The moment the Golem puppet collapsed, Zyron immediately pulled out two items from his spatial ring and equipped them.
They were the front and back halves of a full-body suit of black armor. It didn't just cover the torso—it included a helmet, gauntlets, and greaves as well.
Threads of magical energy shot out from his fingertips, instantly connecting to both pieces.
Then, the two halves wrapped around his body, sealing him completely from head to toe.
The magical threads wove together, transforming into fine strands that stitched the armor into a single, unified whole.
But he didn't stop there. Zyron took out a sword—completely black from blade to hilt, as if darkness itself had solidified into steel.
In an instant, the image of a Mage vanished, replaced by a majestic and imposing Black Knight.
"Impressive. No wonder you could become the leader of a village full of Mages," Tris said sincerely.
"If I'm not mistaken, that black armor is also a puppet, right?" he continued, pulling his own puppet back to his side.
"Even Veylor couldn't figure it out right away. And those Space magics you used earlier… where did you even learn all that knowledge?"
"What if I told you I learned it in a dream?"
"So the evil god granted you knowledge through dreams?"
"Why are you so insistent that my father and I are connected to an evil god?"
Even now, with no third party present, Zyron continued bringing up the existence of an evil god.
That made Tris certain the accusation wasn't entirely fabricated—there had to be some truth behind it.
"That's because," Zyron laughed from behind his helmet,
"Eight years ago, if Arven hadn't prayed to an evil god for help, you wouldn't have been born alive—you would've died along with your sick mother.
You could say you received the blessing of an evil god while still in the womb. Who could be more closely tied to one than you?"
"..."
Tris fell silent, processing the information.
He didn't think it was a lie.
In fact, it explained many of his long-standing questions—
His father's complicated reaction whenever he asked about his mother.
The worried way his father constantly watched him.
Why does he have strange dreams that no one else does?
And finally…
"So what do you hope to gain from targeting us, after all these years, Zyron?"
He asked, though he already had a few guesses.
"I don't know what I'll gain," Zyron replied, raising his sword as he walked forward.
"But today, I intend to find out."
"Yeah… I'm sure you'll get more than just a dead son."
That provocative remark marked the start of their battle once again.
Zyron charged forward and swung his sword.
A wave of pitch-black energy surged from the blade and shot toward Tris.
Sensing the danger, Tris immediately had "Berserker" step in to block it.
From the vibrations transmitted through the puppet's fist, Tris could feel the sheer weight behind the attack.
But Zyron didn't stop at one strike.
He continued swinging his sword, each blow wrapped in dense black energy.
Tris's hands moved rapidly, struggling to command Berserker to defend.
Even with only one usable arm left, he still trusted its close-combat ability.
Yet somehow, Zyron—a pure Mage—was now fighting with combat techniques that surpassed even the masked assassin from before.
'Could he have trained as a Warrior too?' Tris wondered—then immediately rejected the idea.
Zyron's earlier movements clearly didn't match those of a true Warrior.
Realizing the truth, Tris concluded:
'He's using Puppet-Human Integration… and now I'm seeing its true value.'
If the armor itself was a puppet, then what truly made it different from ordinary armor?
A puppet could both attack and defend—but so could enchanted armor.
The real difference lay in control.
When wearing armor, you must rely on your physical body—your strength, your endurance—to bear its weight and fight.
But controlling a puppet depends on the mind, not the body.
Techniques like finger-thread manipulation were just basic methods.
In reality, there were advanced techniques that required no physical movement at all—
Like Tris's own wireless control,
or Zyron's current Puppet-Human Integration.
And what was the advantage of not relying on the body?
Even if your body was injured, aged, or unable to move—
As long as your mind remained sharp and your spiritual energy intact,
you could still fight like a Warrior with limitless physical ability.
But if that were all, Tris could climb into Berserker and control it remotely.
What truly made Zyron's technique different…
was the enhancement gained through integration.
Tris controlled his puppet skillfully because he himself knew how to move his real body like that.
But Zyron… was being assisted by the puppet itself.
If Tris had to describe it—
Zyron was like someone playing a video game.
Even without personal combat skill, with just a few simple inputs, his "character" could move, attack, and execute techniques flawlessly.
In just a few seconds, Tris had already been pushed completely on the defensive.
He quickly created distance to avoid fighting at such close range.
The danger didn't just come from Zyron's control technique—
It also came from the black sword.
Even when Tris dodged or blocked, the residual energy from the attacks still affected the surrounding area.
In fact, he could feel his mind being assaulted by the lingering effects.
Because of that, Tris had to erect a Space barrier around himself to protect his consciousness.
In battle, victory wasn't just about skill—
It was about resource management.
And here, the resource was spiritual energy.
If this dragged on, Tris would lose far more spiritual energy than Zyron.
The age difference alone already put him at a disadvantage in total reserves.
If he couldn't fight more efficiently…
and couldn't end the battle quickly…
Then defeat was inevitable.