Date: Unspecified Time: Unspecified Location: Myriad Realms, Lil. Red Storm, Seed World, Trophy Section, Duel Realm, Crafting Sector, Venue: Chaos Dwarven Forge.
When the Armixian's corpse puppet intensified its electric shroud to counter Moon's Avalanche, the audience braced themselves for yet another explosive spectacle. Many assumed the avalanche would be obliterated entirely by explosion, leaving the Armixian's corpse puppet free to use its lightning speed and attacks to overwhelm the Armored corpse puppet.
But what followed wasn't an explosion. Instead of the expected deafening blast, the arena resonated with deep, rumbling thunder. The melted snow from the avalanche, which had evaporated under the intense heat of the electric shroud, morphed into thick, dark clouds that coiled around the Armixian's corpse puppet.
The crowd gasped as flashes of light flickered ominously within the newly formed storm. Moments later, the clouds unleashed a barrage of lightning strikes, each bolt crashing down on the Armixian's corpse puppet, which now served as a convenient lightning rod.
"Interesting," Wyatt murmured, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the battlefield. The arena was now a chaotic blend of glacier webs, swirling snow, dark storm clouds, and relentless lightning strikes. It was a masterclass in strategic adaptation.
Moon had anticipated her opponent's move. Clearly, she was thinking two steps ahead of her opponent. When the Armixian's Spiritual Spark disintegrated the avalanche into hydrogen and oxygen gases, Moon acted swiftly. She commanded her corpse puppet to channel Spiritual Snow, freezing the gases back into storm clouds. The electric charge from the Armixian's spiritual sparks then created an imbalance in ion concentration within the clouds, completing the setup. The Armixian's corpse puppet, being the easiest conduit for the electrical discharge, was struck repeatedly by the very lightning it had inadvertently summoned.
The crowd erupted in cheers and murmurs, both impressed and stunned by the ingenuity of Moon's tactics. The thundering bolts illuminated the arena in rapid bursts, each strike intensifying the tension of the match.
Inside the storm, the Armixian's corpse puppet slowly began to disingrated into ash under the continuous lightning strikes. The Armixian watched in dumbfoundment, making it evident that even the devil merchant hadn't anticipated this twist. No, not the storm clouds and lightning strike, but the durability of the corpse puppet it was using. "What's going on? Why is the corpse puppet falling apart after just a dozen lightning strikes?"
"Yeah, what gives? The Armixian is a devil merchant! With the amount of spiritual power he has, his corpse puppet should've been able to tank those strikes easily."
"It's not the Armixian's fault. The corpse puppet just couldn't handle the sheer amount of spiritual energy needed to defend against all those lightning strikes. Eventually, it burned out—and, well, you saw the result."
"Does that mean the corpse puppet was defective? I didn't expect this from something crafted by a chaos dwarf."
"No, it's not the crafter's fault. Honestly, the Frosling species isn't really cut out to be turned into corpse puppets. From what I can tell, that corpse puppet was probably top-notch for something in the Demon Emperor realm."
"But look at the unknown demon merchant's Frosling corpse puppet! It's standing tall like a champ. It could probably destroy a dozen of the other guy's corpse puppets."
"Well, they took completely different approaches when refining their puppets. You can't just compare them like that. But, if we're being fair, this is a crafting duel, and it seems like the chaos dwarf might've made a poor choice."
"Oh, please. Chaos dwarfs are so overrated. This duel is proof enough of that. The unknown demon merchant clearly had the foresight of a true crafter. They both knew what their puppets would face in this duel. If the chaos dwarves are as great at crafting as everyone claims, that unnamed chaos dwarf should've built their puppet to handle this better."
"I'm with you. These people have been talking out of their asses from the start. First, they trashed the unknown demon merchant for using some approach they didn't understand. But now that they've seen the results, they're practically drooling over it. The truth is staring them in the face, but they're too jealous to admit it. Honestly, I don't know about the whole chaos dwarven race, but that particular chaos dwarf? Clearly doesn't have a clue what they're doing if this is the best it can craft."
Moon's lips curved into a small, sealing her victory, her confidence bolstered by the success and she could not wait to wipe the floor with Bigold's next champion.
"You're lucky, kid. You chose the right Master Crafter. Make sure he's the right one for you," the Armixian devil merchant remarked, his voice carrying a hint of approval as he turned to leave the arena.
Moon frowned, tilting her head in puzzlement. Who even is this guy? She didn't recognize him, yet he spoke as if they were old acquaintances close enough to offer unsolicited advice. Still, his words struck a chord. She understood the weight behind them. Tools were an essential part of any warrior's strength, and the person crafting those tools needed to be more than just skilled—they had to be dependable in both ability and character.
Moon sighed softly and shook her head, brushing the thought aside as she refocused on the duel. She waited for her next opponent, her gaze fixed on the arena entrance.
When her next challenger finally stepped onto the battlefield, her eyes widened in shock. A bare-chested elder chaos dwarf with a thick, gray beard and matching hair strode confidently into the arena. His imposing figure radiated power and authority, leaving her momentarily speechless.
The stunned silence wasn't hers alone. The entire colosseum fell quiet as the audience and judges alike gaped at the newcomer. The judges, who had been grumbling about contestants prematurely declaring victory, froze mid-complaint.
An elder chaos dwarf even in the higher devil ranks were unmatched. They were known for their overwhelming power and had fearsome reputation in crafting and battleground alike. The stood among the strongest crafters and warriors.
Moon swallowed hard, her confidence shaken as she prepared to face this unexpected challenger.