Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 2900: Debt Collectors

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Western Region, Berg District, Scarlet Berg, Guild Association Mall

The three Card Demigods stared at the fiery cloud of smoke, blood, and gore spreading beneath them, hoping their companions had survived the explosion. Violent flames still flickered within the dark smoke as pieces of shattered bone and burning flesh continued to fall from the sky.

But before they could sense the condition of the others, the corpse dragon carrying the Deadman’s Coffin suddenly folded its massive wings and dived straight into the explosion cloud without the slightest hesitation.

At the same time, the other corpse dragon abruptly turned around mid-flight and also dashed into the smoke at terrifying speed.

The three demigods instinctively moved to pursue them, powerful auras erupting around their bodies. However, their movements slowed almost immediately.

The image of their companion being instantly killed after recklessly chasing a corpse dragon into the clouds flashed through their minds. The shocked expression frozen on his face before death still lingered vividly in their memories.

For a brief moment, hesitation appeared in the eyes of the demigods. And on a battlefield between SSS-rank existences, even a single moment of hesitation could decide life or death.

Meanwhile, the two SSS-rank corpse dragons burst out of the fiery explosion cloud, each with a charred demigod’s body clenched between their massive fangs. The corpses had already been mauled beyond recognition, their armor shattered and half their bodies torn open from the relentless attacks inside the smoke.

Without wasting a single moment, the corpse dragons tilted their heads back and swallowed the remains whole. Flesh, divinity, grimoire, and all disappeared into their cavernous stomachs, as though they feared even a second’s delay might allow their prey a chance to escape.

The sight alone caused the watching demigods’ expressions to darken.

Then, before the explosion cloud had even fully dissipated, the two corpse dragons circled back once more and plunged into the smoke. Their massive bodies vanished into the burning haze like predators returning to finish off wounded prey.

Inside the slowly clearing cloud, the last surviving demigod was still groggy from the earlier explosion. His aura fluctuated unstably while blood dripped from the cracks in his shattered armor.

And just like the other two demigods before him, he had already become prey trapped inside the dragons’ hunting ground.

Watching the two SSS-rank corpse dragons finish off the last demigod inside the explosion cloud, the remaining three Card Demigods finally began to panic.

One of them looked around frantically before shouting, ”Why haven’t reinforcements from the families arrived yet? How can they not hear this kind of ruckus?!”

His voice carried both anger and fear. After all, a battle between multiple SSS-rank existences was enough to shake entire regions. Under normal circumstances, the surrounding powers should have noticed long ago.

But no reinforcements came.

The only response they received was the distant rumbling of the storm and the guttural roars of the corpse dragons echoing across the heavens.

”Fuck this. I’d rather take my chances hiding in the Lux Mountains... or even the Way Beyond,” another demigod suddenly cursed through gritted teeth.

The moment he finished speaking, he turned around and fled without the slightest hesitation, abandoning the battlefield and the two remaining demigods behind him.

He had already made up his mind. Surviving as a fugitive was still better than dying here and becoming dragon food. Even if deserting the battlefield would bring terrifying consequences from the families later, he planned to avoid all of it by disappearing into the dangerous regions of the Lux Mountains or fleeing beyond civilization itself into the Way Beyond.

At least there, he might still have a chance to live.

”Motherfucker! Don’t you dare run before paying us back our money!” one of the remaining demigods roared as the two of them immediately turned and chased after the deserter before the SSS-rank corpse dragons could lock onto them again.

The three streaks of light shot across the sky at full speed, looking far less like allies pursuing a traitor and more like debt collectors refusing to let their target escape alive.

From their words, it was obvious the fleeing demigod had probably been planning this escape for a long time, intending to use the chaos of the battlefield to default on whatever massive debt he owed them.

Or perhaps the other two demigods simply saw this as the perfect excuse to retreat while preserving their pride. After all, it sounded far better than openly admitting they were fleeing in terror from the corpse dragons.

Either way, none of them looked back.

The battlefield that had moments ago shaken the heavens was abandoned almost instantly, leaving only the two terrifying SSS-rank corpse dragons circling through the storm clouds like undead rulers overlooking their domain of death.

The corpse dragons did not bother pursuing the fleeing demigods. Instead, the two SSS-rank creatures slowly turned around and returned to the rooftop of the Guild Association Mall. Their enormous skeletal bodies settled atop the structure like mountains of death, resting quietly while waiting for Aurelia and the others to finish their side of the mission.

Meanwhile, the three demigods who had escaped the battlefield suddenly came to an abrupt halt near the edge of the city.

At last, they finally understood why reinforcements from the great families had never arrived despite such a massive battle breaking out within Scarlet Berg.

It turned out the city’s strongest forces had already been gathered elsewhere.

At the edge of the city stood a terrifying presence powerful enough to force the entire Scarlet Berg into a state of high alert.

The Emissary of Light, Saintess Catherine, had arrived.

Beside her stood her newly recruited bodyguard, the Demigod Redfall. The two appeared calm and unhurried as they observed the city from a reasonable distance away, showing no signs of hostility for the moment.

Yet despite that distance, neither the City Lord nor the great families of Scarlet Berg dared to relax in the slightest. Every available force had already been mobilized. Defensive formations glowed across the city walls, numerous card demigods stood ready for battle, and even hidden veterans, who were believed to have died, had revealed themselves to prepare for the worst.

After all, the mere presence of Saintess Catherine alone was enough to make entire powers lose sleep... adding demigod Redfall to the mix — the two together were enough to raze entire districts.