Chereads / The Marionette’s Puppeteer / Chapter 21 - Chapter 20: Three bandits vs. Marry and Mareine: The rise of the king of diamond

Chapter 21 - Chapter 20: Three bandits vs. Marry and Mareine: The rise of the king of diamond

In the midst of a battle, there was another subordinate watching afar and she was about to cast a spell to finish the job more easily.

"Ultra Fireball!"

The presence of a big ball of concentrated magic of flame took the radar of Marry, who was currently in the verge of danger with Mareine.

"M-Mareine-san! I detected magic coming at our place!" She shouted to Mareine, very panicked.

"...!!"

Without doubting, Marry as well as Mareine moved fastly away from the place they were in.

The fireball landed on that place and they were safe.

Next, a clapping sound can be heard followed by a girl who showed herself.

"To think you could detect that ultimate skill, that's very impressive of you."

Now, it's three versus two. A young girl joined the battlefield.

"W-Who are the three of you!?" As they try to regain their energy, Marry asks them.

"The three of us? We're just bandits." Staz, the one who had a bigger body among them answered her question.

'They don't seem to be bandits. It is more likely they're concealing their group. I think it is a group where they hunt adventurers.'— Marry and Mareine have the same thought.

Bandits usually aren't that powerful.

"Hehe, I really like to play with you two since we are at the same age, but, that's a pity but, we should kill you two." The girl who cast the flame magic spoked to them.

Mareine and Marry glanced at each other to see each of their complexions. They weren't good. They are in a bad state and even in a big disadvantage.

"Staz, go take care of them hmm?" 

"Even if you won't ask, I still will kill them."

Then, on Mareine's back, a small circle appeared and a sword came out of it. Fortunately, it didn't pass through her 1st barrier although the second one broke in an instant.

'This is bad. If the barrier broke, my Aura would come out and I could also be damaged at any time!' Mareine was cautious.

"Oh? Did my sword miss it? Well, next time it won't." Staz said as he stride towards them while swinging her sword as if he was stretching the muscles in his arm.

The next target was Marry, who is likely defenseless.

Staz ran towards her in pursuit as his sword pointed at her.

"Death Smash!"

Marry showed one of the cards she hid in her hand.

"High Cards on!"

Five poker cards appeared on Marry's back and the cards were glowing.

Staz who swung his sword at her was being stopped by a shield.

!!!

The girl who was spectating, saw the sword of Staz being blocked by a barrier, so she cast a skill that could make the sword break through the barrier of the card shark.

"Sword Enhancement: Fire Vengeance!"

Because of that, Marry's barrier broke like a glass in a second.

The fight continues and Marry has no moves other than to invade the sword or block it with her cards.

"You're making my task harder huh? This is it! Smash King, Ares!"

His sword glowed into a golden yellow light as it headed to Marry.

Looking at it with sharp eyes, Marry jumped and shouted.

"STRAIGHT FLUSH—!!"

An intense battle. A card vs. a sword, sword has the highest durability, so the sword will most likely be the winner, but the result was overestimated.

The sword that Staz was holding broke into half by just a card.

The two people who were watching Staz had their jaws dropped in surprise at what they saw.

'T-That is impossible!!'

In fact, even Marry was surprised to see. She cannot believe what just happened.

Mareine slowly walks towards them.

"Ara? I hope you didn't forget me?"

"M-Mareine..?!"

"Hm, yes?"

Staz's brows knitted as he moved backwards.

"You shit, what did you do?"

"Me? Oh, nothing really I just enhance Marry's magic like that small girl watching us." She replied while pointing  her index finger to the small girl.

'Magic Enchant: Peace Assault'— Mareine used this skill right after Marry casted 'Straight Flush', she casted it on both Marry and her cards.

"Hehe, do not also forget us! We'll join you, Staz!" The girl, together with the other man, joined in.

'A mistake. I dig my own grave.' Mareine's purpose was just to let them be scared a bit, back out then she and Marry can run via Pegasus, but it fails.

"T-thanks M-Mareine-san but.... It feels like we are at loss.." Marry whispered to her.

"Do not worry. The two of you already were at a loss the moment we arrived in this place." The man Marry fought also made a comment while stepping in.

Marry looked at Mareine, she was making a plan, but nothing seemed to come into her mind.

'W-we are g-gonna d-die...?!'

But, Mareine doesn't seem to surrender.

"Marry, you said you have many cards hidden right? Then show it to them."

Marry's brain suddenly tingled as she remembered something. 'Yes, that's right. I'm a card shark, a joker! I have many cards hidden up inside my sleeve!'—She concluded then nodded her head at Mareine.

"Yes! Mareine-san, we can do it!"

"Well, let's just try!"

The three of their enemies were looking at them talking; they were ready to attack.

"That is a good thing to see you both have the courage despite knowing that you will lose at the end." The girl said, feeling sympathetic to them. "Zanen."

"ARISE! ARES!" 

Staz called forth, and the area all of them standing changed into a plain area with walls that prevented all of them escaping.

"Ultra Fire Bomb!" 

The girl muttered and five magic circles showed up on the ground Marry and Mareine was standing and the moment it showed up, Boom! Bom!— Explosion happened.

"Joker's Bluff!!"

Marry was the first to notice the magic circles on the ground so she was the first to react. 

Mareine on the other hand got caught off the explosion.

"Peace Alleviation!" 

Mareine shouted, the magic residue that got inside her barrier disappeared. And because of the explosion, her Barrier Shield broke, causing some poison magic remnants to cling on her skin and later on it disappeared because of the Peace Alleviation.

"M-Mareine-san a-are you oka—!!

All two layers of Mareine's barrier broke and the two auras that she hid in her Barrier Shield came out. She was bruised because she has no regeneration skill nor a heal.

"A demon's aura!" 

Staz was first to say.

"N-no way! A demon in a kid's body?!" The other man added.

Her Aura from Lucifer was a tremendous one. It can put pressure on anyone or anything in her surroundings.

"That explosion— it hurts you know?" Mareine said to them as she touched the bruises all over her body.

She was angry, not because she wanted to, but because her skill 'Puppeteer's Anger' got activated. And this made her aura to be more pressuring.

"Full House!"— Even Marry, the closer one, couldn't get hold of it. That's why she casted a pure barrier and jumped to the walls, the corner of the area of Ares.

"Interesting." The man Marry fought stepped forward to face Mareine.

He pulled the two small swords from his pocket and swiftly made an attack on Mareine.

"Take this! Swirling Swords!"

He swung and swung his sword at a fast pace, but all of it was invaded by Mareine.

"Your cute sword is annoying mister." Mareine mumbled then— Clank!— A sword appeared in front of Mareine.

"Hoh? You know how to wield sword too?" Staz appeared beside the other man. "Let me join this fight."

The girl was overwhelmed by Mareine's aura so she didn't take a step closer. Then, just by standing there, a magic circle appeared on top of her.

"!!"

"STRAIGHT ROYAL FLUSH!!" From the corner, Marry Shouted. She was in there, riding a floating big card.

The girl managed to jump and moved swiftly when a big card, even bigger than her, fell down from the circle.

"What the —!!

The huge card that fell was a King's card, King of Diamond ♦ The same symbol is engraved on the bottom left eye of Marry.

Soon, the illustration on the huge card moved and then, a king came out of the card.

"T-This is creepy! Staz! Help me here!" The girl yelled towards the next area.

"A moment! We are also in tro—

"Theta Geminorum!!" 

An intense blast radiates the whole area, and the walls from the Ultimate Skill: King of War, (Ares) were starting to crumble. The skill was being dispelled by 'Theta Geminorum' the second phase of the Ultimate skill from the twin dolls.

"W-what!?"

"T-this i-is!"

All their barriers, even the pure barrier Marry just made broke. And the two men who fight with Mareine have no choice but to back off.