Chapter 112: Triad vs. Trickster
The figure halted his laughter for a quick second—his porcelain mask tilting ever so slightly, as if in mock confusion.
But he quickly recovered in an instant, his shoulders shaking with renewed mirth.
Two cards shimmered into existence between his fingers, one bearing the symbol of a king, and the other a rook, the ivory surfaces gleaming under the flickering magical light of the arena.
Just like before.
But this time, he used them differently.
"Castle!" he howled, voice echoing across the chamber like a bell in a cathedral.
With a lazy flick of his arm, the rook-shaped card snapped into position before him—a phantom chessboard glinting to life—the twin barrage of fire and water colliding against it. The spell effects shattered and dispersed like harmless mist, the wall of energy humming with quiet triumph.
’He has the same power as the one from before!’
Marcus’s mind reeled, but his body acted on instinct—he lunged, twin daggers blazing with rune-light, each etched with power meant for far stronger foes.
He pursued relentlessly, boots cracking stone, daggers dancing in a deadly blur. But the masked figure was already in motion, reacting with that same alien fluidity—dodging each strike with a smooth, inhuman weave, like his body was more water than flesh.
While Marcus kept him engaged with sharp, precise slashes, Victoria moved—her boots barely whispering against the floor as she sprinted behind the masked figure, already preparing a pincer strike.