NOVEL NEXT Chapter408-The Puppet Kartora
Inside Winterhold Castle, preparations for Daniel's coronation were underway, with excitement filling the air.
However, what the people didn't know was that, while they were celebrating their beloved Daniel's imminent reign, the man himself was drenched in cold sweat, terrified.
Daniel stood frozen in place, his body tense, his eyes locked onto the empty space ahead of him.
The Bishop Puppet was still standing before him!
It seemed to be made from some special material, emitting a faint glow, as if it were crafted from porcelain. Its appearance carried an unsettling, peculiar feeling. Although it resembled a female form, it had an inexplicable beauty. Yet, for some reason, Daniel felt an intense chill run down his spine.
At that moment, Daniel suddenly noticed a shift in the timeline.
And the eyes of the Bishop Puppet seemed to become more animated.
Daniel furrowed his brow—just as he had suspected, this Bishop Puppet possessed the ability to manipulate the realm of time!
Moreover... it seemed to have attached itself to him!
No, he couldn't let it follow him.
Clenching his teeth, Daniel activated Time Stream again, returning to the ninth stage of the Human Emperor Trial.
He passed through the portal and arrived in the past, standing before Kartora.
But just as Daniel arrived, the Bishop Puppet's figure reappeared before him.
Are you playing this game of not leaving me alone?
Daniel's brows furrowed in irritation, his eyes flashing with a hint of annoyance.
Kartora, noticing Daniel's odd behavior, couldn't help but speak up:
"Lord Crossbridge, what's going on? You don't look so well."
"I need your help," Daniel replied, before immediately sharing his sensory perception with Kartora.
However, despite the shared sensory experience, Kartora still saw nothing but empty space ahead of them.
Daniel had come here seeking Kartora's help. This place was part of the past, making it difficult for external forces to affect it.
Yet the reality was that the Bishop Puppet had once again materialized before him.
It seemed that using Time Stream wasn't going to solve this problem.
With this realization, Daniel decided to stop hopping through time and shifted his approach.
He used Gift of the Veiled Goddess, transforming into Mist's appearance. Then, utilizing Mist's powers, he concealed his presence.
At that moment, a sorrowful voice echoed in the air:
"Hey… Am I really that terrifying? If I wanted to make a move on you, I would have done it already."
The next moment, just as Daniel was about to vanish, time itself came to a standstill!
Everything around him froze, as if time had been suspended, and no further actions could be taken.
Daniel tried to move, but aside from his thoughts, he found that he couldn't move at all.
Could everything really have stopped?
A sense of realization struck Daniel. He suddenly understood that he couldn't escape the situation anymore.
The moment he laid eyes on the Bishop Puppet, he had felt something was wrong.
"So, can you tell me who you really are?" Daniel transmitted his mind power, surprised to find that Mist's influence was still active!
This meant that even if the Bishop Puppet were a god-level entity, it couldn't see through his disguise.
Moreover, Mental Deduction was still functioning—this thought-based skill was unaffected by the time stasis.
Daniel had come to a conclusion: Since there was no way to avoid the situation, it was best to face it head-on.
Just then, the Bishop Puppet spoke again:
"Crossbridge, you've actually forgotten me? You really are as heartless as always!"
"Well… perhaps my changes are so great that it's understandable you wouldn't recognize me!"
Daniel furrowed his brow, deciding to use Gift of the Veiled Goddess to transform into the Bishop Puppet's form.
However, to his surprise, the skill failed!
No, it wasn't that it failed—it was that he couldn't sense the Bishop Puppet's presence at all, making it impossible to mimic its form!
The Bishop Puppet before him seemed almost ghost-like, lacking any physical presence!
In fact, it was even more terrifying than a ghost. While ghosts still had some form of mind power, this being felt like it had nothing!
At that moment, the Bishop Puppet's face suddenly curled into a faint smile.
It slowly raised a finger and pointed at Daniel's back, where Kartora stood.
Although Kartora hadn't noticed the Bishop Puppet's presence, her keen intellect quickly recognized that an immensely powerful enemy had arrived upon seeing Daniel.
Kartora acted swiftly, unleashing her domain.
The other inhabitants of the castle also sensed that something was wrong and immediately took up defensive positions.
Unfortunately, by now, time had completely frozen, and they were all rooted in place.
Daniel, seemingly coming to a realization, suddenly spoke:
"Kartora, is it you?"
The Bishop Puppet nodded, smiling sweetly.
"Lord Crossbridge, you finally remembered me!"
Despite hearing her confirmation, Daniel's vigilance didn't lessen.
During this brief exchange, Daniel took the opportunity to observe the Puppet Bishop closely.
The current Kartora appeared to be in the form of a puppet, looking strange and unsettling.
However, when compared to the real Kartora beside him, though the differences were obvious, Daniel could still detect a few commonalities.
Their appearances were different, yet they shared certain unique traits. Most notably, both possessed an extraordinary beauty.
In addition, their auras were somewhat similar. Perhaps due to their mastery over time-based powers, both exuded an ethereal, detached quality—almost as if nothing concerned them.
But just then, Daniel suddenly sensed something—the Puppet Kartora seemed to still carry traces of skills previously used.
These traces felt reminiscent of Time Stream!
Could it be that Kartora had mastered Time Stream as well?
Daniel frowned, but he soon noticed something was off. The Time Stream used by the Puppet Kartora was clearly different from his own!
It seemed more like a rough imitation of the skill!
The Puppet Kartora seemed to sense Daniel's vigilance, and with a smile, she casually remarked:
"You're still as cautious as ever, Lord Daniel."
"However... could you return to the time and space where we last met?"
Daniel hesitated for a moment, then nodded and agreed.