As Mareine tried to gather her thoughts, she found herself unable to come up with any good ideas or solutions. The recent events, such as the puppet attempting to sever its strings and the ominous message on the screen, had left her disoriented. Unbeknownst to her, the scenery around her began to fade into darkness.
Amidst the fading backdrop, a melodic and soothing sound began to resonate through the space. The enchanting notes brought Mareine back to her senses, although her situation remained dire.
Suddenly, a message appeared before her:
【 Error 】
「 Ultimate Skill: Lucifer
Ultimate Skill: Chamuel
Ultimate Skill: Aries
Ultimate Skill: Azazel
And all other distinctive skills "DEACTIVATED" 」
Mareine's mind was thrown into chaos. Her skills, which had been malfunctioning, were now completely deactivated. Desperation washed over her as she realized her puppets were already gone.
"The controller, Lucifer!" she cried out in despair, but there was no response. It was to be expected since most of her ultimate skills had been disabled.
With the deactivation of her skills, Mareine appeared no different from an ordinary young girl, her power reduced to that of a C-rank monster.
As the melodic sounds continued to play, tears streamed down her face, tracing a path to her chin.
"M-my puppets!"
Her knees buckled, but all sound abruptly ceased when a discordant melody pierced the air, causing everyone and everything within earshot, be it an animal or a being, to experience a piercing tinnitus-like sensation.
"STTOOOPPP!!!"
Mareine desperately clutched her ears, but it was futile. The sound seemed to penetrate her very brain and mind. After enduring minutes of torment, the noise finally ceased.
"... It stopped."
Silence engulfed the surroundings, with not even the sound of cicadas breaking the stillness. Mareine observed that the world had been swallowed by darkness.
Then, the flapping of crows and ravens filled the air as a voice resounded from above.
".....How does it feel to have all those annoying strings detached from your hands?"
As Mareine slowly lifted her head to locate the source of the voice, she felt an overwhelming pressure that surpassed the combined danger of the saint and PseudoChristos.
With most of Mareine's skills disabled, she couldn't ascertain the identity of the individual before her or gauge their true power. However, her intuition warned her that this person posed a significant threat.
"‹Curse of the first: totenlieder uno›, did you enjoy the sound? Consider yourself fortunate, human, as I have not played that for anyone before."
Surrounded by a flock of ravens and crows, the enigmatic figure seemed to materialize out of thin air. Sporting a nonchalant and serene expression, they possessed a pair of black wings and stood at the same height as Mareine, although the difference in their power was vast.
Mareine attempted to speak, but her voice failed her. She trembled as if she had witnessed Satan himself rise from the depths of hell, or perhaps something even more sinister.
"...."
A wave of dismay washed over her face as she received no response.
"requiem de tortoliender."
In an instant, as if the entire world paused, a scene unfolded too swiftly for Mareine to comprehend. Blood gushed from her body without any visible cause.
"Dull. This is growing tiresome. I should finish you off swiftly." The individual declared, "‹Curse of the second: song of the dead.›"
The skill executed so swiftly that Mareine's naked eye couldn't perceive So it definitely was just like how the skill the individual chanted; it was Mareine's death.
But—
Despite all of these, Mareine never surrendered. Her knees gave up, she can't move her body and has all her ultimate skills and distinctive skills were disabled.
'th-this is bad! Life on a puppet won't work and I will die on the spot if I won't do anything!'— Mareine was not ready to die.
This hope she was having means....
A faint smile then can be seen forming on her lips.
"Lord of Hope, Uriel!"
There was still hope. No wonder she had this skill
YOU ARE READING
The Marionette's Puppeteer (Volume 2)
FantasyA lot of things happened. Be it a good or bad. But mostly all the things were bad. Yeah. When I came to this world, I met many dangerous things, encountered bandits, barbarian, battled with a PseudoChristos Witch and made some friends. But that was...
