Saintess? Not Anymore! I'd Rather be a Destroyer-Chapter 138 - 124: Puppet
"I’ll go with option three," Gray mused, a hint of skepticism in her voice. "Though I have my doubts, it does seem like the most logical explanation. So, genius, why the secrecy? Who are you so afraid of?" She tilted her head inquisitively.
Aurianna tightened her grip on her hand and shot Gray a cold glare.
"Ah, so it’s ’us’ then?" Gray quipped, flashing a sly smile. "I can’t help but wonder what we did to earn your ire. After all, this is our first encounter, isn’t it?" She ventured.
King Girsal, sensing the conversation taking a troublesome turn, chimed in. "I’ve been pondering the same thing, Aurianna. Why the hostility towards me? I’m your father, you know?" He posed the question.
Gray appeared beside King Girsal in an instant, leaning in to whisper softly into his ear. "Quit with the lies, Girsal. It’s blatantly obvious from her appearance and scent that she’s not related to you. So why the charade?" she murmured.
Amber, who overheard Gray’s words, panicked and blurted out, "Apostle, please forgive us! I can explain. She’s my child, she’s mine!" She declared, her hand on her chest.
Gray materialized before Aurianna, her tone gentle. "Aurianna, do you know what I said to them?" Aurianna nodded in response. "You don’t seem surprised, Aurianna. Did you already know?" Gray inquired.
"It’s pretty clear that I don’t resemble them at all, especially compared to my siblings," Aurianna remarked nonchalantly, scratching her head.
"Well, with all this drama unfolding, let’s cut to the chase. What else are you hiding?" Gray inquired, a mischievous grin on her face.
Aurianna inwardly sighed, thinking, ’This woman... it’s as if she can read me like an open book. This is dangerous. But what’s the point of hiding anymore? I was planning to reveal my abilities during the war, anyway.’
With a shrug, Aurianna declared proudly, "There’s nothing to hide. I’m just an undeniable genius. I don’t care who my parents are. All I know is I get money and a title, and that’s enough for me."
Queen Amber, clearly distressed, yelled out, "Aurianna, you’re my daughter, okay?"
Aurianna’s response was nonchalant. "Whatever you say," she replied with a dismissive shrug.
"You’re remarkably composed," Gray remarked.
Aurianna’s response was equally relaxed. "What’s the use of getting worked up? There’s no way my parents would disown me just because you said I’m not their child. And now that they know my strength, they won’t let me go, especially King Girsal," she stated coldly, her smile never wavering.
"I guess you have a point," Gray conceded before turning her attention to the throne. "Girsal, you have a lot of explaining to do, as do you, Amber."
"Of course!" they both chimed in unison.
"Girsal..." Amber called out to him, her voice trembling uncontrollably.
"Stop worrying, Amber. I won’t take your daughter away," Gray reassured her with a simple smile, though it did little to ease Amber’s anxiety.
"I’m curious to see just how far her abilities can go," Gray mused to herself as she materialized beside King Girsal.
"Children..." Gray called out, and suddenly, two portals opened up behind her. Two colossal puppet women clad in blood-red armor emerged from the portals, each standing over ten feet tall. They were eerily lifelike, with wooden faces painted to express no emotion.
"What’s that crazy lady up to now? I don’t like her," Aurianna muttered as she watched Gray summon the strange dolls.
"Attack that child for me," Gray commanded, pointing at Aurianna. Thin, invisible lines of thread connected her hand to the puppets, which moved with a disconcerting fluidity, as if they were controlled by those unseen strings.
Upon seeing the two imposing puppets approaching her, Aurianna sensed danger and immediately used her arms to block their spear attacks, causing the weapons to shatter upon contact with her skin. Her clothing bore the marks of the impact.
"My hands are trembling...these puppets..." Aurianna thought, her glare fixed on the two strange puppets as they conjured new spears in their hands.
The puppets retaliated swiftly with a synchronized kick, which Aurianna countered with a kick of her own. Sensing imminent danger, she dashed several meters away from the puppets, who left a crater in the ground with another powerful kick. Aurianna turned her gaze toward Gray, who only responded with a knowing smile.
"Are you trying to kill me?" Aurianna yelled angrily at Gray, who nodded with a twisted grin.
"Try not to die, darling!" Gray exclaimed with a hint of satisfaction.
"This woman is utterly insane!" Aurianna gasped, but before she could gather her thoughts, the two puppets lunged at her, their spears aimed menacingly.
Veins bulged on Aurianna’s face as she summoned two revolvers in her hands and fired at the puppets. In a matter of seconds, she targeted all their joints with precision, rendering them immobile for a brief moment. However, they quickly recovered, their damaged parts healing, and their size growing larger.
Witnessing the puppets grow in size, Aurianna unleashed a barrage of magical bullets while darting around the grand throne hall at a speed too swift for ordinary eyes to track. The puppets skillfully dodged left and right, effortlessly evading Aurianna’s shots. One of them thrust its spear into Aurianna’s stomach and followed up with a spinning kick, sending her crashing to the ground. The second puppet delivered a powerful kick to Aurianna’s head, causing the room to tremble and the ground to fracture.
"Aurianna!!" Queen Amber cried out in distress, her eyes locked on her daughter, who lay on the floor, her face pressed into the ground.
"Calm down, Amber. She’s fine," Gray remarked with a smirk.
Aurianna swiftly rose from the ground, dusting herself off while her face turned crimson with anger. Veins pulsated on her face as she swiped her hands, summoning hundreds of sci-fi guns shaped like black cones that hovered around her and unleashed a hail of bullets at the puppets.
Gray snapped her fingers, enveloping the room’s occupants, including the guards, in a protective barrier. The puppets managed to evade the first wave of bullets for a few minutes, but the second barrage proved harder to escape. One puppet’s arm grazed, sending splinters of wood and sparks flying. Yet, there was no pain, no reaction from their lifeless faces. It merely toppled backward, this time with its damaged part not healing.
Suddenly, the puppets moved in perfect synchronization, as if they were mirrored reflections. They dashed toward Aurianna and created a shield around themselves to deflect her attacks. They spun gracefully in the air, landing behind Aurianna before launching a tandem kick to her back. Their coordinated assault sent her hurtling through the air, but Aurianna swiftly regained her balance mid-flight and executed a graceful landing.
Aurianna assumed a defensive posture, summoning two crystal sabers into her hands. She tore off a portion of her clothing, making her skirt shorter for added mobility. One of the puppets aimed a punch at Aurianna, which she deftly countered with a sword block. The other puppet launched a kick, but Aurianna swiftly ducked, sliding her feet beneath the puppet’s legs, causing it to stumble.
Yet, the puppets regained their footing and launched their attack anew. This time, Aurianna stepped back to evade the punch and leaned away to avoid the kick.
Aurianna sprang into action, executing a swift kick that shattered the head of the left puppet upon impact. Without missing a beat, she spun around and jabbed the other puppet in the stomach before using her saber to slice it into pieces.
Completing her impressive display, Aurianna cartwheeled backward and turned to face Gray with a proud smirk on her face.
Gray returned the grin and snapped her fingers, instantly restoring the puppets to their original state. However, their bodies now emitted an ominous heat, adding to their intimidating presence.
The puppets surged toward Aurianna once more, this time approaching from opposite directions—one from the right, the other from the left.
The puppet on the right launched a powerful kick at Aurianna, with the one on the left mimicking its movements. Aurianna managed to catch their feet and twist their legs, but before she could execute a throw, the puppets swiftly retaliated. One twisted Aurianna’s head in a flash, while the other broke her arms, rendering her immobilized.
Aurianna’s head contorted at an odd angle, causing Queen Amber to clench her teeth and glare in dismay.
"Why, Gray?!" King Girsal shouted in anger.
"Quiet and watch," Gray responded icily.
Aurianna’s hands and head swiftly reverted to their normal positions, and she cracked her neck and stretched her limbs.
"What the heck? That power, it’s something only demons possess!" Iona exclaimed, her words trembling in the air and causing Amber to shiver.
"This child is truly extraordinary!" Gray exclaimed with an excited grin. "Despite being human, she can heal like a demon! It’s an evolution in the human race—the first human capable of self-healing, without being a Primordial Human, Grand Human, or a Saintess! I’m so glad Kielbasa sent me here!" Gray squealed with joy.
With an eerie synchronized motion, the puppets launched another assault on Aurianna, but her body twisted and dodged with unnatural grace, her limbs bending in ways that defied physics. In a blink, she appeared atop one puppet’s head, jerking it violently before enclosing it in a ball of condensed light. Sensing the imminent danger, the other puppet leaped away from its partner, and an explosion engulfed the hall. Fortunately, Gray’s shield protected everyone from harm.
As the dust settled, Aurianna realized there was nothing left of the obliterated puppet and allowed herself a satisfied smile. Yet, before she could revel in her partial victory, the remaining puppet surged forward with unexpected speed, its porcelain hand transforming into a wickedly sharp blade. Aurianna had no choice but to duck and roll, narrowly avoiding the blade and feeling a chilling breeze as it sliced through the air mere inches from her.
The puppet charged at Aurianna, executing a spinning kick. In a nimble move, Aurianna flipped backward with a graceful backflip, narrowly dodging the attack. She countered with a spinning kick of her own, unleashing a powerful gust of wind that sent the puppet tumbling away.
However, the puppet wasted no time closing the gap, conjuring a sword and slashing at Aurianna. Aurianna summoned her own sword in response, expertly parrying the strike before swiftly exploiting a gap in the puppet’s defense to deliver a decisive blow.
With surprising agility, the puppet kicked off its heels and soared into the air. It brought down its sword in a vicious arc aimed at Aurianna’s head. In a daring move, Aurianna used her teeth to block the puppet’s attack, shattering its sword with her sharp teeth, and seizing its face.
A white glow emanated from Aurianna’s hand, but the puppet sensed the impending danger and responded by delivering a powerful kick to her gut. Aurianna rolled to the side, swiftly regaining her footing with her sword at the ready.
"This piece of junk is such a hassle," Aurianna grumbled, her expression one of clear annoyance.
"I’m done playing games. Let’s get serious now," Aurianna declared with an ominous grin. She closed the distance between herself and the puppet, her eyes keenly anticipating its every move.
’As I suspected, this thing’s a bit slow. Compared to Carol. When I was fighting Carol, I couldn’t read her movements at all!’ Aurianna thought as she unleashed a rapid flurry of ten consecutive kicks on the puppet. Her strikes landed on its head, arms, legs, gut, back, chest, and neck, and she held a firearm in her hand.
"Goodbye," she quipped as a concentrated beam of light erupted from her gun, obliterating the puppet into dust. But the destruction didn’t end there. The shot triggered a massive explosion that tore through the walls of the throne hall and extended for kilometers before finally subsiding.
Gray began applauding before appearing before Aurianna. "You were absolutely magnificent!" she exclaimed.
"Come on, can’t you reconsider joining our church? You meet all the requirements!" Gray urged.
"I’ll have to decline once more; I’ve already made up my mind to join the Church of Light," Aurianna stated firmly. Gray didn’t seem pleased with her response, her expression reflecting her disappointment.
"Not only that, you just tried to kill me," Aurianna stated coldly.
"But you didn’t die, right? Those puppets are my weakest creations, not that formidable! And even if you had perished, I would have simply sent you to Kielbasa for revival," Gray explained.
"Now, can you reveal your true abilities? No more lies! If not, you won’t even be able to heal from an attack by me!" Gray declared with an unsettling grin, causing Aurianna to gulp nervously.
"Eva," Aurianna called out to her, and Eva let out a sigh. With a snap of her fingers, Aurianna’s body was suddenly engulfed in an unseen aura of light. The sheer density of her magic filled the room, surprising King Girsal, Amber, Ezra, and Iona.
"So, she’s really at level 400," King Girsal blurted out, a pleased smile forming on his face. ’I should reinforce the control seal on her,’ he thought. ’She’s now the strongest among her siblings, but this could be problematic if word gets out to the citizens. It would imply she’s first in line for the throne. Plus, she clearly loathes this High Land, so it’s best to keep a close watch on her, or eliminate her when the time comes, after she’s served her purpose. But then again, didn’t she just heal like a Saintess? That would mean...’ King Girsal shook his head, dismissing such an improbable thought.
’Chatel is dead, and her death was shrouded in mystery. The perpetrator only left a finger of Chatel behind, and Chatel’s soul crystal shattered, indicating she’s no longer among the living. But now, someone with the abilities of a Saintess has entered my family. Is it mere coincidence or a blessing? I suppose it was a wise decision to take that child in when we found that peculiar pod,’ King Girsal pondered, absently stroking his beard as he regarded Aurianna thoughtfully. ’I may not know what she is, but judging from the being that protected her that day, she’s certainly more than human.’
"You’re remarkably strong for a nine-year-old. I’m also curious about how you can heal like that, especially at your level. It’s not something any regular human can do, you know?" Gray inquired.
"I don’t know," Aurianna replied resolutely.
"Well, if you say so. I’m heading off now. I hope our paths cross again someday!" Gray said before approaching King Girsal. "We have a lot to discuss," she stated icily as she walked away, with him following her.
"By the way, I’m still puzzled about the fact that she’s nine but looks fifteen," Gray mentioned to King Girsal as they walked down the hall.
"I can’t offer an explanation for that either," King Girsal admitted nervously, scratching his cheek.
"No need to fret, with her mana levels, she’s likely to stop aging and remain as she is for quite some time," Gray remarked casually.
