[
"Y-yes, sir."
"Intercept. Deploy those."
"Yes, sir. How many?"
"All of them."
"All of them, sir?"
"That's right. Scatter them across every direction except the area near Filimes and the Hero."
"But isn't that overkill?"
"The reason the barrier was breached is unknown. And if my suspicion is correct, we're actually short on forces."
[Ronant] "What in the world is this?"
The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop myself.
There, before me, was something utterly alien.
*Appraisal Failed.* In all my years, this was only the second time my Appraisal had ever failed.
The first time was with that person.
But back then, it hadn't displayed "Appraisal Failed" — it had said "Appraisal Was Blocked."
Which meant this thing in front of me was, for the first time in my life, a truly unknown entity.
Lying scattered before me were what appeared to be fragments of destroyed metallic armor.
Appeared to be, that is, because they were clearly not shaped for any human to wear.
Four arms. Four legs.
Already a problem at that point.
Wait — eight legs!?
Could it be some kind of tribute to that person!?
No way. There was no way. This crude, ungainly thing didn't capture even a fraction of that person's elegance. If it was meant to resemble that person's form, it was nothing short of an insult.
But still — what exactly was this thing?
It was destroyed now, but had it been moving before it was wrecked?
The Title "Puppet Master," combined with Skills like Telekinesis, supposedly allows one to control puppets at will. Was this some kind of puppet?
Puppet Masters are so rare that I'd never actually seen one in person, so I couldn't say for certain.
But the fact that destroyed remnants of these things were scattered here meant someone had passed through here before us.
That someone had to be the one who broke the barrier.
I was curious about the puppets, but right now I needed to press on and track that person down.
The fact that I'd managed to dodge the attack was pure luck.
No — I hadn't dodged at all.
I'd simply been sitting and staring at the puppet, and when I shifted my mood and stood up, that movement happened to save me.
The instant I straightened up from my crouch, something streaked past right in front of my abdomen.
The shockwave alone sent my body flying backward.
The trajectory of that something passed right through the spot where my head had been just a moment ago.
"Master!?"
"Fall back!"
I let my momentum carry me as I rolled across the ground.
My shouts to retreat went unheard — my subordinates were sent hurtling through the air, blood spraying from their bodies.
It was exactly the kind of scene the word "explode" was made for.
My subordinates' limbs were torn away, their torsos ripped open.
With every pass of that invisible, unidentifiable projectile, they died in the most gruesome fashion.
I looked toward the origin point — where the attack was coming from.
There stood one of the same puppets, still intact and undamaged.
From a bizarrely shaped tube mounted on its arm, that something was being launched.
I immediately hurled a spell at the puppet.
I held nothing back.
But the puppet easily dodged the arrow of flame I'd launched.
This was bad.
That puppet was clearly stronger than me.
"All units, retreat!"
I could barely manage that shout.
I had no idea how many subordinates were still alive, but fighting that puppet head-on would only lead to even greater casualties.
They were hopeless disciples, every last one of them — but I wanted as many of them to survive as possible.
And for the puppet that had taken their lives, I would destroy it even if it cost me everything.
I began constructing my spell.
The foundation of magic I had honed relentlessly since the day I first met that person.
A foundation that was also a secret art.
Dozens of flame arrows materialized.
I brought them all under my control and unleashed them.
Flame arrows hurtling at tremendous speed.
But the puppet deflected more than half of them.
And the remaining hits that did connect didn't seem to have dealt much damage.
Its armor-like construction clearly meant it had formidable defenses.
On top of that, its movement speed was terrifying.
And that invisible attack — invisible even to my eyes.
It was strong.
Possibly the strongest thing I'd ever fought, second only to that person.
I teleported.
I appeared behind the puppet.
Immediately began constructing another spell.
I froze the puppet's feet solid.
Then followed up with a shockwave from a wind spell.
The puppet's frozen legs shattered — half of them.
Still, only half.
But half was enough.
Its mobility should be severely compromised now.
The puppet's arm twisted around, bending in a direction no joint should allow.
In that instant of shock, I kicked off the ground and dove sideways.
It was a puppet — its joints could bend however it pleased.
I just hadn't realized that until I saw it with my own eyes.
The price of that realization was my right arm and both legs.
I couldn't dodge in time.
But I wouldn't go down without a fight.
Gritting through the pain, I began constructing a spell.
I had to finish it before the puppet pointed that tube at me again.
Hellfire Magic Level 4 — Heat Haze.
A small fireball, roughly the size of a fist.
It struck the puppet's body.
The effect was instantaneous.
But that flame would incinerate everything.
Heat Haze was a spell that compressed an enormous volume of fire into a tiny point.
It was the ultimate magic I was most proud of.
Even that puppet couldn't withstand it — its sturdy frame burned, melted, and was utterly annihilated.
Got you.
The grin that crept onto my face froze in the very next instant.
In my field of vision, several more of the same puppet were moving.