Snapper's breathing grew heavy and strained as he sauntered past the piles of bones scattered around the graveyard.
Every part of his body had been aching since his fight against Mel, but now it seemed like the constant expenditure of strength and stamina had finally started to weigh down on him.
"Fuck… It hurts," he cursed while panting heavily.
His blood-stained, fingerless gloves concealed the flesh torn from his knuckles, and the several micro fractures in his carpals and metacarpals.
However, the pain was the least of his worries.
"There better not be any more traps this time…" The ice hat that he fought so hard to gain was just within range again, but unfortunately, bad news had just arrived.
"Yo, Snap!"
"What–"
In a flash of panic, Snapper instinctively turned around, only to receive a surprise attack to the jaw.
"Gack!!"
Snapper's body flung to the side under the devastating impact of a turning kick, causing his back to crash against a stone epitaph.
"What the hell…" Snapper, barely managing to lift his head from the ground while slumped against the dirt floor, stared detestably at Jude, who grasped the ice hat immediately.
"Y-you bastard… You snuck up on me!"
Jude chuckled remorselessly while fidgeting with the hat. He hadn't placed it upon his head yet as he wanted to relish in the moment a little longer.
"I called out to you though, didn't I? It's not my fault you decided to turn around instead of evading," Jude shrugged.
With hatred beginning to refuel his stamina, Snapper gradually rose to his feet, wiping away the snow and dirt from his face.
Having Jude as a direct opponent was something he wanted to avoid at all costs. There was a clear skill gap, and the amount of cards in his possession clearly trumped his own arsenal.
What should I do…? he wondered.
Jude was still twirling the ice hat around with his finger, practically provoking him.
This guy likes to use traps. If I drop my guard for even a second, I'm screwed… Damn, I wish I had my dagger at least so I could tear that smile off his face!
"Have you come up with a plan yet?" Jude teasingly asked.
"Go to hell."
"Well, I'll take that as a 'no' then," he chuckled. "But don't worry, Snap, in many stories, near impossible situations are where heroes tend to succeed the most."
"Yeah? Well, I'm no hero, and this isn't a chapter from one of your little fantasy books. Even if I don't succeed here, someone else will take you down."
"Hmm? Are you referring to your friend, Wolf? You seem to think quite highly of him. Is that simply due to a fraternal faith in one's ally, or because you have acknowledged his capabilities as a Visionary?"
"... I've seen what he can do. Just give him some time, and you'll be wishing you never crossed paths with him."
"Is that so…?" Jude stopped playing with the hat and held it against his lap instead, his expression slightly hardening. "I must admit, I do see a lot of potential in him also, but what about the girl?"
"Girl…?" Snapper questioned. "Are you talking about May?"
Jude shook his head in disappointment.
"So you still haven't been able to realize it, huh? I guess it must be true then… Only the Masters of Vision can tell each other apart from the rest of society."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Snapper groaned, unable to clearly follow Jude's ramblings.
"The boisterous red head on your team… You know: the one that's been 'cooling down' for the past thirty minutes…"
"Amber?" Snapper recoiled. "What are you tryna say? She's a Visionary like you and Wolf?"
Snapper shook his head, realizing that the statement sounded completely absurd when saying it aloud.
"That's impossible!"
"Are you really certain about that? Surely you've realized the countless similarities between the two in your group. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought they were siblings.
"The truth is that us Visionaries are one in the same, Snap. We are a curse and a blessing upon this world: Miracles of Sin!" Jude sang as he made frequent hand gestures in a slightly maniacal manner. "The powers that we possess are beyond the scope of what normal people are able to perceive. In short, that is the ultimate cause of your oblivion."
Snapper took a moment to digest this information, furrowing his brow as he did so.
"If what you're saying is true, Amber should be able to do all the things that Wolf can. But that's not the case at all."
Snapper was right. Although Wolf was currently in possession of a CCU, he didn't need it to summon cards or use Clairvoyance, but Amber still did.
However, Jude had a simple answer for this.
"That is because she is yet to embrace her curse."
"Curse?" Snapper raised his eyebrow, completely unsure of what he meant.
Jude explained that Visionaries were unable to use their gifts immediately due to a special weakness unique to each one. It is only the moment when this weakness is realized that the Visionaries can start to perform unimaginable things. This is how the first stage is unlocked.
As Larg once mentioned before: the mind and soul had to be synonymous in order to command Vision at will without a mediator, and in order for this to be achieved, one had to know their soul from the inside out.
However, there was just one unexplained phenomenon that Snapper began to dwell upon.
Then what's Wolf's weakness? he thought. Does he even know about it?
Wolf, who had supposedly lost a significant part of his memories, didn't seem to know who he was or where he came from. Yet, he could still perform Visionary Arts like it was no problem.
Jude, who was able to guess what Snapper was thinking, spoke up.
"It appears that Wolf is quite an enigmatic subject—even I've been struggling to wrap my head around it for some time now.
"His Visionary Arts have reached quite a high stage, yet he doesn't seem to realize it himself. He is indeed a mystery…"
Jude took a moment to ponder Wolf's existence, stroking his chin as he did so, but he soon sighed as though his thoughts had reached a dead end.
"Anyway, that was a fun topic to discuss. However, I'm afraid we must resume this competition."
Jude, holding the crown of the ice hat, slowly pulled it closer to his head.
"No!" Snapper cried, as he charged forward in hopes of disarming the hat from Jude's possession.
But he immediately realized that his actions were a mistake the moment Jude's lips curled.
The ground beneath Snapper had abruptly sunk into the earth, creating a wide crater with a twelve foot drop and a twenty meter diameter.
"Shit!" Snapper cursed as he fell into the pit created by Jude's trap card.
"Apologies, Snap, but believe it or not, this is all kinda necessary," Jude said as he stood right on the edge of the pit, gazing down at his entrapped victim.
Snapper immediately wanted to climb out of the pit and attack him, however, his movements were again halted by something tugging at his ankle.
Just like before, many skeletal hands began to protrude from the ground within the pit, leaving him with an abundance of enemies in an enclosed space.
Snapper cursed under his breath as the skeletal figures pulled themselves out from beneath the earth. But this time some of them possessed weapons and armor, make them much trickier to kill.
"Welcome to your grave, Snap. Again, I apologize for the guests, but someone has to give you a proper send off, right?"
"JUDE!!!" Snapper screamed in pure ire as Jude slowly backed away, leaving him to deal with an army of the undead on his own.
A few seconds later, the snowfall began to cease.
…
The Viper, weary of the remaining golem that stood below the sentient shield, kept his distance.
Considering the golem was able to strengthen any part of its body using the 'Self Conjure' ability, it was now far too formidable to recklessly face head-on.
He figured the best way to defeat such a creature was to take out the summoner first, hence why the Viper's rifle was pointed at the enemy above it.
However, just as he was about to fire an explosive bolt at the target, something unprecedented occurred.
The snow has stopped…
"May!" Wolf yelled as he held her in his arms.
The Viper's attention was instantly diverted to the pair behind him.
To his astonishment, May's lower body slowly began to crystalize.
"W-what's happening!?" Her voice trembled with fear as she felt a sharp coldness rising up from her feet and reaching the top of her thighs.
It's Jude, isn't it? He must've defeated Snapper and got the ice hat!
Wolf, quick to understand the situation, began to feel an overwhelming sense of despair.
"This… This can't be happening…"
He shook his head in disbelief, watching as the blue ice began to envelop his friend's neck, stiffening the movements of everything below.
"Wolf, I–"
Not even a full sentence could be made before her entire body had been frozen solid.
Just like that, they had lost once more.
Dread tugged against Wolf's heart as though it were being dragged into a deep abyss.
No… he thought to himself, trying desperately to maintain sanity. I have to keep going… I've got to save everyone… I…
Wolf raised his head up, his ears twitching to the clanking of several footsteps marching toward him.
"What?" The moment he turned around, his eyes flashed to the sheer number of red-armored knights that seemed to surpass the hundreds.
They're the Royal Guards! Wolf identified while feeling slightly intimidated by their large number. Snapper was right, after all; they brought reinforcements…
A sense of relief allowed Wolf to recover a little as he faced them.
A moment later, their march ceased, and a tall man who dropped himself from an armored horse, sauntered past the guards as they parted to give way to his distinct authority.
Unlike the other guards, his body was covered in a silver-colored armor, limited to gauntlets, greaves, and pauldrons of military grade. A navy-colored cape draped from his shoulders and whenever he took a step forward, it fluttered behind him like a heroic trail of righteousness.
He stopped just in front of Wolf, gazing down at him for a moment. He then turned to the frozen statue beside him before looking ahead.
Wolf opened his mouth to speak, thinking he had to explain the situation to this man, however, he instructed him to pause with a single hand gesture.
"The Department of Royal Guards has already been informed about the current situation within the Paradise District. It appears the infamous terrorist known as the Trap Master has somehow invaded the Eastern Contra." He spoke in a sophisticated manner, while sending a stern glare toward the golem and shield in the distance.
Trap Master? Upon hearing such a name, Wolf grew a puzzled expression. Is he referring to Jude?
"Not only that, but apparently the notorious 'Voiceless Viper' from years ago seems to have established his presence here as well."
He turned back to Wolf, having already identified him as an amateur Collector with a strong sense of justice.
"Your efforts here have been commendable thus far, but your involvement in this case is no longer necessary. Please stand aside; my squad and I will take over from here."
The man took a few steps forward, brushing past Wolf and standing directly in front of the masked entity wielding his long rifle.
"So, it appears some of the rumors were true... You're really just as frightening as they say."
The Viper remained silent, returning the man's scrutinous glare.
He then quickly drew a long sword attached to his side. The edges of the blade bore a soft illumination, similar to Lieutenant Rose's weapon, but with a blue color instead.
"Apologies, I have yet to introduce myself." The man extended his arm, pushing the end of his blade right in front of the Viper's mask. "My name is Salvont Chavonnet, second lieutenant of Commander Brician's second division of Royal Guards…"
His thin lips curled upward like he was more than satisfied with his own introduction, "I'm afraidyou are under arrest, Viper."