"Looks like I need to buy some hair dye."
The youth known as "Karl" stroked his hair back, placed his hand on his head, and flashed a rakish smile, "I say, old man—do you have any good stuff there?"
As he spoke, the gray mud beside him was churning uneasily, bubbling and gurgling.
Then, Karl suddenly raised his right hand that had been on his hair.
With his palm facing forward, he casually swung his hand.
The mud surged forward like a living thing, as if it would engulf everything and shred everything to pieces—
Unlike when he was ambushed on the boat.
This time, Benjamin, who had prepared the pre-transformed materials in advance, finally showcased the combat strength of a transformation wizard.
Thick black smoke billowed out from around him.
Like a general commanding his soldiers, he directed the continuously emerging black smoke forward, to meet the oncoming mud.
The black smoke touched the mud, and from the contact point, crimson crystals formed—The wall of black smoke turned the incoming mud into a mass of crimson crystals, which then spontaneously shattered into strands of red needles, gathering around Benjamin.
With a sudden swing forward.
Like a torrential downpour, the needles of red crystals flew densely and swiftly towards Captain Karl!
Karl, however, was not the least bit nervous.
The silt in front of him rose up as if it were alive, and instantly solidified into a solid and thick stone wall as it left the ground. The red needles clinked against the stone wall, then fell downwards.
The stone wall’s part beneath the silt spread and solidified outwards in all directions, forming a firm "foundation."
But as the red needles shattered, each began to glow with golden arcs of light.
After a very brief delay, they connected with each other.
—And suddenly exploded!
It was at this moment that Benjamin suddenly shouted out:
"David, control him quickly!
"I can’t kill anymore now... If I keep transforming, I won’t be able to stop!"
Is he calling me? But...aren’t we supposed to be mortal enemies?
Annan was taken aback for a moment.
He quickly realized something.
Yes, the premise was wrong—
The moment he realized this, all the clues lined up before him. Annan understood everything.
Without hesitation, he pushed Maria, who was a bit stunned, on the shoulder.
He dropped the pretense, his voice clear and bright:
"Hurry up, Maria—separate them!"
Maria also vaguely felt she understood something.
But she always felt she was missing a piece of the puzzle.
Although "Gerald’s" actions were rude, they snapped her out of her contemplation.
Maria’s ring shone with light.
She extended her slender right hand and made a downward slicing motion in the air, issuing a decree:
As her cool voice fell.
A transparent wall rose between Benjamin and Karl, slicing the battlefield in two.
An invisible repulsion emanated from the wall, pushing simultaneously to both sides.
Amidst a deep rumble, both the silt and the red needles were firmly blocked by the repulsive force and shoved to either side. Benjamin and Karl were also pushed away from the wall by the force.
At this distance, they would not be able to charge through immediately; and neither the silt nor the red crystals could pass through, only powerful spells that required preparation could scatter them.
In other words, both sides didn’t have to worry about being sneak-attacked by the other...which meant they could calmly sit down and talk things over.
Annan sighed at the effect of the spell.
"This is the real deal in mediation magic..."
"Can you tell us now?"
Maria turned around, gazing earnestly at Annan, "Why did you separate them?"
In her pupils, Annan seemed to see his own reflection.
The others were also looking at Annan.
Or rather... they were all looking at Gerald.
Annan chuckled lightly.
He clapped his hands and took a step forward.
On Gerald’s ordinary and gentle face suddenly appeared a confidence utterly uncharacteristic of him... and a brilliantly wild smile that was nearly dazzling.
"Gentlemen, esteemed elders... and our honored Highness,"
Annan said, turning gracefully to bow to Maria.
Maria courteously returned the gesture with a curtsy.
Subsequently, Annan calmly spoke, "In fact, I have seen through all of the truth."
He glanced at his watch, "Although deductions are to be made after dinner, I’m almost out of time... Let’s end this boring charade right here."
"The reason I wanted to stop you from fighting is simple. If one more person were to die, we would be left with only five people. And what does that mean?"
"Does it mean that, if the person who killed Master Michelangelo hasn’t killed anyone yet... they could kill one person and directly end the ritual?"
Maria asked tentatively.
Annan nodded, then shook his head.
"Close, but that’s not quite the problem..."
He scoffed, displaying an elegant yet restrained smile.
He spoke up, "The key issue is that if there are still six people alive—no matter how powerful he is, he wouldn’t be able to kill anyone. Otherwise, the ritual would encounter a bug...or rather, a deadlock."
Annan’s demeanor was nothing like the humility he had shown before.
Every gesture seemed as if it was shimmering with light, drawing everyone’s attention.
"Let me put it this way. The method to end this is simple... it’s just a single question."
Annan said directly, "We’ve all overlooked this from the very beginning. Why? Because everyone present has taken lives, more or less. So we weren’t surprised by others concealing their identities."
"But here lies the crux."
As he spoke, Annan looked at Maria and asked, "Does the Decree School possess a spell that can reveal a person’s true name?"
Annan had seen something similar at Viscount’s mansion.
Maria blinked, realizing something.
She quickly responded, "Yes, indeed there is."
She immediately took out a flat emerald-colored jade plaque from her small cross-body bag.
With a gentle swipe of her right hand over it, strange marks were seared into it.
"Hold it, and ask people their true names. If they answer correctly, it will flash white; if they respond falsely, it will flash red."
Maria handed it over to Annan, explaining how to use it.
"Very well, Your Highness."
Annan smiled slightly, turning directly to Uncle Giralda of the School of Prophets, and handed over the jade plaque.
He said softly, "Uncle Giralda... would you like to test it?"
The hitherto silent Giralda looked at Annan and suddenly laughed out loud.
Without fear, he walked over and grasped the jade plaque firmly.
In the midst of everyone’s diverse expressions, Giralda calmly stated:
"Michelangelo Buonarroti."
—The white light shone.