Anime Card System

What caught Russell's eyes were Darren and a young man with a garish, green cockscomb haircut. Standing with them were their cards: Darren's [Green Zombie] and the cockscomb-haired youth's own pale, sharp-fanged creature.

Hearing Russell's furious threat, Darren couldn't help but sneer. "I really can't beat you, Russell. But today, my brother Gus is here. Today, I'm going to make you kneel down and beg for mercy!" he shouted, his confidence bolstered by his new ally. "Brother Gus is a bronze-level cardmaker!"

If he had been alone, Darren never would have dared to seek revenge. But that's what this was: revenge. In his twisted mind, he blamed Russell for everything that had happened to him, never once considering that his current fate was entirely his own fault. Or perhaps he had, but he didn't have the courage to retaliate against Nancy Whitemore. Her father, after all, was a gold-level cardmaker.

But the man Darren called "Brother Gus" ignored him completely. His eyes were fixed on Russell, a look of keen interest on his face. "Russell, is it? As long as you are willing to join our Spirit Begging Society," he said, his voice smooth and calculating, "you can do whatever you want with this kid here."

Gus had been ordered to come and recruit Darren. But when the disgraced student told him about Russell, his curiosity had been piqued. Now, seeing him in person, he knew that a hundred Darrens were not worth a single Russell. He had followed Darren here just to see what the "genius" who had thwarted the Society's training ground plot looked like. If he was worthless, it didn't matter if he killed him on the spot. But if he was valuable, bringing him back would surely earn him praise and rewards from his superiors.

Darren's face went pale hearing Gus's casual offer. "Brother Gus," he stammered, "what do you mean by that?"

A nasty, contemptuous smile spread across Gus's face. "What I mean," he said, "is that compared to him, you are a complete and utter idiot. Trash."

"Give up," Russell said, his voice cold as ice as he watched the two of them. "There's no way I'll ever join the Spirit Begging Society." At this moment, a murderous intent was boiling in his heart. Perhaps pretending to be friendly was the best tactical option, but he couldn't do it. He just wanted to crush the two opponents before him into pieces. He had tolerated Darren's provocations before, treating him like a clown. But he had crossed a line. He had colluded with the Spirit Begging Society and attacked an innocent person.

What's more, his own life was now threatened.

"So, Darren," Russell said, his tone chillingly certain, "you killed your parents yourself, didn't you?"

Gus laughed, an exaggerated, mocking sound. "He's a loser, but I have to admit, I'm ashamed of his cruelty."

Darren's face twisted into a mask of resentment. "Those two old fools!" he spat bitterly. "They actually wanted me to kneel down and apologize to you! I'm not the one who was wrong! They just don't understand me at all! And now, with the Spirit Begging Society, I still have a chance to keep making cards!" If Gus hadn't appeared, he might have eventually swallowed his pride and apologized. But the Society had given him hope for a comeback. In return, they had demanded a show of loyalty. By killing his parents, Darren had burned all his bridges. There was no turning back.

Hearing his confession, Russell let out a long sigh and closed his eyes for a moment. "You really are a beast, worse than any pig or dog."

At this point, there was nothing more to talk about. Gus's card, the pale man with sharp fangs, was likely from the vampire series—a rare type in the Daming Federation. Russell didn't know its power level, but seeing that Kaneki was unconcerned, he felt confident. Besides, with the commotion they had just made, the neighbors must have already notified the Cardmakers Association. All he had to do was hold out until they arrived.

The vampire took the first step, its right fist whistling through the air as it punched at Russell. CLANG! The attack was blocked. Black and red centipede-like tentacles had extended from Kaneki's back, coiling around Russell to protect him.

"Let's change venues," Russell said softly to Kaneki. "This place is too small." He glanced at Auntie May's still form on the ground. Kaneki understood instantly. He picked Russell up and, in five powerful strides, leaped out of the ruined doorway and into the open space outside the building.

"Hmph, trying to escape!" Gus sneered, chasing after them with his vampire. Darren hesitated for a moment, then decided to follow. In his mind, as long as they killed Russell here, he could still join the Society and get his revenge at the same time.

Outside the building, Gus looked at Russell curiously. "That kid only said you had one purple creature card. He didn't say you had another."

Russell didn't give him the kindness of a reply. The sharp, tail-like kagune belonging to Rize Kamishiro shot out from Kaneki's back, smashing fiercely into the vampire.

BOOM!

The scene was instantly filled with smoke. Just as Kaneki was silently observing the situation, a black shadow shot out from the smoke and slammed into him. Kaneki froze, unable to move.

"A mere Iron-level card, defeated by my Shadow Strike. You should feel honored, right?" Gus's proud words echoed in the night.

"Good opportunity!" Darren, seeing his chance, controlled his Green Zombie to charge at the now-defenseless Russell. But unfortunately for him, a black-haired young man blocked its path. It was Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

Darren couldn't believe it. "Why!? It's bad enough that you made a second creature card so quickly, but how can you control two at the same time!?"

Thanks to his extraordinary mental talent, Russell had recently, vaguely, touched the threshold of the bronze level. Controlling two Iron-level cards at the same time was a piece of cake.

Soon, Yoriichi replicated the scene from the ranking test, beheading the Green Zombie with a single, clean slice. But he did not press the attack, instead retreating quietly to Russell's side. Kaneki's situation was still unclear. If things were impossible, he would retreat with Russell.

The smoke gradually dissipated. A dark shadow extended from beneath the feet of Gus's vampire all the way to Kaneki's, holding him firmly in place. A bloodthirsty smile appeared on the vampire's face. The next moment, a red mist of blood burst from Kaneki's body.

Seeing this, Gus was certain he had won. "Kneel down and beg for mercy now," he said, "and I might give you another chance."

Darren looked at him in disbelief. He's still trying to recruit Russell? Is he really that good!?

Just as Darren was about to say something, he saw Gus's eyes suddenly widen, as if he had seen something impossible. He looked back and saw that a huge, new centipede tentacle had erupted from Kaneki's back, piercing clean through the vampire's body. At the other end of the tentacle was Kaneki, his expression one of pure rage.

An injury of that degree would have shattered an ordinary Black Iron card. But Kaneki was red-quality. [High-Speed Regeneration] was already knitting his wounds back together.

The next moment, the centipede's tentacles, like a mad dragon, rushed towards the terrified, cockscomb-haired young man.

(End of this chapter)

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