Puppet Master Chapter 17: Chapter 17: From Hunter to Prey

Read chapter 17 of Puppet Master by PeName on NovelPedia.

Seeing Tris and his puppet charging forward, Kane shouted: “Don’t underestimate us, brat!” Right after speaking, he summoned multiple pillars of water erupting from the ground, twisting like giant serpents as they lashed toward Tris. Tris used Space magic to levitate slightly and grabbed onto his puppet’s shoulder. He poured spiritual energy into the puppet’s legs. In an instant, the puppet surged forward, carrying him at high speed while skillfully evading the incoming water pillars. Since one hand was already controlling the distant puppet in battle and the other was gripping the puppet beside him, Tris was now using a remote-control method, the same as how he handled his “Feathers”. Thanks to that, he didn’t need to move his hands, yet he could still make the puppet beside him move as flexibly as he wished. Moreover, because he maintained direct contact, the transfer of spiritual energy was far more efficient than using magical threads. What seemed like a simple movement concealed highly complex techniques beneath it. While the water pillars relentlessly pursued from behind, Tris and his puppet continued accelerating straight toward Silas. The puppet raised its shield forward, while its other hand gripped a sword, preparing for a powerful thrust. Seeing himself targeted as an easy opponent, Silas smirked disdainfully and braced himself. Wearing metal gauntlets, he timed the approach perfectly and threw a powerful punch, accompanied by a shockwave. It was not an attack one would expect from a Mage. The strike, enhanced by both combat techniques and magic, shot forward like a steel pillar, ready to crush both the puppet’s blade and the puppet itself. But at the moment of impact, Tris released his grip on the puppet’s shoulder. Instead of attacking with the sword, the puppet raised its shield and unleashed a powerful “Shield Bash”, infused with Space magic. The fist and shield collided. The result sent both Tris’s puppet and Silas flying backwards in opposite directions. As Tris’s puppet was knocked back toward the pursuing water pillars, he shifted it into a defensive stance. At the same time, Tris himself drew his dagger and lunged directly at Silas. Blown backwards, Silas was momentarily confused as to why the boy had used an attack that caused no damage. But when he saw Tris rushing toward him with a weapon, he realised the previous “Shield Bash” had only been meant to break his guard. ‘Still underestimating me, brat.’ Despite being in a disadvantageous position, Silas swiftly flipped backwards and kicked away the incoming dagger. His reflexes and physical control were astonishing—hardly what one would expect from a Mage. Having successfully defended, he expected to see disappointment on the boy’s face. Instead, Tris was smiling—a mocking, teasing grin. Seeing that expression, a sudden sense of danger flooded Silas’s mind. But before he could react— He lost all sensation in his body. And then, he sank into darkness forever. * * * * * * * * * ‘What… just happened?’ Kane stared in horror at Silas’s headless corpse. Silas’s puppet, now without its master, collapsed alongside him. His head lay rolling on the ground. Tris, still smiling, stepped on it and casually nudged it back and forth like a toy. The scene, under the night sky, was utterly chilling. Even with enhanced vision through spiritual energy, the darkness of the forest severely limited Kane’s sight. He had only caught a glimpse of something dark passing behind Silas—then this result. ‘A magical beast from the forest?’ Kane considered the possibility, but immediately rejected it. The boy showed no surprise at all. Which meant—it was a trap. Everything had been planned. Even the earlier confrontation had been part of it. Kane quickly analysed the situation. He had lost his ally and his numerical advantage. Meanwhile, he was facing a powerful enemy with unknown methods. In a single moment, his position had reversed—from hunter to prey. A cunning and intelligent man