The hesitation in the shadows lasted less than a second, but it was all Hikaru needed. His Ace of Spades ability wasn't a direct attack, wasn't even a true illusion—it was a moment of forced uncertainty. And uncertainty was fatal in battle.
Budi was already moving, shifting his mask mid-dodge, his form blurring as he twisted around an attacking shadow. He slammed an elbow into the creature's side, his enhanced strength sending it staggering. It didn't fall. None of them did. The things they were fighting weren't solid.
Hikaru clicked his tongue. That made things annoying.
Aldric didn't hesitate. His sword cut through the dark shapes like they were made of mist, his movements precise, efficient. He wasn't guessing. He wasn't testing. He already knew how to fight them.
Selene wasn't far behind, silver sigils flaring around her as binding magic lashed out, locking two of the figures in place. They twisted, screaming without sound, their forms distorting before breaking apart entirely.
Hikaru flicked another card between his fingers, calculating. Their attacks weren't landing the way they should. These things weren't alive—they were echoes, projections of something left behind. Not physical, but not entirely illusions, either.
Which meant they could be tricked.
He flicked his wrist. [Skill Activated: ♦J – Double Bluff]
A second set of shadows erupted into existence around the battlefield—his shadows, his illusions. But unlike the enemies, Hikaru's copies were unpredictable.
The real shadows hesitated. For just a moment, they couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't.
That moment was enough.
Budi capitalized instantly. His mask flared, shifting again as his speed doubled. He wasn't fighting their shadows anymore—he was fighting his own reflection, twisting, adapting, striking from angles even his opponents didn't expect.
Aldric moved next, his greatsword cutting cleanly through another shadow. Unlike Budi, unlike Hikaru, the knight wasn't reacting. He was executing. Every move was clean, practiced. He had fought these things before.
Hikaru smirked. Interesting.
Selene's hands wove another sigil into the air, the runes wrapping around her like armor. Her silver chains lashed out, binding another shadow to the stone floor. She wasn't attacking, wasn't trying to destroy them outright—she was sealing them.
Smart.
Hikaru took a step back, slipping a new card into his palm. If Aldric knew how to fight these things, and Selene knew how to contain them, then Hikaru only needed to do one thing.
Force them to make mistakes.
He threw the card into the air. [Skill Activated: ♠K – Loaded Deck]
The battlefield shifted.
Not physically. Not even magically.
But in the minds of their enemies.
The shadow figures began hesitating, doubting their own movements, seeing threats where there were none. One of them flinched away from a nonexistent attack. Another turned toward an enemy that wasn't real.
That was all the opening they needed.
Budi struck first, his fist crashing through the chest of the nearest shadow. It didn't bleed, didn't break—but it shuddered, its form unraveling like smoke.
Aldric followed, his sword carving another apart with a single, precise slash.
Selene sealed the last one, her magic tightening around it like a silver cage until it stopped moving entirely.
And then—
The chamber fell silent.
Hikaru exhaled, adjusting his glasses. "Well. That was fun."
Budi shook his head. "Your definition of fun and mine are very different."
Selene lowered her hands, but the glow in her eyes remained sharp. "They weren't real."
Aldric sheathed his sword. "No. They were remnants."
Hikaru tilted his head. "Remnants of what?"
Aldric glanced toward the chained doors behind them. "Of the ones who came before."
Budi exhaled through his nose. "You keep saying that like it means something."
Aldric turned toward him, his expression unreadable. "Because it does."
Selene stepped forward, her silver eyes flicking between the knight and the seals on the door. "These things weren't just defending this place. They were testing us."
Hikaru's smirk widened. "And we passed."
Aldric's gaze darkened slightly. "That is not necessarily a good thing."
Hikaru tapped his chin. "You keep talking like we should be afraid of what's behind this door."
Aldric met his eyes. "Because you should be."
Selene folded her arms. "Then why haven't you left?"
Aldric was silent for a long moment. Then, finally, he said, "Because someone else is coming."
Hikaru's fingers stilled against his deck.
Budi's stance shifted immediately. "You mean the Magisterium?"
Aldric shook his head.
"No."
The chamber seemed to darken. Not from magic. Not from illusion.
From something real.
Selene exhaled. "Then who?"
Aldric turned toward the door.
"The ones who want to open it."
Hikaru adjusted his glasses, his smirk returning. "Oh. This just got interesting."
Budi groaned. "Why do you always say that when things are about to get worse?"
Hikaru shrugged. "Because I like seeing how people react under pressure."
Selene's fingers twitched toward another spell. "If they're coming, we don't have time to waste."
Aldric nodded. "Then we make our stand here."
Budi scoffed. "We're fighting to protect the door now?"
Aldric's voice was steady. "Unless you'd rather fight whatever comes out of it?"
Budi muttered something in Indonesian that Hikaru was pretty sure wasn't polite.
Hikaru flipped another card into his palm. "Well, since we're already here…"
The air shifted.
Distant footsteps.
Not one. Not two.
A lot.
And then, from the darkness of the ruins, the first figures appeared.
Hikaru's grin widened. "Time for the next trick."