Chapter 007: Puppets of War

Du Fan frowned slightly as he looked at the “King of the Night” before him, his gaze also falling on Jian.
A puppet master?
A legendary puppet master!?
If Laku’s words were directed at others at this moment, perhaps few people on the Roland Continent would truly know what a puppet master was. But Du Fan had spent several years in the cathedral of the Holy Church, having read various texts there. Coupled with his interest in the various strange events on the Roland Continent, he happened to know exactly what a puppet master was.
According to legends, a puppet master is someone who can create humanoid weapons and control them.
But this is only a superficial understanding. In reality, a puppet master can be considered a special branch of alchemists.
Legends say that only after mastering combat skills and magic to a certain level can one approach the threshold of alchemy. After further studying alchemy and being able to create whatever one desires at will, can an alchemist evolve into a puppet master.
outsiders might think that a puppet master simply uses certain materials to create puppet-like creatures and controls them. But in truth, Du Fan knew it was not that simple.
The puppets created by puppet masters through alchemy are not traditional “puppets” but true “humans.” In other words, these puppets possess human attributes in every sense, except that they have no souls after being created!
Only through certain secret techniques in puppetry can these puppets act according to their master’s commands.
It is said that when a puppet master reaches the highest level, the puppets they control are like extensions of themselves, capable of being moved at will.
From this perspective, a puppet master is essentially just multiple helpers with synchronized minds—not particularly powerful.
However, legends claim that as puppetry advances, the number of puppets a puppet master can control increases, and eventually, controlling thousands of puppets is no longer a problem.
In other words, when puppetry is perfected, it is no different from using dark magic to summon undead and form an army of the dead.
The difference is that, unlike dark magic, which harms both the body and soul of the magician, practicing puppetry never causes such consequences.

To create puppets using puppetry, the material required is living people. It is said that only a few hundred living beings are needed to craft one puppet, while creating a whole army of puppets would demand millions of people as materials. In this sense, puppetry is even more evil than necromancy. Over thousands of years, the Holy Church has pursued puppet masters with the intent of killing them as soon as they are discovered; no matter how powerful a puppet master may be, the Holy Church will spare no effort to destroy them. Outsiders might think this is due to the evil nature of puppetry, but Du Fan knows that the Holy Church destroys puppet masters because the secret techniques involved in using “people” as materials have touched upon the taboos of the Roland Continent… After all, according to legend, humans were created by the gods of the heavens. But if puppetry advances to the point where souls can also be used to create puppets, it would represent the greatest destruction to faith. Thus, for years, puppet masters have remained hidden in the shadows of history. Moreover, alchemists are already extremely rare, and puppet masters are even rarer among them—hence their numbers have always been extremely low. Du Fan even thought for a time that the profession of puppet master had disappeared from the Roland Continent… Looking at Laku’s sinister smile, Du Fan could hardly believe that he was the most powerful, terrifying, and evil profession in the legends of the Roland Continent. And the girl in his arms… she must not be an ordinary little girl, but rather a puppet created through puppetry… The so-called “War Puppet”… its nature becomes clear upon reflection. “You…” Du Fan couldn’t help but take a breath. “Are you really the legendary puppet master!?” “Oh? It seems Lord Du Fan is indeed well-versed in many things—knowing about puppet masters as well?” Although Laku’s expression remained cold, Du Fan caught a fleeting hint of surprise in his eyes. “However, the more you know, the faster you die… It seems that even if I don’t want your life, I still can’t… So, Lord Du Fan, let me show you the most magnificent skill in the world—puppetry!”

At that moment, he saw Laku wave his right hand gently. Suddenly, several white threads-like things appeared at the tip of his finger and landed on Jian. Then, with another slight shake of his fingers, Jian suddenly left Laku’s embrace and fell downward. Upon hitting the ground, she bent slightly and said in a very awkward tone, coldly, “Big brother… let me chop off your head!”
Although her voice was sweet, it was filled with strangeness, as if it didn’t come from a human’s mouth.
Du Fan couldn’t help but take a breath. Though his expression remained calm, he was now highly alert. Then he said softly, “Can puppets… speak too?”
Laku sneered and said, “Normally, they can’t. But this ‘War Puppet’ of mine was crafted using a girl of the same age specifically. You’ll understand the wonder of it right away, Lord Du Fan… So, let’s not waste time, shall we?”
“Lord Du Fan, are you ready!?”
As soon as these words were spoken, Laku’s figure flashed suddenly and he appeared in front of Du Fan. Then he swung his left hand, and several white threads were thrown at Du Fan from the tip of his finger.
Du Fan hadn’t expected Laku to act so quickly. His eyes flashed slightly, and he tapped his fingertips in the air a few times. Soon, several sounds of “whoosh—whoosh—whoosh” were heard as combat energy shot out from his fingertips almost simultaneously and landed on those threads.
Then came several loud “boom” sounds as the combat energy exploded in the air, creating flashes all around.
Over there, Old Mark saw this scene and was ready to join the battle with his long sword in hand. But suddenly, he saw Du Fan stepping out from the exploding flashes. Du Fan shook his head slightly in Old Mark’s direction and quickly waved his hand, sending countless wind blades flying at those flashes.
One after another, magical explosions could be heard. Old Mark’s brows furrowed in astonishment. Although he knew Du Fan’s strength had increased greatly, seeing him use magic and combat energy so effortlessly made him realize that Du Fan was now on a completely different level—having reached a state so close to the sacred realm that he could wield both magic and combat energy at will.

From being a good-for-nothing who knew nothing just a few months ago to now reaching a level where he’s on the verge of the Sacred Realm, Du Fan is probably the fastest-rising figure in Roland Continent’s history—even if not the most talented. After unleashing a burst of magic, Du Fan stepped back several times before landing safely, but he didn’t let down his guard for a moment. Just then, a cold snort suddenly came from within the glowing barrier. Du Fan’s expression changed, and with another wave of his hand, this time a golden fireball was shot forward. With a “ding” sound, several white threads emerging from the barrier were deflected aside. But instead of disappearing, these threads turned aside under the impact and effortlessly sliced through the buildings like cutting tofu. Moments later, a “whooshing” sound was heard as the buildings were cut in half, with the cut surfaces as smooth as mirrors… Could the threads created by Laku really be this powerful? But it wasn’t over yet. Du Fan, who had been frowning, suddenly changed expression drastically. He swung his right hand backward, and several streams of combat energy appeared in the air, forming a barrier-like structure. Then, with another “ding” sound, a sharp knife landed on the barrier, shattering it with a single strike. Du Fan’s expression changed instantly. Although the amount of combat energy he had released wasn’t large, he thought it was sufficient. But what exactly could possess such power… Soon, Du Fan figured it out. Jian, or rather, the “War Puppet,” suddenly appeared behind him. She was holding a sword several times larger than herself, and she swung it at Du Fan with great force. The attack was silent and carried no trace of combat energy. If Du Fan didn’t possess divine origins that gave him an extraordinary sense, he probably wouldn’t have been able to dodge even the previous attack, let alone this one. He quickly pointed his finger, and several sword energies were sent out, crashing into the “War Puppet.” Suddenly, with a “whoosh,” the puppet retreated rapidly in a curved path before disappearing into thin air… Appearing without a trace, vanishing without a sound… Such great power… Is this the power of the “War Puppet”?