-709- Deal with the puppeteer

"Boom!"

When the thunderous sound echoed through the night sky, the moonlight created by Yaya fell onto the back of the Steel Dragon like a heavy blow. This impact produced a shockwave far more astounding than any previous collision, blowing through the atmosphere.

"ROAR!!"

Sigmund, the massive Steel Dragon, let out a painful roar, sent flying and crashing to the ground like a meteor, creating a resonating tremor and raising a cloud of dust on the battlefield of Walpurgis Royal Academy.

As for Charl, who had been standing on Sigmund's head, she had already been thrown into the air.

"Yah!"

Charl finally screamed as she fell from the sky, with no means of resistance.

However, at that moment, Sigmund, who was located beneath Charl, was still releasing a destructive beam of light. When he was struck down, losing control of the dragon's head, the beam of light swept upward.

Coincidentally, it was aimed at Charl, who was falling.

"Miss Charl!"

In mid-air, Yaya, who had just delivered the decisive blow, witnessed this scene and couldn't help but cry out.

At the same time...

"Onee-sama...!"

However, at that moment, a voice that sounded like a scream came from the edge of the Walpurgis Royal Academy's battlefield, and a figure dashed from there towards the center.

But by then, the sounds had already distanced themselves from Charl.

Charl could only stare dumbly as she fell towards the beam of light that was approaching her. After a moment, a tear welled up in the corner of her eye.

Perhaps...

"This might be better..."

That was Charl's final thought as she closed her eyes, and her tear immediately sparkled like a crystal-clear droplet, scattering in all directions.

In this state, Charl naturally didn't see what happened next.

"Swoosh!"

On the battlefield of Walpurgis Royal Academy, a figure streaked through a brilliant blaze, reaching Charl's back at an astonishing speed, and caught her.

Following that, the figure's long coat, shimmering with the fire's glow, wrapped around them both like a cape, leaving no gaps.

The flood of destructive energy continued its downward sweep, along with Sigmund's out-of-control dragon head, perfectly aligning with the falling beam of light, finally passing through the entire battlefield of Walpurgis.

In this situation, the entire battlefield of Walpurgis seemed to melt, collapsing suddenly.

The Steel Dragon fell into the earth.

The girl who had rushed into the battlefield dropped into the abyss.

Even the black coat that was hit by the beam of light fell towards the collapsing ground along with countless rubble.

A loud rumble echoed through the scene, stirring up dust.

When the collapse ended, the fallen ground was already covered with countless debris, making the situation below invisible.

"Rozen!"

Yaya's cry became the last sound on this battlefield.

...

Walpurgis Royal Academy, the ceremonial hall.

Cedric was sitting on the same sofa as before, looking at the table in front of him.

On the table, a crystal ball was radiating light.

On the crystal ball in front of him, the situation at the battlefield of Walpurgis Royal Academy was playing like a live broadcast. Apparently, this crystal ball was an artifact that Cedric used to observe the scenes from the battlefield.

As he watched the battlefield collapse, swallowing the Steel Dragon, an unknown girl, and the black coat turned cloak, Cedric burst into hearty laughter.

"I never expected the outcome to be like this. It has saved me a lot of effort," he chuckled.

Cedric was in high spirits and didn't seem concerned. Shin, who stood nearby, wasn't as pleased.

"Is this really okay, Young Master?" Shin asked, "Even those sisters have been swept in. Doesn't this mean you've lost two valuable pawns?"

Cedric, however, didn't seem bothered by this.

"If they're pawns, there comes a time when you have to sacrifice them. How else can you win?" Cedric said with a grin. "Besides, our original goal was to find what's hidden underground in the academy. Now, it seems like all those people have fallen right into it."

"Is that so?" Shin first looked surprised and then frowned. "Aren't you worried they might get there before us?"

"No problem. Even if they see it, they won't know what the underground facility is for," Cedric mused. "I didn't expect that 'Fimbulvetr's Winter' to have such power. It seems he got stronger since his battle with Magnus."

It appeared that Cedric cared more about this point than the safety of Charl and the other girl who had been swept in.

"Do you have a way to deal with that 'Doll of the Moon,' Shin?" Cedric asked with an intriguing smile.

Shin remained silent for a while and then replied, "With all due respect, if even the 'Gram' couldn't harm that automaton, I doubt I can do much."

That was Shin's assessment.

"I see," Cedric didn't seem disappointed, rather quite content. "In that case, we'll have to deal with the puppeteer while he's separated from his automaton, won't we?"

Cedric gazed happily at the crystal ball before him.

On the screen, Yaya was preparing to clear the rubble covering the pit and descend into it, but she was being stopped by Walpurgis Royal Academy's staff due to the risk of triggering a second collapse.

Now that the otherwise indestructible automaton was away from her master, Cedric's intentions were no longer a mystery.

"Do you want me to take care of it now?" Shin asked, as if understanding Cedric's plan.

Cedric nodded without hesitation.

"As you said before, retrieve the head of 'Fimbulvetr's Winter,' and collect information on that place," Cedric gave this command.

"What about those sisters?" Shin asked this question.

Cedric answered like this, unfazed, "If they're still there, bring them back. If not, then bring back the 'Gram.' It's a precious magic of Cosmic Truth, after all."

"Understood," Shin acknowledged respectfully.

In the next moment, Shin seemed to vanish in the blink of an eye, his figure disappearing.

Cedric continued to gaze at the crystal ball in front of him without looking back, his expression still filled with delight.

"So, what will happen next?" The melodious voice of a young boy vanished from Cedric and was replaced by a silver-bell-like voice, emanating from his lips.

The situation was unfolding in an unexpected direction.

Tonight was destined to be long.