Flames erupted suddenly as Phaga's energy and blood surged violently, rushing toward his palms where they ignited in an instant.
With a single beat of his wings, he closed the distance between himself and the Twin Marionettes in a flash. The claws blazing with Nether Flames snapped out, the scorching heat warping the air as if the fire itself were slicing open the void.
Sensing the danger, the Black Marionette—the first target of Phaga's charge—flickered away with a feint.
At the same time, she shifted aside, revealing the gray one behind her. The marionette lifted her leg and drove a kick straight toward Phaga's chest.
A chill wind pierced forward; even before it landed, the pain stung like a thousand needles.
Phaga clenched his teeth and slammed his wings into the ground.
The sharp spikes at the tips dug deeply into the tiles, carving out two trenches as they forcibly halted his forward rush.
At the same moment, Phaga raised his left hand to block.
Beneath Gray Marionette's skirt, the [Core] flashed a brief, angry red.
A probing attack—and you meet it with your bare hand?
You dare disregard the might of the Notoriety Ethereal!
Gray Marionette pressed down harder, the wind shrieking even louder. The entire hall echoed with explosive cracks, the sound alone able to make one's heart tremble.
But Phaga showed no trace of fear—only grim concentration.
Clang!
Gray Marionette's spiked heel struck his palm.
Eous immediately shut her eyes in fright, only daring to peek every few seconds.
Corin wore a worried expression.
As for Lycaon, Rina, and Ellen, all three frowned.
That sound wasn't right.
Crack… crack…
Gray Marionette paused, confused. It felt like she'd struck something hard.
Something like stone.
"It's an Ether crystal…"
Phaga lifted his gaze slightly, the corner of his lips curving faintly. In his left palm, an Ether crystal firmly blocked Gray Marionette's strike.
Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface, threatening to shatter at any moment—another push should've broken through easily.
But no matter how hard Gray Marionette pressed, she couldn't advance even a millimeter.
She loosened her leg and attempted to retreat.
"Leaving?"
Phaga's eyes flashed red.
After finally getting ahold of you—you think you can just leave?
His palm snapped shut around Gray Marionette's leg. With a powerful yank, he dragged her toward him—
—and slammed a fist into her abdomen!
Gray Marionette's stomach caved in and a dull impact rang out as she was flung backward like a ragdoll.
But the moment his fist landed, Phaga felt a sharp jolt in his chest. Something had locked onto him. His body suddenly felt unbearably heavy, as if filled with molten lead.
"Phaga! Look up!"
From the edge of the battlefield, Ellen shouted anxiously.
Phaga snapped his head upward.
The Black Marionette—who had dodged his earlier strike—had soared high above at some point. Her entire body was wrapped in Ether substance, black energy billowing around her.
At the same time, black mist coiled tightly around Phaga's legs.
No—this wasn't mist. It was his own shadow!
The Core beneath her skirt flashed—
—and she crashed down with murderous force.
Move… MOVE!
Phaga grit his teeth, screaming internally.
Thump!
His heart suddenly jolted, beating wildly out of rhythm.
Blood surged faster, his body temperature rising from 42°C… toward 52°C!
Pressure skyrocketed. The fine capillaries in his body screamed in protest as they burst one after another.
Blood seeped through his skin, trickling down his legs.
"Break!!"
Phaga roared.
The shadow binding his legs blew apart, scattering and returning obediently behind him.
He lunged backward, heavy steps skidding across the floor.
Black Marionette's strike crashed down—
BOOM!
Her spike pierced the floor, drilling a three-foot hole.
A violent shockwave rippled outward, freezing the air around it. The surrounding tiles cracked like spiderwebs beneath the razor wind.
Shattered. Splintered. Broken apart.
Even though the strike didn't land on Phaga directly, the residual force was still terrifying.
Clenching his fangs, Phaga poured every ounce of strength he could muster into the next heartbeat.
Hundreds of Ether crystals erupted upward, cocooning him in a tight defensive shell to withstand the lethal strike.
…
Once the shockwaves settled, Ellen lowered her giant scissors. Seeing Phaga protected by the crystals, her expression lit with relief.
He's okay!
But her relief vanished almost instantly.
Before her eyes, the Ether crystals shattered—revealing Phaga at the center.
He was kneeling on one knee, gasping for breath. His once-elegant butler uniform now looked like it had rolled through a mountain of blades—ripped and shredded beyond recognition.
Within the tears, Ellen could see countless tiny wounds.
Just moments earlier, Phaga had taken at least three thousand cuts across his body.
Beside him, the Black Marionette watched patiently, a predator waiting for its prey to fall.
The Gray Marionette would return soon. Though Phaga had punched her violently, she hadn't sustained a fatal injury.
In fact, she seemed enraged. Black Marionette was likely merely waiting, letting Gray Marionette claim revenge herself.
"Tsk!"
Seeing Phaga on the brink of collapse, Ellen couldn't hold back and stepped forward.
But the moment she moved, the empty space before her tore open into a spatial rift.
Eerie. Unpredictable.
Where did it lead?
With luck—straight to Phaga.
With misfortune—dozens of meters up in the air. One wrong step and she'd break a leg before even reaching him.
Ellen hesitated for only a heartbeat.
Then stepped forward again—
All in!
But before she could step fully into the rift, she felt someone tug at her clothes.
She turned—
Corin?!
Ellen's eyes widened. "Corin? How are you here?"
The rifts had separated everyone—each person stranded like an island.
Yet Corin stood right before her.
"It's thanks to Miss Proxy."
Corin turned around.
Following her gaze, Ellen saw a Bangboo hopping out from behind her.
Hands on its hips, looking unbearably smug.
"Heh~ I am a Legendary Proxy, after all. I just didn't have the Exquisite Doll's data before, so I couldn't detect the right route."
"But now it's different! Phaga went through all the rifts earlier—so I have complete data now!"
Eous stepped forward, clenching her tiny fist.
"Now it's our turn to attack!"
Moved by her determination, Ellen murmured softly, "Proxy…"
"Alright! Then come with me!"
Without warning, Ellen scooped Eous up and tucked her under her arm.
"Proxy—guide me!"
"WAIT!!!"
Eous screamed.
"I don't want to go to the front lines! I could've guided you from beside Corin just fine!!!"
…
"Miss Ellen took Miss Proxy and left…"
Ellen moved too fast—before Corin could react, Eous was already gone, leaving her murmuring helplessly.
But soon Corin's attention shifted.
A black-and-white doll hovered nearby, blinking as it stared at her with great interest.
Corin tightened her grip on her chainsaw, raised her guard, and asked:
"Um… should I call you Miss Black-and-White Doll? You seem to have just… been slacking the whole time."
Though she had never witnessed the Black-and-White Doll at full strength, Corin knew well how dangerous she was.
Anyone capable of soaking both Mr. Phaga and Miss Ellen's clothes was no simple opponent.
Yet this powerful entity had hardly attacked at all. While the Exquisite Doll split the battlefield, the Black-and-White Doll simply watched.
Earlier she had entangled Ellen, yes—but when Ellen walked away, the doll offered zero resistance.
[Hehe, you two are the most promising ones I've seen in years—ones who could actually kill the Twin Marionettes.]
The Black-and-White Doll giggled twice, then spoke words so strange Corin nearly missed their meaning.
Then she floated upward.
Corin tensed, but the doll didn't attack. Instead, she spoke to herself:
[First, I am a Doppelganger now. Whoever I was in life, whatever she did—doesn't matter. Not my business.]
[Second, from the moment I was created, my freedom has been restricted by the Twin Marionettes. My fate is in their hands.]
Her giggles remained, but her eyes turned cold.
[This feeling… is truly unpleasant.]