"Then I think we need to plan this carefully," Mobet Zoroast said, his face stern, stopping short of suggesting they flee.
"Pfft!" Alaric couldn't hold back a laugh, then shook his head. "Relax, I'm not counting on Pallez to do the heavy lifting. Since I dared to come here, I naturally have my trump cards."
Without keeping them in suspense, Alaric began pulling items from his pocket, explaining as he went. "This is a high-level Hunter pathway charm, capable of unleashing a strike equivalent to a Conqueror's. This is a Door pathway charm, able to seal another's Beyonder abilities. This is a Spectator pathway charm... even an angel would be dazed for a few seconds after taking a hit. And this is an Mother pathway charm; as long as you're not dead, it can heal you back…"
The array of items left Mobet Zoroast dumbfounded, and Siatas's eyes widened in astonishment.
Lil' Amon pouted. "Favoritism, such blatant favoritism! Even I don't have that many charms."
Klein, however, wasn't surprised... he'd helped organize those charms, after all.
After introducing the charms, Alaric pulled out what looked like a wooden puppet and said, "This is the Cursed Marionette, crafted by the God of Steam and Machinery himself using the Sequence 3 Disciple of Silence characteristic from the Pathway of Mutants. It's a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact."
"Wait, hold on, Jack... you're carrying a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact?" Mobet stared at the unassuming puppet in Alaric's hand, feeling his worldview shift. Then, something clicked, and he added, "If I'm not mistaken, artifacts of this level come with some pretty terrifying side effects, don't they?"
"No need to worry about that. The Cursed Marionette does have significant negative effects, but it possesses living characteristics, so when I use it, those side effects are negligible," Alaric said with a smile. As was well known, Sealed Artifacts with living characteristics could have their negative effects largely ignored.
After all, such artifacts could be reasoned with.
Mobet fell silent. As a Beyonder of the Marauder pathway, he knew how high-sequence Seers, Marauders, and Arbiter "tamed" living Sealed Artifacts. Relieved, he looked at the Cursed Marionette with a faint trace of pity.
No doubt, the reason this Grade 1 Sealed Artifact seemed so docile was because it had endured plenty of "discipline."
Nearby, Klein subconsciously touched his Creeping Hunger, feeling an inexplicable twinge of guilt.
"Since you've got all these goodies, I'm in! Let's go hunt that sea serpent!" Mobet said, his shock giving way to excitement.
A Sequence 5 taking on a Sequence 3? That was a story he could brag about for a decade.
…
For Kalvetua, today was an exceptionally unlucky day.
It had been lounging in the ruin as usual, basking in the offerings of its followers while idly contemplating whether to kill a couple for amusement.
Then, out of nowhere, Kalvetua sensed that something vital had been taken. Its condition destabilized as a result.
It suddenly realized that the ruin it occupied wasn't isolated... another ruin existed elsewhere, containing an object intimately tied to its existence. And now, that object had clearly been stolen.
Furious, Kalvetua reached out to its followers outside, ordering them to track down the missing item. Already half-mad, it didn't bother suppressing its rage and unleashed it freely.
After all, to Kalvetua, its followers were just dispensable resources... replaceable if lost.
But as it vented its fury, something felt off. A strange force invaded its body, attempting to transform it into something else.
Kalvetua wouldn't allow such a thing. Silver lightning erupted across its form, countering the curse from the Disciple of Silence. As a Sequence 3 entity, even in its weakened state, it wasn't about to be turned into a sheep without a fight.
But the curse was only the beginning. Red flames descended from above, transforming into countless fiery spears that rained down on Kalvetua... a power surpassing Sequence 3.
Kalvetua's massive serpent pupils constricted, and in the next moment, its enormous body was engulfed in a sea of flames.
…
For Alaric, dealing with Kalvetua wasn't particularly challenging. Though he was currently a modest Sequence 6, with his arsenal of divine gear, handling a half-crippled Sequence 3 was well within his capabilities.
The only thing he needed to be cautious about was not going overboard and accidentally killing Kalvetua.
After all, a dead Kalvetua couldn't be turned into a marionette.
Fortunately, Kalvetua was tough enough, and with Alaric holding back, after a few rounds of attacks, the sea serpent was left on the brink of collapse but still clinging to life.
"Now for the final step…" Alaric flipped his hand, revealing several Spectator pathway charms. Given Kalvetua's spiritual strength, weakening its spirit was essential for Klein to successfully turn it into a marionette.
And Spectator pathway abilities were perfectly suited for the task.
"Mind Deprivation!" "Psychic Storm!" "Spiritual Pierce!"
After deploying the Spectator charms, Alaric checked Kalvetua's condition, confirming it was in an extremely weakened state. He turned to Klein and said, "Your turn, Gehrman!"
"Mm." Klein nodded, taking a deep breath. Though slightly nervous, he showed no hesitation. He stepped up to Kalvetua and began manipulating its spiritual threads.
It wasn't an easy task. The gap between Sequence 5 and Sequence 3 was vast. Even with Kalvetua reduced to a sliver of health, its demi-god essence made its spirit volatile and difficult to control.
Klein pressed on silently, his forehead beading with sweat, his expression growing calmer by the moment.
After some time, Klein suddenly raised his hand, his fingers moving as if puppeteering.
In the next instant, Kalvetua's massive body stirred, moving in response to Klein's commands.
"Did it work?" Alaric asked immediately, genuinely invested in Klein's success.
Lil' Amon also cast a concerned glance.
"Yes, mission accomplished," Klein said, a smile breaking across his face. He paused, thinking for a moment, then moved his fingers again. Kalvetua's enormous form began to shrink, eventually reducing to the size of a human.
Klein frowned slightly but didn't dwell on it.
With his current Faceless abilities, he couldn't further alter Kalvetua's form.
Still, compared to its original mountain-like size, Kalvetua's current form was far less imposing and reasonably portable.
***
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