Chapter 109: The Luminous Spear

The power of shadow instantly enveloped Mulan's entire body, while radiant light covered her exterior. As the fiery onslaught surged forward, Mulan’s hands were already gripping the hilt of the Fang Sword.

“Clang...”

A faint yet crisp ringing of steel echoed as Mulan drew her sword and slashed forward, cleaving the flames before her into two separate parts. Her figure pressed onward through the gap, finally bursting out of the blazing inferno.

To an outsider, it appeared as if Mulan had effortlessly parted the rolling flames with her sword, emerging unscathed without even singeing her clothes.

A dull ache throbbed from the wound on her shoulder. Mulan cursed under her breath, “Madman,” and without hesitation, swung her sword toward the two combatants locked in battle.

At that moment, faint wings of light shimmered behind Mulan—not wings as ordinary people would recognize, but more akin to the radiant, flowing light that angels bore in Diablo. In her hands, the Fang Sword seemed to broaden and curve slightly, exuding a formidable aura as it descended in a powerful slash.

Earlier, Mulan had held back in those four shots, aiming more to separate the fighters than to kill. The smaller man was stronger and more destructive, so the bullets targeted him more—but unexpectedly, he didn’t even dodge and instead countered with an explosion.

Now, with this slash that had cut through the flames, the two combatants finally separated. It seemed the bullet-absorbing madman did not want to be split by a single stroke.

To be precise, the more aggressive man leapt back, while the burly figure remained standing in place.

Mulan’s sword hovered horizontally between them, not pursuing immediately. Instead, she cast a cold glance at both before focusing on the one still bleeding and holding the gun.

“This is Solens, a northern city of the Dirga Empire—home to its citizens and streets, not your gladiatorial arena!”

With this declaration, Mulan revealed her identity as part of the Dirga official forces. The Avenger closer to her was in poor condition, hunched over and breathing heavily, but his eyes held deep gratitude. Though his features were somewhat distorted, his gaze was sincere.

“Thank you for helping me!” he said.

Mulan glanced at him once more, then toward the man seven or eight meters away, who sneered coldly at her and the Avenger.

“Why don’t you ask who threw the first punch? I was peacefully staying in the inn. This guy attacked me on sight, saying he’d tear me apart and devour my flesh. Am I not allowed to defend myself in Dirga?”

Mulan pointed with the right hand holding the gun toward some still-burning houses along the street.

“This is more than just self-defense, isn’t it?”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t notice that. In that case, I’ll take my leave!”

The man apologized insincerely before his body shattered into a wisp of purple smoke, disappearing with the wind.

Mulan frowned deeply, scanning the surroundings before looking up at the sky.

This fellow was dangerous; his retreat might not be a bad thing. The tension that had been coiled within Mulan lessened somewhat. She lowered her sword and turned to face the burly man beside her. Though large and seemingly strong, he gave off an inexplicably less threatening aura.

“And you? He said you struck first, trying to kill him—is that true?”

“Yes, I struck first. I wanted to kill him, devour his flesh. I want to... become human!”

Mulan was momentarily stunned, sizing up the burly man.

“Become human? Aren’t you one already?”

The burly man looked himself over and, pointing to his face, asked confusedly, “Then am I human?”

Mulan broke out in a cold sweat, wondering where this fool had come from.

“Watch out—”

Suddenly, Chris’s scream pierced from a distant rooftop. At the same moment, Mulan saw the burly man’s pupils dilate. Reflected in his eyes was a sudden apparition behind him—a crystalline purple claw.

In such a moment, in such a state, Mulan had no time to react. Her pupils dilated slightly then contracted in an instant. Whether to roll forward, dodge sideways, or turn to block—there was simply no time...

At that very instant, Mulan even caught the scent of death in the air!

With a sharp “clang~,” the purple crystalline claw was unexpectedly blocked. Mulan’s reflexes lagged, but the Fang Sword suddenly radiated a gray-white light, rising to intercept the nearly unavoidable strike.

To any onlooker, it looked as if Mulan had been questioning the Avenger one moment, and the next had casually raised her sword behind her back to parry a stealth attack with effortless grace.

The force of the claw was formidable. Though the Fang Sword stopped the lethal blow, Mulan’s body was pushed several steps forward. Yet she used the momentum to create distance, spinning around smoothly to hold her sword horizontally once more.

A fierce glint flashed in Mulan’s eyes—an unfathomable, shadowy brilliance flickered deep within. Without a word, she raised her Lightwheel. Silver radiance swirled along the inside of the gun barrel, and as the last two bullets fired, they transformed into two luminous spears.

“Bang, bang—”

No longer mere blurred traces of bullet trajectories, these were spears of light, pointed with bullet heads, gleaming with magical runes.

The spears shot forward with incredible speed—at the very moment fire and light exploded from the barrel, their tips collided with the assailant.

“Pth~” “Pth~”

Two tearing sounds rang out almost simultaneously. The attacker was pierced by both spears, but not impaled. Instead, the radiant light propelled him backward nearly a hundred meters...

“Boom~”

A tremendous crash followed as the attacker was pinned to the wall of a building a hundred meters away. The two glowing spears continued to shimmer, piercing the left and right sides of his chest, pinning him firmly against the wall.

So powerful!

From her distant rooftop perch, Chris witnessed the entire scene. Whether it was Mulan casually parrying the attack with her back turned, or the two spears tearing through the enemy’s defense and nailing him to the wall, it left her deeply shaken.

‘Is this the power of a Dirga Radiant Knight?’

Even the pinned attacker looked toward Mulan in surprise, but she did not pause. Bowing slightly, the ground beneath her feet trembled faintly, sending a ripple through the surrounding air and dust.

Then, like a cannonball, Mulan leapt toward the man nailed to the wall, the Fang Sword already raised behind her right shoulder. As she closed in swiftly, she slashed in a wide diagonal arc from top right to bottom left.

Whoosh~

A streak of gray light, nearly invisible to the naked eye, hid within the shifting aura. At this moment, the pinned man and the wall behind him were cleaved cleanly in two.

However, his upper and lower halves immediately dissolved into a swirl of purple mist—and then exploded.

“Boom...”

This explosion was even more violent than before. Mulan narrowed her eyes, choosing not to rush into the fiery blast. Instead, she spread her body and the Totem Wings of Light to expand her surface area against the wind, drifting backward with the shockwave as lightly as a feather.

“Rumble... crash...”

The sound of collapsing walls emerged from the dust and smoke. Mulan stood in the street, watching the flames and smoke gradually disperse.

Sure enough, the opponent had vanished completely and would likely not return to attack again.

Mulan stepped toward the ruined debris. The earlier battle between the Avenger and that man had driven all the Solens residents from the area—at least nearby—so the collapsing houses meant only property damage, no casualties.

As she neared the rubble, the two light spears had already faded, and the man had long since disappeared. But this was no mere smoke without harm: Mulan spotted blood stains on some bricks and tiles.

‘Supernaturals are damn tough. They don’t die from this!’ she thought bitterly, almost grimacing. The intense exertion beyond her limits had caused her wound to burst open again.

At that moment, several intelligence officers from Section Seven and Falorinchi hurried over. They barely had time to organize before the fight ended. Falorinchi immediately noticed the blood seeping from Mulan’s chest, though her outer garment remained intact.

“Lady Jonest, you’re injured!” Falorinchi warned anxiously.

“Sir, you’re hurt!” the Section Seven agents expressed concern.

“It’s nothing serious. This isn’t a new wound, but an old one from a few days ago that just reopened. I need to head back for dressing and treatment. Hmph!” Mulan steadied her breath, suppressing the pain.

She glanced at the burly man who still stood silently nearby, then toward the Lady of Misfortune, Chris, who had jumped down from the rooftop hesitantly and was now walking toward her—truly a fitting name.

“You’d better give me an explanation. Don’t tell me this has nothing to do with you!”

Mulan’s expression was dark and stern, no different from Falorinchi’s usual demeanor. Chris looked at her with a trace of fear, her gaze falling on the bloodstain spreading clearly across Mulan’s left chest and shoulder.

Chris had also heard Mulan’s words and understood it was an old wound.

That meant just now, Mulan had repelled that terrifying man while already wounded—perhaps severely so.