Chapter 43 : In The Shadows (3)

I must kill that man.

Elia realized that was the only solution and sent her dolls charging toward Wade.

The doll, formed from countless bodies, boasted a massive size that even nearby buildings couldn’t hinder.

Boom!

When the doll stomped its foot, the ground caved in deeply, and when it swung its arm, buildings were demolished.

Debris from the destroyed buildings fell onto Wade, and the dolls pounded on it.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Dust rose thickly in the air.

The relentless pounding of the monster’s fists seemed determined to leave no trace of Wade on the ground.

“Ugh, so noisy. Can we keep it down at night?”

Wade sat completely unharmed in a totally different spot, watching the dolls’ futile strikes.

Even though Elia had maintained a reasonable distance from him, she instinctively took another step back.

“I was definitely attacking you just a moment ago, but now…?”

“With reflexes that dull, there’s no way you’ll catch me.”

“You seem quite skilled. But you made a mistake—you should have attacked me when you left my sight. That would’ve been your first and last chance.”

“I think I’ll have plenty of chances in the future.”

The dolls charged at Wade again.

Though they likely wouldn’t be enough to bring him down, at the very least, they should have been able to buy some time.

But the dolls failed to restrain him as expected.

Boom!

The dolls, made from hundreds of human bodies—monstrous creations with the strength of renowned knights and wizards—burst apart as if they were nothing.

“You crushed my doll with your bare hands…?”

Elia stared at Wade’s fist.

Mana flowed around it menacingly, elegantly, yet softly enveloping his hand.

She couldn’t even fathom the strength contained within it.

If she were to face that power directly, survival seemed unlikely.

“Impressive. I thought you’d be strong, but I didn’t expect this. It must’ve been frustrating all this time, pretending to be an underachiever when you’re this powerful.”

“Not really. I’ve been living like this for quite a while now. Sometimes, revealing my real abilities feels even more awkward.”

“If you had openly displayed your power, anyone would’ve revered you. Surely you didn’t have to hide in Kalian’s shadow.”

“Being in the spotlight isn’t really my style. Anyway… I think I’ve stalled enough time. Now, why don’t you show me what you’ve prepared?”

“Haha, you’re quick to notice.”

Snap!

Elia snapped her fingers.

The space distorted, and suddenly, a knight and a mage appeared out of nowhere.

These creations had a vastly different aura compared to the previous dolls.

Their armor and swords exuded threatening power, and their staffs emitted an eerie light.

But more than that, the very existence of these two dolls seemed to weigh down the surrounding air.

Wade widened his eyes in awe.

“Wow, and what are these?”

“My prized collection. It’s been a long time since I last brought them out. They’re not something I use lightly.”

A skilled puppeteer could craft completely different levels of dolls, even from the same materials.

However, this doesn’t mean the “materials” are unimportant.

The better the materials used, the stronger the doll that can be created—it’s only natural.

In that sense, the two dolls before her were among the finest masterpieces in Elia’s collection.

“Are you interested in heroic tales?”

“I’m not particularly familiar with them.”

“Have you heard of Drake and Kairan?”

“Lightning Blade and the Sage of the Sky? You don’t mean… those two?”

Lightning Blade, Drake Voltran.
Sage of the Sky, Kairan Eldwind.

These two were legendary heroes in the Empire’s history, known for their remarkable achievements and overwhelming strength.

Now, they were standing as Elia’s dolls.

Seeing Wade’s stunned expression, Elia couldn’t help but laugh.

“Haha, what’s wrong? Weren’t you curious about what I’d do?”

“Say something, will you? Then again, most people who see my collection in person are left speechless like you.”

She hadn’t brought out Drake and Kairan often, but when she did, the reactions were usually the same: despair.

The moment opponents recognized their faces and names, they lost all will to fight.

After all, these were two of the strongest beings in human history.

How many could stay sane in the presence of such overwhelming power?

“Heh… Heh heh…”

“Huh…?”

But Wade, who had been silent until now, suddenly burst into laughter.

Had he lost his mind?

She had seen some opponents break into hysterical laughter after giving up, but this felt different.

For some reason, he seemed genuinely delighted.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because this is getting fun. Seeing historical figures in person… it’s quite nostalgic, you know?”

“You’re misunderstanding something. These aren’t imitations—they’re the real Lightning Blade and Sage of the Sky. This isn’t the time to be so relaxed.”

“I know they’re real. Just one look, and it’s obvious. That’s why it’s exciting.”

Swish!
Boom!

With a sound that tore through the air, Wade’s figure disappeared in an instant.

By the time Elia realized what had happened, Wade had already flung Drake into a wall.

“What…?”

She couldn’t even follow his movement with her eyes.

If Wade had targeted her instead of the doll, she wouldn’t have even had time to react before dying.

She instinctively swallowed hard and looked toward Drake.

Drake, having smashed through the wall, was already in a defensive stance without a single scratch.

Wade muttered, amused, “Oh? You managed to block that?”

He waited patiently as Drake got back up and prepared to attack again.

Turning his head, he addressed Kairan, who was standing off to the side.

“And you? Why don’t you do something too?”

At that, Kairan infused her staff with mana.

Her robe billowed as the surrounding air twisted into a vortex around her.

The time it took for Kairan to prepare her spell wasn’t long, but before she could finish, Drake had already charged at Wade.

Electricity crackled around Drake’s entire body, surging out in dangerous arcs.

Every exchange between Wade and Drake resounded with thunderous roars.

“This can’t be real.”

Watching her prized collection fight against Wade, Elia was shaken.

She had expected a one-sided massacre.

No matter how strong Wade was, there was no way he could last long against both Drake and Kairan.

And yet, somehow, Wade was still unscathed after dozens of exchanges.

Was it just her imagination, or did he even seem relaxed while fighting them?

A creeping sense of unease began to stir within her.

Perhaps… just perhaps… Wade hadn’t even shown his full power yet.

Boom! Crash!

Wade had already taken control of Kairan’s storm magic, wielding the winds as if they were his own.

With a mere gesture, lightning struck the ground.

Drake, the Lightning Blade, and Kairan, the Sage of the Sky, were being overpowered.

Seeing this, Elia didn’t hesitate—she turned and fled.

What is that man—no, that monster?

Elia had encountered countless strong opponents, killed them, and turned them into her playthings.

At times, she had even fled when her power wasn’t enough.

But Wade was beyond anything she had ever faced.

There was no bottom to him.

No matter the opponent, their strength eventually revealed its limits—but with Wade, no end was in sight.

If she had known, she would have brought her entire collection.

Just Drake and Kairan weren’t enough.

For now, all she could do was flee and hope for another chance later.

“What is this?”

As Elia was trying to escape the barrier, she noticed something strange.

The path never ended.

No matter how far she ran, she couldn’t leave the alley she was in.

The exit, just a few steps away, seemed impossible to reach.

The more she ran, the farther it moved, as if the distorted space was growing endlessly, blocking her escape.

“This can’t be…”

Had the barrier been overtaken?

As she stopped to grasp the situation, the crimson moonlight that had filled the streets began to fade.
In its place, an icy blue moonlight flooded the world.

“Where are you rushing off to?”

And then, he appeared.

Wade hovered in the air, framed by the moon behind him.

In one hand, he held a sword crackling with lightning, and in the other, a staff swirling with a tempest.

“You gave me quite the entertainment. I’ll be keeping these as souvenirs—you don’t mind, do you?”

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Cornered, Elia summoned every hidden doll she had.

Even though these things couldn’t even scratch that monster, maybe—just maybe—they could buy her a fleeting moment of time.

What she could do with that time, she didn’t know.

From within buildings and alleys, hundreds of dolls emerged.

“Are we doing this again? It’d be easier for both of us if you stopped wasting your time.”

“What are you, exactly?”

“Me? I’m just an underachiever of Arcana Academy and a friend of Kallian.”

Then, with a flick of his finger, something absurd happened.

Thunk.

The hundreds of dolls under her command all knelt before Wade.

He had taken control of them.

The puppeteer—she—had lost her control?

Elia desperately sent hundreds of strands of mana to reclaim the dolls, trying to pull them back into her grasp.

But it was useless.

The dolls remained kneeling, motionless, as if Wade was their true master.

No matter how much power she exerted, even as she gritted her teeth and unleashed thousands of threads of mana, it was all in vain.

These dolls were all she had—all her means of defense—and she had to reclaim them.

But no matter what she tried, she couldn’t.

Thud.

Drained of all her strength, Elia collapsed on the spot.