Chapter 166: Shadow-Bound Puppet Soldiers

"How are today's cultivation data?"

A person in a white lab coat casually asked a passing violet-clad soldier.

"As usual, exceptionally high quality!" The smile beneath the soldier's mask was unmistakable.

There was no easier task than this!

They only needed to push the monsters beneath the massive cultivation chamber, then retreat far away and watch as they were infected by that dark power.

"Boom!"

As he spoke, the entire base suddenly erupted in a deafening roar, as if a colossal bomb had detonated, followed immediately by countless screams and roars.

"What happened!?" Before the researcher could even react, he saw a thick violet-black puppet thread sweeping toward him, piercing straight through his body.

The soldier beside him reacted swiftly, leaping backward to evade the attack, then raised the dueling disk at his side, activated it, and slashed the incoming puppet thread like a sword.

"What's going on! Report immediately!"

"Captain, the cultivation chamber—malfunctioning—"

The transmission was distorted; moments later, more screams echoed, accompanied by sharp, piercing whooshes.

"Damn it!"

Hearing his subordinate's report, he instantly understood what had happened.

The "monster" inside the cultivation chamber had escaped!

That was disastrous—

This was not something that could be resolved in a moment.

Having already been briefed by superiors on the specifics, he immediately grasped the gravity of the situation.

But even now, he hurriedly shouted to his subordinates: "It's fine! Minor issue! Immediately activate the camera system, collect all data, and absolutely prevent a repeat of the intelligence loss at the last Alliance base!"

"Yes—"

"Yes! Aaah—"

"Help!"

Occasional screams and cries still echoed through the communications.

But he felt no pity whatsoever—he swiftly swung his dueling disk to protect himself, then dashed toward the lab. Before everyone's eyes, he shouted for the doctor and guards, urgently transferring vital data and machinery into the Dimension Gate, and after completing all procedures, led his core subordinates into the gate.

Knowing the monster as he did, dealing with it required waiting until it had infected every living being in the entire dimension, then returning later to slowly advance with overwhelming force and restore order to this shattered dimension.

The entire process might take months!

He wouldn't stay to die.

Relocate first, then return!

After he left, a green symbol emerged above the Dimension Gate, followed by a sharp "click"—the gate lost functionality and dimmed completely.

"They just ran away!" Bai Jing's face flushed with rage, "As a leader, you have zero responsibility! Lord Tenjo Kou, let me chase after them!"

It seemed slightly overexcited.

"Before that, let's first rescue that spirit," Tenjo Hikari shook his head, pointing toward the massive cultivation chamber.

Bai Jing hesitated for a moment, then immediately nodded.

Understood.

They would eventually pursue that thing over there, but these spirits here couldn't be left unattended.

Tenjo Hikari hadn't expected that thing to flee so decisively—he'd thought today he might obtain cards like Phantom Demon Emperor Rabiel, but the thing didn't even struggle, simply abandoned everything and ran.

Around his ears, a few ordinary soldiers still resisted, but their cries soon faded. Several violet puppet threads flew toward Tenjo Hikari, attempting to wrap around him—but froze midair, unable to advance an inch.

Tierra glanced up, then said casually: "Isn't this normal? Tenjo Hikari, haven't you figured it out yet? To them, whether a soldier is alive or not doesn't matter at all."

Huh?

"Ah... so that's how it is." Tenjo Hikari's expression grew colder.

Bai Jing, still furious, hadn't grasped the logic—it turned to Tenjo Hikari, seeking clarity.

"Captain, here's the truth," Tenjo Hikari understood now, his face grim. "To the Fusion Army, they need soldiers who obey absolutely. Whether the soldier is alive—or even human—is irrelevant."

So that's how it was.

Since the Duel Academy struggled to recruit new students, they simply sent a few people to pretend they were still invested there, while shifting their strategy entirely.

Rather than spending years training students who might eventually be useful, directly controlling Duel Monsters and turning them into soldiers was far simpler.

Moreover, after discovering the 【Shadow Bind】 from you, then acquiring the Three Phantom Demons and mastering a power capable of absorbing spirit life force, creating puppet soldiers became vastly more effective."

"Ah..." Bai Jing's face darkened further; the thought that all this stemmed from it made its stony heart grow cold. "So even fellow soldiers, once turned into puppets, don't matter? Because they'd be more obedient?"

"Monsters!!!"

Tenjo Hikari shook his head: "Anyway, let's go see over there."

Earlier, while hidden, Tenjo Hikari had asked Tierra to tamper with the cultivation chamber. Tierra had glanced at it—though uninterested and with little reward—still agreed to dismantle part of it, accelerating and amplifying the spirit's leakage of power, loosening the seal and allowing the spirit inside to easily attempt escape.

Once even slightly breached, the protective barrier would collapse, and the immense Shadow Bind power cultivated within would instantly engulf the entire shattered dimension.

Tenjo Hikari stepped out from concealment and approached the massive cultivation chamber. At this moment, the chamber was shattered, the spirit fallen out. Along the way, countless fully mechanized humans and spirits attacked Tenjo Hikari—he didn't need to act; the already furious Bai Jing flung and shattered every soldier responsible for this atrocity.

"Poor thing, cast aside as expendable, reduced to this—and still forced to serve its master," it growled in frustration.

"Captain, no need to pity them. They brought this upon themselves."

Tenjo Hikari felt no sympathy for them. He couldn't believe anyone working here, having witnessed so much spirit suffering, could still be normal—or even human.

When Tenjo Hikari reached the front of the cultivation chamber, Bai Jing's eyes widened in shock and fury: "Gem Knight—Little Liu!?"

Before Tenjo Hikari and Bai Jing stood a Gem Knight—Little Liu—its body swollen to two or three times Bai Jing's size, entirely entwined in puppet threads.

"Whoa..." Tierra, who had shown no interest until now, finally showed surprise.

What are the odds?

Or is this fate?

"Pity," she said, gazing at the spirit, still enlarged but retaining many Gem Knight traits. "If you'd come two months later, it might've been better."

In two months, it might have been fully Shadow Bound. Now, it's still a Gem Knight.

"No!" Tenjo Hikari immediately countered, "I should've come sooner!"

"Captain!" He raised his left hand; the dueling disk within began activating automatically.

"Here!" Bai Jing instantly responded, dissolving into light and merging into his body.

Simultaneously, the colossal "Little Liu" slowly raised its right hand. Countless puppet threads writhed wildly, accompanied by its own shrieks. Countless dueling disks and card decks from across the shattered dimension flew toward its massive arm, coalescing into a dueling disk one person tall and a card deck of staggering thickness!

"But it's not too late!" Tenjo Hikari declared loudly, "Come, spirit—let me end your suffering!"

Duel!

Puppet Little Liu LP: 4000.

Tenjo Hikari LP: 4000.

Chapter One, bonus update today, bonus update today

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(End of Chapter)