"...What an incredibly excellent doll!"
Van Fem exclaimed sincerely.
The humanoid puppet's full-force punch just now had definitely struck Suigintou head-on, and it was precisely because of this that he was so amazed.
Facing such a terrifying punch, she was actually able to protect herself with just her wings.
What was even more unbelievable was that the doll named Suigintou had not suffered any damage.
The kinetic energy she carried had already been transferred to the towering trees during her backward flight.
And finally, to the huge rock protruding from the ground where she crashed.
"...Perhaps, you might need to revise your evaluation!"
Hearing these words, Aozaki Touko smiled confidently.
At the same time, Suigintou, buried in the rubble in the distance, had a red glint flash in her eyes, then her black wings suddenly extended and expanded, and a strong gale blew the piled stones high into the sky.
Suigintou emerged completely unharmed; aside from her slightly disheveled black skirt, she was utterly unaffected. On the contrary, her aura had risen by more than just a notch.
She walked forward slowly, raising her hand to reach into the void and draw out a beautiful sword.
Then, her pitch-black wings suddenly flapped, her delicate body transformed into a black lightning flash across the void, and a dark sword light cut through the evening glow of the setting sun.
— — — — Clang!
The next moment, a castle-sized puppet suddenly developed a wound on its shoulder.
This was a scar about half a meter deep and four to five meters long. If not for the puppet's extremely hard shell, this single blow would have been enough to sever its arm.
However, for a normal human, this would undoubtedly be a fatal injury.
But for a puppet with such a massive body, it was not a fatal injury at all; it wouldn't even affect its movements.
To use an analogy, it was like cutting a small slit with a knife.
Though it hurt a bit, it wouldn't pose a threat to life.
However... no matter how small a wound, if too many accumulate, it will inevitably lead to death, unless your healing speed is faster than the destruction.
So, in the very next instant.
Having landed a successful blow, Suigintou suddenly turned back, unleashing another fierce slash. Her dark wings, like a black giant dragon, tore and cut at the huge puppet.
This scene was simply... like a slow, torturous execution.
"...Such fast flying speed!"
Seeing this, Van Fem frowned, striking his staff forcefully on the ground.
The next moment, the puppet, which was at a disadvantage, glowed all over, and layers of structures enveloped it. The puppet even assumed a curled-up, head-hugging posture, presenting its hardest back to Suigintou.
While this was undignified, it was a necessary measure.
To increase the speed of such a massive body would require a huge amount of magical energy support.
However, the magical energy required to support the movement of such a massive body was already immense.
Currently, he simply did not have that much magical energy.
Unless... someone was foolish enough to fight in his stronghold.
Only then would he have sufficient magical energy replenishment.
"Summon your other puppets. Some unwelcome guests will be arriving soon, and I don't want to fight while being watched!"
Seeing the battle reach a stalemate, Aozaki Touko smiled helplessly, summoning all the Rozen Maidens from her Reality Marble into the real world.
Behind her now stood Shinku, Hinaichigo, Kirakishou, Souseiseki, Suiseiseki, and Kanaria, each an exquisitely crafted Rozen Maiden.
"...What a creation with a maiden's heart."
Seeing this, Van Fem sighed, saying, "The person who can create such magnificent Rozen Maidens, if not an old pervert, must be a maiden with an artistic sense."
"..."
Aozaki Touko listened, slightly pursing her lips, as if a little shy, and averted her eyes. Her mask felt slightly warm, like a timid and bashful maiden.
"Haha... being watched like a monkey indeed makes one unhappy."
Seeing this, Van Fem seemed to understand and smiled, then poked his staff into the ground. The pitch-black chaotic color enveloped the earth once more, and giant puppets crawled out from within.
This time, the puppets were not humanoid.
A three-headed golden lion, a four-armed strong giant ape, a giant dragon soaring through the sky, Medusa with a human head and snake body, a giant rat lurking in the earth, and an eagle spreading its wings to fly high.
Each was the size of a castle, and each was an extremely powerful puppet.
It is said that Van Fem, who possesses these puppets, could overthrow and conquer a nation, which gives an idea of how astonishingly powerful he is.
In the distant sky.
The setting sun had completely fallen.
"Boom!!!"
Light suddenly tore through the darkness, as if returning to the Age of Gods, replaying battles from myths, two existences representing the pinnacle of contemporary doll-making art, fiercely fighting each other.
The breath of the giant dragon soaring through the sky collided with Shinku's petals, the immense strength of the giant ape was locked in a struggle with Hinaichigo's vines, and Medusa's hair transformed into countless snakes tearing down at Suigintou.
This was a seven-on-seven battle.
"...It won't be decided in a short time."
After activating the third-level Gene Lock and simulating the battle situation, Aozaki Touko learned of a not-so-good timing: it was impossible to end the battle before those people arrived to observe.
"In that case!"
Thinking so, Aozaki Touko sighed slightly, then walked resolutely towards Van Fem. If she couldn't deal with the puppets, she might as well deal with the person controlling them.
"...? ? ?"
Seeing this scene, Van Fem was somewhat stunned.
He was a Dead Apostle Ancestor with powerful physical abilities, and the gap between them could absolutely not be closed by relying on reinforcement magic alone.
Did this... girl not understand this point?