Mimi's smirk widened.
"Nya~ gotcha."
With a snap of her fingers, the fifty spirit fighters shimmered and phased into the adamantite puppet knights, merging like wisps of smoke entering armor.
The puppet knights froze for a split second.
Then—
They turned.
One by one, every puppet knight shifted, their glowing eyes flickering. Swords raised. Shields locked forward. Magic bows drawn. All of them slowly aimed at Javier.
Gasps echoed from the nearby guards.
Delya crossed her arms, her lips curling slightly. "Hmph. That's clever."
But Javier just smiled.
Calm. Unbothered.
Still standing there with his hands behind his back.
The knights didn't move.
No charge. No attack. No sudden strike.
Javier tilted his head, his eyes gleaming faintly.
"Do you think my puppet knights can be possessed so easily?"
He took one slow step forward.
The knights didn't flinch.
"Nice try, Mimi. But I already programmed them to respond only to my mana signature."
He raised one hand.
