Chapter 2579: Temporal Separation Array Formation
Date: Unspecified
Time: Unspecified
Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Central Region, Central Academic City, Morningstar University District, Brothwork Manor
As a maid escorted us toward the manorâs main gate, I glanced at Jillâclinging to my arm, completely absorbed in her own jubilant little worldâand let out a long sigh. She was unlikely to be the one in danger. Their target was almost certainly me.
I had been in the Central Region long enough to expect something like this. Ever since I left Morningstar University and arrived at Jillâs pub, I had wondered when they would finally make their move. Yes, I had defeated card demigod Sean with ease, but that alone wasnât enough to intimidate the people plotting against me.
Now, at last, they had chosen to act. They took their timeâclearly wanting to be thorough, not to spook their prey into retreat.
But I wasnât concerned. I had come fully prepared for this outcome. In fact, I was looking forward to the loot. Many among the Freedom Fighters needed Diamond-grade grimoires to break into the Card Emperor realm and rise further. And now, I had the perfect opportunity to stock up.
What concerned me was Jillâs complete lack of caution. She behaved as if the entire Central Region were her personal backyard. Part of me wanted to believe Demigod Norley had given her some powerful safeguardâa card she could rely on in times of danger. After all, she had once handed me Demon Merchant Ezraâs card, which later revealed itself to be Devil Merchant Belphegorâs card in disguise. That single act led me to uncover the Devil Merchant Code and eventually become a demon merchant myself.
Again and again, I had seen signs indicating that Demigod Norley possessed far deeper ties to the Dark Races than any of the other Founders. Whatever those connections entailed, I could only hope Jill wasnât carrying another concealed monstrosity like that demonic card... or be forced into a situation where she would need to use it. Though I had come prepared, so had they. Because of that, I couldnât be certain how the situation would unfold.
I was confident the enemies waiting outside wouldnât harm Jill, but Jill wouldnât simply stand by and watch me get ambushed. If she interfered, she might force their hand, pushing them into harsher measures. Hopefully, my preparations were enough to prevent things from escalating that far.
Yes, I could have called Hendricks and avoided the ambush entirely. But that wasnât why I was here. I hadnât come to run or hideâI came to make a statement. To show the world that anyone who thought they could take what belonged to me was gravely mistaken. This would give those eyeing a share of my pie something to reconsider.
As we reached the manorâs front gate, my Primordial Soul Pupils immediately detected the ambush lying in wait just beyond the property. They didnât want to take any chances. They could have attacked me inside the Brothwork familyâs Morningstar Manor, yet they refrained.
I suppose even they still had a bottom line they werenât willing to cross.
"Wyatt, stop. Thereâs an ambush ahead." Jill snapped out of her blissful haze the moment I summoned my nanomorpher hover-bike, she rang with sharp warning.
"I know," I answered with a nod.
Originally, I planned to leave Jill at the manor gate and face the ambush aloneâshow them Iâd seen through their setup and still chose to walk straight into it. But knowing her, she would never allow that. So, I had no choice but to bring her along. Even so, I hadnât expected her to notice the danger at the last second. She must have some higher-grade danger-sense card or rune, something subtle but potent enough to warn her of an ambush of this magnitude.
"You know and youâre still walking into it?" she snapped. "Have you gotten cocky just because you defeated one demigod? An ambush is nothing like facing a half-wit demigod. There are at least a dozen Card Demigods out there, each one an elite with centuries of experience. Stop being reckless and call Hendricks before they realize weâve spotted their ambush and attack blindly!"
She was full-on nagging now, her irritation barely restrained. If we hadnât just started datingâand if she wasnât trying to spare my feelingsâshe wouldâve outright called me stupid, maybe even a moron, for daring to walk knowingly into a trap like this.
"Listen to meâIâve got this. Why else do you think I dared to leave the safety of the Southern Region and come to the Central Region of all places? Just sit back and enjoy the show," I told her, certain of my preparations. But Jill didnât buy it. She insisted, "Iâm coming with you."
"I never said you couldnât." I swung onto the hoverbike and offered her my hand. She could have boarded on her ownâshe was a Card Emperor, after allâbut we both knew these small gestures were part of why we hadnât simply flown here. Flying wouldâve been faster, far more efficient. But riding together gave us something we rarely had: quiet moments of shared closeness, allowing us to get to know each other better.
"Theyâre using a Temporal Separation Array," Jill warned as she settled behind me. "The moment we step outside the gate, weâll be pulled into a time-space separate from our reality. Entering is easy, but escaping without locating the core is incredibly difficult because of the time displacement. Even with the core, weâd need perfect timing to return to the correct moment. I studied this formation in depth back at universityâit has almost no exploitable flaws. Are you sure you still want to do this?"
Jill warned me with genuine concern just moments before I lifted the hover-bikeâs accelerator.
"Thatâs perfect," I exclaimed, revving the accelerator. "Of everything they couldâve used, time is the one thing Iâm least worried about. Trust me on this one."
With that, we shot forwardâstraight into the ambushâriding my golden nanomorpher hover-bike.
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