[Location]: District 1 · "The Witch's House" · Shared Void Interface
HUMMMM—
The cheerful background music of the bar didn't just stop; it was smothered.
A damp, heavy silence descended on the board. The holographic forest lost its color, turning into a monochrome sketch of grey and black.
From the mist, Ash emerged.
She was devastatingly beautiful, but it was a beauty that hurt to look at. She had the signature golden hair of the Milan'thirskaya family, cascading over a sharp, pitch-black military dress uniform.
Her skin was pale, almost translucent, like fine porcelain that might shatter at a touch. There was a faint, unnatural flush on her cheeks—not from health, but from the eternal, low-grade fever that burned within her.
Yet she stood perfectly, painfully straight.
But her eyes... Her eyes were the color of Grey Haze. They reminded Hathaway of a relentless, cold rain on a funeral day, or the thick fog that hides monsters. They were calm, shrouded in fog, and utterly devoid of fear.
A text box popped up, explaining her condition:
[Passive Trait: Mana Overload (The Milan'thirskaya Curse)]
Effect: The unit takes 1% Damage every turn (Autoimmune Rejection).
Benefit: The unit gains +5% Mana Capacity and Spell Power every turn (Cellular Overcompensation).
Lore: "Her body attacks her own magic as a virus. To survive, her cells produce infinite power. She is dying every second, yet she is stronger than anything alive."
Above her head floated her Title. It wasn't flashy. It was just one word, heavy enough to crush the board.
【DEATH】
[Anecdote: The Reaper of Reapers]
"In 1939, the Underworld Gods tried to block the resurrection queue of fallen Witches. Ash descended to the Netherworld. She asked the Lord of the Dead: 'You think you own this concept?' Then, she killed him. Since that day, even Death has to wait in line for Her."
Hathaway stared at the woman in the black uniform.
Ash Milan'thirskaya. The Sickly King. The woman who lives in constant agony, and uses that agony to kill Gods.
And now, she was standing on Rina's side, looking at Hathaway with those grey, rainy eyes.
"And my turn," Victoria said calmly.
She drew a card. A dark, satisfied smile touched her lips.
"It seems the Emperor has arrived to join her General."
Victoria played her card.
"I summon [The 2nd Seat · Famia Shud]!"
SHING—
Shadows erupted from the floor, twisting into jagged spikes. From the darkness, Famia stepped out.
She was a visual masterpiece of "Cool."
She sported a messy, stylish Black Wolf-Cut, but the tips of her hair glowed with a dangerous Violet Haze—not dye, but the visual manifestation of her raw, overflowing mana. Her eyes were Crimson Irises, glowing like embers in the dark. They were sharp, predatory, and undeniably attractive.
She wore a sleek, modified combat uniform that emphasized her agility and lethal precision. She stood with her arms crossed, her expression cold and unapproachable.
She was the kind of woman who could silence a room just by walking in. A "Girl Crush" icon. A silent killer.
[Title: The Black Emperor]
[Stats: ATK 28 / DEF 25]
[Anecdote: The Tyrant of the Abyss]
"The Abyss claimed to be Eternal. Famia smiled: 'Good. Eternal Fuel.' To the demons, she is the Apocalypse that stayed. The Abyss accepted her chains for one simple reason: Slavery is preferable to Extinction."
Famia glanced at Ash.
Ash glanced back with her grey, misty eyes.
They didn't speak. They didn't need to. They were the Sword and the Scythe of the Council.
Hathaway looked at the board.
On the left: [Death] (Ash), the Feverish God.
On the right: [The Black Emperor] (Famia), the Cool Executioner.
In the middle: Hathaway, holding a [Stray Dog].
"This is a massacre," Hathaway whispered, her voice trembling. "My own deck... my own Council... they are curb-stomping me into oblivion."
"It's not personal, Ludwig," Victoria said, commanding Famia to attack. "It's just... business."
BOOM.
Famia's shadow blade slashed through Hathaway's Skeleton. Ash didn't even cast a spell. She just looked at the [Stray Dog] with her grey eyes. The concept of "Life" was revoked from the dog. It simply ceased to exist.
[Hathaway's HP: 15%]
Hathaway clutched her chest, her virtual clone flickering violently. She looked at her hand.
She had 8 Stars this turn. She could have played her second Core Card: [The 7th Seat · Camilla] (Cost: 8)
But there was a fatal flaw in her toxic deck-building.
The text on Camilla's card glared back at her in mocking red letters: [Requirement: Sacrifice 2 Friendly Minions to summon this Unit.]
Hathaway looked at her board. It was completely, utterly empty. Rina and Victoria had wiped out every single cheap minion she had managed to scrounge from the Shared Void. She had brought a General that required blood to summon, but she had provided no soldiers to bleed.
Her 8-Cost Core Card was a dead brick in her hand.
I have to take the hits, Hathaway realized, grinding her teeth. I have to pass the turn and pray I survive.
"Just two more turns," Hathaway muttered, bracing herself for the incoming damage. "Just let me get to 10 Stars. You took my other Generals, but I still retained the Emperor.".
[Hathaway's HP: 5%]
[Resources: 10 Stars]
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"My turn," Hathaway rasped.
She drew the card. Her hand touched the surface, and she felt the cold, abyssal resonance vibrating against her fingertips.
[The First Seat · Ovelia].
The background music of the bar seemed to swell, replaced by an ominous, orchestral choir. Hathaway stood up. The alcohol and the adrenaline mixed into a potent cocktail of madness.
"You laughed at me," Hathaway declared, pointing at Rina and Victoria. "You bullied my Rat. You stole my Paddy. You used my own Ash to destroy my defenses."
"You stole my Paddy. You used my own Ash to destroy my defenses. You think you have won because you drafted the Generals from the Shared Void? Fools! You forgot who sits on the Throne!"
She slammed the card onto the center of the board.
"DESCEND! OVELIA!"
HUMMMM—
The visual effects were worth every penny of the 625,000 Solars.
The holographic forest didn't just fade; it was annihilated. A Galaxy exploded outward from the center of the table, turning the battlefield into a deep, starry void.
A Black Sun slowly rose, devouring all ambient light in the booth. A low, majestic sound resonated through the soul, like the purr of a sleeping universe.
"Nyao~"
From the event horizon of the Black Sun, Ovelia emerged.
She was magnificent.
She wore a long, elegant black dress that seemed woven from the night sky itself. Her legs, wrapped in starry black stockings, hovered slightly above the board, never touching the mundane ground. Her nine colossal tails fanned out behind her like a peacock's train, and her high, majestic cat ears twitched with regal indifference. Her long black hair flowed like a river of stars.
She looked lazy, yes. But it was the laziness of a T-Rex.
She reclined on a cushion of nebulas, looking down at the battlefield with half-lidded eyes.
[Stats: ATK 30 / DEF 30 / HP 5]
[Anecdote: The Only Valid Excuse]
"In the reckless, death-seeking culture of Witches, there is only one valid excuse for fleeing the battlefield: 'I saw Her.' And no further explanation is needed."
Hathaway read the text, and a shiver of pure, unadulterated power shot down her spine. Her grin widened until it hurt.
Did you see that, Victoria? Did you see that, Rina?
I didn't just summon a Unit. I summoned a Force of Nature that overrides the concept of bravery.
Even the Military Court bows to her. My victory isn't just probable; it is Legally Mandated.
And the board proved her right. The moment Ovelia appeared, a shockwave of lore cascaded across the table.
On Victoria's side, [The 2nd Seat · Famia Shud] aborted her attack sequence instantly. The wolf-cut executioner lowered her Shadow Blade to her side, the killing intent in her crimson eyes melting into absolute, silent devotion as she stood at attention.
[System: Bond Activated - "The Oath of 1939"]
Anecdote: "She betrayed the King to follow a Monster. Not for madness, but because she saw the Truth: The Old World needed a Savior, but the New World required a Tyrant."
Effect: Famia ceases all attacks against Ovelia.
On Rina's side, [The 3rd Seat · Ash] also moved. The Sickly King stood amidst the grey fog. She looked at Ovelia—the Usurper who sat on the throne that should have been hers.
Ash did not bow. She did not smile.
She simply pressed a hand to her chest, suppressing the eternal pain of her Mana Overload, and stared into the Black Sun with her rainy, grey eyes.
Time seemed to stop.
Then, after a long and agonizing pause, she gave a single, stiff nod.
It was not submission. It was the crushing acknowledgement of a contract signed in blood.
[System: Bond Activated - "The Silent Truce"]
Anecdote: "The Uncrowned King stands beside the Usurper. She does not bow to the Conqueror; she bows to the Peace that cost her everything."
Effect: Ash gains +10 Defense (Stoic Duty).
Finally, [The 5th Seat · Young Irene] reacted. The Golden Princess ceased her rain of coins. She looked up at the Black Sun with her clear, golden eyes. She smiled—a smile that acknowledged a future rival, and a future ruler.
[System: Bond Activated - "The Dawn and The Midnight"]
The spectators gasped.
"The Trinity!"
"Look! The animations are interacting! Famia bowed! Ash nodded!"
Amidst the heavy silence of the bowing Emperor and the nodding Reaper, Ovelia finally moved.
She answered their reverence with a single, languid Yawn.
She covered her mouth with a pale, elegant hand. Her shoulders slumped slightly, and a small, languid exhale rippled through the holographic void. Her eyes squeezed shut for a fleeting second, not in pain, but in the sheer, heavy comfort of someone who had just woken up from a billion-year nap.
Her lashes lifted.
Two pools of ink-black Deep Space revealed themselves. There were no pupils, no irises. Just a swirling, indifferent cosmos dotted with cold, distant starlight.
Her gaze swept over Famia (who was lowering her sword) and Ash (who was standing rigidly in respect). It was a Pan-optic Sweep.
She saw them, certainly. But she processed them not as "Entities," but as "Environment." To her, the Emperor and the Reaper were not warriors to be acknowledged; they were simply part of the room's furniture that had finally settled into the correct position.
Accepted.
That was the only signal her eyes conveyed.
Then, as her gaze brushed the Golden Princess, the hologram silently dropped a frame.
She Blinked. Slowly. Deliberately.
The stars in her eyes vanished for a heartbeat, plunging the immediate vicinity into absolute darkness, then lazily reappeared. It was the "Slow Blink" of a predator that felt zero threat from the creatures before it.
She shifted on her cushion of nebulas, finding a more comfortable angle. She rested her chin on her palm, her posture loose and unguarded, watching the board with a bored, lazy intensity.
Above her head, a small system warning rune flickered. The game engine was frantically searching for a [Combat Logic] script to assign to her, but the code kept crashing, returning only a single, static variable:
[State: Ruling]
And right beside that glitching status, a System Note popped up, explaining the astronomical price tag in the most absurd way possible:
[System Note: The Probability Anomaly]
[Official Drop Rate]: 0.02% (Standard SSR Rate).
[Actual Drop Rate]: 0.002% (Statistical Error).
[Developer Comment]: "We checked the code. The algorithm is perfect. But every time the system tries to generate this card, the data stream simply... refuses to be captured. It's like trying to take a photo of a cat that hates cameras. She dodges the Gacha Pool out of sheer spite."
Hathaway stared at the text, the adrenaline rushing through her veins.
She dodges everyone. But she is here. On my board. I hold the entity that refuses to be held. I am invincible.
"Tremble!" Hathaway shouted, pointing at Rina's army. "For I have summoned the End!"
"Wait," Victoria interrupted.
She didn't look scared. She leaning in to read the text floating under the magnificent Black Sun.
"Hathaway. You spent all 10 Stars to summon her."
"So?" Hathaway scoffed. "She has 30 Defense! Physical attacks can't touch her!"
"Read the second skill," Victoria said softly.
[Trait: Eternal Slumber] — You may discard a card from your hand to create a 'Sleep Token' that absorbs damage for Ovelia.
"I know the skill," Hathaway said, sweating slightly. "But I have no mana left to play cards."
"And the first skill?" Victoria pointed to the core mechanic.
[Trait: Queen of the Lantern Cats] — If a [Lantern Cat] unit is present, Ovelia gains [Invulnerability] for 1 turn and Cost -5.
Hathaway froze.
She looked at the board.
She looked at Rina's side (Gold Golems).
She looked at Victoria's side (Shadow Demons).
She looked at her own side (A Skeleton and a Dead Rat).
There were no cats.
Not a single Lantern Cat.
Not a Greater Lantern Cat. Not a Stray Lantern Cat.
If there was even a [Baby Lantern Cat] (0/1/0) with the flavor text "It's just a baby," Ovelia would have triggered her immunity shield.
I built a deck full of Generals, Hathaway realized with horror. But I forgot the Army. I brought the Emperor to the battlefield, but I forgot to bring her bodyguards.
Ovelia sat there, hovering in the air, radiating apocalyptic power. But stat-wise... she was a 5 HP unit with no shield. 30 Defense meant she was immune to swords, arrows, and claws. But she was not immune to Mechanics.
"My turn," Rina chirped.
She looked at the 1st seat on the board. "Wow! She's so pretty! Even my Golem is scared of her!"
Rina looked at her hand. "But... I think I have this?"
Rina pulled out a common, grey-border [Encounter Card].
[Alchemist's Flask]
[Cost: 1 Star]
[Effect:] Deal 5 True Damage to a target Minion or Clone.
(Note: True Damage ignores Defense and Armor)
"I play Alchemist's Flask!" Rina announced happily. "Target: Ovelia!"
Rina tossed the cheap card onto the board.
A holographic glass vial materialized in the air. It didn't look legendary. It looked like something you'd find in a trash can.
It sailed through the galaxy.
It bypassed Famia's silent guard.
It bypassed Ash's stoic gaze.
It bypassed Young Irene's respectful gaze.
It bypassed Ovelia's 30 Defense barrier.
It hit the majestic, hovering First Seat directly on the forehead.
Clink.
[True Damage: -5 HP]
Ovelia's lazy expression faltered for a second.
"Nya?"
She blinked once.
And then, the Black Sun collapsed. The Galaxy shattered into a million pixels of expensive starlight. The First Seat of the High Council, the strongest entity in the universe, was deleted by a 1-Cost bottle of acid.
Hathaway stood there, her hand still extended in a dramatic pose, pointing at an empty spot where a Queen used to be.
Her board was completely empty. She had 0 Stars left. And her grey Witch Clone was shivering with a miserable 5% HP.
"Oh," Rina smiled sweetly, pointing at her [Gold-Plated Golem]. "And my Golem still hasn't attacked this turn."
The massive, blinged-out Golem lumbered across the board. It walked right up to Hathaway's defenseless Clone, raised a single, diamond-encrusted finger, and gently booped the Clone on the head.
Pop.
[Hathaway's HP: 0%]
[DEFEAT]
The board fell silent. The stars vanished. The ratty wooden table returned.
"..."
"The Anti-Synergy Council," a spectator whispered loudly from the crowd. "Confirmed."
"All carries, no support. She couldn't even play her 8-drop because she had nothing to sacrifice!"
"She tried to poison the pool, got her own Titans stolen, blew her Core Card on an ultimate Boss, watched it get one-shot by a starter item, and died to a basic minion."
Victoria couldn't hold it anymore.
She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking violently as uncontrollable, unladylike laughter finally escaped.
"Wait... the game spoiled everything!" ??
Question: Based on these first impressions, which Council Member is your favorite so far?