12 O’Clock Marionette

For a cave, it was spacious—but in the end, it was still a cave, and Ares' greatsword was simply too large.@@novelbin@@

He had no choice but to abandon it and pull out a dagger, but it was a throwing knife, making its range far too short.

Meanwhile, the wind spirit was unrestricted by space.

Its elegant, green body darted through the air with irritating speed, slipping through the cave walls like a ghost.

For Ares, already deprived of oxygen, every aggressive movement only worsened his disadvantage.

“Ugh!”

He grit his teeth audibly and swung his blade.

If he could just kill the spirit master, it would all be over—but every time he tried to close the distance, the fierce winds shoved him back.

If his movements slowed, the bird attacked again, forcing him to retreat.

An endless cycle.

If he could just get a little closer, he could end it with a single strike—but that little was proving impossible.

To make matters worse, the spirit’s growth stunned him.

"It shouldn’t be this powerful."

Ares had already investigated potential threats long ago—he knew.

Minuet Bonetti’s skill was on par with the vice commander of the Imperial Knights.

Exceptional, surpassing her father, but still not enough to reach his level.

What had happened to her? Had she gained something from Whistle’s trials?

No—that wasn’t the issue right now.

"At this rate, I’m just wasting time."

If only he could take a single breath, even once—but oxygen wasn’t something he could see, making it impossible to grasp.

Then—

"You're starting to suffocate, aren’t you?"

Minuet, who had been silently observing, finally pulled something from her coat.

1. Hold out.
2. Breathe in the poison for oxygen.
3. Give up and flee.