Chapter 298: Codex Machina

The Card Magician kept his pace up as he'd try to get close, a knee straight into Griffos' chest, prompting the latter to bend backwards to evade the strike, grabbing at the knee and casting a spell to bind him in chains. Harvard, however, saw this as an opportunity, as he'd lower one of his own to jump off of his Mirror's chest and grab ahold of the chain, dragging him forward so he can go for a clothesline. Despite the attack connecting, Griffos was keen on using the chains as well, delivering a heavy roundhouse kick to the child's neck, hurling him across the area, wrapping the chain around to snare at his neck, before casting another spell through the chain, a spell that would catch Harvard by surprise, feeling the effect being ingrained on his body: A spell that quickly started to attack his very mind, his forehead scried with an insignia of an eye, quickly casting such strikes straight into his brain, a migraine being inflicted the longer it remained. The boy would make a drastic shift and turn off the nerves from the brain itself, casting a spell to cancel the mind effects first, leaving him wide open for a direct attack.

The Mirror pulled at the chains to close the distance again, generating the appendages to fight in such a medium distance. The boy was smacked around like a ball, constantly bouncing off of the reflective floor, being socked in the face, then the stomach, followed by a chop to bounce him off again, and finally an elbow that broke through the glass and slammed him straight down, attempting to use the chain as a noose to hang him. Once Harvard turned his brain back on, however, he looked up at his doppelganger with such wicked glee, grabbing at the chain, and pulling him down with the Card Magician, forcing both to fall over. "So you have the same cards I do, huh?" The boy taunted, casting a spell through his mouth in the form of knives, flying directly ahead to try and stab into the doppelganger.

Griffos merely casted a shield to protect himself, laughing to himself as he'd prepare another spell on the walls, watching the floor closing in quickly. "More than that, other Me! For I actually gave my time in studying this deck! Tuning it! Morphing it into something even bigger!" He'd declare as he'd unbuckle one of the holsters on his side, letting a card fly right off it and casting a spell not even Harvard was aware of: A spell that quickly morphs the floor itself, the land shifting to make it a convenient landing spot full of pillows, just soft enough to catch the two, before the card sealed itself into a gray portrait, the spell's art depicting of a card reshaping itself. "Deus Ex! The Pinnacle of the Codex Machina! A Spell that warps anything and everything to serve as a convenient answer for the caster itself! Of course, such a spell can't be casted so easily, as it must rest the entire day to be used once-"

"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, TIMEOUT! I DON'T HAVE THAT CARD IN MY DECK! WHERE WAS THIS!?" Harvard was flabbergasted at such a spell, looking through his own cards, scouting through them to see if there was one that even remotely looked similar. To his shock, none of them, not even the gifted ones from the stranger, were of anything similar to that structure.

The Mirror merely chuckled as he'd put the card away. "Why, that is but a simple answer! It actually lies in your techniques as well. Most casters of the Codex Machina attempts to abuse and weaponize the deck's abilities at longer ranges. Foolish as it sounds, it's still an effective strategy, playing the long distance and using such spells to wear the opponent down. Cowardly, but consistent. You, on the other hand, focus more on closing in on the opponent. You combine your spells with physical force in order to overwhelm the opponent and get a lethal hit in before the fight even started proper. You play a more riskier strategy, a technique that not many would want to attempt. Bold, yet creative. Thus, our differences." He'd snap his fingers as he'd reveal another spell, one that the boy would be mesmerized by. The hole that they were in quickly shifted into a golden set of walls, adorned with statues that were hand crafted by only the best sculptors one can wield. Such a spell also adorned a spherical roof over them, as it began to emit a soft glow. "Your style is an ugly, yet perfect symbolism of your very self, while mines is brilliantly shown in its elegance, grace, and wisdom. As expected from my lesser, little reflection."

Harvard simply looked at the glowing gold and quickly casted his seal, attempting to take the energy and use it to prepare a summon. As he did, however, he noticed that Griffons was doing the same thing, planting his on the opposite wall. Everything quickly clicked once he saw his intentions. "Ohhhhh, I get it! You want us to have our monsters out early so they fight for us! Okay, Okay, I can be down with a little gladiatorial battle!" The boy taunted.

The mirror would chuckle as he'd prepare his own beast. "And thus why we are mirrored, other half. We both wish to take things up a level. For me, it is because I want to show you the difference between our skills, our knowledge, our refinement. For you, its to let your inner beast shine, to let such a wild side take hold and bite into whatever comes your way-"

"Yadda, yadda, yadda, I get it! Big ego, big monsters, big punchies! Just go summon your friend and see if its good enough!" Griffons would laugh once more, not even bothered by the boy interrupting him and acting unprofessional. It was enjoyable to him, seeing something so immature yet so easily excited.

"Oh, I suppose I shouldn't be holding my punches. Very well, let's have our first round commence, Other Me." He'd quickly unbuckled another holster and swiped a card from it, tossing it nonchalantly at his own seal, while Harvard was quick on slipping one through his arms and onto his palm, running up to it and summoning the beast themselves. "Let's just skip our usual dramaticisms and get to the fun part, shall we? On three. One....Two...." The Mirror spoke, waiting for the boy to time his, before both would let out a mighty shout as the sigils glowed and summoned their chosen behemoths.

"ARAWAREU!!!!"