Before Mozo could think any further, he saw the Knight Lady suddenly leap down, hoist him over her shoulder, and sprint toward the Mayor's Estate at full speed.
At the same time, the other Beyonders also began retreating rapidly.
But they were already one step too late.
A chorus of voices suddenly roared out from House 320:
"We won't let you have your way! Die! All of you, DIE!"
The next moment, Mozo saw every house along Anle Street beginning from House 320 come alive.
First, countless strands of green fur burst from the side of each building facing Number 320. The fur withered almost instantly, and then the houses violently tore themselves from the ground.
Doors transformed into monstrous mouths lined with razor-sharp fangs.
Windows twisted into blood-red, distorted eyes.
Huge clawed limbs made of brick and stone erupted from both sides.
The kind of house demons that should only exist in fairy tales had appeared in reality.
At the same time, House 320 itself rapidly expanded and warped, swelling into a towering, grotesque fortress.
Countless house demons gathered beneath the twisted stronghold.
From atop the fortress, the mad voice continued roaring:
"HAHAHAHA! Come then! Come! The great Green Angel will never let you succeed!"
"Damn the Sun King! Damn the elves! Damn everything!"
As the voice fell, the countless house demons launched their assault on the Beyonders.
Massive bodies surged forward in crowded waves while sharp, powerful claws slashed down with lethal force.
The Beyonders were well-trained, but against such sudden attacks, especially attacks originating from a Sequence Two existence, many were killed almost instantly.
Only the captain-level Beyonders were still managing to hold the line.
Even the Knight Lady, who had fled ahead carrying Mozo, encountered attacks from both sides.
The previously normal houses suddenly extended gigantic claws from either side, tearing toward both her and Mozo.
Yet even while carrying a fully grown man on one shoulder, the Knight Lady effortlessly found the opening between the claws and leapt through.
Using the demon's own claws as footholds, she continuously vaulted upward toward the creature's main body.
Then, after one final leap, she drew the sword at her waist and shouted:
"Let thunder shatter the darkness!"
Terrifying lightning erupted wildly from her blade.
As the Knight Lady brought her sword down, the enormous house demon was instantly blasted apart into rubble.
Mozo immediately recognized her pathway.
This was the Lightning Pathway's Sequence Five, Thunder Summoning Guardian.
One step further and she would become the demigod-tier Lord of Thunder.
The defining trait of this sequence was overwhelming frontal destructive power.
Of course, it was also extremely flashy.
Mozo genuinely couldn't understand what Duke Windsor had been thinking, stationing someone like this inside the Special District as his daughter's guardian knight.
Then another thought suddenly struck him.
Wait... when Miss Windsor got abducted last time, could it have been because you didn't dare go all out?
A Shadow Mage was certainly dangerous, but against a same-rank Thunder Guardian, it shouldn't have been so easy to kidnap a duke's daughter.
Still, Mozo didn't dwell on it for long.
Instead, he frowned and asked:
"The Mayor's Estate? Aren't we heading to the Windsor manor?"
While carrying him and moving at incredible speed, the Knight Lady answered:
"The young lady has already been escorted to the Fog Capital. The manor only has ordinary servants left. They won't be dragged into the Mirror World, so right now we only need to protect ourselves."
Mozo nodded in understanding before glancing back toward the twisted fortress.
Then he sighed and looked away.
He was deeply worried about Audrey's safety, but there was nothing he could do right now.
All he could do was pray that heaven protected her.
He had already done everything he could.
Who could have guessed that the enemy hiding behind all this would be a Sequence Two Green Angel?!
From the creature's earlier outburst and the abilities it had displayed, Mozo could easily identify it.
A Green Angel.
Sequence Two of the Life Pathway.
But when he thought of Green Angels, Mozo was suddenly reminded of the Faceless Court.
The Faceless Court also possessed a Green Angel characteristic.
This guy... surely he isn't from the Faceless Court, right?
No, impossible.
It couldn't be that much of a coincidence.
The Faceless Court were observers.
They watched history and stories unfold from hidden corners of the world.
Stepping onto the stage themselves was not something observers did.
Although he didn't truly believe the possibility, Mozo still silently committed the thought to memory.
If the enemy really had come from the Faceless Court...
Then Mozo would gain yet another method of survival, or even a way to turn the tables.
But for now, all he could do was follow the Knight Lady and seek protection from the Mayor.
Still, the Mayor was only Sequence Three.
Even with the blessing of the Mirror World, he would probably only be able to stall the enemy while waiting for reinforcements from the Fog Capital.
And if those reinforcements arrived too late...
Then Mozo would have no choice but to activate the Golden Legion within the ruins.
Right.
Since the Knight Lady was Miss Windsor's guardian knight, why hadn't she left the Special District together with her?
Among the flood of thoughts racing through his mind, Mozo suddenly realized this point.
But the current situation was far too dangerous for him to think deeply about it.
So he merely adjusted himself into a slightly more comfortable position and continued fleeing toward the Mayor's Estate at breakneck speed on the Knight Lady's shoulder.
As they drew closer to the estate, the Beyonders stationed at the Inquisition had already erected defensive fortifications in advance.
First, they continuously splashed holy water across nearby buildings and the streets.
Then they rolled out dozens of heavy cannons modified through supernatural means.
While bombarding the approaching house demons, they also desperately covered the retreat of their comrades.
Once the Knight Lady and the others finally arrived, a muscular man gave a single order and detonated several hundred surrounding buildings.
The resulting rubble barely formed a crude wall capable of slowing the demonic army.
They had already observed that the house demons possessed bloated bodies. Terrain like this, neither too high nor too low, would greatly hinder their movement.
The Chief Captain, whose hair had somehow been burned away on one side, first set down the two comrades he had been carrying before shouting toward the muscular man:
"Where's the Count?!"
"I don't know! Open fire! Blow these freaks to hell!"
Under the big man's command, dozens of heavy cannons roared simultaneously.
The specially crafted supernatural shells easily blasted apart the advancing house demons.
But it wasn't enough.
A few dozen cannons simply weren't enough.
They could only slow the enemy advance slightly.
They could not inflict meaningful damage.
The sight filled every Beyonder present with dread.
Especially those who had entered the ruins before.
At that moment, they felt as though the suffocating terror brought by the Golden Legion had returned once again.