On the other side of the palace, the Puppet King stood firm, staring at Towakizra, Marcelline, and Julline… as if they were nothing more than a swarm of ants.
"It wouldn't be fair to face you without weapons. The pride of the king within me won't allow it," the Puppet King spoke in a deep voice, then opened his left hand, revealing a violet portal mixed with black.
From it emerged three swords — their hilts transparent, and their blades broken in half. One half visible, the other clouded and opaque.
He extended his hand forward and handed each of them a sword. The three took the weapons, staring at them in puzzlement.
"They're poorly made, yes… but better than fighting barehanded."
Towakizra leapt above the King's head, then swung to his left and slashed with his massive sword toward Towakizra.
Marcelline and Julline appeared, blocking the heavy sword strike. The King smiled and increased the pressure. Towakizra joined in, and the three struggled to push back the King's blade.
"What an impressive effort… but how long can you keep this up?" the King taunted, voice thick with sarcasm.
"I don't think we can last much longer…" Marcelline was straining with all her might.
"I doubt our swords will survive this. They'll probably snap under the pressure…" she added in an exhausted tone, gritting her teeth.
"I have a plan, but it's not ideal… You two need to pull back quickly," said Towakizra, his expression heavy.
"Are you insane? There's three of us and we're barely managing this giant sword!" Marcelline shot him a bewildered glance.
"Towakizra, spare us the heroic nonsense…" Julline said with a scoff, despite the tension.
Towakizra looked at them both, then swiftly positioned his sword vertically and pulled them back. The Puppet King looked at Towakizra with a mix of fear and admiration for his quick thinking in the face of danger.
"Quick thinking under threat — placing your sword that way to save your companions deserves praise."
"I saw my whole life flash before my eyes," Julline said, pressing her palm to her chest.
The Puppet King charged at them with incredible force. All three dodged in different directions. Towakizra slashed at the King's back, hitting hard enough to shake his coat.
Julline struck the King's leg hard, causing him to lose balance, and Marcelline followed with a blow to his neck. The King smiled coldly, spun rapidly like a cyclone, and struck all three at once.
Marcelline slammed into the ceiling, while Julline and Towakizra were thrown into the wall.
Marcelline hit the ground and blood poured from her mouth and nose. Julline had two fingers broken on her right hand. Towakizra was bleeding heavily from his left eye.
"Your attacks feel like bee stings… I wish Circora had sent the other guest," the King said arrogantly, pressing his index finger to his chin.
Marcelline stood, barely able to hold herself up, wiping away the blood. She picked up her sword and whispered:
"Who does he mean by 'the other guest'? Could it be… Faithless?"
Julline grabbed her injured fingers and pushed them back into place. She looked toward Towakizra, whose face was covered in blood, his left eye nearly shut.
"Towakizra, are you okay?" Julline's expression showed genuine worry.
Towakizra held his bleeding eye, voice weary:
"Fighting a monster like this without our swords or powers… it's like walking into King Jin Li's chamber and dying from his aura alone."
"Hah… screw him and all the kings. If this 'training' wants to take a sharp turn, then fine — I'll go along with it." Marcelline let out a strained laugh, clutching her stomach in pain.
She pulled her arm back and hurled the sword with full force at the Puppet King's body — it nearly hit his eye, but with a swift motion, he knocked it aside.
Julline appeared just in time to block the deflected blade, and Towakizra pulled Marcelline back.
"No need for that kind of reckless move. This thing can anticipate anything…" Towakizra spoke with a deep tone.
He added in the same voice:
"There's a plan… but the chances of success are right between life and death."
Julline was darting around, drawing the King's attention. She shouted toward Towakizra:
"I'll distract him — you explain your plan."
Marcelline stood and looked at his bleeding eye that hadn't stopped gushing blood.
"You should rest, Towakizra. You're pushing yourself too hard. It's going to damage your eye."
Towakizra smiled at her, speaking through his pain:
"There are battles where we'll lose even hands and feet… this is just a test to glimpse the distant future."
Then in the same tone:
"Now listen carefully. Julline's probably listening with her big ears anyway… The point is, those massive threads that appear and vanish — I've measured their duration. They appear for five seconds and vanish for ten."
"Each thread is connected to a body part. We need to cut them. It's not a final solution, but it's the best I've got."
Marcelline glanced at the Puppet King, then at the threads that appeared and disappeared. She turned her gaze to Towakizra.
"Looks like there's no other way… seems like Master Isaac wanted us to reach this conclusion."
Julline retreated toward them and spoke quickly:
"Your plan sounds crazy… but it's a last-ditch effort to kill this king."
The three of them split up and attacked from different directions. The King didn't know where to focus, yet his terrifying smile only grew wider.
A black thread appeared, connected to his left hand. Marcelline slashed it with fury — his hand disintegrated into small fragments. On the other side, Towakizra tried to sever the thread linked to the other hand.
The Puppet King swung his massive sword. Towakizra barely dodged it but received a deep gash on his arm. Despite the blood pouring down his body, he roared with rage and sliced through the thread attached to the right side of the King's abdomen.
Julline, with her feline agility, cut three threads connected to the King's leg — it broke apart into pieces.
The King's upper body collapsed, his limbs all severed by the threads. Yet despite that, his smile remained — stronger than ever.
They backed away. Towakizra clutched his gashed arm, smiling faintly through the pain:
"Looks like I won't need a bath after this… I've already bathed in blood."
Marceline tapped Towakizra's shoulder and spoke in a sweet tone, her eyes closed:
"Looks like your plan worked… it seems the king is probably finished."
"Hmm, I don't know, but my gut tells me this is someone who still has a few tricks up his sleeve." Jullien spoke as she stood with both feet on the sword's hilt.
And in their happy state, they heard a laugh that filled them with despair and fear that surged through their veins… They all turned to look at the Puppet King as he began rebuilding himself with terrifying laughter:
"Hahahaha… what a masterful and brilliant job… most likely, you're the one who came up with it. You deserve to be a king…" he spoke in a horrifying tone, standing tall as if nothing had happened.
And in the same tone, he added:
"Not every king who wears a crown is truly a king. Sometimes, he's just a pawn."
"But… but how is he still standing even though we cut all the main threads?" Jullien spoke with a worried tone.
"My dear little one, it's not just one thread you need to cut to bring me down… you must sever a great many. Hahaha. Sorry to disappoint you, but this is the power of kings." The Puppet King spoke arrogantly as he adjusted his crown with his finger.
The Puppet King gripped his sword tightly, and from the blade emerged a sharp violet glow that pierced the entire palace like a needle…
"It was a beautiful fight with you all… especially you." he said in a deep tone, pointing at Towakizra.
The sight of the glowing sword was terrifying… the three of them were in a miserable state… until they were surprised by something.
The king's smile grew more terrifying. He threw his sword into another dimension… and opened a portal that looked like a hurricane in the depths of the ocean.
He looked toward them with cold eyes filled with deep pride, and spoke in a heavy tone:
"It seems things are over… but before I go, what is your name, boy?"
Towakizra stepped forward, one eye bleeding, and the other arm severely injured…
"Towakizra Moonlight… remember it well." Towakizra smiled with great pride in his tone.
Half of the Puppet King's body entered the portal, and he looked at Towakizra with a terrifying grin:
"You truly are a king."
The Puppet King entered the portal…
Silence fell over the arena. All three of them collapsed to the ground from exhaustion and fatigue.
"The aura he carries is unbearably heavy… damn him." Marceline spoke as she placed her hand on her forehead, panting hard.
"Rest… after a hell of death… is the greatest victory." Towakizra smiled, speaking in a tired voice.
"Ughhh… I just want to sleep." Jullien muttered like a tired cat.
And at that moment, a door opened—leading to an unknown place, its path hidden by black and white clouds.
"It's probably the end… or the next destination." Towakizra spoke in a cold tone, staring at the exit.