Chapter 2944: My Ace Fighter
Date: Unspecified
Time: Unspecified
Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Sky Blossom City
"You mean... leave the battlefield?" Aqualas asked.
"Yes." I nodded.
"Wouldnât that count as running away?" Aqualas immediately replied.
I stared at her. Then I stared a little longer.
"Let me get this straight. You saw a battle formation specifically designed to weaken anyone trapped inside it, and the thought, âMaybe we should leave the area designed to weaken us?â didnât cross your mind?"
This time Aqualas didnât answer and let me continue, "Instead, your plan was to stay inside, suffer the effects, and brute-force your way through it?"
The silence continued.
I suddenly understood why the Supreme Beingsâ campaigns were so terrifying. Not because they were cautious strategists. Because they were apparently led by beings whose first solution to every problem was to punch it repeatedly until reality gave up.
"Thatâs not how battle formations work," I said, rubbing my temple. "If your enemy prepares the battlefield to benefit themselves, you leave the battlefield. You donât politely stay inside and fight under their advantages."
Aqualas looked genuinely puzzled, asking, "But if I leave, wouldnât that mean admitting I canât beat it?"
"No," I replied immediately. "It means youâre not an idiot."
Aqualas snorted. However, the one who regretted it the most was Seraphina. Not because she had failed to think of the possibility.
Quite the opposite. The moment I pointed it out, she immediately understood why Veerott had never left the curse field.
It wasnât because he lacked the power. It wasnât because he hadnât considered it. It was because he didnât want to leave his friends behind.
Veerott had stayed in the curse field to save them. He refused to abandon them even temporarily. In his mind, it was his responsibility to stand between them and danger. He wanted to be their shield and their rock. He had intended to win the fight for them. Unfortunately, he had severely underestimated his opponent.
A faint look of guilt appeared on Seraphinaâs face. Unlike Veerott and Aqualas, she absolutely would have considered fighting from outside the curse field. More importantly, she understood exactly how Veerott thought.
Had she been in a better state, had it not been for the effect of the curse field, she would have immediately recognized two things.
First, Veerott was staying because of his friends. Second, he was underestimating the danger posed by Southern Hope. By the time she realized both, the battle was already over.
As a veteran who had survived countless campaigns and battlefields, that failure weighed heavily on her. Of course, she was being unfair to herself.
The thousand curse fields hadnât only been affecting Veerott. She had been trapped inside them as well.
The fact that she had remained conscious, rational, and capable of analyzing the battle at all while under the influence of so many ruler-class curses was already an impressive feat.
Most people would have lost their minds long before reaching that point. Yet Seraphina wasnât interested in excuses. Veterans rarely were. All she saw was a mistake she believed she should have caught. And the cost of that mistake was Veerottâs defeat.
"Still, the fight wouldâve been fairer if you hadnât started it while he was already inside the curse field," Seraphina continued to argue, unable to accept the outcome.
That was the last straw. My gaze and voice turned cold, reminding her, "Hey, I couldâve killed all three of you. Instead, I gave you a way out. Not only are you not grateful, but now youâre trying to go back on your word?"
Seraphina opened her mouth, but I didnât give her the chance to interrupt. I began pointing at the giant standing beside her, "If you had a problem with the wager, you shouldâve brought it up while we were discussing the terms. Before Veerott accepted. But you didnât. You only started finding problems after you lost."
My gaze sharpened while Seraphinaâs expression stiffened. Because she knew I was right. "You arenât arguing for fairness. Youâre looking for reasons to avoid the outcome. Donât mistake yourself as the smart one in the room."
The accusation struck harder than any attack. For several moments, nobody spoke.
"Fine." I shrugged. The casualness of my tone made everyone uneasy. "Letâs cancel the wager. Iâll kill all three of you and be done with it."
Seraphinaâs eyes widened. I smiled as the battlefield fell silent. The killing intent behind those words was unmistakable. If the wager was invalid, then the agreement protecting their lives was invalid as well.
The realization immediately drained the remaining color from Seraphinaâs face. She didnât argue anymore.
Meanwhile, Veerott stepped forward with a calm and resolved expression, " I am a man of my word. Let them go, and I will serve you with my all, as I promised."
For the first time since the duel ended, I found myself respecting the idiot.
At first it was hard for him as he wanted to keep trying even if it killed but now that the winner was clear he no longer fought it. He had lost and accepted his loss. And unlike certain people, he wasnât looking for excuses.
I nodded. Then, with a wave of my hand, the thousand curse fields began to collapse. One after another, the curse fields dispersed into streams of ethereal light before vanishing entirely. The pressure weighing upon the battlefield disappeared,
At last, Aqualas and Seraphina were free. Turning toward them, I said, "You two are free to go. But if you dare return..."
"Ocean World!"
Before I could finish speaking, Aqualas made her move. The instant the curse fields vanished, boundless rule power and celestial force erupted from her body.
An endless ocean materialized in every direction and swallowed the surrounding world, transforming it. The sky became water. The horizon became water. Trapping me within it before I could finish my sentence.
The pressure of an entire ocean descended upon me. And Aqualas didnât hesitate. The moment her domain formed, she launched herself forward with murder in her eyes. She wasnât trying to capture me or negotiate. She was trying to kill me.
However, before her attack could reach me, a massive figure suddenly appeared between us.
"Aqualas, stop!" Veerottâs voice thundered throughout the Ocean World.
Standing between me and the furious ocean goddess, the newly defeated warrior spread his arms and blocked her path.
For the first time since the battle began, Aqualas looked more shocked than angry. Because the person protecting Southern Hope... Was Veerott himself.
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