Deception: A Tactician's Card

Face Off

Annie and Brian faced off against Jaxonn and Hero. Annie launched an explosive preemptive strike, using her [Blast Pistol] -- a rune card that grants the user access to use a red pistol with a six millimeter barrel and a fiery aesthetic -- against her brother but then he evaded it by shifting the upper part of his body into an O-shape, making the shot pass through and explode the wall behind him.

"Hey stupid brother, any last words?"

"That's my line. And don't call me your brother anymore."

"That's nice to...KNOW!"

Annie was about to charge towards Jaxonn when Hero intersected. Annoyed, Annie used another rune card of hers, something that blasted Hero away.

"You're not allowed to interfere. Get lost, dimwit."

The rune card Annie just used is [Aero Kick], an elemental rune card that amplified the knock back effect of a normal kick. The rune essence being stored on the leg used to hit would shoot out as a projectile to send the opponent away. She gracefully landed on the ground and continued shooting Jaxonn with her pistol.

Hero rolled on the ground, stopped the momentum and sprinted to pursuit but had to take a couple of steps back to evade a couple of punches coming from Brian.

"Hey there, mister. You can't just ignore me here or else I'll be sad."

"You're not someone worthy of my attention though~"

"You'll regret underestimating me."

Brian did a boxing stance and moved with a great footwork. Hero just scratched his head and sighed. His usual jestful attitude was changed to a more ominous one. His voice was also altered into a rough, menacing one.

"No. You'll be the one that'll regret overestimating yourself."

•••

I slipped through one of the windows of the first floor. This building seems pretty old. One could even say that this place would crumble any moment without prior notice.

As far as I'm concerned, my attack power is garbage-tier. I didn't accompany Annie and the other guy or else I might get in the way. Just in case of a goon roaming around their perimeter, I brought the cricket bat Snow gave to me. For some reason, I'm getting fond of using it after that Dawn Edge Incident.

Wielding the bat with my dominant hand, I searched the place and checking every room I could see, opening the doors with my right hand. I made sure that I steer away from the fight, so I wasn't able to continue my search on the first floor. I head upstairs and saw a lot of Wraiths roaming about, carrying a club or an axe with them, guarding some of the rooms.

Weren't Wraiths supposed to be mages and not melee users? Unnecessary doubts aside, seeing this many Wraiths made me come up with a a conclusion that whoever summoned these has a near-infinite rune essence.

Altering my presence with my rune card, I walked along the hallway casually. The Wraiths didn't notice I infiltrated this floor since I'm one of them -- at least currently.

I decided to follow a Wraith that was about to head towards the stairs to the third floor -- there's nothing in the second floor but empty rooms.

This floor is different from the first two floors.

What I see here is inhumane.

This floor is a nightmare fuel to faint-hearted individuals.

Corpses from various races are seen and are either dissected, hanged, or chopped. Some heads had the eyes still lit, and some body parts lying around were in a state of decay. The putrid smell covers the hall floor and I tried my best not to throw up.

More than that, I'm getting anxious.

What if my sister gets the same fate as -- no, I'd rather not think about that.

She's still alive. I knew that.

I'll believe that.

The Wraith I'm following meets up with another Wraith holding a n***d woman with its arms. I don't know who she was but...

Rest in peace, miss stranger.

That's all I could think of.

There's no use to try and save her -- there's a hole on her chest, near the center, a little to the left. That's the part where the heart was supposed to be located. She also lost her right leg, which was cleanly cut off. What happened to her might have executed just few moments ago.

"Kuh... Guhaak..."

Huh? She's still alive? How come? Wait, there's no time to dawdle about!

"[Nightmare Requiem]!"

My rune card only made the two in a state of confusion. Undead beings like Wraith are immune to any attacks that offers instant fatality. They could only be defeated by gradually damaging them. Elemental rune cards, specifically fire and holy attributes, could deal twice the damage.

The two Wraiths covered their ears (even though they don't have it) and started roaming around wildly. The one who's holding the woman dropped her of course, since it used both hands to cover their uh...ears.

While they're in disarray, I used a Disposable rune card I just created a couple of days ago to help her. It's something that has a more potent effect than any medicine available in the market.

This rune card never thwarts death. That's why I didn't try to save her. But since I witnessed that she's still alive, albeit barely, I didn't hesitate to use this rune card on her. This is the only one I have right now and was meant for my sister just in case she suffered some injuries, but this woman deserved to live. Everybody does.

I might regret it later. But there's no sense of thinking about that -- I already used the rune card. Hopefully, my sister is unscathed or only attained some light injuries. Quell Laps should be adequate for that.

"Cough..."

"I know you're not okay but if you're still conscious, communicate in any means available."

I know my phrasing is weird, but I have no time thinking for a proper way to state it. I still have to rescue my sister and if it's possible, I'll have her get away from this place on her own after I'll escort her towards the exit.

"Qualified being, confirmed. Granting ownership. Initiating."

"What in the world...?"

•••

The fight between Annie and Jaxonn continues.

Jaxonn shoots out a jet stream of water from his hands. The pressure he applied to the jet stream is enough to made it thin and could puncture anything in its path with ease. Annie evaded it by twisting her waist to the left and shifting the position of her upper body to lean backwards. She countered by shooting a couple of bullets with her right hand. He didn't bother to dodge it, thinking that it won't hurt him, but ended up regretting it later. The bullets explodes on impact, blasting away some fluid from her brother's watery form.

"I didn't recall anything that would bring you in this state! I didn't raise you on my own so that you could kidnap someone's sister! Shame on you!"

"I love her and I know that she loves me! Our love is bound to have challenges, and you're a nuisance to our perfect love story!"

"Goddammit Jaxonn, you could no longer be saved. As your sister, I'll put an end to this."

"It's nonsensical for a perfect individual like me to be saved. And again, you're no longer my sister."

Jaxonn reconstructed the lost part almost immediately and attacked Annie by seizing her with an enlarged hand. She took a step sidewards and shoots Jaxonn. This time, however, it is aimed at the brain. Jaxonn immediately relocated his brain to the stomach. The bullet made the head part vanished after it exploded. Just like earlier, the lost part was reconstructed, and the brain was brought back to its original position.

Jaxonn then made a spear out of water and threw it to Annie. She parried it head-on with her [Aero Kick]. The water used to create the spear splashed to nothingness and the wind projectile hits Jaxonn, making a hole on his stomach.

"You're trying to kill me now?"

"Desperate problems required desperate solutions. You're beyond help Jaxonn. I have nothing else to say except farewell."

She returned her pistol back into a rune card and used another one. She's shedding tears as she activated it.

"That's...!"

"I have no means to use it, but you gave me no choice. I should've stopped you before when I got the chance but I may have been lenient on that time. As the one who bears the same blood as yours, I'll grant you access to the afterlife! Manifest, [Glass Cannon]."

[Glass Cannon] is a rune card that could only be used once per day. It's in a form of a mini g*n but with a single enlarged barrel, and is transparent. A fully charged shot it could release, which only needs a couple of seconds to charge, is enough to destroy the facility they're in in one fell swoop.

"As if I let you use that!"

"As if you could stop me."

The shot is fired, heading straight towards Jaxonn. The speed it has made it impossible to evade if compared with Jaxonn's speed. But then in Jaxonn's view, a giant silhouette appeared in front of him and smashed the shot with his fists.

It's Nefario.