Chapter 123: Dispersal

"Sir Knight, I'm here to save you!"

The Avenger’s roar was deafening. Mulan, currently locked in an internal struggle, turned his head to look at the massive figure charging toward him. He was clearly caught off guard for a moment, but the Avenger did not falter. Seemingly aware of the terrifying nature of the entity in the shadows and knowing he had no chance of victory, the Avenger put all his strength into his legs, pulled his arms in tight, and slammed his shoulder into the shadowy figure.

The Avenger moved with such blinding speed that Mulan had only just turned to look at him before the Avenger collided with the other "Mulan."

*Bang!*

The Avenger struck the shadowy figure with tremendous force. Distracted by his own inner conflict, Mulan had been unable to execute any precise maneuvers, failing to dodge in time. The shadow form was directly impacted by the Avenger, and both of them crashed into the damaged corner tower.

*Boom...*

A thunderous sound erupted from within the structure.

Outside, the real Mulan felt the shock of that massive impact, which left him dizzy and his legs trembling. He couldn't help but drop to one knee on a shattered rooftop, the dark elements that had been entangled around him torn away by the force of the collision.

To any onlooker with keen eyes, it appeared as though the large man’s intervention had forced the darkness to briefly retreat from the struggling Radiant Knight, granting him a moment to catch his breath.

Mulan’s reaction was lightning-fast. He shouted toward the corner tower, "Get out of there! Don't throw your life away!"

The light of radiance flared once more around Mulan. He leveled his gun at the tower, his totem unfurling. Within the glowing light, the runes at the muzzle of his weapon began to circulate, and a spear of light faintly manifested.

"Get out now!"

Though the Avenger was slow-witted, he understood the gravity of the situation. After knocking the dangerous entity aside, he didn't wait to see the result or linger for even a second; he immediately turned and sprinted away.

The moment the Avenger cleared the corner tower, the shadow form followed close behind, a giant claw of darkness stretching out from the tower as if to snatch at him.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The Wheel of Light fired instantly. Three charged spears of light materialized, grazing the Avenger’s back as he fled the tower. They struck the dark claw, shattering it, and then plunged deep into the tower's interior.

*Thud, thud, thud.*

Mulan didn't stop to check the results, instead roaring at the Avenger, "Get me out of here, now!"

"Understood!"

***

The Avenger reached Mulan's side and hoisted him onto his back, running with such speed that his legs became a blur. He put everything into his stride, dodging obstacles when possible and simply smashing through those he could not avoid.

Mulan turned his body to face the rear, back-to-back with the Avenger. The wind whistled past them, and his hair whipped back from his cheeks. They moved faster than any horse, and the darkness behind them gradually fell away.

"Hahahahahaha... Mulan Jonster, you cannot escape your fate..."

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...*

Dark javelins shot toward them from the shadows. On the Avenger's back, Mulan reloaded and fired, launching spear after spear of brilliant radiance.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The spears of light and dark collided with violent intensity. Where they met, a gray zone of energy exploded, leaving anyone nearby with the sensation of static electricity coursing through their skin.

"I am a Radiant Knight, but I am no fool. It's far too early for you to kill me!"

"Mulan Jonster, you will have to make your choice sooner or later!"

The dark power began to contract, eventually flowing back into the shadow form. His cloak dragged long behind him; under his hood, a black flame burned, and his eye sockets appeared deeper than ever.

The dark figure stood atop the corner tower, watching Mulan and the Avenger retreat. For some reason, he did not pursue. Instead, he spread his arms and looked up at the sky, a pair of massive black wings slowly unfurling from his back.

In the overcast sky above Solence, a shadow of those wings seemed to reflect back.

At this moment, Mulan, deeply immersed in the role, acted as if he were truly battling a terrifying adversary. The Radiant Knight looked sternly at the shadow, while the cold figure performed what appeared to be a ritualistic gesture.

"Radiant Knight, I am not the evil you imagine. The darkness you see may not be true darkness, and the light you perceive may not be true light. However, there is one thing you must understand—or rather, everyone must understand..."

"The true darkness has already arrived in silence. It has covered the world, and it will continue to subvert it. You will have to make your choice eventually. All the ignorant who push this world forward must make a choice: welcome a fair destruction, or struggle in chaos..."

As he finished, the shadow form began to fade, and the dark particles dissipated.

The gloomy weather over Solence also shifted; the storm clouds parted, and sunlight spilled through the gaps, painting patches of light across the city.

The Avenger slowed to a stop. He set Mulan down, and together they turned to look back at the corner tower. The dark shadow had vanished, and a large swathe of sunlight shone directly onto the tower, briefly refracting into a strange, glowing symbol—a vague mark that looked somewhat like the Sign of Dawn. It was a little trick Mulan had played.

"Sir Knight, are you alright?"

The Avenger was genuinely concerned. Mulan coughed twice, his hand trembling slightly as he gripped his pistol.

"I'm not dead yet!"

Mulan’s attention was primarily on the Twilight Brigade. He could sense their presence; he knew they were on the edge of the city. At this distance, Mulan was in a position to either advance or retreat. These people were formidable, and he was not yet strong enough to contend with them.

On the outskirts of Solence, the members of the Twilight Brigade watched the darkness disperse, but none of them made a move to return to the corner tower.

"The man is gone? He’s not going to kill the Radiant Knight?" someone asked. The leader shook his head slightly.

"I suspect that man never truly arrived in full. Only a fraction of his power was here, and it couldn't be sustained. It wasn't that he didn't want to kill him, but he lacked the strength to continue. They were so close, but that brute blundered into the fray and saved the Radiant Knight. It was a coincidence, but perhaps this is what that man meant by fate. He seemed to have anticipated it..."

If Mulan were there, he would have screamed internally, *Buddy, do you really have to overanalyze everything? But honestly, not bad—I approve!*

The other members of the Twilight Brigade remained silent for the most part, though the man in red spoke up with clear frustration.

"So we're just going back? We haven't gotten the item, and we haven't avenged Little Zi!"

"Let’s go. We don't know the extent of Dirga's power here. The first attempt was a surprise attack; it wouldn't be wise to go back now."

"Damn it!" "This is infuriating!"

"Let's move! Stop stalling!"

Though the Twilight Brigade felt deeply resentful, their discipline was absolute. Once the leader gave the order to retreat, no one hesitated. Even the man in red turned and left, quickly departing from Solence.

The fire alarms and security sirens in the city continued to blare, and the scene remained one of martial law and civilian evacuation.

A long time passed before Mulan confirmed that the Twilight Brigade had likely left. Even then, he did not lower his guard. He had originally intended to let them seize the tower and take the item so they would leave quickly, but he hadn't expected them to withdraw so easily.

Solence had suffered, to be sure. Parts of the city were damaged, and the neighborhood near the corner tower was devastated. But compared to a true war, this was merely a drizzle. Very few civilians had actually lost their lives or suffered serious injuries in the incident.

As one of the central figures of the event, Mulan hadn't perfectly repelled the raid, but given his current capabilities, this was the best he could do. If he had simply let the Brigade take the item and leave, his reputation among the Empire's elite and the Queen would have suffered.

Though it was not his intention, this ordeal in Solence would, in some sense, surely elevate Mulan—whether through the transformation of his own strength, the expansion of his perspective, or the advancement of his career.