Rushing through the familiar streets toward his ho, Azrael carefully retrieved the eerie eyeball from his Shadowkhan's outstretched hand. The otherworldly orb pulsed with a faint crimson light, its surface reflecting depths that seed to stretch into infinity.
The blank material card in his palm flickered with ethereal energy before transforming completely. A freshly materialized component appeared in Azrael's grasp, its exceptional quality imdiately apparent to his trained eye.
Silver-grade [Eye of the Heart] (Red quality)
Azrael examined the newly acquired material with a mixture of satisfaction and mild disappointnt. "Seriously? Sothing that outrageous can't even reach Prismatic quality?"
While red quality represented exceptional rarity, far beyond anything most Lore Cardians would ever possess, Azrael had genuinely expected to obtain his first Prismatic-grade material, given Ming's overwhelming demonstrated power.
After all, Ming's displayed abilities had been truly staggering in both their scope and destructive intensity.
"Wait, that's not right," he muttered, reconsidering his assumptions. "Red quality feels like the absolute highest tier available in the current system."
The discrepancy troubled him deeply. Perhaps the academy textbooks were incomplete or deliberately outdated. The materials science literature hadn't ntioned any qualities beyond red grade, and despite his current elevated status within the card making community, he'd never heard anyone reference Prismatic-quality cards in conversation.
"I'll ask Master Lucian about this when I get the chance," Azrael decided with a resigned shrug.
Storing his newly acquired material in his spatial inventory, Azrael took stock of his current resources. He now possessed two exceptional components: one [Lonely Star] material and one [Eye of the Heart] specin. Creating his next card would require acquiring just one additional material to complete the trinity.
"Should I borrow sothing from Senior Sister first?" he wondered aloud, considering his options.
"No, better to wait patiently. The points from the Velkairos Cardian association branch should arrive soon enough anyway."
With no pressing deadlines demanding imdiate action, Azrael felt comfortable postponing his next card creation. The national competition remained two to three weeks away, plenty of ti to refine his strategic approach and gather the perfect materials.
A week passed in peaceful, almost ditative routine, with neither Azrael nor his three Battle Club teammates receiving any communication from the academy regarding the secret realm incident. The administration seed content to let the matter rest completely, allowing the participants to process their traumatic experience without additional institutional pressure.
The quiet days felt almost surreal after their harrowing encounter with Ming and his terrifying demonic abilities.
On Sunday morning, Azrael completed his ditation practice and was preparing to seek guidance from his senior sister when two ssages arrived simultaneously on his phone.
[Banking Notification: Your account has received 3,000 new points. Current balance: 3,220. Contact custor service with questions.]
[Chisaki: If you have ti, co to the Battle Club imdiately.]
"Is this about the secret realm incident?" Azrael muttered while pulling on his jacket hastily.
The timing seed too coincidental to be unrelated. Whatever Chisaki wanted to discuss, it likely concerned their recent traumatic experience and its administrative aftermath.
Shortly afterward, Azrael materialized in Chisaki's familiar office space. By then, the other Battle Club mbers had already assembled, their expressions ranging from curious to apprehensive.
Besides Oliver and the other two core mbers, Azrael spotted an unexpected but genuinely welco face among the gathered students.
It was Kevaugn, his forr opponent and stepping stone into the Battle Club's exclusive ranks.
"Sorry for the delay," Azrael apologized sheepishly, scratching his head. "Living in that mansion on Pixar's outskirts makes getting anywhere a real expedition."
Chisaki dismissed the concern with a casual wave of his hand. "No problem whatsoever. We hadn't been waiting long anyway."
"We called this ergency eting to address the secret realm situation," Chisaki continued, his tone growing noticeably more serious.
The four students who had participated in that nightmarish experience—everyone except Kevaugn—felt their hearts sink with anticipation of potentially bad news.
"Sun-Myun's parents have been inford about what happened," Chisaki said carefully, choosing his words. "However, the academy has already provided them with reassurances, so you don't need to worry about legal complications."
"Regarding the intelligence you reported about demons mastering new abilities, that information has been thoroughly verified by high-level Lore Cardians and confird as accurate."
"Because this was supposed to be additional training secured by the academy, you'll each receive 2,000 points as compensation for the unexpected dangers you faced."
Oliver and the other two participants visibly relaxed upon hearing Chisaki's reassuring words. Despite their collective involvent in Sun-Myun's death, the psychological pressure had been considerable. Knowing the academy fully supported their actions provided enormous relief.
Azrael's reaction differed markedly from his teammates'. As the Sixth Master of the Crimson Oath Society, he'd witnessed far more violence and moral ambiguity than his fellow students. Taking a life in legitimate self-defense barely registered as particularly noteworthy.
The irony wasn't lost on him—his dual identities created interesting contradictions. As a mber of the Crimson Oath Society, restraint had been his watchword. As a student of Pixar University, he'd struck with overwhelming force.
"But why did I receive 3,000 points?" Azrael asked with genuine curiosity, then quickly connected the dots. "They must have included the Velkairos incident in the sa disbursent."
After thoroughly discussing the secret realm incident and its resolution, Chisaki naturally transitioned to Battle Club matters. The national competition required exactly five participants, and while the number didn't affect individual performance, team competitions demanded a complete roster.
Pixar University certainly couldn't submit an incomplete squad to such a prestigious event.
Azrael and the others imdiately understood who would replace Sun-Myun. With the replacent candidate already present, anyone with reasonable intelligence could deduce the obvious choice.
"The academy is considering having Kevaugn take Sun-Myun's position," Chisaki explained after taking a asured sip of water. "I'd like to hear your honest thoughts on this proposal."
Rather than imposing his authority unilaterally, Chisaki genuinely wanted to gauge the existing mbers' opinions on their potential new teammate.
Oliver and the other two exchanged aningful glances before directing their attention toward Azrael, clearly deferring to his judgnt as their unofficial leader.
After a mont of thoughtful consideration, Azrael nodded approvingly. "I have no objections to that choice."
He'd fought Kevaugn before and recognized that while their raw abilities were comparable to Sun-Myun's level, Kevaugn's ntal fortitude far exceeded their deceased teammate's psychological stability.
During their first practical training session, Kevaugn had willingly sacrificed his own cards to ensure his companions' safe retreat, demonstrating selflessness that Sun-Myun had never shown.
"Then it's officially decided," Chisaki announced, striking the table with finality. "You all go back and prepare thoroughly. Next week we'll travel to Beijing ahead of schedule to familiarize ourselves with the competition venue."
The five students nodded acknowledgnt and filed out of Chisaki's office in single file.
Kevaugn trailed behind Azrael and the other three, feeling distinctly like an outsider observing an established group. Initially, he'd been shocked to learn about Sun-Myun's death and his own opportunity to claim that vacant position.
But as the eting progressed, the atmosphere had grown increasingly strange. The four veterans seed to share unspoken knowledge that deliberately excluded him from their inner circle.
At the Battle Club's main entrance, Azrael casually shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. "That's good news, Kevaugn. At least we know each other well enough to work together effectively."
"It's definitely better than forcing so complete stranger into our established dynamic," Oliver agreed diplomatically.
Kevaugn suppressed his growing suspicions about the group's hidden secrets. "Azrael, I still haven't properly thanked you for what happened before."
"And thank you all for what you did in that secret realm. I promise I won't hold the team back at nationals."
Ever since Azrael had claid his Battle Club position, Kevaugn had maintained daily training regins, desperately hoping for another chance to prove himself worthy of their ranks.
However, challenging Azrael directly remained impossible, the gap in their abilities was simply too vast. His original targets had been Sun-Myun or Choi-Gyu, opponents within his realistic reach.
Azrael shrugged casually. "Co on, we're all teammates now."
"I hope we can achieve excellent results this year."
Oliver smiled warmly at Azrael's encouraging words. "I think our Pixar University has a genuine chance to compete for the championship this ti."
"After all, you're here with us now."
Azrael chuckled, waving off the praise dismissively. "Alright, stop with the flattery already."
Kevaugn listened to the exchange between Azrael and Oliver with growing bewildernt. The sense of wrongness intensified with every word.
"Wait, where's the arrogant Oliver I rember?" he thought in confusion.
The Oliver he recalled had been proud, competitive, and dismissive of anyone he considered beneath his level. This warm, supportive version seed like a completely different person entirely.
Just as Kevaugn was puzzling over Oliver's dramatic personality shift, Azrael spoke again. "I have so business to handle, so I'm heading out first."
Without further explanation, Azrael lted into the shadows and vanished completely, leaving the other four standing at the entrance.
The points had finally been credited to his account, creating the perfect opportunity to return ho and craft his next card. Regarding the choice of his final material, he remained torn between two particularly appealing options.
Silver-level [Desperate Avenger] (Gold quality) - 2,800 points
Silver-level [Escape Master] (Gold quality) - 2,900 points
Both materials offered intriguing possibilities for his next creation, but selecting the right one would determine his card's ultimate capabilities and strategic applications.
Reviews
All reviews (0)