Chapter 152: Puppet Army (1)

Words : 1023 Updated : Oct 4th, 2025

Chapter 152: Puppet Army (1) Just before the clash between the fifty heavenly knights and forty-nine of Xu Tao’s army, all of the Qi Transmission Threads had reached everyone. "This is...!" The first to react was the one who’s most conscious of such a technique—Zetian. "My Emperor... I can feel his thoughts flowing inside me~!" The images Xu Tao relayed—her positioning, the formations she should use, and how to set them—were conveyed with great attention to detail. It was to the point that Zetian spasmed, feeling "good" from receiving Xu Tao’s commands. "Sir Tao..." Jehanne was next to realize the orders she received. "I’ll meet your expectations, for sure!" As the one with the highest STR and DEX stats among everyone else, Jehanne was the one to rush forward as the vanguard. Her spear spun around like a ferris wheel gone rogue before slapping toward the lead knight’s chest. "HAAP!" CLANG! But just as she had expected beforehand, her strike was blocked by two spears coming from either side of the one she attacked. "Their teamwork is too solid. It’d be hard to hit them if we just move one by one!" Jehanne grumbled as her lips curled into a frown... before rising into a confident smile. "Exactly as Sir Tao’s vision showed!" From either side of Jehanne, two shadows emerged. "Take this!" "Try and block my spear!" Arthur and Achilles, waving their weapons, struck the same target Jehanne had tried to hit. It seemed surprised by the two’s sudden appearance and quickly moved its sword to block but... one blade couldn’t catch two weapons coming from completely different directions. By proximity, it only blocked the one coming from its right—Arthur. "Eat shit!" Achilles growled as he stabbed his spear forward, pouring all his strength into the thrust. Without a spear, sword, or shield to block his attack, the tip went straight through the enemy’s armor, opening a large "wound" across its side. From it, golden light trickled out like blood streaming from a wound. Of course, their actions didn’t end there. They continued with another swing at the wounded knight, landing two more hits simultaneously, breaking its body in a flash. CRACK! The knight’s armor fractured before dissolving into light particles. Everyone quickly moved back a few steps, watching the enemy’s "corpse." The ones on the third trial had regenerated endlessly after all. They were praying this wasn’t the case while still wary if it was. Thankfully, the dead knight turned to light and evaporated into thin air, leaving nothing behind. "I see... They don’t revive infinitely this time." Xu Tao nodded, smiling. "Then, we can finish this way faster than initially expected!" Within moments, he modified the next command he sent. Of course, there were differences between each command. After all, everyone had their own abilities, strengths, and weaknesses—most of which Xu Tao had no idea about. Only the half who were with him during the third floor, showing their skills, were able to receive specific instructions on how to position themselves. The rest only got vague images like "Move here," or "Attack at this moment, this point." He couldn’t do anything about that since it wasn’t like he had a grasp of everyone’s abilities. They were practically strangers to him after all. But with his great battle sense and insight, the fight proceeded as he expected. Zetian stood near the back, activating formations that hindered enemy movements or gave buffs to allies. She kept a wide field of view, able to support anyone anywhere at the drop of a hat. Jehanne, Arthur, and Achilles stood at the frontline. The three of them together were like a solid wall no enemy knights could break through. No, they weren’t like a wall, but more accurately, a battering ram! They cut through the enemy’s formation, breaking any knight who lost backup from the others nearby! Behind the three, Jehanne’s five soldiers followed. On the opposite side, the five outer disciples. These two groups ensured that Jehanne’s trio didn’t get surrounded and could display their strength without worry. Further behind them, following in a wavy, serrated line, were the rest. They moved left and right, handling the knights distracted by the thirteen who went past their defenses. Adding the variability of the flying knights, their teamwork was no joke. But under Xu Tao’s lead, dissecting the flaws in their formation was as easy as breathing. They were deprived of their strengths, while their weaknesses were left open, allowing Jehanne and the rest to sweep through them like a Sunday cleanup drive. "Ugh! Too... strong...!" "I-I need to fall back...!" Of course, not everyone was successful. Some couldn’t follow Xu Tao’s instructions accurate to the inches, or their abilities were too far from what they were asked to do, leading to subpar performance. Some had to take a step back, getting injured by the knights’ counterattacks. "Hmm..." But Xu Tao didn’t let them close the gap. The openings those who failed created were quickly filled by others, keeping their formation solid and safe. Then, Xu Tao raised his gaze, seeing arrows flying in a high arc aiming for him. "Oh? They figured it out." The archer-knights were unable to hit anyone within the group. Zetian’s formations repelled the incoming arrows, after all. But Xu Tao, standing far back, had no defenses. Furthermore, he was too far for Zetian’s formation to take effect. "But still, too naïve." Xu Tao waved his hand, causing the arrows to fall prematurely, landing at his feet. "Who told you that you can attack me? I didn’t give you permission to do that. Focus on the battle before you instead!" He stomped his feet, causing the ground to vibrate. The next moment, earth pillars rose from beneath the archer-type’s feet, sending them flying into the air. "Haaap!" Jehanne, alerted to what Xu Tao was about to do, jumped into the air, spinning her spear, and slapped each archer down, crashing them toward the coliseum walls. BOOM! Large clouds of dust rose, the impact enough to crack their armors. "Five down!" Jehanne spat. "Just a little over twenty more to go!"

Chapter 152: Puppet Army (1)

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