"You're bronze level?"
Nick's voice cracked with disbelief as he felt both of his cards enter the dreaded cold draw state. His purple General Wudi and red Blade Beast·Refut were completely shut down by Azrael's single devastating attack.
The arena fell into stunned silence. The atmosphere grew so thick that you could cut it with a blade.
After what felt like an eternity, commentator Killian's voice finally broke through, though it trembled slightly. "Student Nick claims that Student Azrael is a Bronze-level Lore Cardian. I'm curious what evidence supports this remarkable assertion."
But Nick wasn't listening to Killian anymore. His eyes remained locked on Azrael, searching for answers that seemed impossible to accept.
Azrael met his gaze with unshakable calm. "Yes, I am."
The simple admission hit Nick like a physical blow. His fists clenched instinctively, his knuckles turning white from the tension. Then, as if all the fight had been drained from him, his shoulders sagged in defeat.
"You win, Azrael." The words came out hollow and weighed down with disappointment. "I'm sorry I couldn't give you a real challenge."
Nick had been so confident. His General Wudi and Refu combination should have guaranteed his victory in the Elite Talent Cup. He'd pictured himself holding the trophy and basking in the glory of being Velkairos's greatest high school duelist.
Instead, Azrael appeared like a storm and shattered everything.
The self-proclaimed best high school student in Velkairos felt his world crumble. Azrael watched the kid's dejection and wondered if he should offer some comfort. "Did I break his spirit completely?"
But Nick's resilience proved stronger than his disappointment. Within moments, he straightened his back and clenched his fists with renewed determination.
"Azrael! Mark my words, one day I'll catch up to you!"
Azrael had no intention of crushing the boy's dreams. "Sure thing. Keep working hard."
While the two duelists handled their post-match exchange, Killian's voice rang out across the arena, barely containing his excitement. "Incredible! Absolutely incredible! Did everyone hear that? Azrael just confirmed he's a bronze-level Lore Cardian!"
"I've commentated on card duels for years and have never seen someone so young reach the bronze level. This is unprecedented!"
Well, not entirely unprecedented. Killian had seen a few prodigies from the Vaelcrest region achieve the bronze level during their senior year. However, those breakthroughs came after months of intensive preparation, sometimes as long as six months.
The current senior year had only started about six weeks ago. Killian had never seen progress this explosive.
The crowd erupted into chaos. Conversations erupted from every corner of the arena.
"Holy shit! What's that saying again?" "To a non-Lore Cardian, seeing me is like a frog glimpsing the moon. To a Lore Cardian, seeing me is like an ant staring at the endless sky."
"Damn, brother, you're getting poetic! But seriously, this Azrael kid must be the most talented student we've seen in years."
"Definitely. I can't think of anyone else who reached the bronze level in just over a month.
"Wait, what about Yongguang's Lore Cardian? He's only in his thirties now, and he was legendary."
"Ha! If you're comparing Azrael to Lioren, Lioren already won that contest."
"That's a serious reality check, isn't it?"
"Azrael? We should call him Azrael Shen from now on!"
The live broadcast carried the excitement far beyond the arena walls, sparking reactions throughout Velkairos.
In a private high school administrative office, a director frantically dialed numbers on his phone. "Is there any way we can convince Azrael to transfer to our school?"
"Whatever he asks for, if it's within our budget, we'll pay it!"
Meanwhile, recruitment officers from several prestigious institutions quietly noted Azrael's name in their files after watching the Elite Elite Talent Cup coverage. "Special attention candidate. As long as he performs decently on his provincial exam, we should seriously consider extending an offer."
At home, Gabi watched the final unfold on her television. She had emerged from the secret realm some time ago, and Gustav had explained that Azrael had exited quickly and likely hadn't gathered many resources during his expedition.
Gabi had hoped that her resource advantage from the Black Flag secret realm might help her close the gap with Azrael, if only slightly.
Instead, she discovered that he had already advanced to the bronze level.
"You're absolutely terrifying, Azrael," she whispered to her empty living room.
In an abandoned factory across the city, a group of rough-looking gangsters had also watched the entire Elite Talent Cup competition.
"These damn geniuses make me sick with envy."
"Yeah, if I had that kind of talent, I wouldn't be stuck in this shithole."
"Haha, better not let Mr. Xu hear you talking like that."
"Tsk. These geniuses will only stay powerful for a couple of years anyway. I don't believe the organization is holding this flashy competition just to help future enemies."
"Hard to say. In two years, maybe this kid will parachute into the organization as your new boss."
Among the crowd, a bald head reflected the harsh electric lighting with an almost blinding intensity.
Koga stared at Azrael's image on the television, his expression troubled by a nagging sense of familiarity. "Azrael, why does that name ring a bell?"
"Wait, I remember now."
Just as the memory started to surface, the white, six-tailed fox phantom in his mind pulsed with faint light.
"Oh, right! Isn't this Azrael one of our previous clients?"
Pushing aside his lingering doubts, Koga continued watching the post-match coverage.
Unnoticed in a shadowy corner, a middle-aged man in a black suit observed Koga with an enigmatic half-smile.
As the audience buzzed with excitement, the guest panel made their way onto the field, joined by the other top eight competitors from the tournament.
Mr. Grave took the lead, extending his hand to Azrael with practiced corporate charm. "Congratulations, Mr. Azrael. You truly deserve first place."
"Just got lucky," Azrael replied, putting on his most polite fake smile while smoothly withdrawing his hand.
"Congratulations, Mr. Azrael. You should visit our Tiger Path Battle Club sometime when you're free."
"Young heroes like yourself are truly inspiring."
The other guests lined up behind Mr. Grave, each offering their congratulations with calculated smiles.
In their minds, a talented player like Azrael, whose promising future was written in neon lights, was absolutely worth a moment of political courtesy.
Levi, one of the top eight competitors, stood transfixed as he watched Azrael. Less than half a month remained until the joint entrance exam for the four schools in Nirvale District, and Azrael had already achieved the bronze level.
After a moment of stunned silence, Levi managed a wry smile. "Guess I should dye my hair back to normal."
With all competitions concluded, the award ceremony commenced.
Azrael stood on the podium, holding an enormous medal worth one million Empyrean dollars in one hand and shaking Mr. Grave's hand with the other. Camera flashes erupted like a lightning storm, nearly blinding him with their intensity.
The ceremony dragged on interminably. Just when Azrael thought the Elite Elite Talent Cup had finally ended, Mr. Grave called out to him and the seven other finalists.
"Students, please wait a moment. President Liu from Novex Financial would like to meet with all of you." Mr. Grave's smile remained flawlessly professional. "Don't worry. President Liu simply wants to meet our young heroes in person."
Oh, and he'll be providing some financial support to show his appreciation for your exceptional performances."
Azrael's heart sank. Without even glancing at Gustav, who was lurking behind Mr. Grave, Azrael already understood the situation perfectly.
The real game was just beginning.