CHAPTER 101: MONARCH REALM PUPPET!

A few moments passed, and they finally reached the pavilion. They couldn’t help but feel slightly nervous at the sight—passing this stage would determine whether they could obtain the inheritance of the ancient sect.

However, one person didn’t seem the least bit nervous. After all, his life was basically guaranteed. Without hesitation, he pushed the door open.

The others entered as well. However, their eyes quickly widened in surprise. They were shocked to see that instead of the usual twelve puppets, just one puppet was standing guard over the treasures and orb hovering ahead. They immediately felt that something was wrong.

"Could it be?" Kranos muttered under his breath as he glanced at Kathryn. He had some faint guesses in his heart which he hoped weren’t true. Kathryn shook her head, signaling that she didn’t know the answer.

"What’s there to worry about? Since it’s just one puppet, if we can handle it, we’ll definitely obtain the final key to the trial."

Luka didn’t seem concerned about anything. Seeing the hesitant expressions on the faces of the others, he rushed forward without minding them.

Immediately, he reached the puppet. His sword had appeared in his hand at some point, and without hesitation, he slashed at the puppet. However, just as he did so, the puppet’s eyes glowed slightly with a faint tinge of red. Instantly, the puppet’s hand moved.

Before they could react, the puppet had slashed Luka’s hand apart. The others were shocked and could hardly believe it. However, just as they stared, they realized that Luka’s hand slowly dissolved into wisps of smoke... it was an afterimage!

"Fortunately, I was fast enough. I can’t imagine what I would have done without my hand," Luka’s faint voice resounded.

At some point, he had appeared behind the puppet without it realizing. It was at this moment that the others also realized the true extent of Luka’s speed. They stared at him with wide eyes as though they had seen a ghost.

How can he be fast enough to leave an afterimage? Kranos was similarly stunned. He urgently desired such speed. With such speed, his safety would be almost guaranteed.

However, soon everyone’s thoughts turned to the important matter at hand. In the moment the puppet had attacked, they realized something crucial...

The puppet’s strength was at the Monarch Realm!

Their expressions became unsightly as they stared at the puppet before them. They knew this would be the toughest battle yet. Previously, although they had guessed that it wouldn’t be easy to complete the first trial and enter the main inheritance ground, they hadn’t expected it to be this difficult.

Kranos slowly retreated to the back. He knew this battle wasn’t for him—after all, he was only at the Golden Core Realm, while the others were at the Dao Palace Realm. He knew that if he chose to partake in the battle, he would only be endangering his life, something which Kranos hated doing.

Kevin also realized the puppet’s strength and slowly retreated to the back with Kranos, leaving only Kathryn and Luka to battle the Monarch Realm puppet.

"Ladies first?" Luka stared at Kathryn with a slight smile and said.

He could guess it wasn’t just a coincidence that Kathryn was picking the same treasures as him. Rather, he had come to realize something that puzzled him from the way she looked at him.

She likes me?

At first, he didn’t believe that the elf would like him. However, recalling all that she had done since coming here—how she saved him and so on—he had no choice but to believe it.

"Why don’t you go first?" Kathryn shook her head at Luka’s question and suggested.

Luka nodded, then his figure rapidly generated afterimages. In an instant, he appeared before the puppet. This time, he no longer hid his strength or speed.

Kranos and the others noticed that his speed had increased greatly compared to before. His speed was almost three times what it had initially been. In an instant, he reached the battle puppet. However, the puppet seemed to have predicted his movements. Not giving him a chance to react, it slashed its sharp, glinting sword at him.

Just like the last time, his figure was torn apart by the sword strike—but it soon faded slightly into thin air. A few feet away, his figure reappeared. Immediately, he attacked with his sword once more.

By the side, Rose immediately joined the battle. Conjuring the biggest fireball she had ever cast using her Verdant Immortal Veins, she sent it hurling toward the puppet just as Luka used an afterimage.

The puppet was struck fiercely in the chest before it could dodge. This time, the flame seemed hotter than usual. The puppet was blasted into a pillar beside it. Kathryn smiled at this sight—she had expended a great deal of mana just to deal with the puppet.

The puppet slowly struggled back up to its feet. Kranos and the others also noticed something strange.

The puppet’s aura seemed to have slightly increased?

They were shocked. However, the puppet didn’t give them a chance to react and rushed toward Kathryn at lightning speed.

At this moment, they finally realized the truth—the puppet’s strength had truly increased, because its speed was far greater than before. It instantly appeared in front of Kathryn and sent a fist flying in her direction.

Although Kathryn was stunned, she reacted quickly and immediately conjured a barrier to block the attack.

However, she was only at the Dao Palace Realm. The attack from a Monarch Realm expert was too strong, even though it was merely coming from a puppet with such strength. As soon as the puppet’s fist made contact with the barrier she created, she was blasted backward and slammed heavily into a pillar far off.

Immediately, Luka’s sword appeared behind the puppet, striking its head. The puppet didn’t react in time and was blasted away as well.

Kathryn struggled to stand up and quickly cast a healing spell on her body, causing her injuries to rapidly heal. A few meters away, the puppet also slowly stood up.

Kranos and the others were stunned and stared at the puppet as though they had seen a ghost.

Because at this moment, the puppet’s strength had increased once again.

They finally realized that this final stage was meant to be a hopeless battle.

The inheritance... was never meant for them.