I stand at the edge of the skyscraper, looking down at the city below. If it could even be called a city, this is one of only five high rise structures in the area. It’s basically a booming town around the weapons factory, yet it’s still the target of this breach. So here I am, what was supposed to be a quick stop to support the workers of a rural weapons factory to improve my image has turned into a tactical defense nightmare. The southern bunker is old and neglected, so old and neglected that the damned main door wouldn't even open to allow mass ingress. So it turned into a game of point defense against the few demons that did show up while the civilians entered using the auxiliary entrances, half of which had their mechanisms fail and needed to be manually opened. Bunkers are supposed to be maintained and updated for this very reason. To make it even worse, the people who did make it in were met with dilapidated facilities in states of such disrepair it's a miracle the bunker didn’t kill more than the demons. Still, we got everyone inside with minimal casualties. At least the northern bunker had no trouble aside from a succubus showing up and kidnapping someone, may god rest their soul. I already killed the demon, but found no victim in the immediate vicinity, probably took them up high and dropped them for fun, savage creatures they are.

“Control to Grey, come in.” My earpiece chirps. I reach up and hold the reply button.

“This is Grey, I read you.”

“Overhead reports unknown radar contact flying through the central area headed east. Can you move to intercept?"

"Affirmative, moving to intercept."

And with that I pulled out one of my five permanent cards, Hermes's flight.

Herme's Flight: Gives the user the effects of natural Flight magic for thirty minutes. Effect cannot be ended by the user, the timer must hit zero or the effect must be dispelled. Costs two thousand mana to cast.

The moment I activate it my feet leave the ground and I will myself to dart into the sky. Once I'm high enough I start scanning the city below me for any odd shapes flying though and contrasting against the remaining lights.

Hermes's flight is a very good card, only two thousand mana to activate and last for thirty minutes. In those thirty minutes I have what is effectively natural flight magic, of course it has its downsides. The big one being that I can't deactivate it, the timer has to run out. It's not a major issue most of the time, just a little annoying.

Normally my random card magic lets me, for a small mana fee, pull a random magical card that has a variety of effects. The exception being the five slots I have, where I can permanently keep a card on hand and use it as many times as I want. Sometimes I'll pull a card that does near nothing and is super expensive, other times it's the opposite. The cards also have effects depending on what I want to do. Do I want to support a team mate? Cards start drawing with buff-like effects. Want to blast that demon? Start drawing attack spells and debuffs. It's as much of a blessing as it is a curse, and I need to use it carefully. Because sometimes the cards come out to be kinda the opposite of what I want. I'm fairly sure Greton still has a bit of a grudge over that time I tried to heal him in training, and ended up pulling the spontaneous combustion card and lit him on fire.

Therein lies the final weakness of my card plays. I can only discard six cards before I am forced to play one. And the number doesn't reset when I play a card, so if I discard three then play a card, I can only discard three more, and the fourth is a guaranteed play. It's bitten me in the ass a few times. Sure I occasionally get other spells and magic available though the store. But most of my options are focused on my card magic, whether minimizing risks, expanding available cards, increasing my permanent card count. The list goes on, but honestly it's not bad magic. It has good and bad moments, and being able to jack of all trades in magic is a nice boon.

Speaking of, I see a shadow cast out some lights for a moment, before it repeats again over a different set a few seconds later. Gotcha! I drop into a dive headed straight for my target, quickly the outline becomes clear enough to distinctly recognise. That's a succubus, or at least very close to one. But that's odd, control didn't mention anything about another one running around, and the reality barrier has long since been restored. I wonder if it's the victim who got kidnapped. Their transformation must have taken a while. Well, no saving them now, all I can do is give them the mercy of death. I mentally reach out and pull a card from the draw magic.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Heaven Sword: Conjure a blade of light to come down and smite your enemies from above. Costs five thousand mana. Does extra damage to demonic enemies. Blade bypasses physical obstacles but can be blocked by magic or dodged.

Bingo. I play the card, and a heavenly looking golden sword manifests a hundred feet above the succubus and surges down towards it. It's over, the demon is going to get run though, and being a newborn it won't survive the hit. I watch as the sword rockets down, picking up speed until it strikes…. Except it doesn't. At the last second it rolls over to the side, causing the sword to miss it by mere centimeters. As the sword flies by it illuminates the creature well enough for me to see it in detail. That's not a normal succubus. Granted, succubus are known to alter their appearance, but generally it's their natural form or a faux human form, this is neither.

This creature looks like some unholy cross between the two. Fair skin covers its entire body instead of the sickly purple of a regular demon. Instead of the chitinous horns that curve high above its head, a set of small almost metallic ones poke out above its ears, yet don't pass the top of its head. It's dark orange, glowing eyes lock onto mine. As I stare back I realize two things. First, this isn't a regular demon. No, this has to be an aberrant. And second, those eyes are empty, the conscious behind them still sleeping. It's being controlled, which means a few things, but the key one being I can put an end to this now. God knows what kind of mayhem that thing will create if it breaks free.

I immediately dive for the creature, closing distance while pulling another card from my deck. And smile at the result.

Supine and Silence: Cast silence on a target, rendering them unable to cast spells temporarily. Targets remain silenced for up to one minute depending on power difference, or until they are attacked. Does not remove already active spells and magics. Costs three thousand mana.

With this it will be basically rendered helpless until I land a hit, which I plan to be a killing blow. I play the card, but as it disappears into motes of light the creature opens its mouth. Before the silence takes effect it lets out one attack. The air in front of it trembles for a moment, before a shockwave blasts out straight towards me in a wide cone. Shit, a wide area attack. Realizing I'm not going to dodge it I pull out and quickly play another one of my permanent cards.

Maria's Shield: Conjures a shield around the target that absorbs a set amount of magical damage based on the user's power level and attunement. The shield will also mitigate any effects that would have been applied by the blocked damage. Physical components and attacks will bypass the shield. Costs five thousand mana to cast.

The shield pops into existence with a glass like tink sound just as the attack hits me. Unfortunately, the attack isn't blocked. I'm hit by a wave of nausea and vertigo as the world starts to spin a little, forcing me to stop myself or risk massive disorientation. I can only watch in horror as instead of trying to engage me like most demons, even ones controlled by others would normally do, it instead turns back around and bolts full speed into the town below. If whatever is controlling it is smart enough to have it run it would have to be a lord or above. And that means whatever plan it has involves this demon and that it's not good. Acting fast I draw another card, still unable to fly properly due to the negative effects.

Joker: This card does nothing…………

Son of a fucking bitch! I knew I should have kept a damn purity spell in my permanent card slots! I bolt after the demon, my nausea and vertigo finally clearing up after a few seconds. But those few seconds were all it needed to escape into the dark alleys and buildings of downtown. As I fly though where I last saw the demon, I find no traces of its passing. No sounds of something gliding, no broken objects in acts of wanton destruction, no just, nothing. I've lost it, and that's bad.

"This is Grey to Control. We have a problem, does anyone still have eyes on that contact?"

"This is Control. That's a negative, radar contact was lost a few moments ago. No strike groups are reporting sightings either, over."

"Damn, I need additional units in my sector ASAP. Target is an aberrant, currently being controlled by lord class or above. Target has fled into the downtown area and eluded me."

"Roger Grey, diverting axillary strike groups platoon five, aerial strike group seven, and defender squad Flight of the Valkyries to your sector."

And as I start combing through the deserted downtown, I pray that we find it in time to prevent tragedy.