The puppeteer breathed a human soul into a puppet.
Control.
A specific power.
They controlled the human soul, placing it into a puppet, thus controlling the puppet. It sounded simple, but it was far from easy. Handling a human soul, even with a contract, remained a precarious task for humans.
Moreover, having a contract didn’t signify the end.
The puppeteer inevitably needed a puppet capable of containing the human soul. The puppet had to befit the status the person had achieved in life.
The Emperor, Seo Ye-bin, forcibly appointed a bonded mediator for her puppet.
She granted the mediator’s wish, fulfilling the revenge sought by the mediator, who was born a dwarf hybrid. This background explains how the mediator came to assume that position.
And Seo Ye-bin ultimately created the strongest star.
‘It was absurd.’Artificial Magic.
The mediator dubbed the fusion of blacksmithing and alchemy with that term. She claimed it was unparalleled by any magical engineering that had preceded it. Seo Ye-bin, who reaped its benefits, concurred.
The star revealed itself.
It had elongated arms. The chains that previously bound it were gone. It transformed from a human appearance to that of a puppet. Its white body lacked facial features. Like a mannequin, it hovered proudly in the sky.
‘What is this?’
Erich von Manstein gazed blankly into the sky.
He had not underestimated the puppeteer, Seo Ye-bin.
The Nazi Empire had anticipated that her power would diminish significantly, but her imaginary world posed a problem. The ruler of the hidden world. Her empire, where hundreds of thousands of puppets lay dormant, was inherently violent.
Thus, they exerted their full effort.
That was their belief.
‘What is this?’
It wasn’t just Erich. Everyone around him was staring blankly at the sky.
Hundreds of magic circles flickered in the sky.
‘Can even a transcendent do that?’
It was indeed possible.
Before Celestial ascended to transcendence, there was an incident where the Seven Evils nearly became eight. To stop that being, the Celestial used that method. But this was different.
Because the Emperor was a puppeteer.
Her physical power was weak, but she had heavily invested in her puppets.
Those puppets could not reach transcendence.
The reason she was strong was that her stars could fight on par with transcendents.
Simply put, her puppets could not become transcendent.
“Riffraff.”
The Emperor looked down arrogantly at the crowd.
“Ugh.”
At the word ‘riffraff,’ Erich gritted his teeth. But he couldn’t respond. She held the leash of the Nazis present here.
‘I don’t know why, but the Emperor’s star has been greatly enhanced.’
Its performance was at least twice as good as before.
He didn’t know how she had strengthened the puppet like that. It was as if she had applied a new power. Then a name suddenly came to mind.
‘…Veritas.’
An infinitely arrogant name.
However, the existence called Veritas lived up to that arrogant name. A figure who elevated the study of alchemy by several dimensions.
‘The Emperor and Veritas have joined hands.’
Two individuals classified as S-rank or higher by the Nazi Empire had teamed up. It was an ominous sign. The synergy of those two working together was more than visible.
This was not good. Beings who stood alone had strong pride.
Thus, they did not join forces with each other. The Celestial and the Overlord joined hands with the Emperor, but the other transcendents remained quiet for that reason.
The absence of the Thousand Sorcerer, the Sword Saint, and the Sword Demon was evidence of that.
Veritas was not a transcendent, but he had similar authority. If he wanted, alchemists worldwide would gather for him.
Considering the influence alchemists have on the current world, he could be considered a transcendent.
‘This is not good.’
To put it bluntly, it was irritating. The orders they received today were to bind the Emperor.
Meanwhile, the core of this operation was for Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, to kill the girl destined to exterminate the Mines.
“Binding her for a long time is impossible.”
Erich von Manstein racked his brain. Binding the Emperor, who had not only recovered her strength but also been enhanced, was almost impossible.
Erich, the brilliant general who ended Paris in an instant during World War II, had made extensive preparations to bind the Emperor.
He even included the possibility of the Emperor overexerting herself as part of the plan. It was a basic tactic for a leading general. But binding such an enhanced star was nearly impossible.
Therefore, Erich hoped.
He hoped Himmler would kill the girl as soon as possible.
“Hah, what an absurd fellow!”
Himmler shouted fiercely. The aura of death surged and lingered at the tip of his staff.
I swung the Black Heaven.
The black sword light lingered on the Black Heaven, accompanied by a sword energy that seemed to deny everything. The aura of death condensed into a single point and was shot towards me.
Boom────!!!
A massive explosion echoed. The aura of death pressed on me. My hand holding the Black Heaven trembled.
“Damn.”
The Energy of Defying Heaven denied it. However, the aura of death contained too much power. Himmler was a mage, but his rank was supreme. Just as my Energy of Defying Heaven denied the laws of the world, his power also denied the laws of the world.
Unholy power clashed with unholy power. The forces that denied each other stood on equal footing.
Grit.
With an explosion, I forcefully flew backward.
Crunch.
Something black and tentacle-like aimed for the spot where I had been. Dozens of tentacles, like octopus legs, sprouted from Himmler’s back.
-Your judgment is quick. Despite your age, you have extensive experience. Experiences built with beings stronger than yourself.
Interest flickered in Himmler’s eyes.
A look of seeing something incomprehensible yet highly desirable.
-You are a favored child of the Emperor.
Himmler looked at me.
He withdrew his tentacles. The tip of his staff pointed skyward. He stopped attacking me. It seemed he had no intent to continue the attack.
-I will offer you a choice.
“To join you?”
-…….
Himmler remained silent.
“I know you harbor hostility towards our empire. But do you believe the Emperor, who favors you, is clean?”
“Surely not.”
The Emperor was not noble, despite her lofty appearance.
Before becoming a transcendent, she was almost humanity’s greatest enemy. Her actions for survival and the invisible hostility targeting her led to this.
The Emperor’s actions were closer to those of a villain than a hero.
‘No matter what, she can’t be compared to those guys.’
But those guys were different.
They kidnapped civilians, turned them into Mines by making them hosts, and forced them into transformation. These beings lost their intelligence and became loyal to their commands.
And the Nazis used them for human sacrifices.
“I know the Emperor is not a completely good being. But isn’t it funny for you to say that?”
-Is that so.
Himmler looked at me regretfully.
-It’s a pity that such abundant talent can only be used as a mere soldier.
“You are saying I’m going to die?”
-Of course.
He looked at me.
-Don’t overestimate yourself just because you’ve faced stronger opponents so far.
The aura of death surged.
The magic absorbed from the outside world lingered around Himmler.
Death.
It was said to be the power of death, but if traced back, its origin was the power of life. The black sun symbolized immortality and vitality. It was a sun but did not hold heat. Instead, it possessed immense vitality, like a sword of spring.
Crunch.
Himmler’s appearance underwent a transformation. His once gaunt figure began to change.
‘Damn.’
The reason Himmler had invaded this place was his confidence in that power.
Within the Nazi Empire, Himmler’s role was comparable to that of a cardinal within a religion. If Adolf Hitler was akin to a high priest, then Himmler was just beneath him.
This position allowed him to wield the power of the black sun with exceptional skill.
Power coalesced. The power of death congregated on Himmler’s face.
Immense.
For a moment, I sensed something immense observing us.
Zing─.
A line formed across the center of his face.
Snap.
The line split open, revealing a massive eye. It had a black sclera and a golden iris, presenting a bizarre sight. It fixed its gaze on me.
The eye was peculiar, yet it possessed tremendous power. It wouldn’t be surprising if it had the capability to reduce a city to ashes in an instant with its power.
-#!%$@^.
He uttered something.
No, it wasn’t a spoken language. It was spiritual language. As he spoke, it felt as though it was being inscribed directly onto my soul.
You are having fun, brother.
He.
He was echoing the words previously spoken by the Apostle.
-……Master?
Himmler gazed at me with an empty expression.
And in his eyes, my reflection was visible. His expression seemed as though he was observing something utterly unfathomable.
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