Date: Unspecified
Ti: Unspecified
Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Region, Southern Capital, Guild Association Mall, Warehouse No. 234, Limitless Celestial Domain, Gainover Manor, Mirror Maze Dinsion, Unparalleled Arena
Gainover’s emotions finally stabilized after the initial shock of Anna summoning Unparalleled Arena within his Mirror Maze Dinsion. Seeing that his replica army was still able to keep her at bay, despite her sudden and explosive surge in overall strength, reassured him. He believed that, due to the nature of his dinsion, Anna would eventually be exhausted, while his replica army would not, so long as she remained hostile and continued attacking him. Then, he would subdue and teach this ungrateful seed that he had planted in the Southern Royal family a lesson.
Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, he heard Anna activate another card aloud, her voice carrying a taunting challenge, as if daring him to stop her if he could.
"Booster Dice!!"1
[Booster Dice are being rolled!]
[Dice one rolled a 6! Dice two rolled a 6!]
[Card apprentice’s next attack will gain dodecat-booster.]
"Boom!"
Anna’s next attack, amplified by her Booster Dice card, annihilated half of the replica army in a single strike. The impact shattered their millennia soldier battle formation and caused the Mirror Maze itself to collapse, forcing the Mirror Maze Dinsion to fracture and vanish along with its remaining replicas. In the aftermath, only Anna and Gainover remained, standing within the Unparalleled Arena.
I had no clear asure of how much Anna’s attack had been enhanced by the Booster Dice card, but from what I witnessed, its power bordered on peak noble class, perhaps even approaching semi-ruler class strength.
Gainover stared at Anna in shock, unable to comprehend how the tides of battle had turned so abruptly. One mont, he had been certain that the odds remained in his favor. The next, he had lost everything. The despair in his gaze spoke volus as he asked, his voice heavy with disbelief, "If you possessed such strength, why didn’t you use it from the beginning and end this sooner?"
"My mother used to say there is no fun in defeating an opponent who knows they are going to lose. Today, I finally understood the aning behind those words. I don’t know why, but it is far more satisfying this way, and even dangerously addictive," Anna replied. She activated a cleaning card, cleansing herself, then equipped a new armor card and changed into it. "Those few seconds of despair in your eyes just after you were assured that you win, when you held your sigh of relief as you realized your doom was inevitable, were worth it. But that is still not enough to make up for the grievances you caused and my family simply by existing and breathing. Only in death can you compensate us."
"My dear daughter, do you truly believe that?" Gainover asked calmly, gathering his spiraling thoughts despite his dire situation. After witnessing the prowess Anna had displayed while fighting his army of replicas, he knew with certainty that he was no match for her. Fighting her would be foolish. He stood more chances talking and charming his way out of this one.
"No matter what I may have done, or what you believe I have done, it does not change the fact that I am still your father. Whether you accept it or not, that truth will remain unchanged. The blood flowing in your body is half mine. There is no way you, or your mother, or her family, can deny that. My dear daughter, I know you are capable of many things, but I do not believe killing your father is one of them," Gainover spoke self-righteously, feigning confidence in his own words as he began to preach Anna.
"Also, my dear daughter, no matter what you do now, you cannot change what lies in the past. I suggest you let go of it, let go of your anger, and allow to walk away. I promise you, you will never hear from , nor hear about , ever again. It will be as if I were dead. My dear daughter, for you, I will live as a ghost. So, I beg you, my dearer Anna, it is ti you let go of this anger and stop allowing it to dictate your life. Only by releasing it can you truly be free and begin to live on your own terms."
Anna waited patiently, watching Gainover with a gentle yet teasing smile, her gaze filled with undisguised mockery as it lingered on him. She let him speak, savoring the sight of his struggle for his miserable life as he pleaded and tried to persuade her. Then, unable to restrain herself any longer, she finally took a step forward, and then another...
Seeing this, Gainover’s sense of urgency surged. He knew that nothing he said was having any effect on Anna. She was coming for him, intent on ending it all. Soon, overwheld by fear and panic, he began to babble, desperately trying to sway her and change her mind, yet he did not dare to fight back.
They say a person’s true self is revealed in how they face death. And Gainover, even when confronted with it, still tried to con his way out through words. However, his pleas no longer held any logic, nor did they make any sense. It was clear that his mind had been overwheld by fear, his words and actions driven by nothing but raw instinct.
The grin on Anna’s face widened into sothing eerie and sadistic as she watched Gainover lose his wits before her. Seeing him babble like a fool, pleading for his life, exhilarated her and filled her with an unprecedented sense of joy. She could not help but wonder who the fool was that claid revenge brought no satisfaction and that only emptiness awaited those who pursued it.
Standing before Gainover, Anna took one final look at him before driving her hand through his chest, reaching for his divinity and heart. However, to her surprise, the mont her hand pierced through him, the despair on Gainover’s face vanished, replaced by a sudden grin as he uttered, "My daughter, thank you for the gift."
Check author's note for 'Booster Dice' card info.
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