At that moment

Raven was retreating quickly, disappearing and reappearing, using the "Authority of Silence" to evade Valentine Crow attacks. But the latter was not aiming for a direct hit, rather he was gradually forcing him into a narrow corner, stretching out his massive arms from every direction in an attempt to cut off every possible chance of escape.

Raven realized his intentions. He drew the Wave blade and charged forward, about to slice his way through those twisted arms. Then suddenly, from behind him, a human arm stretched out of nothingness, and from within it a fleshy mass emerged, transforming in the blink of an eye into a distorted replica of Valentine.

It almost reached him, but a fireball struck it, burning and disintegrating it before it could touch him. Iris was standing a few steps away. When he saw her, Raven leapt toward her without hesitation, turning so his back pressed against hers, cutting down hands while she burned them.

Raven said as he shoved one of the mouths sprouting from a hand away with his sword:

"There's some kind of authoritative power affecting us."

Iris replied as she launched another fireball at an incoming arm:

"Is this the doctor's doing?"

He shook his head:

"Not the same source. Even Valentine is under its influence."

Iris frowned:

"Even him? Then who? Who has an interest in pushing us to fight together right now?"

On the other side, Lionel Gray was running amidst the ruins, dodging Valentine's arms.

"This was never part of the plan at all…!"

Valentine had gone out of control. Fortunately, so far, his authority had not drawn the attention of the higher authorities. It was obvious that the Sixth Lord was trying to suppress the effects of the authority, but for how long?

Keeping an authority of this level from leaking out was impossible, even for the Sixth. And if he overdid the suppression, he might leave behind traces of his own, and then the Shadow Investigator would come. If that happened, Lionel knew he would have no hope of survival.

He cut through a cluster of arms with his metal staff, then turned and saw Raven and Iris a few meters away. A thought flashed in his mind, and he dashed toward them. One of the arms nearly struck him, but a fireball stopped it at the last instant.

Iris said mockingly as she watched him panting:

"The inspector's servant, you're still alive?"

Lionel snapped back:

"Of course! I'm a trainee in the Bureau of Investigation. I won't die that easily."

And in his head, he wondered:

"Why did I say all that? Am I taking the role too seriously?"

Valentine suddenly appeared before them, his body returning to its original form after pulling in all the arms and merging with them. He bent slightly and said in his mocking voice:

"Time to end the show."

Before they could grasp what he meant, a long arm shot out from his body and pierced Lionel, who collapsed to the ground drowning in his blood. Immediately after, grotesque bodies burst out from all over Valentine's flesh, growing and swelling, then forcefully shoved Iris and Raven apart.

Raven was surrounded by the grotesque bodies multiplying around him. From within one of them emerged Valentine. Unlike before, Raven did not rush in. He slowly raised his sword and fixed it in front of his face.

Valentine smiled and said:

"Aren't you going to attack?"

Raven did not reply. Valentine laughed:

"You've become more cautious, that's good. But don't worry, this time I'm not an illusion."

Then he stretched out his hands and said:

"Since the curtain is about to fall, I think it's time some truths were revealed."

He vanished, then emerged from a grotesque body right behind Raven. Raven spun around quickly and leapt back.

Valentine said:

"I don't know if you remember, but do you recall that illness that struck your mother?"

Raven's eyes narrowed, his grip on the Wave blade tightening until his knuckles turned white.

Valentine pointed to himself and continued:

"That was my doing. Yes, I was the one who gave her that disease."

Then he lifted his finger and wiggled it lightly:

"And not only that. That illness was also the reason your grandmother died."

Beside him, the grotesque bodies began morphing into the shapes of two women: one with brown eyes and black hair, and the other with long black hair and deep, dark eyes.

At that moment, Raven's composure shattered. Even the "Authority of Silence" could not restrain his emotions. He lunged at Valentine in a frenzy, his sword piercing his chest. But when he raised his eyes, it was not Valentine before him, but his father.

His father, as he had seen him that day in the warehouse, staring at him with tear filled eyes.

"Why, my son? Why did you kill me?"

Raven recoiled in horror, slowly pulling his sword free. All the distorted faces around him turned into his father's face. And all of them cried out in unison:

"Why did you kill me?"

Another body approached, shifting into the form of Valentine, who said with a broad smile:

"There's another fun truth I forgot to tell you."

He stepped closer and whispered in his ear:

"Did you know your father worked with me?"

Valentine went on:

"He thought you were still alive in one of my labs. He sacrificed himself, worked in what he hated most, only for your sake."

He raised his hands, shrugged, and added:

"And you? You were the one who killed him with your own hands."

Raven sank to the ground, his body trembling, tears streaming from his eyes. His sword fell beside him. Valentine frowned; he had not expected this reaction from him.

On the other side of the battlefield, Iris was hurling volleys of fireballs at the grotesque bodies without pause, until her fingertips were burnt raw. Yet she did not stop. Then she spotted Lionel Gray lying on the ground, barely clinging to consciousness.

She screamed while unleashing a massive wave of fire that tore apart the bodies surrounding him:

"Inspector's servant, do you have any way to escape?!"

He answered:

"If I did, do you think I'd be in this miserable state?"

She shouted impatiently:

"Think, you must have a solution. Isn't this your job? A trainee of the Bureau of Investigation, right?!"

Lionel smiled despite the pain, answering with pride:

"Yes, an inspector in training."

He seemed to remember something, then said:

"There is a way."

Iris cried out while burning through a cluster of giant hands lunging at them:

"Then what are you waiting for?!"

He replied:

"It's extremely dangerous."

"Do you think we're on a picnic? Speak!"

"I can help you break the seal restraining your authority. Your power will surge dramatically, but your body will burn to death afterward."

"And why don't you break the seal on yourself?"

He sighed and said:

"You did not gain your authority naturally. Normally, you should already be dead. But someone restrained that authority and placed an artificial seal on you."

She turned to him and said:

"Do it."

"Are you sure?"

"Let my body burn, as long as that bastard burns with me."

"As you wish."

Lionel raised his hand and placed it on Iris's forehead. The moment he touched her skin, flames erupted from her body and engulfed her. From her back, enormous fiery wings burst forth. Her hair transformed into a blazing crimson, fluttering around her face though no wind was present. Her eyes glowed with the same fiery color.

Lionel stared at her in awe, his cheeks flushing before he shook his head sharply. Then he said:

"You must hurry, your body won't last long."

She did not answer. She simply flapped her wings and shot into the sky. Once she had soared high, she arched into the air, raised her arms upward, and unleashed a barrage of fiery arrows at the grotesque husks. The arrows shot forth, piercing them one after another. Whenever one struck a body, it turned to ash, this time unable to regenerate.

From the ground, Lionel watched the scene, his hands clasped over his chest, astonishment still written across his face.

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