Chapter 1277: Duel with the Puppet

Chapter 1277: Duel with the Puppet

Upon hearing Lin Nuo’s voice, Su Kexin and Luo Xiaoxue momentarily froze, then quickly glanced around, sensing the sound reverberating from all directions.

Yet the figure across from them, resembling Lin Nuo, hadn’t moved a muscle. Was this ventriloquism?

Then it hit them—could it be an auditory hallucination?

“Is it… you? Are you mimicking the voice of Knight Lin? Or making us hear things?!”

Luo Xiaoxue was fuming, feeling mocked by the deception using Knight Lin’s voice—such a thing was utterly unforgivable!

The Sacred Light intensified, shining brilliantly, truly resembling the embodiment of a heavenly deity, overpowering all.

This left Lin Nuo with a headache.

So, did you hear or not? If you did, why are you so furious? Who could possibly forge his voice to such an extent?

“You can hear me? Listen, there’s no time to explain. I’m currently hiding in this demon body, so don’t go attacking mindlessly. This isn’t a forgery—do you have any faith in me? What loyalty are you talking about?”

Lin Nuo quickly added, don’t scatter your light around—you’re going to blind my handsome eyes!

“It really does sound like Senior Brother’s voice, with a similar tone…”

Fury slowly simmered down in Su Kexin; right, she had to trust her senior brother.

However, the puppet Lin Nuo, bound by the original Lin Nuo’s will, had just aimed to strike but suddenly found himself unable to move, as if being pulled by Lin Nuo’s invisible tether.

“Luckily I can still keep him steady. The Handa Alliance army is closing in, don’t provoke them. You two, get out—now—quickly.”

Lin Nuo’s words echoed in their ears, and while they were still bewildered, if Lin Nuo really was hiding in this demon form, didn’t that mean they were at odds with Lin Nuo himself?

That would be a disaster.

“We… um… Senior Brother, take care…”

Su Kexin’s explosive state faded, and the golden light around Luo Xiaoxue dissipated too. Taking advantage of the army not yet pressing in, the two swiftly made their escape.

Soon after, the Handa Alliance troops arrived, seeing the puppet Lin Nuo standing still, confused.

“What’s wrong with you? You suddenly left the ranks without reporting—I’ve been ordered to keep an eye on you. If this continues, do you believe I won’t tell the lord and have you imprisoned?”

The leading Magic General rushed over, blade in hand, scolding and threatening the puppet Lin Nuo, who remained unresponsive, still acting as he pleased, ignoring the general.

The Magic General could only keep yelling; in true combat, he’d just be a little brother.

The Demon Realm’s Handa Alliance army pressed forward, but the Sacred Realm began to fight back, leading to fierce combat with heavy casualties on both sides. Eventually, the Demon Realm’s Handa Alliance had to retreat, ceasing their advance and plotting their next move.

However, the Handa Alliance had gained a substantial amount of resources from the Sacred Realm during this war, and they planned to further enhance the puppet Lin Nuo.

They had polluted the occupied Sacred Altar, injecting it with massive amounts of Demon Soul Power, which had now turned into a Demon Altar.

Though valiant in battle, the puppet Lin Nuo sometimes acted too independently, ignoring commands, which was not favorable for the Demon Realm’s Handa Alliance.

In response, they needed to re-examine this puppet and investigate the source of the problem.

As the master responsible for enhancing demons, Han Lu would personally oversee this enhancement ritual.

The puppet Lin Nuo followed orders, standing on the designated Demon Array as numerous glowing circles surrounded him, signaling that the detection spell had taken effect.

Then, he made an unexpected discovery.

It seemed there existed a disruptive power within the puppet, hidden quite deep—they suspected this power was interfering with the puppet.

Could it be?

“Hehe, I was really careless. I thought he had completely fallen. Who knew he still retained a trace of power? It seems that if I forcefully destroy this power, I’d also be eliminating him entirely. No worries, even if it clings on, it’s merely delaying the inevitable.”

Han Lu felt quite confident; next, he would completely engulf this resisting power using the Demon Altar for a thorough cleansing, ensuring the puppet became utterly devoid of self-awareness.

“Lin Nuo, has your consciousness not been sealed yet? Then it’s time for complete annihilation.”

Han Lu raised his hands, several gray wraith flames floating in the air before descending onto the puppet Lin Nuo.

As the Demon Altar shone brightly, the magic circle continued to encircle him, his power grew even stronger.

Lin Nuo’s original consciousness felt an intense sense of crisis, sensing disaster was imminent.

He had relied on his steadfast will to control this puppet’s consciousness, but now it felt increasingly difficult to do so.

He even sensed a risk of backlash.

The power of this Demon Altar was indeed formidable.

At this moment, Lin Nuo’s consciousness shifted to a desolate ruin, littered with bones, the sky a blood-red hue, shrouded in an eerie gloom.

No one was in sight; this was his inner world, and now it was filled with piercing sounds, like the wails of tormented souls.

Lin Nuo stood against a stone wall while a man resembling him approached rapidly.

The man wore an expressionless face, devoid of emotion, blood staining his hands, with the screeching sounds emanating from him, as if thousands of tortured souls were crying out from his slaughter.

Lin Nuo understood what was happening—this was his inner realm. If he was slain here, his soul would utterly perish, leading to the puppet consciousness fully controlling this body.

Did he have any weapons?

Yes, there was the purple dragon-patterned Magic Sword and his battle cloak.

After a long time, he donned this set of gear once more.

Recalling those days when someone invaded his dreams or inner world, he had looked like this; he almost forgot how majestic he once appeared.

The enemy carried a strong murderous aura, stifling and oppressive, while thousands of wailing souls swirled around him like a devil from hell.

At this moment, he dashed toward Lin Nuo, swinging a several-meter-long Magic Sword. Lin Nuo did not dodge but charged forward, clashing swords, unleashing powerful energy.

He could be killed, but his will could not be consumed—no one could destroy him within his inner world, and this puppet couldn’t either.

The puppet, reinforced by the power of the Demon Altar and Magic Array, grew stronger with each strike—any blow he couldn’t evade could mean death, and the puppet had combat experience rivaling Lin Nuo’s, flowing like water without flaws.

The two clashed swords for dozens of rounds without a clear victor. Yet, as the puppet grew stronger, Lin Nuo found himself slowly at a disadvantage.

However, Lin Nuo was not panicked; he retreated to another stone wall and smirked coldly at the puppet.

Next, he was determined to use all his hidden techniques and unleash a long-coveted move.