CHAPTER 769: YOU’RE NOTHING BUT A WOODEN PUPPET

At that moment—

Ethan raised his hand, and power surged into a massive Energy Disc.

It spun in the air with a high-pitched shriek, slicing through the silence like a blade through silk.

"You’re nothing but a wooden puppet," Ethan growled.

"Crack that shell of yours, and whatever power’s inside—means nothing."

The Energy Disc screamed forward.

For the first time, the puppet’s twisted face contorted into something like surprise.

It scrambled, yanking a sword from its own chest—a weapon forged entirely of energy, its blade shimmering faintly gold—

The lingering echo of Dragon God power.

Ethan’s pulse kicked.

More dragon energy.

The Disc collided with the greatsword.

BOOM—CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!

The moment they clashed, the sword shattered like glass under a hammer, bursting into golden dust.

And then—

A dozen more Energy Discs followed, slamming into the puppet’s body in rapid succession. Each impact tore fresh cracks across its frame, until it looked like a porcelain doll on the verge of collapse.

Violet energy gushed from the fractures. The puppet staggered, its power unraveling.

Then—

Its chest split wide open.

The entire construct exploded, a geyser of purple energy erupting like a dam bursting under pressure.

Ethan didn’t hesitate.

He flashed forward, wrapped in a golden vortex, and began absorbing the torrent of power like a storm swallowing the sea.

The moment the dragon energy touched him, Idra stirred within—her presence flaring awake like a hatchling catching the scent of prey.

She devoured it eagerly, hungrily.

With every thread of energy she consumed, Ethan’s aura grew brighter, denser, more alive. His power surged, steady and thunderous.

Until the last wisp of violet was gone, leaving only ripples of dissipating energy in the air.

"You okay?"

Kaelira descended beside him, her body still glowing with soft pink light. But now, that light had deepened—richer, steadier.

She’d reached mid-25Tier.

Her presence had changed. The warmth was still there, but now it carried weight—like a temple carved from rose quartz, radiant and immovable.

Ethan raised a brow.

That kind of leap... would make anyone jealous.

Kaelira clearly felt it too. Her eyes sparkled, nearly glowing. "I didn’t think you could take that thing head-on... You’re stronger than I imagined."

She reached into her robes and pulled out a pink orb. Inside, it pulsed like a sealed sunrise, each beat echoing with power.

She took a deep breath, voice trembling with barely contained excitement. "Now, I’m strong enough to approach the edge of Vaedoroth’s domain... Maybe even face him. Ethan, will you—come with me?"

Ethan threw his head back and laughed. "Your Majesty, killing Vaedoroth is exactly why I came here! Besides—"

He winked, voice dropping into a mock-dramatic tone. "I’m Sol’Rakka’s First Champion. Wherever you go, I go."

Kaelira’s eyes lit up, her excitement impossible to hide. She nodded hard, like a queen who’d finally found her destined ally.

Then, without hesitation, she raised the pink orb high—and hurled it into the air.

CRACK!

The moment it struck the ground, it detonated in a burst of pink light, like a fallen star punching through the earth.

The entire magma world trembled. The pink energy raced along the ground, tearing open a wide rift in the surface.

The blue-violet magma, stripped of its pink support, dimmed like dying fire. It turned black, thick and boiling, and began pouring into the fissure.

Wherever it flowed, the land withered—scorched and crumbling in its wake.

Ethan braced himself, palms pressed to the ground. He unleashed a golden shockwave, weaving it with Kaelira’s pink energy to stabilize the collapsing terrain.

Together, they carved open a descent path through the chaos.

The roar of falling rock and rushing energy grew louder as the pit deepened, stretching down into the unseen heart of the world.

Ethan and Kaelira locked eyes.

No words needed.

—They jumped.

Wind howled past them. Energy pulsed through the air like a living current. Time stretched, warped, lost all meaning.

The abyss had no end.

They fell through darkness, deeper and deeper, until—

FWOOOM—

A sudden pull yanked them downward, like some unseen force had reached up and grabbed them.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—

Their feet slammed into solid ground.

And then—

The darkness tore open.

A new realm began to glow into view—utterly alien, as if it didn’t belong to any world they knew.

Ethan had barely found his footing when it hit.

A crushing force surged from ahead, thick and suffocating, like a giant hand slamming down on the world—and closing its fingers around him.

The air froze. Energy locked up. Even breathing became a struggle.

Shit—spatial lockdown.

Instinct kicked in. He flung out two Energy Discs with a snap of his wrist.

The golden blades screamed through the frozen air, tearing jagged lines through the dense weave of energy. The pressure cracked, space itself splintering with a sharp snap—and just like that, he could move again.

But before he could even catch his breath, his eyes snapped to Kaelira.

She was trapped too.

Dozens of translucent chains coiled around her, layer upon layer of spatial bindings forming a prison around her body. Whoever they were facing had clearly marked her as the priority threat.

Ethan’s fury ignited like dry oil.

Fsh-fsh-fsh!

His hands blurred, and a storm of Energy Discs erupted from his palms—hundreds of them, raining down like a golden monsoon. They slammed into the chains, shredding through the bindings one by one, ripping apart the space-woven cage.

In seconds, the prison collapsed.

Kaelira was free.

But then—

A voice echoed through the air, low and cold, like wind blowing through the cracks of a burning crypt.

"Heh... Didn’t think anyone could break my spatial arts. Impressive, boy. Very impressive."

It slithered through the space around them, oily and mocking, curling into the ears like a whisper from something that shouldn’t speak.

"With power like that," the voice coiled tighter, "why waste yourself as Kaelira’s lapdog? Come with me. I’ll give you an entire world of your own—make you a true sovereign of space."

The offer had barely landed when—

BOOM!

A thunderclap split the air, loud enough to shake the bones.

Ripples of warped space exploded outward. The air thickened, heavy as molten lead.

Ethan’s spine locked up. The voice wasn’t just sound—it carried weight, slamming into him like a warhammer. Even the energy inside him stuttered under the pressure.

Then the darkness ahead began to gather.

A shape emerged from the abyssal energy, slow and deliberate.

A monster.

It stood like a small dragon, its back bristling with jagged spines. Its body was sheathed in writhing black energy, like it wore living armor made of shadow. Every inch of its skin twisted and pulsed, as if the darkness itself was alive and breathing.

Ethan immediately triggered a system scan.

The interface flickered, then locked onto the target.

—25 Tier, mid-stage.

Same level as Kaelira.

And him?

Still early 25 Tier.

A head-on clash? Not a chance in hell.

Worse—

The energy structure of this place was warped. Every move drained power at double the rate. If Idra or Auri were forced to retreat due to overconsumption, his real Tier would be exposed.

And when that happened—

Kaelira’s reaction would be the least of his problems.

This thing would crush him—and both Idra and Auri—into dust.

...