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Miranda Joy replied, her face twisted in a mocking smile.

Dean Bruce remained composed. "If you don\'t answer, do you think you\'ll survive? Your father may not be so eager to protect you."

At these words, Prani Joy fell silent. Though he didn\'t hold much affection for Miranda, he wouldn\'t harm his own daughter.

However, he also knew that Dean Bruce was his savior, and helping Miranda could very well cost him his life.

With this thought in mind, Prani Joy\'s tone turned cold. "Miranda, tell us where the bodies are, or I will ensure you never leave this place! Rulda, prepare to act—don\'t let her escape!"

"Heh," Miranda suddenly smirked. "You\'re asking Miranda for answers. But what does any of this have to do with me?" A sly grin spread across her face. "Did I ever claim I was Miranda?"

Her words left everyone in the room stunned, even Dean Bruce. Although he had suspected something like this, hearing it confirmed out loud was still a shock.

If she wasn\'t Miranda Joy, then who was she? And when had she taken Miranda\'s place, fooling even Prani Joy?

It became painfully clear that Prani Joy\'s dislike for Miranda had blinded him, to the point where he couldn\'t even recognize his own daughter.

Without hesitation, Rulda Chel sprang into action, casting a spell. With a sharp stomp of his foot, flames erupted around the room, forming a barrier of fire that encased them all.

The imposter grinned wider. "Now that the game is up… let\'s be honest. Old man, if you hand over the throne to me, I\'ll spare your lives. You and your two sons can live out the rest of your days in the palace. But if you refuse to give me the throne…"

Her voice darkened, filled with malice. "I\'ll leave now, and I can\'t promise that the bodies of those nobles will remain unharmed."

Her thinly veiled threat caused everyone\'s brows to furrow in concern.

Dean Bruce could feel the weight of the situation. His primary objective was to save the entire Quirell family.

Most importantly, Linda Quirell had already been rescued, so whether or not the others were saved was of less significance to him. He had already gained the rewards he sought.

But there was one thing Dean Bruce couldn\'t tolerate—losing face.

Rulda Chel\'s voice grew cold. "I\'ve already sealed this room. You think leaving will be that easy?"

Now that he knew the person in front of him wasn\'t the real Miranda Joy, Rulda Chel\'s tone had taken on a far more menacing edge.

The imposter shook their head and spoke softly, "Given that I possess the ability to separate souls from their bodies, do you think it was difficult for me to disguise myself as Miranda?"

As they spoke, the imposter turned toward Prani Joy, their voice chilling. "Prani, do you want to continue being king, or will you stand by and watch as the Empire of Lane Cloud crumbles into ruin?"

Hearing this, Prani Joy\'s expression became heavy with worry.

He couldn\'t bear the thought of handing over the throne to a stranger, even if that stranger would forever live under the identity and face of Miranda Joy. It was unthinkable.

However, if he refused and the empire fell while under his rule, how could he face his ancestors in the afterlife?

Dean Bruce reached into his robes and pulled out the Mirror World Magic Scroll, speaking calmly, "Soul separation takes time, doesn\'t it? Let\'s see whose timing is faster."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the imposter\'s face twisted in alarm. She immediately began to separate her soul from Miranda\'s body, but Dean Bruce was quicker, tearing open the Mirror World scroll with a swift motion.

Buzz—

A peculiar energy rippled through the air, shining with a silver glow that shimmered like the surface of water or a reflective mirror. In an instant, the magical light enveloped everyone in the room.

All of them staggered briefly, and when they regained their balance, they looked around in shock.

Even the imposter controlling Miranda Joy\'s body was visibly startled. After a moment, she sneered, "Is this supposed to trick me? Nothing has changed!"

"Really?" Dean Bruce replied softly. "Why don\'t you try sensing where we are? Is this reality or some kind of illusion?"

Upon hearing this, the imposter clenched her right hand, her lips moving silently as a fierce, icy aura condensed around her fist, hardening it into something as solid as crystalline ice. With a powerful punch, she struck downward.

Buzz—

A strange sound echoed as the ground beneath her turned hazy, rippling like water. The imposter\'s expression shifted dramatically, realizing the depth of the illusion she was now trapped in.

"No… this can\'t be happening!" the imposter controlling Miranda Joy cried out in terror. "A mirror world illusion cast in an instant? Even though you\'re an elder, the pressure I feel from you isn\'t as strong as Rulda\'s. How could you possibly manage this?"

It wasn\'t just her—Rulda Chel and the others were staring at Dean Bruce with eyes full of shock.

They couldn\'t believe that someone like Dean Bruce, who didn\'t seem particularly imposing, had continuously done things beyond their comprehension.

Dean Bruce remained calm as he said, "Even as a soul, don\'t think you can escape so easily. Tell us where the bodies of those people are, and I might grant you a painless death."

"..."

"I refuse to believe that even through death, I can\'t escape this!"

The imposter, controlling Miranda Joy\'s body, was clearly ruthless. Without hesitation, she swung her icy, crystal-like fist directly at her own head.

Crack—

With a sickening sound, the beautiful head was shattered into pieces.

Seeing this, Dean Bruce didn\'t hesitate either. He immediately dispersed the Mirror World spell. As the illusion lifted, he looked up and saw that Miranda Joy\'s body was still standing perfectly intact, frozen in place with a dull, expressionless face.

"This..."

The others snapped out of their daze, curiously turning their eyes to Dean Bruce.

"There\'s no need to worry," Dean Bruce said coolly. "She\'s entered a state of soul suspension. She can\'t control her soul, nor can she escape."

Dean Bruce\'s mind raced, and he suddenly remembered the Soul Blood Nail he had won from the lottery earlier. He couldn\'t help but feel fortunate.

Luckily, he hadn\'t hesitated to spend his Supreme Mage points on the lottery. Without those tools, he might have had to resort to brute force to subdue this imposter Miranda Joy.

Stepping forward, Dean Bruce retrieved the Soul Blood Nail from his system inventory and drove it directly into Miranda Joy\'s shoulder.

As her body trembled, a strange sensation washed over Dean Bruce, linking him to her soul.

After a moment of thought, Dean Bruce attempted to send a command to the soul within Miranda Joy\'s body. "Take us to where the bodies of the captives are being held," he ordered.

"Okay," came a soft reply.

To everyone\'s astonishment, Miranda Joy\'s body began moving, walking toward the exit of the palace. Her movements were slow and deliberate as if guided by invisible strings.

Rulda Chel quickly dismissed the flaming barrier he had erected earlier, and the group hurried after her.

They followed Miranda Joy out of the palace, her eyes shut tightly, as she made her way toward her personal quarters. Before long, they arrived inside, where she stopped in front of a white stallion, standing still and silent, not moving or speaking.

Dean Bruce raised an eyebrow, suddenly recalling the strange look he had noticed on the white stallion when he first saw it. He immediately understood what was going on. "There\'s likely a soul hidden inside this horse. Rulda, can you break this magic?"

"This is, after all, a matter concerning your Empire of Lane Cloud. I can\'t keep doing all the work, can I?" Dean added, with a calm but pointed tone.

Hearing this, Rulda Chel\'s face showed a hint of embarrassment. He quickly stepped forward and said, "Let this old man give it a try!"

Dean Bruce remained composed, but inwardly, he let out a sigh of relief.

With the Book of Dispel Magic gone, he didn\'t have the strength to break such complex magic on his own.

Thankfully, Rulda Chel, being the Grandmaster of the empire, possessed significant power. Though he hadn\'t detected the anomaly earlier, now that the secret had been revealed, he would have a solution.

Buzz—

As crimson light flickered, a soul suddenly floated out from within the horse.

"Sister!"

"Third Princess!"

Cries of shock and joy filled the air. Apart from Prani Joy, Apollon and the other members of the Empire of Lane Cloud rushed forward.

Apollon Joy\'s eyes were red with emotion. "I knew it! She wasn\'t my real sister! The real Miranda had such a good relationship with us, how could she ever plot against her own family?"

"..."

Rulda Chel, however, was the first to sense something wrong. He quickly turned to Dean Bruce and asked, "Mr. Dean, if we return the soul of the Third Princess to her body, will the artifact you\'ve implanted in her still function to lead us to the remaining bodies?"

"It won\'t," Dean Bruce replied with a shake of his head. "You should have no trouble safeguarding the Third Princess\'s soul with your skills. Just send someone to handle that. The priority now is to locate the rest of the bodies."

"Understood, Mr. Dean," Rulda Chel responded. He then subtly signaled to several guardians, directing their attention back to the controlled body of Miranda Joy, who still held the key to uncovering the location of the captives.