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Russell had played enough strategy games to understand the importance of "weather-setters" for certain team compositions. But Sonny and the others didn't grasp this concept. They knew Lucian's cards were powerful, but they had no idea how his entire system functioned as an interconnected whole. Now, in the very first match, the storm conditions that Lucian had carefully made had been hijacked by his opponent. It was like watching a perfectly tuned engine get its fuel supply cut off.
His whole strategy revolved around that weather effect, Russell observed grimly. Without it, he's fighting with half his power.
On the field, Lucian clearly understood his predicament. The dark shadow waves surged desperately toward the Taoist priest while his lightning warrior charged forward despite losing his electrical enhancement. But it was useless—dense golden lightning continuously bombarded them, deflecting every attack with overwhelming force.
The battlefield had become starkly divided. Around the Taoist priest, the air remained calm and controlled, energy flowing according to his will. But wherever Lucian's cards moved, lightning struck like divine punishment, turning the ground into a crater-filled wasteland.
"This is brutal," Jean whispered, watching Lucian's remaining cards slowly dissolve under the Taoist's relentless assault.
"It's like watching someone fight with one arm tied behind their back," Yuna added, her earlier admiration replaced by growing concern.
In a matter of minutes, both of Lucian's remaining cards flickered and disappeared, overwhelmed by the redirected electrical storm they'd helped create.
"Looks like we won, old Carter," Coach Pascal said with obvious satisfaction as the battlefield cleared.
Though this was just a practice match, Coach Carter's expression darkened. "It's one win. Nothing to celebrate yet."
But the damage to team morale was already spreading. Sonny and Yuna exchanged pale, defeated looks.
"It's over," Sonny muttered, slumping back against the barrier railing. "If even Lucian couldn't beat him, what chance do the rest of us have?"
Russell turned his head from watching the battlefield, fixing Sonny with a sharp look before shaking his head in disgust. How can students from Northgate University have so little backbone? These were supposed to be main team members—elite fighters preparing for national competition. If they folded this easily, they had no business representing the school at any level.
"We might as well forfeit now," Yuna added quietly, hugging her arms around herself. "Save ourselves the embarrassment."
Fortunately, not everyone shared their pessimism. Despite his crushing defeat, Lucian walked back toward his teammates, wiping sweat from his forehead but keeping his shoulders straight. "Sorry I lost," he said simply, meeting each of their eyes in turn. No excuses or justifications. "Who's going next?"
Before anyone else could respond, Sonny jumped in with both feet. "Lucian, you were way too careless!" He gestured wildly at the battlefield. "How could you lose like that? What are we supposed to do now?"
Yuna's head snapped toward him, eyes flashing. "You think you could do better?!"
Sonny's mouth clamped shut immediately, and he took a half-step backward. Lucian just stared at him for a long moment, then deliberately turned his back to address the others. "So who's taking the second match?"
Sonny's face flushed red at the obvious dismissal. He found the ground suddenly fascinating, clearly hoping someone else would volunteer. What a joke, he thought. If Lucian couldn't win, I'd just get massacred.
After several seconds of uncomfortable silence, Russell pushed himself off the barrier wall and stepped forward. "I'll go second."
Lucian's eyebrows shot up in surprise, then his face creased with worry. "You saw what just happened, Russell." He pointed toward the scorched battlefield. "The best strategy now is to end things quickly before he can power up further. But that knight's defense..." He trailed off, shaking his head doubtfully.
Jean leaned forward, trying to sound encouraging. "Just buy us some time to think. If whoever goes next can win, we still have a shot."
"He probably can't even deal with the status effects," Sonny muttered under his breath, not quite meeting anyone's eyes.
Lucian spun around, jabbing a finger at him. "Shut up!"
Russell rolled his eyes and waved dismissively at Sonny's negativity. It's not even close to over, but some people just love giving up. Without another word, he turned and walked toward his side of the battlefield.
Coach Pascal watched him approach with growing interest. "Old Carter, I just noticed your main roster has changed."
"He's Director Blake's disciple," Carter replied evenly.
Pascal's eyebrows shot up. "Wait—is this the Russell from the Riverview Province Unified Examination?" His tone carried new respect, clearly recognizing the name.
But the respect was short-lived. Pascal's expression shifted back to confidence. "Well, even Director Blake's student is going to taste defeat today." His smugness was palpable. Five against four, and Northgate's missing what I consider their strongest player. The advantage is definitely mine.
Carter remained silent, but his posture suggested he shared Pascal's pessimism. After seeing Luke's enhanced Taoist card absorb and redirect Lucian's entire storm system, Russell faced an almost impossible challenge.
On the battlefield, Russell summoned Retsu Unohana and Artoria with practiced efficiency. Behind them, the massive circular shadow of [Seireitei] began materializing, its architectural details resolving into visible reality.
"Another Field Card?!" Multiple voices from Southeastern's viewing area expressed shock and disbelief. Field cards were rare among underclassmen—seeing two in one match was unprecedented.
Pascal glanced at Carter with grudging admiration. "Old Carter's been holding back some serious tricks." But even this revelation didn't shake his confidence. Luke's power-up was simply too dramatic to overcome through raw force alone.
On the field, Russell studied his opponents carefully. The knight had erected his massive tower shield again, golden light blazing as it protected both defenders. The Taoist stood behind it with eyes closed, clearly maintaining the electrical storm that crackled overhead with stolen energy.
Can't just charge in like Lucian did, Russell thought. They're expecting that kind of straightforward assault.
Unohana and Artoria exchanged a brief look. Despite being newly created cards, they both possessed the tactical intelligence Russell had built into their designs. They could assess the situation and coordinate without needing detailed instructions.
"The pride of heaven, the iron walls, the march of dragons, the roar of lions, the howling of tigers, the running of wolves... cut off the heaven and earth before they collapse."
Unohana's voice rang out clear and strong as she began the full incantation.
"Bakudō #81: Dankū!"
A transparent barrier materialized above both cards just as torrents of blue-gold lightning crashed down from the hijacked storm. The defensive wall held for several seconds before hairline cracks began spreading across its surface.
Holy shit, that's powerful, Russell thought, watching the barrier crack under the assault. In the underground spaces, dozens of silver-level monsters attacking together couldn't break through this defense. And that was with [Seireitei] providing enhancement.
On the sidelines, the Northgate team looked increasingly grim. Watching Russell's cards barely hold against the opening barrage drove home how overwhelming their situation had become.
"If I hadn't lost control of the weather effect, Russell wouldn't be struggling like this," Lucian said, guilt heavy in his voice.
Coach Carter was already planning ahead. "Jean, get ready to—"
His words died as his eyes widened in shock. Not just Carter—everyone present, including Luke on the opposing team, wore identical expressions of stunned disbelief.
The sound of cracking barriers and rumbling thunder was suddenly joined by something else—the clear, determined voice of a young girl calling out across the battlefield:
"CALIBURN!"
From the sidelines, Russell looked like a sitting duck trapped by overwhelming force. But from his perspective, it was his opponents who had walked into a trap they didn't understand.
The real battle was about to begin.
(End of this chapter)
THROW POWERSTONES.