive moves, the High Prelate let out a slight breath of relief. After all, being a child of the Holy Light, he was reasonable. If someone else from the Black Castle had been in charge, things would likely have been far more troublesome.

Mulan walked step by step closer, looking at the agitated Shadow Fiend and then at the black cat. With a cold expression, he turned his gaze back to the Prelate and the fiend.

"Are you toying with me? Isn't this your familiar?"

The High Prelate also wore a solemn expression, but before he could speak, the Shadow Fiend shrieked with abnormal agitation.

"No, no, no! It's not! It is not my familiar! It attacks me, it mocks me, it refuses to obey my control! My Lord, help me catch it, and the whole truth will come to light!"

Mulan raised his gun and aimed it directly at the familiar. Two seconds later, he lowered the weapon, crouched down half-way, and slowly reached out a hand toward the black cat.

"Careful, it—"

The warning cut off mid-sentence. Mulan's hand had already closed upon the black cat, effortlessly lifting it up. He then carried the cat over to the Shadow Fiend and handed it toward him. The still-dazed fiend instinctively reached out to take it.

"Meow~"

The black cat sat obediently in the Shadow Fiend's hands.

Mulan's face remained completely expressionless. He stared at the High Prelate for a full three seconds before turning his gaze back to the Shadow Fiend. The silence became bone-chilling.

Beside them, the corners of Schabastina's mouth twitched involuntarily.

"He has toyed with me twice. Killing him now shouldn't be too much to ask, should it, Lord High Prelate?"

A terrifying killing intent bled through Mulan's calm words.