"Damn it...!" Merka raised his Glock and fired a shot at Mulan, the dangerous gunshot echoing through the mountains.
"Cat's claw...?" The expected sound of flesh tearing apart did not come. Floating in front of Mulan was a transparent cat's paw composed of magic, blocking this fatal attack.
"Is this the hand of a mage? But how..."
Before Merka could think further, two arcs of azure electricity appeared in an instant. Surging magic irrigated Merka's weak body, and the two light wheels formed by Mulan's clones severed Merka's limbs, turning him into a human trunk.
An ancient weariness seemed to pass by Merka.
The scent of sweetness and blood was like a condensed curved hook, accompanied by excruciating pain, forcefully dragging Merka's soul out of his throat.
Blood spilled all over Merka, and he fell heavily to the ground.
"Is this it...?" Mulan sneered.
"And I actually had a tiny bit of hope for you."
One clone, wrapped like a mummy, grabbed Merka's neck, straddled him, and pressed Merka down into the blood pool formed by his own blood.
Another clone stood elegantly next to Merka, extending its long arm and raising it above its head, ready to chop off Merka's head.
These clones...
Why are they so light...
As if they had no weight at all.
Underneath the weight of the angel, Merka's touch also became dull.
He seemed to have fallen into some kind of illusion, with his remaining consciousness hanging on like a candle in the wind.
So that's how it is...
Merka suddenly laughed.
The piercing pain, the fabricated ringing in his ears, and the hazy consciousness like sinking into the depths of the sea could no longer stop Merka's increasingly clear mind.
Why are Mulan's clones wrapped in bandages?
Why are they so fast?
Why are they so light?
In fact, this is all one question.
I have always been thinking in the wrong direction.
I used to think that his strength came from the Galleher family's sacred relic.
But since he can be called a stalwart, he must have had the strength long ago, otherwise he wouldn't have been hired by Galleher.
But how could a Curseborn gain access to powerful sacred relics?
He has always emphasized that he has a secret on him, and I think that's the reason.
Perhaps... he's actually nothing special.
I should have realized it when he used that cat's paw-like mage's hand.
It was a hint.
"Boundless moonlight."
"How shallow it is compared to me."
The furnace buried deep in Merka's heart suddenly exploded, releasing the adrenaline stored within it to its fullest extent.
As if a chainsaw started its engine, Merka's originally faint consciousness suddenly swelled up.
The roar of an airplane taking off and the furious roar of a dragon intertwined in Merka's small mind, and the Death Sea, which was once awe-inspiring, appeared so narrow under the onslaught of this whirlwind.
An unstoppable courage and madness filled Merka's heart, and a scorching arrogance surged from his chest through the back of his throat.
... Mulan.
Life is full of hope that keeps people going, even in the face of countless hardships.
From the gaps between his fingers to his forehead, every last bit of Merka's remaining life force was squeezed out in the grinding wheel called the heart.
Merka opened his eyes, filled with starlight, and a divine golden light generously shone forth, even shocking the Mulan clone responsible for executing him.
In that moment, Merka's missing limbs were filled by the fire-formed hands and feet.
Merka flipped over and punched the clone pressing down on him, but surprisingly, the clone couldn't suppress Merka's resistance.
The flames summoned by Merka engulfed his overflowing magic, smashing the clone's head to pieces.
"Flame Train."
This is a magical relic of the Lazy Officer.
Because it easily leads one to the brink of death... I usually don't like using it.
Mulan furrowed his brows, but instead of immediately responding, he asked Merka.
"Did you solve the puzzle?"
Merka stood up, crushed the magic eyes and magic ears that fell from the clone's head with one foot.
The faint magical fluctuations on them instantly vanished.
"That's right."
"The reason your clone hid itself from others is because of this."
Another knife-hand strike landed on the headless clone. Merka purposely released his magic, covering its entire body.
The clone tried to protect itself by crossing its hands in front of its chest, but Merka easily sliced it in half like cutting tofu.
The tightly wrapped bandages broke, revealing the true form of the clone.
It was a body made up of numerous small cat paws holding each other, forming flesh and skin.
"Making it human-shaped was also to mislead the enemy."
"The strength and power of the Mage's Hand are very high, but it is easily affected by the opponent's magic chaos flow."
"So in battle, it's generally only used as a feint."
"But your Mage's Hand is special, as it can be used separate from your body, so ordinary people wouldn't think of this."
"And thus, they are unaware of this weakness of yours."
"As for why they can move so quickly, that's easily explained."
"The Mage's Hand is almost weightless, so a little bit of acceleration magic will make it extremely fast."
"I am correct, Mr. Mulan."
Mulan stared in astonishment at Merka, then suddenly burst into laughter, accompanied by the sound of Mulan applauding.
"You're amazing..."
"Simply perfect."
"But intellect alone is not enough."
"It seems you don't have much magic left."
"Can your magic reserves support your intellect?"
Mulan waved his hand, countless cat paws extended from behind him. They all spread their pads, exposing sharp claws in front of Merka.
"Now that I've been exposed, I won't hold back."
"Before our magic is depleted, let's see who falls first."
The remaining Mulan clone transformed into a giant wildcat covered in ferocious spike armor, even more daunting than Samael's previous transformation into a tiger.
Gazing at the tide-like rush of cat claws and the enormous cat demon formed by its clone, Merka mustered the last of his strength and infused his limbs' flames with magic, charging towards Mulan.
