Leveling up the World

Chapter 885: Puppet of the Nymph Empress

The memory ended abruptly. It was longer than all the ones Dallion had experienced in the past and still felt too short. Near the end, he had seen glimpses of his grandmother. If only it had continued for a little bit longer, there was a chance hed learn more about her: what she was like, how she met his grandfather, possibly who had betrayed them both.

Im not going back! Harps terror quickly brought him back to reality.

For some reason, the deck seemed a lot smaller than it had moments ago. After witnessing the nymph fight in the open ocean, even a boat this large seemed constricting.

Grym remained there, a fair distance away. Further back, more Azures were gathering. All of them appeared human, but Dallion suspected that they had a nymph symbiote echo inside, controlling their every move.

Dont worry, Dallion told Harp. Youre not going back.

As determined as he was, there was no denying that he himself felt intimidated. Fighting a puppet couldnt compare to the real thing, but even so the entity standing before him was likely none other than the nymph empress herself.

Youre Tiallia, Dallion said.

The name made Grym pause. The nymph probably never expected to hear that from the mouth of a human.

Thats why you didnt put in so much effort fighting me, he continued, using as much of his music skills as he could muster. After all, the second Tamin empress had managed to defeat Harp with music alone. Maybe a similar attack would be successful here as well? Even after all this time, you were still keeping your promise. Thats why you can never

Trying to use music? Grym sounded amused. Even if I didnt know about your skills, Id have noticed. Just because you kept Gia safe, Ill let you live and have your little crumb on the shore. Keep your gorgon and whats left of the alliance, if you want. Just return her to me.

The man extended his hand.

So, this is your ultimatum, Dallion thought.

How about you make a Moon vow? he asked. Just in case.

A frown formed on Gryms face.

No?

If the nymph empress had any intention of sparing his life, it was gone now. On the positive side, at least he knew the stakesif he didnt give it his all, he wouldnt survive.

Youve seen theres no magic in this puppet, Grym continued. But you havent seen the other things hes capable of.

Wooden spikes emerged from the deck, thrusting upward. The action was fast, though not fast enough to affect Dallion.

I know hes a domain ruler, Dallion said. And I know hes excellent in actual combat. One might say almost as good as your sister.

There was no detectable change in Gryms emotions, but Dallion was certain the nymph empress was anything but calm. Being a mage and noble, there was one thing she had in abundance, one that she couldnt hide with skill or mannersego. Therefore, it was only proper that he pushed a little more.

I also know that you wont risk harming Harp. Not now, in any event. He held the harpsisword higher, displaying it prominently. Also Dallion performed a sudden point attack directly down. As he suspected, the mages protecting the ship had covered the outer hull with multiple spell layers, but no one had bothered to protect the deck itself.

Wood broke into fragments, as the force of the blow went on, thenstopped by the outer magic shielding of the hullspread to the sides, destroying decks and people as it did.

This was the tipping point. The supreme arrogance of someone who had escaped banishment didnt let her put up with this. Seeing the symbol of her authority destroyed, Tiallia forced Grym forward. Dozens of other puppeted humans followed. Since no nymph lives were at risk, they had only one goal: kill Dallion, no matter the cost.

Swords clashed as the two exchanged blows. The puppets speed was greater than anything Dallion had seen so far. If the battle was back when he was at the Academy, he would have lost. Even now, it was a struggle to keep up.

Parrying with his harpsisword, Dallion struck at Grym with his aura sword, casting spells as he did. Magic circles appeared non-stop, showering all other enemies with aether shards. Most of them were able to fend them off easily, though there were a few that received serious wounds.

You cant win, Harp said, her voice still trembling. Youre not in a state that you could beat her.

But you are, Dallion replied.

The tip of Gryms blade pierced Dallions left shoulder. The pain was sharp, though bearable. Thanks to the firebird, Dallion didnt have to worry about consequences. No one could claim that it was honorable, but as he had seen, honor was judged by the survivors.

The puppets thrust was followed by a multi-attack, forcing Dallion to fly backwards in order to avoid it as much as possible. On multiple occasions, he attempted to break into instances, only to have them fade away due to a precise strike by Grym. Clearly, this wouldnt be the solution.

You wont risk harming her, Dallion said, using his music skills again. The way youre attacking, youll destroy the item.

There was no reason for such an idle threat to have an effect, and yet Grym paused. The few wounds he had closed with a distinctive magic glow, as he shifted his gaze from the harpsisword to Dallion.

Memory fragments, Grym said. Thats how you know.

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Does it matter? Dallion kept waving the aura sword about. Unlike his opponent, he couldnt afford to stop casting spells. Even if they were doing relatively little harm to the rest of the crew, they kept them pinned down and unable to attack.

Not particularly. You know what they say about a little bit of knowledge? A thin layer of water covered Gryms blade. Its always a dangerous thing. Its true, I wont let anyone harm my sister. But shes not that weaponjust its guardian.

Faster than before, Grym flew forward, leaving a trail of instances behind. Left with no means of escape, Dallion remained where he was, just as the sword thrust into him.

MAJOR WOUND

Health reduced by 50%

A purple rectangle emerged in the air, quickly disappearing a moment later.

So overconfident, Grym said, a grin widening on his face. Ive hated your entire branch since that witch used music on her. So many worthless Elaznis holding more than they deserved, more than they knew, and taking her for granted. Half of you would have lost their awakened powers if it wasnt for her. Grym twisted his weapon. Now shell be where she belongs.

MAJOR WOUND

Health reduced by 50%

Another purple rectangle flashed above Dallion.

Just, he managed to say, gasping for breath. Just one last thing

Dying words? Its always amusing to hear those. Theyre overrated, but lets hear your take.

Why Dallions words turned into a whisper.

Unable to help herself, the nymph made Grym move his head closer to Dallions mouth.

Why did you assume Id come alone? Dallions voice quickly returned to normal.

Tendrils of blue flame shot out from Lux in an attempt to entangle Grym. Unfortunately, the puppet proved a fraction of a second too fast. Releasing his saber, the man pushed away, landing back on the remaining parts of the deck.

As he did, Lux tore off Dallion like a ball of flaming jelly. His shape stretched, then smoothened, extinguishing all flames, until a green glowing slime remained in the air, its entire surface covered with magic patterns.

A copyette?! Grym yelled in shock.

Not just any copyette, Dallion replied, using his aura sword to surround himself with several layers of aether armor. A friend.

Dont look down on the newbie, newbie, the copyette told Grym. Youre not the first to have tried this gig.

You?! The fear was palpable even through the human puppet. Its a trick. The Moons will never allow you to fight!

Just because I was banished? The copyette laughed. You were banished as well. Pulling the strings of a puppet doesnt make you immune. You started this.

An intricate spell pattern formed within the semi-transparent body, causing it to burst into thousands of droplets. Each drop was a copyette in its own right, all controlled by a single mind.

Get ready, kid, a chorus of copyettes said in unison. You wont get another chance at this.

Dozens of Azure ships launched spells and ballista bolts at what was left of the flagship. Unfortunately for them, the spells cast on the hull prevented any external damage from occurring. Walls of water shot up from the sea, surrounding it like a bubble.

REALM CREATION

A green rectangle emerged.

Pan has created the Land of SINKHOLE Level 1

Pan has granted you full control of the Land of SINKHOLE.

An equine has been designated as the lands guardian.

Defeat the guardian to change the lands destiny.

Dallion allowed himself a breath of relief. Never before had he felt so tense, yet somehow, they had pulled it through. The plan was as reckless as they came, but for once it had been Pan who had come out with it. He had no idea that Grym would turn out a puppet of the nymph empress, or that hed be on the flagship. After facing nymphs in the past, he knew that theyd be too arrogant to ignore the challenge of a lone awakened, especially a human.

There had been some risk. With the races magic traits, it was unlikely that the copyette would remain hidden, as he had during the Stars attack on Nerosal. For that reason, Dallion had decided to go with a different approachnot hide it at all. No mage would bat an eye at the sight of magic coming from a firebird. One would have to be incredibly skilled and cautious to check whether the magic threads were authentic or not. If any of them had bothered, they would have seen that the familiar awakening level exceeded a hundred.

And still, that was only half of the plan. Dallions entire fool-hearted attack was to hide something else: the small part of the copyette that made its way along the seabed, so it could create a realm in the center of the armada. After all, there was only one thing stronger than magicthe powers of a domain ruler on home turf. Now, thanks to a newly created village of one inhabitant, Dallion had gained control of the entire area.

Lets see you win this one, he said, flying back towards the coast as fast as a flight spell would let him.

Cones of water shot out from the ocean in an attempt to grab him, yet they were quickly sliced down with a pair of line attacks. That was just the start of it. Massive cones of rock rose up from the ocean floor, making their way to the surface. The sheer strength of the impact was enough to turn over several vessels, despite all their magic protections. The flagship shook violently, disrupting the ongoing massacre between slimes and nymph-puppeted humans. Unable to breach its hull, the spikes continued rising, like a mountain beneath the sea. Within moments, a rocky island had formed, holding scores of enemy ships. Water poured down, as the entire section of the ocean parted, allowing land to fill the space between Dallions new domain and the coast. The sea invasion had just turned into a land fight, and unlike before, Dallions forces had the upper hand.

Go! Dallion shouted, using a magic symbol to amplify his voice.

You better survive this. Euryales voice was instantly recognized among all the other noises.

Thousands of gorgons leaped off the walls, charging forward at the attackers. Everyone knew that the casualties would be massive, but at the same time, theyd never get a better chance.