"I heard you two would be holding down the fort, which had me worried. But it appears there was no need for concern after all."

With a single sweep of his gaze, Nathan Zuckerman seemed to have assessed the entire situation. Gakane and Kanna finally calmed their anxious hearts and shared the information they had gathered with the southern knight.

Upon hearing that the current events appeared to be instigated by unknown Awakeners, Nathan Zuckerman seemed unsurprised.

"I expected as much. Other knights who were with me have fallen to the same tactics."

"Really?"

"Not all of them, but we're short on time. Let's discuss the details after we've sorted things out."

Nathan Zuckerman stepped forward, lifting his sword. As he prepared to face multiple enemies, his expression remained utterly composed, betraying neither excitement nor tension. Gakane quickly followed him, shouting a warning.

"Sir Zuckerman, are you aware of the red blobs that burst out of these people once they're subdued? You must avoid them. Be careful!"

"Yes, I know."

As Nathan Zuckerman calmly responded, the figures who had lost their focus surged toward him all at once. While the low-level minions were easily subdued by mere shadow clones, those wielding swords proved more challenging.

Gakane dispatched some of his shadows to protect Kanna, who was still reading information in the background. He wore multiple streams of shadows around his body like armor while brandishing his sword.

The shadow clones entwined around him would extend and twist freely, attacking enemies from all directions. At times, they spread out like a wall to protect him. Gakane maneuvered effortlessly through the incoming attacks, changing the tide of battle and launching relentless offensives. Although the explosions caused by the red blobs bursting from the fallen enemies made it difficult to maintain his stance, he managed to avoid any notable injuries.

Watching knights fall under the coordinated attack of his shadow clones and sword, Gakane felt a different kind of thrill than when he had hunted monsters in the West.

'I have entered the imperial palace and I'm fighting and gaining the upper hand against the famed imperial knights...'

When he had first created his shadow clones, they could only mimic his movements. But after extensive training and improvements, they now moved freely, without needing to maintain a human-like shape.

He even had the leisure to entertain stray thoughts during the battle, amazed at how strong he had become. Gakane simultaneously directed his shadow clones and sword toward the third charging knight.

The moment the two blades clashed, his shadow clones elongated beneath him, rising from behind the opponent to strike down upon the knight's head. Accompanied by a cracking sound, the knight wavered for a moment before dropping his sword and collapsing onto the ground.

'Ah... did I hit him too hard?'

Gakane suppressed his regret for the fallen knight and used his shadows to contain the erupting red blob.

-Boom...!

Another crashing noise reverberated, followed by a brief silence.

'What's next...'

Wiping away his sweat and turning around, Gakane halted his steps. Contrary to his expectations, he found that no one else remained in the area.

Having subdued more than a dozen opponents, Nathan Zuckerman slowly sheathed his sword. Unlike Gakane, who was panting heavily and visibly soiled from a hard-fought battle, Nathan remained as composed as ever.

"When did he...?"

Gakane's eyes trembled slightly. He had no precise measure of Nathan's true capabilities. This was the first time he had ever seen the man in direct combat. However, thanks to his own past efforts to become a knight, he knew Nathan's skill was anything but ordinary.

‘He's moved faster than me, faced more enemies, and yet he hasn't even broken a sweat. There's not even a hint of Aura's fragment... Just how strong is he? And to think, a knight of his skill has been living unnoticed, as though a mere adjutant under our Commander?’

Interrupting Gakane's train of thought, Nathan finally spoke. "You don't seem to be injured."

"Ah, yes."

"Let's separate the weapons and tie up the unconscious. Can't be too careful."

"Ah, yes, understood!"

Briefly glancing aside, Gakane noticed that Kanna was still sweating profusely with her eyes closed, seemingly struggling to read something unknown. He left one of his shadow clones to protect her as he started to help Nathan tie up the fallen. Soon, he realized something new about the Southern knight: Nathan was astoundingly quick and precise, even in the mundane task of tying people up.

‘Why is he so good at this? How often does a knight have to tie people up? The more I know, the more nervous I get.’

"Where I come from, battles often erupt for the same reason as now, with bloodied people begging for help," Nathan said, dispassionately conversing while skillfully binding the hands and feet of an unconscious foe. "Even if we subdue the person being manipulated, if we fail to block the ejected red blobs they've swallowed, we instantly become new victims."

Gakane snapped back to attention and nodded. "Ah, yes, that's true."

According to Nathan, even skilled knights found it difficult to act properly when faced with bizarre powers and when trusted allies suddenly turned against them. Internal confusion was substantial, especially since knights in leadership positions were also affected. However, Nathan had suspected the work of an Awakener and stepped forward, suppressing those being manipulated before locking them in an empty room.

He then gathered the remaining people to completely seal off the second palace where they now stood. Gakane couldn't help but express his admiration.

"You're incredible."

"Both the Duke and His Majesty had predicted that something like this might happen," Nathan said. "The real issue is the temporary loss of manpower. However, I don't see that as particularly advantageous for the enemy."

"Ah, right. Since there are no more people left to control, the enemy is also at a disadvantage."

If only those who swallowed the red blob could be manipulated, then the enemy would also find it difficult to move freely in a situation where no such vulnerable individuals remained.

‘They probably started by controlling the weaker attendants to infiltrate us, planning to use them to exploit the knights' vulnerabilities and penetrate deeper into the palace,’ Gakane thought to himself.

The audacity of the plan was staggering, and it sent shivers down Gakane's spine to think how tremendously effective it had been. For the first time, Gakane fully grasped how vulnerable those who had never truly encountered an Awakener's abilities were, despite being an Awakener himself.

"The enemy appears to consist of at least two individuals. One with the ability to manipulate people, like we've just witnessed, and another who somehow manages to obstruct our senses, muffling noises and sensations from outside and within."

"Yes, Kanna and I had a similar theory. We are Awakeners, we should have been more vigilant in preparing ourselves. I apologize."

"It's alright. Even among Awakeners, it's not as though you can instantly discern each other's abilities. We have secured the area as instructed, so that's enough."

"Even if they can use their abilities from a distance, they can't be too far away. We need to catch them before they realize what's happening and flee."

"In that case, the two of you stay here. I will conduct the search myself."

Responding impassively, Nathan Zuckerman began to tie up the arms and legs of the remaining individual.

"Going alone is risky. At least wait until Kanna gathers some more information before moving—"

"We already know who likely committed this act. Wasting time is not in our favor. It's crucial to secure at least some evidence."

Just as Nathan Zuckerman finished tying up the last person, Kanna's eyes flew open, and she shouted, "This isn't all! Outside! No, upward!"

"Kanna?"

Breaking out of the shadows, a sweating Kanna clenched her teeth as she ran out.

"I read the movements of all those who were controlled! The perpetrators are no longer here. The initial control started not with humans but with an animal—a bird!"

"A bird, you say?"

"Yes. So, this chaos is not their ultimate goal. They used this as an opportunity to determine the Emperor's location and to figure out what's happening inside—"

At that moment, Nathan Zuckerman drew his sword again.

"We need to go up. Follow me."

—---

"What was that noise just now?"

"I suspect a rather noisy cat has entered."

Kishiar responded to the Emperor's weary query with a flick of his hand. Yuder, locking eyes with his piercing red gaze, was certain that Kishiar was thinking the same thing as himself at that moment.

'Intruders.'