"Hehehe, I just wanted to test the new relay puppets and play around with them a bit. I didn't expect to suffer such a huge loss, how terrible." Somewhere in Japan. It was high noon, yet the room was incredibly dark, like a swamp filled with shadows. In this room, a tall man sat on a sofa, his bitter smile mixed with a sigh.
"Ah, as expected of the famous Copy Swordsman, the puppets were completely useless."
"What a stench, is your hand burnt?" A dark figure asked.
He stood behind the tall man, looking at him with disdain.
"It's completely well-done." The tall man revealed his left hand. The man used his left hand to manipulate the stone puppets, and the high-voltage current manipulated by the Copy Swordsman traveled through the threads, electrocuting the man's left hand, charring and peeling off even the muscle. His injuries were too severe; even with a regeneration capsule, it might not fully heal.
However, the tall man didn't cry out in pain; instead, he praised Shirou as if singing, with even joy in his tone.
"Thanks to her, this left hand is useless now."
"Idiot, the Eve Festival is just around the corner, and you're doing something so pointless."
"Can't argue with that, hehehe."
"I'm just a normal student; I don't care about the army's methods. But you're from the army, shouldn't you avoid
making rash moves before an operation?"
"That's true, but just waiting idly is no fun at all, not interesting in the slightest. This won't do, I hate uninteresting things. Because I'm a clown; I always have to be smiling. Whether it's doing good or bad, a clown must enjoy it, don't you think?"
"Your words are as incomprehensible as ever."
"Hehehe, that's good. If a clown could be easily understood, it wouldn't be fun." The tall man answered flippantly, then his right hand's finger moved slightly. As if a sharp blade had severed its root, the charred left hand detached completely. There was no bleeding from the left hand, apparently because the entire arm, from its root, had been completely charred.
"Ah, do you want this hand? It's already well-done, though."
"No need, throw it to that cat as food."
"Hehehe, you should call her 'Sphinx,' or she'll cry."
"A cat is a cat. Even if you glue wings onto it, nothing will change." The dark figure behind him answered mercilessly. The tall man couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
So young, yet so lacking in imagination.
"Ah, speaking of which, the Scarlet Princess you've been yearning for is also there. But her complexion doesn't look too good; I wonder if she caught a cold?"
"How would I know?"
"Oh, aren't you worried? I heard you came here just to see her."
"That's right, I did indeed accompany you in this monkey show just for her. But if the Scarlet Princess cannot participate due to ill health, that simply means she's nothing special." The man's words echoed throughout the darkness, containing not a single lie. The tall man, sensing this, felt even more strongly that he and this contemptuous figure were completely incompatible. This man was truly insensible, no fun to play with.
"Oh dear, how cold. If men are too passive these days, women won't bother with them."
"If you want to talk nonsense, talk to a mirror, clown."
The dark figure also felt that he and the other person were incompatible. After leaving that remark, he turned to leave.
The tall man watched the figure, which seemed to be merging with the darkness, and sighed again, then said helplessly, "He's not cute at all. He should take more after his innocent younger brother." The tall man smiled, and just as he was about to leave, both he and the dark figure, who hadn't completely left, suddenly trembled and froze in place.
"What is this?" In their perception, a massive magic power seemed to cross countless distances, assaulting their location.
"An attack!?" The two, surprised, exchanged glances, then quickly ran outside. Although the tall man could control puppets over a hundred kilometers away through magic threads, that was with the medium of magic threads.
Attempting to strike an enemy over a hundred kilometers away with a normal attack was simply a fantasy.
But such a fantasy had now become reality. This strike was absolutely something he could not stop! His entire body surged with magic power, strengthening all his attributes, and both the tall man and the dark figure swiftly darted out. Although their decision was decisive, even so, they merely brushed past the attack. This blow, which completely surpassed the speed of sound, took only a second from the moment it was perceived until it landed. And all they avoided was a direct hit from the attack.
Boom! The moment the arrow landed, a sudden explosion swept forth. The two, having only avoided a direct hit but still at the center of the explosion, were rapidly blown away. In addition to the scorching flames, countless bolts of lightning wreaked havoc at the center of the explosion. Under the electrification of countless lightning bolts, the two directly hit by the explosion were unable to mobilize their abilities and could only passively endure the baptism of the explosion. Blown by the storm, the two were flung away like rags and slammed heavily onto the ground.
Feeling the burning and electrocuting sensation all over his body, the dark figure struggled to get up, looking at the leveled stronghold, and suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Is this your true strength, Copy Swordsman!"
Although heavily wounded, the dark figure showed no sign of pain. On his face, there was only excitement!
"Indeed, this mission truly aligns with my goal! I never expected that in this small place, besides the Scarlet Princess, there would be such a powerful opponent!"
"No, this is an even stronger enemy than the Scarlet Princess!" Looking in the direction the arrow came from, the dark figure struggled to stand up, laughing as he said,
"How wonderful! This is the battle I seek!" Having been caught in the previous explosion, his clothes were completely burned away. Under his tattered clothes, on the dark figure's upright body, countless scars were revealed. Those scars were clearly not caused by the recent explosion; they were injuries that could only be achieved through self-destructive training. This was a strong individual who would constantly push his body to its limits in pursuit of power.
After a burst of laughter, the dark figure, having calmed down, gradually composed himself, then looked at his companion. Seeing the tall man lying on the ground, battered and showing no signs of life, the dark figure ignored him and slowly walked away. As for his companion? That was merely a puppet!
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"Did it hit?" Although he couldn't see the scene there, nor could he perceive the situation there, Shirou's intuition told him that he had hit the enemy. "In that case, it's a fair exchange!"
"However, with the opponent's strength, they probably wouldn't die from that one blow. Since the opponent is spying on Okutama, they must have some designs on this place."
"In that case, we'll definitely meet again in the future!" Thinking this, Shirou's lips curved slightly.
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--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter