Apocalypse Transmigration - The Card Captor System

Valentine arrived at the scene shortly after. Her gaze swept over the bodies scattered around Leo’s truck before she casually asked, ”What happened here?”

Rex shook his head. ”Nothing much. Just some fools who thought they could turn their fortunes around in the middle of this chaos.”

Valentine stared at the corpses for a moment and sighed. ”No matter the era, humans are always the same. When disaster strikes, instead of thinking about helping each other, some people immediately begin thinking about how to profit from someone else’s misfortune.”

She then walked over to Danny and his family. ”Are you all alright?”

Danny bowed in deep gratitude. ”Thank you for helping my family. Really... thank you.”

Valentine shook her head. ”Don’t worry about it.” Her attention shifted back to Leo’s truck. ”Where’s that guy?”

A heavy look of worry crossed Danny’s face. ”Sir Leo entered the city this morning. He still hasn’t returned.”

Valentine understood his concern right away. She offered a reassuring smile. ”Don’t worry. I don’t know the full extent of his abilities, but one thing is certain. That guy isn’t someone who can be taken down easily. He’ll be fine.”

Danny nodded, though the fear in his eyes lingered.

Valentine studied him in silence. ”Why don’t you move in with our convoy? You’ll be safer there.”

Danny shook his head. ”No. We’ll wait for Sir Leo.”

Valentine met his gaze for a few seconds, then gave a firm nod. ”Alright. Take care of yourselves.”

She turned and walked back to Rex. ”Send someone to protect them. It’s the least we can do for Leo.”

Rex agreed with a nod.

A soldier rushed up to them, breathing heavily. ”Sir Rex! Colonel Adrian is calling for the members of the Freedom Convoy.”

Rex’s expression turned serious. ”It seems the time has come.”

Valentine nodded in agreement.

Rex addressed the soldier. ”Clean this place up. We’ll go meet your Colonel.”

With those orders given, Rex and Valentine headed toward the military camp.

*********************

Deep inside Rendell City, Leo drove his katana straight into the center of another one-eyed alien. The creature trembled violently. A moment later, its body shattered into countless particles of light.

Three cards materialized in the air, drifting softly to the ground.

Leo stood in the middle of the ruined street, his chest heaving with deep breaths. He scanned his surroundings. Cards. Nucleus crystals. Countless zombie corpses. The remains of several one-horned demons and even two one-eyed aliens littered the pavement.

He had spent the past few hours hunting down enemies hidden throughout the urban ruins. Moving with purpose, Leo gathered the cards and nucleus crystals. He packed the alien corpses into large plastic containers and stored them securely inside his Void Pocket.

Once the street was cleared, he spoke a single command. ”Void Walk.”

Leo vanished from the spot.

Mere minutes later, a new group of figures arrived at the bloodstained street. A massive one-eyed alien led the way, with several one-horned demons trailing close behind. They stared at the fresh carnage.

The culprit, however, was nowhere to be found.

The one-eyed alien stood in total silence. A heartbeat later, a strange, low frequency began pulsing outward from its massive body.

A few buildings away from the destruction, Leo reappeared on the roof of a towering building. He gazed back at the distant street he had just cleared. He had chosen to leave after sensing that his continued presence was drawing too much attention. Fighting endlessly without rest would only drain his energy.

Turning away from the edge, Leo slipped into the abandoned building behind him. ”Let’s rest and recharge for now. I might need it later.”

He found a quiet, dark corner on the dusty floor and sat down cross-legged. Closing his eyes, Leo focused on his breathing technique. His body slowly drew in the ambient Aether and Zen from the air around him.

******************

Elsewhere within the city limits, a massive one-eyed alien opened its enormous pupil. The strange frequency had just reached its senses.

A two-horned demon standing nearby noticed the shift in behavior. ”What happened? Is something wrong?”

The alien stayed quiet for a long moment before answering. ”I’ve lost contact with several members of my clan. It seems a rat is causing trouble inside the city.”

The two-horned demon dismissed the issue with a careless wave of his hand. ”Don’t worry about such small matters. Focus on the greater task at hand.”

The one-eyed alien glanced at him and gave a slow nod.

The demon then shifted his attention toward the distant battlefield. ”The frequency of the cannons... It’s slowing down.”

The one-eyed creature followed his gaze.

The two-horned demon rested a hand beneath his chin in thought. ”Their resources are running out earlier than I expected.” A cold, mocking smile formed on his face. ”Good. Let them exhaust themselves further. Let them waste whatever resources they have left.”

His golden, slit-shaped eyes narrowed in anticipation. ”Then... We’ll send out a big gift. Once they have been pushed into a desperate situation... The Rizen Group will have to show up.”

The one-eyed alien understood the underlying meaning. It bobbed its massive head. ”Then we can finally reel in the net.”

***************************

The battle raged on the entire night. It soon became obvious that the military was running dry on ammunition and resources. Heavy dark clouds choked the sky overhead, while thunder rumbled in the far distance. A steady rain washed over the battlefield.

And the cannons fired less and less with each passing hour.

Safely behind the frontlines, the core members of the Freedom Convoy gathered. Colonel Adrian, Bear, Rex, Valentine, Grandpa Jiro, Nina, Atlas, and several others stood in a tight circle. Everyone braced themselves for the next phase of the war.

Adrian’s appearance stood out the most. He wore a thick suit of specialized armor, carrying a bulky metallic box strapped to his back. A long, spiral-shaped antenna poked out from the top of the strange device. After double-checking the heavy straps, Adrian secured the machine tightly to his torso.

Nearby, Bear kept to himself, though the dark, brooding look on his face was impossible to ignore.

Adrian faced the Freedom Convoy. ”I hope you’ll hold up your end of the bargain. I’m giving you a lot of resources. So I expect all of you to give this everything you’ve got.”

Valentine scoffed. ”Do you think we’re dishonest people like you?”

Adrian’s expression soured. Deciding it was wiser to hold his tongue, he chose not to argue with her. Not with the battle looming.

Valentine turned her sharp gaze on Rex. ”You’re up next. Do a good job.”

Rex’s face scrunched up in deep reluctance. ”Sis... Why do I have to go into the middle of the battlefield? You know how weak I am. What if I get killed?”

Valentine shot him a fierce glare. ”Don’t give me that excuse. I know better than anyone else what you’re capable of.”

Rex clutched his stomach and groaned. ”Sis... It seems the food I ate this morning is finally acting up. I think I need to go to the bathroom. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

He turned on his heel and prepared to flee. Valentine shot a hand out and grabbed the back of his collar. ”You’re not going anywhere. Finish your job first.”

Rex turned back with a forced, innocent expression. ”But, Sis—”

”If you have to shit your pants, then shit your pants. But finish the job.”

Rex’s face went rigid.

Valentine pressed on, ”Besides, you were the one who agreed to take this job from the military. And now you want to back out?”

Rex put on a pitiful look. ”I accepted the job. But I never agreed to rush headfirst into the battlefield.” He pointed an accusing finger at her. ”Besides, weren’t you also the one who agreed to take this job?”

Valentine’s eyes narrowed to tiny slits. ”Say one more word of nonsense... And I’ll personally throw you into the middle of the horde.”

Rex clamped his mouth shut. A second later, he shifted his pointing finger toward Adrian instead. ”Hey! Why do I have to go and clear the horde? Don’t you have those cannons? Just fire them. Problem solved.”

Adrian crossed his arms, his gaze hardening. ”Do you think I would have requested help from an unreliable bunch like you if I had another choice?” He cast a grim look toward the battlefield. ”Yesterday, while you people were creating a mess with my troops... Someone raided our supply depots.”

Rex blinked in surprise.

Adrian continued, ”Most of our nucleus crystal reserves were stolen. That’s why we’re facing this situation.”

Rex’s outer expression remained perfectly blank. Internally, however, his mind raced. He knew the culprit wasn’t exactly honest. The guy had readily handed over plenty of supplies, all while keeping a massive hoard for himself. Compared to the total value of the stolen crystals... wasn’t what they received just chump change?

He didn’t have time to dwell on the theft. From the corner of his eye, Rex caught Cyrus’s expression shifting. A heavy knot formed in his stomach. He knew exactly what would happen if Cyrus’s righteous heart flared up in the middle of this tense standoff.

Before the situation could spiral, Rex threw both hands in the air. ”Alright, alright! No need to blame us for your own incompetence. I’ll go. But let me make one thing clear.” He pointed sharply at Adrian. ”I can’t hold them back for long. The moment I clear a path... You have to move immediately.”

Adrian nodded. ”Understood.”

Rex let out a long sigh and trudged over to a nearby jeep. The vehicle had undergone heavy modifications, with several large speakers and megaphones bolted to the roof and sides. Rex climbed into the passenger seat. Sitting behind the wheel was the informant who had once sold details to Leo at the intelligence shop.

The two men shared a brief look before Rex turned back to address the crowd. ”Remember something. If I die... My ghost is going to haunt every single one of you.”

Grandpa Jiro fired back without missing a beat, ”Don’t worry, kid. If you die, I’ll burn your body. Then I’ll scatter your ashes down the drain.”

Rex’s eye twitched in annoyance.

”Thui! Thui! Old geezer, don’t curse me!”

Muttering under his breath, Rex began chanting a quiet string of prayers.

Grandpa Jiro just smiled.

Rex slowly turned around to face his driver. A faint grin touched his lips. ”Let’s go.”

His subordinate turned the key, bringing the engine to roaring life. ”And play some music.”

Rex fixed his gaze on the sprawling, chaotic battlefield ahead. ”Let the party begin.”