Chapter 159 A Competent Actor

"No, it's impossible. It, it was just attacking me! It's not my spirit familiar, someone just stole my magic power!"

The Shadow Fiend spoke while continuously swatting at the black cat, then looked around. Neither the Archduke nor the red-robed witch did anything other than watch him, while Mulan's murderous intent was already fully exposed.

"No, I am not toying with you, everything I said is true. It's pretending, it's pretending!"

The Shadow Fiend pointed at the black cat, then grabbed its head with one hand and pinched its neck with the other, putting strength into both hands at once.

*Crack...*

The black cat was instantly decapitated, leaving the Shadow Fiend stunned, his mind blank. Then, the corpse of the black cat turned into a wisp of black smoke that gathered beside the Shadow Fiend's feet.

The Shadow Fiend stared blankly, filled with dread, only to find that he could indeed control this stream of magic power once again. With just a thought, the black smoke melted into his shadow.

"Hmph..."

Mulan let out a cold laugh. The Shadow Fiend raised a somewhat stiff neck, the expression on his face even uglier than crying.

Even the Shadow Fiend himself began to wonder if he had developed some mental disorder. Was it because he had devoured that bakery owner, or had something already gone wrong on his path of transcendence long ago?

Mulan discovered that the transcendmer known as the Shadow Fiend possessed a fragility of will far worse than he had imagined. His mental state was already quite unstable, yet after more than a minute, he still hadn't made the most appropriate reaction.

It seemed he still needed to "help" this fool.

Just as Mulan had anticipated, the Shadow Fiend's mental state was indeed unstable, currently trapped in intense self-doubt.

*Could it really be that I attacked the people of the Sanctuary?*

Such an absurd thought even surfaced in the Shadow Fiend's mind before a chilling sensation snapped him out of his confusion and back into the terrifying reality.

A sword tip was already resting against the Shadow Fiend's chin, pressed directly against his neck. It belonged to Mulan, who had already unsheathed his fangs.

The sharp chill gave the Shadow Fiend the sensation of death. At that moment, the fear and negative emotions within his heart seemed to be magnified all at once.

"Mulan, please maintain your restraint. He is a criminal of the Sanctuary and needs to be taken to the Tribunal."

The Archduke had taken a step closer. Although he had not made a move, his attention remained fixed on Mulan and the Shadow Fiend. Mulan believed that any sign of an intention to execute the Shadow Fiend directly would be intercepted by the Archduke.

Mulan frowned slightly and glanced at the red-robed witch. Sebastina cooperatively stepped forward, positioning herself on the other side of the Archduke.

Only then did Mulan shift his gaze back to the Archduke.

"Lord Archduke, please forgive my discourtesy, but I am a knight loyal to the Queen, ordered to capture the rebel. Please do not mistake me for Ivan! Although I believe in the Holy Light, I do not take orders from the Sanctuary!"

Ivan? Ivan!

The Shadow Fiend seemed to wake up abruptly from a dream. That was right, just now definitely hadn't been a hallucination! Feeling as though he had caught a lifeline, he immediately cried out, though in his excessive agitation, he only managed to shout the name.

"Ivan, Ivan—"

Even when displaying murderous intent earlier, Mulan had maintained his composure, but at this moment he flew into a rage almost instantly, turning and grabbing the Shadow Fiend by the neck.

"You lunatic, you are not allowed to desecrate my friend's name!"

As he spoke, his other hand—the one holding the sword—swung the blade backward, using the hilt to deliver a fierce punch straight to the Shadow Fiend's abdomen.

With a muffled *thud*, the Shadow Fiend instantly doubled over like a cooked prawn, his face turning the color of pork liver.

A punch from a practitioner of the Knight's path, whose physique and combat techniques far surpassed ordinary standards, nearly cost the Shadow Fiend half his life given his current state.

The Archduke had already prepared to intervene and stop Mulan, intending to bestow a barrier of Holy Light upon the Shadow Fiend, but Mulan did not throw a second punch. Instead, he simply hoisted the Shadow Fiend up.

"Unless you want to tell us that you know something about Ivan—something rather special, something we aren't aware of?"

Mulan gripped the Shadow Fiend with one hand while the other hand holding the sword trembled slightly, his gaze fiercely sharp.

The Archduke observed this from the side and let out a soft sigh. Then he reached out and gently patted Mulan's arm, signaling him to relax a bit.

"Speak, what else do you know? Mulan won't kill you."

Having weathered the previous tension, the Archduke now saw through the situation: though Mulan's strikes seemed unrestrained, he was actually exercising strict caution and would not truly take a life outright. And reasonably so—after all, such an exceptional young man could hardly be simple-minded.

The Archduke's primary dilemma now was that regardless of what information the Shadow Fiend spat out, Mulan could no longer be kept out of it. This young man would not let go of any clues concerning his close friend; he had every right to listen both sentimentally and rationally, and driving him away would genuinely break the boy's heart.

Recovering from the pain, the Shadow Fiend finally confessed all the information he had withheld earlier.

Both the Archduke and Mulan furrowed their brows deeply as they listened.

"Is there anything else?"

The Shadow Fiend hurried to reply.

"No, that's all I know! I'm innocent. If I'm involved at all, someone must have framed me, or controlled me and affected a portion of my magic power!"

Mulan nodded and delivered a swift karate chop, knocking the Shadow Fiend unconscious on the spot.

"Lord Archduke, this is Digo after all—the capital of the Dilga Empire and the center of power for Her Majesty Queen Nichele. Regardless of the circumstances, I will escort him before the Queen. If you have any objections, you may request him from Her Majesty, and I believe she will consent. But tonight, I cannot hand him over to you!"

"Farewell then, Archduke. May the Holy Light protect you!"

Mulan's demeanor and tone were extremely resolute, leaving no room for refusal. The Archduke even suspected that he would not hesitate to fight him to defend this jurisdiction.

Such was the stubbornness of a knight, or perhaps...

The Archduke looked at the unconscious Shadow Fiend, whose body was already gripped tightly in the claws of a gargoyle.

Most likely, Mulan intended to conduct a harsh private interrogation in hopes of extracting more information concerning Ivan. This wasn't merely a possibility; it was a certainty.

Yet the Archduke could not stop him unless he were to truly engage Mulan in battle here. After a moment of hesitation, he chose to take a step back.

"Very well. I hope you can ensure his survival; I shall personally request him from the Queen. May the Holy Light protect you, child!"

Mulan nodded, signaled Sebastina with a glance, and then took to the air once more, leading a massive flock of gargoyles.

The overwhelming expanse of bat-like wings swept aside the falling snow in the sky as they flew toward the Black Castle.

The Archduke stood alone on the damaged street. With the disturbance gone, the heavy snowfall resumed, blanketing the area while the local residents either remained asleep or suppressed their voices in terror.

"Hah!"

The Archduke sighed. As expected, it was connected to Ivan again, wasn't it? Now that Mulan was aware of this matter, he couldn't tell whether it would turn out to be a blessing or a curse.

High above, the massive flock of gargoyles flew back toward the Black Castle, while other gargoyles continually converged from various directions across the skies of Digo City.

Sebastina sat atop a gargoyle, her gaze sweeping over the numerous creatures around her without catching the slightest scent of blood.

Although gargoyles were mere puppets, they possessed a spirit of their own along with a sliver of consciousness. Such entities universally harbored a strong craving for independent bodies and souls, and if left unchecked, they easily fell into hunting animals or even humans.

Yet not a single gargoyle had acted recklessly tonight. It could only be said that when Mulan Jounerth held the token, the overwhelming pressure he exerted on them at the level of willpower was extraordinary.

Mulan kept his eyes fixed on the gargoyle carrying the Shadow Fiend beside him. Sebastina, who had remained silent for the most part, suddenly spoke up again.

"Professor Jounerth, do you know of the Quinarians?"

Mulan turned to look at the red-robed witch.

"I know the Quinarian language, but the available records are too sparse, so I've never conducted formal research on them."

"Mhm. Quinarian is the language of the Quinarians, one of the oldest human tribes. Many things related to them remain mysterious and fascinating."

"Yet as far as I know, Quinarian studies ceased to be mainstream long ago, primarily because very little of value was ever unearthed."

"Hehehehe..."

Sebastina emitted a raspy chuckle.

"Yet within the Quinarian heritage lie extraordinary pieces of knowledge capable of unearthing many secrets. I believe that the various desires and thoughts of the Quinarians still linger in this world, searching for their truth, and on occasion, they respond to certain things."

Mulan remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

"Professor Jounerth, I was present when you advanced. At the time, there was a roar that sounded suspiciously like a Quinarian consciousness—hm, if I recall correctly, it should be called *Silusas*?"

This time, Sebastina's pronunciation was remarkably standard.

Mulan was slightly startled. At the time, he had been immersed in the state of advancement, where the shaping of the world and the simultaneous transition of body and soul into reality brought forth an overwhelming torrent of information. To him, that roar had felt more like a cheer, and he hadn't dwelled on it deeply.

Observing Mulan's reaction, Sebastina added,

"There is a magical linguistic context within the Quinarian tongue. *Silusas* signifies a certain apostle. Perhaps Professor Jounerth might care to study it with me when you have the time."

Mulan's heart gave a violent leap, though his expression showed only mild surprise as he nodded gently.

"Such an interpretation exists? That's rather interesting. I certainly wouldn't mind looking into it when I have time; it might even expand my pathway. However, today is clearly not suitable. I need to report back to the Palace. Professor Sebastina wouldn't wish to accompany me there, would she?"

"See the Queen? I certainly have no desire to go."

Mulan chuckled. Following that, the gargoyle carrying him and the one grasping the Shadow Fiend broke away from the main flock, flying independently toward the Royal Palace, while the rest of the gargoyles returned to the Black Castle.

Outside the palace gates, Mulan and the gargoyles touched down. With dawn still hours away, he would wait for the Queen to wake, ensuring Her Majesty learned of his achievements and loyalty at the very first moment.