"Darren versus Nancy!"
As Ms. Song announced the match, both students rose from their seats.
"I won't go easy on you just because you're a girl," Darren said as he turned to Nancy.
He knew her fox spirit card was strong, but he was confident he wouldn't lose to anyone.
Nancy simply smiled, calm and composed, not bothering to reply.
The two stood on opposite ends of the field. In an instant, the Green Ghoul and Three-Tailed Fox were summoned.
Nancy's fox moved first, casting an illusion spell—
But it failed.
The Green Ghoul stood there, completely unfazed.
Nancy's smile faded.
Darren smirked. "Zombies at this level have no intelligence, only instinct," he said smugly. "Your fox can't cast high-level illusions right now, can it?"
Maybe he's a bit arrogant… but so am I, Nancy thought. Aside from Darren and Russell, no one in the honors class had ever challenged her. That confidence had bred its own pride.
The Three-Tailed Fox lunged forward. On all fours, it moved like a blur, claws gleaming with deadly precision.
Darren, however, didn't flinch.
Illusions were the fox's strength—not physical combat. And when it came to brute force, Darren was confident no one in the class could match the Green Ghoul. Not even Russell's card.
Sure enough, although the fox's claws landed, they only left shallow wounds on the ghoul's body.
Then, in one brutal motion, the ghoul grabbed the fox by its tail and slammed it into the ground like a ragdoll.
The fox cried out in pain.
Russell winced from the sidelines. "This is way too familiar... Hulk vs. Loki vibes."
Down to the moves.
Finally, the fox took a crushing blow and dissolved into light.
"Too weak, Nancy. You're no different from the rest of those losers!" Darren cackled.
But Nancy wasn't bothered. The Green Ghoul had a natural advantage. Finding counters was part of a cardmaker's job.
Whether it meant crafting a new creature or enhancing an existing one with item cards, there was always a solution.
She exhaled, calm as ever, and walked off the field. Standing beside Russell, she smiled and said, "Good luck."
Russell returned the smile. "You've got it backward. He's the challenger."
Without waiting for a reaction, he turned and walked to the field.
Nancy watched him, dazed. Russell... you're bold.
Unaware of Nancy's thoughts, Russell summoned Yoriichi Tsugikuni to the field.
Yoriichi's gaze darkened as he spotted the Green Ghoul across from him.
Bad memories.
Before the ghoul could move, Yoriichi was already dashing forward, blade in hand.
As he ran, his sword began to glow crimson.
Nancy watched from the edge, eyes narrowed. "I've never seen this move before…"
In the blink of an eye, Yoriichi closed the distance.
With a sharp whistle of wind, his blade sliced horizontally toward the ghoul's neck.
"Raaaah!" The ghoul roared, throwing up its right arm to block.
Slice. Like a hot knife through butter, the limb flew through the air and hit the ground with a wet thud.
One strike—Yoriichi had taken off its arm.
The ghoul screamed but lunged forward anyway, jaws open to bite.
Yoriichi's eyes flashed cold. He twisted his body and slashed upward.
Under Darren's stunned gaze, the Green Ghoul's head separated cleanly and faded into mist.
"W-What?!" Darren staggered back. "I… I lost?"
He had expected Russell to be tough—but not this tough. He truly believed he would win.
He never imagined his ghoul would fall in just two rounds.
Even more humiliating—Russell's card hadn't even shown its full power.
Silence fell over the arena.
Some students had bet on Darren. Others had expected Russell to win.
But no one—no one—thought Russell would win this easily.
Darren's Green Ghoul looked no stronger than the minotaur Russell had defeated in the first round.
Whispers filled the air.
"Dude, Russell is insane."
"Break out the champagne."
"No wonder he saved that whole apartment block."
"Pfft. Look at Darren acting all high and mighty. Couldn't even last two minutes!"
"Shhh! He might've lost to Russell, but he can still flatten you."
"Right, so he'll take out his frustration on us because he can't beat Russell? Real classy."
Russell ignored the chatter and walked up to Darren.
"You okay?"
As Darren sat on the ground, dazed, he thought Russell was offering sympathy.
But Russell leaned in and whispered, "Just giving you back what you said."
"Pathetic. You're too weak—you don't even interest me."
"You actually made it into the honors class?"
Darren didn't respond. His head hung low, expression unreadable.
Russell hesitated. Maybe that was too harsh... But he had only repeated Darren's own words.
Russell had no sympathy for bullies like him.
He turned and started walking away.
But behind him, a venomous voice spat out: "You just got lucky with type advantage. You think you're hot stuff?"
"Next time, I'll build a stronger card—and when I do, I'll make you beg me for mercy!"
Russell paused, then kept walking.
Some people are just born nasty. In his past life, he'd seen way too many stories of school bullying to expect anything else.
If Russell hadn't been strong, Darren probably would've rallied the class to isolate him.
And please, anyone can talk tough.
Russell once joked that when he finally made [Goddess of Rabbit: Kaguya Ōtsutsuki], the entire Spirit Guild would bow down and sing love songs.
He reached the sidelines, only to be swarmed by classmates.
The noise made his head pound.
Luckily, Ms. Song came to his rescue.
"Alright, alright, give Russell some space," she clapped her hands. "Now the class rankings are officially set. If anyone feels like they deserve a better spot, they can challenge someone next week."
"But remember—you can only challenge once a week."
She paused, then smiled. "And now, some good news."
The students looked at her eagerly.
"Thanks to Principal Shepherd, our honors class has earned a chance to train inside a special cardmaking space. Don't waste it."