Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 2945: Southern Hope’s Death

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Sky Blossom City

"Veerott, why?!"

Aqualas shouted in frustration. Within the Ocean World, she held absolute dominance. At a single thought, she could unleash the crushing pressure of an entire ocean upon Southern Hope and kill him where he stood, Veerott couldn’t do anything to stop her.

Yet she didn’t. Because Veerott had asked her to stop. For all her domineering nature, Aqualas cared deeply for her friends.

Especially Veerott.

She ordered him around endlessly, and more often than not, he would do whatever she asked without complaint. Yet beneath all the arguments, teasing, and occasional violence was a bond forged over countless years together.

Just like the ocean itself, Aqualas could be overwhelming and impossible to resist. But she also possessed a vast heart. That was precisely why she was loved by her friends despite her attitude.

The reason she had attacked Southern Hope wasn’t blind rage. She genuinely believed she had found a loophole. Southern Hope had promised to let them leave alive. He had never specified they couldn’t attack him afterward.

In her mind, the solution was obvious.

If she killed Southern Hope now, Veerott would still have honored the wager. At the same time, he wouldn’t have to spend the rest of his life serving the very person who defeated him.

This way she would have used one stone to hit two birds.

Veerott would keep his word, and he would return to Way Beyond alongside her since the Southern Hope he was supposed to serve was dead.

To Aqualas, it was the perfect plan. More importantly, she believed it was justified. The more she thought about the duel, the more unfair it felt.

Yes, Southern Hope was technically correct. Veerott could have left the curse field at any time. But that argument ignored the reality of who Veerott was.

Knowing him, he would never abandon his friends. Not even temporarily. Not even if it was the strategically correct decision. Southern Hope had known that. He had understood Veerott’s personality and used it against him. By trapping Aqualas and Seraphina inside the curse field, he had effectively anchored Veerott there as well.

Every moment Veerott remained to protect them, the curse field weakened him further. Every moment spent fighting inside it tilted the battle more heavily in Southern Hope’s favor.

To Aqualas, that wasn’t a fair duel. It was a carefully constructed trap disguised as one. Which was why she felt no guilt attacking now. Had Southern Hope won fairly, she would swallow her frustration and return to the Way Beyond. But he didn’t. As far as she was concerned, Southern Hope had exploited a loophole first. She was merely returning the favor.

Unfortunately for her, the one person she was trying to save clearly didn’t see things the same way.

Veerott stood firmly between them. Refusing to let her hurt the one tricked him into eternal servitude. And that made Aqualas even angrier than Southern Hope himself. ƒreewebɳovel.com

"Because I serve him now, and it’s my responsibility to protect him." Veerott’s voice was firm, but there was also a trace of pleading in it. "I’m begging you, Aqualas. Please don’t make this difficult for me."

He knew better than anyone that he was one of the reasons she was doing this. Listening to his plea, Aqualas froze. For the first time since unleashing her Ocean World, uncertainty appeared in her eyes.

She knew what she wanted to do. She wanted Southern Hope dead. In her mind, killing him solved everything. Veerott would be free. Seraphina would no longer have to worry about a dangerous enemy gaining such a powerful subordinate or him conquering the Southern region.

Everyone she cared about would benefit. Yet hearing Veerott beg her made her hesitate. The person she was trying to save was standing in her way. For once, Aqualas didn’t know what to do.

"Veerott."

Seraphina suddenly stepped forward. Seeing Aqualas trapped in an emotional bind, unable to argue or act decisively, she chose to speak on her behalf.

"You do what you have to do to protect your master. We’ll do what we have to do to save our friend."

The moment those words were spoken, Aqualas’ expression changed. The confusion disappeared. Her wavering resolve hardened. Seraphina had given form to the feelings she couldn’t properly express.

Veerott wasn’t betraying them. He was honoring his word. Likewise, they weren’t betraying Veerott. They were protecting someone precious to them.

It was as simple as that. It could be more clear and absolute. The internal conflict that had restrained her vanished.

Aqualas reached her decision. She would do everything in her power to protect her friends. Anything and everything, if the world itself stood in her way, then the world could burn. Compared to that, killing Southern Hope was nothing.

Having made up her mind, she didn’t wait for Veerott to respond. The full might of the Ocean World descended. The endless waters surrounding them erupted with power. Pressure from every direction converged upon a single point: Southern Hope.

The weight wasn’t merely physical. It was the authority of an entire world pressing down upon one existence. Space groaned as the surrounding waters trembled. Reality itself seemed to buckle beneath the unimaginable force.

"Wait—" Veerott instinctively turned. He opened his mouth, desperately trying to stop her. But he was too late.

The pressure struck. There was no explosion, dramatic impact, or resistance. Under the crushing force of the Ocean World, Southern Hope’s body compressed instantly. Bone, flesh, organs, everything was reduced to a thin line of red paste suspended within the water.

The transformation happened so quickly that it appeared almost unreal. One moment he was standing there. The next, only a crimson streak remained where his body had once existed.

Silence descended over the Ocean World. Even Aqualas stared at the result for a moment. Because regardless of how much she hated him, she couldn’t deny one thing. The strongest curse user she had met had just died far too easily.