To the ecstatic Fen Suiji, Kyle's soft-spoken words sounded like nothing more than the final, pathetic whimper of a defeated dog. He bared his teeth in a chilling white grin, and his laughter was sharp and piercing.
"Kid, it's too late to beg for mercy now! Flip your cards! Let me see your face when you fall into despair!"
Kyle simply shrugged. With a flair for the dramatic, he extended two fingers and slowly picked up the first card on the table, gently flipping it over. A multicolored 2.
Fen Suiji's smile widened, the contempt in his eyes practically overflowing. Kyle then flipped over the second card. A multicolored 3.
Fen Suiji was already savoring the image of Kyle's face twisting in anguish. Kyle's fingers landed on the final card, but he didn't immediately flip it. Instead, he looked up at the gambler opposite him, whose face was already contorted with victory, and a playful smile touched his lips.
Then, he flicked his finger.
The card sailed through the air in a graceful arc, spinning as it fell back to the table. A 5 of Clubs.
Multicolored 2, 3, 5.
Fen Suiji's triumphant smile instantly froze on his face. In that single moment, his pupils contracted to pinpricks. The muscles in his face twitched wildly; he looked as if he had been struck by lightning, completely frozen in place.
How was that possible? How could it be 2, 3, 5? In their game, that was the only hand that could beat a three of a kind—the legendary "All Kill."
Silence. A dead, heavy silence filled the private room.
Fen Suiji's bloodshot eyes were locked on those three cards, as if he could burn a hole through them with his stare. He suddenly whipped his head around, his gaze fierce enough to tear a man apart, and glared at the beautiful dealer.
With a soft thud, the dealer's legs gave out. She collapsed to the floor, her face ashen and her lips trembling, unable to say a single word. Impossible! It was absolutely impossible! She had personally dealt him three Aces and had given the kid opposite a useless, scattered hand. How could it have turned out like this?
"You dare to trick me!" Fen Suiji finally broke free from his shock, letting out a roar like a cornered beast. "You cheated! You must have cheated!"
"If you're bad at this, you should practice more," Kyle said, casually picking at his ear, his expression calm and unbothered. "And if you can't play, then don't."
Those simple words completely shattered Fen Suiji's last shred of sanity. Only one thought remained in his mind: Whether he cheated or not, this man has to die here, today! Otherwise, I'm the one who's dead!
He suddenly pulled a gleaming dagger from inside his coat and lunged at Kyle like a madman. "Die!"
The surrounding casino guards also snapped into action, drawing their weapons and rushing towards Kyle from all sides. However, Kyle remained perfectly still in his chair, not moving an inch. He simply watched the charging men and reminded them with a lazy smile.
"Oh dear. The floor is very slippery, you should be careful."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the guard in the lead suddenly stumbled as if on nothing, falling forward uncontrollably. His companions couldn't stop in time and tripped over him, followed by the third, and the fourth. With a series of crashes and bangs, a dozen guards ended up in a tangled, groaning pile.
In the private room, only Fen Suiji remained standing. He was just a step away from Kyle, his dagger raised high, ready to strike.
"Heh, what a disgrace." A cold, hoarse voice echoed from the doorway.
Before the words had even finished, a violent current of sand swept through the open door. It formed a giant sand palm that grabbed the entire pile of guards, along with Fen Suiji, and mercilessly flung them out into the corridor. A chorus of screams and the sickening crunch of bones echoed for a moment, then faded into silence.
As the yellow sand dispersed, a tall figure appeared in the doorway. A heavy black fur coat, a gleaming golden hook, and a cigar clenched between his teeth—it was the owner of the casino, Sir Crocodile.
He stepped into the private room, his sinister gaze sweeping over the mountain of chips on the table before finally settling on Kyle. "Young man, you're lucky," Crocodile said, exhaling a perfect ring of smoke. "Do me a favor. Leave the money, and you can walk out of here alive."
"A favor?" Kyle laughed, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. He laughed so hard he doubled over. "Where does a grain of sand like you find the nerve to offer me a favor?"
Crocodile's eyes instantly darkened, and his golden hook reflected a dangerous glint of light. He was so enraged that he laughed, a cruel smile forming on his lips. "Interesting. It seems you don't understand how things work here. In my territory, I am the rule." He took a step forward, his powerful aura pressing down on Kyle. "When people don't follow my rules, it makes things very difficult for me!"
"Difficult?" The smile vanished from Kyle's face, and he slowly stood up. "If it's difficult, then don't do it!"
The moment the words fell, he placed one hand on the gambling table and suddenly flipped it! The table, made of solid mahogany and weighing several hundred kilograms, was tossed through the air as if it were made of cardboard, smashing directly towards Crocodile.
At the same time, the light and shadow on Kyle's face began to twist and ripple. The ordinary, foolish face of the rich young heir dissolved like a reflection in disturbed water. In its place was a handsome and imposing face, imbued with a boundless, natural majesty. His black hair moved without a breeze, and his pure golden pupils were so deep they seemed to contain the entire cosmos.
Crocodile instinctively swung his golden hook. A sharp blade of sand shot out, splitting the flying gambling table clean in half. Amidst the splintering wood and dust, his gaze pierced through the debris and landed on that face.
His pupils suddenly contracted to pinpricks, and the cigar in his mouth dropped to the floor with a soft clatter.
This man… that face… impossible! How could he be here?!
"Wave Guiding King… Aaron Kyle!!!"
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