Clayman paced in his workshop, the walls adorned with treasures that would have impressed any other puppet master, but none of it mattered now.
Before him lay the remains of an ancient armor he had retrieved from Veldora's cave, carefully placed on an ornate table. His cold, calculating eyes traced the worn, broken metal.
"This is it," he muttered, a deranged gleam flickering in his gaze. "With this... I will control the very thing that will kill Rimuru."
He had already started diverting the vast resources of the Puppet Nation, using the nation's wealth without his comrades' knowledge. They wouldn't approve of him using their shared riches for his personal revenge—but they didn't need to know. This was his mission, his revenge.
Without hesitation, Clayman poured the nation's wealth into his project—gold, magic crystals, rare minerals, and priceless artifacts. One-third of the nation's resources were poured into it, all without anyone realizing the extent of his madness.
Weeks passed as Clayman meticulously worked to restore the ancient armor. It was a slow, grueling process, requiring intricate magical reinforcement, infusions of rare elemental stones, and the sacrifice of magicule-infused items so rare that even the wealthiest empire would hesitate to use them so recklessly.
With his skill as a puppet master, Clayman crafted 35 new puppet bodies. He melted the armor down and used it as a core for each puppet. But every time he tried, the result was the same—failure. The armor's magic output was too high, shattering each puppet he placed it in.
Each time, Clayman infused the core with more resources and more magic, desperately trying to awaken the dormant power elemental inside it. Yet the puppets continued to crumble, their broken remains littering his workshop floor.
"Over six million Dwarven Gold Coins… more than Falmuth's annual tax revenue," Clayman hissed. "And still… nothing."
The sight of the 35 destroyed puppets gnawed at him, along with the fortune he had squandered. His madness had cost him dearly—wealth, time, precious resources, all for this one gamble.
But Clayman wasn't one to stop before victory. Not when he was so close.
He took a deep breath, preparing for his final move. He had realized the problem—it wasn't the puppets. The elemental within the core was sentient, of extraordinary power, and it had to be tamed first.
His hands trembled as he used his unique skill art, Marionette. With it, he could forcibly control the bodies of his subordinates.
Now, he was using it on the elemental itself, wresting control over its consciousness, binding it, making it a puppet of his will.
The struggle was immense, but Clayman was nothing if not determined. This would be his masterpiece.
[Unique Skill: Determination acquired]
To his surprise, a new unique skill emerged within him. With it, the process became smoother. The elemental was finally subdued, completely under his control.
Grinning maniacally, Clayman began work on the 36th puppet body. This one was different—it shimmered with an unnatural glow, brimming with the elemental's power.
The broken pieces of the ancient armor were fused into the new puppet body, valuable materials woven into its core. Intricate magical seals were inscribed into every fiber of its construct.
Finally, it happened.
The puppet's eyes flickered red, then slowly turned blue. It stirred to life, the room bathed in an ethereal light. Its glow was so intense that the entire workshop lit up, shining in the darkness. Clayman forced the puppet to kneel before him—and it did.
In the meantime, miles away in Tempest, Milim was in the hot springs, injoying her bath. Suddenly she changing into her Demon Lord uniform, she prepared to leave because her unique skill, 'Milim's Ear', alerted her to Clayman's success.
"He's done it," she muttered to herself, taking off into the sky, her eyes gleaming with interest.
******
MC POV
'Hello, master,' I heard Nova's voice the moment I woke up. It felt like mere hours had passed for me, and the memory of being destroyed by Guy still felt fresh.
"Hello, Nova. Can you tell me what has happened?" I asked, using Magic Sense.
To my shock, I found myself staring at the ugliest elf I'd ever seen—Clayman. He had transformed me into a magic core and trapped me inside a puppet. He had placed control spells on the puppet, but they were child's play to break.
Clayman's expression twisted with fury as the puppet broke down, and I feel happy seeing him like this and started to break each of his puppet.
His face was something else, and I was really enjoying it, but I soon regretted it when that bastard somehow awakened a unique skill.
"What the hell? How can he have three unique skills? He's just a minor villain!" I shouted, feeling my body truly being controlled this time.
"I warned you not to play with him," Nova's voice echoed, making my expression change. It wasn't entirely my fault—yes, he warned me, but still, how could Clayman control me, someone more powerful than him?
[Don't worry, I'll analyze it, and we can break free in a day. But if we're being controlled, why not take advantage of it?] Nova's suggestion made me understand his plan, and I smiled. It looked like he was on the brink of evolving into a Manas. The only thing holding him back was that he was just a unique skill for now.
"Let's play along then," I smirked, curious to see what Clayman would do next.
*****************
MC power's
Name: None
Danger Level:Calamity-class
Rank: Special-A Rank
Existence value: 340,700
Race: Elemental puppet
Puppet body: Legend-grade
Description: Strongest legend grade weapon evolved from unique grade after getting exposed to highly concentrated magicules for many years and evolving into a new metal. Equipment of this grade is so powerful that "owning one is akin to bringing a machine gun to a sword-fight."
Mana's: None
Ultimate skill : None
Unique skills
1.Master Analyst (name: Nova )
[ contain data of 4 unique skill { lust (12%), unlimited infinite prison (45%), Absolute End(2.345%), scientist(78%) } ]
Note: Having data on four unique skills does not mean the MC can use them. This data can only be used to overpower the skills or assist in the creation of new skills. The MC does not possess the ability to copy any skill he encounters and use it better than the original user. Unique skills can only be possessed by a single person at a time. The same rule applies to ultimate skills, with exceptions only if:Someone shares the skill or you have cheat like Ciel.
2.Magician: Allow the user to control all 5 forms of magic. Gained after thousands of years of observing this magic.
Fire Magic,Water Magic, Earth Magic,Wind Magic, Space Magic can be use at there full power.
Extra skills
1.Spatial Motion
2.Tolerances
3.Abnormal Condition Nullification (new)
4.Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance (new)
5.Natural Effects Nullification (new)
6.Physical Attack Nullification (new)
7.Spiritual Attack Nullification (new)
8.Spatial sensitivity (new)
9.Spatial Domination
10.Fire Resistance => All magic Resistance
11. Presence Detection
12.Multilayer Barrier
13.Heavy Armor Plating
14.Strength Body
15. Mana Sensitivity
16.Steel Strength
17. magic sense (new)
Common skills: None (all evolved to extra or absorb by Nova)
Intrinsic skills
1.Material Creation
2.Possession
3.Magic Resistance
Strongest Attack: Trinity Disintegration, Melt Slash and disintegration.