Chapter 380: The Grand Puppet Theater [End]

Ryan turned toward the ceiling and saw the boss monster - the Puppeteer.

It hovered high in the rafters, a tall human-like figure draped in a pitch-black coat that swayed without wind. Its face was smooth and blurry, lacking eyes, nose, or a mouth, as if the features had been erased from existence. Dozens of glowing silver threads extended from its pale, slender fingers, stretching like a web into every corner of the grand theater.

"...You ruined such a masterpiece." It spoke, then suddenly dove straight at them. "You will have to become what you have destroyed."

Its fingers twitched at blinding speed, and the silver threads snapped taut, slashing through the air in overlapping arcs. The attack carried immense speed and condensed mana, cutting through space with the same deadly precision as Ryan’s Quick Slash; no, they were even faster and deadlier.

Swoosh-!

The threads carved through the stage, reducing the floor to splinters and sending rubble flying. The grand curtains were sliced into ribbons that drifted down, and the backdrops collapsed as the lines tore through their supports. Soren and Ryan dove in opposite directions, the threads whistling past close enough to graze their skin.

The boss pursued them, its pale fingers twisting into fluid patterns. The silver lines swept out again, producing sharp crescent waves of force that mirrored Ryan’s technique with cleaner execution.

Ryan narrowed his eyes as he dodged, observing it closely. The threads moved in perfect sync, each one following a slightly different arc to create a web of slashes that covered every possible escape route, and he twisted through the gaps as best he could, but a thread caught his shoulder, slicing through his armor and drawing blood.

’I see, so this is the infamous Perfect Replication.’

It really did replicate perfectly, and even improved the technique to suit its own style. The threads didn’t have the limitations of a physical blade, so they could attack from angles he couldn’t, change direction mid-strike, and cover more ground in less time.

’I think I can really get inspiration from this! Thank you, Brother So-!’

Before Ryan could rejoice, the boss landed on the broken stage and changed its style. The threads stopped slashing and started coiling, twisting, and weaving in unpredictable patterns before striking like snakes.

’Damn it!’

Ryan cursed and dodged strikes aimed at his vital points, but two hidden strikes still managed to hit him and send him flying. Ryan now understood how tricky Soren’s Coiling Strike was and used Shadow Steps to distance himself from the boss while watching Soren, who seemed engrossed in his own observations as he dodged masterfully.

’...Let’s just wait for my turn then.’ He muttered inwardly and swallowed a healing potion.

And just like that, they spent the next ten minutes watching the boss replicate their techniques and refining their understanding. Only after they had learned everything they could did they launch a counterattack.

Ryan set the surrounding webs ablaze with black flames, burning the lines straight back to the boss’s hands. At the same time, Soren froze the remaining threads and shattered them into snowflakes with a flick of his finger.

"You... leave me no choice..."

The boss muttered, severed the ruined strands, and let the burnt, frozen remnants drop to the floor.

Then, its tall frame distorted as six additional arms tore through its coat, fingers tipped with needle-like points. Its body expanded to over four meters as the ceiling above split open into a dark void. Hundreds of new puppets dropped from above, connected to the massive cables extending from the eight-armed boss.

"Is this the hidden phase?" Ryan muttered, turning to Soren beside him.

"Mm. Do you want to observe more?"

Ryan shook his head. "I’ve seen enough."

"Then let me take care of this." Soren took a step forward. "We’ve wasted enough time."

Ryan nodded and backed away to give him space.

Soren took a deep breath and raised his palm, staring coldly at the falling puppets.

The next moment, countless ice swords started to materialize beside him, filling the air in a dense formation. Another set formed above the horde of puppets, their tips pointed downward like a second sky of frozen blades.

Soren waited until all the puppets emerged, then lowered his hand decisively.

Swoosh-! Swoosh-!

The swords launched at once, and those beside him shot forward like a volley of arrows, tearing through the puppets’ front line and freezing whatever they touched. The ones above rained down from the ceiling, impaling the puppets and pinning them to the floor. They shattered under the onslaught, and the air filled with the sound of cracking joints and snapping strings.

Before the survivors could even react, Soren gently tapped his foot against the floor.

Whoosh-!

In an instant, a raging wave of frost surged outward from the point of contact, bursting upward into jagged ice spikes that pierced the remaining puppets from below. They were knocked off their feet and shattered into frozen fragments that rained down like snow.

"Amazing..."

Ryan gaped in awe at the sheer scale and efficiency of the execution. Turning his head toward the eight-armed boss, he couldn’t help but think that if it had a face, it would have been completely bewildered.

"You..." The boss’s voice echoed again, confused and enraged at the same time. "You-argh!"

It gave a distorted roar, thrust all eight arms forward, and lunged straight at Soren.

"..." Soren raised Nighfrost and exhaled softly, twisting his body into a fluid stance. Then the spear moved, its tip tracing a circle in the air before snapping forward, pulling back, and circling again from a different angle. The movement was hypnotic, almost serpentine, and each time the boss swung his arms at him, they struck only empty air.

With each circular motion, the air chilled rapidly, weaving an inescapable web of ice around the monster’s defenses.

Soren stepped in close, the spear flowing around the boss’s guard like water around a stone. Each attack found its mark, severing one arm after another, and as the assault peaked, the condensed frost formed a massive ice serpent that coiled around Nightfrost, opened its jaws wide, and clamped down on its torso. Soren finished the sequence with a single, clean cut that split the puppet from shoulder to hip.

"Argh-!"

The monster screamed in agony, and Soren drove his spear forward one final time, severing the puppet’s head from its body.