Within the frozen room, Nyx trembled continuously, the cold so intense it seemee to sink deep into her skin.
'This card is a real nightmare to deal with. How did Harid even get his hands on this? 'she thought. The Ice Tomb card wasn't terrifying just because of the cold it generated— even more dangerous were the Frozen Knights.
The knights were relatively slow, but their sword strikes carried incredible momentum. The frozen sword was so large it shielded her entire vision, aiming at her head for a clean strike. Even though Harid knew he couldn't harm her as long as the Pocket Hourglass was here, he continuously attacked, leaving Nyx in constant pain but with no wounds.
At first glance, her ability was incredible—she had thought so at the beginning. But once her opponent understood how to break it, all that was left was a battle of will. Harid understood that well.
The first knight struck—Nyx was forced to evade to the side, using Sifa to catch the knight's sword midway.
The frozen sword was sealed in the void, entangled by the white scarf. The power of Sifa lay in its ability to grapple its enemies. Anything held by Sifa was like being held by an unbreakable chain of iron.
"Don't you have better than these frozen puppets?" Nyx asked.
Pulling on Sifa, she yanked the knight forward, snatching his balance without much effort. The knight stumbled forward, its body shattering under the pressure of Sifa. Keeping her scarf in hand, Nyx steadied herself.
"These things are way too weak. When are you going to stop acting weak and show me what you've really got?" Nyx asked. From what she had seen, Harid was someone who loved performing—exactly like with the surgeon. If she could play his game and force him into a mistake, like switching cards, things could improve for her.
"Ah, very funny, you fool. You really think I'm that stupid? The beauty of the Ice Tomb is not the knights themselves but the ability of this place to generate them infinitely. Even if you can't get wounded, let's see how long you can endure the pain of an endless walk of knights' swords on your body," Harid smirked. Waving the card between his fingers, the frozen storm intensified.
Nyx's expression was calm despite the pain. She had been enduring the cold for so long that the rising storm barely affected her. But soon, the knight she had just broken rose back to its feet. Like an undead warrior, its palm shot out from the snow, dragging its massive body upright. Sword in hand, it began moving once more.
How can I get out of this spot? Nyx's mind was spinning. At first, she aimed only at stalling for time long enough for Danzan or Kairo to come. However, at this rate, it wouldn't be possible. Water had started infiltrating the room, and she knew the submarine was damaged.
Kairo's situation is unknown. What if he was in danger? Nyx, having grown up in a care center, hadn't had many people with whom she got really close. Each time one of her friends got adopted and left, she would have to start back all over again forming new relationships, and the cycle would repeat. Many considered her too lively for a kid in good uniform.
Thus, Nyx only saw people come and leave all the time. But with Kairo, it was different. They had been together from the first day, and never had he once left her. How could she allow herself to not do anything to make sure he was safe? Nyx didn't want to stall for time anymore—she wanted to win.
Nyx tightened her grip around Sifa, stepping out of the way to evade the knight's downward swing. The movement was crude, but the impact was loud enough to break the ice-covered surface.
"The level of damage to the submarine has risen well above 30%. If we reach the 40% mark, I won't be able to do anything," Camilla said, observing the statistics on her tablet.
"If we had real officers on board, things would be different. What is Donsentos doing, for God's sake?" another engineer added.
Leaning in a corner, an engineer kept his head in his knees, frightened by the Frozen Knights.
"Just buy us some time to get out of here. That's all we ask for. I have a family," he kept repeating.
Amidst the broken shards of ice, Nyx tightened Sifa around her left palm. Although she knew it was just fear talking for them, it was hard to stay concentrated when those for whom one fought didn't value your effort.
"Don't lose focus mid-battle," Harid cursed loudly, ordering the knights to attack.
Nyx, catching herself back, tried to escape the knights but was a tad too late. Sandwiched between the two, she had no way to escape. The knight waved his sword, pushing through the space with incredible speed—a swing so wide Nyx had no way to avoid.
Nyx was sent flying backward when the frozen sword shattered on her body, rolling several meters back before falling face-first a few meters away from Harid.
"Told you, Nyx. Once you die, Kairo will be so pissed off he'll want my head as much as I want his. That way, we'll be even. Don't you think? How do you want to die—swift or painful?" Harid asked. "The Surgeon was on the way to create something that would have changed everything for Card Mages. But you... your fear for necessary change has shattered everything."
"You call it necessary change to turn innocent people into monsters with no mind of their own?" Nyx's face darkened, her brows deepening into a frown. The image of all those people who had been turned into monsters of their inner selves was still vivid in her mind.
At the Card Mage Police, there was currently no treatment for them. Stuck in cages like vulgar animals—this was what awaited them for life. This wasn't change. This was pure horror. She despised Harid for that. She despised the Surgeon for that and was willing to endure any threshold of pain just to send them behind bars, where their real place was.
"This wasn't the end goal. Those ones were collateral. We can't innovate without sacrifices. I don't expect morons like you to understand." Harid shook his head. For him, there was no right or wrong—just necessary and useless sacrifices.
"You will all pay for your crimes," Nyx cried out. She was a Card Mage officer. It was her job to catch criminals. It was her duty to protect the weak.
Forgetting about the pain, she rose back to her feet. Sifa in her hand was livelier than it had ever been, as if it had been given a new life.
"This is all you're capable of? Giving out boring speeches? Go, my knights—send her to the grave!"
The Frozen Knights rose one after another. This time, over five of them closed in on Nyx one after another. Sword in hand, they attacked—hacking and slashing in all directions. They created a real storm of sword strikes, sealing every possible escape that Nyx could take. There was no way out for her.
"I have no idea what you've gone through, nor can I pretend to understand. But I do know we are capable of everything for the people we care for. Don't let this be your last battle, Nyx. You are exactly like her—like Mirelle. The star I could never dream to catch up to," Camilla said out loud, her expression on the verge of tears.
In Nyx's eyes, she could see the determination and fortitude of Mirelle. Although she couldn't be like her, she had found her way in engineering—excelling in her own path. And now, she didn't want Nyx to waste her potential for them.
"Keep it up, girl. You did a great job protecting us this long. We wouldn't resent you if you fell now," another engineer said in a low voice, too afraid of getting the Frozen Knights' attention.
Lost in the storm of attacks, Nyx moved left and right, evading as much as she could. Stepping in the snow backward, the frozen sword missed her face by inches. Using Sifa as a shield, Nyx blocked another terrible sword strike, causing the frozen sword to shatter upon impact. Her frail hands trembled continuously, as if they were going to break at any moment. Another one came from the back—and then from the left.
Nyx tried her best to counter but to no avail. At the speed at which the knight regenerated, she would be drawn into an ice tomb. "If I used my last cards, I could change the tide—but what about Camilla and the others?" Nyx's face flashed with uncertainty.
These cards she had gotten after she succeeded in the Star Exam at the Headquarters—she had never shown them to anyone, not even Kairo. However, she could only keep two continuous cards activated at any given moment. Taking away the pocket hourglass was sealing their fate.
This was the inherent limitation behind the Awakening Ceremony. Unlike Kairo, who had awakened three cards the first time, she had only awakened two. At first, this didn't have much impact other than earning some more fame at the academy, but as she learned more about card magic, she understood that this initiation carried incredible weight for their future abilities.
"I can't do that," Nyx sighed in resignation. She could not activate those cards, but that didn't mean she had no plan to win. Far from that—she was ready to launch her counter. Clearly, Harid was not expecting what was coming.