This was the most sci-fi battle Duanmu Huai had experienced since his transmigration. On the ground, towering mechanical soldiers charged forward, while strange flying objects hovered above, continuously firing laser-like beams at Duanmu Huai and his companions. The danger of these beams was clear from the rapidly dropping durability percentage of his power armor.
These things hit as hard as a bolter! Fortunately, Duanmu Huai wasn't fighting alone. What he lacked in quality, he made up for in quantity. Puppets flooded the battlefield like they were free—essentially overwhelming the machine legion's technological edge with sheer numbers. Thankfully, the puppets really were free.
Tall, bulky mechanical soldiers rampaged forward like enraged bulls. Several puppets immediately swarmed them, leaping onto their bodies. The mechanical soldiers swung their arms, instantly smashing two puppets to pieces. But the remaining puppets seized the opportunity to strike, their blades piercing into the outer armor of the machines.
Then, as one mechanical soldier swung again and sent another puppet flying, a different puppet drove its blade into the exposed core within the cracked armor. The large machine stiffened, then collapsed, paralyzed on the spot.
"Phew… good thing my puppets aren't scientific either."
Watching this, Duanmu Huai felt a bit of relief. The enemy relied on high technology, but thankfully, his puppet deck defied science as well. By logic, the daggers and curved blades wielded by the puppets shouldn't have been able to penetrate the armor of these large mechanical soldiers—like trying to slice open a tank with a medieval sword. It would've been a miracle just to scratch it.
Though, well, there were moments in Civilization where primitives shot down helicopters…
In any case, his puppets were unscientific to the core—literally. They had no internal components, just wood carvings brought to life. Analyzing them from a scientific standpoint would lead nowhere.
So, even with low attack power, the damage they dealt was real. For a time, the battlefield reached a stalemate. But Duanmu Huai knew this wouldn't last.
The enemy's mechanical legion seemed endless, and there was no telling when—or if—they would stop. He didn't want this to become like that haunted mansion again, where the fight dragged on all night, enemies endlessly respawning. That would be a nightmare.
This was the only way.
Staring at the stalemated battlefield, Duanmu Huai pondered for a moment before making a decision. "Olgis, cover me! Take down those flying things!" he shouted, then charged straight ahead.
At the same time, upon hearing Duanmu Huai's command, Olgis swiftly raised her hands. Threads emerged from all ten of her fingers, weaving into a large net that shot forward, instantly slicing several airborne constructs into pieces.
Of course, some of the constructs retaliated, targeting Olgis. But she subtly shifted her fingers, and a group of puppets rushed forward, automatically forming a human shield in front of her to block the incoming aerial attacks. Taking advantage of the opening Olgis created, Duanmu Huai sprinted forward at full speed.
Seeing him charge, the mechanical soldiers quickly converged on his position. Without hesitation, Duanmu Huai summoned hundreds of puppets to intercept them, shielding his path as he kept running. Although he only had 4 Agility and wasn't particularly fast or reactive, his power armor helped compensate for his physical shortcomings.
With the puppets holding off the enemy, Duanmu Huai dashed across the battlefield and arrived beneath the palace balcony—then leapt upward! His jetpack roared to life, blasting him into the air and propelling him straight toward the cloaked figure above.
Shoot the horse first when shooting a man; capture the king first when catching thieves!
"Die!!" Duanmu Huai roared, swinging his warhammer down toward the cloaked figure.
The cloaked man didn't flinch. He simply raised his hand—thump!—the warhammer slammed into it, but he didn't budge. Instead, it felt to Duanmu Huai like striking solid granite: unmoving, unyielding.
However, the attack wasn't without result. The force of the blow tore away the man's cloak, revealing his true form—a towering steel mech, even a head taller than Duanmu Huai.
Its head resembled an Egyptian pharaoh's mask, and embedded in its hollowed-out chest was a blond man, fused into the machine. In other words, this thing was the wizard![Mobile Armor (Legendary)] [LV43]
Got you! A cold glint flashed in Duanmu Huai's eyes.
Summon[Puppet] to the field!Activate[Death's Shortcut], target [Puppet], grant [Lethal] trait!Attack!
In the next instant, Duanmu Huai's cloak fluttered open, and a puppet assassin shot out from within.
The dagger in its hand streaked forward, piercing directly into the chest of the blond man inside the mech!
"Excellent!" Duanmu Huai clenched his fist with excitement. No matter how imposing it looked, a [Lethal] strike ignored both health and defense—killing the target instantly.
You should just obediently… huh?!
To Duanmu Huai's surprise, the mech before him wasn't instantly killed as expected. Instead, it suddenly waved its hand—and the next moment, both Duanmu Huai and his puppet were blasted away, crashing hard into a nearby wall.
"Thump!!" The violent impact reverberated through his body. Duanmu Huai grunted, quickly pushing himself up while gripping his warhammer again, eyes locked on the towering mech striding toward him.How was this possible? That [Lethal] strike had clearly hit its mark. Does this thing have immunity to curses?
But when Duanmu Huai spotted mechanical cracks forming along the man's body, he was stunned.Wait… this guy wasn't just operating the mech—he was the mech?!So it wasn't a pilot, but a full-on robotic entity.
Well, that explains why [Lethal] didn't work. The skill only targets living beings—this thing clearly wasn't one!
"All unit statuses confirmed. Durability assimilation confirmed—combat… initiated."
The mech spoke coldly in a synthesized voice, raising both hands.
Seeing this, Duanmu Huai gritted his teeth, grasped his warhammer tighter, and glanced down at his trembling hand.Looks like there's no choice but to go all out!
With that thought, Duanmu Huai swiftly waved his hand again, summoning several puppets to charge at the giant mech. Using them as a diversion, he flanked to the side, circling behind the mech. Then, with a roar, he swung his Thunder Warhammer directly at its legs!
"Clang—————!" The hammer connected with a loud crash. The mech's steel surface, laced with glowing purple light, warped and shattered under the impact. The towering figure staggered slightly from the blow.
[Matter Displacement]! Armor penetration successful!
But before Duanmu Huai could capitalize on the advantage, the mech suddenly extended its palm toward him—several beams fired out in rapid succession!
"Damn it!" Duanmu Huai cursed, instinctively raising his arms to block. A heartbeat later, he felt a massive force slam into him—like getting hit by a high-speed train.
"Thump!" He crashed into the ground, tumbling hard.
Then came the warning:
[Warning: Power Armor durability has dropped below 20%][Warning: Power Armor is about to be damaged]
One hit and it's nearly broken? Just how high is this thing's attack power?!
The alarm blaring in his ears made Duanmu Huai's heart sink. The giant mech had already turned, charging straight toward him again.
"No choice!" Gritting his teeth, Duanmu Huai steeled himself.Activate [Puppet Surgery]! Randomly grant +4 ATK to one puppet in hand!Then—summon [Puppet] to the field, attack!
Just as the giant mech lunged in front of him, a puppet burst out from beneath Duanmu Huai's cloak, rushing headlong toward the towering machine. At first glance, it looked no different from the others. But a closer look revealed something unusual—this puppet had no hands.
Instead, one of its arms had transformed into a sharp blade, while the other had morphed into a gun barrel!
Normally, a [Puppet] only had 1/1 in terms of attack and defense. But with the [Puppet Surgery] buff, this one now had 5/1!That should be enough to take down a level 43 monster!!
And indeed, just as Duanmu Huai expected—
"Splat!!!"
The modified puppet leapt through the air, darting toward the mech. Its blade-arm plunged straight into the blond man's chest inside the machine. Then, with smooth mechanical precision, it raised its gun-arm and aimed directly at the man's head.
"Bang!!!"
The gunshot echoed through the battlefield. The man's head exploded on the spot.
The towering mech halted mid-charge—then collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash, unmoving.
"Phew…"
Seeing the lifeless machine sprawled across the battlefield, Duanmu Huai finally exhaled a long breath.It's finally done.
(End of this chapter)