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The battlefield looked like something out of a disaster movie. Dark clouds churned overhead, pregnant with electricity, while lightning crashed down in precise patterns that had nothing to do with nature and everything to do with Lucian's will. Each bolt fed energy into his cards, creating a feedback loop of destruction that was as beautiful as it was terrifying.
Diana from Soochow University stood in the middle of it all, her face twisted in frustration and dawning respect. She'd walked onto this field thinking Russell was the only threat from Northgate worth considering. Lucian was supposed to be a speedbump, a minor obstacle before the main event.
Pride, meet fall.
The thing about Lucian's strategy—what the competition circuit called "opening the weather"—was its elegant simplicity. Control the environment, control the fight. His three cards might not have any fancy bond mechanics, but they synergized like instruments in an orchestra. One created the storm, one directed it, one weaponized it. Unless you could overwhelm him with raw power, like Russell had done in their practice matches, you were basically fighting the weather itself.
And nobody wins against the weather.
"Lucian wins," Russell murmured, though the outcome had been obvious for the last thirty seconds.
As if waiting for his cue, Lucian unleashed his finisher. Thunder exploded across the battlefield with the sound of gods applauding. Lightning turned the air white-hot, forcing spectators to shield their eyes or risk temporary blindness. When the afterimages finally faded, Diana's cards had vanished—dismissed or destroyed, it didn't matter which.
Lucian wasn't looking too hot either, though. Most of his storm clouds had dissipated, leaving only wispy remnants drifting across the ceiling. The black mud that had covered half the field—some kind of conductive medium for his lightning—had shrunk to a puddle barely larger than a dinner plate. He'd won, but it had cost him.
Diana stumbled back to her team, face flushed red with embarrassment and exertion. "Teacher, I... I lost."
Her voice carried that particular tone of someone who'd just learned they weren't as special as they thought. Welcome to reality, Russell thought, where there's always someone better.
The truth was, Soochow University was a good school. Not Northgate-level prestigious, but solid. Respectable. If you took Russell out of the equation, the gap between the two teams wasn't that dramatic. But Russell was very much in the equation, which made the whole comparison academic.
Coach Pascal looked at his deflated student and sighed. "I apologize for the... overeagerness," he said to Carter, clearly referring to Diana's attempt to bypass the lineup.
Carter waved it off. "Your team's strong this year. You'll make waves at nationals."
He meant it, too. Before Russell's arrival had turned everything upside down, Lucian had been Northgate's ace. The fact that Soochow had pushed him this hard said good things about their program.
"If you can't win the championship, good grades don't mean shit," Pascal muttered.
Carter's eye twitched. Even with Russell, he wasn't sure how far they'd go. Singles competition? Russell would probably demolish everyone. But team battles were different. No matter how strong Russell was, he couldn't literally fight five people at once.
Could he?
Carter found himself genuinely uncertain. All of Russell's cards seemed to have transformation abilities, power-ups that turned them from strong to ridiculous. Maybe he actually could fight five people at once.
Note to self: Test that in practice.
"We should go," Carter said, patting Pascal's shoulder. "Good match."
Russell followed his coach thoughtfully. Lucian's weather control reminded him of a certain character from his past life—someone he'd been meaning to create a card for. Plus, he still had that silver-level [Star of Calamity] material gathering dust in his inventory. The gold-quality material wouldn't last forever; use it or lose it.
But Artoria needs a weapon first, he reminded himself. Priorities.
His character card roster was pretty stacked already. Some equipment cards would round things out nicely, give his team more tactical options. Besides, he could feel himself approaching gold level. One more creature card accommodation and he'd probably be ready to break through.
At the school gate, Russell split from the group. He'd told Carter in advance about visiting New Metro—no need to ride the Death Van back to Northgate just to turn around again.
As the van disappeared in a cloud of black smoke that definitely violated emissions standards, Russell triggered his symbiote transformation. Arrogance wrapped around him like liquid violence, and he took to the skies.
Flying cross-country as a black-red meteor was way more fun than public transportation. Shadowkhan were better for urban stealth, but for covering distance? Nothing beat good old-fashioned flight.
The eastern district of Soochow passed beneath him, calm and quiet. No smoke, no screaming, no obvious signs of the Sect purge.
"Looks like the Association handled things," he mused. "Good thing I sent that helpful tip. Via traumatized child. Using someone else's identity."
I'm such a good citizen.
His phone buzzed. Time to play innocent disciple.
[Russell]: Teacher, I'm in Soochow. Heard there was a curfew in the east last night. Everything okay? @Blake Whitmore
[Blake Whitmore]: I'm not in New Metro. Let me check.
Perfect. Indirect warning delivered, plausible deniability maintained. He couldn't exactly say "Hey, the Sect of Unification has demon-human hybrid operations in Soochow" without explaining how he knew that. This was cleaner.
New Metro's skyline appeared on the horizon, familiar and strange at the same time. He'd learned from his Northgate arrival—no more supersonic approaches that triggered every magical defense in the city. Nice and slow, like a responsible flyer.
The black-red figure descended into an abandoned lot before reverting to human form. Russell looked at the old neighborhood sign: "Happy Home Community" in faded gold letters.
"They fixed the gate," he noted with surprise.
A shiny new iron gate stood where Gus had demolished the old one during that Society attack. He hadn't been back since killing those two members. Someone had invested in repairs, apparently hoping to preserve property values or maybe just dignity.
His mental probe swept the area. Aunt May's house next door sat empty, abandoned for months. Windows dark, garden overgrown. Of course she'd moved. Who wouldn't, after masked assassins turned your neighborhood into a warzone?
The thought left him oddly melancholic.
When he'd first awakened in this world, he'd been nobody. A confused high school student with weird memories and no plan. Now? Blake Whitmore's disciple, Northgate University's superstar, Lord Six of the Spirit Begging Society, and internet celebrity with fan clubs arguing about which of his cards he was dating.
Character development: You're doing it wrong when it involves this many secret identities.
A Shadowkhan materialized beside him, offering his phone with both hands like a butler presenting mail on a silver tray. These things were getting way too good at anticipating his needs.
[Russell]: Uncle Jonathan, you free? I'm back in New Metro, wanted to stop by.
[Jonathan Whitemore]: Sure, come over. [Address attached]
Despite their familiarity, Russell had never actually been to Jonathan's house. This visit wasn't just social—he needed to check something important.
The walk gave him time to feel nervous. What if Jonathan was Society? What if Nancy's whole family was compromised? What if—
The door opened, and Russell's new Lord Six senses immediately confirmed: Jonathan was clean. No contract signature, no Society taint. Just a regular gold-level cardmaker who happened to be nice to orphans.
"Uncle Jonathan, good to see you." Relief colored his smile genuine.
Jonathan studied him with paternal concern. "Do I look that scary?"
"Just confirming something." Russell deflected. "Where's Nancy?"
"Russell..." Jonathan's expression turned gently exasperated. "Nancy's still in high school. It's Saturday. She has school."
"Oh." Russell felt profoundly stupid. "Right. High school. Six-day weeks. I knew that."
College had completely erased his memories of high school schedules. Or maybe that was just his brain protecting itself from trauma.
"Come in, sit." Jonathan led him to a living room that screamed 'responsible adult with good taste and a cleaning service.' "How's New Metro been? Everything stable?"
Jonathan sighed. "Your guess is as good as mine. I only handle the controlled pocket dimensions now."
They don't trust him anymore, Russell realized. Blake and the Association froze him out after the Society threat.
It made sense but still felt unfair. Jonathan was one of the good ones. But Russell couldn't exactly vouch for him without explaining how he knew that, which would lead to questions about his Lord Six senses, which would lead to Problems with a capital P.
"At least it's safe work," Russell offered weakly.
"True. More time with Nancy."
The silence stretched, comfortable but heavy with unspoken things.
"So," Jonathan finally said, "after nationals, where are you thinking for your internship?"
Russell could feel Jonathan's professional assessment of his power. Silver-level, approaching gold, with that particular density of energy that marked him as exceptional.
"Back to New Metro?" Russell suggested hopefully.
Jonathan's expression turned sympathetic. "Russell, you know the Association won't waste you on a major city right away."
"What do you mean, waste?"
"Someone with your talent? They'll want you trained properly. Small city management, maybe medium if you're lucky. Get you ready for real responsibility. Only after you hit Emerald or Diamond will they transfer you back to the majors."
Russell's face fell. "But I don't know anything about city management."
"That's why they'll train you. Blake went through the same thing. It's practically tradition for genius cardmakers."
Great, Russell thought. The gifted kid pipeline. Excel too much and they ship you off to manage some backwater.
"The Association thinks long-term," Jonathan continued. "Twenty years from now, you'll probably be running a major city's entire cardmaker division. But first, you need experience where mistakes won't cause disasters."
The logic was sound. Russell hated it.
"Thanks for the heads up," he said, already dreading future bureaucracy. "I should probably visit my old school while I'm here."
"Good idea. Nancy will be jealous she missed you."
New Metro First High looked exactly the same, which was either comforting or depressing depending on your perspective. His old student ID still worked—apparently nobody had bothered updating the system to remove graduated students.
Security through laziness. Classic.
Knock knock knock.
"Enter."
Victoria Song sat at her desk, surrounded by the controlled chaos of lesson plans and student papers. She looked up at the unfamiliar voice, then did a double-take worthy of a comedy show.
"Russell!? What are you doing here?"
"Had a match with Soochow University. Thought I'd stop by." He shrugged, aiming for casual.
Her face lit up with that particular teacher pride reserved for students who actually made something of themselves. "That's so thoughtful! Want to surprise your old class?"
"Sure."
"Wait outside. I'll set it up."
Russell leaned against the hallway wall, checking his phone to pass time.
[Blake Whitmore]: Russell, you still in Soochow?
[Blake Whitmore]: The Sect of Unification was active in the eastern district. It's been handled, but I've ordered investigations in nearby cities.
[Blake Whitmore]: If you're still there, be careful. Return to Northgate ASAP.
[Jasper]: How did the Sect reach Soochow without anyone noticing?
Good question, Russell thought. The answer involved northern instability, secret realm shenanigans, and organizational incompetence, but nobody wanted to hear that.
[Russell]: Understood, Teacher.
"Russell, come in!" Victoria's voice interrupted his typing.
The classroom hadn't changed. Same motivational posters, same smell of teenage anxiety and marker fumes, same rows of desks filled with stressed seniors.
Nancy's face lit up like Christmas morning. Liam actually stood up from excitement.
"Holy shit! It's actually Russell!"
"Bro, we saw your fight! You literally made that guy wet himself!"
"The memes, Russell. The memes are EVERYWHERE."
The chorus of recognition and praise felt surreal. These were people who'd known him before everything changed, and now they looked at him like he was some kind of celebrity.
Which, technically, he was.
Is this what they mean by 'you can't go home again'?
Someone shouted from the back: "Show us a silver-level card!"
Sure, why not? The Shadowkhan were probably the most classroom-appropriate option. No risk of accidental minimal property damage potential.
With a thought, shadows throughout the room deepened and writhed. Black figures emerged, blue-skinned and red-eyed, each one radiating bronze-level power. They knelt in perfect synchronization, a display of controlled menace that had the entire class holding their breath.
Victoria, as a bronze-level cardmaker herself, could feel the threat each shadow represented. Nancy, almost bronze herself, went pale at the accumulated power.
Then the Shadowkhan reached into their shadow-space and pulled out...
Snacks.
Candy bars, chips, sodas, those expensive Kit-Kats Russell had used to bribe the kid. The demonic ninjas began distributing treats like the world's most terrifying vending machines.
"This is... not what I expected," someone mumbled through a mouthful of chocolate. "Aren't silver-level cards supposed to be majestic? Terrible? Not... catering services?"
Russell was about to explain when—
BOOM!
The explosion rattled windows and set off car alarms. It came from the school's main gate, close enough that everyone could feel the vibration through the floor.
Russell's danger sense, honed by months of assassination attempts and double-crosses, immediately started screaming.
"...Am I really this unlucky?" he muttered, already moving toward the window.
Can't even visit my old school without something trying to kill people. This is getting ridiculous.
(End of this chapter)
PLZ THROW POWERSTONES.