"Hehehehehehe…!!" The masked women before them, dual blades in hand, let out eerie, deranged cackles as they charged at Duanmu Huai like grotesque monsters. Without hesitation, Duanmu Huai instantly summoned dozens of dolls, sending them forward to clash with the attackers.
But what exactly were these things? Duanmu Huai didn't believe for a moment that these masked women were human. The reason was simple: they had the same hairstyles, the same height, even the exact same facial features. Not only that—"Hah!" His warhammer came crashing down, smashing one of the masked women's heads to pieces.
Yet what spilled from the shattered skull wasn't blood, brain matter, or flesh—it was fragments of broken wood. That confirmed it. These masked women were dolls, clearly created by someone. But they weren't the same kind as Olgis and her group.
While Olgis and the others appeared human on the surface, they had clear mechanical traits—spherical joints in their arms and legs, segmented fingers, shoulder seams, and so on. These details could be hidden under clothes, but a closer look would reveal their artificial nature.
These masked dolls, however, were different. Their bodies were covered in a layer of synthetic skin that perfectly concealed the gaps at their joints. That level of craftsmanship suggested their creator might be even more advanced. But... "Hehehe… Not enough, let me kill more!" "Kill more!!"
Why do they all act like they escaped from a mental asylum? Are they completely deranged? Duanmu Huai swung his warhammer once more, reducing several masked dolls to splinters, then summoned another wave of doll guards to surround him. These attackers weren't particularly strong, but they had an unnerving stealth ability that allowed them to get close undetected before launching their strikes.
His [Judgment Court Power Armor] could easily withstand their attacks, but the constant ambushes were infuriating. Speaking of which, is Lorena alright? With that thought, Duanmu Huai turned to look in her direction—and the scene that met his eyes left him stunned.
Lorena, one hand clenched in a fist and the other gripping a holy book, was confronting the masked women head-on. "In the name of God, you who hide in the shadows and harm the innocent shall be purified! O wayward lambs, let me offer you salvation!"
As she declared this, a masked woman shrieked and lunged forward, dagger in hand. Lorena pivoted, narrowly avoiding the blade, then raised her holy book high in her right hand.
"Take this—Holy Book Thrust!"
Accompanying Lorena's furious roar, the next moment, the thick holy book in her right hand slammed down hard onto the masked woman. The corner of the heavy tome struck the back of the woman's head with a crunch, instantly caving in her skull.
"Gaaahhh!!!" But these masked women clearly weren't going to back off just because of Lorena's brutal assault. Another one shrieked and lunged at her, dagger in hand, stabbing straight at Lorena's body. However—with a sharp ding—the blade didn't pierce her at all. Instead, it slid off her as if she were made of steel.
At that same moment, Lorena let out another angry roar and swung her fist backward. Her punch connected cleanly, sending the masked woman flying like a cannonball. The attacker exploded mid-air into wooden shards.
"???" That's a move?!
Duanmu Huai was completely dumbfounded as he watched the priestess girl fight. He never would've imagined that this slender, delicate-looking girl had such terrifying physical strength. And that's supposed to be salvation? Smashing someone's skull with a book corner? Holy Book Thrust? There wasn't a single bit of thrusting in that! Judging by how practiced you are, this clearly isn't your first time!
At any rate, it was clear that Lorena didn't need his protection. Duanmu Huai turned his gaze toward Olgis instead.
At that moment, Olgis was locked in fierce combat with the white-haired doll. Both sides had summoned large combat puppets to attack and were simultaneously manipulating threads to defend and strike.
By conventional logic, going dark makes you three times stronger, and turning good shaves off seven points of power. Even so, the white-haired doll couldn't gain the upper hand. She was nearly completely overwhelmed. Enraged, she flailed madly, trying to break through Olgis's defense, but every attempt failed.
"Why! Why! I am the most perfect doll! I can't lose to you! I'm the ultimate creation!!"
"Who exactly are you?" Olgis calmly deflected the onslaught. She crossed her arms, and the trembling threads morphed into a shimmering shield, easily blocking her opponent's frenzy.
She stared at the white-haired doll and asked softly.
"Stop your nonsense! If I eliminate you, if I destroy you, Master will finally see that I'm the best! Die! Die, die, die!!!"
But the white-haired doll had no interest in conversation.
She continued her frenzied assault, desperately trying to break Olgis down. Yet her efforts were utterly useless. Olgis's ironclad defense held firm.
"Why, why, why! Why is this happening? This isn't possible! I'm the most perfect! The most perfect doll! I won't lose to a prototype like you!"
Unable to break through, the white-haired doll grew increasingly agitated, while Olgis remained completely composed. "Give up. You can't win against me."
"That's not true! I will eliminate you! Then Master—Master will know that I am…"
But before she could finish her sentence, Olgis's finger twitched. In the next instant, the black giant that had been locked in combat with the opposing construct suddenly accelerated. It landed a heavy punch on the enemy giant doll, knocking it flat to the ground. Then, the black giant reached out and grabbed the white-haired doll, restraining her in a firm grip.
At the same time, Olgis stepped forward, staring directly at her. "Who are you? What's your name? And who is your master?"
"...…" The white-haired doll didn't respond. She simply glared at Olgis with wild, bloodshot eyes and muttered under her breath.
"I'm not damaged… I'm not damaged… I'm not a defective product… I'm not a defective product… I won't forgive… won't forgive… I'll tear everything apart—Victoria!!"
"Gaaahhh—!!"
Following her scream, the giant female doll that had been knocked down suddenly shrieked and surged back to its feet. It barreled forward, slamming into Olgis and her guardian doll.
In the chaos, the restraint holding the white-haired doll broke. She leapt into the air with her construct, disappearing into the night sky. "Next time—next time I definitely won't lose! I'll prove I'm the most perfect doll!!"
Moments after the white-haired doll vanished, the knights—drawn by the sounds of battle—rushed to the scene. As they arrived, the remaining masked women swiftly melted into the darkness. For now, the battle had come to a temporary end.
Olgis stood there, motionless, a blank look on her face. Duanmu Huai approached and stood beside her. "How do you feel?"
"I don't know, Master." Olgis shook her head. "I felt hatred, fear, anger, hostility… and a strange sense of closeness toward her. I'm sorry. I don't understand why I feel this way…"
"It's alright. We'll figure it out as we keep digging." Duanmu Huai reached out and gently stroked her head. "We'll get to the bottom of this, I promise."
"...…Mm." At his words, Olgis gave a small nod. Her tense expression finally softened.
For some reason, the discomfort she'd felt during the fight with the white-haired doll seemed to have eased quite a bit.
"Thank you both very much for your help." Lorena walked up to them just then, smiling warmly and bowing. "Thanks to you, we finally uncovered the truth about the culprit. Now we just need to find a way to apprehend them."
"You're welcome. But speaking of which…" Duanmu Huai glanced at her. "Are you alright?"
"Oh, please don't worry." Lorena smiled and tapped her chest with one hand. A metallic thump-thump echoed in response. "I train regularly, and my priest robes are lined with steel armor. Those strange dolls couldn't hurt me."
Good heavens… Duanmu Huai's mouth twitched. He hadn't paid close attention during the battle, but who would've thought this delicate-looking girl was wearing metal armor?
"By the way, what kind of training do you do?" he couldn't help asking.
Lorena tilted her head in thought. "It's nothing special—just ordinary training. Every morning, I start with prayers, then clean the church. After that, five hundred push-ups, six hundred punches, then lunch. I follow up with a thousand wrestling drills and, after evening prayers, run about sixty laps around the outer city wall… Ah, Sir Knight, if you're interested in training with me, how about joining next time?"
"I appreciate the offer." Duanmu Huai politely declined. I'd still like to live a few more years.
(End of this chapter)