The ropes binding Os were easily broken as he slowly sat up. Finally, he sat upright on the rack, facing the Police, his drooping head slowly straightened, and his hanging arms seemed to regain control, moving slightly.
Eventually, he sat up straight and faced the Police.
Then, he slowly opened his eyes; there was no white or black in them, only a deep blackness, as if composed of countless black blood.
Under everyone's gaze, the 'Os' Marquis slowly turned his head, emitting a bone-jarring crunch, then spoke in a hoarse, low voice.
"Finally, I'm up. It's really hard to enter the World in this era.
None of those guys are useful."
"Os... Marquis?"
A young Police officer tentatively asked, even preparing to step forward, but Mark stopped him.
"Don't go over there, something's wrong with him," Mark said with a serious expression.
He could responsibly confirm that Marquis Os had definitely passed away just now; such injuries were absolutely not survivable for a human. This scene of resurrection from the dead completely exceeded his scope of understanding.
But fortunately, they were secret Police and had seen many heinous murder cases, so they were braver; otherwise, they would have already fled.
"Os... Marquis?" The thing whispered, "Marquis, huh? Sounds like a high status. Those guys aren't entirely useless after all."
"What are you?" Mark asked, suppressing the fear in his heart.
"Os" slowly raised his head at the sound, looking at the surrounding Police officers, "Just too many unnecessary people. So..."
His lips stretched sideways, forming an inhuman, exceptionally grotesque grin, like a demon crawling out of hell.
"...May I ask you to die?"
In that instant, Mark's heart plummeted to rock bottom. Without any hesitation, he ordered the Police officers behind him.
"He's not Marquis Os, fire!!!"
Mark's prestige among these people seemed very strong, so even though he ordered them to attack a Marquis, they unhesitatingly raised their flintlock pistols and aimed them at Marquis Os.
However, just as the flintlock pistols were raised, they met Marquis Os's eyes. Those pitch-black eyes were like the gaze of an abyss...
When they suddenly realized it, they found themselves completely unable to move.
In that moment, they felt their bodies didn't belong to them. No matter how their brains transmitted commands to their bodies, they couldn't make any movements. They stood still like statues.
This unknown power pushed the fear in their hearts to the extreme.
Some young Police officers were already crying. Thankfully, this entity at least still gave them the right to cry.
Under Mark's gaze, Marquis Os gently raised a hand and snapped his fingers.
All the Police officers, including him, moved. They turned their gun muzzles and aimed them at their comrades beside them.
Mark gritted his teeth, roaring in his heart, wanting to regain control of his body, even trembling because of it, but it was utterly useless.
His gun was now pointed at his colleague of over ten years.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two gunshots rang out simultaneously. Two Police officers, unable to resist the power, pulled their triggers.
Blood bloomed simultaneously from both their chests, and they fell to the ground, their fates unknown.
Mark's eyes were bloodshot, screaming in his heart, but he knew that next, it might be him.
His trembling finger also moved to the trigger.
But suddenly, his movement stopped.
Mark felt as if a part of his body's control had returned to his hands.
He struggled to remove his finger from the trigger, trying hard to turn his head to look at Marquis Os.
This thing seemed to have noticed something, a hint of interest appearing on its face as it looked behind the crowd, towards the staircase where they had entered.
"Didn't expect there'd be a rather special rat hiding here."
Mark looked at the staircase; it was empty. But as his eyes blurred for a moment, a person in a black robe abruptly appeared there.
His black eyes, set against the night, were exceptionally deep, revealing a tranquility and mystery like the night.
Herbert, who had been hiding in the corner, recognized Merlin almost instantly.
Although he didn't know why he was here, the anxiousness he had felt earlier eased slightly at this moment.
The abilities he possessed were no match for such supernatural things.
Just now, he was even worried he wouldn't be able to escape, not daring to breathe too loudly.
He knew the thing below him had already discovered him, but simply disdained him and ignored him.
"A good illusion," Os commented. "I originally thought that in the current World of this era, there would no longer be people like you.
The people I found couldn't even manage such a simple illusion."
Merlin quietly watched Os, communicating with Calcifer in his mind at the same time.
However, to that Os, this silence was a provocation.
Os's lips curled downwards slightly, showing displeasure.
"You humans, you really are as foolish and arrogant as ever. But, souls like yours, I don't know how many I've eaten..."
As he spoke, he slowly bared his teeth. Under everyone's gaze, Marquis Os slowly leaned forward, and a black mist surged from his body. It was a grinning evil spirit that passed through everyone and directly burrowed into Merlin's body.
Marquis Os just hung his head, motionless, as if dead.
The entire storeroom fell into an eerie silence.
The secret Police still couldn't move, their guns still pointed at their comrades.
They struggled to turn their stiff necks, watching the You-Know-Who who had suddenly appeared there.
He still stood in place, eyes tightly closed, also motionless.
Seeing this scene, the hope that had just risen in these people's hearts was once again extinguished.
In their eyes, this suddenly appearing You-Know-Who was clearly controlled by the monster's power, just like them.
They began to try to save themselves, struggling hard, their bodies moving little by little as if frozen, their faces flushed from the effort.
They were fighting against the power of that evil spirit, and in a place they didn't know, a struggle was also taking place in Merlin's consciousness World.
Merlin opened his eyes and found himself standing on a basalt rock.
Around him was flowing lava, the scorching heat distorting the air, emitting a strong smell of sulfur. Thick volcanic ash obscured the sun, and the entire sky was a heavy, dark expanse.
The distant volcano was still erupting, and the lava beneath his feet also looked as if it was about to engulf him.
Above him, in front, a throne floated there.
The thing sat on it, legs crossed, right hand propping its face, looking down at him from above. It still had the appearance of Marquis Os, which indicated that it didn't have a fixed form.
"Do you know where this is, human?" Os said.
"A dream," Merlin said.
"It seems your knowledge is quite extensive," Os said with interest. "Then do You-Know-Who I am?"
"A dream demon, or rather, a nightmare."
Os slowly bared his teeth, revealing a ferocious grin.
"Then you should know that in the dream I create, no matter how strong you are in reality, here, your fate will be dominated by me."
Merlin raised an eyebrow and said playfully, "Fate is not something so easily dominated."
"Hmph," the thing scoffed dismissively. "Human, I can give you a chance. I need a capable helper in the World. If you kneel at my feet now and pledge allegiance, I might consider forgiving your disrespect."
"What if I don't?" Merlin looked at Os with interest.
"Then, you'll have to consider falling into eternal night," Os said with cold eyes. Then, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
But the next moment, his expression gradually became startled, because as he tried to control it, the entire dream World showed no change.
"Have you ever thought..." Merlin's voice came from below.
Os looked in astonishment at the person below him; he was watching him, his eyes completely calm.
And his words continued.
"...that this dream isn't one you created?"
Os's eyes instantly froze. Then, he felt a burning sensation on his back, like being scorched by Fire, and he felt an astonishing magical power.
His body stiffened in that instant.
He slowly, somewhat stiffly, turned his head, only to see behind him a Fire demon, several meters tall, composed of blue-green Fire, floating and looking down at him.
Its lips curved into a grin, its eyes upturned, revealing a ferocious smile just like his earlier.
In the ears of the secret Police, who were still struggling to break free in the storeroom, an extremely piercing scream was heard. In that instant, the power binding them disappeared.
Then, they saw the evil spirit, composed of black smoke, run out of the You-Know-Who and re-enter Os's body.
The previously lifeless Marquis Os suddenly took a breath and raised his head, and this time, the look in his eyes towards Merlin was no longer disdain and condescension, but fear.
"No... impossible.
You are not human.
How could an existence like you... like you possibly come to the World!??"