Another day of competition had come to an end. The senior executives of Novex Financial, who had maintained dignified poses in the guest seats throughout the day, now found themselves bowing respectfully before an imposing mahogany desk.
"Director Liu, this is what we discovered today," one executive reported, his voice steady despite the tension in the air.
After delivering their findings from the day's observations, the executives stood in an uncomfortable silence, waiting for Director Liu's response. The only sound in the luxurious office was the faint hum of the air conditioning system.
Director Liu remained seated in his executive chair, seemingly mesmerized by the twinkling city lights beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. The Velkairos skyline stretched endlessly before him, a testament to power and ambition.
"Are you absolutely certain he's only at the bronze level?" The question came as barely more than a whisper, yet it carried the weight of authority that made subordinates tremble.
A bead of cold sweat formed on the senior executive's forehead, but years of corporate discipline kept his voice steady. "Yes, Director. I witnessed it personally; there's no possibility of error in my assessment."
He paused for a moment before adding, "According to Gustav's intelligence, this Azrael is an orphan."
The moment the word "orphan" left his lips, the boss's chair swiveled around with mechanical precision. Director Liu's upper body remained shrouded in shadow, his features obscured by the office's strategic lighting. When he spoke, genuine curiosity colored his tone. "You're certain of this? Have you had someone conduct a thorough background investigation?"
The senior executive had anticipated this question. His response came without hesitation. "Absolutely. We've already completed a comprehensive check. His background is remarkably clean, almost suspiciously so."
"However—" The executive's voice faltered slightly.
Director Liu's patience evaporated instantly. His tone sharpened to a razor's edge. "Speak plainly. What is it?"
The executive's composure cracked under the pressure. Words tumbled out in a rush. "When our people investigated near his previous residence, they discovered that he had some kind of conflict with a local club. From what we gathered, it appears to have been unauthorized action by newly recruited club members."
To the executive's surprise, Director Liu's laughter filled the office, a sound devoid of warmth but rich with amusement. "Is that all? Such concerns are meaningless. If his background were completely spotless, that would be the real problem."
He leaned forward slightly, his voice taking on a conspiratorial tone. "For now, his participation in the Elite Talent Cup is all that matters to us."
"Go make the necessary arrangements. Remember, under no circumstances should these promising talents encounter each other prematurely."
The senior executive bowed deeply, relief evident in his posture. "Understood, Director."
As the executive's footsteps faded down the corridor, the office returned to its previous silence. Only the distant sounds of Velkairos's nightlife filtered through the thick glass.
Several long minutes passed before a low chuckle echoed through the empty room. "Genius, ha!"
The next morning, the highly anticipated round of 32-to-16 competition began. After yesterday's impressive displays, the audience and distinguished guests had formed preliminary assessments of each contestant's capabilities.
"Did anyone else notice that none of yesterday's standout performers are facing each other today?" The observation rippled through the crowd as the massive display screen revealed the day's matchups.
"Of course not, you fool," another spectator replied with obvious disdain. "If you were organizing this tournament, wouldn't you want maximum audience engagement? Why would they eliminate popular contestants in the early rounds?"
"This is rigged! I'm filing a formal protest!" someone shouted from the back rows.
"Protest to whom?" came the cynical response. "Novex Financial is footing the bill. Your complaints are worthless here."
Amid the rising chatter and complaints, the first match began.
Levi stepped onto the competition platform, and [Patrol Sea Warrior·Yaksha] immediately materialized before him. The imposing figure drew appreciative murmurs from the guest section.
"What a shame about Levi's timing," an industry veteran remarked to his colleagues. "In previous Velkairos tournaments, he would have easily claimed a top-three position."
"Absolutely tragic," another agreed, shaking his head. "Unfortunately, this year's field is stacked with monsters."
"My money's on Azrael to win the Elite Talent Cup," a third voice chimed in confidently.
"Should win? He will win!" The correction came with passionate certainty. "These are high school seniors who've only been Black Iron-level Lore Cardians for a month. Who could have predicted that some would already be crafting bronze-level cards?"
They're all unlucky to be competing against a once-in-a-generation prodigy like Azrael.
"Still, Velkairos has accumulated incredible talent this cycle. It's remarkable to see so many exceptional prospects in a single tournament."
Levi's match ended quickly with his decisive victory. The moment his triumph was announced, ear-piercing screams erupted from a corner of the audience.
"Levi! Your mother loves you!" one voice cried out above the chaos.
"Levi! Levi!" The chant quickly gained momentum.
Recognizing good television, the camera operators immediately focused on the source of the commotion. The screen filled with images of Levi's devoted female fans, their faces flushed with excitement.
Realizing they were being broadcast, the fans raised their carefully prepared banners high above their heads and declared, "Levi is number one!" "Levi is number one!" they declared in unison.
Off the platform, Azrael watched the spectacle unfold on the monitors, his eye twitching involuntarily. He hadn't realized that Lore Cardian duels had developed their own fan culture. Then again, Levi's flamboyant personality probably attracted this kind of attention naturally. Azrael certainly hadn't noticed a personal cheering section forming around him.
Time passed quickly, and soon Azrael's name echoed through the arena speakers.
Today's opponent demonstrated significantly more skill than yesterday's opponent, Sheryll. However, the improvement ultimately proved meaningless. Under Luffy's relentless assault, the difference in their capabilities became glaringly obvious within minutes.
The next contestant to take the stage was Nick, the fighter who had been considered the favorite to win the tournament before it began. However, after witnessing Azrael's performance, no one believed Nick could win the championship.
The audience could sense Luffy's overwhelming power, though they were unaware they were witnessing a bronze-level card in action. This ignorance led Azrael to observe Nick's performance with particular interest.
While Azrael's card remained a complete mystery to outside observers over the past few days, the abilities of the other contestants had been thoroughly analyzed and cataloged by various interested parties.
Nick's signature card was a Black Iron-level, red-quality Blade Beast·Refut. According to ancient texts, a beast called Bo exists that resembles a white horse, has saw-like teeth, devours tigers and leopards, and can resist conventional weapons. This creature originates from the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
The Classic of Mountains and Seas has always been a popular source of inspiration among Lore Cardians. However, because the original stories provided only brief descriptions, and because the Empire of Aetherlight records contained significant gaps, the power range of this category varied dramatically.
The upper extreme included legendary beings such as the Illuminator of Darkness·Zhulong, whose open eyes brought daylight and whose closed eyes brought darkness, and the Queen Mother of the West, the sect of female immortals, to whom all women who had achieved immortality across the heavens, the three realms, and the ten directions belonged.
At the lower end were amusing characters such as the One-Armed Citizens and the Hairy Citizens.
Clearly, Nick's Bo fell far from the comedic category.
Azrael's analytical gaze fell upon a creature resembling a white horse, enhanced with sharp horns protruding from its skull and a mouth filled with vicious fangs. Spectral sword shadows danced around the beast like deadly satellites.
Under the fierce onslaught of Nick's Bo, his opponent was systematically dismantled. The poor fighter couldn't mount any meaningful resistance and fell before demonstrating a single noteworthy technique. While Nick's victory was decisive, the specific mechanics and skill characteristics of his card remained largely mysterious to observers.
Azrael was in the same situation with his Luffy card; the outside world didn't even know its true name, rendering their intelligence gathering efforts futile.
As Russell studied the aftermath of Nick's performance, a frown creased his features. Sword-based attacks were a particularly challenging matchup for Luffy's fighting style. Fortunately, Nick's Refut was only a Black Iron-level card. Had it been bronze-tier, the outcome of the eventual confrontation would have been far less certain.
The third day of the Elite Talent Cup arrived with palpable anticipation. Today's 16-to-8 matches finally provided Azrael with opponents who could pose a real challenge. As he watched his current adversary summon a second card after the first had been completely destroyed, Azrael silently acknowledged, "I definitely shouldn't underestimate anyone in this tournament."
However, as his mental power expanded, analyzing the spiritual signature of his opponent's card, Azrael remained confident in his assessment. "Just Black Iron-level, gold quality. Luffy can handle this easily."
Meanwhile, his opponent ground his teeth in frustration, thinking desperately, "What kind of absolute monsters am I facing? I was so certain that crafting a gold-quality card would guarantee an easy championship victory. First there was Nick, and now this Azrael character."
The weight of these thoughts pressed down on him, bringing waves of despair. He had been incredibly proud of successfully creating a gold-quality card. However, after several days of competition, he began to question his entire understanding of card making.
Had Velkairos always harbored so many exceptional talents in previous tournaments? The question haunted him.
Unfortunately for his peace of mind, he had no idea that Luffy was actually a bronze-tier card. Had he known that crucial detail, his emotional state would have been utterly shattered.
Regardless of his opponent's internal turmoil, Luffy had already begun his opening offensive, his fists blazing with determination and power.