"What do you mean by that?" Kairo asked relentlessly, but the Surgeon was KO and could barely talk without choking on his own blood.
Kairo was about to leave with the children but then slowed down and thought of Promised Result. He couldn't leave that thing in his hands and took it out of the Surgeon's pocket.
Furthermore, the Surgeon said they were freed? That could not foreshadow anything good. He had to leave this place—and fast.
"Hey Gabriel, we need to leave. The Card Mage Police is here..." a voice echoed from the other end.
The newly arrived figure froze in front of the scene, the disbelief in his eyes evident.
"Kairo?"
"Rellion."
The duo's gazes locked onto each other as if time itself had to stop for them to understand what was going on.
Rellion was nothing like what Kairo had seen in the past. Rellion looked more mature, his features sharper than they had ever been. Dressed in a long black stylish coat, he gave off an intimidating vibe.
However, although Rellion had changed, there was one thing that had remained constant about him—and it was his smile. It was always a little exaggerated.
"They used to say I had a villain's smile. Looks like they were not wrong, Kairo," he said. "Didn't expect us to meet again in such circumstances."
Kairo could not believe his eyes. As if the pain had vanished, he forced his way up.
"This can't be you, Rellion. Tell me you came to save me. Tell me this is a misunderstanding. That woman you spoke of—it was her… Selis Variant."
Kairo stared blankly at his friend, unable to comprehend what was going on.
"The only thing I can say is I have chosen my path, Kairo. And you're on it. As the last vestige of our friendship, all I can tell you is: leave. Before it falls. The Sky Tears are coming, and believe me—even I fear the destructive power of my cards."
Rellion turned his talon, waving his dark coat in the void, and walked away.
Kairo blinked in surprise. Had he heard wrong? Rellion can use card magic? But at the ceremony, he had failed?
Although Kairo had many questions in mind, he knew Rellion wasn't warning him without reason. No matter what the Sky Tears were, they couldn't find him here.
"Come on, little ones. Let's leave this place," he said, paving the way while the children followed behind.
---
On the first floor of the cathedral, the combat was going astray. The Card Mage officers formed a first line, using card magic to create firewalls around the transformed humans. Danzan, with his ultra-speed, would tie and neutralize the humans without killing them.
Nyx and her group could progress without hindrance, thanks to their tablet. Fabian General Eye could relay in real time the position of everyone, and the officers cornered or in danger were quickly saved and regrouped. Everything was going smoothly until now.
"With some little luck, we wouldn't even have to fight," Jeder said at the forefront. Nyx, on her part, felt something was off about all of this. The closer they got to the fourth floor, the more the feeling grew.
Just as they arrived in front of the massive metallic door, it went open on its own. And from within, there was a cry. The group was on high alert and got ready. But nothing came out.
"Huh? This mission feels too easy. Is there really any need for so many people?" a voice asked.
But the next thing they knew, the person was lying on the ground holding his throat. There was no sound, no cry, no one. Just death and silence.
"Nyx, it's time to activate Pocket Hourglass now," Jeder ordered. And the next thing they saw was his figure smashed onto the concrete wall so violently that the sound of bones breaking could be heard on impact.
To say the figure was tall would be an understatement. It felt like Nyx was staring at a giant—a massive wolf that was roaring at Jeder, trying to tear him to pieces. Fortunately, Jeder was a Three-Star Officer. The Circuitry of the Void was sent berserk as his eyes turned into magnificent emerald gemstones.
Gemstone Dominance was activated.
The wolf raised its massive claws, ready to tear him to pieces. But Jeder tilted his head, evading the blow by an inch. Flipping onto the monster's arm, he slid down and dashed away from it.
"In formation, now!" he ordered. But it was like the massive wolf was a shadow and popped behind Jeder's back out of nowhere. With a single whip, Jeder was about to be torn in two—when his eyes flickered. And he flipped mid-way, evading the blow naturally, as if he had known long ago it was about to come.
The Gemstone Dominance allows Jeder to predict the normal course of action his opponent will take, based on instinct. All he has to do is follow—or go against—that instinct to appear like he can read his opponent's mind. That's how Kairo was defeated the last time.
Nyx's expression shone with shock.
The initial shock passed, and the group was set in motion. Soon enough, the golden halo swept through the corridors like a star was being born, basking in a radiating aura of energy. Nyx stood at the center of the group, holding the Pocket Hourglass.
"Be careful. Although it makes you immune to wounds, it doesn't make you immune to pain," she warned.
Leli stood at the rear, summoning the Miracle Swords in the void. Massive swords now hung in midair, about to fall on them at any moment. Celia, on her part, pulled out a single card and took the lead. Unlike the others, she didn't activate her card immediately.
"I can slay him with Judgment, but this is a one-time-use card. We wouldn't have another chance. He has to stay within my range until I am done," Celia explained.
"Slay? But Mirelle said we should restrain and not harm them. These are humans who have been modified—we can help them. Maybe they would find a solution," Leli said, flustered.
"It's that or getting killed. It's up to you. You haven't noticed, but this wolf is not normal. It can move in our shadows like a ghost. If we miss this opportunity, just imagine the amount of damage it will sow outside this cathedral. I am an Inquisitor, not an Officer. My job is to eliminate the danger," Celia said, already getting dangerously close to the wolf.
"I could help with Sifa, but the hourglass will be gone," Nyx hesitated.
In their situation, without the Hourglass, there was no guarantee they could hold off the wolf long enough. Certain cards like Sifa needed continuous energy to stay active, while other cards like Judgment were one-time-use, meaning after their activation, they went dormant. Cards like such included mos of the time purely destructive cards, or highly offensive, or highly practical cards like the Void Cannon.
"No, it's too risky for all of us. Follow my orders and keep the hourglass. You can't handle two cards at a time," Jeder said in the midst of action without much thought to his words.
The wolf seemingly felt something was off and stared dangerously at Celia. Its bestial eyes gleamed like a joyful predator marking its new prey.
"Do it," Jeder said without hesitation. The moment his words left his mouth, the wolf was nowhere to be seen.
A clear cracking sound echoed as Celia was dashed onto the ground, its massive body trampling on her like she was a vulgar piece of stone.
Jeder was fast but not as fast as the wolf. It could move in their shadows. Exactly like the wolf of Jed, Nyx's face twitched slightly. Still, she didn't lose track of their objective. If Kaior can do it, why can't I? she asked herself.
If Kaior could hold the Sand Paladin and Tactical Brilliance at the same time, maybe she too could do the same thing. But if she was wrong and the hourglass vanished, all her friends would die here. Lost in her in action nyx could only observe.
Jeder and the wolf went into action—the claws against the unpredictable body of Jeder. Under Leli's command, the miracle swords hummed to life and began attacking, striking left and right, trying to find an opening in the wolf's defense.
However, the wolf was extremely agile, countering with its claws on every attack. It roared into the sky and swept with its tail, causing a storm-like wind that broke all the swords away. However, Jeder was already behind it, floating on one of Leli's miracle swords. He dove downward.
With strength that shouldn't have been his, his fist smashed onto the wolf's scalp so hard it was forced to bend downward—where Celia was waiting. Despite the pain, she wasn't wounded from the earlier blow. "Judgment," she murmured.
In a split second, particles of light condensed into a massive sword in her hands. The sword was so long it went through the entire corridor.All she had to do was lift her arms to slice the wolf in two.
The wolf let out a desperate cry and stepped out to claw at Celia's head. Still positioning herself with the sword, Celia had no way to evade. If she was hit, the sword would vanish and they would be doomed.
Jeder was the first to shoot out like a star, striking with his fist, but the wolf twisted with its tail, slamming downward so hard that Jeder's body went deep into the ground. Its claws tore through the miracle sword and were about to rip Celia's head off.
"Give up, it's too late for it!" Jeder called out.
But Celia was even more stubborn than the wolf, staring at its falling claws deep into its eyes.
Just as the claw was about to rip her head off, a white scalp shot out of nowhere, strangling the claw midair.
Celia blinked in surprise. They couldn't believe their eyes when they saw Nyx. Both Sifa and the hourglass were activated.
"Now do it!" she cried out.
Celia tightened her grip on the sword so hard that her veins popped out, and she lifted the Judgment sword, ready to split the wolf in two. The walls and ground were torn into two by the simple movement of the sword going for the wolf's head.
But just as the sword was about to slice through its head, a humanoid figure popped out from the walls, catching the sword with its bare hand. The next thing they knew was the birth of a massive explosion.