At an abandoned zoo in the northeast of New Roselee, rain drizzled through gaps in the ceiling and crumbled walls, washing over the blood-soaked ruins. The dried, blackened stains that marred the streets and enclosures seemed to fade slightly, cleansed by the steady downpour.
Reinforced glass shattered like thin layers of ice, and a wild howl tore through the empty zoo, reverberating against rusted cages and broken exhibits.
A surge of blue flames engulfed a towering, baboon-like beast. Its once-pink and white fur was charred black, and its bare, fleshy buttocks were scorched as the relentless fire clung to its body. Yet, the creature refused to fall. Beating its massive chest like tribal war drums, it let out a frenzied screech and launched into a crazed, side-to-side leap—its movements erratic, like a provoked chimpanzee.
This wild act actually managed to shake off the blue flames!
Above, the beautiful woman mounted upon a phoenix didn't falter. She quickly activated her newly socketed Green Copper Card [Illusionary Demon Flames]. Violet flames burst into existence, mixing into her signature sky-blue flames like dye in a vat of clear water, circling around the tall creature.
The baboon’s vision was instantly distorted and it began shrieking like crazy, chaotically unleashing a flurry of blows into the open air.
‘It’s working quite well, fortunately, I happened upon one of my best-suited socketed cards.’ The blue-haired beauty nodded to herself. It wasn't easy to find something compatible with her flames. One she could activate this early at that.
Celes quickly took out two cards from her sleeves, the Grey Ash grade consumable [Thick Fire Oil] and Grey Ash grade enchantment [Flesh Clinging Adhesive], she activated both cards instantly and threw the finished products towards the activated card monster with a swift arc.
Her sky-blue flames reacted like a tiger given wings and they grew voraciously while also clinging to the rapidly moving monster like glue, penetrating deep within its bone. The searing heat burning away all the protective fur of the creature.
Yet even then the creature did not fall. It howled and resisted even more strongly. Its muscular body exposed by its disappearing fur.
‘The vitality of these things is nothing short of astonishing, without cards, at the same level, humans are nothing in front of such creatures.’
Celes couldn't help but sigh thinking that if her opponent had been human, they would have been long dead after such direct heavy hits and serious injuries.
Humans were still so fragile, even after embarking on the path of evolution and transcendence.
Scree~
Sapphire called out.
Celes looked down with a smile, “Yes I know Saphy, it's my turn. I'll finish him.”
An injured beast was at its most dangerous the closer they were to death, Celes knew not to underestimate them but they were still a good ‘experience pack’. At this stage, her battles were bound to be limited as logistics were still her primary concern while she focused her energy on the growth of the Blue Flame Stronghold. Only the more dangerous ‘threats’ needed her personal action.
That said, she couldn't handle the truly strong card monsters and the ones she could handle were limited in number, and also not stationary. So her scope of targets was actually quite limited.
She and Sapphire often only fought every two days and for less than two hours at a time. Still, combat skill was like a mortal blade, needing constant sharpening otherwise it would dull. It was a necessary process she made a point to undergo whenever she could.
She needed to train both herself and Sapphire as well as their joint attacks, these three directions each had a different focus and training method so she alternated among them.
Celes jumped down and summoned her rapier, Green Copper grade [Pristine Wind Needle], its power was far from its heyday but it was more than enough for a weakened Black Iron ranked, [White Crown Baboon King].
A chilling light emanated from Celes’s beautiful blue pupils, sky blue flames coated her rapier as she stabbed at the creature's weak points with medical precision but even whilst affected by an illusion its instincts remained and it managed to withstand or dodge most of her strikes before it shook off the effects of her [Illusionary Demon Flames].
Swish.
Celes dodged a sweep from its tree-like arms, counteracting simultaneously but her tiny weapon could only poke small holes into the beast’s thick hide. This was a proud characteristic of the needle's sharpness, as the creature’s flesh was very thick, and supported by its gelatinous knotted muscles, forming such a powerful resistance that bullets couldn't even penetrate.
Roar!
The continued rapid bee-like stings from the assault of Celes's swift rapier enraged the creature.
A glowing white crown appeared atop the monster's head. As it glowed with its enchanting milky light, vitality filled the creature once more, its charred flesh began to visibly recover, its frame also slowly grew, from five meters to seven meters. The ground cracked beneath the creature’s feet.
‘It's here! It's overdrawing its vitality and essence.’
Celes didn't naively wait for it to finish and continued a storm assault of pierce attacks, dodging its large punches, grabs and haphazard arm sweeps with several close calls.
Her heart thumped at each brush with danger. Bruises from near misses and close escapes covered her body. A single direct hit would have severely injured her to the point of death.
This was the reason she needed to constantly fight, or at least do so as much as possible. She was no longer a Tier 4 Card Lord, and humanity's strongest. Now she was much weaker and she needed to fight like the Tier 0 Card Apprentice she was. Her energy reserves were much more limited and her repertoire of cards for various situations was paper thin. Her body, skills and Sapphire would be all she had for a while.
It had been years since she fought in this manner so she was beyond rusty, only in the heat of combat could her former experiences resurface.
Celes ruthlessly attacked the creature's groin not only due to its close proximity to her head but also due to personal bias. Its large dangling thing was an eyesore. She kept her displeasure and rage in check but her strikes were more ruthless and powerful, focusing on its groin and ankle tendons.
Her gently flickering sky-blue flames responded to her fury and wildly danced to her call, each fiery tendril desperate to sear her foe to charred bone and ash, as if each hair follicle, muscle, and limb of the Baboon King commanded great hatred.
Dark ash-grey particles clung to her rapier like oil stains, she poured her upper stage card essence into her weapon without inhibition. continuing her elegant frenzied assault.
This Baboon King was an activated card monster similar to goblins, its race also existed in the New World as alien invaders. It was merely the cream of the crop, with outstanding potential thereby having a corresponding card form.
While such situations were common throughout the New World, with not all activated cards belonging to unique existences, as a woman and knowing of the harm inflicted by this creature and its race to her kin, she couldn't stifle her fury. The moment she caught a trace of it she dropped everything and chased it to this location.
She couldn't afford it getting stronger, escaping and rejoining with its clan summoned in distant regions. It would be even harder to kill then as history foretold. Now it was the perfect moment, this thing could only use three of its seven abilities in its current state and it had no subordinates to command either.
Great White Baboons, better known as Depravity Baboons, particularly liked human females. Perhaps, more so or maybe just the same as human men.
Celes knew that no less than hundreds of women in just her city alone suffered at this particular creature's hands. As for the broader race it belonged to, the numbers were even more astonishing as they weren't summoned in just one place and were all over the world.
To that fact, even the first report of this creature in New Roselee was of it committing atrocities and Celes rushed to the location to find it mid-act.
‘Let me get rid of a scourge for women ahead of time.’
This Baboon King would further be active in her region for some time before being forced to migrate. Only after many years was it finally snuffed out along with its subordinate tribes. Having recovered to its peak, a rare ten thousand beast king, it was a very difficult kill even for the Sisterhood of Medusa but it met its end nevertheless.
Swipe. Dodge. Stab. Punch. Grab. Dodge. Stab.
Celes felt fighting close quarters against such a pure physical oriented monster was not wise but the looming danger served as her grindstone.
The longer they fought the more she moved gracefully, her control over her rapier increasing by the minute, poking holes into the creature like a sieve. The wind from the monster's strikes and her own swift evasive movements tussled her flowing ocean colored hair. From afar she looked like an elegant sea fairy dancing around a ferocious beast.
Once again Celes dodged a swift grab, a faint scowl forming on her beautiful face upon her successful evasion.
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Dogs really can't help eating shit.
If the creature had wanted to kill her it could have done so long ago with its monstrous physical abilities, the reason it didn't was to avoid damaging her corpse, and to keep her alive and fresh.
The lecherous look within its amorous pink eyes was a telltale sign, it was swayed by her beauty. Its lust acted to her advantage. This she knew. Otherwise, instead of risking frontal combat, she would have finished it off from the air with Sapphire.
This was a battle of attrition, she and Sapphire had already done considerable damage before she took the risk of close-quarters combat. All activated monsters were similar to patients in recovery, their true abilities were crippled but they could momentarily exert power close to their prime, or more accurately far above their current states, although they would be severely weakened afterwards. Celes had already ensured the White Crown Baboon King had done so twice before engaging it on the ground. At first, it could grow to a towering height of fifteen meters but upon its third overdraft, it could only achieve a measly height of seven meters.
Its threat level was carefully reduced and guided by her, as it grew more sluggish and careless, she recognized that it was only a matter of time before she seized victory.
Plop.
Not long after, the battle ended without suspense. The Baboon king was turned into a bloody sieve and lay dead on the ground. Its furious pink eyes staring at the sky cursing its fate.
Celes snickered, “Sapphire, eat its brains. It's more delicious when it's still alive.”
She wasn't as ignorant as most humans were at the start of the apocalypse. She was well aware of the bag of tricks such creatures were adept at using and even then, she wouldn't have fallen for such a simple method of playing dead. The subtle airflow from its three nostrils blew against the dripping blood leaking from its forehead.
Sapphire cried in protest but heeded her will nonetheless, her powerful beak easily poked through the monster's skull causing the ‘corpse’ to scream and jump upwards in pain but it was too late then, Sapphire had already eaten half of its brain.
Celes heaved a sigh of relief upon noticing the light produced by the vanished foe, for activated monsters this was solid proof they had perished.
She swiftly collected the card, she relaxed a bit by chatting with Sapphire a while before saying, “Saphy, protect me, I'll recover my card essence some more before we make our return journey.”
Sapphire cried out in acceptance and Celes nestled between her feathers and soft torso. The warmth and softness comforting her battle weary soul. Unbeknownst to her, Sapphire sneakily looked around before spitting out some flames onto her partner, the dark bruises she gained from her earlier battle lost some tenderness and color and began to rapidly recover, the blackish purple bruises fading to dark red.
With a thought, Celes retreated into her mind, her card pool aperture coming into view, its mysterious and immaculate form still enrapturing her even after all these years.
A wondrous Blue Phoenix adorned the external walls of her aperture, Celes wasn't sure if she was imagining it but ever since she spaced out in the battle with the goblin priest, the eyes of phoenix head upon her aperture seemed to contain a strong sense of mystery.
She quickly refocused her attention and began to visualize a lotus opening up, soon a large five-colored phantom appeared above her dark sea of ashes, her mastery of the technique was near its limit so she was able to achieve great success in a short period of time in this life.
The mastery of breathing methods could be divided into: beginner, intermediate, minor success, great success, perfection and unity of man. Celes had only barely stepped foot into the perfection realm in her previous life, this was even with her being the original inheritor of the card.
The five-colored lotus seemed material and leaked mysterious elemental energy. The red petals signifying the fire element were larger than all the others, blue patterns also covered them like exquisite tattoos.
‘One of my regrets in my previous life was not supporting the auxiliary elements of the lotus as much as I could have, it's no wonder I barely achieved perfection even then that was with external aid, otherwise, I would have been stuck at great success forever. In the end, my five element lotus was almost a pure flame lotus. I can't allow that to happen this time around, the other elements are also very important.’
Celes introspected and began to slowly take her time with her breathing, the phoenix head adorning her aperture matched her tempo and breathed in and out forming an ebb and tide on the surface of the ashy water. Dark ash grey essence slowly beat against the inner aperture walls like ocean waves to a rocky shore.
While Celes was more than capable of quickly forming a complete flame lotus and speeding through cultivation realms, she wanted to create a stronger foundation in this life. Her hastiness and ignorance were part of the reason she was stuck at the peak of the realm of Card Lords and couldn't take a step further without a fortuitous encounter. She wasn't satisfied with such an outcome her second try, fate had given her this opportunity and she intended to do right by it.
She would attain even greater heights, the realms unseen… Tier 5 Card King and even greater!
Jets of dark ashy grey waters rose up simultaneously feeding the lotus. Each petal belonged to one of five types, mirroring the elements: red for fire, white for metal, green for wood, yellow for earth, and blue for water. They were neither radiant nor dull, but steady in their hues, carrying a quiet presence.
The petals layered naturally, some curling slightly inward while others stretched outward as if responding to an unseen rhythm. There was no glow, no flickering embers or shifting patterns—just the simple yet profound weight of the elements contained within a single flower.
Celes was careful to nourish each white and red petal with her fire element, creating intricate blue patterns across them all. She wasn't sure what this pattern entailed all she knew was that it was formed from the resonance between her natal card and the lotus.
In the past she allowed her innate tendencies and this resonance to dominate the cultivation of her breathing method, slowly eliminating the role of the other four elements but she wouldn't allow all this to happen again.
Celes had completely mastered the [Five Element Lotus Technique] and she knew the best way to cultivate was to create a lotus with five colors throughout, not separated by petals but with each petal containing the five elements.
Considering she was predisposed to fire this was incredibly difficult to do and even then it required exquisite control to slowly add each element in the right order allowing them to co-exist as one. It was a slow and steady process that was quite complex. Celes was the only one capable of it as the original inheritor of the technique and the person with the greatest mastery.
The others would have no choice but to use the standard method which was more suited to them. Having one dominant element wasn't necessarily a bad thing and was to be expected, in nature, you would be hard-pressed to find anything not predisposed to certain elements. Of course, cases like Celes's with too strong a predisposition were also quite rare.
Celes watched the elegant phoenix head embalmed on her aperture breathe in and out, manipulating the pencil-like graphite color of her upper stage card essence. This was another reason she wanted everyone to adopt her breathing method.
Only Green Copper and above breathing methods had the natal Card Soul doing the breathing in conjunction with oneself. Below this, only the human body itself circulated the energy through one's yuan channels, which couldn't truly bring out the potential of one's natal card at all.
Only with the natal Card Soul operating the core breathing mechanisms, could one achieve the ‘endless breathing’ hidden state. The transcendent state of improving your cultivation at all times, even while sleeping. And only then could one achieve pure all round improvement, only then could the card soul… obtain intelligence.
Natal Card Souls needed to be treated as if they were alive and not dead entities, only then could you truly obtain the power of your natal card.
Celes smiled thinking of her partner outside, her lectures were almost finished both for her comrades and for her rebellious feathery partner with the mind of an eight year old. Soon Sapphire would be able to use the breathing method as directed, then one of her best cultivation advantages, dual breathing, could once again be born.
With both of them simultaneously operating the breathing method, they could achieve a level of proficiency and speed far greater than 2+2=4.
Celes noticed her white petals signifying metal all had several streaks of red within them and faint exquisite blue markings covered each petal.
‘Fire restrains Metal, that was the easy part. Now I should work on water restraining fire.’
The five elements had both a mutual promotional and mutual restraint relationship with each other. The mutual restraint principle of the Five Elements states that Wood restrains Earth, Earth restrains Water, Water restrains Fire, Fire restrains Metal, and Metal restrains Wood.
Celes was going to focus on the mutual restraint method at first since the mutual promotion of the five elements would instead be harmful to her due to the abnormal strength of her fire element; the balance desired would be most certainly broken if she allowed its influence to grow even stronger.
With that being said, introducing water, her most difficult element into her flame petals was process bound to take a long time with trial and error.
‘If only I had Stellar Aqua crystals or Yin Yang Nectar…’
Unfortunately, she had neither the corresponding cards for those precious resources nor were any of the two bred anywhere in her vicinity to her knowledge.
Card activation materials were dubbed such due to their primary use however it's not that there weren't any other methods of using them. One of these methods was to assist one's cultivation, with the right resources, one could enhance their cultivation speed by several folds shrugging off the snail's pace of standard methodical breathing.
Celes had used several cultivation resources in the future-past and still had lingering affection for the boost they had given her.
Those two materials were best suited in introducing the water elements into her fire element body but she would also settle for any of the three great cultivation aids well: Blue Stone Grade [Spiritual Magnetism], Green Copper Grade [False Vault of Spiritual Heaven] and Red Steel Grade [Ten Thousand Year Heavenly Spirit Milk].
Any of those three cards, the top cultivation resources for their respective realms, would be nothing short of a heavenly blessing to her current situation. Unfortunately, although she was quite lucky in nabbing some upgrade cards, reinforcement cards, legion cards, building cards and even the super rare luck-enhancing cards, cultivation-enhancing cards were not amongst her acquired treasure trove of magic cards.
Waving away her flights of fancy, she carefully absorbed water elemental energy from the outside world and inserted them bit by bit into her flame petals.
It took several attempts to even break the surface of the petals as the water elemental energy would evaporate before even making contact, she diverted her entire focus to her current task straining every bit of her mental energy.
While it was possible to do each petal one by one, to achieve the true balance of the five elements she desired, she had to do all the relevant elemental petals at the same time. Of course, once again this was the fault of her innate tendencies which would take any opportunity to make themselves known. Otherwise, she could do the petal-by-petal approach and not worry about the balance being broken so soon.
Celes had never felt resentment to her powers before but after consistent failures she grew more and more weary.
By the time her mind was completely exhausted and she couldn't continue, she found she only completed less than 0.01% of all flame petals. For someone else they might be discouraged but as the former summit of humanity and leader of one of the most powerful organizations in the world, she had steel-like discipline and wouldn't easily throw in the towel from simply this.
Celes let out a sigh of exasperation as she exited her meditative state and took out a bottle of cold ice water, chugging it down to soothe her spirits.
Soon afterward she noticed the improved state of her injuries. The culprit was guiltily looking upwards as if to admire the clouds.
She lightly nudged Sapphire with a smile, “I know you don't like seeing me injured but I told you to conserve your energy for a good reason. We still have the return journey home you know.”
Sapphire pretended not to hear her.
Celes wryly smiled.
Just then, the sound of a building collapsing in the distance caught their attention. A giant reddish bronze figure picked the building apart and chewed on its foundation and joints. Distant screams of humans and goblins alike echoed but there was also something else, rat-like squeals.
Celes ignored the noises and quickly signaled Sapphire as she mounted her and they rose up into the air.
There she has a better vantage point.
The reddish bronze figure was humanoid with three arms, sharp thorny shoulder pads of metallic flesh, yellowish blue eyes, and a height surpassing thirty meters tall. It devoured the metal from the buildings and chucked totaled cars into its gaping maw.
It was the walking disaster, the [Bronze Giant].