In the depths of True Hell.
A temple slowly rose.
A clear blade scar marked its surface.
Above it, the enormous, translucent silhouette of a puppet flickered in and out of sight.
It resembled an ancient wooden puppet, its intricate body joined by mortise and tenon.
But it seemed so old that patches of tung-oil lacquer had flaked away.
The grain of the wood showed beneath.
Movable joints connected its shoulders, elbows, wrists, and knees. Even its fingers, jaw, and eyes moved freely.
It stretched both arms out to either side, its ten fingers slightly spread.
Countless translucent threads ran from those fingers to the many puppets below.
Dark purple energy radiated from the silhouette.
Its jaw opened and closed, sending a clacking sound echoing through the void.
It sounded as though it were celebrating its rebirth.
The Blood Sovereign and the Throat of the Deep Sea stood on either side of the temple like guardians.
By then, dark purple clouds had shrouded half of Deathwhisper Forest and the Barren Plateau.
Beneath the clouds, threads instantly wrapped around every living creature and took control.
A disaster that would sweep across the New World had arrived.
The War Fortress.
After a relentless construction effort, it was finally complete.
All construction equipment had been withdrawn, and its defensive barrier remained active without a moment's pause.
Every unit had pulled back to the Civilization Ladder.
Even the War Alchemical Dragons that had been roaming the skies had vanished.
Crimson watched the dark purple clouds advance, her gaze grave.
"So ruthless. Every living creature beneath those clouds is turned into a puppet and controlled... That's... terrifying!"
"Lady Crimson, the Defense System is fully active and operating at maximum power. The Weapon System is charged and ready to fire."
"Good. Be ready..."
But then the