Chapter 40: The Battlefield of Puppets
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The War Council of Clover
Inside the royal castle of the Clover Kingdom, all captains had assembled. The room buzzed with tension as the dark reality of the Spade Kingdom's brutal advance sank in.
Julius Nova Chrono stood at the center, his expression grim yet calm. He looked at each Magic Knight captain in turn — Yami, William, Fuegoleon, Nozel, Charlotte, and the new Akatsuki Captain Asta, standing proudly at the council.
Julius:
"The Spade Kingdom has begun their full assault. Their objective is to complete the Qliphoth Tree and unleash the devils from the Underworld fully into our world."
Fuegoleon slammed his fist into his palm.
Fuegoleon:
"We will not allow it."
Yami leaned back with a cigarette hanging from his mouth.
Yami:
"It's gonna be one hell of a fight. Even with all of us combined, those devil hosts are monsters."
Nozel (nodding):
"We have never faced a threat of this magnitude before. But we cannot falter."
All eyes shifted to Asta, the wildcard in this war. His anti-magic powers were their trump card.
Asta (firmly):
"We will stop them. I'll cut down anything that stands in our way!"
Behind Asta, standing silently as always, was Avi, blending into the council as a quiet observer.
Avi (internally):
"Exactly. You play your roles well. And while you shine, I pull the strings from the shadows."
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Akatsuki Base: Avi's Personal War Table
Returning to his dimensional world, Avi activated the massive floating war table. The entire map of Clover, Spade, Diamond, and Heart Kingdoms floated in a glowing projection.
His dozens of Origin Puppets maintained constant surveillance across battlefields, enemy camps, and even the Dark Triad's inner sanctum.
> [System Alert: Dark Triad Activity — Phase 3 Ritual Commenced]
[Qliphoth Gates Stabilizing — Underworld Breach Estimated: 27 Days]
Avi tapped his chin.
Avi:
"Despite my sabotage, they've accelerated again. They're desperate."
He spoke to Asta, Yuno, and select Akatsuki members gathered around.
Avi (calm):
"Our approach must be twofold — open confrontation and covert sabotage. We'll target their rituals while our forces engage their armies directly."
Yuno (nodding):
"Divide and weaken."
Asta (pumped):
"Let's do it!"
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The First Skirmish — Diamond Kingdom Border
Within days, the first battle erupted.
Zenon led Spade forces into the weakened Diamond Kingdom, annihilating entire cities with his Spatial Dominion magic. Diamond's remaining forces struggled to hold ground.
But this time, Avi made his move.
In secret, several elite Akatsuki members — including Avi's advanced Origin Puppets disguised as elite warriors — inserted themselves into the battlefield.
Avi did not expose his hand directly. Instead, his puppets "saved" trapped Diamond squads, extracted civilians before collapse, and stealthily sabotaged Spade Kingdom supply lines.
Zenon noticed strange irregularities in the battle but dismissed them as coincidence.
> [System Log: Covert Rescues Successful — 18,000 Civilians Evacuated. Supply Interruption at 42%.]
Avi (thinking):
"Every life saved, every shipment halted, weakens their foundation."
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Lucius Watches Silently
Far above all this, Lucius Zogratis observed from within his hidden sanctum.
Lucius (smiling):
"The puppeteer's hand is delicate… but not invisible. You're playing a long game, shadow master."
He watched as Avi's indirect interventions continuously altered the Dark Triad's plans without ever revealing his identity.
Lucius (to himself):
"But will you reveal yourself when the real gate opens?"
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The Unexpected Variable: Nacht's Secret Investigation
While the main forces prepared for war, Nacht Faust quietly pursued his personal obsession — uncovering Avi's identity.
Using his devils, Nacht pierced into dimensions that even few spatial mages could access. Occasionally, he glimpsed traces of dimensional instability — indirect signs of Avi's secret world.
Nacht (narrowing his eyes):
"There's a world behind the curtain. Someone watches us all. But who?"
Avi had anticipated Nacht's investigations. To him, Nacht was a potential danger — but also a useful wildcard.
He deployed his most complex Origin Puppets near Nacht — not to confront him, but to subtly mislead him.
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System Infiltration — Dark Triad Ritual Complex
Avi's greatest coup unfolded weeks later.
Through his hidden Origin Puppets, he had fully mapped the inner layers of the Spade Kingdom's Qliphoth Ritual Chamber — down to every rune, every support pillar, and every devil rune carved into the walls.
> [System Report: Ritual Control Core Identified — Potential Disruption Pathway Discovered.]
Avi (grinning slightly):
"Soon, I can sever your gates entirely. But not yet. I still need you to expose more weaknesses."
He wanted the Triad fully committed before delivering his final blow.
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The Heart Kingdom's Return
Meanwhile, Queen Lolopechka returned to full strength, now fully protected by Avi's stealth interventions.
Lolopechka (grateful):
"We owe you, Avi. The Heart Kingdom stands ready to fight."
Avi (gently smiling):
"I serve only the balance, my Queen."
With Heart Kingdom joining Clover forces openly, and Avi's secret network adding invisible strength, the allied coalition grew stronger.
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The Large-Scale Assault Commences
With all preparations complete, the full-scale assault was launched.
The Clover Kingdom's combined army — captains, vice-captains, Akatsuki, and Heart Kingdom elites — stormed into the Spade Kingdom's borders.
Fuegoleon, now fully healed thanks to Avi's earlier indirect interventions, led one of the front battalions.
Fuegoleon (roaring):
"Charge! Burn away this devilish corruption!"
Massive fire dragons lit up the sky as Clover soldiers clashed with devil-fused Spade warriors.
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Asta and Yuno's Joint Strike
Simultaneously, Asta and Yuno led an aerial assault squad straight toward Vanica's division.
Vanica cackled wildly as her blood curses filled the sky, but Yuno's Spirit of Zephyr and Asta's Anti-Magic blades carved through her blood magic defenses.
Vanica (excited):
"This is fun! Show me more!"
Asta gritted his teeth as Liebe's voice echoed within.
Liebe:
"This woman reeks of devils. Don't hold back, partner!"
Asta (with determination):
"Right!"
Their synchronized assault forced Vanica onto the defensive — something no one had managed before.
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Avi's Shadow Assault
As the major battle raged, Avi activated his true plan.
Deep beneath the battlefield, inside the Ritual Core Chamber, his most advanced Origin Puppets initiated their attack — invisible to all, phasing between dimensions.
Every structural node of the Qliphoth ritual was marked, ready for instant severance at his command.
> [System Alert: Qliphoth Disruption Sequence Primed — Awaiting Final Command.]
Avi silently observed from his dimensional base.
Avi (internally):
"Not yet… Let them burn more of their power. Let them reveal every secret first."
His manipulation was nearing perfection.
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The Dark Triad's Growing Frustration
Despite their strength, the Dark Triad realized that things were not proceeding as expected. Their armies were being slowly but surely pushed back.
Zenon sensed something unnatural.
Zenon (coldly):
"We're being… manipulated."
Dante cursed in frustration.
Dante:
"Impossible! Who dares meddle with OUR grand design?!"
But they still could not locate the invisible puppeteer interfering behind the scenes.
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The Unknown Observer — Morris
In the deepest laboratories, Morris — the twisted scientist aiding the Dark Triad — had noticed something most others missed.
While analyzing data streams from the Qliphoth stabilization, he discovered dimensional ripples inconsistent with any of their magic.
Morris (grinning with twisted excitement):
"Another player exists. Someone who understands dimensions better than even we imagined."
But before he could act further, one of Avi's covert puppets quietly corrupted Morris' experiment logs, erasing his discoveries.
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System Development — Evolution of Origin Mind Eye
As the battle reached its peak, Avi quietly upgraded one of his greatest assets:
> [System Upgrade Complete: Origin Mind Eye (Version 2.0) Unlocked]
Now his predictive capability vastly exceeded anything possible before. He could see probabilistic future branches with near-divine clarity.
Avi (quietly whispering):
"The final stage approaches."
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Lucius' Final Observation
Far beyond all others, Lucius Zogratis smiled one more time.
Lucius (softly chuckling):
"How brilliant you are, shadow master. But will you act when everything hangs in balance? Soon… we shall see whose design truly governs this world."
As two master manipulators slowly approached their inevitable clash, the stage for the ultimate war of puppets was nearly set.
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[TO BE CONTINUED]