A shadow flickered across the surface of the gold coin. Just as the Bizarro Sorcerer's smile widened, a wrathful spirit emerged from the coin under the stunned gazes of Don and the others.
This marionette had somehow evaded the Law of Death's influence.
The Bizarro Sorcerer still had a marionette in reserve!
A Bizarro Sorcerer with a marionette was an entirely different beast from one without.
As the phantom gate's suction clamped down, the Bizarro Sorcerer's figure vanished—replaced by the wrathful spirit from the coin.
This was a demigod-level ability of the Seer Pathway—the power to swap positions with a marionette.
Against a demigod's capabilities, neither Flame Leap nor Paper Figurines Subtitute could guarantee escape. So, the Bizarro Sorcerer decisively sacrificed one of his marionettes.
"As long as I obtain this sealed artifact, I can always acquire more marionettes later."
The wrathful spirit was swallowed by the phantom gate, which then snapped shut—rendering Olsen's recorded banishment utterly meaningless.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
Owen now wielded a massive, darkly gleaming broadsword, slashing toward the Shadow Magician.
With a metallic clang, the gentleman blocked the strike using acane of peculiar material—likely a mystical item of extraordinary hardness. As he parried, he leveraged the impact to tear free from the entangling vines, attempting to ascend toward the apex of the theater.
"You're not leaving."
Olsen's ghostly tome trembled as he unleashed another Scribe's ability—a gale-force wind enveloped the Bizarro Sorcerer.
"A Scribe." The Bizarro Sorcerer tched, his body dissolving into another paper figurine.
At the demigod level, Paper Figurine Substitutions reached unparalleled convenience.
Simultaneously, Owen and Olsen's movements grew sluggish—their Spirit Body Threads were being seized by the Bizarro Sorcerer.
With his stolen memories of thread manipulation now restored, the gentleman sought to rapidly convert them into new marionettes.
"No wonder demigods of the Seer Pathway are called the 'Three Most Annoying Pathways to Kill.' This is absurd."
Gritting his teeth, Don heard Owen's low command: "Don, close your eyes."
Owen channeled spirituality into his pitch-black armor, its surface erupting with a dense network of intersecting patterns—scales, feathers, and wings coalescing into the fragmented visage of a monstrous entity.
Spiritual intuition screamed warnings, but the Bizarro Sorcerer—already buffeted by the Sailor Pathway's gales and subconsciously influenced by planted mental suggestions—turned his head...
And saw the feathered serpent engraved on Owen's armor.
An incomplete Mythical Creature form of the Death Pathway!
A deafening hum reverberated as the Bizarro Sorcerer's body locked up, his mind wiped blank.
His control over the Spirit Body Threads faltered instinctively.
This was one of the armor's fixed abilities—a single blast of psychic trauma from confronting an alien Mythical Creature form.
Though the Artisan had weakened its three embedded powers, even a Sequence 4 would freeze for three seconds upon witnessing another pathway's Mythical form.
"It worked!"
Eyes shut to avoid the armor's effect, Don relied on his Clown's intuition to shove Owen from behind—propelling him mid-air toward the stunned Bizarro Sorcerer.
Owen raised his broadsword, poised to decapitate the demigod in one stroke—
But—
The cane in the Bizarro Sorcerer's hand flared with an eerie light.
In the next instant, the gentleman arched backward, his preternatural agility allowing him to dodge the decapitating strike mid-air.
"You're impressive. Had I not possessed 'A Moment of Luck,' you might have succeeded."
Now free of the armor's curse, the Bizarro Sorcerer's cultured smile returned. Seemingly weary of the skirmish, he vanished once more.
"That Marionettist's mystical item won't hold much longer. I can't afford delays."
After all, once he secured the sealed artifact, these Beyonders would become his marionettes anyway.
Unnoticed, the Bizarro Sorcerer had tossed a matchstick—now lodged near the dome's apex.
"Too late." Don closed his eyes, letting gravity claim him.
The match erupted in flames, and the Shadow Magician Flame Leaped to the dome. His white-gloved hands reached unerringly for the pulsing heart-like gemstone.
"You're mine." Visions of the future swarmed his mind—more resources, stronger marionettes, greater influence—all within grasp.
Olsen, meanwhile, Travelled to Don's side, preparing to evacuate both brothers.
Survival took precedence over the artifact now.
But then—
A black curtain descended from one corner.
It smothered the blinding sunlight, severed the flow of spirituality, barred all external scrutiny, and sealed the theater's sole exit.
The breach in the wall had fully repaired itself.
From the maddened stage below, a cacophony of shrieks erupted:
"Miracle! Miracle!"
"The miracle of life! The miracle of creation!"
"Miracle! Miracle!"
"The miracle of all things! The eternal miracle!"
Olsen's face paled.
"Go!"
Yet when he attempted to traverse the Spirit World, Traveling failed again.
The Law of Death over Spirit Body Threads had fully dissipated, freeing the marionettes. Countless puppets craned their necks toward the dome, howling as dozens took flight, hurtling toward them.
The Bizarro Sorcerer paid them no heed. For this mission, he carried specialized sealing tools to reclaim the Grade 0 artifact.
All he needed was to claim the gemstone, and—
His plan was flawless—until the heart-like jewel vanished before his eyes.
It was gone.
Replaced in a near-mocking twist by a hulking, sulfur-stinking devil.
'The core swapped places with a marionette?!'
Disbelief flashed across his face—just before the devil's fist smashed into his jaw.
A sickening crack echoed from the dome as bones shattered.
Below, Owen and Orson strained against the Spirit World's blockade, their mystical items flaring—
But Don's gaze was drawn downward.
Marionettes were collapsing en masse.
Yet from those still standing, the core's relocated Spirit Body Threads surged toward them like a tidal wave.
Thoughts congealed. Bodies stiffened.
They had been caught.
(End of Chapter)