Chapter 2818: Betrayal
Chapter 2818: Betrayal
Date: Unspecified
Time: Unspecified
Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Three Mischief Encampment, Limitless Celestial Blood Fate Rule Domain
"Master, due to the oath, it will be hard for me to assist you against the emissary of—" Karl began, pulling me out of my thoughts.
Before he could finish, I cut in. "Don’t worry. I have an understanding with the Card Celestial. The oath no longer binds you or Sansa while you’re on my side."
"That’s great, Master—"
"Don’t call me Master. Just call me Boss."
"Understood, Boss!"
I shook my head at Karl and let out a long sigh. It was hard to reconcile how... kind he seemed. Kind, at least, to his own. To him, card apprentices were little more than pets—tools to be used. Many were nothing but means to an end, like those in the Circle or the ones who became his womb incarnations.
Yes, he came from the peaceful faction of the Viltronians—but he was still a Viltronian. He had watched card apprentices hunt down his family. How could he not carry resentment from that? Being adopted by a grieving couple didn’t erase what he had seen, or how he felt toward card apprentices as a whole.
That resentment hadn’t faded over time. It had deepened—twisted into something far more disturbing than simple hatred.
"Let’s go see what their fight is about." Looking into Karl’s eyes—clear on the surface, yet hiding a twisted darkness—I retrieved the Limitless Celestial Blood Fate Domain. But before I could focus, my attention snapped to a massive white snake.
As my vision sharpened, I saw Field Marshal Lorn and Corey resting atop its head, while a gray mist coiled around them, seemingly restraining the Emissary of Light.
The sight annoyed me more than it should have. That damned snake would let Field Marshal Lorn ride it, but not me. Yes, I was also irritated that it had gone against my orders and returned with Corey—but that, I could excuse. Corey could be... persuasive.
What truly bothered me was something else entirely. The snake seemed perfectly fine letting Corey’s friends and acquaintances ride it, yet not me—the one Corey called her best friend.
That settled it. I will create my own primordial familiar. One stronger, faster, and far more beautiful than that damned snake. What’s more, I decided I would use its own soul pathways to create my primordial familiar from scratch. It wasn’t like I had many options. The only other primordial beings I knew of were pixies and the World Calamity Tree.
Pixies were out—their soul pathways were far too complex, even for my Primordial Soul Pupils that could peer into the Origin Source. And the World Calamity Tree was an even worse choice. If I used its pathways, the result wouldn’t be a pet, but an equal—something I had no intention of dealing with.
That left only one viable option: the snake’s soul pathways. I was going to create a better version of her—so superior that she’d develop an inferiority complex and hide herself away. And if she ever dared to show her face, I’d have my familiar bully her—
...yeah, no. That escalated quickly. Still, one thing was certain. I would create a better version of her as my familiar. That much wasn’t negotiable.
Corey, Field Marshal Lorn, and the Emissary of Light all looked stunned as Karl and I appeared beside Lil’ Baem—together, as if we were acquaintances rather than enemies.
"Don’t tell me you admitted him into your criminal reintegration and rehabilitation program." Corey rose to her feet as she spoke, eyes fixed on Karl. He offered her a gentle smile, but she found it unsettling and turned away in disgust.
"Yes, I did. With a second demon invasion on the horizon, we can’t afford to lose capable card apprentices like him. Don’t worry—he’s promised to turn over a new leaf," I said, meeting the gazes of both Corey and Field Marshal Lorn.
"First Sansa, then Gideon, now the Supreme Leader... all that’s left is the Emissary of Light," Corey shot back. "What are you waiting for? Go on, invite him into your little rehabilitation program. I want to see what it is you tell these people that makes them give up their ambitions—not just surrender, but actually try to atone for their sins. Go ahead. Show me that even he can turn over a new leaf, leave his past behind, and make amends."
Corey tilted her head toward the gray mist, silently urging me to go do my thing. Even the Field Marshal glanced over with keen interest—she, too, seemed curious to see how her young lord guided these unredeemable heathens onto a path of redemption.
"Supreme Leader, what’s going on?" The Emissary of Light struggled to accept what he was seeing. The betrayal was right there in Karl’s actions and attitude, yet he couldn’t bring himself to believe it.
"Sorry, my friend. I can’t keep our oath. I hope you won’t hold it against me," Karl said, genuinely apologetic. Despite their differences in age and race, he had considered the Emissary a friend—his strength being no small part of that regard.
The Emissary had been waiting for Karl to arrive and pull him out after capturing the target. Instead, he found Karl standing beside that very target.
Hearing Corey’s words only made it worse. It wasn’t just the Supreme Leader and the Matron—Handsome Fox had also switched sides. Not that he cared much about that devil merchant bootlicker, but the realization still stung. What truly enraged him was that he now stood alone in a fight that had never been his to begin with. He was here to help someone whom he could consider a friend, but it turns out he was a fool for thinking so.
"Hahaha!Hahaha!" the Emissary of light laughed loudly while his grief at being betrayed was evident in his voice. Even though he knew they weren’t to be trusted, over the decades of cooperation he came to feel this sense of comradery. He only blamed himself for this. Using his divine enlightenment he had many people betray their loved ones, friends, those they care about, and today he got a test of his own medicine. Shaking his head, he spent a butt load of faith to keep the gray mist at bay just enough for him to teleport out of here.