advance/early chapters : p atreon.com/Ritesh_Jadhav0869
A majestic beast's head formed of pure lightning emerged from the storm clouds—a dragon made of thunder, crackling with divine judgment. As Sasuke's hand fell, the legendary Kirin descended, its jaws wide enough to swallow gods.
The two Ancestor Giants had exactly enough time to understand their fate before ceasing to exist.
KABOOM!
The world became white noise and ozone. Every electronic device in a three-block radius flickered. Birds fell from the sky, stunned. The barrier systems screamed warnings about power levels that shouldn't exist at silver rank.
Sienna stood frozen, her face bleached white by lightning that had already faded.
"What... what is...?"
Her mind refused to process reality. She'd tanked Russell's strongest attack. Victory had been certain. Consecutive championships—double glory, double recognition. The dream was supposed to continue.
Instead, thunder had rewritten the script.
When vision returned, Bergelmir and his wife were simply... absent. A crater deep enough to see bedrock marked their passing. No dramatic death throes, no final words—just deletion from existence.
The primordial Frost Giants, who'd survived Ragnarok in mythology, had met their end to thunder in a different world. Like Baldr dying to mistletoe—the ironic futility of fate.
In the Northgate section, Lucian finally understood Russell's strategy. "You needed my storm clouds. Sasuke can't generate them fast enough alone."
Technically, he could use fire jutsu to create updrafts and form clouds, but that would take minutes we don't have in a tournament.
"The situation has reversed!" The team erupted in celebration.
Only Hazel tilted her head, studying Sasuke with professional interest. As a Diamond-rank lightning specialist, she recognized the technique's absurd power-to-rank ratio.
Attacks beyond your level always have prices. Environmental requirements and setup time are relatively cheap for that level of destruction.
"Have you already figured it out?" Sienna's voice came out as a rasp, all arrogance evaporated.
Russell chuckled but didn't answer. If I expose a weakness while knowing you can exploit it, either I have a counter or it's not really a weakness.
Sienna shuffled back to her team like a ghost, shoulders hunched in defeat. Her teammates whispered comfort before glaring at Russell. They hadn't expected such a catastrophic reversal—Sienna had left without even scratching him.
Well, if making him use two ultimate attacks counted as damage, then mission accomplished. Unfortunately, the remaining Science & Technology members lacked anything resembling Lúdr's defense.
The stands erupted in delayed reaction.
"I TOLD you Russell would win!"
"Did he really call it 'Kirin'? Like the mythical beast?"
"His opponent management is insane. Online trolls calling him a one-trick glass cannon look stupid now."
"Nobody could have known without him showing it!"
Arguments broke out between Russell supporters and skeptics, though with cardmakers present, it stayed verbal.
In the VIP section, Alaric had accidentally yanked out beard hairs in shock. "You knew?"
Valeron sighed. "You're Diamond-rank. Why do you only use your eyes? Mental perception would have shown you his preparation."
"Where's the fun in knowing everything?" Alaric grumbled. "But that lightning technique seems separate from his eye abilities."
"I thought it was Sharingan-related too," Valeron mused. "The boy's hiding more than we realize."
Troy took the stage with forced calm. Three Northgate members left, including Russell. If I can beat him, we still have hope.
One look at Russell's undamaged cards shattered that delusion.
His [Nine-Virtues Mountain God • Changcheng] and Nine-Tailed Goat materialized in soft, nine-colored light. The peaceful scene lasted exactly one breath before Artoria's black flame-wreathed sword came crashing down.
The Mountain God blocked desperately while the Goat ran in circles, chased by Neliel's lance like a sheep avoiding a wolf.
"Running because they're afraid of death?" Russell observed. "Pointless."
Troy's cards were clearly inferior to Sienna's—the gap between them was like Russell versus Lucian. Sienna was Science & Technology's true core; Troy was muscle.
The Goat's legs got pinned by Shadowkhan iron pillars. Neliel's lance finished it. The Mountain God, facing three opponents, lasted seconds longer before dissipating.
Troy stood hollow-eyed, confronting a truth he couldn't accept. Can one person really be this overwhelming?
Last year, he'd won through teamwork and bonds. This year, Russell, Holden, Anson—even Sienna—had left him in the dust. His teammates patted his shoulder, but he couldn't find words of encouragement.
Russell, having used minimal energy on the previous attacks, felt nothing defeating Science & Technology's remaining players.
"Semi-final match one: Northgate University defeats Daming Science & Technology University!"
The defending champions hung their heads. If someone had predicted they'd lose to last year's bottom-dwellers, they'd have laughed. But one student changed everything.
One student named Russell.
In a hospital room, a bandage-wrapped figure watched Russell's victory on television.
"Russell... I didn't satisfy you."
Holden turned to the gray-haired man beside him. "Teacher, after nationals, I want the frontline."
Frank Dragomir responded softly, "Your choice. Though what you need might not be more fighting."
Back at the arena, President Ding of Northgate approached the team, face wrinkled in joy.
"Excellent work! Especially you, Russell. Without you, we'd have been eliminated rounds ago."
"Just good teaching from the school," Russell replied diplomatically.
Ding's face bloomed like a chrysanthemum in spring.
The second semi-final began: Northwestern versus Major University.
Major pushed Northwestern hard until Anson's robot transformed. This time, he activated a different weapon.
"Moon."
Cold, clear light bathed the battlefield. A pale beam lanced through Major's captain's card—less explosive than "Sun" but with sustained output.
Laser weapon, Russell analyzed. Fubuki could defend it, but what's "Star"?
Anson had shown Sun and Moon, but Star remained hidden. No intelligence existed about his cards' origins.
Northwestern won to thunderous applause, achieving what no one expected—reaching the finals.
Russell smiled at his teammates. "Feels like we're the villains now."
Watching Anson surrounded by celebrating Northwestern students, Russell's smile sharpened.
"Show me what you've got, Anson. After all, I still have trump cards to play."
(End of Chapter)