Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 2824: Divine Dominion

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Three Mischief Encampment, Limitless Celestial Blood Fate Rule Domain

While the devil blatantly ignored us and Corey remained lost in her own thoughts, the Field Marshal seized what she thought was the perfect window. She moved to teleport out with Corey and Lil’ Baem, giving her young lord the freedom to fight without distraction.

But the moment she invoked her mastery over the space rule, the devil’s halo horn flared to life. A golden beam of condensed faith shot out without warning, punching clean through her abdomen.

The Field Marshal froze, her eyes dropping to the wound. There was no blood, no charred flesh—only a clean, hollow gap glowing with gold. The edges shimmered with dense particles of energy, no longer something that could even be called faith in the usual sense, yet just as potent. It refused to let the wound close, sealing it in place. At the same time, it prevented any blood from spilling, as if preserving her in that broken state.

I didn’t hesitate and mentally passed the new instructions. ’Change of plans. I’ll engage him. You take the chance to kill the Emissary of Light—and get out.’

”Limitless Celestial Blood Fate Domain!”

”Divine Dominion!”

Without waiting for their response, I moved. I unleashed my double celestial rule domain, but the devil reacted just as quickly, expanding his own domain to counter mine. The two collided violently. For a brief moment, my double domain seemed to gain the upper hand—pressing forward, forcing his back.

Then, in an instant, the devil domain swelled with overwhelming force. His domain surged, crushing mine as the horn on his head blazed with light. I immediately understood what was happening. He was burning faith to reinforce his domain, feeding it endlessly. And his reserves... they were anything but limited.

Unless I did something, the outcome was already decided. I began drawing celestial force from the Card Celestial, channeling it into my domain to push back. But the devil responded without hesitation, pouring even more faith into his own, overpowering mine with ease.

Unlike the Emissary, he didn’t pause or calculate before spending such vast amounts. If the Emissary could be called a millionaire in terms of faith, this devil was on an entirely different scale—a hundred-billionaire, maybe even a trillionaire.

At that point, the truth was impossible to ignore. Even if I borrowed the maximum amount of celestial force from the Card Celestial, my double domain still wouldn’t be enough to dominate his.

The devil could have easily poured in enough faith to crush my double domain outright, yet it chose not to. Instead, it kept its domain locked against mine, maintaining the clash. Clearly, It was toying with me.

”Color me surprised. Despite what your realm suggests, I take it you’re the strongest here—and the leader. Worthy of being a celestial’s true son. I’d have been in trouble had you been a card demigod instead of a mortal. Lucky me, I suppose.”

I kept my expression impassive as I listened. From his words, I understood the mistake he had made. He thought I was someone who had sold himself to a celestial—becoming its vassal, gaining my own celestial force, and thus I was able to wield a celestial rule domain.

Unlike card apprentices, the dark races knew the truth that to use a celestial rule domain, one had to possess their own celestial force. And also that there were only three known ways to obtain one’s own celestial force.

First, by becoming a celestial—like I did.

Second, by becoming the true son or daughter of a celestial, a so-called vassal—just as the Emissary of Light had been striving for.

Third, by ingesting enough fragments of celestial will. That path relied entirely on chance, like winning a cosmic lottery. Only few have known to awaken their own celestial force this way, none I knew of.

Given that I still appeared mortal, the devil naturally assumed I had gained my celestial force by becoming a vassal of the Card Celestial. It was a reasonable conclusion, considering how little it actually knew about me.

”What is your name, young celestial descendant?” he asked, his tone suddenly more polite but still arrogant. ”Don’t look so wary—I mean no harm. I would like to invite you to join my family... the Faith Order.”

Listening to the devil, I wasn’t surprised. Dark Cults had always favored vassal celestials from other realms over their own members native to the dark realm. With a vassal celestial’s help, turning an entire realm into a long-term faith farm became almost effortless—something that could profit them for millennia. From their perspective, overlooking the fact that I was already a demon merchant was a small concession, so long as I severed all ties with the Devil Merchant Code.

While the devil attempted to recruit me, I quietly began drawing on a primordial energy source, guiding it into my spiritual channel. At its deepest end, I refined it into celestial force before feeding it into my Primordial Calamity Soul Gem, reinforcing my double domain without drawing any attention. For the moment, it allowed me to hold his domain at bay.

But my silence clearly displeased him. The devil’s patience ran thin. In the next instant, his Divine Dominion surged, no longer content to clash. It overwhelmed my double domain in a single crushing wave, shattering it and dragging all of us into his. The very outcome I had been trying to avoid... had arrived.

The world around us was suddenly washed in a brilliant golden hue. The blood storm was gone—no longer looming overhead, no longer anywhere in sight. It was just us, the devil, and an endless expanse of blinding gold.

The devil’s gaze shifted from me to my companions and back again. The message was unmistakable. If I didn’t want them hurt, I’d better respond.

”I don’t usually repeat myself,” he said, his tone calm but edged with authority. ”But in you, I see remarkable potential. Despite being a mortal, you’ve displayed power that rivals semi-ruler class beings.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. ”So I’ll ask you again—join my family and save your world...”