Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan

 

The scenery shifted around Su'en, and when he focused his eyes once more, he found himself in a black and white checkered space.

 

Not a trace of surprise crossed his face.

 

He reached out to test the space and was still able to ripple it.

 

This meant that from the start, this chessboard space imposed no restrictions on those who possessed "spatial abilities."

 

Hmm…

 

In other words, it was utterly useless against him, Su'en.

 

However, items couldn't be retrieved from lesser spatial storage devices like space rings.

 

For others facing this situation, aside from what they carried, they could only engage in close combat with the individual before them.

 

No wonder Danze Junior had taken out several finely crafted alchemical golems for protection well in advance.

 

But this didn't limit Su'en's folding space.

 

Though he didn't need to retrieve anything to kill this guy.

 

Just as well.

 

After casting the bait for so long, this fellow finally came with the treasure in tow.

 

【Stanitz's Chessboard】

 

Description: Chess should be a fair one-on-one duel.

 

Trait: Using this chessboard forces a one-on-one duel within a restricted space with a selected living target until one party dies or voluntarily disengages; it's not a cursed item, but after contracting with the chessboard, the lingering thoughts of that old lich will haunt your dreams, compelling you to play chess. If you can't win, then you'll keep him company indefinitely.

 

Details: This is a soul container for an ancient alchemist named 'Mikhail Tokst', who turned himself into a lich using black magic and necromancy; an artifact from the Dawn Era, so ancient that the lich's soul is fragmented, with much of its curse properties lost. Perhaps its value lies not only in the chessboard itself. That old lich, who constantly mutters about being the king of the 'Tarkolu Empire', might reveal secrets of the Dawn Era if you converse with him.

 

"Forced spatial restriction… What a fine item."

 

Su'en glanced at the information identified, which was almost as he expected.

 

No wonder that 'Magician' Lloyd couldn't stop thinking about it; this chessboard was indeed perfect for puppeteers.

 

The value of a treasure lies not in its power, but in how well it synergizes with one's professional abilities.

 

At first glance, the chessboard has no offensive capabilities, but it can trap a target within this confined space, leaving no escape.

 

With an ability like 【Puppet Theater】, which covers a wide range, it's indeed a formidable tool against peers within the same rank.

 

And because it's one-on-one, life forms like zombies can't be brought in.

 

This item indeed restricts Su'en.

 

No wonder Danze Junior was so confident, opting for a one-on-one duel.

 

***

 

Danze Junior had waited for this day for a long time.

 

Ever since that encounter at the Dawn Camp's street market with "Su'en," where he lost a few strands of hair, his once smooth-sailing life had been met with constant setbacks.

 

During the battle at the White Monastery, this guy stole his opportunity, killed his guards, and tarnished his family's reputation; later, during an ambush, he killed his teacher and ten second-tier experts, causing heavy losses to the Oliver family; and just a few days ago, he even dared to provoke them…

 

After repeated frustrations, Danze harbored a deep resentment. He felt he couldn't swallow this grudge unless he killed Su'en with his own hands.

 

He looked at Su'en before him, his sorcerer's seals changing rapidly in his hands, and spoke with hatred, "You think you're worthy of opposing me?"

 

Just an outer city lowlife relying on a forbidden item to show off.

 

Hmph, now without your scythe, let's see how you die!

 

"…"

 

Listening to these juvenile lines, Su'en slightly raised his eyelids.

 

He was very familiar with those sorcerer's seals—it was the start of 【Puppet Theater】.

 

The proficiency was not bad, clearly taught by a master.

 

Probably these pampered young masters felt the need to say a few words to showcase their superiority as top-tier heirs.

 

If it were anywhere else, Su'en might have been interested in bantering with the young master.

 

But right now, with the heated battle outside, he had no intention of wasting time here. He too began forming sorcerer's seals with his hands.

 

At this gesture, Danze's gaze froze.

 

How could he not recognize this gesture?

 

"He… How does he know 【Puppet Theater】?"

 

Although Danze knew Su'en had the detailed scroll of this puppeteer's secret technique, how could one master such a skill without years of hard practice?

 

And such a control-based skill, without personal instruction, how could it be mastered so quickly?

 

Danze was not only shocked that Su'en used the same technique as him but also that the speed of Su'en's seals was even faster!

 

How is that possible?

 

Danze was horrified.

 

【Puppet Theater】 consisted of thirty-six sorcerer's seals.

 

He had the advantage, but his seals were only half-formed.

 

Yet Su'en's hand seals caught up in the blink of an eye!

 

Sorcerer's seals are not just about changing a few hand gestures; the more complex the seals, the more intricate the energy manipulation required.

 

It must be fast and accurate, or else it would be all for naught.

 

But this guy was even more proficient than him?

 

Danze felt like he was seeing his teacher's shadow in Su'en's movements.

 

For a moment, he even suspected that they were taught by the same master.

 

But reality didn't give him the chance to ponder.

 

Almost simultaneously, the final seal was formed.

 

Both sides conjured their spells at the same time, and two blue hexagram arrays lit up in the sky: "Puppeteer's Secret Technique · Puppet Theater!"

 

As the arrays appeared, two giant crosses slowly emerged in the air.

 

When the same spell appears in a limited space, "energy plundering" occurs, where the stronger side easily crushes the other.

 

Both crosses appeared at the same time, but one began to slowly disintegrate.

 

"I… I'm actually losing to him?!"

 

Danze Junior's face paled, and even though he desperately fed cursed crystals into the hexagram array beneath his feet to replenish energy, he couldn't stop his spell from collapsing.

 

The overwhelming momentum was indicative of a crushing disparity in rank.

 

This meant that, whether on the level of laws or understanding of the spell, there was a crushing gap between the two!

 

Is he a third-tier?

 

How is that possible…

 

Danze's face turned ashen.

 

***

 

Su'en paid no attention to Danze Junior's shock.

 

As the cross formed in the sky, countless threads cascaded down like rain.

 

Danze Junior tried to entangle Su'en with his own threads and golems, but whether it was threads, spells, or anything else, the gap between them was too vast.

 

When thread met thread, there was no contest; they collapsed upon contact.

 

Danze could only defend passively, using the threads of his own armor to protect himself.

 

Su'en didn't give him any chance, reaching into the void with ten fingers, controlling the threads to tightly wrap the man into a cocoon.

 

Seeing that he was about to be controlled to death, Danze Junior hastily released the chessboard's space, letting out a miserable scream: "Save me!"

 

Kill him?

 

No, Su'en didn't plan to do so.

 

As long as Danze Junior was alive, the Oliver family's guards would keep coming to the rescue.

 

This was much more convenient than chasing them down one by one to kill.

 

Su'en watched the chessboard's scenery collapse around him, licked his lips, and the ferocity in his eyes grew stronger: "Now… it's just the beginning."

 

***

 

Originally, when Rena and the butler Anthony learned that Mr. Zolo was the SS-ranked fugitive Su'en, they were shocked but also somewhat hopeful.

 

The strength Su'en displayed when he killed 'Blade of Night' Ibn Jariad in a single encounter was already very impressive. With the forbidden scythe, they even felt they had a chance to turn the tables.

 

But unexpectedly, in their first encounter, Danze suddenly produced a chessboard treasure and teleported the man away?

 

Without a doubt, Danze Junior must have had some assurance to counter Su'en, which is why he did so.

 

This realization sent a chill down the spines of Kay and the others.

 

"Mr. Kay, take the lady and run! I'll hold them off!"

 

"Alright!"

 

"…"

 

In such an urgent situation, there was no time for hesitation.

 

The old butler was prepared to die, roaring as he transformed into a massive black-furred demon sheep, standing between them and the barrage of gunfire. Even alchemical bullets ricocheted off his body with a 'clang'.

 

However, the high-tier professionals from the two families were not weak, and a group of them quickly surrounded them.

 

With a third-tier 'Sword King of Wind and Thunder' Nero in front and the mysterious association's Elder of Calamities behind, along with over twenty second-tier professionals and nearly a thousand elites…

 

In an instant, a deluge of spells rained down like a torrential downpour.

 

Even with the demon sheep's body and runic armor capable of withstanding cannon fire, the old butler was still bloodied by the concentrated attack.

 

Holding onto the thought of delaying them for as long as possible, hoping to draw most of the fire to give Kay and Rena a chance to escape, he didn't expect to have to fight desperately when suddenly he heard a scream echoing through the prison.

 

"Save me!"

 

That desperate, despairing cry sounded like it came from Danze Junior?

 

Looking again, Danze, wrapped in black threads and completely encased in silver threads into a cocoon, was being crushed with immense force, like a python's embrace, spewing blood from his mouth.

 

His scream seemed to pause the intense battle.

 

Both sides of the conflict were stunned for a moment.

 

What happened?

 

The battle ended in just a few breaths?

 

The 【Puppet Theater】 spell in the sky hadn't dissipated yet, and looking at that cross, 'Sword King of Wind and Thunder' Nero's face darkened as he immediately understood.

 

He was well aware of the effect of 【Stanitz's Chessboard】, and Danze had lost within that restricted space?

 

At the same time, he was shocked and horrified: "How… How does this Su'en know this spell?!"

 

Before anyone could ponder further, Su'en, who reappeared, suddenly took out several scrolls and spread them in the air, shouting: "Release!"

 

The scrolls exploded, scattering fragments everywhere.

 

Looking again, in the dim prison corridor, over a hundred red-faced rune dolls appeared out of thin air. They wore sinister smiles on their faces, and their lower jaws trembled, emitting a low-frequency, eerie laughter that sent shivers down the spine.

 

Some with one head, others with two…

 

Two arms, four arms, six arms…

 

Like kites, over a hundred bizarre puppets floated in the air, staring straight at the enemies surrounding them.

 

Su'en's eyes began to show a red glint.

 

Even those with weaker perception could feel his presence like a burning flame. The special fluctuations of his mental power spilled from his body, radiating ripples that made onlookers slightly dazed.

 

Su'en bared his white teeth in a mad, excited grin.

 

From his throat came a low growl like that of a wild beast: "Secret Technique · Night Parade of a Hundred Puppets!"

 

***

 

Seeing Su'en control a hundred puppets at once, everyone was stunned.

 

The people from the Oliver and Clark families realized how naive their previous thoughts were.

 

The SS-ranked fugitive Su'en in the reports and the one before them were not on the same level of combat prowess.

 

Not only had Danze Junior underestimated his opponent, but almost everyone had thought Su'en was just a lucky fugitive who had a way to avoid the backlash of the black scythe and had repeatedly escaped by chance.

 

But reality slapped them hard, waking them up immediately.

 

Not to mention the capabilities of the hundred puppets, just the eerie pressure emanating from Su'en was undeniably genuine.

 

It was a feeling that made those second-tier professionals' scalps tingle.

 

Who else within the same rank could make them feel as if they were about to be killed with just one look?

 

Just the feeling alone told them that this man's true strength was terrifying!

 

Even the sole third-tier professional 'Sword King of Wind and Thunder'  Nero looked very grave upon seeing Su'en.

 

"Such strong mental power, no wonder he can control so many puppets…"

 

Seeing this, the veteran third-tier's eyes were filled with solemnity, "Could his professional ability be 'spatial ability' ?"

 

He didn't believe that these hundred-plus puppets were just for show.

 

Each of the hundred puppets was covered in intricate blue light runes, not ordinary low-tier ones…

 

Intuition told Nero that he should kill that man, but with Anthony desperately holding him back, he couldn't free his hands.

 

***

 

Su'en's entrance as a puppeteer turned him into a one-man army, significantly closing the gap in numbers that was initially one-sided.

 

Although there was still a difference in numbers, the puppet army's momentum was not inferior to the two families'.

 

As soon as the puppets appeared, Su'en didn't give the enemy any time to react, simultaneously controlling them with eight spider spears.

 

It was nearly impossible to control a hundred puppets with precision at the same time, but now, things were different.

 

He gradually released those suppressed emotions, and his thoughts seemed to expand, revealing a new world before his eyes.

 

Joy, anger, sorrow, thought, grief, fear, shock…

 

Those suppressed emotions were like different "Su'ens," helping him to multitask and control the puppets.

 

When it came to killing, "they" were all very interested.

 

Like fireworks exploding, bursting into a dazzling array of colors.

 

His senses became sharper, as if pulling threads, he felt a trance-like, ethereal sensation…

 

The unrestrained emotions brought extreme pleasure to his body.

 

Su'en licked his lips, growing more addicted to this state that brought him extreme excitement and joy, "Hehe, such a delightful state…"

 

With a flick of his fingers, the hundred puppets surged wildly into the crowd.

 

"CLICK," "CLICK," "CLICK"…

 

The friction of the wooden joints of the puppets was chilling to hear.

 

Watching those terrifying red-faced puppets fly towards them, the people from the two families panicked, raising their guns in unison, and gunfire erupted.

 

"BANG!"

 

"BANG!"

 

"BANG!"

 

"…"

 

The two families had their share of sharpshooters, and many puppets were hit.

 

But in an instant, they realized that ordinary bullets were useless against these puppets.

 

Bullets hit the puppets with a crackling sound, but these seemingly wooden puppets became indestructible due to the enhancement of high-tier runes.

 

These puppets were no longer the crude creations Su'en had made before.

 

Since stripping the soul fragment from that fifth-tier professional, Su'en's understanding of second and third-tier runes and enchantments had leaped beyond most of the "rune masters" in Old London.

 

All the dolls were enchanted and runed with second-tier knowledge, and some even utilized third-tier knowledge.

 

In the field of alchemy, the tier of the rune signifies its power. Second and third-tier runes mean second and third-tier attack and defense capabilities.

 

Even if hit by alchemical bullets, occasionally piercing through a puppet, what of it?

 

The most formidable aspect of a puppeteer is that as long as the controller lives, all battles are meaningless.

 

Even if reduced to limbs and fragments, puppets can still kill!

 

With a tug of the threads, the first volley of gunfire failed to stop them, and these fearless puppets, like hungry tigers pouncing on sheep, plunged directly into the crowd.

 

The daggers of the puppets were inscribed with third-tier runes like 【Armor-Piercing】, 【Sharpness】, 【Demon-Breaking】… How could they be easily defended against?

 

First-tier professionals, except for those heavily armored, were almost always left with a gaping wound with a single strike.

 

In the first encounter, as the puppets swept into the crowd, screams of agony filled the air.

 

And that was just the beginning of the horror of the puppets getting close!

 

The most troublesome aspect of the rune puppets lay in their mental power runes.

 

【Nightmare Dolls】 could cause visual and auditory hallucinations, leading to confusion. Once within a ten-meter range, the effect intensified.

 

If the dolls got too close, even second-tier professionals would suffer greatly.

 

Caught off guard, they could be stabbed to death by the puppets while in a dazed state.

 

With the arrival of Su'en's puppet army, the enemies were caught off guard.

 

Soon, the people from the two families realized the problem.

 

Commanders screamed into their communicators.

 

"Don't look at the puppets' faces; there's a visual illusion!"

 

"Don't listen to…"

 

"Keep your distance…"

 

But, Knowing is one thing,

 

What can they do about it?

 

Most professionals rely on vision and hearing to track targets. If they don't look at the puppets and shut off their hearing, how can they fight?

 

That's the trouble with rune puppets.

 

For a moment, this group experienced the terror of being dominated by rune puppets.

 

Those who had seen this technique before were dead.

 

Those who had seen rune puppets were almost all dead.

 

Now, those who have seen them are about to die again.

 

***

 

The strength of 【Puppet Theater】 lies in the fact that within a certain range, this technique is virtually unsolvable!

 

Where Su'en stood, within hundreds of square meters, he had absolute control.

 

The puppets moved as nimbly as real people, attacking in swarms, leaving no match wherever they went.

 

However, puppeteers do have weaknesses.

 

Control distance is a big issue.

 

The people from the two families were being slaughtered by the puppet army with almost no ability to fight back, and the experienced commanders issued orders to retreat quickly.

 

Su'en watched those guys run off, the puppets unable to catch up.

 

He didn't waste the energy.

 

He directly pulled the tightly bound Danze Junior in front of him, loosening the binding threads slightly to reveal his head.

 

Then, Su'en stabbed the guy in the buttocks with a knife.

 

Danze Junior cooperated with a painful cry: "Ah… Save me!"

 

The scream echoed in the prison corridors, lingering for a long time.