Mulan had no time to worry about any of that. The first figures he saw as he rode his horse through the gates barely looked human, so he chose to fire immediately. The Ring of Light unleashed its suppressed radiance, striking its targets with tremendous force.
Four shots, four hits, all to the head. Whether they were turning into zombies or some other monsters, everything Mulan had learned from movies and games told him that aiming for the head was always a safe bet. Even if it was not their only weak point, it had to be one of them.
The power of those four bullets exceeded Mulan's expectations, too. Normally, they should have done little more than punch holes through their heads. Instead, the Ring of Light's bullets seemed to dissolve the black mist around those strange figures' heads, blowing away more than half of each skull along with it.
"Evan, make yourself useful!"
Mulan swung down from his horse and quickly reloaded his handgun as he shouted to Evan.
Evan was even more nervous than Mulan, but despite this being his first real exorcism, he did not fumble. The only thing he could not stand was Mulan's remark.
"I'll show you the power of the Holy Light!"
Evan dismounted as well, opened one of the cases, and took out two bottles of holy water. He pulled out their stoppers and began pouring them down on either side of himself, chanting a prayer with an unusual cadence as he did.
"In God's name, I command the Holy Light to descend upon this world and cleanse the darkness before my eyes!"
The holy water did not reach the ground. Instead, it scattered around Evan. He then activated the power within it, and the holy water began emitting pulses of light as it flowed rapidly around him. Its faint glow grew brighter and brighter, as though some suppressed energy were becoming increasingly active and intense.
Boom!
Like a sudden explosion, the holy water around Evan actually burst with a muted rumble, turning into a luminous mist that blasted outward. Debris in the hall, food and wineglasses on the tables, nearby tables, chairs, and tablecloths were all hurled away or shoved aside by the explosion. Even Mulan had to shield his head with one hand and brace himself, taking the shock wave head-on. Fortunately, he was not hurt.
This shit is holy water? It wasn't loud, but it sure packed a punch. It was practically a bomb!
"Evan, is that really how you're supposed to use holy water?"
Mulan turned to Evan and shook his head. His hat had already been blown off.
Evan was noticeably calmer now that he was off his horse. He had already taken out two more bottles of holy water and pulled their stoppers out with his teeth before answering.
"It's one way to use it. Where's your sword? I'll coat it with holy water."
Mulan had finished reloading his handgun, and he wasted no time drawing the Silver Sword from his cane and holding it horizontally before Evan. Evan poured both bottles of holy water onto his own hands without spilling a single drop, then gently ran his hands over the blade. A layer of flowing water clung to the silver blade, almost like a coating of light.
Mulan drew back the gleaming sword and gave it a few casual swings. Not a drop of holy water splashed off.
The hall, physically cleansed by the holy water, had become much cleaner, like a street after the rain. The overlap between the Otherworld and the Surface World had even been stripped away, restoring it to normal. Yet the surrounding gloom was already encroaching again, rapidly spreading back toward the hall.
Mulan and Evan both knew the hall was safe for the moment, but standing there would not solve the problem. Just as they were about to make their next move, Mulan suddenly noticed someone beneath a tablecloth nearby.
"Who's over there?"
"It's me! It's us, Mr. Jonester!" "It's us... boo-hoo..."
Once Hathaway and Lily confirmed that it was Mulan, they finally dared to speak. They lifted the tablecloth and crawled out, their excited voices mingling with sobs. Mulan hurried over to help drag the old count out from under the table, taking the opportunity to ask for crucial information.
"Are you the only ones left? How many people are still alive?"
"Where did things first start going wrong?"
Mulan and Evan each asked a question. Lily simply stood there crying. Although Hathaway also had tears in the corners of her eyes, she hurried to answer.
"There should still be quite a few people alive. We all got separated. The first person something happened to was Sir Bess, the man who dueled you. He ate our family doctor, and then the whole estate turned strange. Some of the nobles suddenly became monsters. We were all terrified. Mr. Jonester, Father, are we saved?"
"Not necessarily. I'll bless you right away to steady your emotions."
Mulan gently pushed Lily a little away from him as she clung to his arm, then spoke in a grave voice.
"Miss Blanclin, stop crying. If you keep crying, you might die here. Keep your mind under control and rein in your fear."
Whether Mulan had comforted her or frightened her, Lily did stop crying. Evan pulled the stoppers from three bottles of holy water and handed one to Mulan.
"Stay still, all of you. Mulan, pour the holy water over them. Once they're blessed, they can leave the Otherworld."
Evan had intended to pour water over the two girls and have Mulan douse the old count, but both girls moved toward Mulan almost simultaneously. The corner of Evan's mouth twitched. He handed Mulan another bottle, then crouched to pour holy water over the old count himself.
The holy water felt warm as it flowed over them. Hathaway and Lily instantly felt much better. Evan softly recited a blessing over the three of them.
"In God's name, I bless these innocent lives and souls. May the Holy Light forever shine upon them. May they be spared pain, sickness, and evil..."
While Evan was still delivering the blessing, Mulan had already spotted strange figures appearing along the edges of the hall. Most were nobles and attendants from earlier, but some barely resembled humans anymore. Their hands and feet had become claws, and long, beastlike hair had sprouted from their bodies. This was reality, not a turn-based game.
And these "nobles and attendants" actually stepped straight into the hall. Mulan understood at once: they now had physical bodies. Even though the hall had been separated from the Otherworld, the things fused with them could still enter.
"You'd better hurry!"
As soon as he said that, Mulan fired again and charged toward the nearest "nobles."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots took down three of them. He beheaded the fourth with a single slash and kicked the fifth away, then swung his gun around to fire toward the corridor on the other side.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With his handgun empty, Mulan darted backward and raised his sword to meet those coming down from the second-floor railing and spiral staircase. Those who climbed over the railing fell straight to the floor. Mulan ignored them for the moment, executed the ones coming down the stairs, then turned to slash at those who had landed.
It was easy, easier than he had imagined. These things moved slowly, and even a graze from the sword coated in holy water could inflict devastating damage, like a hot iron cutting through cheese.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a cold gleam flashed. Alarm erupted in Mulan's mind almost at the same instant, and he instinctively raised his sword to block.
Clang!
The blade collided with the incoming flash of steel. Tremendous force traveled through it, nearly knocking the sword from Mulan's hand.
Before Mulan could ease the ache in his arm, the cold gleam struck again. He leaped while swinging his sword to parry.
Clang!
Another blow. Mulan used its force to propel himself backward, sliding another half meter across the floor after landing. Only then did he finally get a clear look at his attacker.
A "man" holding a dinner knife walked down the spiral staircase. His face was pale and his eyes bulged. Blood covered his body beneath his tattered clothes, and a horrifying wound marked his neck, as though something had bitten into it. Now, countless tiny, tentacle-like growths of flesh writhed in every wound on his body.
"Heh... heh... heh... heh..."
"Mulan Jonester, I never thought I'd get another chance to take revenge on you. Wonderful, wonderful! Hehehehe... hahahahahaha..."
Although his appearance and voice were completely different, Mulan instantly understood who he was.
"You? You just won't stay dead!"
Mulan gripped the sword's hilt between his teeth. Several bullets slid out from his left cuff as he opened the revolver's cylinder and gave it a gentle spin. As it turned, he swiftly slid the bullets into its chambers one after another. Then, with another flick of his hand, the Ring of Light was loaded again.
"Don't worry. Soon, you'll become my companion. I told you, we're the same kind of people!"
Without another word, Mulan raised his hand and fired.
Bang!
The man opposite him did not even try to dodge, letting the bullet strike his chest. Mulan normally preferred headshots, but this fellow moved so quickly that even he needed to aim at a larger target. He had simply not expected his opponent to make no attempt to evade it.
"Hahahahaha! Mulan, mortal bullets cannot... aaagh..."
Halfway through his boast, intense pain and a burning sensation struck. Even the body of the murderous maniac reanimated by a Vengeful Spirit began to lose its stability. Then he saw a silver gleam growing larger before his eyes, and it was already too late to react.
Sizzle!
Mulan beheaded the monster before him with a single slash. As relief washed over him, he could not help muttering under his breath.
"Dumbass!"
Mulan was about to strike a few more times, but suddenly noticed a cloud of gray mist swirling above the corpse in his grasp-or rather, being made to swirl. Then it was sucked straight into the sword in his hand. During the process, he seemed to "hear" a piercing scream.