Free Web NovelChapter 84: Chapter 84: Stone Puppet Commander
The Stone Puppet Commander moved with terrifying precision.
Unlike beasts, it had no hesitation, no anger, no fear, and no fatigue. Its four arms each carried a different stone weapon: sword, hammer, spear, and shield. The stone crown on its head pulsed with yellow light, sending commands to the mechanism lines across the chamber.
The boss panel updated.
[Stone Puppet Commander]
[Level: 24]
[Abilities: Four-Arm Combat Pattern, Core Shield Cycle, Ground Rune Suppression, Puppet Repair Pulse]
[Weakness: Rotating chest core, crown command rune, rear spine gear, arm-joint seals]
Qin Mo read the panel and immediately said, "Do not attack the chest randomly. Core shield cycle means it will punish bad timing."
The puppet advanced.
Hammer arm first.
The hammer struck the ground.
A shockwave spread through the chamber.
Qin Yuheng used War Thunder Advance to stabilize himself. Qin Yuchen slid back but remained upright. Qin Lian leaped onto a side pillar. Qin Mo activated a small grounding formation and barely avoided falling.
The spear arm thrust toward Qin Yuheng.
He deflected it.
The sword arm followed instantly.
He shifted aside.
The shield arm bashed forward, forcing him back.
Four-arm combat pattern. freёweɓnovel.com
Not simple.
Qin Yuchen attacked from the right, aiming at the spear arm joint. The puppet rotated its shield to block him while the hammer arm struck toward Qin Lian on the pillar. Qin Lian jumped away, but the pillar shattered.
Qin Mo shouted, "Crown command rune is coordinating the arms!"
"Can we disrupt it?"
"Yes, but I need exposure!"
Qin Yuheng observed the pattern.
Every time the puppet used all four arms in sequence, the crown rune brightened. During that moment, its chest core shield dimmed slightly, but the arms were most active.
A timing puzzle.
Combat and mechanism together.
He smiled faintly.
"Qin Mo, count the cycle."
"Already doing it!"
The puppet attacked again.
Spear.
Sword.
Shield.
Hammer.
Crown glow.
Chest dim.
Then repair pulse.
Qin Mo shouted, "Seven-beat cycle! Chest opens after fourth strike, but repair pulse follows two breaths later!"
Qin Yuheng nodded.
"Yuchen, force spear arm. Lian, rear spine gear. I take crown."
The next exchange began.
Qin Yuchen stepped into the spear line, using his Iron Blood Thread Sword to redirect the thrust. His face tightened under the force, but he held long enough to expose the arm joint.
Qin Lian vanished behind the puppet.
Her daggers struck the rear spine gear.
Clang!
The gear cracked slightly.
The puppet’s movement stuttered.
Qin Yuheng used Thunder Shadow Flash to appear above its shoulder. His sword struck the crown command rune.
Violet thunder flashed.
The crown cracked.
The puppet’s four arms jerked out of rhythm.
Qin Mo immediately activated a formation beneath the boss.
"Now! Chest core!"
Qin Yuheng landed, shifted forward with War Thunder Advance, and thrust toward the chest.
The shield arm barely moved in time.
His sword struck the shield instead of the core.
The puppet recovered faster than expected.
Hammer arm swept sideways.
Qin Yuheng blocked but was pushed back violently.
Qin Yuchen caught his shoulder. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
"This boss repairs rhythm quickly."
Qin Mo shouted from the side, "Because the crown is cracked, not broken!"
Qin Lian reappeared, her cloak flickering.
"The rear gear is hard. I need a stronger opening."
The puppet raised all four arms.
Ground runes lit up.
[Warning: Ground Rune Suppression.]
Yellow lines spread beneath their feet.
Movement slowed.
Qin Yuheng felt his legs become heavy. Thunder Shadow Flash became harder to activate. Qin Lian’s stealth movement was restricted. Qin Yuchen’s sword speed dropped. Qin Mo’s formation belt flickered under interference.
The puppet advanced.
This was its advantage.
Mechanism domain.
Qin Mo gritted his teeth and placed both palms on the ground.
"I can break one section!"
"Break the left," Qin Yuheng said.
Qin Mo crushed a Puppet Core and pushed its energy into the ground lines. The left side of the suppression field flickered.
Qin Lian moved first.
She escaped the slowed zone and climbed a broken pillar.
Qin Yuheng followed using a shorter Thunder Shadow burst.
Qin Yuchen held the center, blocking the spear and sword arms despite the suppression.
The puppet turned toward Qin Mo.
It recognized the disruptor.
Hammer arm rose.
Qin Yuheng’s eyes sharpened.
He activated Thunder Shadow Flash twice despite the suppression strain.
His body appeared between Qin Mo and the hammer.
The Black Thunder Pattern Sword met the descending strike.
Boom!
His arms shook.
The ground beneath him cracked.
But he held.
Qin Mo stared at his back.
"That was too close."
"Then disrupt faster."
"I am trying!"
Qin Yuchen attacked the spear joint again.
Qin Lian dropped from above, both daggers aimed at the crown crack.
The puppet raised its shield.
But Qin Yuheng stepped forward with War Thunder Advance and slammed his sword into the shield edge, forcing it down half an inch.
Half an inch was enough.
Qin Lian’s daggers struck the crown rune.
Crack!
The crown command rune shattered.
The puppet froze for one breath.
All four arms lost coordination.
Qin Mo shouted, "Chest cycle broken! Core exposed after next pulse!"
The puppet’s chest opened slightly.
A yellow core rotated within.
Qin Yuheng moved.
No hesitation.
Thunder Shadow Flash.
He appeared directly before the chest.
The puppet’s sword arm twitched toward him, but Qin Yuchen intercepted it.
The spear arm moved, but Qin Lian jammed one dagger into the rear gear.
The hammer arm rose, but Qin Mo activated a restraint line around its elbow.
Qin Yuheng thrust.
The Black Thunder Pattern Sword pierced the rotating core.
Thunder erupted.
The puppet shook violently.
But the core did not break completely.
A repair pulse began.
Qin Yuheng’s eyes became cold.
He released more thunder.
The Origin Thunder Emperor Body Scripture stabilized his arm and marrow. Violet-gold lightning concentrated into a narrow point instead of spreading outward.
The core cracked.
Then shattered.
The Stone Puppet Commander collapsed, its four arms falling separately with heavy impacts.
The chamber became quiet.
A Tower message appeared.
[Stone Puppet Commander defeated.]
[Floor Boss slain.]
[Main Gate unlocked.]
[Evaluation increased greatly.]
Qin Mo sat down on the floor.
"I liked mechanisms more before they tried to hammer me."
Qin Lian retrieved her dagger from the rear gear.
Qin Yuchen exhaled and looked at the fallen puppet.
"That was the most technical boss so far."
Qin Yuheng nodded.
"Good training."
Qin Mo stared at him.
"You have strange definitions of good."
The boss drops appeared.
[Stone Puppet Commander Core x1]
[Four-Arm Combat Pattern Fragment x1]
[Stone Body Fruit x3]
[Storage Item Fragment x2]
[Stone Puppet Hall Boss Chest x1]
Qin Yuheng’s gaze sharpened.
More storage item fragments.
With the previous fragment, they now had three.
The exit gate opened.
Unlike previous floors, no environmental collapse or final wave followed. The Stone Puppet Hall simply became still, as if acknowledging that the mechanism had been solved.
They stepped through the main gate.
The settlement light descended.
Floor 9 was complete.
