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Chapter 4: The Judge of Shadows
🕑 Added 2025-06-30 12:51:38 +0000 UTC"New Metro First High, Russell," he said, breathing a sigh of relief as he saw the official insignia on the newcomer's uniform. It was a cardmaker from the Association.
The newly arrived cardmaker, a young man named Zephyr Flynn, looked at the corpses of the zombies scattered on the ground, his eyes wide with amazement. All seven had been killed with a single, clean blow. It was obvious that Russell's card was far more powerful than a standard blue-quality creation.
"The quality of your card is more than just blue, isn't it?" Zephyr asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
Russell nodded. "It's purple." But then his own worries surfaced. "My card... I just made it today. I haven't had time to register it with the Cardmakers Association. Will I be in trouble?"
As an uncertified, "wild" cardmaker, he was technically not allowed to use cards above blue quality in public. He was worried he'd be held accountable by the Association.
Zephyr was stunned. He had assumed the young man before him was a prospective college student, maybe a recent graduate of an elite high school. For a university student, making a purple-quality Iron-level card after years of study wouldn't be completely unheard of. But he hadn't expected Russell to be a complete novice, one who had just made his very first card.
"It's okay," Zephyr said with a reassuring smile. "I'll report the situation here to the Association exactly as it happened. But you're very talented, kid. I hope to see you at New Metro University next year." Although he was surprised, as a student of the university's prestigious cardmaking department, Zephyr had seen his fair share of geniuses.
He clapped Russell on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Russell. If anything, I think the Association will reward you for your actions today. After all, if it weren't for you, the residents here would have probably..." He trailed off, shaking his head.
After receiving the order from the Association, he had ridden his mount, Luna, at full speed towards the Happy Home Complex. But on the way, he had encountered a silver-level Gluttony Beast, a delay that had cost him precious time. If Russell hadn't been here, the consequences would have been disastrous. The Association wouldn't hold him responsible for the delay, of course; no one could predict what monsters they would encounter in the fog.
Putting his thoughts aside, Zephyr put on a nonchalant smile and raised his voice. "Alright, residents of Happy Home, I will now escort you all to the shelter in the Evergrove District!"
Before he could finish his sentence, a sudden, violent fluctuation of power rippled through the sky, causing everyone present to look up in awe.
A colossal, divine figure had appeared high above the city of New Metro. It stared towards the direction of the [Demon's Nest] secret realm, its eyes devoid of joy or sorrow. A majestic voice boomed across the heavens, a voice that seemed to be the very judgment of the world itself.
"Spirit Begging Society. This time, you have crossed the line."
As the words fell, the huge figure simply exhaled. A single, light breath. It washed over the city like a divine wind, and the thick, unnatural fog that had blanketed New Metro was blown away in an instant. At the same time, every monster that had been rampaging within the fog dissolved into black and gray smoke, vanishing without a trace.
Russell stared blankly at the scene in the sky, his mind struggling to comprehend what he had just witnessed. Can a cardmaker be this powerful? With just one breath, the crisis that had paralyzed the entire city was resolved.
He couldn't help but ask Zephyr, who stood beside him, equally awestruck. "Zephyr... which cardmaker is that?"
Zephyr looked up at the sky, his expression one of deep reverence. He slowly uttered the name, each word heavy with meaning. "That is the Master Cardmaker... Blake Whitmore." "His core card... is [Bao Zheng, Judge of the Fifth Court]."
Yan Luo. It was only in this moment that Russell truly understood what that title represented.
Just then, a hoarse, piercing laugh echoed throughout the now-clear skies of New Metro. "Blake Whitmore! Blake Whitmore! You can protect them for a moment, but can you protect them for a lifetime?"
The divine figure was silent for a long time before it spoke again. "As long as I, Blake Whitmore, still draw breath, this coastline will never be lost." "What's more, with young Yves in the Federation, would you truly dare to tear our worlds apart?"
The hoarse voice, sounding as if it were being strangled, just sneered. "I'm afraid young Yves St. Clair won't be able to hold on for many more years. Time is on our side. We can wait and see."
As the conversation ended, the huge figure of [Bao Zheng, Judge of the Fifth Court] slowly dissipated in the sky.
Russell's eye twitched. The Spirit Begging Society wasn't all-powerful, but their threats were persistent and unnerving.
Seeing that the situation had finally stabilized, Zephyr turned and clapped his hands to get the residents' attention again. "Alright, everyone, you saw it for yourselves! Master Blake Whitmore has thwarted the conspiracy of the Spirit Begging Society. You can all return to your homes now."
As the residents began to disperse, he turned back to Russell. "Russell, today seems like the perfect day for it. Do you want to come back to the Association with me now to get registered?"
Russell thought about it. Even if he didn't go today, his homeroom teacher would surely make him go tomorrow. "Alright," he nodded. "Then I'll have to trouble you, Zephyr."
Seeing him agree, Zephyr materialized two sets of saddles from a card. It was worth noting that while a cardmaker could only possess one of any given creature card, there was no upper limit to the number of prop cards they could own. His mount, Luna, crouched down beside them at the right time.
"Come on," Zephyr said, tossing a saddle to Russell and hopping onto Luna's back. "Riding Luna back will be faster."
Russell followed suit, swinging himself onto the creature's back. As they took off, feeling the wind whistle past his ears, he asked curiously, "Zephyr, are mounts like this allowed on the roads?"
Zephyr, scrolling through messages on his phone in the Association's group chat, replied casually, "Oh, yeah. As long as a rideable creature card is registered with the Association, it can be used on public roads. Same goes for vehicle-type prop cards."
Russell nodded thoughtfully. "Do humanoid cards count as rideable creatures?"
"?" Zephyr put down his phone and looked at Russell, completely blank-faced.
"...I was kidding."
But Zephyr seemed to have recalled something. "Actually... I think it's okay? I remember hearing about a female cardmaker at Capital University who likes to ride around on a muscular man card."
"Ah?" Now it was Russell's turn to be confused. He had genuinely just been joking.
Feeling that this was a dangerous topic to pursue, Russell quickly changed the subject. "Zephyr, how do you think the Association will deal with me?"
Zephyr just shook his phone. "I've already reported the situation. They just told me to bring you back first."
"...Is it too late for me to get off now?"
Zephyr was amused. "Don't worry. If they wanted you in custody, I'd have you in custody now." If his order had been to control Russell, he wouldn't have been so gentle. The Cardmakers Association had zero tolerance for illegal cardmakers—people like the members of the Spirit Begging Society, who dreamed of doing something big to "open the eyes of the world."
As they were talking, they arrived at the Evergrove District branch of the Cardmakers Association. A middle-aged man had been waiting at the door for a long time. When he saw Zephyr, his eyes lit up. Then he looked at Russell. "You must be Russell. Zephyr told me all about you."
The man stepped forward and shook Russell's hand warmly. "The Evergrove District Cardmakers Association thanks you for your help, Mr. Russell."
Russell was somewhat confused by the Association's effusive attitude, but he wasn't the naive 18-year-old he had been just a short time ago. He understood immediately what was happening. They were planning to set him up as a role model.
(End of this chapter)
