kscans

Chapter 96 - Close Quarters with the Puppet Princess: Operation Magic Thread Severing / In-fighting Style Strategy

The Throne Room. It was the deepest chamber in the cave, once ruled by the Hobgoblin king. Surrounded by stone pillars, with moss growing on the ceiling, numerous magical light stones cast a faint purple glow. The air was damp. The uncannily quiet space was now filled with an bizarre sight, an array of "human dolls" manipulated by threads of magic.

In the center, before the throne, stood the Puppet Princess, Mel Aria. Her arms were spread wide, like a puppeteer, with countless threads floating in the air.

Facing her on the demons' front line were Amy, the High Lizard, and Tiris, the Abyss Elf.

Amy's spear was the lightning-infused magic spear, the Spark Naginata. She excelled at swift lunges and consecutive thrusts, primarily taking on the role of "wide-area suppression" and "breaching defenses."

Her tail swayed lazily.

"Tiris, I'll go from the right. I'll cut through the dolls and open a path."

With a flourish of her jet-black mantle, Tiris quietly drew her dagger. It was the magic-amplifying dagger, the Sylphid Feather. A blade specializing in anti-magic combat, balancing both cutting power and magical conductivity.

She took some Mirage Powder from a pouch at her waist and said one word.

"I'll circle around from the left. The magic threads are fragile, but... if there's heart put into them, I might hesitate."

Her eyes were sharp, fixed on Mel Aria standing behind the human dolls.

On the battlefield, there were roughly twenty or more "human dolls." All of them stood stock-still with lifeless, ghastly expressions, suspended from the air by magic threads. At a single command, they would attack with rabid fury.

Furthermore, Mel Aria had stretched threads across the rock walls above, turning the entire space into a trap. A single careless move could lead to being entangled, captured, and controlled. That was the pressure they faced.

Even so, Amy and Tiris nodded to each other and quietly took their stances.

"Let's go, Tiris." "Yeah, we have to do this."

And then, in perfect sync, the two of them initiated their desperate plan to sever Mel Aria's manipulative magic threads, attacking from both sides at once.