Chapter Thirty-Five: Purification

Mulan was startled. Even though he did not fully understand what had happened, his imagination allowed him to guess that the deranged killer’s soul had just been directly absorbed by the sword.

Was it the holy water? The sword? Or something inside himself?

Now was not the time to ponder. A massive shadow flashed by on the second floor, prompting Mulan to look up, but he saw nothing.

He took a few steps back, reloading his revolver as he glanced over his shoulder. The three behind him had already hauled the unconscious old count onto a horse. Mulan slowly backed up to join them.

“Mr. Jonster, are you alright?” “Are you hurt?”

The two girls immediately voiced their concern. Ivan interjected, clearly annoyed.

“Don’t worry, he’s tougher than you think. Get out of the manor as fast as you can. Once outside, clear your minds and go straight to my chapel.”

“Can we really get out?” Mulan eyed his sword and asked, while Ivan nodded with certainty.

“They are already blessed. As long as they escape the manor, they’ll break free of the current situation. But you must not let fear take over, nor let your thoughts wander. You have to reach the chapel.”

The unconscious old count posed no threat in that regard, but for the two young ladies—especially the tearful Lily—Ivan knew things might not be so simple. He added, “If you must think of something, worry about Mulan’s safety. The chapel isn’t far. Once you get there, you’ll be safe.”

Hathaway glanced at the box of holy water on the ground, a surge of guilt making her want to stay and help. But she doubted she’d be useful and might even become a burden. Her sister’s fragile state also worried her. She promptly agreed.

“Alright, we’ll leave now. Mr. Jonster, please be careful. You too, Father Ivan!”

“No, I don’t want to! It’s too dangerous to leave like this. I want to go with Mr. Jonster!” Lily’s response was the complete opposite of her sister’s.

“Lily!” Hathaway grabbed her by the collar and gave her a shake. “Don’t be a burden! Mr. Jonster will end up resenting you!”

Both Mulan and Ivan glanced at Hathaway, and Mulan quickly asked, looking at the horse carrying the old count, “Does the horse need a blessing?”

“No. Horses have simple minds. Unless hindered by their master, they usually don’t get dragged into the inner world. They’re actually safer than us.”

“Then go, quickly. If we can save anyone else, we’ll do our best.” Mulan reassured them, handed the reins to Hathaway, and nodded to both sisters. He gave the horse a light slap; it nervously started forward, the two sisters following instinctively.

They didn’t look at the path ahead, but turned simultaneously to look back at Mulan. Ivan was completely ignored.

Just ten meters from the hall, the manor behind them became hazy. Hathaway and Lily pressed close to the horse, steadying the old count, and hurried toward the manor gates.

The world grew quieter as they moved away from the house. The farther they got, the clearer everything became. In a few minutes, they were out of the manor grounds.

Hathaway and Lily looked back. The manor was visible to the naked eye, but it was unlit, shrouded in oppressive gloom, and utterly silent.

Gritting her teeth, Hathaway led the horse and, with Lily, hurried toward the chapel.

Inside the manor’s grand hall, Mulan watched the purification zone shrink. He crouched, stuffing bottles of holy water into his coat pocket. Each small box held ten bottles—five fit perfectly in each pocket.

“Mulan, do you see it? A huge shadow has been circling us.”

“Yes. Is that our target?”

“It very well could be. Either way, we have to deal with it. Otherwise, there’s no way we can seal the source.”

Ivan gripped four uncapped bottles of holy water, bracing himself and scanning the surroundings.

Mulan frowned, his gaze sharp. “Why doesn’t it attack us outright? Is it incapable?”

Ivan managed a strained smile. “It hasn’t fully entered the real world. Its vessel isn’t strong enough to contain its body—at least not yet. The good news is, because of this, it and its vessel hinder each other. We don’t have to worry about it reaching Valentine City. The bad news is—”

“That’s enough. I understand...” Mulan sighed and looked at the holy water in Ivan’s hands, then at the surrounding darkness. “If we’re to deal with it, now is our best chance, right?”

“Yes. That’s why we need to leave the purified zone and confront it where it hides!” Ivan’s tone was resolute, as though prepared for anything. Mulan, however, still frowned. Even with the killer just now, things hadn’t been easy, and this foe was far worse.

He knew his own limits as a mortal. Ivan’s power didn’t seem suited for direct confrontation either. To plunge unprepared into the dark to challenge such an entity was to fight at a disadvantage.

Mulan stopped Ivan, who was about to move forward with the box, and scanned the area. His mind raced, shifting into the tactical thinking of a battlefield officer.

“Ivan, does using holy water for purification drain you much?”

“It uses some of my sacred power, but I’m fine for now.”

Mulan looked him in the eye, serious. “How many times can you do it? I mean, how many bursts can you manage in quick succession?”

Ivan hesitated. “I’ve never tried, so I don’t know my limit.”

“Alright, last question—how’s your stamina?”

The holy water crate was heavy, yet Ivan carried it with ease. Mulan had guessed as much. Ivan smiled for the first time. “Actually, my body’s been refined. My stamina might be better than yours, and my reflexes too. I’m just not as well-trained. Mulan, if you’ve got a plan, just say it!”

Ivan had caught on that Mulan was scheming. Mulan smiled.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s simple and effective—so long as we’re not torn apart the moment we step into the dark...”

He quickly outlined his plan to Ivan. The two grabbed the boxes and sprinted into the shadow—not toward the second floor, where the shadow appeared most often, but into a side corridor.

Moments later, at the end of the corridor, a blast of holy light erupted, purifying a wide area.

Boom—

Boom—

Boom—

Mulan led the way, Ivan close behind. At every suitable spot, Mulan would shout, “Here! Detonate!”

Ivan, ready and running, would bellow, “Purify!”

Boom!

Another burst of holy light lit up a corner of the count’s manor. In a room, several nobles scrambled out from under beds, just in time to see Ivan and Mulan dash past.

“Mr. Jonster, save us!”

“Stay put! Hide and don’t run—” Mulan called out as he ran past, not slowing.

A terrifying roar echoed through the manor, followed by creaks as if the floorboards strained under an immense burden. Mulan and Ivan glanced around as they ran but saw nothing. Still, a smile appeared on Mulan’s lips.

“Has it noticed us already?”

His tactic was to compress the monster’s space—or at least make it appear so. They didn’t have enough holy water to purify the entire manor, but the creature didn’t know that.

This was Mulan’s moving trap. By pretending to thoroughly cleanse the manor, he forced the monster to reveal itself to stop them. It was far better than having to hunt it while constantly fearing an ambush. All they had to do was stay alert and keep moving. Of course, it was a dangerous gamble, relying on Mulan’s sixth sense to detect danger first and react in time.

“It seems to be working...” Ivan was panting—not because his stamina was less than Mulan’s, but because his power expenditure was so much greater. They had less than ten bottles of holy water left.

“Dodge!” Mulan suddenly grabbed Ivan mid-run, pulling him into an empty room to the side.

“Purify!” Ivan shouted.

Boom!

A burst of light erupted. A massive claw struck toward them, vanishing in the glow just two meters away—not because it was destroyed, but because it could not reach further, revealing the attack was not from a physical vessel.

“It’s an Ancient Fiend!” Ivan cried. Mulan was even faster. As the holy light flared, he was already charging for the door. The foe had revealed itself; its vessel had to be near, likely just purified by the holy light.

As Mulan burst through the doorway, he saw the ruined corridor—and Sir Bass.

Without hesitation, Mulan raised his gun and emptied the cylinder into Sir Bass’s chest, limbs, and head.

Six shots hit home. Behind Sir Bass, a gigantic shadow appeared—one Mulan recognized from the nightmare after the killer’s death: an endless, writhing darkness filled with innumerable tormented spirits.

“Die!”

“Roar—”

The Ancient Fiend’s claw slashed at Mulan, but it passed through him like a mirage. His sword did not stop, cutting across Sir Bass’s neck. Instantly, Mulan pulled holy water from his pocket, uncorked it, and poured it over the corpse.

Ivan finally emerged from the room, rushing to Mulan’s side and, desperate, drew upon his rapidly improving holy arts.

“Purify—”

Boom—

A torrent of holy light erupted once more...