Chapter 493: Shared Pain

Shared Pain

Within the Baruch Royal Palace in Yadith, the chaotic and fierce battle continued unabated. What had begun inside the large negotiation hall had spread outward, engulfing surrounding areas. Flames erupted everywhere amidst shouts of battle and desperate prayers. The original grand negotiation hall was now swallowed by intense flames conjured by fire-wielding Beyonders, forcing both sides to retreat into other sections of the palace.

The Church delegation's guards were carefully selected elites—every single one a Beyonder—with three White Ash-ranks among their number. Such a force was formidable; elsewhere in the mysticism world, they could effortlessly dismantle medium-sized secret societies or eliminate a large society’s branch in a major city. However, their opponents this time weren’t mere secret societies lurking in shadowy corners—they faced a fanatical religious militia powerful enough to overthrow an entire nation.

The Savior's Advent Sect had numbers far surpassing the delegation’s guards—more than tenfold. Armed to the teeth and reinforced by Muhtar’s unwavering commandments, these warriors fought with absolute zeal and fearlessness. Moreover, they were not mere ordinary soldiers; their ranks included Beyonders ranging from Apprentice to White Ash-rank.

Initially, the delegation’s guards had briefly held the upper hand. But soon, waves of reinforcements from the Savior’s Advent militia overwhelmed them, pressing their advantage and causing increasing casualties among the Church guards.

Despite being pushed into a disadvantageous position, the delegation’s guards fought valiantly, killing many enemies in high-ratio exchanges. Yet, to Muhtar’s zealots, who fought under commandment-enforced fanaticism, casualties were merely numbers—no matter how many fell, their morale remained untouched. Wave after wave, the Savior’s Advent Sect’s forces advanced over the bodies of their fallen comrades, continuously pressing forward. Without morale collapsing or panic spreading, their sheer numerical advantage became decisive.

Facing relentless assaults, the delegation’s forces showed signs of collapse. At this critical moment, a firework suddenly shot into the sky above the palace, bursting brightly even under the daylight.

Seeing this signal, Shadi’s personal guards, who had until then stood aside indicating neutrality, sprang into action. Their leader drew his sword, shouting to his subordinates.

"Our reinforcements have arrived! Attack! Wipe out those zealots of the Savior’s Advent Sect! The future of Addus belongs to the Addusian! For General Shadi!"

At the officer’s call, his previously silent soldiers drew their weapons and surged into the battle, catching the Savior’s Advent Sect militia completely off guard. Simultaneously, fighting erupted outside the palace as revolutionary troops loyal to Shadi—having received an urgent summons—rushed from military camps surrounding Yadith, storming into the palace to target the Savior’s Advent Sect warriors.

Once assured of reinforcements from outside and with Muhtar engaged elsewhere, Shadi’s previously reserved forces joined the battle decisively, greatly surprising the Savior’s Advent Sect fighters who had not expected Shadi’s faction to intervene. Although the commandment prevented an outright rout, heavy losses quickly mounted among the Savior’s Advent Sect’s ranks.

With Shadi’s troops joining the fray, the scale of the battle swiftly escalated. Now more than a thousand combatants clashed violently within the palace walls. For the first time since the fall of the Baruch dynasty, the ancient capital of Yadith was once again drenched in the flames of warfare. Gunfire and smoke permeated every corner of the royal palace.

As Shadi’s forces entered the battlefield, frequent lightning strikes resumed from the dark skies above, striking relentlessly at the Savior’s Advent Sect fighters, turning numerous zealots to charred corpses and rapidly reducing their numbers. Gaspard and the Church guards, although surprised at Shadi’s sudden entry into the fight, had no time for hesitation or confusion—any help was welcome amid such dire circumstances.

Under the triple pressure of relentless lightning strikes, Shadi’s reinforcements, and the delegation’s surviving guards, the Savior’s Advent Sect’s originally formidable forces began quickly losing ground. Despite stubborn resistance, their casualties rapidly multiplied.

Yet, although the peripheral battlefield favored the Church and Shadi’s revolutionaries, the core battlefield situation remained grim. Within the palace gardens, Muhtar leveraged his restrictive commandments and reinforced physique to aggressively attack Vania, who was continuously pinned down, unable to dodge or flee.

Despite holding the upper hand, Muhtar seemingly lacked explosive finishing moves, thus failing to decisively end the confrontation. Although unable to dodge or counterattack, Vania’s extraordinary physical prowess, superior swordsmanship, and exceptional insight enabled her to maintain an impenetrable defensive stance. Nearly every blow from Muhtar’s weapon was deflected by her agile sword, clanging repeatedly in rapid succession. Even when she occasionally suffered minor wounds, her formidable healing abilities promptly restored her injuries.

“How is this nun so difficult to handle?! Isn't she supposed to be just a diplomatic figurehead? Where did this swordsmanship come from? Could the Holy Mother faction of those heretics cultivate such exceptional fighters?”

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Faced with Vania’s stubborn resistance, Muhtar felt anger and bewilderment. He had pursued her alone, expecting a swift and effortless victory. Yet, Shadi’s sudden intervention and Vania’s surprising tenacity both exceeded his expectations. Unable to quickly eliminate Vania, Muhtar realized he must devise another strategy.

Thinking swiftly, Muhtar again activated his commandments through spirit speech. This time, instead of introducing new rules, he consumed additional spirituality to reinforce and expand an existing one.

"Commandment: Whoever harms me shall receive tenfold retribution. Whoever harms my brethren shall suffer twofold."

With extraordinary perceptual abilities granted by the Lantern Path, Muhtar clearly perceived every aspect of the ongoing battle inside the palace. He realized that after the unforeseen lightning attacks and Shadi’s involvement, his subordinates were suffering heavy losses and faced imminent annihilation. Therefore, he chose to strengthen his existing damage-reflecting commandment, extending a weakened form of this reflection to encompass everyone within the palace who was not allied with him.

In other words, over a thousand fighters from Shadi’s revolutionary troops and the Church’s delegation guards were simultaneously inflicted with Muhtar’s reflection commandment. Once affected, each combatant from these factions realized in horror that whenever they wounded an opponent, an inexplicable wound of similar location, though lesser severity, appeared on their own bodies. Although the reflected damage was notably milder—only about twenty percent—this bizarre and agonizing phenomenon significantly hampered their combat effectiveness.

Under this reflective commandment, hurting the Savior’s Advent Sect militia inevitably harmed oneself. Although not as catastrophic as Muhtar’s own tenfold reflection, even a mere twenty-percent reflection proved severe for ordinary soldiers and Beyonders without powerful healing. Every inflicted injury caused them considerable pain, drastically reducing their combat effectiveness. Striking vital areas became particularly perilous—even a twenty-percent reflection could prove fatal.

More critically, this effect bred hesitation and fear among Shadi’s forces and Church guards. The strange reflection forced soldiers to second-guess every attack, losing confidence and morale. Many combatants, terrified after a few reflected injuries, abandoned the fight altogether.

This initial breakdown rapidly cascaded through the ranks; when morale collapsed, even superior numbers or equipment became meaningless—a universal truth of warfare. Meanwhile, Muhtar’s forces, constantly bolstered by the commandments, maintained unwavering discipline and morale. No matter how many injuries or casualties they suffered, their organization and resolve remained intact.

...

Within moments of Muhtar’s reflective commandment spreading across the palace, the battle’s momentum decisively shifted. Under the burden of reciprocal injuries, morale among Shadi’s revolutionary troops quickly collapsed. Apart from a handful of elites, such as Shadi’s personal guards, large groups of soldiers began fleeing in panic. The battlefield had once again reversed in favor of the Savior’s Advent Sect militia, who regrouped swiftly and continued their fearless advance against the remaining delegation guards and Shadi’s loyalists. Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

This was precisely what Muhtar had envisioned. By extending his commandment across the battlefield, he intended to swiftly crush the Church delegation and Shadi’s remaining forces, allowing his troops to reinforce him soon after. Alone, Muhtar had difficulty breaking through Vania’s impeccable defense, but with his numerous subordinates joining the fray, the situation would drastically change.

Through his Lantern abilities, Muhtar clearly sensed the battlefield’s unfolding chaos and panic, with countless soldiers dropping their weapons and fleeing the palace grounds. Victory had tilted back in his favor. He only needed to hold out a bit longer until his followers finished off the stragglers and reinforced his position.

However, while Muhtar’s actions successfully granted his forces dominance, they also inadvertently gave Dorothy an easier opportunity to analyze his reflective commandments.

Within the hidden space of the Temple of Revelation Runes, Dorothy sat cross-legged on the floor, remotely manipulating numerous corpses scattered across the battlefield, converting them into marionettes. Initially, Dorothy planned to use these marionettes to test Muhtar directly; however, after witnessing Muhtar’s reflective ability extend to his subordinates, she decided instead to conduct her tests on these more easily targeted followers.

Amidst the chaotic battlefield, Dorothy manipulated a fallen revolutionary soldier’s corpse to rise from the ground. She made him draw a military dagger from his waist, swiftly lunging toward a nearby Savior’s Advent Sect militia soldier who was focused on shooting. The corpse marionette suddenly plunged the dagger into the enemy soldier’s arm. Dorothy prepared herself, focusing closely to shift any potential reflected injuries using her Marionette Mark.

The corpse marionette's dagger pierced the enemy’s right arm, and simultaneously, a deep wound appeared on the marionette’s corresponding arm. The militia soldier cried out in pain and retaliated, but Dorothy skillfully manipulated her marionette to dodge, quickly stabbing the soldier again in the abdomen. Another wound correspondingly appeared on the marionette’s own abdomen, yet Dorothy herself remained completely unharmed.

Seeing this clearly, Dorothy’s lips curled into a faint, satisfied smile. Confidently, she continued, allowing her marionette to bear the wounds as she decisively plunged the dagger through the soldier’s heart, killing him instantly. Observing the enemy’s corpse collapse to the ground, Dorothy felt she finally understood the intricacies behind Muhtar’s reflective commandment. To further verify, she summoned a small lightning strike, stunning another Savior’s Advent soldier. Again, Dorothy herself experienced no harm.

“This reflection commandment… doesn’t seem to affect me directly. When my marionette injures someone, the reflection damage is limited only to the marionette. And when I strike with lightning from afar, I remain completely unaffected. Although the exact mechanics behind Muhtar’s commandment are still unclear… things just got much simpler.

“Furthermore, earlier Muhtar declared a commandment forbidding anyone from leaving the palace, specifically to block Vania’s escape. But now numerous fleeing soldiers have exited the palace without suffering any penalties, and my marionettes testing it have also been unharmed. That indicates Muhtar’s previous restrictive commandment has expired.

“Based on this, it seems Muhtar can only maintain a limited number of commandments simultaneously. If he imposes new commandments, some existing ones must be relinquished. Currently, the three commandments active are absolute discipline for his own forces, reflection damage inflicted upon enemies, and prohibition of evasion. If I attack now, it’s highly unlikely he has any additional hidden commandments in reserve…”

Once Dorothy confirmed her personal immunity to the reflection, she immediately took control of multiple corpse marionettes, rapidly sending them toward the palace gardens. At the same moment, she again began gathering lightning in the dark clouds overhead. Carefully timing her strike, Dorothy directed a bolt straight toward Muhtar, who was fully engaged in combat with Vania. Because Muhtar was in constant motion, Dorothy couldn’t charge the lightning fully, but she struck decisively nonetheless.

A brilliant lightning bolt flashed downward, striking Muhtar directly. Smoking heavily, he flew backward through the air, crashing violently onto the ground. Muhtar struggled to rise, stabbing his sword into the ground for support. Without hesitation, Dorothy unleashed another lightning strike, knocking him down once again. Enraged and humiliated, Muhtar burned with resentment.

“That lightning again… That mysterious Beyonder controlling the storms… How?! How can that person repeatedly strike me without fearing the reflection? Is it possible that my commandments don’t extend to them?”

Feeling confused and alarmed, Muhtar shakily stood once more, recognizing he couldn’t endure many more lightning hits. If Dorothy landed another seven or eight blows, even he would be at his limit.

Gritting his teeth, Muhtar expanded the disciplinary commandment—which compelled his subordinates to fight without fear—to include himself. After absorbing the third lightning strike, he utilized the commandment’s effects to forcibly suppress his agony and numbness, preventing himself from collapsing. Instead, he levitated desperately, hurling himself through the window of a nearby building, crashing into it and disappearing from Dorothy’s aerial viewpoint.

Although Dorothy had stationed smaller marionettes within that building, they hadn’t covered every corridor and room. Temporarily, she lost Muhtar’s precise location and thus couldn’t blindly summon lightning to attack him again.

Witnessing this, Dorothy quickly moved to encircle the building with her marionette corpses. The smaller marionettes hurried toward Muhtar’s last known position, urgently seeking to reestablish visual confirmation. As soon as she pinpointed Muhtar again, Dorothy intended to summon lightning to strike him down through the building’s roof.

Meanwhile, Muhtar floated unsteadily through the building’s interior, gasping heavily. He desperately needed this brief respite to regain control of the situation.

An enemy immune to reflection and capable of limitless lightning manipulation… Muhtar’s abilities as a Commandment Enforcer seemed powerless against such a foe. Yet, as a centuries-old Crimson-rank Beyonder, Muhtar’s strength went far beyond simple ability.

"If my commandments cannot reach you… It means I cannot perceive your presence clearly. If that’s the case…"

Floating cautiously, Muhtar withdrew a small stone box from his cloak. Opening it carefully, he retrieved a translucent, pale-yellow crystal glowing faintly from within. Muhtar winced at the thought of using such a precious artifact but quickly crushed it to powder, sprinkling it into his eyes. After briefly closing them, he reopened his eyes, now blazing with a brilliant golden-yellow radiance.

“True vision… illuminating everything clearly…”

Muhtar slowly turned in place, his gaze effortlessly penetrating every physical barrier. His vision expanded instantly to encompass the entirety of the Baruch Royal Palace, the whole city of Yadith, and all surrounding lands. Every entity, every spiritual trace, and every Beyonder aura appeared transparently within his radiant vision.

Scanning thoroughly with his illuminated eyes, Muhtar still failed to locate his hidden adversary. Frustrated, his expression hardened as he hesitated briefly, then decisively drew out another crystal. Crushing it once more and sprinkling the glittering powder into his eyes, Muhtar’s eyes began radiating even brighter. When he reopened them, not only his pupils but even the whites of his eyes glowed intensely golden.

Using this enhanced True Vision, Muhtar once more scrutinized the entire region. This time, his sight pierced not just physical barriers but also the boundary between worlds. He glimpsed beyond mundane reality into deeper realms beneath—he saw the fundamental layers underpinning reality, witnessed the sinking souls drifting toward the Netherworld, the ephemeral threads rising from the Dreamscape, and the sparks of molten flame drifting from the Elemental Plane of Fire… and finally, he discerned clearly the hidden space tucked within these shallow layers of existence.

In this extraordinary vision, Muhtar saw intense spiritual activity concentrated in western Yadith—exactly where the Light-Prayer Cathedral was situated. With the hidden space’s feeble concealment now utterly ineffective, Muhtar finally glimpsed the Beyonder controlling these strange spirituality within that concealed realm.

“I’ve found you at last… lightning controller…”

At that moment, footsteps echoed down the hallway near Muhtar. An undead revolutionary soldier marionette appeared, raised its gun without hesitation, and fired directly at Muhtar. A bullet struck Muhtar’s chest, knocking him from mid-air to the floor.

Meanwhile, in the hidden space of the Temple of Revelation Runes, Dorothy’s eyes widened sharply. Blood trickled from her lips, staining the front of her clothes crimson as she clutched at the sudden wound on her chest.