Three minutes later, all of the Holy Church's forces lay fallen beneath my Noble Night.

To my surprise, that twenty-ninth level Legendary annoyed me greatly, yet he showed unexpected backbone. Even at the last moment, he never considered surrendering or begging for mercy.

But... was that really backbone? More likely, it was incomprehensible madness.

“Phew…”

I let out a long breath. After recalling Noble Night, I slowly walked toward Lu.

“Lu, time to wake up,” I said softly.

The four mages maintaining Lu’s seal, like their companions who tried to suppress me earlier, had already been internally wounded by my Primordial Force. The magical backlash made matters worse, instantly claiming their lives.

Thus, the magic circle trapping Lu vanished.

“Lu?”

As I reached her side, the fallen Lu showed no reaction at all. Immediately, I sensed a trace of unease.

“No! My power mark is off... Who’s there! Show yourself!”

I instantly rechecked the mark I’d left on Lu. It was nearby—but not on this Lu before me.

This wasn’t Lu. Just... an illusion?!

“Ah-ha! For a Divine General, you’re awfully slow to notice, aren’t you?”

A playful voice echoed from all directions. Hearing it, I froze—then roared in fury.

“Chixun!”

“Oh my, recognized already.”

I felt no panic at this trick. Instead, I unleashed my magic power. Purple flames surged from me, spreading instantly to form a domain. The flames touched plants but didn’t burn them; they merely looked like a special effect.

In truth, with a thought, I could reduce this area to ashes.

But I knew this move might be useless.

“...Can’t sense your position?”

I scanned frantically with full magic power, yet couldn’t pinpoint Chixun’s location!

“Chixun, show yourself! Give me back Lu!”

Flames erupted from my hand. Noble Night materialized instantly.

Its purple-gray stripes glowed faintly; the blade trembled slightly, eager for battle. I frowned deeply.

When Noble Night reacted like this, it meant one thing: the opponent wielded an equally ranked weapon—or matched my strength. That’s why it thirsted for their blood!

Su Chixun... could this guy also be a Divine General?

Damn it... How did he hide so well? Contacting us on day one... No, if it’s illusion magic, maybe it isn’t Chixun?

I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to calm down.

The Lu on the ground had vanished. Proof enough that both I and the Holy Church had seen an illusion.

As for the real Lu, she was most likely in this “Chixun’s” hands.