Charging upfront, the Sand Paladin kicked open the wooden door, sending its remnants flying everywhere. Kairo and Nyx soon arrived, following in without ceremony.
Above them sat Jed on the wooden bridge that traversed the building. His expression was as clear as calm water. Smiling, he waved. "Hi Kairo. I knew some scarecrows would not be enough to hold you off. Though I didn't know you had a card that summoned a Paladin," he said.
Behind him, another man casually leaned onto the bridge, glancing down with a nonchalant expression. "Your info was wrong, Jed. Whatever—call my scarecrows that again and I will make sure you get a taste of their real power."
Kairo moved in cautiously. This time around, he was not going to let Jed drag him into a trap. "You look so stressed, my friend," the voice of Jed echoed at his side with his palm on Kairo's shoulder. Kairo instinctively jumped back, distancing as fast as he could. Glancing back and forth between Jed's old and new position. 'Exactly as expected,' he thought.
"We had the exact same idea. While observing you train, I found out about your card abilities. Looks like you didn't stay idle either," Kairo murmured. While observing Jed through his training, he had found out about two of his abilities. The Guilty Shadow allowed Jed to move freely into the shadows of the person that he had in range. 'This card is pretty annoying. He could have killed in a blink. He probably activated it before we arrived. Thanks to this, he is the best spy of the Espionage Department.'
"Careful, Nyx. Don't let him get too close. He can move into your shadow," Kairo warned.
Nyx's face tensed slightly. Moving behind her were ripples of black. The wooden house was the perfect area with enough black spaces for Jed to move like a fish in water. "Don't even dare touch me, bastard," she said. Using [her ability], she formed a moving veil around her, forcing Jed to stay out of range.
"We know about your illegal deals. Here is the clear proof. Once we return with this information, you will be done for, Jed. We have a few questions for you to answer," Nyx said.
"I have nothing to hide. Actually, we were about to make a new deal. Kairo, if you will listen, maybe you'll change your mind," Jed said, waving at his friend on the bridge.
Kairo kept his eyes on his opponent. 'Is it a trap, or are they just trying to buy time? I can't hold Tactical Brilliance and the Sand Paladin at the same time indefinitely.' Although Kairo wanted to act, part of him was curious about why Jed was doing all of this. What was so important he would risk his life by betraying the Card Mage Police?
"Don't listen to this fool. He will talk whether he likes it or not. I will make sure he does. First, we need to neutralize the Scarecrow card user," Nyx acted on her own. She gripped Sifa between her fingers and then struck forward. Striking onto the bridge, she agilely shot upward, spinning to land on the platform.
Mario's face darkened. With a flicker of his fingers, the scarecrow army barged in from every angle, forming a tight shield around him. "I didn't want to damage such a beautiful face, but you leave me no choice. Go, my babies, get rid of her," he ordered.
"Nyx is right. Enough thinking. Kairo, catch him now before he escapes," Kairo said to himself. When a loud metallic ping forced him to jump backward, the lance of the Sand Paladin was clashing with claws that gleamed with murderous intention.
Catching his breath, Kairo stood ready. "The card: Bestial Wolf." Cards that could alter the human body were extremely rare and precious. In the Card Mage Police, there existed less than ten. This card not only granted its user immense power, but also came with a set of abilities that no one could determine in advance—not even with the card description.
Kairo instantly recognized Jed's cards. Jed lurked in the shadows, his eyes gleaming with a red that reminded him of two blood moons. His body had grown considerably, almost two meters in height. He continuously screeched his claws onto the metallic joints as he lurked, causing a disturbing and eerie piercing sound.
"Kairo…" he said.
Spinning on himself, Kairo evaded backward. The monstrous, wolf-like Jed had pounced from behind, clawing at him with deadly precision. The Sand Paladin was swift to parry the clash, causing metallic sparkles of white to flash in the dark area.
"Nyx seems in a difficult position. The Scarecrows are way too dangerous. She understood that way before me," Kairo said, biting his lips. "You can serve your justice on him. Sand Paladin, this one is way too dangerous." Kairo dashed forward and pounced onto the bridge, his fist sending the Scarecrow flying into pieces.
Nyx's aggressiveness was unmatched. It looked like she had changed into a completely different person. Using Sifa as a weapon, she wiped into the crowd. The Scarecrows on the tight bridge were flung to the side one after another.
With Kairo leading the charge, the duo moved at an unstoppable pace. His fists moved like thunder strikes. The Scarecrows were flying left and right.
"Need some help here, Jed! What the hell are you doing with that thing made of sand? Get rid of it!" he screamed as Kairo and Nyx got dangerously close.
"It's too early to use it. Not now!" Jed cried out, fending off the Sand Paladin. The hit was so powerful that Jed's figure was sent flying into the wooden walls.
"Justice shall be served!" The Sand Paladin raised his lance above his head.
Just as it was about to strike, its figure started breaking. Exactly at that same moment, Kairo's face turned dense, somehow pale. His movement slowed down on the bridge. When Jed popped into his shadow, Kairo was too slow to react. The sharp claws dove deep into his side.
"Impossible… I was guarding my back. You lied…"
"In training, I showed you just what you wanted to see. I didn't lie about my abilities. I just didn't show the whole truth about Guilty Shadow," Jed said, pushing him down the bridge.
"Kairo!" Nyx's expression shifted. Without a single thought, she jumped into the void, using Sifa to slide down and catch him before he crashed onto the unforgiving ground. The duo rolled down several meters before ending their course in the weeds.
Kairo gritted his teeth, glancing at the figure above his head. For an instant, he could see worry in them. Nyx's chest was rising and falling as she called out,
"Are you alive, Kairo?" she kept repeating.
Kairo stared blankly at her, drawn in an instant by her expression. He couldn't explain why, but he would have sworn he had seen fear.
It feels so strange to have someone worry so much—other than my father, Kairo thought. Then he quickly regained his seriousness.
"I'm fine. Be careful, they're still here," he warned.
Nyx nodded and quickly stood up, handing him a hand to help him back on his feet.
"Guilty Shadow doesn't allow him to move only into the shadows of his opponent, but into every single shadow around him. He could appear from any place. He had set up the entire fight up until this point," Kairo said.
"But I was just behind... and you were on maximum alert. How did he pass the enhanced reflexes given by Tactical Brilliance? It doesn't make sense," Nyx's expression was that of worry.
"He didn't. The hand on my shoulder earlier was probably his last card."
Jed smiled at Kairo while his friend frowned.
"He's dangerous. We need to get rid of him before he finds out too much."
"Exactly. That was Shadow Mark, my last card, Kairo. I can selectively choose to erase one of the senses of my opponent. Why did you think Fabian allowed you to observe our training? He knew perfectly well you wouldn't be able to find anything, Kairo. Now you're all doomed—thanks to your brilliant plan. How do you feel…" Jed smirked, his wolf-like mouth distorting into well-lined razor teeth.