Morel?

"Morel" in the ruins slowly raised his head.

That face was still Morel's face.

But the pipe on his shoulder had cracked open, teeth squeezing out from inside.

Milluki shrank back half a step, his voice trembling as he lowered it.

"Bai Zhu."

"Yeah."

"I almost fell for it again just now."

"That's why I said you were a fish."

"Try insulting me one more time?"

"Young Master, this isn't the time to nitpick words."

Bai Zhu stared at the figure below.

He raised a hand and fired an incantationless Sōkatsui.

A crimson fireball flew from the platform and landed before the ruins.

Boom!

Flames exploded.

The figure was swept up by the firelight, its body beginning to twist.

Its face collapsed first.

Its shoulders and pipe softened into black sludge together.

A few seconds later, that "Morel" dispersed completely.

Milluki's scalp tightened as he watched.

"Gone?"

After the firelight faded, the Purple Smoke in the ruins remained.

A row of Purple Smoke Soldiers stood behind the broken wall, all their gun barrels aimed at the spot where the fake had stood.

Milluki grabbed the railing at once.

"It's real!"

Bai Zhu tilted his head.

"Why are you so jumpy today?"

"Look at their formation!"

Milluki pointed at the ruins.

Bai Zhu glanced over.

All he could tell was that the Smoke Soldiers had not fallen into disarray.

But Milluki grew more frantic the longer he looked.

"Bai Zhu! That has to be Morel!"

"Try two more rounds, and he might really be gone!"

"The key is, you just blew up the front line of his soldier formation!"

Bai Zhu held his blade horizontally before him.

"If I hadn't blown it up, you'd already be down there calling him Dad."

"That would still be better than you blowing things up