Chapter 22: A Fight

Back in the lower Island...

Jin walked behind Gilbert, powerless, and glanced at the device with the button.

That device made him helpless... and he hated helplessness more than anything else.

At first, he thought of launching a quick back attack to eliminate Gilbert and destroy the device completely. But he knew, as someone who had fought Gilbert before, that he couldn't do that.

After a while, the source of threat started to talk.

"You may be wondering about a lot right now, and I can't blame you. After all, even I didn't find one realistic thing here when I first arrived. We are in the Puppet Society, a living hell for those who do not possess the Pride Bloodline."

Jin's expression changed at that moment, recognizing Gilbert's last words.

The Pride Bloodline is a demonic bloodline... and the strongest one at that...

Jin's way of walking changed slightly, and he seemed to stop showing an aggressive stance, ready to listen.

"This society was established by a demonic contractor who escaped here about a hundred years ago and used demonic fruits to prolong his life. He uses one of the most powerful skills he obtained from demons, a wide-range mental control skill.

Anyone who approaches the island is forcibly brought to the center, where one of the working puppets awaits its victims. In that case, I was responsible for bringing you and that other useless kid."

Jin was speechless. Was Cassian really useless?

He thought about his talent, surviving the Mountain of fog and mastering an unparalleled martial art...

Jin wasn't stupid. He realized how good Cassian's martial art was immediately upon seeing it, still feeling it had its own benefits.

"There are two decently sized islands on this tree, the upper island where the puppet facility and the contractor's descendants' residence are.

Puppets are used as entertainment and pets up there, then sent down here when they spoil. They will be forced to consume oil to live, and the only way to find oil here is that hotel."

Jin listened carefully, trying to analyze the situation he found himself in.

He also thought about Cassian. Was he now a source of entertainment for people above? That would be very bad for him if that were the case.

Jin felt a little pity for the boy who accompanied him for several days, but pity was all.

He's not even sure of his own safety, and even if he was, he still wouldn't go to the upper island to save a kid he only knew for a couple of days.

Escaping from here took priority. He might inform some high-ranking family members about the situation as compensation; some of them were still on Cassian's side and might come to rescue him... maybe.

"In the Black Oil Hotel, the puppets work for more than 20 hours in exchange for an oil dose similar to the one I gave you earlier.

The puppets work in mines, cut trees, and make furniture...

Everything to provide a comfortable environment without the contractor's descendants needing to work."

Gilbert's expression slowly turned ugly; he was angry... really angry...

"And we are here... trying to put an end to it all..."

Gilbert opened a massive metal door, allowing Jin to see inside.

"We will definitely escape from here... and you will be one of our helpers."

Gilbert extended his hand towards Jin, waiting for a handshake.

The inner walls were painted black, a few lights hung above, and numerous weapons were on a side table.

Inside, Jin saw many strong puppets, all like him and maybe stronger.

"Do I have a choice?"

Jin sneered and shook Gilbert's hand.

At that moment, Gilbert shattered the device in his hands then threw it away. Jin looked down in astonishment.

"We won't force you to work with us. We aim to escape from this environment, not create another ..."

Once again, hope returned to Jin, and it seemed it wouldn't give a farewell kiss this time.

***

While one side found hope, the other sank into much greater despair...

Cassian stood behind Diana in the library, reading a book titled: .

She flipped through the pages at a rapid pace, as if she wanted to finish quickly.

Cassian also read the contents of the book from behind; no one had ordered him not to do so.

A certain theory was explained in the book, said to be inspired by another theory proven in 2023.

{It was proven in 2020-2024 that the world is made up of countless threads, and affecting one of these threads can change the nature of the matter or create something from nothing.}

{The origin of those threads is the main topic of the book, and the book's content was confirmed by: - }

The content of the book was intriguing, but the information it contained was very sparse and not particularly useful for doing much.

It was said that Ether was a form of energy that could only be safely interacted with by those in SS- rank without experiencing lethal backlash.

However, a peculiar case stood behind Diana, someone who could condense Ether and use it as a type of energy above his head.

From the book's contents, she learned that Ether possessed unparalleled power, and even mana itself descended from it.

The book's author, Blade Fororex, was a legendary figure who Disappeared 80 years ago in the last demons attack.

Regardless, Diana knew none of that. She was more interested in the topic of Ether.

"This afternoon, try to find a way to use this energy."

Diana didn't miss the fact that Cassian was secretly watching the contents of the book, but she didn't mind at all.

She decided to put the matter on hold for now until he found a way to control it, at least.

For now, something amusing was about to happen between her and someone else.

'I will show her how strong my puppet is!'

Diana glanced at Cassian from the corner of her eye and stood up with a smile.

"Do you have your sword with you?"

Cassian checked for the blade on his back again and nodded to her.

"Excellent, follow me!"

A few days before Cassian's arrival, she had recklessly challenged a girl she despised.

Almost everyone ignored her and formed factions against her because of that girl, and now it seemed she had fallen into her trap, about to pit her E-ranked puppet against Vectra C-ranked puppet.

Everyone laughed at her at her birthday party yesterday because of her puppet's rank.

In this society where nothing was truly important, these small interactions and challenges were crucial for almost everyone.

It might seem silly, but Diana could fall into depression if Cassian lost today; this event was very important to her.

She made sure to provide high-quality resources and a weapon exactly matching Cassian's description, even though it was a waste of resources, she believed it was worth it.

Corridor after corridor, Diana and Cassian soon exited the palace.

It was Cassian's first time, but he showed no reaction; his condition had worsened significantly after the seal stopped cleansing his mind continuously.

They soon arrived at a particular arena, circular without any walls or anything, completely exposed to the wind.

Inside stood a dwarf about 130 cm tall, with long blonde hair and silver eyes, a sign that he was once a noble.

He wore traditional puppets clothes, and every part of his body was covered in tattoos except his face.

Those tattoos were another feature of dwarves, representing their skills and weapons.

What distinguished dwarves from other races was their rapid cognitive processing and unrealistic reaction speed.

They thought three times faster than humans and processed information even faster, but in return, they were weaker in terms of mana reserves and physical strength.

Cassian followed Diana's orders and walked to meet the puppet, who looked at him with a bit of pity.

But after seeing the fruit in his mistress's hand, he couldn't help but prepare his skills; he was sure to win.

Vectra, with her blue-dyed hair, was seen talking to Diana from a distance, clearly provoking the other side heavily.

After three minutes, Diana stepped away with a pale face, sensing that something bad was about to happen.

Vectra clapped her hands to draw everyone's attention in the area; nearly everyone of the same generation was present, as it was unusual to see a fight between their main puppets.

Because physical combat was forbidden between them, all disputes were resolved through their puppets; Cassian's loss was Diana's loss, and the dwarf's loss was Vectra's loss.

Vectra spoke in a soft voice, and everyone except Diana smiled at her.

"Some rules of the battle have been changed after discussions between the parties! We have decided to make the puppets fight to the death!"

She spoke loudly, and smiles spread among the spectators; a fight to the death between the two main puppets... it should be quite a show.

Diana trembled slightly, wanting to stop the fight but unable to appear cowardly in front of everyone. She believed Cassian could win... or so he said.

Even the dwarf in the arena was surprised to hear this and felt more pity for the kid. Cassian looked at Diana and received her confirmation.

"Alright then! Let the battle begin without further ado!"

One of the spectators shouted loudly, and both sides moved after receiving orders from their handlers.

A pair of black metal wings emerged from the dwarf's back, dripping oil continuously.

He flew around Cassian at high speed, barely traceable.

In his hand appeared two magical weapons, one a small cannon and the other a massive earthen coffin that fell on his enemy.

During this time, Cassian barely gripped his weapon, moving very slowly compared to the dwarf.

While all this was happening, he barely even held the sword in his hand.

Diana's expression darkened upon seeing this; she felt she could see her last bit of good reputation slipping away.

However, strangely, the coffin hadn't fallen yet...

It could be seen slowing down oddly in the sky, finally meeting the edge of the massive blade.

Both moved at the same speed at that moment.

The coffin turned into countless pieces, as if it had become ordinary dirt, and fell all over Cassian's body.

Numerous metallic spheres that had been inside it were revealed; they were bombs!

The dwarf smiled at seeing this, but it didn't last long.

Cassian's blade moved again, sending waves of wind.

All the heavy bombs were magically sent away.

Worse, the dwarf felt an overwhelming drowsiness... barely able to keep his eyes open now.

'What's happening?'

Everyone around the area thought the same thing, not much affected as Cassian didn't target them, and they stared at the flying dwarf as if he was foolish.

He had fallen asleep in midair!

The artifact worked well, ensuring he landed slowly to avoid unnecessary injury.

In the end, he ended up close to Cassian.

Cassian could end it here, but the command in his mind was clear and straightforward: kill the enemy.

And make sure he's dead no matter the cost!

The blade moved instantly, and it could be seen emerging from the other side of the dwarf's body.

The battle was over... the dwarf died painlessly, and Cassian didn't sustain any injuries.

One move... the battle ended with just one move...

Everyone was speechless, including Diana.

She finally understood why her grandfather ranked this person so highly among the puppets.

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