Ah—
A sharp, soaring note suddenly split the night wide open.
Phaga turned toward the sound and saw that Black Marionette had, for some unknown reason, completely abandoned her opponent, Ellen. Instead, she was boldly belting out high notes, dancing in place with elegant, sweeping motions.
Ellen had been startled at first, instinctively springing back, thinking Black Marionette was about to unleash some hidden move. But after several seconds of uninterrupted singing, not so much as a ripple stirred.
Ellen swung her blade; the massive scissors scraped across Black Marionette's body, throwing sparks. Yet Black Marionette didn't retaliate at all—she simply let Ellen attack her.
Phaga frowned, baffled.
What is happening?
Just then, someone tapped his arm. He glanced down. It was Eous.
Eous turned, pointing off into the distance. "Phaga, look."
Phaga followed the gesture—and all confusion evaporated. At the spot where Gray Marionette had died moments ago, its [Core] hadn't dispersed with the host's death. Instead, under Black Marionette's high-pitched singing, it was reforming—coalescing anew!
Suddenly, Phaga remembered what the Black-and-White Dolls had said—
[They are one body. Even their life is shared!]
"So that means if they aren't killed together, they'll just keep coming back, huh?"
He thought this, but his hands never stopped moving.
Yes, revival seemed unlimited—but the weakness was obvious. Once Gray Marionette died, Black Marionette had no choice but to dance in place and sustain her high notes to complete the resurrection ritual. During that time, she was nothing more than target practice for Ellen!
Phaga exhaled slowly, raising his right arm as he murmured:
"Then... I suppose I can sit right by your corpse. Every time you revive, I kill you again…"
"I'd love to see how long your sister in the black ballet dress can keep enduring Ellen."
A flare of crimson light ignited. Blood-red deepened in Phaga's eyes as a split opened in his palm. Blood streamed out, quickly gathering into a sphere. Thin strands seeped from his fingertips, linking to the sphere in countless threads, feeding it, swelling it larger and larger.
Suddenly, Phaga felt something. A sharp glint flashed through his gaze.
Before him, Gray Marionette's reconstructed form was already emerging—its head rising from the floor, just beginning to lift.
Swish!
Phaga flicked his finger. The blood sphere, wrapped in swirling strands, shot forth like a bullet, the air cracking with its sonic pressure.
"Die one more time!"
The classic tactic for dealing with a boss that can revive—hit it the moment it stands.
Gray Marionette had just revived; dodging was impossible. Taking the hit head-on was equally absurd—it was nowhere near full strength.
It would die again.
Phaga thought this and turned to look toward Ellen to see how close she was to finishing Black Marionette—
—but the moment he turned his head, something jolted through him. He snapped back instantly.
Under the refined lights of the Ballet Building, the Exquisite Doll had appeared without warning, drifting in the air. Its left hand rose, and a spatial rift tore open.
At the same time, Phaga's blood sphere vanished. The instant he saw the rift in the Exquisite Doll's hand, he had a vague sense of what was about to happen.
Sure enough—
The Exquisite Doll raised its right hand. Another rift yawned open. A violent force churned within, raging wildly!
The next moment, the blood sphere blasted out. Phaga sensed it and dodged sideways. His eyes tracked the sphere as it shot into yet another rift and disappeared.
Across the battlefield, the Black-and-White Doll was happily messing around with Corin. It was technically fighting, just... half-heartedly. Surely Twin Marionettes wouldn't mind... right~~~ ahhhh!?
A blood bead burst from a rift, grazing right past the Black-and-White Doll—nearly taking its head off!
[Exquisite Doll, what are you—]
It was ready to spew curses, but the words froze the moment it saw Gray Marionette floating beside the Exquisite Doll.
Upon hearing the shout, Gray Marionette turned slightly, her cold gaze lingering for a moment. Just that look was enough for cold sweat to pour down the Black-and-White Doll's back. Its voice shrank to a whisper.
Clearly, the Exquisite Doll was acting under Gray Marionette's orders—a warning. Slack off again, and who knew what would happen.
After a brief hesitation, the Black-and-White Doll shot straight into the air.
[Farewell, my lovely little maid girl.]
[You know I've always been Twin Marionettes' most loyal supporter. It would be irresponsible to waste time here.]
[It's not that I think you're going to lose!]
Soon after, Black Marionette slipped through a spatial rift, escaping Ellen and rejoining Gray Marionette.
But she was in terrible shape—one leg gone, half an arm missing, her head practically severed. A human would've been long dead.
But as an ether husk, as long as her [Core] remained, she could still fight.
Now reunited, the two sisters clasped hands, the [Cores] beneath their skirts gleaming brightly. Their ether forms are visibly restored.
"Tsk, unbelievable!"
Phaga clicked his tongue and rushed forward. He had to defeat them before they recovered. Or at least separate them!
But then—a young girl's voice rang down from above:
[Bless oneself with benevolence's increase, Cast malice's ruin upon the masses.]
[Yin and Yang in order, good and evil repaid]
[Wave! Rise!]
In the ten-meter-high hall, an eight-meter wave surged from the floor—
and collapsed downward!
Phaga froze, staring upward. The flood swallowed all light, its colossal shadow filling everything.
What now!?
He swallowed, eyes locked on the descending wave. This was far beyond what the Black-and-White Doll could do. Clearly, Twin Marionettes had transmitted ether substance through some kind of link.
And the Twin Marionette sisters had vanished.
Of course—they were choosing to watch from the sidelines. Once the flood swept the field, they would return to collect corpses. And tear them apart.
They'd already shown their hand. Phaga had no options left.
No… not exactly—
but…
"Phaga. What are you thinking?"
The pressure of the wave grew heavier. Someone tapped his shoulder.
He turned. Lycaon.
"Mr. Lycaon? You made it through?"
He'd assumed the Exquisite Doll's cage would keep them trapped—the control over spatial rifts was simply too overpowering.
But Lycaon, Rina, and Corin were all here. Apparently, while Phaga was fighting Twin Marionettes, they had already deciphered the spatial rifts and secured a route through.
Lycaon smiled gently, patting Phaga's shoulder with deliberate weight. "Long before you came, Victoria Housekeeping went on plenty of dangerous missions."
"And without fail, we survived."
"Mr. Lycaon…"
Phaga murmured, watching Lycaon step forward.
At that moment, the wave crashed down.
Boom!
Lycaon spun and punched the oncoming wall of water. In an instant, the eight-meter wave froze solid—beautiful and crystalline, droplets suspended mid-fall.
But soon cracks began to form within the ice, ready to burst loose.
Boom!
Lycaon punched it again, reinforcing the ice.
"Go wild, Phaga!"
Without turning, he shouted, "Don't worry about what's behind you. Victoria Housekeeping will always be here."
"Lycaon…"
Phaga began to speak—
—when two arms wrapped around his shoulders. A fall of flaxen hair brushed over him like a waterfall.
He didn't need to look. The gentle, elegant scent alone told him who it was.
Rina leaned close, whispering at his ear, "Go on. Do whatever you want. We'll be right here."
"Alright, alright, Rina, my turn."
Before Rina could say more, Ellen shoved her aside with an annoyed huff. "Easy to say 'do whatever you want.' You're not the one who'll get her blood sucked later."
But turning away, Ellen ruffled her hair like a shy girl who couldn't face her crush, glancing aside as she muttered:
"Go on. Just—be safe, okay? Victoria can cover the medical bill. Worst case, I'll just end up in the ICU from anemia for a few days."
"And…"
Pop—
Her arms slid around Phaga's neck, her blush so fierce he could feel the heat from where he stood. She gritted her teeth and managed:
"Anyway—that's it!"
Then she bolted.
Corin blinked after her.
Huh? What was I going to say to Mr. Phaga…?
Before she could remember, a thunderous crash erupted. A hole blasted open in the floor.
Below, a vague figure flapped its wings.
"Ellen, stop being shy and come help reinforce the ice."
Lycaon spoke while glancing toward one side. A shadow spread there.
"After we reinforce it, we've got an uninvited guest to entertain."
The moment he finished, Black Marionette stepped out from the darkness.
And surrounding her—everyone from Victoria Housekeeping.
Except Phaga.