Chapter 218: Chapter 218

As the scales tipped, the smaller Frost Punch swelled in size while the fire spirit rapidly dwindled, until the two were perfectly matched.

With a muffled bang, the two forces crashed into each other. Shards of ice and crimson embers scattered in every direction, nearly shattering the already wavering divine barrier.

"Audrey, it's all up to you now."

Jenkins cowered in his chair, dodging the flames that licked across the tabletop. At this rate, they would be reduced to ashes before the next round even began.

The three of them already had their clothes damaged to varying degrees, though for now, it was mostly just their sleeves that were singed away. A woman's hair was also flammable, and Audrey had already pinned up her long locks.

"Alexia, can you still use that thing of yours?"

Audrey asked softly, her eyes still on her cards.

She nodded, then looked to Jenkins. He immediately raised his hand, only to flinch back as the divine barrier above them descended to a perilous height. "I swear to the Sage that I will not reveal anything I've seen in this Mysterious Realm."

"On—on the honor of the Miller family, I do too."

The two women made their vows as well. In a situation , it was all they could do.

The counter card Audrey played depicted a silver needle.

"B-05-2-1862, The Thrill of Revenge."

Audrey grasped the needle in her right hand and plunged it into her left. She bit her lip, sucking in a sharp breath, and explained in a trembling voice, "I now feel pain, so the condition for vengeance is met. Revenge will become my strength. For the following rounds, all cards used by my companions and I will receive a bonus."

Jenkins had no idea what this item's true function was, but that didn't stop him from realizing Audrey's explanation was complete nonsense. The logic was utterly flawed.

But the dealer said nothing. Instead, the silver needle in Audrey's hand dissolved into a ball of light that flowed into the cards of all three players, making their hands glow faintly.

It was Audrey's turn again. She smiled at Jenkins and Alexia, then announced, "I use 'A Fair Contract of Power' to lend my strength to Alexia Miller."

As she spoke, Alexia played a card—it depicted a rolled-up parchment scroll.

This was even more outrageous. On her own turn, she had used someone else's card.

Jenkins held his breath. All three of them turned to look at the dealer. Those emerald-green eyes swept over them once before nodding in assent.

They all let out a long sigh of relief. So, that was allowed.

The parchment scroll flew out from the card, and Audrey signed her name. Just as the scroll was about to return to the card, she declared, "While this card represents one of Alexia Miller's abilities, its use involves manifesting a tangible object. Therefore, I argue that it should be allowed to remain on the field, just like any other item."

She made a compelling point... or at least the dealer didn't object. And so, the contract remained in the center of the round table.

The card had no target, so there was no counter. When it was Jenkins's turn, he glanced at the cards in his hand and asked the two women beside him:

"Audrey, Alexia, my level is the lowest here, and I lack both of your experiences. Do you have any advice?"

He said, shuffling through the thick stack of cards in his hand.

Audrey shook her head. "Don't attack. That will give him a chance to counter."

Alexia shared her opinion. "This is good. On my turn, I can use the power of the contract to win outright. You just need to play cautiously."

Jenkins nodded. The divine barrier looked like it could shatter at any moment. Without hesitation, he played Psychography. "I want to sign my name on that contract as well. That way, I'll also lend my power to Alexia."

As he spoke, a hand holding a pen materialized above the card, reached for the parchment, and signed "Jenkins Williams."

"Mr. Williams, very good."

A smile touched Alexia's lips. Wiping away the sweat that trickled down her pale neck and into her collar, she announced, "My turn. I will sign my name at the bottom of the contract, accepting the power lent by Audrey and Williams."

A third name appeared on the parchment before it burst into flames. From the embers, two cards—one bearing a portrait of Jenkins, the other of Audrey—flew to Alexia's side.

This was merely the effect of a previously played card, so it didn't count as playing a new one... At least, the dealer didn't object, which meant she could still play another card:

"Mathematical Principles: Fusion!"

She laughed, and a massive pattern composed of three geometric shapes materialized in the air, filled with countless floating mathematical symbols. The two borrowed cards rose into the sky, gradually converging under the power of her Mathematical Principles. Follow current novᴇls on ⓝovelFire.net

The dealer reached out, his hand moving toward the cards in front of him.

"Wait, her turn isn't over yet!"

Jenkins immediately protested. The fusion of the cards wasn't finished.

"She used a card. Her turn is over."

As he spoke, he swiftly drew a card and slapped it down. "Feast of Flames!"

With a deafening roar, Alexia's divine barrier was utterly consumed by a raging sea of fire. The three of them scrambled together in a panic, even as the cards continued their fusion.

The card in Audrey's hand shone with a purple light—it was their turn to counter. A sudden gust of wind from nowhere made the inferno miraculously part around the table, but only for a few seconds.

"Fusion complete. Attack with equipped Poisoned Dagger. Use... the Deception of Feigned Death—"

The final words of her sentence were warped and distorted as the sea of fire completely engulfed the three of them. Wails and screams erupted instantly.

Directly above the round table, the merged cards finally completed their transformation. An illusory figure of Alexia emerged from them, holding a crystal ball in her left hand while her right fist radiated a chilling frost.

The dealer's pronouncements were not yet finished:

"My 'Arson' is still in effect!"

The sea of fire lunged at the phantom. She threw the crystal ball, and the flames immediately recoiled.

"My 'Fire Spirit' is still in effect!"

The sea of fire lunged at the phantom. She smashed her right fist into the surging fiery waves, and again the flames fell back.

"My 'Feast of Flames' is still in effect!"

The sea of fire lunged at the phantom. The massive, arcane diagram of mathematical principles appeared beside Alexia's spectral form, helping her block the assault.