At that mont, a flicker of regret passed through the Won Guard mbers.
If they hadn't opposed Cloud Peak earlier, would that Eastern faction have refrained from using the Nebula Card?
But such thoughts were futile now. Even if they hadn't taken a stand, they might still have been eliminated. The imdiate concern was avoiding that terrifying guardian beast's star.
Since the Won Guard had landed on their own Star No. 4 in the first round, theoretically, they could advance any number of stars this ti.
However, the nebula now shrouded Stars No. 2 to No. 11. Without using any cards, their progress would be agonizingly slow.
Ella, representing her faction, struck the Soaring Crystal. Her tension was palpable.
Once the crystal left Star No. 4 (no longer theirs), it moved as if through molasses—slow, sluggish, as if it might drop at any mont.
The Won Guard watched with bated breath.
Star No. 7 was a death trap. Ye Zhongming's powerful guardian beast still lurked there, now under Gyanendra's control. Though Gyanendra was nominally their ally, landing there would force them to pay an exorbitant toll, likely bankrupting them.
Even if Gyanendra reimbursed them later per their agreent, that would take several rounds. Who knew if they'd survive that long? Could the Won Guard or even Gyanendra make it out alive?
No guarantees.
Best to avoid that star altogether.
As the Soaring Crystal descended, the Won Guard relaxed slightly. It seed destined for Star No. 6—Great Arica's territory.
Confirming Star No. 6, they sighed in relief. Next round, even within the nebula, a full-strength strike would keep them clear of Star No. 7.
But Star No. 6 belonged to Great Arica. Per their alliance terms, they couldn't occupy it—only pay the toll.
The Won Guard paid silently. Though not ruinous, the sum stung after their earlier expenditures.
With the second round winding down, only the chanical Genius remained, still on Star No. 1.
His unique abilities ant his battles always involved his chanical puppets, unaffected by team combat restrictions. He struck the crystal, landing slowly on Star No. 4—now held by the Cannibal Chain.
Without ceremony, he chose to challenge, securing victory far more easily than his earlier battle on Star No. 1.
Then he fell silent, taking no further action.
This infuriated Governor Spade.
Great Arica, already battered from consecutive challenges, desperately needed allies. The chanical Genius—with his intact forces and strength rivaling Cloud Peak's—was ideal.
Yet Spade couldn't complain. Advancing three stars within the nebula was comndable.
As the second round concluded, the hierarchy remained unchanged: the strong stayed strong, the weak stayed weak.
The Cannibal Chain struck next, landing again on Star No. 6—sharing it with the Won Guard under Great Arica's ownership.
After a pause, Wu Xiu opted for full-team combat this ti. This ant advancing at most two stars next round, skirting the deadly Star No. 7 to reach Cloud Peak's Star No. 8, where they'd pay the toll.
Self-preservation united the Cannibal Chain, Won Guard, chanical Genius, and Gyanendra.
Secretly, they all hoped Cloud Peak and Great Arica would annihilate each other.
Next up: Great Arica.
They shared Star No. 11 with Cloud Peak. Though invisible to each other, Spade felt his enemy's breath on his neck.
Approaching the stone platform, he lifted the hamr—then halted abruptly.
This mont was broadcast to all.
No one knew what Spade planned.
"Ye Zhongming—that's your na, right? Eastern nas are so awkward. You keep trying to kick others out, but did you think they wouldn't retaliate?"
Slowly, Spade drew a card from his spatial equipnt.
"See the stars ahead? From No. 12 to No. 20, only one belongs to you! Your ally holds three. This stretch... will be a long crawl for you."
He activated the card.
"Great Arica uses the Nebula Card, designating coverage from Bright Star No. 12 to No. 20."
Cloud Peak wasn't the only one with a Nebula Card!
Spade's ssage was clear: With just one Cloud Peak star in this range, slow progress would force repeated tolls or battles, draining their resources.
"This isn't over, Ye Zhongming." Spade's voice trembled with excitent.
"Great Arica uses the Minor King Card—Type: Difficulty Surge. Target: Cloud Peak. For the next ten stars, Cloud Peak's challenge difficulty doubles, and required equivalent values double."
Following Cloud Peak's lead, Great Arica had played their Minor King Card!
After a two-second pause, the announcent continued:
"Minor King Card has priority. Conflicting card effects within its scope are nullified."
The aning was plain:
Within those ten stars, no other cards could counter the Minor King Card's effects. Cloud Peak was locked into this brutal state.
Most critically, the Immunity Card would fail—Cloud Peak couldn't evade this onslaught.
"I'll be waiting up ahead!"
With that, Spade struck the Soaring Crystal onto Star No. 13, owned by the Cannibal Chain.
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