The abandoned factory stood on the outskirts of the Holy City. According to the informant, Karen was still alive, and the criminal lingered there, as though deliberately trying to lure someone in.
What could be their motive? Was this an elaborate trap targeting Cicel?
If that were the case, it meant Karen had been kidnapped solely due to her connection with Cicel. The very thought sent a sharp pang through her chest. To repay kindness with cruelty was unthinkable for her.
This story couldn’t end here. At least Karen had to survive. Even if the criminal demanded an impossible price⋯⋯.
Cicel entered the building, fully armed and ready.
Inside, a small hooded figure stood near Karen, who sat stiffly as if bounded by invisible magic. She stared at Cicel with an expression of disbelief.
Meeting that gaze, Cicel felt a surge of relief. There were no visible injuries, and though her face was pale, she seemed largely unharmed. She was alive.
She was still alive.
“Karen, are you okay?!”
“I’m fine⋯⋯ I’m fine! KKyack?!”Before the moment could settle, Karen was abruptly pulled into the shadows of the factory, as if she was dragged into them by invisible hands. Without hesitation, Cicel raised her Zweihänder.
“⋯⋯You, what did you do to Karen!”
“Heh, that’s what I want to know. Was she scared? Or maybe not… Oh, but I was definitely threatening her. All to gather information about you. It took quite a bit of effort to lure you here, you know?”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
The voice didn’t align with the figure’s lips. Neither did the expressions on their face.
The criminal continued with an utterly displeased expression.
“You cannot become the Hero of the tournament. That goes for all those other fools as well. We need to get our hands on the Holy Sword.”
“So⋯⋯ you killed innocent participants and kidnapped Karen for that?”
“I didn’t expect you to forfeit the finals for a friend but⋯⋯ this works out even better. Now, you’ll become the final victim of the serial killings, and our grand plan will move closer to completion.”
Revealing their intentions so openly meant only one thing: they didn’t plan to let anyone who heard them live. As if to confirm, the criminal in front of her drew a mace.
Cicel had no choice but to fight—and win. If she failed, the criminal would kill Karen and vanish without a trace. She couldn’t allow that to happen.
Her ‘glory’ was right in front of her eyes.
It was time to lay her life on the line.
===============================================================
What could be the true purpose of this charade?
Did the Witch seek to incite conflict between the Redburn Family and the Imperial Family? Or was even that merely a stepping stone in a far grander scheme? Could there be an intricate plan so profound that no sane mind could even fathom it?
She couldn’t make sense of it. The only possibility that came to her mind was that the Witch had summoned her here because of her own lack of direct combat ability. There were records of her sustaining severe injuries during her clash with Roderus.
But if that was the case, considering her close relationship with the Second Prince, couldn’t she have just summoned her without all this theatrical drama? The lady knight wouldn’t need to be so desperate either.
There had to be another layer(裏面) to this, a hidden facet that remained obscured. Yet no matter how much she thought, the contradictions refused to align.
“Tsk.”
She decided to concede: she didn’t understand.
And if understanding wasn’t possible, then it was time to rely on raw strength.
According to Witch Karen, Faceless was a『Puppeteer』, but that was only to follow Father’s grand strategy of preferring to remain concealed.
But she had never once backed down from a fight that came to her.
Seueueuck.
Faceless’s flesh puppet drew a mace from its waist. The weapon was closer to a crude iron club, deliberately forged rough and devoid of any marks that could identify its maker.
As the puppet took a battle-ready stance, Cicel mirrored it, lowering her body in preparation.
The difference in their height, and choice of weaponry was clear.
Faceless estimated the puppet’s height by sight. This ‘puppet’ had been crafted small for stealth, standing at approximately 150 cm—nearly two heads shorter than Cicel.
But height wasn’t the only difference. The reach advantage between a mace and a greatsword was substantial. From the puppet’s perspective, the Zweihänder appeared even more menacing due to its immense size.
And then, there was weight. Weight meant power. With that small body and a mace, how could she possibly endure the force of a strike carrying the weight of a greatsword⋯⋯.
⋯⋯thats probably that’s what she was thinking?
Faceless made the puppet grin.
“Father cherishes power above all else. I used to wonder—why crave more when he already held so much? Tell me, Cicel Yurensto, do you know the answer?”
“I don’t know what you’ve done to Karen, but I shall collect the price with your neck.”
“I think I’m beginning to understand. It’s to face the inevitable unknown.”
Life held far more mysteries than certainties. In a world where a single individual could topple a castle, there was only one way to defend against the unpredictable: power.
Craack. Crunch.
Unsettling sounds erupted from the puppet’s body.
The noises weren’t isolated. They formed an eerie symphony that reverberated through its entire body. While it was impossible to pinpoint a single source, anybody could tell it carried the thick scent of death.
And with it came power.
“This is… limit break.”
By manipulating the puppet’s body, Faceless bypassed every safety mechanism meant for survival. This simple act exponentially boosted the puppet’s short-term capabilities.
Muscles were torn apart to exert more force. Joints and ligaments were hyper-extended to enhance motion far beyond natural limits. The body moved as though oblivious to the brain cells being fried by rapidly rising temperatures.
Survival was discarded entirely in favor of an efficiency designed to kill. When mana was overlaid on top of this, even a mere puppet could briefly rival the physical prowess of a knight.
It didn’t matter that this body wouldn’t last until sunrise.
After all, it wasn’t her body to begin with. Faceless could burn it away without hesitation.
And besides⋯⋯ the raw material for this particular puppet was crafted from special material. It wasn’t the body of some random farmer who only tilled fields. If she planned to confront a knight wielding the power of Inherited Metamorphosis, why would she hold back?
Of course, she wouldn’t.
Her adversary was one of the two monstrous knights produced by Yurensto—the 『Knight of Pulverization』, Cicel. Faceless knew full well the devastating power of her gravity blade. And that made this even more exhilarating.
If she could test her strategies repeatedly, analyze them, and extract crucial information⋯⋯ the Redburn Family would win in the end.
After all, she had no shortage of replacements.
Crunch-!
The wooden floor of the abandoned warehouse splintered and caved in, leaving a small crater in its wake. With the sound of a taut rubber band snapping, the puppet launched forward.
Its speed resembled a projectile fired from a catapult.
Woooosh-!
The puppet closed the gap in an instant, propelled into the air. Hovering roughly 30 centimeters above the ground, it neutralized the height difference in a single leap.
Faceless brought the mace crashing down from above. The air seemed to rip apart under the weapon’s weight, its trajectory aimed squarely at Cicel’s head.
A greatsword was heavy and slow. How would Cicel defend against such speed?
Woosh-! Claang-!!
The Zweihänder swept upward in an elegant arc. The greatsword met the mace in mid-air, the impact reverberating through the warehouse walls and dislodging clouds of dust.
It was a masterful display—a blend of technique and physical discipline as precise as gears meshing together.
And yet… Cicel was losing ground.
Kkagagagagack!
Sparks flew as the clash sent vibrations rippling through her arms. Cicel’s waist tilted back under the force, her heels carving lines into the ground as she was pushed backward.
The smaller mace was overpowering the greatsword with sheer brute force.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯?!”
“Surprised you’re being pushed back, even with a greatsword, aren’t you?!”
Mass was absolute; the lighter object always yielded to the heavier one.
“So I mixed up, this body is worth 2 people⋯⋯!!”
The puppet’s 150cm small body was crafted by fusing the bodies of two well-trained wandering knights. Its muscles had been compressed to their utmost limit, granting it a density and weight that was very different from its appearance.
Cicel’s thoughts raced. If brute strength overwhelmed her, she’d need to deflect instead.
Claang -!
She shifted her body to maneuver around the point where the blade and mace clashed. Sparks and metal powder flew as the mace scraped along the Zweihänder’s edge, sliding down its length.
In a swift motion, Cicel released her left hand from the hilt. She clenched her fist and delivered a sharp punch to Faceless’s side—aiming for the ribs.
Crunch. Crack.
The impact suggested she had broken five ribs—an odd realization, given there shouldn’t have been five ribs clustered in that spot.
“Keheeheet, shall we trade blows?”
“You don’t even pretend to feel pain⋯⋯?!”
There was no reaction, none of the flinching or hesitation she expected.
“It’s not my body, after all! Did you honestly think I’d act like I feel pain and recoil for⋯⋯ nyouaht!”
Swiish ── ppaak!!
“Keup⋯⋯!”
A whip-like kick struck the side of the Zweihänder. Though the blade blocked it, the force resonated through the weapon, sending tremors through Cicel’s body.
The onslaught didn’t let up. Faceless pressed the attack relentlessly, swinging her mace at the greatsword with brutal, unrelenting force as though intent on obliterating any defense.
Boom-! Booom-!!
Cicel’s heels dug into the ground under the relentless impact.
No matter how well-forged the Zweihänder was, such repeated strikes would strain even the strongest weapon. The blade began to show signs of wear, bending and crumbling at the edges.
Faceless seized on this weakness.
Cicel Yurensto wasn’t a knight renowned for her swordsmanship. Her true strength lay in Metamorphosis. If Faceless could neutralize that monstrous ability, victory was within reach.
Right. It was laughably optimistic. It was no different from nonsense like claiming she could defeat the Empire’s Sword Saint if he didn’t use his sword or overpower the Magic Tower Master if they just didn’t use magic.
But still…
“Metamorphosis, you’re still not using it?”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
The final leaf clinging to a branch in the wind. Cicel’s hands trembled with hesitation as she thought about her last sword strike. Faceless grinned at that sight.
Claang, Kkang -!!
A storm of steel erupted. Faceless’s mace, a weapon capable of destroying even large shields, crashed down repeatedly. Cicel’s Zweihänder barely managed to block the ferocious blows. When she tried to counterattack, looking for openings in the puppet’s movements—
“Heavenly Severing(天斷)──!!”
“An arm? Sure, I’ll give it to you.”
Slash-
The Zweihänder, imbued with overlaid mana, expanded to nearly three times its original size. A radiant light exploded forth, splitting the warehouse roof in half. The puppet’s arm was severed cleanly, sent flying into the air.
But…
“Spare.”
When Cicel blinked, a new arm had already regenerated.
Faceless didn’t stop there. The mace arced toward the gap left by Cicel’s attack. Cicel scrambled to pull her Zweihänder back into position, protecting her centerline just in time.
Faceless’s earlier comment echoed in her mind: ‘ Worth two people .’
It seemed the puppet possessed a regeneration ability fueled by the reserves from its fused bodies. The power likely lasted until the stored “material” was completely expended.
KKAAANG -!!
She was forced back once again. Cicel’s back slammed against the wall of the abandoned warehouse.
But Cicel had her own plan.
Her opponent was clearly using an abnormal method of body control. If the fight dragged on, that method would inevitably lead to her breakdown. Even now, her body was cooking itself from within, unable to cool down due to an inability to sweat effectively.
If Cicel could just stall for time, the criminal would collapse on her own. Maybe then, she might be able to save Karen a goodbye.
Faceless, drenched in cold sweat, continued to move as though unaffected, muttering under her breath.
“So the rumors about you being sick were true⋯⋯ I thought they were lies. Combine that with your peculiar sword grip, the strange sword technique mixed from multiple schools, and your habit of pivoting on your right foot⋯⋯ this should be enough by now.”
“Keu, eut⋯⋯!”
“You were banking on a prolonged battle, weren’t you? It’s obvious. But between the two of us, the one better suited for endurance is──”
Dark red mana began to coalesce at the tip of Faceless’s mace. It resembled grotesquely writhing flesh, as if the weapon itself had been turned into living tissue.
Just as Cicel gathered her own mana to counter the attack—
Sway.
The invisible lantern swung.
Suddenly, strength drained from one of her legs, causing her foot to slip. At the same moment, falling dust brushed past her eye, scratching her cornea. Misfortune. A cascade of terrible misfortune.
Duke Maximus Redburn’s Metamorphosis ability, 『Lantern of Foresight(豫知燈籠)』 had been activated.
He first sent an army of endlessly regenerating flesh puppets to wear down even the strongest opponents. The information gathered during this prolonged battle would be transmitted in real-time to Duke Redburn, which then allowed him to manipulate fate itself.
An infinite spiral of negative feedback. A strategy without weaknesses.
This was the Redburn family’s『Trump Card』.
Faceless’s mace descended with unstoppable force, aimed directly at Cicel, who was still staggering──.
===============================================================
Time slowed to a crawl.
The strike, brimming with death, crept closer, inch by inch.
To block this attack, to kill the criminal, to save Karen⋯⋯ she had no choice. She would need to use Metamorphosis.
So, it had come to this after all.
What if she had saved just one—just one?
She didn’t regret using Metamorphosis when she had to. But for the sake of worthless “glory”⋯⋯ she had turned away from help, rejecting her comrades and throwing herself into the gate alone.
She could have saved that power. The choice to grind her own life down for fleeting glory now felt like the cruelest of mistakes.
Just one more use would have completely changed the joy and sorrow of this moment.
But regrets came too late.
Far too late.
If she was going to use Metamorphosis here, if this was going to be her last stand—
Then she would gather every ounce of futility and regret, compress them into one final act of vengeance. She would crush her opponent, kill them, and deliver a strike that would surely save Karen at least──
===============================================================
Cicel, that’s not the way.
I murmured to myself.
Countless crossroads lay before Cicel Yurensto, and the path she had chosen led precariously close to the edge. It was radical.
Her determination was commendable, even admirable, but⋯⋯.
I wished for her to find some happiness.
If she pushed her Metamorphosis beyond its limits, she would really become a self-destructing time bomb. She wouldn’t even be able to attend the wedding as a guest.
Perhaps it was time for me to intervene.
I cleared my throat.
“Forged Inherited Metamorphosis(僞造承繼羽化) -『Cogwheel : Narrator』.”
The narration began.
***
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