The Emperor seemed plunged into complete madness. His bloodshot eyes stared at Jarvis, summoned by Ye Chui. The Puppet Graveyard held immense power. From Bishop Xis’s words, he vaguely guessed it was the body of the Puppet God from the gods clan. Divine creation, undying form, endless strength!
Jarvis, summoned by Ye Chui, was the Puppet God’s soul or will. Jarvis directly absorbing that power proved his identity. But the Emperor did not believe it. Would not believe it.
He had pursued this power his entire life, sparing nothing, plunging the Tidal Empire into misery. Then someone appeared claiming the power was actually his? He refused!
The Emperor let out a terrifying roar, filled with anger and resentment. The blood qi he had just absorbed allowed greater access to the Puppet Graveyard’s power. Now he activated it fully. A semi-transparent black armour slowly formed on his body. The armour vaguely resembled Jarvis’s form—[Puppet Battle Armour]!
When the ancestral god discovered the Puppet Graveyard and gained power, the ancestral god phantom beast form was [Puppet Battle Armour]. Summoned, it enveloped the body, granting supreme combat strength. Over a thousand years ago, when the Church coalition invaded the Tidal Empire, led by a red-robed archbishop with several archbishops and a hundreds-strong fanatic army, this force could sweep any empire on the Castro continent.
Yet the Tidal Empire’s first ancestral god, relying on the Puppet Battle Armour’s might, staunchly resisted the Church, killing the red-robed archbishop and solidifying the empire’s strength.
This prevented the Church from extending greedy tentacles to the island nation for the next millennium.
But users of this power, ancestral god clan heirs, easily lost themselves, just like the current Emperor. Thus, the witch clan continually diminished and weakened the ancestral god clan’s power over time.
Even hundreds of years ago, no ancestral god clan heir or Emperor could summon [Puppet Battle Armour]. Until now.
The Emperor, through cruel means, nearly fully extracting the Empress’s blood qi, forcibly opened that gate. [Puppet Battle Armour] reappeared on him after countless years!
He was now unprecedentedly powerful!
Though at great cost, it sufficed to kill Ye Chui and the summoned heroic spirit daring to impersonate the Puppet Graveyard’s master—Jarvis!
“You disagree? What right do you have to disagree? The power is mine. No one can take it. You all die here today!” The armour gave the Emperor ample confidence, unleashing his inner arrogance and ferocity. He felt power roaring within. His speed would infinitely increase. His attacks infinitely terrifying.
He needed only lightly move an arm to instantly kill these hateful enemies before him!
After these words, he moved.
His body left an afterimage, almost teleporting to Jarvis.
Start with this impostor!
The heroic spirit daring to steal his power deserved death!
He raised his slaughter blade.
Then… slap!
The sound of a slap.
Facing the suddenly charging Emperor, Jarvis casually raised his hand. One slap. The Emperor’s body spun rapidly in air at least three times, tumbling to the ground. The armour on his face shattered. He looked utterly wretched.
“No, impossible… accident. It must have been an accident…” The Emperor angrily leaped up. Though slapped, his robust body suffered no real injury. He roared like a wolf, appearing before Jarvis again.
Then… slap!
The Emperor was slapped down a second time. The blood-red marble floor cratered. His armour grew extremely unstable, as if about to collapse any moment. He climbed up again. His helmet fully gone. Dishevelled hair and bleeding eyes made him indescribably pathetic. His face held shock like excitement peaking then plummeting.
In daze, he looked up. Jarvis was already before him, bending, grabbing his collar, lifting his not-so-tall body. Feet dangled half a metre off ground.
“You, you cannot be this strong. I am the strongest… You, you dare treat me so rudely. You are dead. Dead!” The Emperor ranted wildly. Armour on his hands formed two lightswords. With buzzing, they danced chaotically, trying to strike Jarvis’s body.
Yet those fearsome lightsword assaults landed on Jarvis like harmless. Sparks flew from his black armoured form. Not a single sword mark remained.
The Emperor’s lightswords seemed mere toys before him, so powerless.
…
From the moment the Emperor summoned [Puppet Battle Armour], acting all mighty and charging to kill, Ye Chui, Green, Leisha, Celty, and Guni immediately adopted a spectator stance.
If not for the Empress’s truly pitiful state, they would have grabbed cola and popcorn.
Jarvis was the source of the Emperor’s power. They knew this clearly. Even if the Emperor soared to heavens, Jarvis could swat him down casually. The armoured Emperor was indeed terrifying, at least red-robed archbishop Eliza level to Ye Chui. But that power did not belong to him. Before its true owner, he was a mere fly.
Seeing the battle armour slowly shed from the Emperor, limbs twitching constantly, Ye Chui quickly stepped forward to Jarvis. “Enough. He is the Emperor. We cannot kill him here.”
Jarvis looked puzzled at Ye Chui.
Hope flickered in the Emperor’s near-despairing eyes.
Then he heard Ye Chui continue, “Kill him on the street later. More impactful.”
Emperor: “…”
Jarvis casually waved, tossing the Emperor like garbage to a corner. He returned to Ye Chui’s side.
Leisha and Celty rushed to the Empress, trying to save this poor woman. Her state was miserable, body wrapped in red chains, bare. Ye Chui and Green awkwardly turned away, gazes falling on cool Jarvis.
In the dungeon earlier, Ye Chui had no time to say much to Jarvis.
“So this is your true form.” Ye Chui said.
“My power is incomplete… Strictly, I am now your heroic spirit. Body condensed from your strength. I need my body to restore gods clan power.” Jarvis said regretfully. He seemed to think of his old friend. “That Faceless guy… guarded my body all along.”
“Why did you appear in the president’s magic guide book?” Green asked, puzzled. Though knowing Ye Chui’s book was peculiar, linked mysteriously to the gods clan, he did not know the link’s nature or meaning. Ye Chui himself unclear.
“Sorry, I cannot answer that…” Jarvis said regretfully. Fearing misunderstanding, he continued, “Not that I refuse, but I cannot. It relates to the master’s plan. You are the most crucial part. But the plan itself is not yet designed. So I cannot say what it is.”
These words surprised Ye Chui and Green, eyes widening. Ye Chui long realised he was designed into a plan by the God of Gods. He heard the Goddess of Fate’s whispers more than once. Everything he experienced intertwined endlessly with the gods clan. This seemed “fate’s” cause.
But what meant “the plan itself not yet designed”, so cannot say?
If not designed, how started?
Seeing their confusion, Jarvis continued, “Gods’ power transcends time, space, even causality and all tangible rules. The God of Gods died from demon assault at the gods’ fall. The one devising his revival plan is his future revived self.”
Ye Chui and Green grew more confused: The revived God of Gods devises a non-existent plan to revive his past dead self…
Truly transcending causality. So profound.
“Is this possible?” Green asked curiously. “I heard Miss Celty say the God of Gods’ name is even sealed. No one recalls it.”
“No. He sealed his own name.” Jarvis revealed shocking information to Ye Chui and Green. “All power demands cost, or equivalent exchange. For the God of Gods to transcend causality and revive in future, he pays a price—his name. Only full revival restores it. If he fails, everything about him erases completely.”
Jarvis looked at Ye Chui. “Demons hold great power. They could seal his revival possibility from his name alone. Now forgotten, it invisibly protects him from total demon seal, giving revival chance.”
“…These power levels are too high, beyond imagination.” Ye Chui sighed. Inwardly somewhat displeased, feeling used.
If the God of Gods truly revived because of him, what then for Ye Chui?
Ye Chui was no great villain, but no selfless hero… If revival affected his life or interests, he would certainly reconsider.
Jarvis seemed unaware of Ye Chui’s thoughts. He looked at the Empress on the bed. Red chains removed, body covered. Leisha cast healing holy words. But her tense expression showed weak effect. The Empress remained extremely frail.
“How is she?” Ye Chui approached, asking while searching his mall for treatment.
But Leisha’s next words froze Ye Chui. “Little brother, she… cannot recover. Her body died long ago.”
In this magical world, humans have souls. Soul and body form existence’s core. Damaged body, if life remains, even just a head, can revive via healing magic, holy words, heroic spirits.
But healing cannot fully revive a cold corpse or turn a detached soul living.
“Her body died long ago. This room’s array traps her soul in the dead flesh, using horrific means to maintain some vitality for power… Even her soul is fragmented, liable to extinguish any moment. Her state is worse than death!” Leisha continued, eyes angrily turning to the Emperor curled in the corner.
