"What are you still waiting for?" Mirele asked in Nyx's direction.
Startled by the fight, she had almost forgotten what to do. "Twin cards work in tandem... I can't just use one without the other. If I use one, I must use the other," she said, slightly hesitant.
Mirele's face darkened. Stepping in front of the group, she got her cards ready. "Then you better start running," she said.
"I can't abandon you all with such a monster. There has to be a way to defeat him," Kairo defiantly said. Danzan barely had the advantage in his combat. Kairo feared what would happen to them if he ran away just like that. Although she was Mirele for him, she was still his biological mother. Kairo could not convince himself to just leave like a coward.
"What can we use to defeat a counter card?" Kairo repeated to himself. Now the retreat of the other enemies made complete sense. They knew something like this was coming and didn't want to get caught in the crossfire. Even the arrogant Rellion and the others had all stepped back.
"We have always faced life-threatening situations in our everyday life in this job. Yet we have always managed to escape in one piece. We can do this," Nyx said by his side.
"Okay... Danzan will lead the charge. Fabian, keep him at a distance. Kairo, you will take the damage. And Nyx, get ready—Angel's Descend. Let's show the world the power of the Card Mage Police." Mirele was a seasoned officer and Magnus's second. Like most of the captains, she didn't shy away from challenge nor did she hesitate.
Kairo could not help but feel pride rise in his heart. She hasn't gotten to that position just because of her beauty, Kairo thought. With everyone's roles perfectly established, they all went into action.
Danzan was the type to do what crossed his mind without thinking of consequences. For him, there were just two people in the world who could give him orders—and Mirele was one of them. "Okay, queen of annoyance, but just for this time," Danzan said.
Kairo could almost feel the excitement in his voice at Harid's strength, as if the stronger his opponent was, the more excited he became. This was the Danzan they called the Mad Lightning. For now, Kairo had barely seen any of his abilities other than the ripples magic. What else does he have in reserve? Kairo smiled, his body pumped with adrenaline at the single thought.
"Everyone now has a task to accomplish. Let's just follow Mirelle's orders." Kairo activated his card, The Protector, once more. Faced with an opponent like Harid, this card was nothing short of vital. Kairo could not match Harid's speed, but that wasn't the goal. All he needed to do was keep him occupied.
"There is no certainty this will work, but we have nothing to lose by trying," Mirelle said in their direction, already having another card in between her fingers. The Last Strike Knight stood inches behind her, its abyss-like eyes already marking its next target.
"If Harid is indeed a counter card, then his body surely has to obey the same rules of counter cards. The brief lapse between the aura infusion in his body to counter our magic—that's how we will defeat him," Mirelle explained.
"Indeed. Exactly like with Harid." The aura infusion in cards doesn't happen instantly, although in combat it appears like it does. There was a few millisecond time frame during which the mage changed his cards.
The only exceptions were counter cards that hated each other to the point that the aura infusion happened in a blink when the mage tried to use them. But given Harid was not a real counter card, there was a high chance they could still use it against him.
The conflict had risen to a whole new level. The rogue card mages had all retreated, avoiding the crossfire. The media had been observing the chaos from above, filming every single moment that had happened since they started.
In their world, card magic was more than a simple tool—it was entertainment—and the population was always fascinated by this kind of spectacle. They could get the thrill of using card magic in high-stakes situations without actually risking their lives. Especially with how rare it was for it to happen in town.
"I will tank through his attacks…" Kairo said out loud.
Harid moved like a fish in water. His figure fire-danced around Kairo, sending his fists again and again against The Protector's armor. His lean figure leaked with dazzling orange flames, causing his every move to be a spectacle of acrobatics and power.
Kairo rotated on his heel. Stretching his arms, he caught the shimmering sword of The Protector. Kairo's muscles contracted, channeling all the damage he had stored into The Protector's armor. His sword painted the void in a clean arc. At such close range, Kairo had no doubt he would be able to touch his opponent.
Harid's eyes flickered like flames in the wind. In them, there was nothing more than bestial instinct—the type of instinct required for survival. Ducking down, he evaded the sword. The whistling sound of the wind above his head made Kairo's face twitch. Too fast, Kairo felt sweat trickle down his face.
Harid snaked his way past Kairo, using the massive frame of The Protector against him. He hopped like climbing a mountain, stepping first on Kairo's knees, and then on his shoulder. Get down here, Kairo's breath turned erratic; he could feel the flames on Harid's feet scorching his jaws. It was like staring at a furnace straight into the eyes.
"He seems to have eaten his card Absolute Degree... speed casters should get away from him," Kairo warned. Using his free arm, he shot it upward in an attempt to slow down his enemy. But Harid had already vanished, leaving behind burning flames on The Protector's armor.
Kairo tilted his frame in the opposite direction. He could see that Harid was not attacking wildly anymore. This time, he was aiming for Mirelle and Fabian—Mirelle being the brain of their team and Fabian being the long-ranged sniper.
A frown on his face, Kairo followed after the flaming figure, but he was ridiculously slow compared to Harid.
Midway towards his target, Harid fell against The Last Strike. The knight took its stance. Its eyes shimmered. The knight raised its sword above its shoulder, its body mimicking its familiar sluggish movement. Yet none of them were deceived by it.
He can't be faster than The Last Strike, Kairo was confident, rushing his way back.
Harid had turned into a mindless machine, disregarding his slow opponent. He sidestepped, aiming for Mirelle. The Last Strike's figure moved. Alarmed by Harid's eyes, it had locked onto its target. The Last Strike's movement made the air whistle given how fast he was moving.
The great sword sliced in an arc down, aiming for Harid's legs.
Without legs, he wouldn't be able to run. Kairo instantly got Mirelle's logic.
Harid let out a soft cry. The sword on his tibia caused his body to bend sideways awkwardly like a drunkard swaying after many drinks. Harid's face darkened even more. His body straightened back, and he dragged his legs backward, getting ready for a sprint. Flames cratered the earth sideways, and his body flew out like an arrow.
An instant his legs seem to have turned into iron and the next back to fire... is this the counter card ability? Kairo was left mouth agape. His heartbeat skyrocketed when he saw Harid dangerously approach Mirelle.
"Get out of the way, Mirelle!" he cried in fear.
Fabian activated his card magic — The Divine Precision and The General Eye moved in tandem. Using his fingers as some sort of remote, he sent the lasers one after another towards his opponent. Harid was not only fast — his body was adapting to all their magic.
The Divine Precision missed several shots on its way. Each laser caused a loud crater to form behind Harid's moving frame. A few landed on his face and shoulder but were unable to stop him. It was like the flames around him were also serving as armor.
Harid stretched out his flaming arms, shielding Mirelle's entire view, a sadistic smile on his face. For him, it was over. Once Mirelle was down, he would get them all.
Ready to give up The Protector's armor again to save his mother, Kairo noticed something. Behind Mirelle was a mirror that had not been there earlier. The mirror had a diamond shape with edges made entirely of frozen ice.
Mirelle simply stepped back into the mirror, while Harid's fist smashed the mirror into several shards of ice.
"Stay focused, Kairo," Mirelle reminded him from the opposite direction. Kairo noticed that there was still another mirror behind her. To be precise, those mirrors were everywhere in the sky. Each time Harid tried to catch her, she would move into the next and vanish.
No, it's not teleportation. She's moving in between the mirrors… like light reflecting on a clear surface. Kairo's mind instantly pieced together the card's functioning. When Mirelle stepped into the mirror, a blinding light would shoot toward another mirror, taking with it Mirelle's body. This was the card Mirror Reflections.
The fight continuously intensified. Kairo tanked through the fight, keeping Harid's heavy attacks on The Protector's armor. Nyx would use Sifa to embed Harid's movement. Coupled with her twin cards Angel Ascend and Angel Descend, she was one of the heaviest damage dealers in the group. Each of the sword strikes made Harid's body rattle in pain.
Danzan would deliver the heavy blows, then disappear before Harid could counter.
At a distance, Fabian's lasers became more and more deadly, causing Harid to slow down with every impact.
Meanwhile, Mirelle used Mirror Reflections to coordinate their escape and The Last Strike to slow down Harid when he got faster than all of them.
Although Harid could counter most of their magic, at the speed at which they chained their assault, he was rapidly overwhelmed. It was like a battery overheating.
Harid's body was breaking like a porcelain doll. On his face, the wounds spider-webbed, with flames flowing through them like rivers of molten lava. His body was unable to contain his own power.
Even if Harid is powerful, he is still a Grade Three criminal—at most a Grade Four. Faced against the three five-star captains, Nyx and I… even he has a hard time making use of all his powers, Kairo was amazed by the tendency he was noticing in the fight. The captains were picking up the pace, using their experience and number advantage to maximum usea