Overwhelming Firepower

The highlight of the episode was about to begin. Kael and Eren’s first duel. One who believed in overwhelming power, while the other whoe believed in bonds.

The two stood across from each other in the public dueling ground. In front of each of them was a stone table, with several feet of open space between them. That open space was the battlefield.

It was where the Summon Cards would manifest once they were played. The two stone tables held their decks, their hands, their cards in play, and the Life Crest crystals that would measure the state of the duel.

A Life Crest was not merely a number. It was connected to the Card Summoner. It was used to protect the Card Summoner from actual battle damage.

Still, when it fell, the summoner would feel the impact. And when it reached zero, the pain would be enough to make most beginners collapse. Though a true card battle without restrictions will result in death.

Kael placed one hand over his deck and smiled faintly. ”I will allow you the first turn.”

Eren looked at him for a moment. It was obvious that Kael was looking down on him. He was doing this because he believed that no matter what Eren did, it would not matter.

Eren placed one hand over his own deck. ”Then I will take it.”

The two sides drew five cards from their decks. ”Draw!” Eren took his turn and drew another card.

He looked at the cards in his hand. None of them were powerful, but this was expected for Eren’s deck.

”I gain one Battle Pulse,” Eren said as he placed a card on the stone table. ”I summon Hollow-Eared Mouse.”

The card glowed. Mana gathered in the battlefield between the two stone tables, and a small gray mouse appeared on Eren’s side. Its ears were too large for its body, and it held a tiny wooden shield that looked more like a toy than a proper weapon.

”Heh, as expected of a weakling,” Kael mocked.

”A card does not need to look strong to be useful,” Eren said.

Kael smiled faintly. ”That is something only weak people say.”

Eren placed one card face down on his stone table. ”I set one Ambush Card and end my turn.”

”My turn. Draw!” Kael drew a card with smooth, elegant movements. Even the simple act of drawing looked refined when he did it. ”I gain one Battle Pulse.”

He placed a card on his stone table.

”I summon Silvercrest Falcon.”

The card shone. Mana gathered above Kael’s side of the battlefield. A silver falcon appeared in the air, spreading its wings wide as faint motes of light fell around it like stardust.

The difference between the two Summon Cards was obvious. One was a small mouse holding a toy-like shield. The other was a noble bird of prey that looked ready to tear through anything beneath it.

”This is a real Summoning Card.” Kael pointed toward Eren’s side of the battlefield. ”Silvercrest Falcon attacks Hollow-Eared Mouse.”

The falcon cried sharply and descended like a silver blade. Hollow-Eared Mouse lifted its tiny shield, but the difference in power was too clear. It looked as if the small creature would be destroyed in an instant.

Eren raised one hand.

”I activate my Ambush Card, Small Burrow.” The face-down card flipped open and shone.

”When a low-rank beast-type Summon Card I control is attacked, I can move it away from battle. Then I draw one card.”

The ground beneath Hollow-Eared Mouse opened. The small mouse quickly jumped into the hole, and Silvercrest Falcon’s claws tore through empty air.

Eren drew one card from his deck. The mouse then reappeared on Eren’s side of the battlefield, still holding its tiny shield.

Kael chuckled at the sight. ”As expected of a mouse, so fast to run.”

Eren did not bother responding to the taunt. Kael then placed another card on his stone table.

”I activate the Art Card, Noble Pursuit. If my attack fails to destroy an enemy Summon Card, Silvercrest Falcon may attack the enemy Life Crest directly, but the damage is reduced by half.”

Silvercrest Falcon rose into the air again, and the falcon dove. This time, it did not aim for Hollow-Eared Mouse. It flew past the small creature and struck the Life Crest crystal on Eren’s stone table.

The crystal flashed. Eren’s body shook as if something had struck his chest. For a brief moment, his breath caught in his throat.

The pain was not enough to knock him down, but it felt unnaturally real. It was as if an invisible fist had punched directly through his ribs. He instinctively took a step back before forcing himself to steady his footing.

Anna could not help but shout. ”Eren!”

Eren placed one hand on the table and forced himself to stand straight. The pain was real. It was not enough to injure him badly, but it was enough to remind him that this was not merely a game.

”That is what a proper attack looks like,” Kael said smugly.

Eren slowly raised his head. His chest still hurt, but his eyes had not lost their light. ”That’s nothing I can’t endure. I end my turn.”

Kael looked at him for a moment before smiling faintly. ”Then keep enduring.”

The duel continued. Turn after turn, Kael showed the difference between them. Silvercrest Falcon tore through Eren’s low-rank Summon Cards one after another.

Even when Eren managed to avoid complete destruction with Ambush Cards, Kael always had another Art Card waiting.

Hollow-Eared Mouse was destroyed. Candlehorn Fawn fell next. Snowfield Scout managed to survive for one turn before being crushed by Silvercrest Falcon’s second attack.

Each time one of Eren’s cards was destroyed, his Life Crest shook. Pain struck his body again and again, forcing him to grit his teeth and keep standing.

His Life Crest dropped from eighteen to fourteen. Then to ten, then to six. The people watching the duel were amazed by the power Kael was showing.

Eren’s field was empty. His Life Crest was low. Almost all of his low-rank Summon Cards had already been sent to the necropolis.

Kael, on the other hand, still stood calmly behind his stone table. His clothes were untouched, his breathing was steady, and his Life Crest had not fallen even once. The difference between them looked absolute.

Kael looked at the cards in Eren’s necropolis and smiled faintly. ”This is the fate of weak cards. No matter how many of them gather, they are still crushed in the end.”

Eren gripped the edge of the stone table. His body ached. His chest burned from the repeated pain that struck him through his Life Crest. His hands trembled slightly, but his eyes did not lower.

Kael drew a card and looked at it. His smile became wider. ”I guess it’s time to end this.”

He placed one Art Card on the stone table. ”Offering of the High Sky.”

Silvercrest Falcon cried loudly as its body turned into a pillar of silver light. The light twisted upward, growing larger and heavier until the entire battlefield seemed to tremble.

Then wings spread, and a dragon descended. Silver scales reflected the light. Its long tail swept across the battlefield, and its cold blue eyes looked down on Eren as if he were already defeated.

Kael raised one hand. ”Argent Sky Dragon!”

Kael looked at Eren with absolute confidence. ”This is what true power looks like. A card worthy of standing above others.”

Argent Sky Dragon opened its jaws. ”Argent Sky Dragon attacks directly!”

Silver light gathered in the dragon’s mouth before shooting forward like a falling star.

Eren raised his hand. ”I activate my Ambush Card, Last Shelter.”

The face-down card flipped open. A faint barrier appeared before Eren, made from the shadows of the low-rank beasts that had fallen before him.

”When my Life Crest would fall to zero, I can reduce it to one instead by sending all low-rank Summon Cards in my necropolis beneath one card in my hand.”

The silver beam struck, and the barrier shattered. Eren’s Life Crest dropped to one. Pain tore through his body, and he fell to one knee, but he did not collapse.

Kael had a look of surprise and was actually impressed. ”You have guts, I’ll give you that. Still, this is nothing but a delay of the inevitable. I end my turn.”

Eren slowly pushed himself back to his feet. His Life Crest had only one point left. His field was empty. His body was trembling from pain. In front of him stood Argent Sky Dragon, a majestic monster that looked impossible to overcome.

Kael smiled. ”Draw your final card. Let us end this.”

Eren placed his fingers on his deck. For a moment, he closed his eyes. He remembered his father, who never gave up even in the end. He then heard his voice in his mind.

”No matter what happens, as long as you never give up, fate will smile upon you.”

When he remembered those words, Eren couldn’t help but smile. He then lifted his head and spoke to Kael.

”You may laugh at my deck. You may call my cards weak. But every card in my hand carries the will of those who believed in me. As long as one card remains...”

Eren opened his eyes and smiled as he made a rather exaggerated movement, pulling a card from his deck. ”This duel is not over!”

”Draw.” He looked at the card he drew, then smiled. Eren placed the card in his hand onto the stone table. ”I summon Demon Lord of the Broken Crown!”

Dark mana rose from Eren’s side of the battlefield. A ruined throne appeared first, then a figure sitting upon it. The demon lord wore broken armor, and in one hand, he held a cracked crown.

”I activate Broken Crown’s effect!” On the battlefield. A ruined throne appeared first, then a figure sitting upon it. The demon lord wore broken armor, and in one hand, he held a cracked crown.

”Demon Lord of the Broken Crown gains power for every low-rank Summon Card on the necropolis.”

The shadows of the fallen low-rank Summon Cards gathered around the Demon Lord like loyal soldiers returning to their king. Kael’s eyes widened for the first time. The broken crown in the Demon Lord’s hand began to glow.

”It’s time to show you that my deck isn’t weak! I’ll show you the strength of my bonds! ”Demon Lord of the Broken Crown attacks Argent Sky Dragon!”

The Demon Lord raised the cracked crown, and the shadows surged forward. Argent Sky Dragon roared, but the dark tide swallowed its silver light.

The two ace cards collided. For a moment, silver and darkness filled the battlefield. Then the dragon shattered. Kael’s Life Crest from the full twenty fell to zero.