MAD GAMBIT

Zephyr didn't answer Elias

He vanished.

A sonic boom erupted through the air as Zephyr appeared above Elias, his new ethereal daggers from his transformation glowing with wind energy. He slashed down but Elias was ready.

The Fatebound Executionist twisted his scythe, blocking the strike with unnatural precision.

The impact sent a shockwave through the building, shattering the walls around them. Dust and debris flew in every direction, but neither warrior backed down.

Elias countered, his scythe moving in a blur. Zephyr ducked, dodged, twisted, countered, his new power letting him see every attack coming just moments before they landed.

His wind accelerated his movements, letting him phase through strikes like a ghost.

Elias's eyes narrowed. "You're faster than before."

Zephyr didn't respond. He simply smirked.

Then, he kicked off the ground and the entire hallway exploded.

Meanwhile Jude and Kazimir stood across from Kieran, both injured, both exhausted.

But neither was willing to back down.

Jude wiped blood from his lips. "Got a plan?"

Kazimir flicked a card between his fingers, his expression unreadable. "Yeah. Try not to die."

Jude rolled his eyes. "Helpful."

Kieran exhaled, his expression bored. "If you're going to struggle, at least make it interesting."

Kazimir smirked. "Don't worry."

He pulled a single card from his deck. A glowing Ace of Spades.

Jude focused his energy, his Fate Manipulation activating as his veins pulsed with light.

They moved at the same time.

Kazimir flicked his card—Jude rewrote fate.

Their attacks merged mid-air, fusing together into a synchronized assault that twisted probability itself.

A single, unavoidable strike. The combined attack slammed into Kieran. For a moment, everything froze.

Then—

Kieran blinked.

A faint scratch appeared on his cheek.

He sighed. "That was cute."

Then, he vanished.

Jude barely saw the attack coming.

Kieran blitzed forward, his blade moving faster than their eyes could track. Kazimir and Jude were launched into the sky, blasted through the building's walls in a single, overwhelming strike.

Jude's body spun through the air, his mind struggling to process what just happened.

Kazimir, however, grinned.

As they plummeted back down—something changed.

A dark aura coated Kazimir's body. His grin stretched unnaturally wide, his eyes burning with reckless excitement.

A deck of cards surrounded him, glowing with chaotic energy.

Kazimir let out a wild laugh.

"Alright, Kieran. Now it's my turn."

MAD HOUSE: FINAL DRAW.

His entire body surged with temporal energy.

A storm of cards and steel clashed midair.

Jude stood back, gripping his broken sword. His instincts screamed at him to run.

This fight was beyond him.

He had fought strong opponents before, but this was different.

Kieran and Kazimir weren't fighting.

They were unleashing.

Kazimir cackled. "C'mon, Kieran! Don't just stand there!"

He snapped his fingers,

And fifty cards shot forward in an instant, splitting into a hundred separate trajectories.

Each one carried its own unique effect. Some burned with fire. Others bent gravity. A few shimmered with energy, freezing sections of space at random.

Kieran's eyes barely flickered.

Then, he moved.

A single slash.

That was all it took.

A sharp pulse of energy radiated outward as every single card shattered into dust.

Kazimir's grin widened. "Ohhh, you are good."

He snapped again.

This time, the ground warped.

The entire battlefield twisted, shifting into a surreal, distorted space filled with floating platforms of card suits and shifting probabilities.

Jude felt himself slip. He nearly lost his balance as gravity suddenly changed.

Kieran, however,

Did not move.

He adjusted.

The Executionist's blade flickered. A sharp ringing filled the air and Kazimir's entire illusion was cut apart.

The battlefield snapped back to normal.

Kazimir let out a sharp breath. "Tch."

Kieran took a slow step forward. "Enough."

Then, he vanished.

Kazimir barely had time to react. A heavy strike landed against his ribs, sending him flying through three separate walls.

Jude's heart stopped.

Kazimir landed hard, coughing up a spray of blood—

But he was laughing.

Through broken ribs. Through pain.

He was loving this.

"Damn, Kieran," Kazimir wheezed, spitting out blood. "You might actually kill me."

Kieran's expression did not change.

He simply raised his blade.

"Then you should stop laughing."

Kazimir's wild grin did not fade.

"No thanks."

Mad House: Royal Flush.

Kazimir's entire deck exploded outward, forming a circular ring of chaos around him. Each card burned with unstable magic, creating random, unpredictable distortions in space.

Kieran vanished again.

A flick of his wrist—his black blade pulsed.

Kazimir blinked and a deep gash appeared across his shoulder.

Blood sprayed. But he only laughed.

"Fast."

His body twisted unnaturally, dodging an impossible second strike. His deck of cards erupted into a whirlwind, slamming forward at every possible angle.

Kieran took one step and every single attack was cut down.

Not dodged. Not deflected.

Erased.

"Tch—!" Kazimir barely had time to react as Kieran appeared in front of him, a ghost of death, moving between slivers of time.

A single, precise slash aimed for Kazimir's throat.

Kazimir dropped down, twisting his wrist. A single black card appeared. The Ace of Lies.

A golden light pulsed

Kieran's blade passed right through Kazimir like he was never there. The Fatebound Executionist's eyes flickere and then he spun, kicking Kazimir in the ribs with brutal force.

Kazimir slammed through the ground, skidding across the battlefield like a ragdoll.

Jude could feel the pressure from where he stood.

Kieran wasn't fighting Kazimir.

He was dismantling him.

Kazimir coughed, dragging himself to his feet.

His wild grin never wavered.

"Still boring, Kieran." His voice was rough, but the amusement never left. "You fight like a machine."

Kieran took a single step forward, then he was gone again.

Kazimir's instincts screamed, he raised three cards—

Too late.

Kieran's sword pierced his chest.

For a moment—everything was silent.

The Executionist's black blade gleamed under the light. Blood dripped from its edge.

Jude's heart stopped.

But then,

Kazimir laughed.

A low, unhinged, gleeful sound. "Gotcha."

A card burned against Kieran's skin and suddenly Kieran's body froze.

A second. No more.

But a second was all Kazimir needed.

He slammed his fist into Kieran's face with every ounce of power he had left. The air cracked as Kieran was sent flying.

For the first time in the fight,

Kazimir & Jude wasn't the one left standing in the dirt.

...

Zephyr gritted his teeth, his wind barrier struggling to hold against Elias's assault.

Elara's body was barely holding together behind them. Blood coated her side, her missing arm a painful reminder of what these Executionists were capable of.

He couldn't lose here.

Elias, the Fatebound Executionist, stared down at him, unimpressed.

His presence was overwhelming, his body coated in a metallic sheen. His abilities made him impervious to all but the strongest of attacks.

"You're persistent," Elias muttered, rolling his shoulders. "But you're running on fumes."

Zephyr smirked. "And you're underestimating me."

The air shifted.

Zephyr's winds surged outward, forming a storm of razor-sharp blades. Elias clicked his tongue and vanished, appearing right behind Zephyr. A massive punch slammed forward but Zephyr twisted, his body dispersing into the wind itself. Elias's fist hit nothing but air.

And then,

Zephyr reformed above him, a storm-forged spear in hand. He hurled it downward.

BOOM.

The impact shook the entire building.

A deep crater formed beneath them, cracks spreading outward like a web.

Elias staggered, his metallic skin cracked from the force.

Zephyr didn't stop.

He dove forward, unleashing a relentless assault of wind-enhanced strikes. Every hit ripped through the air, carving into Elias's defenses,

Until finally his barrier shattered.

Elias's eyes widened.

Zephyr's final strike slammed into his gut, sending the Executionist flying through a solid wall.

He didn't get back up.

Zephyr breathed heavily, barely keeping himself upright.

He turned back to Elara.

She was still alive—but barely.

He clenched his fists.

He had to get her out of here.

Before someone worse than Elias showed up.