I Became the Only Reptile in the Community

Chapter 27

—–CROW—– 

“So, what are your thoughts on our objective this time?”

“I’m not good with strategy…”

“Hee hee. I already have my hands full. I’m afraid I can’t participate in this.”

Ten figures gathered around a massive round table.  They were the core members and muscle of Legion, the criminal organization that served as the main villains in “Save Earth Hero.”  They were the Ten Calamities, the organization’s executives.

“But why are we suddenly rushing into this? Isn’t this too abrupt?”

“I agree.  You want us to take on this task without any preparation?”

“As long as I can fight, I’m good.”

The reactions to the proposed objective were mostly negative.  The main reason was the abruptness of it all.  It was as if they were being told, “We have to do this! So come up with some brilliant plans!” without any explanation or preparation.

“Secretary, even if you’re number one, you can’t just do as you please.”

Each Legion executive had a codename and a rank based on their combat ability.  And the one responsible for the current situation was the strongest among them, Legion’s number one, codenamed .

“Oh, has your beloved young master finally reached his end? Let me know when he kicks the bucket. I’ll make a special effort to create a replica just like the original.”

“Puppeteer…”

The Butler grimaced at the woman who smiled at him.  She was number three, codenamed Puppeteer.  While individually weaker than the Butler, everyone present knew that the executives, including the Puppeteer, were hiding their true strength.  Therefore, the rankings weren’t particularly meaningful.

“I… I have a method with a 100% success rate.”

A voice broke the tense standoff between the Butler and the Puppeteer, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Oh my, let’s hear what our youngest member has come up with.”

“…Arcane, speak.”

The tenth member, a recent addition to the executive ranks, codenamed , spoke with an upturned corner of his mouth.

“First, I need a certain item for this plan. If we can obtain it, we can certainly achieve the objective you mentioned, Butler.”

“An item?”

“Yes.  It’s called the Primordial Husk.”

The Primordial Husk.  The executives tilted their heads, puzzled.  What was that?

Arcane secretly chuckled at their somewhat naive reactions.  To think the elite members of Legion, who aimed to turn the world against them, would react so innocently.

“Ahem. So, where is this item?”

“It’s in Cheong’s possession.”

Cheong?  Who was that?

Everyone pondered the identity of this Cheong.  Seeing their confusion, Arcane realized he was the only one who knew the name and clarified it for everyone.

“The Ruler of the West. The Tiger Queen. Does that ring a bell?”

“That crazy bitch.”

“You want us to steal something from *her*?”

“Huh, the newbie’s lost his mind.”

The executives scoffed at Arcane’s suggestion.  Steal from *her*?  They would agree to raid a dragon’s lair.  They would agree to steal a kingdom’s treasure.  But infiltrate the Tiger Queen’s territory and steal something?  Even the executives couldn’t bring themselves to agree to that.

“Just thinking about it gives me the chills.”

“Ah, Puppeteer, you said you met her before, right?”

“Indeed. It’s an unforgettable memory. Hee hee.”

“Then let’s take a look at her past.”

“Oh my?”

*Flash.*

As the man with the monocle opened a book, a hologram appeared in the center of the round table, showing a much younger Puppeteer.

“I saved a copy of the memory you shared earlier.”

“Who said you could show that here?”

“Well, let’s watch.”

With that, the Puppeteer in the image began to move.

—–CROW—–

It was a time before the Puppeteer joined Legion.  She had encountered the Tiger Queen.  Back then, she was wandering in search of materials for her puppets.

“[I’m warning you, human. Leave this place at once.]”

“A sacred beast!  What a wonderful material!”

“[This is Her domain. If you wish to keep your life, leave immediately…]”

There was no hesitation.  The moment she saw the sacred beast, she summoned her strongest warrior puppet.  The puppet obeyed, swinging its sword and decapitating the sacred beast.

*Slice.*

A single strike, before the sacred beast could even react.  A fountain of blood erupted from the severed neck.

“Hee hee.  This pure, beautiful fur and body.  I can’t wait to see what a beautiful and powerful puppet it will make.”

The Puppeteer, bathed in the falling blood, hugged the severed head of the sacred beast.  With material like this, she could create a puppet as powerful as the one she had just summoned.

“Should I look around for more materials?”

To find such excellent material right from the start…  What other treasures lay within?

“That creature said this was ‘Her’ domain, right?”

There was only one being the sacred beasts in this area would refer to as “Her.”

“I wonder how strong and beautiful a puppet made from the Ruler of the West would be!”

It would be magnificent!  Far surpassing the puppets she currently used!  The mere thought filled her with excitement.  The Puppeteer couldn’t wait to meet the Ruler of the West, the Tiger Queen.  To meet her and turn her into a puppet…

“Hic.”

‘Huh?’

What was that?

“Hic. Sniff.”

Why was she suddenly hiccuping?  And why were there tears in her eyes?

*Tremble, tremble.*

“Sniff. Sob.”

*Thud.*

Not only that, her body was trembling, and her legs gave way, causing her to collapse.  An inexplicable phenomenon.  Panicked by the uncontrollable tears, sweat, saliva, and snot, she quickly turned her head.  She needed to use her puppet to escape this place.

And as she turned towards her puppet, she understood.  She understood why this was happening.

“Uh, uhhh?”

She saw it.  A single figure in the distance.  While she couldn’t clearly make out its face due to the distance, one thing was etched in her memory.

The sky.

The figure’s eyes held a beauty that seemed to encompass the sky itself.

“T-T-Tiger…”

That was the ruler of this place.  The Ruler of the West. The Tiger Queen.

And she realized.  *This is happening because that being is looking at me.*  A mere glance had robbed her of control over her body.

But the Puppeteer was no ordinary woman.  She was known for her madness, even within Legion.  And even in her younger years, her personality remained unchanged.

‘Amazing! I want it! I want it so badly!’

Despite her paralyzed body, she commanded her puppet.  Her greatest masterpiece, the one that had allowed her to reach this place.  A top-tier creation made from a Sword Master.

‘But will it be enough?’

A mere glance had paralyzed her.  What about its combat power?  It went without saying!

She decided to unleash her full power.  Even if she couldn’t move her body, she could still control her magic.

*Click. Click. Click. Click.*

An army of puppets rapidly filled the area.  Their combined power, enough to take on an entire nation, brought a smile to her face.

‘Ruler of the West? Tiger Queen?  Today, I’ll make you my greatest puppet!’

The young Puppeteer unleashed her puppets.

*Blink.*

A single blink.

*Crush.*

She had merely blinked.  And since it was right before the battle, it had only been for 0.1 seconds, no, less than 0.001 seconds.

*Crush. Crush. Crush. Crush. Crush. Crush. Crush.*

But ironically, that 0.001 seconds she had lost…

*Crush. Crush. Crush. Crush. Crush. Crush. Crush. Crush. Crush. Crush. Crush. Crush.*

“Uh… huh…?”

…was more than enough time for her opponent to take everything from her.

*Whoosh*

“Sob. Uh, huh?”

‘Where did all my puppets go?’

They were gone.

What was gone?

Her puppets.

In that blink of an eye, all her puppets, the ones that had filled the area, had vanished as if they had evaporated.

“Uh, hehehe.”

She couldn’t fight this.

Realizing this, the Puppeteer reached for her chest before her body could be destroyed.  She prayed her last gamble to survive would work.

*Crush.*

*Sizzle. Crackle.*

The video ended.

A heavy silence fell over the round table.  The Puppeteer spoke, a twisted smile on her face.

“To show my embarrassing past to everyone without my permission.  How utterly rude.”

“What? Puppeteer, how are you even alive?”

Having witnessed the overwhelming power in the video, it was natural to question how the Puppeteer had survived.

The Puppeteer stroked her lips.

“How did I survive? I can only say I was incredibly lucky.”

Indeed, it could only be described as luck.  That the corpse of the sacred beast she had killed was still there.  That she hadn’t damaged its heart when she killed it.  That she had managed to preserve her body by tearing out her own heart and ending her life before the Tiger Queen could completely destroy her.  And finally, that the Tiger Queen hadn’t taken her body and the sacred beast’s corpse.

Countless strokes of luck had allowed her to survive.

*Thump. Thump. Thump.*

Feeling the beat of the sacred beast’s heart that now replaced her own, the Puppeteer spoke.

“Our cute little newbie. If you don’t like our ideas, just say so.”

—–CROW—–