VROOOM...

The steam-powered iron beast of the new age roared past.

Before the Level Three and Level Four Knights could even react,

THUD! THUD!

With the roar and impact of the steam-powered iron beast,

two Knights blocking the middle of the road were sent flying.

They flew at least seven or eight meters into the air.

Then, under the stunned gazes of the many Knights, the steam-powered iron beast drifted sideways and sped down another street.

As the two airborne Knights crashed heavily to the ground,

the other Level Three and Four Knights finally erupted in fury.

"Damn bastards! After them! Kill them!"

Immediately, one Level Four Knight and three Level Three Knights spurred their Sun Elemental Warhorses, activated their Charge Skill, and gave chase to the steam car.

Watching the Church Knights rapidly closing in from behind,

"Damn it! The Church will have a bounty on our heads for the rest of our lives!"

the driver, Mr. Kane, cried out.

But then he added viciously,

"Son of a bitch. I just went clean five years ago, and now I’m on the run again."

Hearing this, Zorn couldn’t help but chuckle.

He had long sensed that this Mr. Kane was no saint.

Mr. Kane glanced at Zorn, who was sitting composedly in the back, via the rearview mirror.

"Heh... kid, you’ve got some real guts!"

"Aren’t you afraid of the Church putting a price on your head?"

"Those guys will hunt you like mad dogs!"

"They won’t stop until they’ve torn your soul to shreds and devoured your flesh."

Zorn just smiled faintly at his words.

"They’d better not. Otherwise... they’ll experience what true fear really is!"

The Evil Witch BOSS just wanted to lay low and develop his power, but if his enemies wouldn’t let him,

then he would simply switch to a high-profile development phase.

When that time came,

all the Church’s cathedrals, as well as the towns and manors under its control,

would become his death pastures.

The [Evil Spirit Calamity] would spring up like mushrooms after rain.

Just because he hadn’t moved against the Church didn’t mean he wouldn’t.

Once they reached the stage where rules were broken and tables were flipped,

you couldn’t expect a terrifying Evil Spirit to abide by any humanitarian principles.

"Hahaha..."

Mr. Kane burst out laughing.

"The moment I saw you, I knew there was a madness hidden beneath that refined exterior. I wasn’t wrong about you!"

He steered with one hand while activating a Skill.

One [Flammable Bottle] after another was thrown out.

BOOM... BOOM... BOOM...

With the explosion of the burning bottles,

FWOOSH...

Searing flames instantly engulfed a large section of the street, finally blocking the pursuing Knights.

To pass through that [phlogiston], they would surely be set ablaze.

The Knights clearly knew how dangerous these phlogiston flames were.

The driver, Mr. Kane, was from the [Arsonist] Extraordinary Sequence, and he was Level 4.

His power was not to be underestimated.

With the pedal to the metal, after ten-odd minutes,

the massive ball of gray mist that was Split Mist Town became faintly visible up ahead.

However, at this moment,

at the entrance to Split Mist Town, there weren’t just members of the Holy Fierce Sun Church Knight Order.

There were also members of Ogrande City’s official Transcendent squad.

It was important to remember that

the small Plane ruins of the Legendary Ancient Mage deep within Split Mist Town were a core strategic objective for Ogrande City.

It was key to the future prosperity of Ogrande City’s Extraordinary Power.

Naturally, Ogrande City was paying extremely close attention to it.

As for the Holy Fierce Sun Church,

they were already constrained by the Saintisman Empire and naturally wanted to suppress the rise of Ogrande City’s Extraordinary Power.

Confrontation was inevitable!

Just as Zorn was wondering how to get inside,

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK...

a knocking sound came from above.

Zorn looked up and saw Lady Mable’s Reflected Man on the roof of the car, looking down at him.

Zorn extended his right hand and said,

"I’ll have to trouble you, Lady Reflection."

"There are quite a few people inside waiting for you."

Lady Reflection smiled gently and took Zorn’s hand.

"If... you can’t resolve today’s trouble, you might not make it out of there alive."

Zorn just chuckled.

"Rest assured, the one dying today certainly won’t be me!"

Under Lady Reflection’s guidance,

after passing through the world of reflections and the thick fog,

Zorn emerged from a blanket of mist.

As soon as he arrived in the spacious hall of Split Mist Town,

Zorn felt several powerful gazes lock onto him.

Not only was Marquis Albert present, but there were also several other equally powerful individuals.

This was no small matter.

Both the Holy Fierce Sun Church and the Ogrande City officials had sent many experts.

The moment Zorn appeared, a cold, mocking voice rang out.

"Heh... A remnant of the Sun Church. You actually dare to show your face here!"

Zorn replied nonchalantly,

"Your Grace, Duke Mu Huo."

"Right now, mystery and the Extraordinary are surging throughout the World."

"Strange whispers have long echoed across the globe, even weaving themselves into the depths of our dreams."

"We can’t pretend we don’t hear them."

"Without a doubt, only by mastering more Extraordinary Power can one secure a foothold in the World to come and possess a voice that matters."

"And you... as one of Ogrande City’s core authorities, are blatantly suppressing the birth and development of its Extraordinary Power."

"Do you want that Giant Beast from [Saintisman], the one tainted by the power of Upper Rankers, to devour our Ostanton a day sooner?"

"Forgive my bluntness, but your treason is so blatant it’s disgusting."

Zorn’s voice was calm, but his words went straight for the throat.

A murderous intent flickered in Duke Mu Huo’s cold eyes, and even the Flaming Crow deep in his pupils seemed to be screeching.

Many of the Knights in the spacious church, as well as several experts from the Holy Fierce Sun, also shot cold stares at Zorn.

"Still talking tough when you’re about to die!"

"Today, I’ll make sure you know exactly why you’re dying."

With a cold expression, Duke Mu Huo turned to Marquis Albert, as if long-prepared, and began to speak slowly.

"Lord Marquis Albert, after a detailed investigation by my people, we have discovered something."

"Madam Mable clearly possesses the means to stably open the Ancient Ruins deep within Split Mist Town."

"Yet she has kept it hidden and never informed us."

"Until some time ago, when Madam Mable colluded with the Sun Secret Cult remnant, Zorn Corick."

"They silently began their exploration of Split Mist Town."

"They quickly cleared the third and fourth floors and have now entered the world of the fifth floor, where they are rapidly plundering vast resources."

"Although they might give some resources to Ogrande City, the majority of the important resources have been taken by Madam Mable and this Sun Church remnant, Zorn Corick."

"After all, we have no idea what they’ve taken out through the Gray Mist Rift channel they opened in secret."

"Perhaps they found some top-tier resources, or even terrifying Sealed Objects."

"After all... with Madam Mable’s [Reflected Man] Sequence, transporting materials is exceedingly simple."

As all accusations were pointed at Zorn and Madam Mable,

heavy gazes pressed down on them like mountains.

"Your Grace, Duke Mu Huo Gustav."

Madam Mable spoke, her voice clear and cold.

"The entire confidential operation I initiated in Split Mist Town was secretly reported to Lord Marquis Albert from the very beginning."

"You want to slander me? In that case, I’ll have to ask you about the treasure from the first floor’s Gray Mist Knight."

"After you took it, you concealed the ritual and secret prayer words needed to open Split Mist Town that were hidden inside."

"You have drastically delayed Ogrande City’s progress in exploring this ancient treasury."

"That is nothing short of treason!"

Facing Madam Mable’s accusation,

Duke Mu Huo Gustav remained calm and composed.

"There were only some conventional resources inside, naturally. No ritual or secret prayer words for opening anything."

"It was you who obtained that ancient ritual and its secret words, and then refused to share them."

"Not until the arrival of Zorn Corick, this remnant of the Sun Church, who needed to contribute resources to help the Sun Church construct the terrifying [Crying Blood Sun] ritual."

"That’s when you took the gamble, pretending to inform Lord Marquis Albert while secretly smuggling resources for yourselves."

"And... I have a very, very crucial piece of evidence!"

Listening to Duke Mu Huo’s explanation,

all eyes in the grim and somber old church hall once again fell upon the Duke.

Suddenly, Duke Mu Huo pointed a finger at Zorn Corick.

"This man is the damned, terrifying Evil Spirit that has been haunting Ogrande City!"

Faced with Duke Mu Huo’s accusation,

the atmosphere in the old church hall suddenly grew heavy.

Everyone held their breath, their astonished gazes falling on Zorn.

Zorn, for his part, put on a look of utter confusion.

"Ah..."

He paused slightly.

"I’m an Evil Spirit? How come I didn’t know?"

Duke Mu Huo’s pupils constricted, the cry of a crow faintly echoing from their depths.

"My esteemed Mr. Evil Spirit!"

He narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Zorn.

"Please, maintain your disguise. Next, I will tear it all away, layer by layer."

"I will expose your true, terrifying Evil Spirit face."

"Zorn Corick!"

Duke Mu Huo roared suddenly.

"Do you, or do you not, have a [Rat Catcher] friend named—Isaac Rudolph!"

Zorn took a deep breath, a trace of fanaticism appearing in the depths of his eyes.

’Can this guy... really expose my disguise?’

’This is... really something to look forward to!’

Right now, Zorn was more excited for Duke Mu Huo’s performance than anyone.

So, he played along perfectly.

"Yes."

Zorn nodded.

"I do have a [Rat Catcher] friend named Isaac. He’s a hardworking young rat catcher who killed many of Ogrande City’s gray rats during the infestation."

Duke Mu Huo listened to Zorn’s explanation, sneered for a moment, and then declared loudly,

"At the end of June, during the heavy rainstorms, Isaac’s teacher, a Rat Catcher named Bevis, rashly overreached and was attacked by the Rat King. He was afflicted with a death curse. According to Bevis’s own description, it was a terrible curse that could likely only be lifted by killing the Rat King."

"And on that very day, a [Fighting Master] and a [Rat Catcher] joined forces, went deep underground, and killed the seemingly invincible [Bloodline·Lower Ranks·Rat King Knight]."

"Am I right, Mr. [Fighting Master]?"

As the prelude to Duke Mu Huo’s accusation slowly came to a close,

a mixture of stunned, confused, envious, and shocked gazes all converged on Zorn Corick.

Some time ago, there had been a huge uproar in Ogrande City.

A single person had challenged the powerful Rat King and made a name for himself throughout the city.

Countless Transcendents came to recognize the power of the mysterious existence from the [Fighting Master] Sequence.

And it was... him!