Chapter 161: A Tide of Puppets

Dead silence.

Over a hundred pairs of Saran’s eyes watched Ron and the others in confusion. There was no fear, no shock, no despair—not even anger.

It was as if they already knew this would happen, showing no surprise at their own "resurrection."

’This shouldn’t be happening!’

"No need to be so mysterious. We have a pretty good idea of who you are," Ron said, looking at... just any random "Ming Datiss." "I’m just a little curious. So, was there never a real Ming Datiss to begin with? Was he always just your puppet?"

"No, no, no," Saran laughed smugly. "Ming Datiss was a descendant of the Laine Clan. Years ago, he went to Green Swamp Town and found the hope for reviving the Hailan Empire there—which is to say, me."

"I had originally planned to absorb him into my grand army at the very end. But unfortunately, you killed him ahead of schedule, forcing me to take over this body sooner."

"The end? Sooner?" The Shadow Spirit looked around, bewildered by the Sarans on all sides. "What are you talking about, cousin? I thought you wanted to restore the Hailan Empire..."

"Ah, I know you. Yelena, correct? You’re a descendant of the Von Richthofen Clan," Baron Saran Lane said, nodding at her. "Ming Datiss mentioned you to me several times back when he was still ’truly’ alive. You decided to follow me after hearing him retell my story, didn’t you?"

"Your loyalty will be rewarded. However, you should have reported to me before bringing outsiders here," Saran Lane said, his gaze converging on Shadow Spirit Yelena. "If you had..."

"I might have considered letting you enjoy a free and powerful life for a while first."

"No, you can’t do this!" Yelena cried. Seeing all these Ming Datiss bodies, how could she not understand what he meant by "enjoy for a while"? "You’re supposed to be restoring the empire, to be—"

"I don’t need you to tell me what to do!" Saran Lane’s expression turned cold. "You’re just like Ming Datiss, and just like those Elves in Green Swamp Town: self-righteous and always pushing your luck!"

"I am the wisest one! You should all obey my instructions and carry out all my commands exactly as I intend!"

"So..." all the ’Ming Datiss’ bodies in the cave sneered in unison, "why not just get rid of their individual selves and use more efficient puppets instead?"

"The abilities of the individual can be completely sacrificed, while the interests of the collective will be preserved and further expanded!"

"Look around you! Tell me, which of the surrounding city-states can resist ’my’ army?! Once I expand my scale further, it won’t just be armies—merchants, craftsmen, farmers, and commoners can all be eliminated! The reason the Hailan Empire fell was its system and its policies. It was divided into different classes and strata, and the conflicts between them sharpened and worsened rapidly over three hundred years until they became irreconcilable!"

"But in my kingdom, there will be only two types of people: me, and the servants who belong to me, body and soul!"

It had to be said, when so many people spoke in unison, regardless of whether they were right or wrong, the sheer momentum was immense. Here, however, was someone who wasn’t buying it.

"So, this is your reason for colluding with Elemental Creatures? To have them help you control everyone else?" Devin Booker tightened his grip on his trident. "Do you have any idea what the consequences will be?"

"Tch, a Fishman," Saran said, looking at him with disdain. "So many years have passed, and you people still haven’t left?"

"You and your companions have caused me so much trouble! My ritual was disrupted, and I even lost my stone tablet and the Gemstones on it! One of them even fell into the Elemental Plane—your crimes are unforgivable!"

"You deserve to die!"

As the host of "Ming Datiss" bodies roared in unison, the Elf puppets swarmed toward the Paladin, Ron, and the others.

In this environment, Ron subconsciously took out the Lightning Gemstone.

"Are you trying to use my own Magic against me?" The Ming Datiss bodies that charged at Ron, only to be blocked by Sera and Aive, burst into laughter. "Don’t you know that I am their true master?"

"Return!"

"No!" Delaford cried out in alarm. Not only did the Lightning Gemstone fly from Ron’s hand, but even the Strong Acid Gemstone in his own pocket shot out in response, returning to Saran’s grasp.

From Devin Booker’s person, an ice-blue Gemstone also rose up, joining a fiery red Gemstone thrown by some unknown Ming Datiss as they both ascended into mid-air.

"A mere three Gemstones, and one of them was even snatched away by that Water Elemental Giant Spirit," the Ming Datiss bodies said, their expressions turning ugly. "You mean you only found this many?!"

"How dare you challenge me! Why didn’t you wait until you had found them all?!"

"Find them all just to hand them over to you?" Aive retorted, cutting down a Ming Datiss. Though these things were more agile and swift than the "Wilsons," they couldn’t use Magic or tricks, so they weren’t particularly troublesome.

If she had to name one problem, it was that there were just too many of them!

Meanwhile, the furnace that had previously stopped whirred back to life, and more Ming Datiss, Wilsons, and even Spikes swarmed out, wave after wave, to encircle and annihilate Ron and his group.

BOOM—

The Fireball Magic in Ron’s hand exploded in the crowd, but it did nothing to halt the enemy’s advance.

"This isn’t stopping them at all! Hey, Evil Mage, can you stop hiding already? Where’s your Sect Leader? Get his ass down here so we can beat him up!"

"Are you stupid?! He’s my Sect Leader! You think I can just summon him whenever I want?!"

Shadow Spirit Yelena had originally planned not to help either side and just slip away. The Elf she was supposed to call cousin had broken her heart, and she wasn’t on the same side as Ron and the others to begin with.

But Saran clearly had no intention of letting this convenient younger cousin, who had delivered herself to his doorstep, get away. The puppets didn’t bypass her at all, instead making the Shadow Spirit a target of their attack as well!

"All of you, break out!" Devin Booker, the Paladin, was holding back the most puppets by himself. But he was already wounded, and the previous battle had left him exhausted. Besieged by a flood of puppets, his body was covered in new puncture wounds in the blink of an eye.

"Remember to take the land-dwellers with you!"

"What about you?!" Sera, unwilling to let some fish-headed guy steal the spotlight, fought desperately to reach Devin Booker and relieve some of the pressure on him. "You have to come with us! Don’t even think about playing the hero in front of me!"