Chapter 2526: Will He Won’t He

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Central Region, Central Academic City, Morningstar University District, Morningstar University Campus, Garden of Beginning, Time Vestige, Morningstar University 2nd Campus

I had long planned to make the card apprentices of the five regions aware of the Dark Realm and the Myriad Realms. People needed to understand what lay beyond our world’s borders—the threats waiting out there, as well as the opportunities. I hoped that knowledge would unite them under a new purpose, pushing them to build toward something greater instead of fighting over the scraps they currently had.

The ambitious like Emissary of Light, Matron, and even Supreme Leader especially needed to be reminded that the Card World wasn’t the end but only the beginning. Countless adventures and opportunities were waiting beyond it. There was no need for them to make the boundaries of the Card World as the ceiling of their ambition. Just like how Giddon managed to carve a place for himself in Devil Merchant Code and even Dark Realm.

Now that Lucine had brought it up, I decided it was time to start waking the five regions to the reality of the Dark Realm and the Myriad Realms. So I agreed to let Slay cooperate with her interrogation—under my supervision. I would decide how much they learned and what they learned about those realms, keeping everything firmly under my control.

No, I wasn’t trying to become a dictator of the Card World. I only wanted to protect the five regions.

Even without knowing what the so-called demons and devils truly were or what they were capable of, plenty of Card Apprentices had already chosen to become demon or devil worshippers back in the days. So, imagine what would happen if they learned the entire truth. Would they even bother resisting the second demon invasion, or would they simply give up, believing it was pointless?

That’s why it was crucial to control what they learned, how much they learned, and when they learned anything about the Dark Realm and the Myriad Realms. This way, I could guide the narrative and make sure the information did more good than harm. Otherwise, I’d be helping the ’Seven Prince of Hell’ faction secure victory before they even stepped foot into the Card World.

"No way," Lucine said, rejecting my proposal without much thought. "If we agree to that, we’ll only learn what you want us to know. That gives you the advantage. Acting on information filtered by you would be no different from preparing a bed for you to sleep in. We might as well skip the pretense and just do whatever you want."

"Lucine, there’s no way I’m giving you what you’re seeking for. Just accept what I’m offering and don’t force my hand," I warned, letting a bit of intimidation slip in to push her toward a compromise. With my strength, taking control of the Time Vestige wouldn’t be difficult. The only reason I was holding back was for the sake of everyone inside it—especially Lucine.

She needed to understand that this negotiation was happening only because of my goodwill toward her. She really shouldn’t keep pushing her luck.

"Are you threatening me?" Lucine asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

"Was I not obvious enough? Or do you want me to try taking control of the Time Vestige by breaking the resonance disruption field?" I said calmly. I knew that if Lucine was smart enough to use the disruption field against me, then she was certainly smart enough to understand the countless things that could happen if I actually tried to force control over the Time Vestige by shattering it. One of the most likely outcomes being the Time Vestige getting destroyed in the struggle, leaving the few of us lucky enough to survive drifting endlessly in the temporal river for eternity.

I had been patient and considerate until now, but if she planned to use the Time Vestige to hold me hostage and force her way, then I wasn’t going to sit back any longer. If she wanted a fight, I’d gladly show her that not only was I always ready for one—I fought to win, no matter the cost. Just ask the Viltronian bastard and his minions back on Earth. Oh, wait—you can’t, because I massacred every last one of them.

"You wouldn’t—" Lucine exclaimed, realizing exactly what I was implying. She was sharp, no doubt about that.

I cut her off with a smirk. "Why wouldn’t I? I don’t know about the rest of you, but with my talent, I’m certain I can survive in the temporal current long enough to make it back to our present sooner or later."

Lucine glanced around, her eyes sweeping over Morningstar University’s second campus—the SSS-rank Kaleidoscope Maze Array and all the Card Apprentices within it. At that moment, she realized I wasn’t the one trapped here. They were trapped here with me.

Only then did she understand the grave mistake she’d made by revealing this side of the Time Vestige to me. However, a part of her—one that had been studying me closely since the moment we met—urged her to call my bluff and push the stakes even higher. But when she looked at the thousands of Card Apprentices scattered across Morningstar University’s second campus, she hesitated. These people were the future of Morningstar University.

The very fact that they were in Morningstar University’s second campus meant they weren’t just talented—they were loyal. These were the students chosen to lead and shape the university’s future. And the amount of time and resources invested into nurturing thousands of such Card Apprentices was staggering.

Even setting aside the material losses, the sheer effort required to gather this many gifted and loyal students again would be unimaginable. Losing them would cripple Morningstar University’s standing and set them far behind in the top-ten university race for years to come.

Clearly, Morningstar University couldn’t afford to lose these card apprentices. Making it harder for Lucine to call my bluff even though every fibre of her being was telling her that the ’Wyatt’ she knew wouldn’t do that. But she couldn’t take any chances with the future of Morningstar University.

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