Monsters · Phantom Blade Zero · Page 3

Brutes clutching broad shields. With strength far beyond what their frames suggest, they slam those shields into enemies and charge recklessly forward. Powerful weapons such as great axes can quickly break their shields. Transcension took their faces and their sanity. Only two commands remain etched into their minds: stop everything before them, and protect the village behind. But there is no village left behind them now.

Puppets covered head to toe in gold, with enormous hand spikes replacing both forearms from the elbows down. The consciousness sealed within them once belonged to Mandate disciples who knelt before the Lady’s statue. Thread-Binding allowed them to glimpse something far greater within the Discordance. Terror and awe overwhelmed them at first. Afterward, devotion became all their shattered minds had left. To serve that twisted faith, they tore away their frail puppet arms and replaced them with deadly spikes, killing anyone who might hinder the Lady’s descent. They even poured molten gold over their bodies, reshaping themselves into a form they hoped would please her, all for the slightest hint of her favor.

Madwomen wielding twin picks, swift in the charge and vicious in their relentless attacks. Maskwalkers destroyed their village. With their loved ones slaughtered, they had nothing left to lose. When a neighboring village called for volunteers to undergo Transcension and fight the monsters together, they went as a group, carrying their well-digging picks and wearing makeshift iron armor.

Handpicked Shadow Wardens directly under Zuo Shang’s command. Dressed entirely in white, from headpiece to boots, they are cold, composed, and unfazed even in battle. Deadly at close range, they excel at both offense and defense, striking swiftly and decisively with their blades while weaving in pistol fire. Whether near or far, their relentless attacks leave few openings. In the deathly streets of Pangzhen, they lead patrols like shadows, sealing off streets and occupying courtyards to bring the entire town under Shadow Sovereign Zuo’s control.

Puppet zitherists dressed in white, with white hair and zithers in their arms, cold mist curling around them. Their music carries a deadly edge. Blocking the blue sound waves they release causes the lingering notes to rebound against them. At first, Wulin folk taught them a few Phantom Arts, making snow dance from their strings to enhance their performances. Then came a few pieces of silver, enough to persuade them to compose songs and lyrics for the Lady. Last came a prescription and a bowl of medicine. “Drink this, and you will not catch the strange illness and become puppets.”

Madwomen in battered armor, wielding spears with fierce thrusts, sweeps, and strikes. Their attacks are brutal, their Sha-Chi chilling, and ordinary people cannot approach them. If the right moment is seized to take their spears, the weapons can be turned against them. They once trained in spear techniques alongside the Mandate, donning armor and taking up arms against the Maskwalkers. When the Mandate began promoting Perfect Transcension, they too accepted the transformation without hesitation.