Even the Unihorn Ghosts below were left stupefied. Several Unihorn Ghosts, pouring drinks for themselves, had their cups overflow.
Little (‸) nodded, saying, "I also—lost a couple of pounds—"
No!
Dread filled the Unihorn Ghost King. The implications were different. Niece, you lost weight because you take care of your teeth and don't eat, but the guy in the letter is flirting with you! He's making advances on you!
His hand, gripping the letter, trembled. He genuinely hesitated to continue reading! Because what came next was even more embarrassing!
"Read—" Little urged with anticipation.
"Read—!" Echoed two deeply chilling, terrifying voices.
Unihorn Ghost King instinctively looked up, and in an instant, every hair on his body stood on end. A massive shadow fell upon him. Before he knew it, the colossal heads of his big brother and sister-in-law appeared before him, staring intensely.
His big brother, whose gaze was typically chaotic, had somehow become clear. However, this clarity was not normal; it was even more terrifying than the chaos.
Drenched in sweat, Unihorn Ghost King felt as if Death itself had marked him. Swallowing nervously, he shakily recited, "I often recall that.... lovely night.."
Buzz—
The hair of the two heads before Unihorn Ghost King began to move frantically, much like tentacles, making him visibly shiver in fear.
"Lovely—?" The female head said menacingly.
"Night?" The titan head growled.
Trembling, Unihorn Ghost King gulped, stuttering, "The... the letter... says... that..."
"It indeed was—a lovely night—keep reading~" Little (ω) swayed her tentacles.
Both heads jolted almost simultaneously.
Such a pleased expression... Could it be... Had their daughter already...
"Read!" The two massive heads demanded, their patience evidently thinning.
Unihorn Ghost King felt like he was going to split apart. He inwardly cursed, wondering who the hell had the audacity to send such a nauseatingly romantic letter to his niece at this time! And all this in front of her very own parents!
He wished he could slap himself. Why hadn't he simply handed it to a subordinate to read? Why had he plunged himself into this mess? He felt like he was deliberately courting danger. But, given the circumstances, there was no way out.
Bracing himself, he shakily continued, "Unable to contain the longing I feel for you, I finally decided to write you a letter. I believe that if I don't express myself to you, I might find it hard to keep going...."
Crack, crack, crack—
He could distinctly hear the frightening grinding of teeth from the two heads before him.
"Hard to... keep going?" The titan head seethed with barely contained rage.
"You are like a ray of moonlight in my heart that I can't shake off...."
Crack, crack, crack—
Unihorn Ghost King felt as though the very ground beneath him was fracturing.
"Moonlight in the heart?" The female head ground her teeth menacingly, her eyes shimmering intensely.
Holding the letter, Unihorn Ghost King, with a horrified expression, quivered.
"So, would you accept my invitation? I've arranged a sumptuous dinner for you at Wandering Soul Lane tomorrow. Please, do not refuse. Yearning for your presence. Sincerely, Lynne!"
He recited the infuriating love letter at a rapid pace. Below the stage, every Unihorn Ghost was in a dazed state, mouths agape, words eluding them.
"..."
A brief silence.
"That's it?" The two menacing heads demanded in unison.
Holding the letter in a daze, Unihorn Ghost King replied, "That's... that's all..."
Little (ω) wiggled her tentacles, saying, "Hmm! He misses me that much? And there's a grand feast? Hmm!"
"..."
"..."
Another moment of silence.
Under everyone's stunned gaze, Little, clearly in high spirits, boisterously jumped off the stage, extending a tentacle to take the letter from Unihorn Ghost King.
With a hop and a skip, she cheerily announced, "Daddy, Mommy—I'm off—to enjoy my feast!"
With all eyes on her, Little, humming a joyful tune, bounced out of the temple. Such pure innocence, effortlessly lured away by just a letter.
"..."
The next moment, countless Unihorn Ghosts below the stage finally reacted. Their jaws almost dropped in shock.
What kind of multidimensional joke was this?! Who exactly was this Lynne?! What kind of incredible being was he?! Too awesome! Beyond comprehension! Sending a letter to a creature of Origin level was one thing, but writing such a romantic and suggestive love letter was just invincible! God! My God! He was openly wooing someone's daughter right in front of her parents! Did he even realize that this entire family consisted of Origin-level ancient deities?!
At last, the Unihorn Ghost King lifted his head, staring at the two silent headhunters. He had already sensed the ominous atmosphere around him.
"Um... Big brother, I believe..."
Boom!
Before he could finish, the Titan skull erupted into a furious roar, countless tendrils wildly dancing throughout the temple, causing the entire dome to crack open.
"Damn it! Taking advantage of me when I'm weak! Courting my daughter! And writing such nauseating stuff! This is too much!"
"Calm down—(〃＞皿＜)! It's rare for someone to take an interest in our daughter—you need to stay calm—"
"My daughter was only five years old! She hasn't even come of age and she's being wooed! I'll—(bleep)—I'll—(bleep)!"
"She WAS five (〃＞皿＜)—now she's three thousand—she's long since matured—don't make things worse!"
The entire temple was in chaos. The female skull was constantly restraining the raging Titan skull.
Roar—Roar—
Terrifying roars tore the dome apart.
Unihorn Ghost King exclaimed, "Brother! Brother! You've regained clarity! Haven't you noticed your consciousness has returned?!"
The Titan skull continued to roar, dragged by the female skull (〃＞皿＜) behind him, struggling forward, saying: "Of course I have! If I didn't, my daughter would be... Let go—let me kill that bastard who wrote the letter—!"
The female skull, using her tendrils, forcefully held back her husband, trying to prevent his outburst.
"Old man, calm down—it's their choice to love—parents really shouldn't interfere!"
"You talk of freedom? (bleep)! This is abduction—luring a decent, underage girl!"
Boom!
The entire temple finally collapsed under its overwhelming burden.
...
Puppet Courtyard.
A blindingly crimson moon hung high above the castle's towering spires. Encircling the castle, vast fields of thorny roses bloomed amidst the mist. Scarlet petals blanketed the long, silent pathway, with the air faintly filled with eerie and lingering melodies.
Creak—creak—
From the flower fields, the sound of footsteps echoed one after the other. Within the dim, enveloping fog, a series of hunters with human heads and spider bodies advanced warily toward the central castle.
"Prepare for the third strike... Hunter Squad 21 is in position... Requesting assault orders..."
"Order received... Confirmed... Attack..."
The leader of the hunters had a series of red lights flashing rapidly in its eyes. Then, in the very next moment, the horde of hunters suddenly charged at breakneck speed toward the flower fields shrouded in the black mist.
Simultaneously, from various directions of the castle, several squads, each comprised solely of hunters, launched their assault on the Puppet Courtyard almost simultaneously.
Onward they pressed. Along the way, the wreckage of numerous destroyed hunters littered the surroundings. It was evident that they had launched multiple previous assaults on the Puppet Courtyard, all of which had failed. The wild thorns that rose in their path were brutally slashed by their blades.
"Message transmitted... We've breached the third zone... Distance to target... 500 meters..."
A hunter's eyes blinked, radiating a flurry of red lights. However, at that very moment, they suddenly perceived, at the foggy end of the path ahead, a figure gradually coming into view. Their perspective zoomed swiftly, giving clarity to the emerging silhouette.
It was an exquisitely detailed life-sized puppet. She held an umbrella adorned with black gilt lace, wearing an ornate doll-like hat atop her head. Dressed in a black gilt gothic long dress, her lengthy white hair draped over her chest, the heels of her shoes producing an unusual, clear sound as they met the ground.
She appeared extremely peculiar—her movements were stiff, devoid of any semblance of life. Yet, she moved. It was this near-human appearance that instilled an indescribable sense of horror.
Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding—
The eyes of those several hunters flickered intensely with red light.
"Analyzing target... Confirming target identity... Searching database..."
"Target identity confirmed... Puppet Courtyard's Seventh Puppeteer: Black Luna... Extremely high combat capability..."
"Warning... Target possesses extreme threat... Deploy full hunting force immediately..."
Almost in an instant, the group of hunters, with unfathomable speed, charged at the gothic puppet. Countless petals accompanied their figures, fluttering wildly against the blackened sky. In the blink of an eye, the hunters had already surrounded the gothic puppet.
Creak—creak—
The sound of jammed gears resonated. A bizarre scene unfolded as if time had suddenly frozen; those hunters who had charged toward the puppet were inexplicably halted in place.
Faintly, under the refracted glow of the crimson moon, one could see thin yet sturdy threads that had emerged around their joints at some unknown point. They stood, immobilized like marionettes.
"Fuselage restricted... Unable to break free... Warning... Fuselage bound... Fuselage bound..."
The hunters struggled mightily, but apart from the mechanical hissing sounds from within their bodies, they couldn't manage even the slightest movement. Within the flower field, the delicate gothic puppet tilted her head slightly. One could clearly see her jointed fingers, gently lifting.
Shlick—
One of the hunters abruptly turned, and the sharp mantis blade on its arm instantly pierced through the skull of another.
Shlick—
Shlick—
Several more piercing sounds echoed. The hunters, in a theatrical manner, drove their blades into each other's skulls until only the last hunter remained.
The gothic puppet lifted her head, looking as harmless as a little loli, her gaze fixed on the rapidly flickering eyes of the last hunter. Fine raindrops pattered against her black umbrella. Suddenly, the puppet cocked her head.
Creak—
The neck of the hunter before she twisted unnaturally, instantly snapping under its own force. Its body emitted a series of sparks with a metallic creak, then crashed heavily onto the ground. In less than a minute, every single one of the hunters was obliterated.
"Northern gate intruders, all eliminated. Time: 59 seconds."
The gothic puppet turned mechanically, reporting. Simultaneously, various voices, each with a different tone, resonated in her ears.
"Southern area intruders, all eliminated. Time: 3 minutes and 51 seconds."
"Northwestern area intruders, all eliminated. Sustained minor damages, parts replacement needed."
"Eastern courtyard intruders, processing. Estimated time required: 5 minutes."
"Luna, how are you so efficient? Did the engineer give you some new components? You're way ahead of the rest of us now!"
"Sister Luna is a cleanup-type puppet. Of course, she's faster! Stop prattling, finish your battles quickly. We have to report back to the mistress!"
Voices filled her ears, creating a cacophony.
The gothic puppet continued her walk along the path, umbrella in hand, each step precise, with her gothic dress fluttering slightly in the wind.
However, at that very moment, she stopped. Her pupils shifted subtly as if she'd noticed something.
Suddenly, a plethora of glass-like threads pierced the space not far from her.
Buzz—
The space cracked open, revealing a bizarre-looking turtle, suspended upside-down, ensnared by the threads, and dragged out of the void.
"Delivering... a... message..."
With eyes wider than usual, the turtle king uttered these three words hundreds of times faster than its regular pace.
The gothic puppet tilted her head.
...
Minutes later, within the castle.
"Bloodsaw, your letter."
Inside a grand hall filled with gears, a puppet lady, dressed in lavish attire, walked gracefully. Nearly three meters tall, her curvaceous form emanated an imposing aura. If one were to overlook her extraordinary height, she could easily be mistaken for a medieval noblewoman.
On the other side of the hall, the towering and burly Bloodsaw leaned against a mechanical table, his eyes shimmering. Beside him, a host of button-eyed dolls, no larger than a hand, worked meticulously with various tools, tending to the massive wounds on his body.
"A letter?" Bloodsaw rumbled, "Who sent it?"
The puppet lady gracefully seated herself on a luxurious chair opposite him, casually lifting a cup of rich coffee, and remarked, "My daughters found it in the courtyard. Delivered by a void messenger. The sender's name is Lynne. Do you know him?"
Upon hearing this, Bloodsaw was taken aback.
"Lynne? How is that possible?"
Struggling to his feet and dragging his massive frame, he approached the table, reaching out for the letter.
"Who is he?" the puppet lady inquired, a hint of curiosity touching her lips.
"He's a child I took in two years ago," Bloodsaw gazed solemnly at the letter, continuing, "He's been apprenticing at my shop for these two years. A few days ago, suspecting that the Demonfolk Association might head to Wandering Soul Lane, I hastily sent him a message. It seems he managed to evade the grasp of the Demonfolk Association."
Taking a moment to collect himself, he swiftly opened the envelope. Recognizing the scribbled handwriting, he was immediately certain that it was indeed penned by his own apprentice. Because only this lad could manage to make neat letters appear this messy. However, upon reading the words written on the paper, his expression changed drastically.
Saltedfishc If you want to read more chapters ahead of time, you can visit my Patreon.
Even the Unihorn Ghosts below were left stupefied. Several Unihorn Ghosts, pouring drinks for themselves, had their cups overflow.
Little (‸) nodded, saying, "I also—lost a couple of pounds—"
No!
Dread filled the Unihorn Ghost King. The implications were different. Niece, you lost weight because you take care of your teeth and don't eat, but the guy in the letter is flirting with you! He's making advances on you!
His hand, gripping the letter, trembled. He genuinely hesitated to continue reading! Because what came next was even more embarrassing!
"Read—" Little urged with anticipation.
"Read—!" Echoed two deeply chilling, terrifying voices.
Unihorn Ghost King instinctively looked up, and in an instant, every hair on his body stood on end. A massive shadow fell upon him. Before he knew it, the colossal heads of his big brother and sister-in-law appeared before him, staring intensely.
His big brother, whose gaze was typically chaotic, had somehow become clear. However, this clarity was not normal; it was even more terrifying than the chaos.
Drenched in sweat, Unihorn Ghost King felt as if Death itself had marked him. Swallowing nervously, he shakily recited, "I often recall that.... lovely night.."
Buzz—
The hair of the two heads before Unihorn Ghost King began to move frantically, much like tentacles, making him visibly shiver in fear.
"Lovely—?" The female head said menacingly.
"Night?" The titan head growled.
Trembling, Unihorn Ghost King gulped, stuttering, "The... the letter... says... that..."
"It indeed was—a lovely night—keep reading~" Little (ω) swayed her tentacles.
Both heads jolted almost simultaneously.
Such a pleased expression... Could it be... Had their daughter already...
"Read!" The two massive heads demanded, their patience evidently thinning.
Unihorn Ghost King felt like he was going to split apart. He inwardly cursed, wondering who the hell had the audacity to send such a nauseatingly romantic letter to his niece at this time! And all this in front of her very own parents!
He wished he could slap himself. Why hadn't he simply handed it to a subordinate to read? Why had he plunged himself into this mess? He felt like he was deliberately courting danger. But, given the circumstances, there was no way out.
Bracing himself, he shakily continued, "Unable to contain the longing I feel for you, I finally decided to write you a letter. I believe that if I don't express myself to you, I might find it hard to keep going...."
Crack, crack, crack—
He could distinctly hear the frightening grinding of teeth from the two heads before him.
"Hard to... keep going?" The titan head seethed with barely contained rage.
"You are like a ray of moonlight in my heart that I can't shake off...."
Crack, crack, crack—
Unihorn Ghost King felt as though the very ground beneath him was fracturing.
"Moonlight in the heart?" The female head ground her teeth menacingly, her eyes shimmering intensely.
Holding the letter, Unihorn Ghost King, with a horrified expression, quivered.
"So, would you accept my invitation? I've arranged a sumptuous dinner for you at Wandering Soul Lane tomorrow. Please, do not refuse. Yearning for your presence. Sincerely, Lynne!"
He recited the infuriating love letter at a rapid pace. Below the stage, every Unihorn Ghost was in a dazed state, mouths agape, words eluding them.
"..."
A brief silence.
"That's it?" The two menacing heads demanded in unison.
Holding the letter in a daze, Unihorn Ghost King replied, "That's... that's all..."
Little (ω) wiggled her tentacles, saying, "Hmm! He misses me that much? And there's a grand feast? Hmm!"
"..."
"..."
Another moment of silence.
Under everyone's stunned gaze, Little, clearly in high spirits, boisterously jumped off the stage, extending a tentacle to take the letter from Unihorn Ghost King.
With a hop and a skip, she cheerily announced, "Daddy, Mommy—I'm off—to enjoy my feast!"
With all eyes on her, Little, humming a joyful tune, bounced out of the temple. Such pure innocence, effortlessly lured away by just a letter.
"..."
The next moment, countless Unihorn Ghosts below the stage finally reacted. Their jaws almost dropped in shock.
What kind of multidimensional joke was this?! Who exactly was this Lynne?! What kind of incredible being was he?! Too awesome! Beyond comprehension! Sending a letter to a creature of Origin level was one thing, but writing such a romantic and suggestive love letter was just invincible! God! My God! He was openly wooing someone's daughter right in front of her parents! Did he even realize that this entire family consisted of Origin-level ancient deities?!
At last, the Unihorn Ghost King lifted his head, staring at the two silent headhunters. He had already sensed the ominous atmosphere around him.
"Um... Big brother, I believe..."
Boom!
Before he could finish, the Titan skull erupted into a furious roar, countless tendrils wildly dancing throughout the temple, causing the entire dome to crack open.
"Damn it! Taking advantage of me when I'm weak! Courting my daughter! And writing such nauseating stuff! This is too much!"
"Calm down—(〃＞皿＜)! It's rare for someone to take an interest in our daughter—you need to stay calm—"
"My daughter was only five years old! She hasn't even come of age and she's being wooed! I'll—(bleep)—I'll—(bleep)!"
"She WAS five (〃＞皿＜)—now she's three thousand—she's long since matured—don't make things worse!"
The entire temple was in chaos. The female skull was constantly restraining the raging Titan skull.
Roar—Roar—
Terrifying roars tore the dome apart.
Unihorn Ghost King exclaimed, "Brother! Brother! You've regained clarity! Haven't you noticed your consciousness has returned?!"
The Titan skull continued to roar, dragged by the female skull (〃＞皿＜) behind him, struggling forward, saying: "Of course I have! If I didn't, my daughter would be... Let go—let me kill that bastard who wrote the letter—!"
The female skull, using her tendrils, forcefully held back her husband, trying to prevent his outburst.
"Old man, calm down—it's their choice to love—parents really shouldn't interfere!"
"You talk of freedom? (bleep)! This is abduction—luring a decent, underage girl!"
Boom!
The entire temple finally collapsed under its overwhelming burden.
...
Puppet Courtyard.
A blindingly crimson moon hung high above the castle's towering spires. Encircling the castle, vast fields of thorny roses bloomed amidst the mist. Scarlet petals blanketed the long, silent pathway, with the air faintly filled with eerie and lingering melodies.
Creak—creak—
From the flower fields, the sound of footsteps echoed one after the other. Within the dim, enveloping fog, a series of hunters with human heads and spider bodies advanced warily toward the central castle.
"Prepare for the third strike... Hunter Squad 21 is in position... Requesting assault orders..."
"Order received... Confirmed... Attack..."
The leader of the hunters had a series of red lights flashing rapidly in its eyes. Then, in the very next moment, the horde of hunters suddenly charged at breakneck speed toward the flower fields shrouded in the black mist.
Simultaneously, from various directions of the castle, several squads, each comprised solely of hunters, launched their assault on the Puppet Courtyard almost simultaneously.
Onward they pressed. Along the way, the wreckage of numerous destroyed hunters littered the surroundings. It was evident that they had launched multiple previous assaults on the Puppet Courtyard, all of which had failed. The wild thorns that rose in their path were brutally slashed by their blades.
"Message transmitted... We've breached the third zone... Distance to target... 500 meters..."
A hunter's eyes blinked, radiating a flurry of red lights. However, at that very moment, they suddenly perceived, at the foggy end of the path ahead, a figure gradually coming into view. Their perspective zoomed swiftly, giving clarity to the emerging silhouette.
It was an exquisitely detailed life-sized puppet. She held an umbrella adorned with black gilt lace, wearing an ornate doll-like hat atop her head. Dressed in a black gilt gothic long dress, her lengthy white hair draped over her chest, the heels of her shoes producing an unusual, clear sound as they met the ground.
She appeared extremely peculiar—her movements were stiff, devoid of any semblance of life. Yet, she moved. It was this near-human appearance that instilled an indescribable sense of horror.
Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding—
The eyes of those several hunters flickered intensely with red light.
"Analyzing target... Confirming target identity... Searching database..."
"Target identity confirmed... Puppet Courtyard's Seventh Puppeteer: Black Luna... Extremely high combat capability..."
"Warning... Target possesses extreme threat... Deploy full hunting force immediately..."
Almost in an instant, the group of hunters, with unfathomable speed, charged at the gothic puppet. Countless petals accompanied their figures, fluttering wildly against the blackened sky. In the blink of an eye, the hunters had already surrounded the gothic puppet.
Creak—creak—
The sound of jammed gears resonated. A bizarre scene unfolded as if time had suddenly frozen; those hunters who had charged toward the puppet were inexplicably halted in place.
Faintly, under the refracted glow of the crimson moon, one could see thin yet sturdy threads that had emerged around their joints at some unknown point. They stood, immobilized like marionettes.
"Fuselage restricted... Unable to break free... Warning... Fuselage bound... Fuselage bound..."
The hunters struggled mightily, but apart from the mechanical hissing sounds from within their bodies, they couldn't manage even the slightest movement. Within the flower field, the delicate gothic puppet tilted her head slightly. One could clearly see her jointed fingers, gently lifting.
Shlick—
One of the hunters abruptly turned, and the sharp mantis blade on its arm instantly pierced through the skull of another.
Shlick—
Shlick—
Several more piercing sounds echoed. The hunters, in a theatrical manner, drove their blades into each other's skulls until only the last hunter remained.
The gothic puppet lifted her head, looking as harmless as a little loli, her gaze fixed on the rapidly flickering eyes of the last hunter. Fine raindrops pattered against her black umbrella. Suddenly, the puppet cocked her head.
Creak—
The neck of the hunter before she twisted unnaturally, instantly snapping under its own force. Its body emitted a series of sparks with a metallic creak, then crashed heavily onto the ground. In less than a minute, every single one of the hunters was obliterated.
"Northern gate intruders, all eliminated. Time: 59 seconds."
The gothic puppet turned mechanically, reporting. Simultaneously, various voices, each with a different tone, resonated in her ears.
"Southern area intruders, all eliminated. Time: 3 minutes and 51 seconds."
"Northwestern area intruders, all eliminated. Sustained minor damages, parts replacement needed."
"Eastern courtyard intruders, processing. Estimated time required: 5 minutes."
"Luna, how are you so efficient? Did the engineer give you some new components? You're way ahead of the rest of us now!"
"Sister Luna is a cleanup-type puppet. Of course, she's faster! Stop prattling, finish your battles quickly. We have to report back to the mistress!"
Voices filled her ears, creating a cacophony.
The gothic puppet continued her walk along the path, umbrella in hand, each step precise, with her gothic dress fluttering slightly in the wind.
However, at that very moment, she stopped. Her pupils shifted subtly as if she'd noticed something.
Suddenly, a plethora of glass-like threads pierced the space not far from her.
Buzz—
The space cracked open, revealing a bizarre-looking turtle, suspended upside-down, ensnared by the threads, and dragged out of the void.
"Delivering... a... message..."
With eyes wider than usual, the turtle king uttered these three words hundreds of times faster than its regular pace.
The gothic puppet tilted her head.
...
Minutes later, within the castle.
"Bloodsaw, your letter."
Inside a grand hall filled with gears, a puppet lady, dressed in lavish attire, walked gracefully. Nearly three meters tall, her curvaceous form emanated an imposing aura. If one were to overlook her extraordinary height, she could easily be mistaken for a medieval noblewoman.
On the other side of the hall, the towering and burly Bloodsaw leaned against a mechanical table, his eyes shimmering. Beside him, a host of button-eyed dolls, no larger than a hand, worked meticulously with various tools, tending to the massive wounds on his body.
"A letter?" Bloodsaw rumbled, "Who sent it?"
The puppet lady gracefully seated herself on a luxurious chair opposite him, casually lifting a cup of rich coffee, and remarked, "My daughters found it in the courtyard. Delivered by a void messenger. The sender's name is Lynne. Do you know him?"
Upon hearing this, Bloodsaw was taken aback.
"Lynne? How is that possible?"
Struggling to his feet and dragging his massive frame, he approached the table, reaching out for the letter.
"Who is he?" the puppet lady inquired, a hint of curiosity touching her lips.
"He's a child I took in two years ago," Bloodsaw gazed solemnly at the letter, continuing, "He's been apprenticing at my shop for these two years. A few days ago, suspecting that the Demonfolk Association might head to Wandering Soul Lane, I hastily sent him a message. It seems he managed to evade the grasp of the Demonfolk Association."
Taking a moment to collect himself, he swiftly opened the envelope. Recognizing the scribbled handwriting, he was immediately certain that it was indeed penned by his own apprentice. Because only this lad could manage to make neat letters appear this messy. However, upon reading the words written on the paper, his expression changed drastically.
Saltedfishc If you want to read more chapters ahead of time, you can visit my Patreon.
