"Lord, this little one has accomplished the assigned task."
The grisly voice of a cloaked man echoed through a dark and humid area. This place was far separated from existence, a place that rarely anyone even knew the identity of.
Despite the prolonged echoing of his voice, it still seemed incredibly small not only in relation to the environment, but also to the individual he was reporting to.
That person didn't have the posture of an Emperor. They sat casually on a jade stone pillow large enough to carry their entire body. They held their head in their hands noncommittally with glazed eyes.
Nobody who came in contact with this person would believe they were mentally present. By all logic, it should've been impossible for someone with such strange eyes to exist in the same world as any common expert.
However, the man didn't move from his kneeling position no matter how much time passed.
It was an entire 12 days later when this situation changed.
"You had something to report?"
That person's smooth voice glazed over the atmosphere, filling it with an odd sticky feeling.
The man bowed his head without hesitation, repeating his original report without any resentment.
"Lord, I have accomplished the task you assigned me. A proper vessel has been found."
"Oh? How long has it been?"
"Responding to the Lord, it has been a little over a month."
"Quite fast. Did you have a fortuitous encounter?"
"Affirmative, Lord. While this little one was in the midst of his search, he happened to come across Arthur Bloodlock, a direct descendant of Immortal Blood Asura. With a bit of coercion, your humble servant was able to plant the Devil Seed in his spiritual world. The corruption shall be complete within a week." the servant claimed with an ounce of pride in his voice.
For the first time, the figure's expression changed.
"Child…" the figure muttered, "you do not have the courage to lie to me, so it must be the truth. However, it cannot be so easy to coerce such a figure, no? Explain to this Lord how you accomplished this feat."
The figure's voice was soft and its words were light. Any normal person would absolutely believe these to be magnanimous words.
However, the servant knew better. His Lord was not someone who would accept baseless chatter. If he couldn't justify his words and provide evidence…
His fate would be far, far, far worse than death!
"Lord, in actuality, this success is not my doing at all. I was able to take advantage of a coincidence to coax Arthur Bloodlock with ease."
"Oh?"
"Lord, Arthur Bloodlock has a blood debt against a genius that Sir Saint Emperor has been observing. Sir Saint Emperor's legions have been tracking that genius' location with absolute precision, and I was able to sell that information for Arthur Bloodlock's cooperation."
The figure's brow raised in curiosity. The corners of their lips curled up into a strange smile.
"That old ghost has found another plaything? Very well, this Lord is also curious about what can make that old man move so aggressively!"
OOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A terrifying aura enveloped the area. Space immediately shattered into countless pieces, and even the chaotic void beyond was stilled by the almost solid aura.
"Lord, please calm down! This universe cannot handle your full power!" the servant yelled desperately.
The figure's eye twitched slightly. Their aura immediately retracted back into their body.
"Hmph, this pathetic universe. Why do those old ghosts put so much focus into it?" they complained with a frown.
"7 days, was it…?"
In 7 days, Arthur Bloodlock would be overtaken by corruption, and at that time…
His physical body would become the property of the absolute worst individual it could possibly be given to.
This person, this person with no true gender, no true form at all, was a ruler of the mortal body. This person was an experimentalist who would do anything to satisfy their own curiosity.
This person was the Marionette Lord, one of the top three Nox experts under the Emperor level, and by far the most insane member of their race.
This was a person with puppets stationed in various parts of the universe, acting as people in positions high and low. It was unknown just how many people this Lord had under their control, but it was largely speculated that they were nigh immortal.
After all, each body under their control had a unique life fluctuation.
If this person decided to escape their physical body and take possession of a puppet to live on, nobody would be able to find them.
And this person…
This person was never truly in one place.
Their mind was always split between at least 10 different puppets, never leaving a moment where they didn't have a path forward.
When it came to the Marionette Lord…
Even Emperors would rather avoid interacting.
***
Back in the Golden Dragon Palace, a great commotion was taking place.
There were only a few days remaining before the proceedings began, yet the princess was still missing!
Of course the palace residents knew where Astoria had gone. However, they didn't expect her to cut it so close! If she didn't make it in time for the opening festival, many plans would fail.
After all, Astoria was, in the crudest terms, bait.
Astoria was the only reason the Emperor had just cause to put something like the Genesis Bead up for grabs without suspicion.
Because if the tournament winner was his son-in-law, would the Emperor truly suffer any losses from giving away the treasure?
Nevertheless, the Golden Dragon Emperor was certainly feeling the stress.
'The Black Dragon Clan has already arrived and begun gathering forces. A member of the Divine Realm's Bloodlock Clan is on the way, many Beast Emperors have secretly docked on our star in wait for the Genesis Bead's unraveling…'
On one hand, his plan was working. Slowly but surely, the enemies he wanted to flush out had been showing themselves one by one.
However, on the other hand…
This number was far outside of his expectations.
The Black Dragon Clan had already grown to the point where they could truly contend with the Golden Dragon Clan for hegemony.
And even putting them aside, the Golden Dragon Emperor had to wonder: just when did he make so many enemies?!
It was an aggravating truth to realize, but there was nothing incorrect about it: an innocent man with treasure is guilty.
'Want to touch my Golden Dragon Clan's Treasures…?'
The Emperor's sharp golden eyes looked like they could cut holes through reality.
'Let's see you try!'
"Raise the flags! Announce the news! We will begin the opening festival…in 12 hours' time!"
The Emperor made his announcement without leaving any room for objection.
He watched the palace officials scramble around as they tried began to set everything in order.
And eventually, his eyes went to the sky.
'You must return soon, my good daughter.'
Honestly speaking, he didn't think any progress could be made in 3 months.
Damien deciding to take Astoria away from the palace seemed to affirm this thought.
But on the slight chance…
On the slight chance that Astoria had truly grown…
She wouldn't just be bait anymore.
She'd be one of the central pillars that allowed his plan to succeed!
