The Golem Mage Chapter 1104: Ice Lord 1.

This time, Shin bolted forward, intent on bypassing the flaming puppet to reach Beatrice. Before he even closed the distance, he launched three spherical projectiles. Upon seeing his actions, Beatrice immediately suspected he was preparing another smoke bomb maneuver.

She twitched her left fingers, which were connected by mana threads to the flaming puppet, and compelled it to advance. Even with a gaping wound marring its chest, the puppet moved. Beatrice anticipated smoke erupting upon the balls' impact, but instead, Shin executed a sharp turn and abruptly sprinted away from the flaming puppet.

As he pivoted, Shin observed Beatrice stomp on the wooden spider, using it as a launching point to ascend. The onlookers perceived her action as a response to Shin's evident unease regarding the projectiles he had hurled.

Boom!

Shortly after, the three orbs Shin directed at the flaming puppet detonated. The explosion was substantial, rocking the entire battlefield. This time, the flaming puppet, caught at the epicenter, did not survive, its form blasted into smithereens.

Meanwhile, Shin had transmuted into smoke at the last possible second, evading the fiery blast. However, both the wooden spider puppet and Beatrice possessed significantly less defensive capabilities compared to him.

Although the wooden spider was positioned somewhat further from the explosion's core, the blast's widespread impact still enveloped it. As for Beatrice, the shockwave propelled her airborne, seemingly rendering her unconscious from the concussive force.

At that moment, a swooshing sound pierced the air. The next thing they witnessed was a hook-like wire ensnaring Beatrice as she remained suspended in the sky.

As if by magic, Shin reappeared, the smoky haze around him having completely dissipated. A rope coiled around his right hand indisputably identified him as the wielder of the wire that had captured her.

Yet, his reappearance was not merely for effect; he intended to finish her. Shin extended his left hand, grasping the hooked end of the weapon, poised to yank Beatrice's ensnared form downward. Suddenly, a sharp pain lanced through his chest.

Frowning, he glanced down at the source of the agony, only to find a wooden leg impaling his chest. This prompted him to look back over his shoulder.

There she was—Beatrice, still perched atop the wooden spider puppet, which had miraculously emerged from the explosion with minimal damage.

Shin could scarcely believe his eyes. He looked forward again, observing Beatrice's body still suspended in mid-air, held aloft by the runes woven into his wired hook.

Then, his gaze returned to Beatrice seated on the wooden spider, an unspoken question hanging in the air: Which one was the true Beatrice? It was then that Beatrice dispelled her illusion.

[> Mid Tier Spell — Puppeteer Clone <]

With those pronouncements, the reality shifted. The body he held suspended in the air dissolved into motes of light.

Beatrice then lightly tapped the wooden spider with her free hand. The puppet twisted its arm deeper into Shin’s chest before elevating him until he faced her directly, its wooden limb still lodged within him.

Sensing the encroaching defeat, Shin swung his arm outward in a motion mimicking a sword draw. A crescent-shaped wind slash, seemingly imbued with enough force to rend flesh, hurtled towards Beatrice.

But before it could reach her, she flung an array disk. In the ensuing second, a human-shaped wooden puppet materialized before her, its vacant eyes staring forward. It raised an arm, interposing its body to absorb the attack meant for Beatrice.

Shizzzle!

The puppet was repelled but managed to arrest its backward momentum before it could reach Beatrice, exhibiting a fierce loyalty that bordered on self-sacrifice. Both its arms, used to deflect the assault, were now mangled beyond recognition.

Then, a new pair of arms erupted from its sides, moving upward. The joints connecting the ravaged limbs retracted, replaced by the fresh ones, as if the puppet had suffered no impairment.

Observing this, a flicker of fear crossed Shin’s face. He could not comprehend the spectacle unfolding before him. Suddenly, the puppet manifested a sword forged from Qi and charged. By the time it passed through him, the only sensation Shin perceived was the world tilting unnaturally.

‘Wait… is that me? Why am I witnessing my own body?’ These thoughts raced through his mind. He soon grasped the reality: he had just been vanquished by an ordinary puppet.

His body began to disintegrate, albeit at a decelerated pace.

Beatrice turned to observe Brandon, only to find his gaze directed elsewhere. Kenta Mori, his supposed opponent, was nowhere in sight, indicating he had already been dealt with.

It wasn’t that she doubted Brandon’s capabilities; rather, Lucas’s combat prowess seemed to be escalating at a pace she struggled to follow. Brandon and Arthur were also observing the battle from a considerable distance.

At this juncture, all eyes were riveted on the climactic confrontation unfolding before them. Even within the VIP section, many observers were taken aback by the unfolding events.

A far more evenly matched contest had been anticipated. However, from the commencement of the engagement, the dynamics shifted dramatically, particularly after the initial elimination.

The conflict appeared to be escalating toward a pivotal stage. Nevertheless, Progenitor Takeda seemed unfazed, almost as if he tacitly permitted his avatars to be defeated, having refrained from intervening thus far.

Meanwhile, Titan effortlessly swung his maces, deftly evading counterattacks from both the Wind Takeda and the Earth Takeda.

Wind Takeda’s assaults were characterized by their velocity, his elemental affinity amplifying not only his movement speed but every facet of his combat – including the swiftness of his attacks. Yet, inexplicably, upon approaching Titan, his speed seemed to diminish perceptibly.

It was akin to being caught in a temporal stasis, devoid of any visible frost. He launched his assault with a straightforward horizontal cut aimed at Titan’s midsection, his objective unequivocal: to sever deep enough to expose Titan’s core.

However, as often happens, outcomes diverged from the intended plan. While Wind Takeda pursued his strategy, Titan harbored his own. As the blade descended, Titan contorted his body, grasping the mace in his right hand with an inverted grip, employing it to parry the incoming strike.

A piercing shriek ensued as the blade met the mace. Nevertheless, Titan’s maneuver did not conclude there. He pressed forward with sheer brute force, preventing the blade from advancing further while simultaneously repositioning himself to bypass Wind Takeda completely.

By the time he had moved past, Titan had inadvertently positioned himself directly between the two Takeda avatars. This coincided precisely with the moment the Earth Takeda brought his greatsword down in a powerful cleave, having already shed his previously conjured earth axe.