PROPHECY OF HANDS
I sprinted into the ruined, moonlit courtyard, my breath ragged as the mental five-minute timer ticked down in the back of my mind.
Three minutes and fifty seconds remaining.
Reaching the threshold, I skidded to a halt. Dammit, they had reinforcements. Around eight cloaked assassins from The Nemesis were currently circling the courtyard. Four of their comrades were already lying motionless on the stones, courtesy of the glowing blue light of Princess Quina’s sword, Tsukihime. But the princess was at her absolute physical limit. She was heavily bleeding from her leg, her breathing shallow, and her elven magic was rapidly sputtering out.
“Quina! You die today in the name of The Nemesis!” the lead assassin roared, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism. “Everyone, together! Let us fulfill the sacred command of our Lord!”
On his signal, all eight elite killers synchronized their mana cores, channeling their remaining energy into a single, localized point. They unleashed a colossal, combined magical strike—a concentrated torrent of destructive energy rushing straight for the wounded princess. There was absolutely no way she could stop it in her state.
I pushed off the stone floor with explosive phantom agility, blurring across the courtyard and throwing myself directly between Quina and the incoming blast.
BANG!
I crossed my blades, bracing my torso as the massive magical explosion slammed against my weapons. The phantom mana of my sword flared brightly, completely neutralizing the assassins' attack in a shower of dark sparks.
Princess Quina gasped from behind me, staring up at my faceless mask in utter disbelief. “Who… who are you? Why are you helping us? Why are you so strong?”
“I am THE CRIMSON CARD,” I replied, my voice echoing with an eerie, mechanical resonance. “And they are The Nemesis. If you truly want to discover who I am, Princess… then come find the shadows. For when you find the shadows, you will find the Crimson.”
A flicker of fierce determination ignited within her elven eyes. “I see. Then I will try my absolute best to bring those shadows to light.”
I glanced at my holographic lens display. My own magic reserves were flashing critical. I didn't have enough mana left for a prolonged brawl; I could only trigger my devil’s contract one final time tonight.
DEATH’S GAMBIT.
The spectral cards flickered into my consciousness, and I placed my ultimate wager on the princess’s next action:
Queen of Spades:She will succumb to her blood loss and collapse.
Jack of Spades:She will actively pull away from me in caution.
King of Spades:She will retreat into the ruins, using me as a distraction.
Ace of Spades:She will willingly reach out and hold my hand.
I was placing everything on the line. I chose to trust Grim and his ancient Chronos-Sphere prophecy. If the fated vision was true, then right now, at this exact millisecond… she had to reach for me.
Grab.
Suddenly, a small, trembling hand forcefully gripped my own, squeezing my fingers as tight as she possibly could. The prophecy was fulfilled.
In that exact instant, a wave of absolute, terrifying confidence washed over my features. The brilliant Ace of Spades materialized in the dark and violently shattered.
Seeing me distracted, the remaining eight assassins charged forward simultaneously, their blades aimed to butcher us both.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
A massive, apocalyptic eruption of black hellfire violently exploded outward from my core. The towering pillar of dark flames lit up the entire capital sky, instantly blasting all eight elite assassins off their feet and sending them flying into the surrounding walls like broken ragdolls.
But I wasn't falling this time.
Scooping the wounded princess into my arms, I channeled my supercharged phantom mana into my legs and violently leaped into the air. High above the palace roof, I looked down at the courtyard below. A massive, swarming mob of elite royal knights had finally flooded the lower gates. Half of them were storming into the ruined hallways, while the rest formed a tight, unbreakable blockade around the sector to ensure no culprits could escape.
Right as I was about to descend toward the outer perimeter, a terrifying, golden holy pressure violently tore through the smoke behind me.
It was Sage Rigger. It had taken him precisely 3 minutes and 43 seconds to forcefully rip through Grim’s high-security anti-magic chains. Not bad for a human.
“CRIMSON—!!!” Rigger roared, blurring through the air with a manic, vengeful fury as he drove his holy dagger toward my back.
“I am not deaf,” I deadpanned.
Without even turning around, I willed the remaining black flames of the Ace to violently backfire over my shoulder. Rigger wasn't prepared for the sudden, explosive counter. The dark hellfire slammed squarely into his chest, entirely deflecting his trajectory and launching him downward. He crashed violently into the lower courtyard, the impact creating a massive, smoldering crater in the marble tiles.
Descending swiftly onto a secluded balcony near the palace gardens, I gently placed Princess Quina onto the stone floor, right beside an incoming royal medical relief unit.
“It’s Princess Quina! She’s alive!” a knight lieutenant announced frantically into his comms, gesturing to his squad. “Quickly, bring a stretcher over here! Secure the perimeter!”
Wrapped up in the chaotic frenzy of securing the princess, none of the soldiers even noticed the cloaked figure standing in the shadows of the pillars.
I turned on my heels, the glowing crimson of my phantom eyes fading into the dark night as my silhouette melted seamlessly into the castle's shadows. The fated night of the palace raid was officially over, and the legend of The Crimson Card had just begun.
note for skippers: if you have missed all the previous chapters to directly read the last chapter of this arc you have to read the previous ones quickly to understand the world building before the start of the blood kingdom arc.