Chapter 8 — The Game Reaches Its End
Once again, Aliss shuffled the cards before drawing. Five cards flashed into existence in a brief shimmer: the Three, Four, and Six of Clubs, the Two of Diamonds, and the Seven of Spades.
Suddenly, the Beast hurled a storm of debris—stones and fragments torn from the castle—ripping through the air with a deafening crash. Through the cloud of dust, Aliss saw the projectiles rushing toward her without slowing. She immediately activated the Diamond card. A first barrier of light unfolded, covering half of the card, then a second formed to complete the defense.
The projectiles slammed into it in a violent impact. The barrier held, unscathed. But without warning, the Beast burst through the debris, charging straight through the rain of shattered stone with a roar of madness. Aliss did not panic. She activated the second barrier using the remaining half of the card, pushing off the creature at the exact moment it collided with her.
They tore through the castle together. The Beast had completely abandoned restraint. It attacked without thought, sometimes dodging with unsettling precision, but always driven by blind rage. It lunged at Aliss at terrifying speed. She narrowly avoided it, and both bodies raced between the pillars of the castle, smashing through displayed armor as they passed.
In one final surge, the Beast closed the distance. Its madness reached its peak. It struck—so fast that Aliss barely felt it. A mere scratch. Nothing more.
She activated the last Heart card she possessed, using a single heart to heal the superficial wound.
Then she drew again, completing her hand at last.
The Two, Five, and Seven of Clubs.
Faced with this final draw, Aliss smiled. This time, everything was in place.
The Beast, in one last frenzy, leapt toward her, certain it would devour her. The Club cards rose around Aliss, spinning in a perfect circle. She activated the Seven of Spades, this time concentrating all its power into a single point—a clean, precise strike.
The Beast staggered back a few centimeters. A gaping hole opened in its abdomen. Yet it did not fall. The wound closed instantly, and the creature resumed its assault, even more violent, even more savage.
Aliss stepped back, impressed despite herself by the rapid evolution of her opponent. She dodged left, but the Beast anticipated the movement, too fast, lunging at her like a massive shadow. She attempted a backward evasion—smooth, nearly flawless—but without solid footing. In an instant, the Beast was in front of her once more.
Then Aliss placed the tip of her foot on the ground.
A single foothold. Perfect.
She launched herself straight into the air. As she descended, black dragon wings unfurled from her back, stabilizing her midair. Calmly, she looked down at the Beast below.
— Well then, my dear… the time has come to end this.
She snapped her fingers. The seven Club cards disintegrated into luminous dust, condensing above her head into a radiant, dense seven-leaf clover.
She drew one final card.
The Joker.
— Farewell, my lord.
She threw the card. The Joker shattered instantly, its spades multiplying to immobilize the Beast: five spikes, five anchor points—hands, feet, and neck. The monster collapsed heavily to the ground, frozen in place.
The light intensified. Gradually, the Beast transformed into a mural, locked in absolute silence. Nothing more, nothing less than a finished work of art. To an untrained eye, it would appear to be nothing more than an ancient fresco, one decoration among many lining the castle walls.
Aliss exhaled slowly. The clover above her head faded away. She absorbed the final remaining Heart, feeling her strength return as if nothing had happened.
She landed on the ground and gazed toward the horizon, serene. Then she froze.
Something was approaching.
A white rabbit burst out of a hole directly in front of her. She sighed, irritated, and without hesitation, jumped into the hole she herself had just opened.
She vanished in an instant.
On the other side, she appeared briefly, balanced atop a pillar suspended in the void. She cast one last glance outward.
Two female silhouettes stood in the distance. One seemed about fifteen years old, the other in her twenties. Their faces were blurred, yet something about their presence drew her attention.
— Fifteen, twenty… so it really is you, little one? a voice conceded.
— Interesting. That energy… it has a perfect cycle. It's because you operate at such a high level that you don't realize just how abnormal it is.
— Alright… but it's not enough. Perhaps you should accept that offer in Xin, after all.
— You should. That place will help you improve. It's probably the best for you.
— And you—cover yourself. The cold will return soon. I can already hear Christmas.
— Me too… I'm looking forward to that day. I wish everything would move faster, so I could meet the little sister…
A sigh.
— Alright. For now, I'm being called for the Heroes' Tour. Bye.
The spear returned to the young woman's hand. She struck the ground. A blinding light engulfed her, leaving behind a shining star suspended in the air before it vanished beyond the horizon.
The other woman remained still for a moment, then faded away as well, dissolving into the air as if she had never existed.
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Analysis en français