Everyone present was startled by the sudden turn of events. Their forward momentum halted abruptly. Some had even begun to fall to their knees, begging for mercy.
They had never imagined that the true form of the so-called “witch” would be male. Even more astounding, this “witch” seemed utterly immune to the effects of the Wrath Poison.
“W-witch, have mercy! We were just momentarily confused!”
“Yes, it was him! He used poison to control me! Please, in your great magnanimity, spare my life!”
“I have elders above me and children below; my whole family relies on me! I cannot die!”
In an instant, the crowd turned on each other. There was nothing else for it; most of them were merely ordinary people discontent with their lives, utterly clueless when it came to combat. How could they possibly contend with an S-rank opponent?
Watching the traitors point their fingers at him, the middle-aged man merely smiled—a chilling, rampant grin.
“Since you knew I was controlling you with poison, why did you still betray me?”
No sooner had his words faded than those who harbored thoughts of betrayal instantly dropped to their knees, their faces contorted in agony as they clawed desperately at their cheeks. Within moments, their skin tore open, their entire faces shredded away to reveal the bare bone beneath.
Aya Tone simply watched in silence, making no move to intervene. As these individuals turned on each other like rabid dogs, he found a moment of quiet amusement.
“Are you done yet?”
“If you are…”
Then, as if performing a grotesque face-changing act, his delicate features rapidly twisted into a menacing snarl. His magic staff pointed directly at everyone before him.
“Then bid farewell to this world! In your next life, try not to always scheme to harm society.”
Immense magical energy instantly converged within the Rhombus Crystal. The next moment, a two-meter-wide beam of light shot forth, blasting towards everyone in its path.
Aya Tone did not specifically target anyone, gently granting them all an equal death. As for those three young men… well, they were the first to make a move. They had long since paved their own path to destruction!
As the magic dissipated, the air filled with the acrid stench of burnt flesh. Aya Tone’s nose twitched, a flicker of disgust crossing his face. Fortunately, his lunch had mostly digested, or Big White’s culinary efforts would have been utterly wasted.
His gaze fell upon the very back, where “Old Hu” had been standing. Typically, individuals who dared to threaten national and social security were never weak. That magical beam, while terrifying to behold, was merely a casually assembled magic cannon. He didn’t believe it would be enough to eliminate this mastermind.
Sure enough. As the dust settled, a wall constructed from dozens of charred corpses was revealed.
“Boom…”
The wall of bodies collapsed, kicking up clouds of dust from the ground.
“Excellent, excellent!”
“Old Hu” clutched his face, his crimson eyes scanning the carbonized corpses on the ground, a furious, mocking laugh bubbling up from within him. Ten years of hidden work, ten years of accumulation! All for naught!
“What a pity. How did you manage to be the only one left alive?”
Aya Tone made no effort to lower his voice, each word falling distinctly into “Old Hu’s” ears. Veins pulsed on “Old Hu’s” temples as a subtle energy seeped from his body, transforming into spectral threads that settled upon the corpses. He commanded, devoid of any emotion, “Stand up!”
“Creak, creak.”
In that instant, the charred corpses began to move with stiff, jerky motions. Some, missing half their heads, still fixed their remaining eyeballs on Aya Tone, staring with an unnerving intensity. Such a bizarre spectacle sent a shiver down his spine.
“Old Hu, didn’t anyone tell you that the dead should be respected?”
“Kill!”
The cold command was issued, and all the puppets began to advance towards Aya Tone with stiff, shambling gaits. Yes, *walk*. With every step, their components rattled, as if they might shed their parts at any moment.
Aya Tone’s brow furrowed slightly. His gaze swept past the puppets, landing directly on the mastermind at the very back. When dealing with summoners, fighting their summoned creatures was the most pointless endeavor. To catch the thief, first catch the king!
“Restrict Lock!”
His mental energy locked onto the mastermind, and several beams of light solidified from the void. With a “whoosh,” the beams found every gap, firmly locking “Old Hu’s” limbs in place.
Aya Tone had no immediate intention of killing him. A living mastermind was far more useful than a dead one. After all, he didn’t know if other “rats” were still lurking within Yan’an City. Capturing the “rat father” was always the correct approach.
‘Aya Tone paused, perplexed, as he directed the prison of light to release a faint current. The current wasn’t strong enough to kill, only to induce numbness. Yet, strangely, the immobilized “Old Hu” showed no hint of the expected tingling sensation of paralysis on his face. It was as if… he were a corpse!
The encroaching puppets didn’t halt their advance, despite their summoner being trapped. Instead, they used this time to close the distance. ‘A decoy? When did he manage that!?’ Aya Tone inwardly cursed. He swore he had watched “Old Hu,” who had been hiding at the very back, the entire time. Except… for the very beginning!
It was at that very moment! The puppets, previously slow and lumbering, suddenly burst forth with astonishing speed, surging towards him. Their stiff faces spoke in unison: “Rather than Old Hu, I’d prefer you call me Qian Mian.”
As they spoke, a new layer of skin began to sprout from beneath their faces—and it was identical on every single one. It had all been a ruse!
Aya Tone now understood perfectly; it had all been a cunning ploy. The enemy had exploited the common mistake people made when facing a summoner—the subconscious instinct to attack the visible main body. His true form must be hidden among this charging horde of puppets. If that was the case!
“Pseudo-Shinra Tensei!”
A ripple of light emanated outwards, a powerful repulsive force thrusting back all the puppets attempting to get close. They crashed to the ground, components scattering everywhere, their already incomplete bodies rendered even more dilapidated.
And this! This was another application of the repulsive shield Aya Tone used during his students’ training! The principle was similar. Most importantly, it was incredibly cool! As for its drawback? It didn’t inflict much damage, but! It was incredibly cool!
“Still not going to show yourself?” Aya Tone watched the puppets, who were struggling to rise, with a cold gaze. ‘How persistent!’ he thought. ‘My eyesight isn’t the best; finding the difference among them is simply too much to ask.’
“If that’s the case, then wear your mask and return to dust with your puppets.”
If he couldn’t find him, then he wouldn’t bother looking! When in doubt, just flip the table! ‘Play games? Who has the time to play hide-and-seek with you?’
His slender hand gripped his magic staff tightly. The starlight-infused magic within him surged, manifesting as a ceremonial garb around his form.
A dazzling magic array, composed of interlocking rings, instantly materialized before Aya Tone. “Starlight Breaker!”
Streaks of starlight, like countless arrows, shot forth from the magic array, instantly dispelling the darkness in their path. The puppets had no time to dodge before they were enveloped by the celestial light. Hidden in the shadows, Qian Mian couldn’t help but curse inwardly. ‘This witch is an absolute monster!’
Dozens of square meters on the top floor—his single spell had directly covered half the floor, with the other half extending behind him… ‘Run!’
At this moment, he could no longer muster even a shred of defiance. Disregarding all pretense, he manipulated all the puppets to shield himself, hoping to buy himself a sliver of a chance at survival through this desperate maneuver.