Chapter 501: Act 249 – The Final Counterattack, The Everlasting Wound
Accelerate Thought (Paradise of Adversity VIII), 22 Light/Dark; [Barrier]; Effect: Whenever a player casts a spell, the holder draws three cards from the top of their deck. Before the next effect of Accelerate Thought takes place, the player shuffles any cards exceeding eight in their hand back into their deck. “The advantage on the battlefield lies in seizing the initiative.”
The moment this barrier card was played, a flicker of light danced over Brendel’s eyelids. Two cards materialized on his retina beneath layers of light and shadows—one gray and one white. The gray card was the Sacred Sword, while the white card was the War Steed. There were only these two cards because Brendel knew that these were the only ones left in his deck. A fifty-fifty chance, like left and right, always had a half chance of being correct.
He gently drew out the card.
This was the first card he had acquired upon arriving in this world. The Sacred Sword represented the knight’s steadfast faith: unyielding, a blade shining brightly in his mind. This sword had witnessed his journey, leading the refugees of Ridenburg as they broke through the siege, and it echoed the vow to reclaim territory, to fight valiantly, and walk the path he had promised himself; the target always ahead, thus the sword had never been sheathed.
Now, Brendel lightly placed his index and middle fingers on the card, as if a knight was polishing his sword under the lamp, the blade as cold as ice, gleaming with a chilling light.
He laid the card flat and announced, “Attachment.”
“Lady Yilian.”
Along with Brendel’s words, it was as if brilliant flames ignited in the deep cosmos, twinkling stars, and golden light ignited one after another on the ethereal spider swarm—but looking up, one could almost see a civilization stepping into darkness. On the deep and vast earth, what remained was a tapestry flickering with mottled flames, interweaving the future of civilization.
“How many cards of Anrodus’s Sacred Ring are there?” Brendel asked.
“Beautiful,” the Senior Sister raised her head and sincerely praised. Her eyes were as beautiful as the starry sky, especially when she smiled. “In the Paradise of Adversity deck, there are four Anrodus’s Sacred Rings. I have two, and that Pendulum Monster has two as well.” The Centaur Lamia seemed to know why Brendel asked and provided a detailed answer.
“Shut up! How dare you divulge the details of the Master’s deck to outsiders! Yilian, your actions are going against the Master’s expectations; you disappoint me greatly!” the Pendulum Man coldly interrupted her.
The Centaur Lamia raised her head, silently glaring at the Pendulum Man. With the brightest glimmer in her eyes, she expressed her stance—Pendulum Monster, you do not represent the Master’s opinion. The Paradise of Adversity has slumbered for too long; it is time for it to have a successor, not to eternally rest in this dark underground.
The confrontation between the two lasted but a moment. For thousands of years, they had never convinced each other, and today was no different.
But from Yilian’s brief conversation, Brendel had obtained the information he desired. Communicating with intelligent people was indeed a relief; for the first time, he somewhat agreed with this opinion. He remained calm yet felt a flicker of surprise; the long-awaited opportunity was now within reach. The Pendulum Man had two Anrodus’s Sacred Rings, but one had already been used during his counter-assault, and the other—was currently in his hand.
Although he had no idea how this card was affixed to the crystallized man Ledel, Brendel only needed to know this outcome, and it was enough. The Sacred Sword was already ignited; he designated the Nightmare Furnace Construct summoned by the Pendulum Man as the target. He intended to eliminate the gear sphere floating above the opponent’s head, but before that, Brendel needed to proceed with caution.
Though he was aware that the Pendulum Man would have no spells related to Anrodus’s Sacred Ring left, Brendel didn’t mind being more careful. There were two ways to gamble: one was to charge ahead like a desperate gambler, and the other was to weave a fine net and gradually tighten it.
He held the Earth Sword upright on the ground, watching the brilliant flames cascade from the sky—one, two, golden rivers hanging from the top of the dome. Following the light beams, fiery flames burned the ground below, sizzling as they touched the metallic body of the Nightmare Furnace. The defense of this construct was terrifying; a single beam of light could not melt its shell, but as two, three, and even more golden swords concentrated on one point, the monsters could only scream as they turned into molten iron.
The golden flames illuminated the Pendulum Man’s face, who seemed to finally sense the seriousness of the problem. He propped his bronze staff on the ground, the Pendulum beneath his cloak ticking away tirelessly, seemingly operating in a frantic manner, contemplating some issue. Ultimately, he issued an order, and dozens of Doom Guards abruptly left the front lines, even ignoring the attacks from Yilian’s summons, turning to charge at those golden pillars of fire.
The scene was extremely heroic.
Creatures born of darkness surged towards the golden flames like moths to a flame, hastily turning to ash. Just because of one command, even if it only delayed for a moment, they sought to halt the progress of the Sacred Sword. A moment was enough; the Pendulum Man had already recalled the remaining ten or so Nightmare Furnace Constructs at the last moment.
“You are insane, Pendulum Monster; fate cards are not to be used in such a manner!” Yilian could not help but frown, and then she whispered, “That wooden-headed fool has already lost his footing; young one, give it your all, victory is in sight.”
This woman.
For the first time, Brendel found women to be a contradictory and inscrutable species, but he nodded; it was indeed time to give it his all.
“You know nothing,” the Pendulum Man cast a cold glance in their direction: “This is the traveler’s chessboard; every move is timed with utmost precision. Like the passage of time, measured down to every minute and second, this is the most beautiful art the Master has taught us over the centuries, which you do not understand—today, I will show you why this deck is called ‘Paradise of Adversity.'”
The Pendulum Man’s words raised Brendel’s eyebrows slightly. He looked up at the other’s expression—not one of despair in defeat, but rather a burgeoning resolve, causing Brendel to frown. This did not resemble the demeanor of someone about to lose. Did the opponent still have a trump card? He did not dare to be negligent; the probe was over, and the opponent was even preparing to use creatures to block his Sacred Sword Technique, undoubtedly signaling the call for a final offensive. He raised his gaze, and the wind spider likewise elevated its firing angle, this time aiming for the gear sphere atop the Pendulum Man’s head.
A single strike to break the enemy.
“I command my summons to advance,” at the same time, the Centaur Lamia also issued the order for a full attack.
The Pendulum Man’s expression remained calm, as if he would never admit he was about to lose until the final moment. He raised his bronze staff, and one Doom Guard after another fell before him, while those Eroncia Weavers that had previously exhausted their strength from being horizontal stood back up. The Pendulum Man was resetting these Weavers, filtering new light elements for him, and the Nightmare Furnace Constructs began to grow again.
“Not good!” Yilian’s brows knitted tightly; “It’s a sacrifice! This is the power of Eroncia’s Infernal Forge; this guy is accelerating the cycle, he’s reckless! Quickly limit the number of his Nightmare Furnace Constructs!”
But at this moment, Brendel had already lost the ability to retract; the golden pillar of light had locked onto its target, and he was single-minded about breaking that gear sphere. As long as he smashed the core, the Pendulum Man summoning more Nightmare Furnace Constructs would be futile. The victory or defeat lay in this one blow; he did not believe the Pendulum Man had any backup plans left.
The gear sphere dodged mid-air, but the torrential steel rain cascading down was gradually extending forward, just one line shy of hitting the target. Yet Brendel could not have imagined that suddenly, a wall had blocked the path between him and that final victory.
This wall was the indifferently expressioned Pendulum Man.
The Pendulum Man stood amid the flames, looking at Brendel and the Centaur Lamia with a winner’s contempt—
But what truly made Brendel’s eyes widen was that this guy had actively removed his magical defenses, bracing the strike purely on his life points. The flames instantly burned through his cloak, and half of the Pendulum Man’s body was annihilated in the attack, yet he did not bother to show even a hint of pain, his right hand still tightly gripping the bronze staff planted on the ground.
“You are insane!”
The Centaur Lamia was stunned, letting out a scream; she had never expected that the Pendulum Monster would act so resolutely. But what truly bewildered her was why he would voluntarily remove his magical defenses. As a companion who had followed that great Master for thousands of years, she knew very well the opponent’s strength; if he had fully committed to blocking this strike, he should not have suffered even a scratch.
But the Centaur Lamia’s exclamation was met only with a scornful smile.
The Pendulum Man’s damaged body stood amid his summons, sneering condescendingly. Although he was barely holding on, that smile infused him with an air of maximum disdain towards his enemies: “It seems you’ve forgotten the first lesson our Master taught us, Yilian. At the moment when the outcome is at stake, a traveler must sacrifice himself to protect the most important and fragile cards on the field. If you do not consider yourself in the chessboard, then you’ve lost the most crucial piece.”
“Now, you’ve lost—” The Pendulum Man proudly lifted his chin, behind him already stood over forty Nightmare Furnace Constructs, which was his final gambit.
At this moment, the gear sphere above him began to spin rapidly, gradually enlarging until it formed an enormous steel door of unimaginable size. From behind this door, a gigantic silhouette gradually emerged—a hill seemingly floating in the air, a chaotic landscape of twisted thoughts and bizarre forms morphing and altering eternally upon that hill. This mountain seemed to possess some form of life; it hovered there, and everyone present felt a chilling gaze emanating from atop the mountain.
When Brendel saw the face of this being, his complexion paled. This was the legendary Ancient Abomination, one of the most powerful of the divine monstrosities in myth, the Everlasting Wound Imoku.
…
Note:
Everlasting Wound Imoku (Paradise of Adversity XXII), 500 Any; [Creature—Legendary Creature/Ozarch]; Effect: Everlasting Wound Imoku is immune to all forms of physical attack. When you cast Imoku, time flows for you at half the speed. Flying. Protection from color spells. Immune to all elemental spells. Exterminate 6. When Imoku is put into the graveyard from anywhere, its owner shuffles it back into their deck.
Protection from color spells: Immune to all effects of color spells (requiring payment of relevant cards of Light, Dark, Nature, and the four elemental types) and creature cards cannot deal any damage to it.
Exterminate 6: Everlasting Wound Imoku removes six cards of the types Creature, Artifact, Land, or other permanents from the target player’s field with each attack. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly votes; your support is my greatest motivation.)
