The Shadow Demon was an extremely powerful asset for Mulan. He could already take control of its consciousness with relative ease, and even when he needed to divide his attention, Gaormos's presence saved him considerable mental effort.
Even if he released the first level of resonance and let Gaormos take the lead, Gaormos would gravitate toward Mulan of his own accord-or rather, toward that powerful self.
Compared with the considerable risk of attempting to erase Gaormos's consciousness outright, gradually deepening his influence and allowing Gaormos to assimilate himself was undoubtedly safer and more stable.
Gaormos hated his own weakness and cowardice. He yearned to change, and now that he had changed, he wanted to complete that transformation in one leap.
This was not Mulan possessing him. It was Gaormos longing, of his own free will, to become that "powerful self" completely.
When Mulan did not interfere with the Shadow Demon, Gaormos remained independent, yet continued gravitating toward that "self." Having experienced that confidence once, he could no longer live without it. Mulan was even certain that, should Gaormos fail to awaken that "self," he would imitate it and pretend.
The Shadow Demon was beginning to change in his behavioral logic, his habits of thought, and even his formative world and magic power. With each repetition, those changes deepened, until he would eventually be assimilated completely.
When Mulan prompted Gaormos to resonate with his self, the Shadow Demon was Mulan, but Mulan was not merely the Shadow Demon. He was both a Radiant Knight and a Shadow Demon.
For Mulan as he was now, this was even equivalent, in a sense, to having two lives. Even if the real Mulan died, he could survive as the Shadow Demon while still possessing the power of light.
Compared with a puppet whose every