A searing cross erupted from the edge of judgment of shamash. The puppet leaped back a step, raising its hand as if to conjure some sort of defense.
But the defense didn't even last a moment against judgment of shamash. The next second, the world lost its color for an instant. Flames engulfed the puppet, along with the entire snow-capped mountain behind it.
After the fleeting inferno, the snow-covered mountain had become a scorched black wasteland. Lingering flames burned among the embers, the red glow amidst the black making one feel the intense heat just by looking.
The puppet, a charred cross seared onto its chest, struggled to its feet from the ashes. Before it could even lift its head, a kick from above was already upon it.
The puppet instantly became a streak of light, crashing diagonally through the scorched mountain peak and soaring into the sky.
Shu retracted his foot, his expression grim.
His opponent's durability was beyond his expectations. This puppet had no core, only the trace of an authority attached to it. It was clearly not the Herrscher's true body.
He had intended to finish it off quickly, but after three strikes, the puppet could still maintain its form.
If there were a few more puppets like this, they could potentially trap him here temporarily.
The greatsword of fire dissipated in his hand, merging back into his dancing robe.
In its place was a color that seemed to have come from a dream. A shining purple gem refracted the light, and a splendid scepter appeared in Shu's hand.
After tumbling through the air for who knows how long, the puppet stabilized itself and contorted its body. Its head was now tilted at an exaggerated angle, a result of Shu's previous kick.
Amidst its shock, it felt a little wronged.
It had wanted to answer just now, but Shu had clearly given it no chance. Before it could even react, Shu's attack was already upon it.
How could it not know what kind of emotions and intentions Shu's moves contained? Each of the three strikes was more ruthless than the last, each one aimed at killing it outright.
If it weren't for the fact that only an "actor" was present, it would have definitely turned and fled.
If it could have run away, that is...
If Shu was still holding that greatsword of fire, it could have said it could escape. But the moment that resplendent magic scepter appeared, the domain that had invisibly unfolded made it... made the puppet's manipulator's face change drastically.
His [Stage] had been broken... a light that did not belong to the [Stage] had forcefully intruded, making a mess of the performance.
"Why?"
Just as Shu aimed the scepter at the puppet, the puppet raised its hand, emitting an unintelligible sound.
"Hmm?" Shu's action didn't stop, but merely shifted to a charging motion. He frowned and let out a soft grunt.
Light gathered at the tip of the scepter. The aura and energy emanating from it made the Herrscher's blood run cold.
"Why have you appeared here?" It retracted its hand, snapping its head, which had been kicked crooked by Shu, back into place with a gruesome sound. "We have no quarrel... why have you trespassed on my territory?"
"Your territory?" Shu sneered. "When did we ever sign a treaty to divide the land? Or is it that...
"This is just you unilaterally informing me?"
The light at the tip of the scepter suddenly intensified. From a bystander's perspective, everything around Shu began to twist and tremble.
How did he twist my meaning to this extent?!
The Herrscher almost cursed out loud, but Shu's ready-to-fire attack forced it to retrieve its lost patience and start trying to explain.
"There is no conflict between us. There is absolutely no need for us to confront each other like this..." It estimated Shu's previous performance. It understood that if it didn't want to suffer too much loss, it was time to back down.
"If you don't like me appearing near you, I can leave immediately and temporarily retract my [Stage] to let you pass..."
As it spoke, it glanced quizzically at the train still running on the tracks behind Shu. It was puzzled as to why Shu would be riding such a thing here.
Was he on a world tour?
Shu's brow gradually furrowed. He was aware of the [Stage] his opponent mentioned. When he had taken out his scepter, his dreamscape had indeed pushed something aside. He had also felt a distinct sensation of passing through something when he was on the train earlier.
Like entering a giant soap bubble... it seemed to be something similar to a dreamscape...
This was the reason for Shu's pause. Almost immediately after, this puppet had arrived nearby, as if to investigate. And then, Shu had been triggered by the strong Herrscher aura on the puppet and attacked directly.
As if remembering something, Shu discreetly glanced back at the train on the tracks. The light at the tip of his scepter dimmed slightly, and the heavy pressure on the puppet lessened.
The puppet was already at the end of its rope. It would be easy for him to destroy it.
But how many more puppets like this did his opponent have? He didn't know. And did all the puppets have this level of combat power? He didn't know that either.
It was certain that his opponent was controlling it remotely, but from how far? And by what means?
And even... was his opponent's so-called "territory" his own rule, or a conclusion reached after discussing it with other individuals? Was he alone...
Shu didn't know any of this.
All the Herrschers he had encountered before had been face-to-face with him, or at least nearby, within a range he could sense and reach.
But this time was different. His opponent was hiding behind a curtain, only extending a hand to make this puppet perform for him.
Should he turn back? That seemed to be the best choice right now...
In Shu's moment of hesitation, the puppet, which was also observing and thinking about Shu, suddenly saw a figure pressed against the window of the train.
It froze.
She... how could she be here?
The puppet raised its featureless face and turned to Shu. At the same time, Shu, who had sensed its movement, also looked at the puppet.
After a moment of silence, a brilliant light burst forth from the scepter. At the same time, or perhaps even an instant earlier, a multitude of fine threads appeared out of thin air, like a great net, lunging towards Shu.
The scattered light easily shredded the fragile threads. Each scattered ray of light kicked up a tall cloud of dust on the ground.
They swept over the mountain peaks, razing them to the ground, leaving bottomless gullies and deep canyons. The world, as far as the eye could see, was completely changed by this single beam of light.
But Shu looked at the train behind him with a mixture of shock and anger, abandoning any thought of pursuit.
"How dare you?!"