Apocalypse Transmigration - The Card Captor System

The horde rushed toward Leo. But on another part of the battlefield, a different fight reached its climax.

Cyrus and Ars stood several dozen meters apart. Blood dripped from Ars’s severed tail, yet the demon’s expression remained calm. Cyrus, on the other hand, breathed in ragged gasps. The golden light surrounding his body flickered with every heave of his chest.

Ars smiled. ”You’re already tired.”

Cyrus wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. ”I’ve still got enough left to kill you.”

”Is that so?”

Black, tattoo-like lines crept across Ars’s body. They spread from his neck, down his chest, and across his arms like veins of darkness. His muscles swelled, and the air around him grew heavy.

Ars raised a hand. The blood scattered across the dirt began to tremble. A dozen streams of crimson erupted from the ground, shooting toward Cyrus from every direction.

Cyrus braced himself.

”Gregory Secret Technique—”

Golden light condensed around both his arms.

”Light Barrier!”

A brilliant golden dome burst into existence around him. The blood slammed into the shield like a barrage of spears. The barrier shuddered under the heavy impacts, and thin cracks spread across its surface.

Cyrus gritted his teeth. ”Not enough...”

He poured more energy into the technique. The golden barrier flared bright, forcing the crimson streams backward.

Ars smiled. ”Blood Lance.”

The blood covering the battlefield lifted into the air. Hundreds of droplets gathered above the demon before hardening into razor-sharp crimson spears.

Cyrus’s pupils contracted.

The spears rained down.

Cyrus launched himself forward. His body became a streak of golden light as he weaved between the falling projectiles. One grazed his shoulder. Another tore through his sleeve. A third missed his cheek by a hair.

He twisted sideways in midair, letting a fourth spear pass beneath him. Planting a foot against a slab of rubble, he used it as a springboard and launched himself at Ars, his fist drawn back.

”Disintegration Fist!”

Ars crossed both arms. A thick layer of blood wrapped around his forearms, hardening into crimson armor right as Cyrus’s fist slammed into it.

The armor shattered. The raw force sent Ars skidding across the dirt.

Cyrus gave chase. He pushed off the ground and vanished, reappearing high above the demon.

”Disintegration Slash!”

The short blade in his hand descended toward Ars’s chest.

Ars’s eyes flashed. ”Blood Step.”

His body melted into a pool of blood. Cyrus’s blade sliced through empty air.

Cyrus’s eyes widened. A crimson silhouette rose at his back. Ars reformed, his fist already moving. The blood-covered strike smashed into Cyrus’s ribs.

The blow launched Cyrus sideways. He crashed through the remains of a concrete wall, sending dust erupting into the air.

”Agh!”

Cyrus rolled across the ground before catching himself on one knee. Blood spilled from his mouth. His left arm trembled. Several ribs felt like shattered glass.

Through the dust, Ars emerged. ”You’ve been fighting for too long.” His golden eyes gleamed. ”Your body is reaching its limit.”

Cyrus forced himself upright. Golden light gathered around his legs.

”Then I’ll finish this...” His eyes hardened. ”...before it does.”

He vanished into a blur of motion.

Ars raised his hand. ”Blood Chains.”

Several thick chains of blood burst from the earth. Cyrus twisted past the first. He ducked beneath the second. The third came from behind, but he spun in midair and sliced it apart with his glowing blade.

A fourth chain erupted directly beneath his feet. It snared his ankle, halting his momentum. The chain yanked him downward.

At the same moment, several blood spears materialized behind Ars. The demon pulled his arm back, tightening the chains, and dragged Cyrus toward him.

”Shit!”

Cyrus pushed golden light out of his pores.

”Gregory Secret Technique—”

”Radiant Guard!”

A layer of brilliant energy covered his body just as the blood spears struck. The impact sent golden fragments and crimson droplets flying in every direction.

Cyrus tore himself free from the tethers and rolled across the ground. He barely regained his footing by the time Ars loomed in front of him. A blood blade formed along the demon’s forearm.

Cyrus raised his short sword. Their weapons collided.

Cyrus’s feet dug deep into the dirt. Ars pushed forward, making Cyrus’s arms tremble. The golden light around his body flickered. With a flick of his wrist, Ars slipped his blood blade past Cyrus’s guard.

A thin cut opened across Cyrus’s chest, and wet heat soaked through his clothes. Cyrus staggered backward.

Ars smiled. ”You’re getting slower.”

Cyrus gritted his teeth. He let go of his blade.

Ars’s eyes widened.

Stepping inside the demon’s guard, Cyrus let golden light explode from his bare fist.

”Disintegration Fist!”

The punch struck Ars in the abdomen. The demon folded from the impact and blasted backward. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he crashed into a pile of rubble.

Cyrus staggered. His chest heaved with ragged breaths.

For a brief moment, neither moved. Then the rubble shifted. Ars stepped into view and wiped the blood from his lips. His smile returned.

”Good.” His golden eyes turned cold. ”That’s more like it.”

Cyrus tightened his fists. But deep inside, he knew the truth. His breathing grew heavier. His movements lagged. His injuries piled up.

And Ars had only just started.

Cyrus raised his blade again. Light covered his legs as he prepared to launch another attack.

But his feet refused to move.

Cyrus frowned. He looked down. A puddle of blood had formed beneath him. From within the liquid, several crimson chains shot upward and wrapped tight around his legs.

”Damn it!”

Cyrus swung his blade downward, severing one chain. But before he could cut the second, Ars appeared in front of him. The demon raised a leg.

Cyrus’s eyes widened.

Ars’s foot slammed into his chest.

”Agh!”

Cyrus coughed up a mouthful of blood. The kick sent him flying, but the chains around his legs kept him tethered. Instead of throwing him away, they dragged him downward.

His back slammed into the ground, cracking the earth beneath him.

Cyrus struggled to breathe. Before he could recover, a shadow fell over him. Ars planted a heavy boot on his chest. Cyrus tried to push him away, arms trembling, but his strength faded with every passing second.

Ars raised a hand. A long, blood-red sword formed in his grasp, dripping with crimson liquid. Ars looked down at Cyrus with a cruel grin.

”Looks like this is the end for you, human.”

Cyrus’s pupils contracted. He tried to raise his blade, but his arm refused to move.

Ars lifted the sword high above his head.

Then, he swung it toward Cyrus’s neck.