Chapter 425

Chapter 425: On-Site Card Printing?

A surprising event happened to 『』; Leona made such a big fuss but didn’t attack. Instead, she gently descended from the air and sat in front of Tom.

"Hmph, these broken cards are useless," Leona said with a slight frown. "If only you focused on understanding the rules…"

"That’s something you all enjoy, but I don’t like it; I just enjoy playing cards," Tom pushed the box forward. "Do you want to play? Just say it."

"I’ll play with you," Leona took a deep breath.

The two quickly built their decks, clearly not their first time playing.

『』 sat to the side, watching the two play cards.

"Miss 『』, could you please be the judge?" Tom said to her.

"Sure," 『』 first took Leona’s deck and helped shuffle it.

As she shuffled, 『』 felt something was off; a mysterious force seemed to be affecting something…

『』 suddenly looked at Leona; her golden eyes, slightly red, were shining with an unusual light.

Although 『』’s fighting ability is low, she is still an eighth-tier, so she understands what she needs to know.

『』 quickly realized that Leona was using the rules to boost her luck!

Is this allowed? Is this how you play cards? This is clearly cheating!

But still, it’s just boosting luck… It’s hard to explain.

『』 glanced at Tom, "Is it against the rules to enhance luck with the rules in your place?"

"If it’s just luck, it’s not against the rules, but if she uses space magic to affect the order, then it is." Tom shook his head.

『』 let out a sigh and placed her deck of cards in front of Leona.

『』 stated that this doesn’t count as breaking the rules; Tom is being too carefree. How could you possibly win?

『』 quietly shuffled the cards for Tom.

Soon, Tom’s cards were shuffled.

The two of them each drew three cards for the first round. Tom went first, drew a fourth card, and then summoned a creature.

This was the deck he learned from 『』, the "Hunter"!

『』 didn’t have high hopes for this duel; with Leona’s luck, Tom could never win.

"It’s my turn." Leona used a knight deck, which was very strong under pressure.

The two of them went back and forth, and by the seventh round, Leona drew a card.

"How is that possible?" Leona’s face changed, "Why isn’t it AOE?"

"It’s your turn now," Tom quietly watched Leona.

"Hmph, I’ve lost this round." Leona threw her cards down in front of her.

『』 also felt it was a bit unbelievable.

A strong person can directly rely on rules to improve their luck; if this were used in normal gambling, it could be said to be unbeatable, theoretically impossible to lose.

How did Tom win in this situation? Does he have natural luck?

But, such strong luck wouldn’t be so strange…

Could it be that Tom has improved as well?

No, he is only at the seventh tier; how could he improve?

Soon, the second round began.

This time, Tom used the energy knight that 『』 had used, while Leona chose Pastor; this time, Tom had an amazing draw.

"Phew, you are still so strong." Leona looked at her hand with a terrible expression; these cards were stuck!

Using rules to change luck will still lead to losing; it just means the skill isn’t as good as others.

In Leona’s mind, playing cards is a competition of rules, seeing who understands the rules better.

Simply put, she never planned to play cards fairly; she wanted to win by cheating.

The rules are clear; as long as cheating goes unnoticed, it’s fine.

If Tom has won against himself, then his understanding of the rules is better than his own.

"But I won’t give up," Leona said, slamming a card down on the ground.

She slowly released her hand and saw the patterns and words on the card had changed!

[Name: Holy Fire]

[Category: Spell]

[Star Level: 6]

[Grade: Blue Rare]

[Occupational Restriction: Pastor]

[Description: Deals five damage and heals your hero for five health points.]

Bang!

A faint wave of magic spread toward Tom, and the only follower he had on the field was defeated, causing Leona’s health to change from one to six.

"Huh?" 『』 was confused.

"What’s wrong?" Tom glanced at 『』.

"This card…" 『』 looked at Leona.

"I was lucky to draw this," Leona said calmly.

"Did you have this card before? It’s a new print!" 『』 said, looking frantic. "Isn’t this against the rules?"

"You checked my deck, and it seems your memory isn’t very good. I have had this card from the start," Leona replied.

"That’s impossible! My memory doesn’t fail!" 『』 insisted.

"Then think for a moment, what is my name?" Leona smiled slightly.

『』 was about to say her name but suddenly realized how unfamiliar this person looked.

She forgot the name of the woman in front of her!

"It seems the referee’s memory isn’t very good; I indeed have this card," Leona looked at Tom again.

『』 started to sweat nervously; this woman in front of her was someone she shouldn’t mess with.

No way, I’m not dealing with this nonsense anymore. Let them have fun!

"Miss 『』, it’s okay… It’s my turn, I’ll draw a card!" Tom casually drew a card, "Ha, you lost."

[Name: Divine Fury]

[Type: Spell]

[Star Level: 5]

[Grade: Blue Rare]

[Occupational Restriction: Knight]

[Description: Draw a card and deal damage equal to its mana value.]

Then, Tom drew another card.

He was just about to throw the card away when he sensed that the patterns and words on the card seemed to be changing.

Tom glanced at the card; it was a seven-star card that could deal seven points of damage, and Leona in front of him only had six points of health left.

In theory, as long as he threw it, he could win.

But the card he held was changing into a one-star card!

Tom took a deep breath and focused completely.

Two forces were battling on the card, and even white smoke began to rise from it.

『』 never thought that this entertaining game could make them play like this…

"Time is almost up," Leona urged.

『』 took out a rope, placed it on the ground, and lit it.

When one player takes too long, the burning rope will give a warning.

This rope is special; it burns for twenty seconds, and if a suitable decision is not made in that time, that round will be automatically given up.

『』 just lit the rope but found that three-quarters of it was instantly burned away.

『』’s pupils shrank; was time speeding up just now?

Snap!

Suddenly, a Mountain Giant was slammed to the ground by Tom.

"How is that possible?" Leona’s pupils shrank; we were still in the game.

Boom!

A loud explosion came from nearby, and Leona quickly turned her head, instantly understanding the reason.

This guy used a space rule to take the card from our duel, then he swapped it for a new card with a speed I couldn’t catch!

"Best out of three, you lost. Please go back," Tom said as he extended his hand.

That’s how Tom plays cards; he never lost at the tavern because most people there tried to cheat, and Tom countered them.

In a fair card game, the opponent still has a chance to win; they just aren’t as skilled.

Tom never takes advantage of honest people when playing cards.

When playing cards with 『』, all those rules are useless; it’s just pure skill against Tom, and Tom doesn’t use any rules, only enjoying the game with 『』.

You could say 『』 is one of the few people Tom likes to play cards with.

"I won’t let you go," Leona said, reaching out to grab Tom.

Tom’s expression changed, and he instinctively blocked Leona’s hand.

Boom!

With a loud explosion, a large pit about ten meters wide appeared where the two people were standing.

Bang!

『』 was uncontrollably blasted away.

It felt like being struck by a hammer when she had no strength.

Crackle, crackle, crackle…

Space cracks appeared all around, and when the flying sand and stones reached the edges of the cracks, they instantly vanished.

With the two of them in the center, a powerful wind swept outward, combining holy power and neutral power, creating the scene before them.

『』 was shocked to see the space crack behind her, and she quickly plunged her hand into the ground to avoid being harmed.

『』 reluctantly lifted her head, looking at Tom in disbelief.

Although she should have suspected it when Tom was able to play cards normally with the ninth-level players, she still felt a bit dazed when it actually happened.

The guy who just lost everything to me in cards is actually such a strong opponent?

At that moment, countless space rifts rushed towards 『』.

『』 knew that now was not the time to think about them.

These space rifts are attracted to strong magical energy, so those two powerful rifts cannot come over here, but it’s fine for us…

"『』… Miss 『』… run away…" Tom’s veins bulged, clearly struggling.

Leona wasn’t in a better condition either; the two of them were evenly matched for the time being based on their strength.

Whoosh!

『』 let go and flew towards the back.

Just before touching the space crack, 『』 threw out a card.

[Name: Angel’s Wings]

[Category: Spell]

[Star Level: 8]

[Grade: Purple Epic]

[Occupational Restriction: Pastor]

[Description: With these wings, you can go anywhere you want to go.]

Bang!

『』 grew a pair of wings behind her, greatly increasing her agility and flying ability.

She quickly dodged the space rift behind her, but more space rifts appeared.

Now, 『』 was spinning around like a headless fly, hiding everywhere, unsure how to leave this area.

There was no way out; space rifts were everywhere, and she didn’t have the battle instincts like Karoso and Teresa, so she could only focus on finding a safe spot.

『』 didn’t know how long it had been, but when her magic was nearly exhausted, the space rifts suddenly decreased.

"Those soldiers!" 『』 sighed with relief and hurriedly called out.

"Take care of yourself!" Tom shouted back.

The location of the soldiers was a bit far, so their fight didn’t harm the undead.

"Hmph, you are the same," Leona sneered.

『』 was stunned for a moment after hearing Tom’s words.

Just then, a mist wrapped around 『』, making her figure disappear in the canyon.

It was only later that she realized she had unknowingly entered the realm of the brave trials.

……

Time goes back a little.

After entering the Trial of the Brave, Karoso felt a brief dizziness, and when he woke up again, he was already at Colloa Manor.

Colloa Manor no longer had its usual peace; the entire Morning Star City was under martial law.

The sky was darkened by smoke and dust, with dark clouds making the evening scenery feel extremely heavy.

A vast army, blocking out the sun, surrounded the entire Morning Star City, and countless planes, cannons, and airships pointed their firepower at Colloa Manor.

Especially the fighter planes circling in the sky gave a very oppressive feeling.

In an instant, a wave of memories flooded into Karoso’s mind.

He started a world war and ended up as a loser; the enemy pressed in closely, his brother Kazan died in battle, and the cities in Canglang Province were almost entirely occupied.

Of thirty divisions, only one remained, still holding onto Morning Star City.

If Karoso lost a few battles or if Presea faced a major upheaval and couldn’t recover, what was before him could easily happen, and Karoso could be easily affected.

"Karoso, we have no chance left, you should go."

An old voice reached Karoso’s ears.

Karoso turned to see Osiris Colloa standing at the highest point of Colloa Manor, silently watching the planes.

This Osiris seemed much older, his figure no longer upright, and his hair had turned somewhat gray.

This is not just the mark of time; it feels as if his heart has already died.

Osiris crossed his arms, and his eyes became a bit cloudy.

His human hand was trembling slightly, showing that he was very upset inside, "As long as you are alive, there is a chance to rebuild Canglang Province…"

"Father, I will take you with me. We will fight our way out!" Karoso’s current memories replaced his previous ones.

Osiris let out a sigh, "I have spent my whole life in Canglang Province, and I do not want to move anymore. You young people do not cherish home, but this is my home…"

Karoso opened his mouth slightly.

Buzz!

A bullet comment suddenly appeared in front of Karoso.

[What the heck is going on?]

[The Trial of the Brave is just an illusion, a way to conquer the fears inside you.]

[Minaret has already passed, let alone Master Karoso.]

In an instant, Karoso’s mind became clear.

This anchor pulled his memories back.

However, Karoso did not pay much attention to the bullet comment; he took a deep breath and decisively turned it off.

For a moment, his gaze became a bit confused, as the memories here replaced his original ones again.

Only in this way can he achieve the best trial.

If you can’t face this, don’t think about getting stronger.

"Osiris, surrender!"

In the distance, the voices of King Finn Roland of the Kingdom of Persia and Emperor Emmanuel Eichler of the Pande Empire could be heard.

"Surrender?" Osiris’s voice grew louder, "There are only dead Colloa, no surrendering Colloa!"

"Didn’t you say we are the culprits of this world war? Didn’t you say you would punish us? Come on!"

"Blast them!" Finn Roland shouted.

Countless planes flew toward them, and countless shells exploded around Karoso’s home.