The card burst into pieces as the [Mega Attack Boost] buff ended. The fighter huffed heavily as he took out his next card. It was almost over. The Deck that he got wasn’t so great after all. It did give some great buffs, but none of the cards were good enough.

After all, his opponent was a Chaos Rider.

The skull-faced motorcycle roared like a terrifying beast as the Chaos rider revved its engine. The figure that sat on it made the surroundings seem dimmer. An existence that exuded an aura of horror. His blank white mask betrayed no hints to what he was. The steel spikes that protruded from various places from its head gave off an eerie feeling. No rider would feel fine after meeting one of them in their lifetime.

The dogs of the God.

I sighed as my eyes moved towards the Overseer’s chamber. The tinted glass at the top of the huge tower clearly showed off its position to everyone who sat there. Completely exposed, any sniper with an [Accuracy Boost] buff could eliminate the VIP that sat there. But that was the point. To show the masses how powerful they were. To show them that the Demons weren’t afraid. Even if the entire Hummus allied together to take them down today, they wouldn’t go down.

Because God was on their side.

But not for long.

Standing up from my cozy chair, I stretched a few times to get rid of the drowsiness. It sure was tiring to sit and watch the matches continuously. This match is already over anyway. Against a Chaos rider, with his [Creation] card, no man nor beast can win. Truly worthy of their names as the elites of God’s army.

But man, the Motor war sure is intense this time around.

The Motor war. A battle for supremacy. Where the strong will earn what they deserve. A humongous battle tournament hosted by God and his council to determine which of the four factions - Plants, Fire, Water and Chaos- would get to rule over the others during the next three and three-quarter years. Experts from each faction participated, winning in their respective areas as they slowly advanced towards the final Motor war.

My feet slowed to a stop as my eyes studied the person standing before me.

A long and lanky young man, with auburn hair tied into a ball behind his head. He wore a shabby clothes-a black jacket and some track pants- and his thin figure suggested how much he ate. His cheeks were sunken in, and his eyes were the same as his mother’s - a brilliant blue.

I patted my stomach as I felt it rumbling. Eating food was too much of a luxury for Hummus like us. For the Demons and the Beasts, we were nothing more than food.

Wrenching my eyes away from my handsome figure, I kept walking towards the table.

As I stood before it, my hands ran over the glossy surface of my precious creation. A cylinder-like structure with a metallic look. Almost half a meter long, one end of it had something similar to a handle. A tube ran from the handle, twisting around the cylinder. It diverged into two and connected the two silver cylinders next to it.

My precious creation, the ‘Burn em all Pyromaniac MK17’. Or Pyro17 for short.

The exhaust pipe was something that struck my fancy and I spent about two years perfecting it. Using scrap parts from the junkyard, stealing what I didn’t have, after a long journey, I decided to make the final product from something that held a special meaning for me.

My fingers kept running across the cool surface, the finely polished metal showing my face off on it. A strange sadness overcame me, clamping down on me like a gust of wind snuffing a candle.

The boy ran towards his parents as they waited expectantly for him. His thin frail body bursting with happiness as he ran towards them. He was indeed thin, but his parents were much worse off than him. After all, they sacrificed all the food they had to keep their son fed.

A wetness started to emerge from the corner of my eyes, slowly but surely. Shutting my eyes, I stopped the tears from advancing. The pain of what happened that day was terrible.

Grumbling about the God’s madness, I mashed the cap on my hair, opening the pearly white door as I did so. Since that guy lost to the Chaos rider, it would be my fight soon. And if I don’t win, our cause would not succeed. Ever. The plan we had to execute was delicate, and we had been planning for a long time to make it succeed.

As I walked out of the room, I came face to face with a hulking beast. With green spiky scales all over his body, he glared at me with his bright yellow eyes, grunting as he did so. I involuntarily shivered. After all, we the hummus were nothing more than playthings to them. He could easily kill me if he wished.

The beast walked away from me, the ground trembling slightly with its every step.

Nice to meet you too.

The sounds rang loud and clear as my fingers rapped on the wooden door. My hands were deep in my pockets, with my shoulders hunched. After all, I didn’t want to get in any trouble. The passing by beasts either ignored me or sneered at me. Well, whatever. It’s not like it’s something new.

Then finally, the door opened with a slight creak. A pair of dark red eyes peeked out of the slightly ajar door, and a hint of yellow locks could be seen.

Lightly smiling, I raised my hand to her. The door shut again, and some clicking noises could be heard. As it opened again, I walked in quickly. Staying this late outside was too conspicuous. After all, we were the Steedless. The fifth faction that joined the tournament.

“The guys are almost ready Blaze.” A voice behind me said as I turned to look at her.

With tanned skin and bright yellow hair, Ulez stared back at me, her anxiety visible in her eyes. Her entire body was wet with sweat, so she must have been exercising. Too much probably.

“Working out too much won’t help you out you know? It might just backfire on you.” I plopped myself onto the couch, relaxing as I did so.

Frowning, she walked over and sat on the couch opposite to mine. “What do you mean? I need to keep myself at my best if I want to win. It’s the semis after all. And according to the plan…” She looked down, her face downcast.

“It’s fine Ulez. The others will be with you after all” I said, patting her shoulder. She looked back at me, her maroon eyes trembling.

Uh oh.

She burst into tears and dove into my chest. Suddenly faced with such a situation, I sat there awkwardly with her bawling her eyes out.

“I-it’s ok” I tried to pat her head, but that only made it worse.

This is bad. What if someone hears this?

After a few minutes of patting and crying, she finally calmed down. Her swollen eyes were staring at mine, and I felt quite pressured at the moment. What was I supposed to say?

“You do have the pills?” Finally, I asked her as such, and her face looked a bit more sullen for a bit. Did I do something wrong?

She nodded lightly, wiping her eyes as she did so. Well, the burden on her is immense after all. This plan was carefully constructed, and for her, it might be even more dangerous. After all,

“It’s the Chaos rider right?” She spoke up at last, breaking the awkward silence between us. “I didn’t exit my room, but…. That guy must have lost to the Chaos rider after all”

Unable to find a reply, I stayed silent. A Chaos rider was nothing more than a death sentence. But in this plan, that was exactly what she needed to do.She had to die.

“But man, it sure is hard to be one of the Steedless,” she grumbled, her face showing a hint of irritation. Chuckling, I replied “Well, we’re the only ones brave enough to go against God after all. Maybe we should be a bit proud of ourselves.”

“But, Blaze. How… how did you feel when you rode it?” After she said it, her tanned face immediately turned beet red as she became flustered. “I-I meant riding the m-motorcycle! I swear”

Geez, such a kid. She might 18 at best. So young. I had to resist the urge to pat her on the head again as I replied “I know.” After a pause, I continued “How it felt huh? Well… It felt quite good if I must be honest. The wind whipping against my face, the world changing every second around me… It felt exhilarating!”

I turned towards her as I said that, feeling quite pleased at her overjoyed expression. Geez, her mood swings back and forth too quickly. But maybe that’s a good thing. Seeing her sad all the time would pain me too. She’s the only one keeping our little faction alive after all.

The Steedless faction. At first, society was divided into three factions. Plant, Fire, and Water. But, the three factions were too peaceful. After that, God brought forth his hounds. The Chaos riders, who formed their very own Chaos faction.

They wrecked havoc everywhere, picking fights with every faction, turning factions against each other. Every battle they caused shortened the population by a huge chunk. And then, like some Divine being, God introduced the Motor wars.

And didn’t he cheat at that too?

“Isn’t it? I mean, it felt so amazi--” Ulez started, but I cut in the last part “But.”

Suddenly, she turned silent. Huh? Was I too serious? Well, it doesn’t matter anyway. Today might be the last day I’ll see her, so I might as well be honest. Stuffing everything in me would be hazardous even for me.

“But. There’s not only enjoyment. There’s also…. Something deep in me. Something that boils inside me everytime I ride a motorcycle” I reclined back onto the crouch, letting my arms go limp. “Something that claws at my insides. It makes me want to destroy that motorcycle. Destroy him”

I spat out the last word, but she remained silent.

Something rose up from the back of my throat. Something hot and viscous. I felt like choking. No, I felt like spitting it out. Spitting it out by lashing out and breaking something. I swallowed it back down. No, I almost did.

“But… what did God do? I mean… He gave us those motorcycles. Also the cardfights. I mean, yes they are dangerous, but are they really that ba-”

“ENOUGH!” I shouted out. In the end, I couldn’t hold it back. She looked surprised, her eyes wide. For once, I really wanted to hit her. What she said now was too much.

I stormed out of the house, past events flashing before my eyes.

“Run boy! The Chaos riders are coming for us!” The man yelled at the auburn-haired boy, pushing him to run faster. The man kept looking back, sweat beading his face. Anxiety was clear on his face.

The boy did not understand. He only knew one thing. Listen to his father. He pushed his little legs to the maximum, running as if his life were on the line. His mother had already fallen behind. He wanted to chase after her. But his father wouldn’t let him do so.

As soon as I stepped into my room, I sagged against the wall. The pain was eating at me. A wound that no longer existed. I tore off my jacket and pressed my arm against my right chest.

My lungs felt like they were being crushed. A painfully familiar sensation overcame me. Starting from my right chest the pain spread slowly. Like a band, across my stomach, and ending at my hip.

I collapsed on the floor, struggling to numb the pain. But it was in vain, as the pain ate away at me.

After a while, the pain passed. I gasped for air, thankful for the fresh intake. Sweat beaded my entire body, and my body felt like it went limp.

After a struggle, I staggered to my feet and headed towards the bed. Thankful for the bed, I slumped on to it. Without a second thought, I fell asleep. After all, tomorrow was Ulez’s match. I had to be there.

“Father? Where’s brother?” The child asked his father as he gasped for breath. They had been running for quite a while, and the child could barely take another step.

“He’s…. He’s gone son.” His father said, a sullen look coming over his face.

“L-Like mother? Did he… go like mother too?” The child was on the verge of tears. Small pearl-like drops were forming at the corner of his eyes. His father gritted his teeth, an expression of rage forming on his face. “Yes. Like mother.”

The conversation stopped, with the silence being broken only by the silent sobbing of the child. His father raised a hand as if to pat him, but abstained afterward. Then, he finally spoke, with venom in his voice. “Listen son… Never. Never trust God. He is the worst scum on our land. The beasts, the demons. Us. We’re nothing more than pawns. Never trust God son.” His voice softened a bit as he spoke again “Father… Father might be leaving like mother son…”

The boy looked up with his teary eyes, his nose as snotty as his wet face. “Father is going? W-why? Don’t leave me Father!” The boy tried to call out to his father as the man stood up and walked away.

No matter how much he called, his father wouldn’t turn back. He kept calling his name, but there was no response.

Then, from the end of the dark tunnel, a white mask shot out, heading towards the boy. The boy scrambled to his feet to run, but --

“Ahhhhh!!!!” I screamed as I jumped out of bed. My heart pounded furiously against my chest, and I clawed at the air, trying to get it off of my chest.

Struggling to my feet, I took deep breaths to calm myself down. I tried to relax as much as possible, just to get past it. Father and mother… If it only hadn’t been that way.

To my surprise, it was already noon outside the window of my little room. Crap. Ulez’s match. I grabbed my jacket and barrelled out the door, rushing towards the Motor Wars stadium. She had an important role to do after all.

“--ponent, ULEZ FROM THE STEEDLESS FACTION!! Another one of the fools rebelling against our beloved God”

Darn it. The announcer started his speech. The match would begin soon. The rules would follow, and I might not make it in time.

“I’ll just explain the rules again since there might be ‘some’ people who don’t know about it.”

Huh? What was this guy talking about? Some people who don’t know about it? The only ones who don’t know about God’s favorite sport were people who lived under a rock for the last four decades.

“The rules are simple! Each person has their own X Deck, which they must get on their own. Our beloved God will randomly provide them with a deck of cards. 52 cards to be exact. That is the First Deck. An X Deck can only get 3 Decks at best, so a prolonged battle might not be wis--Oh there! And the Chaos rider Krayne has already begun attacking! Maybe I shouldn’t have started explaining. It would be troublesome if I got on his bad side after all~!”

Shit. I forgot the Chaos rider.

I rushed even faster, breathing heavily as I sprinted towards the stadium. I was only at the Preliminaries stage. Full of those little mats on the floor. We didn’t lose anyone for this. It was as planned. All 16 of the best fighters from the Steedless.

“Oh! Seems like contender Ulez has got quite the great First Draw. Need I remind you, the First Draw is the first five cards your X Deck randomly picks from the-- And Krayne shatters her [Defense boost] with his bare fist!”

Damn. She got a defense boost? A mega defense boost might have helped her out more.

“And Krayne tries to get in his second punch, but Ulez is not too bad! She dodges. Who knows, for a rogue faction’s fighter, she seems pretty good. What a waste tho-- But Krayne does not let up! He has used his first card! It’s a……”

It’s a what? I hope it’s not the motorcycle. Ulez isn’t gonna fare well if it’s one. She does have a motorcycle, but it’s tough to fight in an arena with a motorcycle. That’s the only reason I haven’t lost to a motorcycle rider yet.

But, it’s a Chaos rider after all. They screwed up everything as soon as they arrived. God’s plan to throw everything into pandemonium.

Barrelling down the corridors of the Qualifier’s stage, I hurried as fast as I could do to the stage. This is bad. If it’s that card…

“...It’s the… The Chaos rider’s very own gift from our beloved god. THE CREATION CARD!!”

The crowd went wild at this. Even I could hear it quite clearly from ears. Roars and neighs. Damn beasts.

The Creation card. Huh.

Truly, a cheat card.

It allows the user to access the Card network and ‘create’ any card they want. Any of the five main categories of cards. The Equipment, buff, motorcycle, spell or enhancement. Heck, the higher tier Supreme Creation card could make custom cards. Ulez…

“And he has used it! It’s a weird weapon? A club with spikes on it. Oh, he swings it now! What is this? Is it a whip?! No doubt, this is a Supreme creation card after all! How unlucky for Ulez! “

NO! Damn it. IT’s that after all. A senior Chaos rider.

I pushed my legs to the very edge as I ran faster than ever, all to get there. Suddenly, guilt started welling up in me.

Ulez… She might die today. She might die… And… I… I got mad at her for some silly reason. Fuck my past. It didn’t matter anymore! Ulez... She’s just a kid. I know the plan will make her do it anyway, but… I can’t just let her die!

It was the final stretch. The long corridor stretched out before me, and the light from the exit shone brightly. Finally, I was here. I sprinted as fast as I could, aiming to see her. At least see her. One last time.

Ugh. Bright. After my eyes got accustomed to the stinging brightness, the announcer’s voice boomed out.

“And, it is as we figured. After all, there’s no way some village girl can defeat one of our beloved god’s people! THE WINNER IS KRAYNE THE CHAOS RIDER!!!”

Slowly, my feet came to a stop. I could see now. My breathing was fast, my heart was pounding. But none of it mattered. None of it mattered as I looked at Ulez, bleeding out on the floor.

Her waist was stained a vibrant red, with her guts crushed and spilling out. She gasped for air. Air that she would lose soon. And a few meters away from her bleeding body, stood a figure of despair. Almost a foot taller than me, he looked down at her with his face hidden by the white mask. A white mask with a black band on it. A Chaos rider captain.

In his hand was a weapon. It was like a geyser of death. Spurting out noxious fumes of some kind, a huge block of metal with spikes on it, attached to a whip of sorts. His custom weapon. A horrific weapon. But more than that, I immediately recognized the weapon.

“It’s… it’s him…”

I muttered, unable to think for a while. That mask, that weapon.

Chaos Rider Krayne. The one who killed my parents.

The tire tracks on my chest tingled with pain. Something began heating up inside me. It told me to just jump off the rail and murder him. Wrench his neck off for killing them.

But something held me back. My eyes were automatically pulled towards the twitching body of hers. Ulez…

It was already too late. With this much blood loss, for the pill to work was next to impossible. But if there’s a chance… Maybe? Maybe I can cure her. Ulez is too young to die here.

For once, foreign feelings invaded. Protection? Caring? When did I ever care about such stuff? My only objective was to go against God, even if I died trying.

Maybe… Maybe the thought that it’ll end soon has softened me up. It might not be a bad thing to be soft too may-

As I watched, a small ball rolled out of Ulez’s mouth as she spat out blood again. A pink but curiously small pill. But if I saw it…

“Interesting”

The Chaos rider’s voice boomed across the stadium as he stepped on the pill, crushing it to bits. He walked slowly towards her, with a leisurely gait.

“To think you had a trump card. Sadly, you will never get to use it. Perhaps… perhaps if you had used your motorcycle card rather than chucking it out, you could have won.”

He laughed softly, sending a chill up my spine. Sh-she… didn’t use the motorcycle?

Is it because I lashed out at her?

Did… did I kill her?

Her joyful face flashed before my eyes and then morphed into the one I was looking at now. The crowd was still cheering. But the sounds no longer reached me. I collapsed onto my knees, unable to bear it.

Something pulled at my heart. Something dark.

Guilt. Regret. Despair.

If only… If only I hadn’t…

Like an ominous figure of death, Kraynes raised his weapon. “Well, goodbye,” he said lightly as he let the bludgeon drop. Drop right on her face.

I didn’t look away.

No, I couldn’t look away.

I stared till the very end. Right till the spikes squished her head. Right till her brains splattered the floor. Till her last scream.

The cheers were deafening. My ears might bleed out. But inside, I felt empty. Something was gone. A last ray of happiness faded away from inside of me.

And it was my fault.

Mine.

No.

It’s not.

It’s him, isn’t it?

He killed my parents.

He killed Ulez too.

Isn’t it all… his fault?

A spark. A small hint of a flame. But soon enough, it had grown into a roaring fire.

It’s necessary for the plan too. I just had to kill him. Isn’t this just perfect? I simply had to kill him.

Just when I bent my legs to jump onto the stage, the mask turned towards me.

Directly at me.

My legs immediately turned squishy. I sunk to the floor again, my entire body shivering and shuddering. I could see my hands trembling violently. My heart was racing, with fresh sweat beading up on my forehead. I could feel it. That gut-wrenching feeling that just made me want to run away. Runaway and hide somewhere. Anywhere but here.

Struggling, I forced my eyes towards him. Confirming my suspicions, the green card floated next to him. A spell card. Fear. Shit. If only I had my X Deck…

The Chaos rider turned away from me, and the pressure vanished. Along with it, the card burst into pieces. My anger was completely doused, with not even a hint of flame left behind. The fear had completely dominated me.

No wonder Ulez lost.

No wonder people fought against this monster.

The Creation card was just that precious. The one with the Creation card could be called invincible.

The Chaos rider walked away, slightly beckoning at the arena’s wall as he did so. Out of the shadows, two more of the abominations dashed out and kneeled before him. I’m in trouble here…

After a few moments, the two Chaos riders dashed away from the Senior Chaos rider, heading back into the shadows. The audience was now abuzz with murmurs and whispers. This might be new for them. Well, who could blame them?

Who could blame them to be bewildered if the Chaos rider suddenly sat down and stared a single auburn haired person?

But this time, there was no spell on his side. I stared back at him, not willing to show such a disgraceful side to me again. He raised his chin as if he were looking down on me.

For a long time, we stared at each other. Perhaps it was merely moments. Perhaps it was for years. All I knew was that I shouldn’t look away. Looking away meant defeat. Fear. None of which I feel.

The moment the announcer’s hearty voice boomed out again, he turned his head away from me, as if he were bored. I grit my teeth and looked towards the Overseer’s chamber. The announcer would be there after all.

“Everyone! We have received some disturbing news. Contenders Xiao from the Fire faction and Jin from the Water faction have officially withdrawn from the match. So, congratulate Chaos rider Kraynes and Steedless Blaze everyone! They get to the final by default!”

The crowd became loud again. But I couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Simple minded fools. ‘Withdrawn’? Sure. Maybe because they lost a couple limbs while they were eating their breakfast or something. These Chaos Riders…

“Contestant Blaze! Kraynes has applied for an early match, to happen right now! Do you agree?”

The Chaos rider turned back towards me, along with the entire crowd.

The corners of my mouth slowly raised as I replied. “Sure. He wants it after all”

“THEN EVERYONE. ENJOY THE FINAL MATCHHHH!!!!”

The hallway felt long. It must be long. Just a few steps and I’d be there. My X Deck was firmly strapped to my wrist, its golden dragon-like structure gleaming from the faint light that lit the hallway.

I can do this. No, I must do this.

I know. After I enter the arena, I will die. Because that is my fate. For the plan. For the plan, I must do this.

I rechecked my X Deck to confirm that my signature cards and personal cards were in place. They were the most important after all. Personal cards were like signature cards in the fact that you can have them to be any card you want permanently like the signature cards. But they would be for a single use, like the other normal cards.

The roar of the audience felt muted as I gazed at the Chaos rider standing before me. I don’t even remember when I walked here. His ominous mask was looking directly at me, his hands raised lightly.

I could barely hear the countdown.

“-Wo…. One...GOOO!!!!!!”

Now. I will kill him. For Ulez.

As I drew the First Draw, I simultaneously jumped back.

Just like I predicted, the Chaos rider brought out his bludgeon like whip, smashing the place where I stood before to bits.

As I dodged and swerved through the lashes of the bludgeon, my eyes slightly widened at my First Draw.

Four spells and an enhancement card.

Grinning, I dashed into his personal space the moment the bludgeon faltered for a bit. It was a hard weapon to use after all. Getting close to his bosom, I proceeded to place my palm on his chest as I muttered the magic words.

“Thunder Palm”

Lightning buzzed and crackled as the rider flew away from me, the impact of magic lightning slightly burning his chest as well. He would obviously be surprised. Surprised that I used a spell card so soon.

Without waiting for more, I used my next spell card as soon as he flexed his wrist. The bludgeon was coming for me from my back. “Ethereal shield” As soon as I muttered it, a golden honeycomb-like shield formed around me. But in just a moment, it shattered as the bludgeon smashed through it. What terrifying power.

Using the lag in the movement of the bludgeon to my advantage, I immediately dropped to the floor, narrowly missing the bludgeon, with it grazing my back as it flew by. I rolled to the side as the rider used his first card.

A sword dropped at the spot where I was, signifying that he got the [Advent of swords] card. Without wasting a moment, I clambered to my feet, desperately dodging the five swords that dropped from the sky.

The second I dodged the last drop, the bludgeon was coming towards me, crackling with bolts of electricity. An enhancement card for that monstrosity? Damn it.

I reluctantly used my third spell card as I ran towards the bludgeon. I had wanted to use it as a trump card, but it would not be so. “Mist form” My body felt free the moment I said it. Free, but still bound to something. I ran through the bludgeon, without it harming me as it passed through the air. I looked towards him, surprised to see him running at me. I see, he’s aiming for the time [Mist form] stops huh. Too bad I won’t be giving you the chance.

Taking two steps back, I bent my legs forward just before dashing off towards him. [Mist form] had expired since I moved too fast. But it was perfect. Just one hit, and it would grant me pleasure.

As we were about to meet each other, we both turned to the side. It was obviously going to be a spell clash. He had another spell huh.

“Ice bullet” The small ball of ice shot towards his neck at surprisingly high speeds, as if intent on tearing up his throat. But to my surprise, it shattered as it met his body. Horrified, I gazed at the new card that floated next to him.

“It’s a… higher tier defense? It can’t be? Another creation card?”

I almost heard him chuckle slightly as he flexed his wrist again. Oh no. The bludgeon. It was too late dodge anyways. I’d just use this chance to give some major damage to him.

My feet skidded to a stop as I began running at him. His actions fumbled a bit as he realized my intentions.

BAM! His mask broke off as my fist collided with it, shattering the facade of fear that these abominations wore.

But I watched with horror as the auburn hair flew out of the mask, with a face peering at me from its depths.

“Brother….”

I couldn’t gasp for breath as the bludgeon crashed into my sides, sending me flying away. I rolled a few times as I hit the floor, finally coming to a stop.

Shit. Bleeding and dying. Just like Ulez. I failed her too huh.

I turned back to look as he used his final card. A skull faced skeletal motorcycle.

The same motorcycle that rolled over me, crushing my ribs when I was a child.

My brother killed my family.

My brother destroyed me.

My brother killed my friends.

“W-why” I could barely cough out the words as his gloating face became visible atop the motorcycle.

“Ble… I met with God. He showed me. He showed me everything. Everything we’ve been doing wrong. Everything the hummus have done wrong. And I will fix it. Today, I will ride on your body again. But today, I will kill you”

He was happy. He believed what he was about to do. A certain sense of panic gripped me as the wheels rolled towards me.

“I’m surprised though. Is that the reason you never use a motorcycle little brother? Is it? No wonder you are so pathetic. The Steedless huh? They died off one by one too. Just another bug for God to crush”

No. No. No.

I had to stop him.

I need to stop him.

I struggled to bring my X Deck up. That’s right. The plan.

“Sorry brother. I would have loved this reunion. Except. Sound Wave”

I used my first personal card as the sonic boom blasted off from me, forcing everyone to cover their ears as it rushed by them.

“A futile attempt? How foolish brother. I expected more from you.” He laughed lightly as he walked even closer.

“Naive”

I muttered that the second the roars emerged.

The arena’s stands were being torn up from the insides as monsters emerged, one by one. Big and small, horrid and frightening.

My friends.

For once, I was glad to see my brother. That filth’s surprised expression as he gazed at the turmoil the monsters wrecked. “This? What?! Don’t tell me?! The Soundwave?!”

He could barely keep his composure. I coughed weakly, dying by the moment. But it felt so satisfying. “We died off one by one, didn’t we? Then where do our bodies with the Sansanum pill go?” I gestured at the pink powder on the sole of his feet as I said it. “Perhaps if you had suspected more, this wouldn’t have happened”

I raised my X Deck as I fired the second personal card. He made a wild grab as if to stop me, but [Beacon] shot off into the sky, exploding loudly and brightly.

It was followed by a more subdued shot.

He watched with horror as the glass of the Overseer’s tower shattered, and wails of defeat echoed from it.

One could never snipe the Overseer. But in the middle of Pandemonium like this…

But my job still wasn’t over.

Struggling, I raised myself as I used my signature card. The golden light swirled around my hand, settling into the form of my beloved Pyro17. I staggered towards him, trembling. My head felt light, but that didn’t matter. Today, I kill an immortal.

The Pyro17 glowed brightly as the heat passed through it. It turned red first, before settling into a bluish white. I never used critical heat before.

Pyro17 and I would die today. But that was no matter.

I grinned as I stabbed the exhaust through his back.

He stared down in horror at the head of the pipe that stuck out through his chest, burning flesh and tissues to a gooey muck. The smell of his burning flesh entered my nose. Or maybe it was mine. Critical was just hot after all.

The metal melted into his body as he crashed to the floor. I let the Pyro17 fall with him because it was the end of it.

Unable to take anymore, I fell backward. Monsters were rampaging, but still, there were million watching what was happening right now.

I used my last card [Sound boom]. My voice boomed out throughout the arena.

I weakly raised my hand as a fist as I muttered the words.

“Hummus! No, Humans! We are not weak!” Yells echoed throughout, but I continued.

“The Overseer can be killed!” I pointed at the tower as I said it.

“The Chaos riders can be killed!” Pointing at the goo of what remained of my brother, I said it.

“God.. can be killed” Finally, I raised my hand towards the sky, feeling my final breath escape out of me.

My mind faded away into darkness as death embraced me. It felt strangely calm.

That’s right. Even if we didn’t kill God, we showed the humans that we can kill him.

God will die.