Chapter Fifty-Six: The Incomplete Demon

The black castle, once merely ominous in the eyes of the people of Diga, now stood shrouded in a terror that was all too real. Mulan lay as if truly dead in the underground storeroom, listening to the commotion above, his thoughts ceaselessly racing. Whatever was moving about in his quarters was clearly searching for something alive.

'This thing shouldn't be related to Dolly. So what is it? Why is it attacking people in the black castle? How many have been assaulted, and where have the castle's powerful defenders gone?'

Mulan knew his relationship with Dolly was quite amicable, especially after inviting her to dinner just now—it seemed they'd grown closer. Even if Dolly were up to something outrageous, at most he would be implicated after the fact; she would never attack him directly. As for the possibility of Dolly staging an act to make it look like she was attacking him, Mulan dismissed it—the malice and hunger emanating from the creature above were so intense and so pure, it was nothing ordinary.

The noise overhead had subsided, but Mulan still didn't move, unsure if the thing had left.

Suddenly, a thunderous crash split the floor, and muddy water began flooding into the storeroom, pooling around Mulan. But now, as a corpse, he had no breath, no scent—only his spiritual senses—so he didn't notice the stench.

"Eh? The owner of this room is already dead?"

A strange voice sounded above, then the battered door was torn open. A bizarre figure, over two and a half meters tall and covered in mud from head to toe, peered at Mulan, muddy wings unfurled behind him.

The creature stared for a moment, then reached toward Mulan. If it were merely inspecting him, that would be one thing, but the mud on its palm split open, revealing a maw—grabbed, one would surely be devoured.

Mulan couldn't hold back any longer.

Damn! Even a corpse isn't spared?

When the muddy hand was barely a foot away, the corpse suddenly sprang to life. Unable to instantly shake off the stiffness, Mulan shattered the wooden floor as he lunged out. In the instant the monster was stunned, Mulan leaped like a zombie, darting sideways through the kitchen window.

One moment he was a corpse, the next he was fleeing—the abrupt change clearly startled the creature. It scrambled after him, dissolving into a mass of muck that sped out the window, then reformed into a humanoid shape outside.

Mulan hopped and staggered through the rain for over a hundred meters, his limbs gradually regaining flexibility. Seeing the monster giving chase, he drew his pistol without hesitation and opened fire.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The muzzle blazed with intense light as three bullets struck the creature's head and both sides of its chest in a triangular pattern.

Roar!

Mulan had expected bullets to do little against such a mud-monster, but the revolver's light seemed to inflict real harm—it howled in pain, thoroughly enraged.

Mulan had no intention of dueling this thing. He couldn't afford to resonate into his madder self here in the black castle, so all he could do was run—find someone strong enough to handle it.

After firing three shots, Mulan wasted no time, reloading as he sprinted ahead.

All the gas lamps in the black castle appeared broken, plunging the place into gloom. Several houses had collapsed, but whether their owners suffered the same fate was unknown.

"Hmm?"

After a while, Mulan realized the monster hadn't caught up. He halted; even the palpable malice seemed to be receding.

Frowning, he pondered, then decided to follow the direction the malice had gone. Two minutes later, he drew close once again.

"What is that?" "Ah, run!"

A chorus of terrified shouts erupted as the mud creature burst through a house. Mulan arrived, raised his pistol, and fired through the shattered window—his aim flawless as gun and arm became one.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bullets pierced the pouring rain, carving four long ribbons of water that hung in the air, trailing glowing points. Like javelins, they struck the monster, tearing into it before the water collapsed, delivering a second shockwave.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

All four shots hit—four gaping wounds opened in the creature's body, mud streaming out.

"Damn wizard!"

The monster roared at Mulan, pain and burning agony making it feel threatened. It abandoned the people inside and bolted through another window, dissolving into sludge that sped across the ground.

'It's trying to escape the black castle!'

Mulan instantly grasped the monster's intent. It had devoured some in the castle, but seemed to know this was no safe haven, and aimed to flee into the heart of Diga.

'Not so fast!'

The revolver clearly restrained the creature, and whether due to the remnants of his madder self, or some elevation of his soul and will, Mulan sensed its power in his hands had grown. He felt emboldened.

Already in a state of bodily refinement, Mulan exploded forward, chasing like a gust of wind. His physical foundation was robust.

The survivors from the house stumbled outside, relief washing over them at seeing Mulan pursue the monster—they assumed a major figure from the castle had intervened.

"Sir, it ate Joseph!"

Mulan glanced at them, then focused ahead.

A sudden surge: mud from the ground shot skyward, forming a humanoid shape with wings, diving toward Mulan. But he anticipated this, firing four rounds at the base of its wings.

The shots tore four holes larger than soup bowls, shredding one wing and sending the beast crashing to earth in a muddy heap.

A fierce roar erupted from the sludge, then it violently expelled flesh and bones in all directions. Mulan frowned from afar—these must be the remains of its victims.

"I'll take your body to make up for my loss!"

Having disgorged the flesh, the monster seemed transformed. Mud exploded from every direction, blossoming like a huge flower, enveloping Mulan. In the deluge, rain and mud became indistinguishable.

Mulan stomped and leapt back, his will focused on the revolver as he fired several shots. The blasts flared bright and propelled him backward like a cannonball.

The mud flower closed on empty air—Mulan had escaped its reach, reloading several bullets. Compared to some of the old-time castle warriors, Mulan was a nimble fighter.

The only concern was ammunition—he usually carried thirty-six rounds, but had no intention of a prolonged battle. If necessary, he'd simply escape when the bullets ran out.

The demon, facing Mulan, felt a creeping fear. Its power vastly outweighed the human's, yet it couldn't touch him. Its near-immortal attributes and corruptive abilities proved useless—the man's movements were swift, his bursts of speed astonishing, always keeping just beyond reach, dancing the death waltz.

Mulan truly moved like a dancer. He grew ever more aware of the monster's weaknesses; though he hadn't yet discovered how to kill it, its threat seemed much diminished from the start. Yet that pure, intense malice was fascinating—a subject worth experiencing and studying.

Such malice was born of loathing for life, yet also an insatiable desire for it—an obsessive hunger for souls and flesh. An extreme, frenzied spirit; rather than the monster generating this madness, it was this madness that spawned the monster. Mulan thought of 'demons'.

This encounter was an opportunity: Mulan brushed close to death, yet also explored, even flirted with, the resonance of obsession. He knew he possessed a natural gift.

After ten minutes of this deadly dance, with only two bullets left, Mulan chose to retreat. The demon did not pursue, instead pondering what schemes the human might be plotting, until a weary voice echoed from afar.

"So that's where you are. I thought you'd already fled into Diga!"

It was the old wizard. After the sea witch departed, he’d hidden to avoid danger, only to realize the demon he summoned had broken free. Though it hadn't achieved its full form, it was perilously close.

With the library breached, and countless precious magical tomes and records lost or destroyed, if the demon rampaged through Diga and wrought unimaginable havoc, the old wizard would have no choice but to flee and become a wild rogue sorcerer.