Buzz—
A dazzling beam of light descended and enveloped Aether.
Moments later, the glow faded.
A card appeared in his hand.
Both sides of the card bore the image of Puppetmon.
"A card?"
Aether examined it curiously.
He remembered that the Doctor's previous reward had also been a card—
and it had summoned Machinedramon's Infinity Cannon.
So would his card work the same way?
"Puppetmon is on it… could it be Puppetmon's ability?"
He speculated silently.
Han Feng spoke up to explain.
"Puppetmon's skill—Puppet Strings. It allows you to control enemies to fight for you. There's no upper limit, but the strength of what you can control depends entirely on your own power."
"So it's that ability!"
Aether immediately understood.
He clearly remembered Puppetmon using it when he first appeared—controlling the protagonists' Digimon.
Later, he even controlled WarGreymon, an Ultimate-level Digimon.
It was an extremely powerful control skill.
And from what Boss Han said—there was no ceiling to it?
"If that's the case… could I just march straight to Celestia?"
Excitement flashed in Aether's eyes.
But when he recalled that control strength depended on his own power, his enthusiasm deflated.
To control Celestia—
he'd have to be nearly as strong as it.
Five hundred years ago, at his peak alongside Lumine, they still weren't a match.
Which meant he would have to surpass his former peak.
Only then could Puppet Strings become a decisive weapon.
Otherwise—
it would remain merely a support ability.
"That's… way too hard."
Aether felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
Still, it was better than that ridiculous "Dark Game" outfit.
He comforted himself inwardly.
"Haha, if this ability landed on Paimon, she'd probably only manage to control a slime at best!"
Lumine teased, snatching a handful of chips from Paimon's bag while she was at it.
"Hmph! No chips for you!"
Paimon immediately flew up onto Boss Han's shoulder in protest.
Bullying her was one thing—stealing her chips was unforgivable!
"Hehe, if you won't give them, I'll take my own!"
Lumine cheerfully grabbed another pack from the table.
"A control ability…"
Dainsleif fell into thought.
Although tensions with Aether had temporarily eased, they could still become enemies again in the future.
He needed to understand Aether's new power.
Based on Boss Han's explanation, its strength depended on Aether himself.
Whether it worked on the Seven Archons was unclear—but Dain suspected it could likely affect him.
"That could be troublesome."
He frowned slightly.
Still, he wasn't overly worried.
He had a trump card—
Piedmon's Magic Cloth.
Another ability from the Dark Masters.
If used unexpectedly, Aether wouldn't react in time.
"Still… It's a one-time use. I need more safeguards."
With that thought, Dain stepped forward and placed his manga down.
"Boss Han, what about my reward?"
Han Feng glanced at the system.
The notification refreshed.
[Customer Dainsleif has finished reading "The Avengers."]
Reward obtained — Black Widow Tactical Bodysuit (one set).
Description: Form-fitting, suitable for various combat operations.
"Oh my… Black Widow's bodysuit."
A faint smile appeared in Han Feng's eyes.
Just like Iron Man's armor or Captain America's shield—
Black Widow's iconic black bodysuit was legendary.
Designed for mobility—and… aesthetics.
In battle, it certainly showed off one's figure.
A little ironic, perhaps—but honestly?
It suited Dain's current form rather well.
A female appearance—frequent combat—a tactical bodysuit made perfect sense.
The real question was how the recipient felt about it.
Buzz—
Another radiant beam descended and enveloped Dain.
When the light faded, a sleek black bodysuit appeared in his hands.
"This is…?"
Dain frowned.
It looked like… clothing?
"Black Widow's tactical bodysuit," Han Feng explained with a smile.
"…That thing?"
Dain's lips twitched.
He remembered it vividly.
Black Widow wore it constantly in combat.
He may have… lingered on those panels a little longer than necessary.
And now—this was his reward?
What was he supposed to do with it?
Wait.
He was currently in a beautiful girl's form.
"…Don't tell me I got this because of that?"
Black lines filled Dain's mind.
He could almost feel the manga shop's malicious humor.
"Boss Han, what's a Black Widow?"
Paimon asked curiously.
She understood "tight combat suit."
But "Black Widow"?
A widow dressed in black?
Han Feng lightly tapped the air.
A projection of Black Widow appeared above the shop.
"So that's her?"
Paimon's eyes widened.
She had seen many kinds of women—
lolis, elegant ladies—
but none quite this sultry and alluring.
Lumine nodded in agreement.
Even as a woman, she admired that aura.
"What a sexy, enchanting woman!"
Aether praised instinctively.
But as his gaze shifted to the black bodysuit in Dain's hands—a dangerous thought crept into his mind.
"…I wonder what Dain would look like wearing that?"
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