Chapter 2532 — 2532: Mirage Castle Museum

Just like in True Bastion, the great castle of Mirage City stood atop a mountain that rose from the lake. It was both similar and different — immense, but not nearly as gargantuan as the real one, seemingly built with human hands. The ancient fortress was in a state of disrepair, but there were signs of restoration works here and there, as well as scaffolds and heavy machinery.

There were banners placed along the winding path leading to the great gates, as well:

"Mirage Castle Museum — Grand Opening Soon!"

The level of water in the lake had risen, though, so the lower docks were entirely submerged. So was a long portion of the stone steps, as well as several construction machines that had not been moved higher up the slope of the mountain in time.

There was still quite a way to go from the higher pier, though, and the gates were firmly shut.

Sunny, Effie, and Saint hid behind the cabin of the yacht, while Morgan and the Other Mordret retreated inside. Only the real Mordret remained on the deck, guiding the boat to a pontoon pier.

There was movement on the walls of the castle as it approached, and Sunny noticed human figures keeping watch on the lake — those were Madoc's henchmen, no doubt, each armed with firearms that were supposed to be illegal in Mirage City.

Jumping to the pier and tying the yacht to it, Mordret whistled a carefree melody.

He did, however, say quietly while his back was turned to the Castle:

"What, exactly, am I supposed to accomplish here?"

Sunny answered a few moments later, his voice barely audible through the rustling of rain:

"Get Madoc to come meet you personally. If that does not work, at least make them open the gates. We'll take it from there."

Mordret smiled.

"What will stop them from shooting me dead as soon as I show my face?"

Sunny shrugged.

"I don't know. Figure something out… if you do get shot in the face, though, they'll have to open the gate to retrieve your body. So that works, too."

Mordret sighed.

"You know, Sunless. You are not a very nice person, are you?"

Sunny smiled nicely.

"Hey, at least I am a person."

Finishing up with the knot, Mordret opened an expensive umbrella and walked up the stone steps. In less than a minute, powerful spotlights turned to illuminate his tall figure, and he raised a hand to shield his eyes from the light.

Sunny shifted slightly and said evenly, addressing Effie and Saint:

"Get ready."

Out there in front of them, a small distance up the slope, Mordret lowered the umbrella to reveal his face. He had donned the mask of his nicer twin again, so his expression was calm and good-natured.

"Uncle? Are you there?"

The people on the wall were all looking at him, holding guns in their hands. Then, there was more movement, and a new figure revealed itself above the gates.

'How odd.'

Sunny had not seen Madoc since his death in the Battle of the Black Skull. Everything had happened so suddenly back then, and even Whispering Blade, one of the greatest champions of the Sword Domain, fell victim to the Great horrors escaping the towering Nightmare Gates in the mayhem.

The Sword Domain itself was gone now… so it was strange to see Madoc alive and well, even knowing that he was merely a reflection of the real Whispering Blade.

Standing above the gates of the Castle, wearing a fashionable business suit and a black coat, Madoc looked down at Mordret coldly. His tie was held in place by a silver pin, and there was a black umbrella protecting him from the rain — he was not holding it himself, though. Instead, a servile minion was doing it for him.

With his harsh features and a heavy gaze, Madoc looked the part… he was undeniably the villain of this story.

'Poor Whispering Blade.'

The real man had never betrayed his brother or his niece. But his reflection was as corrupt and treacherous as they came.

"Dear nephew… you are as gullible as ever. I've warned you many times to fix that naive personality of yours, haven't I? Although I guess it is too late now."

He had to raise his voice to be heard, but even then, Sunny only caught bits and pieces of what Madoc said in his commanding, authoritative voice.

He did hear what Mordret said in response, though:

"Oh… I am terribly sorry, Uncle. I can't quite make out what you are saying. Why don't you come down so that we can discuss the issues having to do with Valor Construction properly?"

Madoc sighed.

"The fact that you think that talking can resolve anything, at this point, just proves what I knew all along — that you are not fit to head the Valor Group. Don't blame me, nephew. You brought this on yourself."

Turning his head, he said something quietly to his people, and one of them raised his gun.

Mordret flinched.

"Wait, wait!"

When Madoc looked back, he smiled.

"Are you sure you want to shoot me, Uncle? A bullet wound is not easy to cover up. Surely, drowning me in the lake would make things much easier for you… when they fish my body out of the water, the coroner will just conclude that I had an unfortunate boating accident."

His logic was hard to deny… and it meant that Madoc's people would have to come down the wall and open the gate to capture him.

'Good, good…'

However, Madoc simply smiled darkly.

"Who says that there will be a body to find? What a fool you are. Goodbye, nephew. Kill him!"

Mordret's eyes widened.

In the next moment, there was a deafening sound of a gunshot…

And the henchmen aiming at Mordret plummeted from the wall, leaving a trail of blood behind.

"Goddammit!"

Sunny found himself pressing his hands against his ringing ears. Beside him, Effie lowered her revolver with a satisfied expression.

"Wow. I was aiming for Madoc, but this works, too!"

It was indeed a good shot.

But it had been so damn loud!

"What are you waiting for? Move!"

Up on the wall, Madoc had already disappeared from view. Mordret dove into the bushes beside the stone path. The henchmen were already opening fire on the yacht.

Sunny gritted his teeth…

And started moving.