Chapter 1102: Section 1103 Puppet Show
“Of course,” the man known as Mu Ying nodded smoothly in agreement.
“Then I’ll leave this place to you,” Monty voluntarily stepped aside, making room for Mu Ying beside him.
The Wizards looked at Mu Ying with puzzled eyes. The reason his attire was considered extravagant was that he was wearing a bright blue traditional nobleman’s bodysuit from an old era. This garment, referred to as noble attire, actually resembled a ballet costume more closely, making Mu Ying’s legs tightly encased by the leggings and revealing a large patch of flattened leg hair. Mu Ying’s small cape on the back was blue with red velvet, and on his head, he wore a bright prince’s hat adorned with a white feather; his entire style was completely that of an old era noble.
Such attire was no longer worn by any noble family today, and the only place one might see it was in theatrical stage plays.
Initially, Sanders was also quite averse to Mu Ying’s attire, and pondered his identity in his mind. It wasn’t until Monty mentioned the name “Kundela” that Sanders suddenly realized.
Who was Kundela?
He was a True Knowledge Wizard just like Monty and Rhein, standing at the pinnacle of the Southern Domain, and moreover, he was one of the extremely rare Academy Faction among all third-tier Wizards.
The Witcher Organization he belonged to was named: Extinguished Torch Academy.
Before becoming a Wizard, Kundela was a drama actor, and all his speech and behavior carried an artist’s tension. Later on, the Wizards he trained, eight out of ten, all bore this kind of extravagant temperament.
Thus, when Monty mentioned Kundela, Sanders instantly became enlightened regarding Mu Ying’s attire, behavior, and wording.
So he was from the Extinguished Torch Academy. No wonder he had such extravagant dress; no wonder he didn’t feel uncomfortable when everyone stared at him. Probably in the depths of his own heart, he imagined a stage where he was the sole star.
Even though Sanders knew Mu Ying’s identity, others were still curious about what Mu Ying could do here?
Mu Ying then pointed his toes to the ground, spun 720 degrees on one foot in a ballet turn, and made a waltz bow towards Sanders, “Illusion Demon, I will turn this place into a stage. I hope you can continue to delay for one more minute.”
A stage? Sanders was taken aback, as if he had grasped something.
“Puppet show?” Sanders guessed tentatively.
“Yes,” Mu Ying confirmed succinctly, yet he sequentially struck several postures, head held high with the pride of a fighting cockerel. Sanders faintly perceived a hint of provocation in Mu Ying’s gaze.
“So this is the ‘work’ Master Monty referred to,” uttered Sanders softly, “I will continue to delay for one more minute, giving you time to perform your Spell Technique.”
As they just tuned their responses, the Wizards above the drifting ice started murmuring softly.
“What kind of work is it that even the Illusion Demon believes it could really contend with these two great Demons?” someone muttered under their breath.
“Didn’t we just mention it? Puppet show,” an elderly voice came from Vifette of West Dimosha. Having lived for over eight hundred years, Vifette’s knowledge and experience were vast. Once he spoke, the other Wizards turned to look at him.
Vifette continued, “Master Kundela has three signature Spell Techniques, which I’m sure you all know: the Waltz, Circus, and Puppet Show. Among these, the most suitable for this moment is the Puppet Show.”
“But, which specific puppet show it is will depend on which work of Master Kundela Mu Ying will use shortly.”
Everyone seemed to have an epiphany. Many had heard of Kundela’s three signature Spell Techniques but were unaware that these weren’t just individual tricks, but an entire framework of approaches.
The Waltz is ceremonial in nature; the Circus, skillful; and the Puppet Show, an all-encompassing performance.
What they were anticipating was which work Kundela had handed down to Mu Ying?
At this moment, Mu Ying revealed a hemispherical object covered by a red canopy. His hands danced upon the red canopy as though playing a beautiful piano piece. Strange energies transformed into threads attaching to Mu Ying’s slender fingertips. As the fingers moved, the red canopy slowly opened.
When the canopy had been gradually drawn back, everyone realized that what was hidden behind was a “puppet stage” resembling a child’s toy.
Initially, there was nothing on the stage. As Mu Ying’s threads continued to twirl, the stage backdrop began forming with the weaving of the threads:
A full moon hung high, a night sky above, and a black tower loomed.
The backdrop was, in fact, the same as the black tower maze created by Sanders!
After weaving the stage backdrop, Mu Ying seemed very pleased with his work and shot Sanders a smug look. He then continued to weave other details…
Someone questioned in astonishment, “So, the Puppet Show is actually a puppet show?”
A gleam flickered in Vifette’s eyes, “This is only the construction phase. Once the Puppet Show truly takes form, the world becomes its stage.”
The others didn’t grasp Vifette’s meaning, but they would soon know the outcome, so no one hurried to inquire.
Instead, someone noticed the look Mu Ying had given Sanders and wondered, “Why does it seem like Mu Ying is quite provocative towards the Illusion Demon? Could it be that Mu Ying has a grudge with the Illusion Demon?”
Others also nodded their heads in agreement, even Monty gave Mu Ying a glance.
Vifette chuckled lightly, “A personal grudge I haven’t heard of, but I do know a piece of news.”
Everyone looked towards Vifette, waiting for his response. Even Sanders pricked up his ears; he was also pondering whether he held any grudge against Mu Ying. Could it be because a hundred years ago he secretly criticized Kundela’s taste as too classist and it got leaked to the folks from Extinguished Torch Academy? Or was it because he had killed someone from the Extinguished Torch Academy in the past?
Vifette didn’t keep them in suspense, “I was in the last group to arrive at the Abyss, and Mu Ying took the same Frosty Wing as I did. At that time, a piece of news broke out: the personnel dispatched by Barbarian Cave to the Abyss actually included Angel.”
To this day, they still found it strange: Angel, as an alchemist with boundless potential, was assigned to the Abyss by Rhein, but for what reason? Such a talent, even if not kept hidden, surely wouldn’t be casually sent to a place as dangerous as the Abyss, would they?
At that time, the other wizards on the Frosty Wing also had this thought, and some even suspected that Barbarian Cave was planning to give up on Angel.
“Many wizards tried to ally with Angel, and the most active among them was Mu Ying. According to rumors I’ve heard, it seems that Mu Ying was trying to incite Angel to leave Barbarian Cave and join their Extinguished Torch Academy…”
Vifette had barely finished speaking when a cold sneer from Sanders’s direction interrupted the reaction of the others.
This sneer was spine-chilling, and everyone felt a shiver run down their backs.
Just as they were about to speak, they found themselves unable to utter a word, realizing they were in the midst of the Black Tower Nightmare Realm, they obviously understood this was Sanders’s doing.
Everyone kept their mouths shut, and Vifette, chuckling, stroked the sand rat in his hand, also staying silent.
After Sanders silenced the others, his gaze fell on Mu Ying. On the surface, his expression remained calm, but Mu Ying faintly felt an inexplicable pressure rising from within.
Luckily, it was a crucial moment and with the Nightmare Realm continuously suffering damage, Sanders refrained from taking any excessive actions.
Meanwhile, within the Black Tower Nightmare Realm, the Minotaur and Barfiment had entered a heated stage of battle. Each of their attacks shook the realm into twisting, bringing Sanders indescribable agony.
“How much longer?” asked Sanders, his voice fraught with restraint.
Mu Ying was currently crafting the final step, the protagonists of the puppet play: the Minotaur and Barfiment.
As both were great demons, creating them proved extremely difficult, and sweat poured from Mu Ying’s forehead.
“Just a moment, give me another twenty seconds,” Mu Ying’s fingers continued to flutter like butterfly wings, the threads coiling bit by bit, finally forming the figures of the great demons.
With this step, the overall script for the stage had emerged.
Vifette muttered softly in surprise, “So the script is ‘The Grotesque Puppet Play.’ Indeed, to bind two great demons, it must be the most powerful script.”
After Vifette spoke, the others realized they were no longer being silenced by Sanders. Possibly, Sanders’s condition was too poor to keep them restrained.
“The Grotesque Puppet Play is Kundela’s most powerful offensive and defensive technique, but what concerns me more is that even with a stage foundation from Kundela’s works, following Kundela’s vein to arrange this puppet play is no easy task. The fact that Mu Ying could reach this stage shows he’s not simple at all,” Vifette said softly, impressed.
The succession of Extinguished Torch Academy was severely lacking. Aside from the top-notch Kundela, there’s hardly anyone of note in between. Perhaps, the emergence of Mu Ying could change such a situation in the future.
As Vifette expressed his sentiments, Mu Ying suddenly called out, “Done!”
Following Mu Ying’s pronouncement, the puppet stage in his hands began to glow and spin. After a blinding flash of light, the puppet stage suddenly entered the Void and disappeared.
While everyone was puzzled, Monty suddenly looked up.
He saw countless thin white threads appear out of nowhere high above the Black Tower Nightmare Realm. These threads appeared out of thin air, twinkling with a mysterious glow, and slowly reached down from above.
The threads silently passed through the Black Tower Nightmare Realm. Sanders found that although the threads were visible and existed in the Black Tower Nightmare Realm, he was completely unable to trace their presence with his perception.
Was this a technique from a wizard at the pinnacle of the Southern Domain?!
Once inside the Black Tower Nightmare Realm, the threads connected directly to the Minotaur and Barfiment. Unaware, the two were bound like puppets.
At the same time, Mu Ying turned to Sanders and said, “Illusion Demon Your Excellency, you can remove the maze now.”
As Sanders did so, the Black Tower Nightmare Realm was dispelled. As the illusion of the Black Tower vanished, the puppet stage slowly rose.
Accompanied by the creaking of lamentation, a puppet play controlled by strings appeared mid-air.
The stage was ethereal and hidden, its threads intermittently visible. Up high, connected by the threads, hovered vague silhouettes of puppeteers, and none were Mu Ying or Kundela, but a gigantic white puppet whose eyes gleamed crimson, with a mouth curved into a sinister smile. From its lips emerged eerie and grotesque tunes.
The only real entities on the entire stage were the two great demons, bound by the threads.