"Puppets"
Torrential rain lashed down on the ruined hut.
A massive shadow loomed over it, observing the wreckage without moving.
The hut contained two A-rank sword masters. The previous attack was powerful, but it couldn't have instantly defeated them both.
Movement emerged from the debris.
The shadow lowered, seemingly inspecting the wreckage. Suddenly, a section of the debris glowed.
BOOM!
A spiraling pillar of fire erupted from the ruins, blasting the massive shadow away.
The fire pillar didn't stop; it shot into the storm clouds.
The rain evaporated; the clouds dispersed, revealing a blue sky.
Stella wouldn't get wet now. Drake scooped Stella into his arms and carefully descended from the ruins.
"So that's it. Magic thread puppets!"
The shadow Drake had blasted away was over five meters tall, its body composed entirely of rock.
It seemed to be the legendary Okutama giant, but Drake sensed it was pure rock, devoid of life.
That's why he couldn't sense its ki! It moved and attacked because it was controlled by magic threads—a literal puppet.
Drake set Stella down, touching her forehead. "Wait, I'll handle this!"
He turned to the shattered giant puppet; the warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by chilling coldness.
He only wanted one thing; if he knew where the puppeteer was hiding, he'd destroy both puppet and puppeteer.
A flash of fire; Drake was at the puppet's chest.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
The rock puppet was blasted away, shattering into pieces.
Drake's punch destroyed the puppet and burned the magic threads.
The puppet's most dangerous aspect wasn't its strength but its resilience.
Its body was ordinary stone; it could be easily repaired.
Only by destroying the magic threads, as Drake had done, could it be completely eliminated.
Drake landed, looking at the scattered stones, his anger still simmering.
It was just a puppet; eliminating it didn't affect the mastermind.
More magical fluctuations appeared.
The ground opened; more rock puppets emerged. These weren't as large as the first, only human-sized.
But there were many; Drake couldn't use powerful techniques here; he didn't want to burn down the forest.
He wasn't sure about Japanese law, but arson could cause an international incident! That's why he'd initially used Fire Dragon's Roar upwards.
But it was fine; his anger needed an outlet! He could have a good workout.
First, he needed to protect Stella.
"Fal!"
Drake's grimoire opened itself; Fal emerged.
"You've been accumulating magic; protect that girl."
Fal chirped and flew to Stella.
Stella's reaction was adorable; she rubbed her eyes, confirming she wasn't hallucinating.
Then she screamed and hugged Fal.
Drake remembered Stella's curiosity about unidentified creatures; dragons were the most famous.
Fal looked helpless and wronged; Drake gave a thumbs-up.
"Fal, be strong! I support you in spirit!"
Encouraged, Fal deflated, its neck drooping like a toy, allowing Stella to handle it.
Drake, putting aside his guilt, summoned the Evil Dragon and Dragonslayer onto his arms. He charged towards the rock puppets.
"Suzaku Type: Tenku!"
Drake punched a puppet, shattering it and destroying the magic threads.
A hand strike pierced another puppet; red light shone through the cracks; it exploded, its threads burning.
Grabbing a puppet's head, Drake swung it, smashing several others.
He crushed the puppet's head with his fingers.
Watching Drake's rampage, Stella, holding Fal, smiled sweetly. This was the man she liked; he could defeat any enemy; no difficulty could stop him.
Stella saw several puppets approaching her.
Fal, escaping her embrace, showed why Drake had it protect her.
Fal inflated like a balloon, becoming a massive creature the size of a truck.
This Fal resembled a legendary dragon—a majestic, ferocious creature; its scales, fangs, and muscles displayed its power.
Fal swung its tail, smashing the approaching puppets.
If Drake hadn't restricted its breath attack, these things would have been instantly eliminated.
Drake destroyed another puppet; the number of puppets hadn't decreased.
He didn't know what the puppeteer looked like, but he believed this control method had flaws.
He'd noticed something.
First, he still hadn't found the mastermind; following the magic threads should have been easy.
But the threads extended far, beyond his three-kilometer range.
The puppeteer was cautious and far away. Controlling puppets from that distance wasn't easy.
He also discovered the puppets were controlled through an intermediary puppet.
He'd found the central puppet.
"Suzaku Type: Tenku!"
Drake flew, smashing puppets, reaching the central puppet.
This puppet was more refined; its body had glittering magic threads.
In an instant, Drake tore it apart, holding its head.
He held the head before him, looking into its eyes.
"I know you can see! Listen, no matter where you hide, I'll find you… I will.
You'll regret this for the rest of your life."
…
In the swamp-like room, the magic thread on the clown's left hand snapped.
"An intermediary puppet was destroyed? Shinryuu Temple's Drake… interesting!"
The magic thread glowed abnormally; the clown couldn't cut the connection in time.
His right arm turned black; a powerful current disabled it.
"Impressive! But it's fine; let's see what's more interesting!"
__________________
for more advance chapters visit patreon.com/bars45.
For 10$- All advance chapters.