The Dolls Master

“Nooooooo!!!!!” Peter was filled with despair—once again, he watched someone die in front of him without being able to do anything.

Knappheit deserved credit for turning the situation around and making her hunter into her prey. With her other hand, she extended her claws to pierce the other side of the girl, and like a proper hunter, she began to lift her prey high like a trophy.

“There’s no way that after all that talking, you’re going to be the first one to die!” Reaper considered running away with Peter and leaving the poor girl’s body behind.

However, Mamiko’s agonized voice could still be heard.

“D-Don’t underestimate me…”

“Huh?” Knappheit was confused to see that Mamiko was still alive.

“Maiden Dissection!”

Crack! Crack, crack, crack! Mamiko’s body began to make several cracking sounds, as if it were breaking apart. In fact, cracks began to appear where she had been pierced. There was no doubt—her body was no longer made of human flesh, but had turned into porcelain, just like her doll’s.

Peter and Reaper watched as Mamiko’s body shattered into several pieces. A small figure leapt from Mamiko’s hand and bounced toward them. Peter ended up catching it in his palms.

“Ma-Mamiko?!”

“Yes, it’s me. Mami and I switched places.” Mamiko’s voice came out softer, more high-pitched, and a little comical.

“H-How?!”

“Now’s not the time for explanations, just protect me while I’m in this fragile body. It would be a good idea to start running.”

The remaining demons began to come through the tunnel.

Mamiko turned to her “old body” and pointed her tiny hand at it. “Bang!” As if detonating a bomb, Mamiko’s body exploded into several pieces, the shards forming blades that sliced in all directions, wounding the demons in the path.

“Whoa!” shouted Peter and Reaper, impressed.

“Move it, you fools! Start running! And make sure to carry me carefully!”

The two boys started running again, but quickly realized it was useless. The space they were in had no exits—there were some holes in the ceiling, but neither of them could climb that high.

“It’s a dead end! What now, partner?”

“Hey, just to remind you—my partner is Edward. I only called you that because I wanted to give him and Arya some time.”

“Is this really a good time to be arguing about that?”

“Well, if you want my answer about what to do, I’d say we go with what I was planning from the start.” Flames began to spread across Peter’s body. “Let’s kill some demons, partner!!!”

“Hey, hey, be careful!” Mamiko was dancing in Peter’s hands, dodging the flames.

“Oh, right. Partner, catch!” Peter tossed the miniature version of Mamiko to Reaper, like he was throwing some random object.

“You brute!...” Mamiko’s voice flew through the air with her.

As soon as Reaper caught her, his fear of being scolded kicked in. “(Mag, you won’t be mad at me for holding the chibi version of this girl, right?)”

“(No, it’s fine. She’s actually kind of cute.)”

Reaper carefully placed chibi Mamiko on top of his head. “Mamiko, hold on to me like a rat clings to a chef!”

“Eh?”

“Just hold on tight!”

Peter and Reaper stood side by side, preparing for the real battle—just like true “partners.”

Following Knappheit’s commands, the demons began to attack. Peter welcomed the frontline demons with explosive punches, charged with his rage. The demons couldn’t keep up with the boy’s agility—he dodged with ease while continuing to strike.

Reaper provided cover, diving in and out of his shadow while slashing demons with his scythe. At the same time, several rose bush branches from the Black Parade spread across the ground, immobilizing demons and climbing up to their necks to try strangle them.

“Don’t think I’m going to stay out of this.” Mamiko used her magic to reassemble the porcelain shards back into the form of her body, controlling it like a puppet—but with the arms and forearms transformed into blades. Her puppet advanced, cutting through the horde of demons, dancing and slicing throats along the way.

The cave had become a true battlefield.

“Chak!!!” Knappheit’s claws were blocked by Reaper’s scythe just before they struck Peter’s blind spot. The demon kept pressing with her claws, almost forcing the boy to give in. The Black Parade’s vines started climbing up the demon, just as she prepared her trump card.

Knappheit charged demonic energy into her chest, which deformed as it filled, and then released a point-blank sonic wave. It was a high-pitched blast full of energy, causing the entire cave structure to vibrate.

Reaper was sent flying by the shockwave, crashing to the ground. Knappheit’s sonic bomb would have burst his eardrums if it weren’t for Magdalena’s quick reaction to protect her beloved. Magdalena also saved Mamiko’s life by pulling the tiny girl into the Black Parade.

After finishing off a few more demons, Peter ran over to check on the two. Reaper was getting back up, still dazed, while Magdalena extended mini Mamiko through the shadow, delicately holding her around the waist.

“My little head is going to explode…” Mini Mamiko staggered on the ground. Magdalena had saved her, but being pulled into the Black Parade so quickly had left her dizzy. “Bleh…” Despite the sound effect, her body couldn’t actually vomit.

“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.” Magdalena adjusted her cloak form, creating a chest-level pocket where Reaper placed Mamiko to rest.

"CHIIII~TOOM!!!” Knappheit charged up her sonic wave again trying to hit the boys, but they managed to dodge just before the shockwave struck. The demon continued her artillery barrage, while the lesser demons kept chasing them, pushing the boys into a tighter corner.

Realizing how serious the situation was, Peter knew he had to act—go beyond sheer effort—but still, nothing seemed to work. Countless memories flooded his mind: the magic lessons he’d learned from Belchior, Mamiko’s explanation about the need for a name, even Magdalena’s comment that he didn’t need to be afraid of being cheesy.

But none of that made sense! Peter was always more action than thought. So to hell with thinking! Just go with the flow of battle—nothing else matters!  What he didn't realize was that this was exactly the line of thinking to finally let his magic shine…

“Burning Down The House!”

Peter’s flames began to form a whirlwind around him, burning the unsuspecting demons so intensely their bodies were charred to ashes in seconds. But to Peter, the flames were a warm, comfortable force—easy to control. He could shape them to his will, and they followed his desire to annihilate the demons.

Peter took the lead, using his newly awakened magic to clear the path of enemies. Reaper wasn’t about to be left behind: “Black Parade: House of Wolves!” From his shadow, new forms of the Black Parade emerged—shadowy wolves with rosevine tails tangled behind them.

This was no longer a battle with balanced numbers—it had become a one-sided massacre. If Knappheit’s intellect had been developed enough, she would’ve known to use the distraction of the lesser demons to escape. But that wasn’t the case—she was still a slave to her instincts.

With Mamiko and her puppet’s help, the lesser demons were finally defeated, leaving only Knappheit. But the demon still held firm with her long-range attacks. Peter kept her distracted with fire strikes while Reaper approached from behind, attempting to cleave Knappheit in two with his scythe. However, the demon’s skin was far too tough, and Reaper’s scythe had no effect—he was forced to retreat beside Peter.

“Now what? My scythe couldn’t cut through her.”

“Leave it to me, I have an idea.” Mamiko recovered and quickly passed on a few instructions to the boys, and then the humans set off for their final assault.

Moving forward, Peter and Reaper advanced in sync, dodging Knappheit’s sonic blasts until they struck from both sides. Knappheit used her claws to hold Peter’s fist and Reaper’s scythe—just then, tiny Mamiko appeared between them, leaping toward Knappheit’s head.

The demon reacted, firing a sonic wave point-blank at little Mamiko. But as she was thrown back, she turned back into nothing but a porcelain doll. Mamiko had returned to her original body, free to strike from behind the demon.

“Maiden Dissection: Sakura!” Mamiko performed the body switch once again—now her body was made of fabric, with stitches at her joints. Giant needles extended from her fists, and with precise, rapid movements, Mamiko pierced Knappheit’s chest multiple times.

The demon faltered, staggered forward, and fell dead to the ground.

“Hunt complete.”