Chapter 2933: Veerott: A Hunter Among Warriors.

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

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

"Wyatt, are you alright?"

For perhaps the first time since I had met her, Petra sounded genuinely panicked. Her eyes remained fixed on the fist-sized hole in my chest.

A moment ago, Seraphine had confidently declared that the Southern Hope could only be truly killed by destroying his mutated Ego Gem. Petra had heard every word. Unfortunately, she had been so focused on dealing with Aero that she had forgotten they were still surrounded by enemies. Veerott had capitalized on that mistake perfectly.

"I’m alright," I replied calmly. My gaze shifted toward Veerott. Unlike the others, I wasn’t focused on the mutated Ego Gem currently sitting in Seraphine’s hands. I was focused on him.

More specifically, on the fact that he no longer appeared affected by the One Thousand Curse Fields. Actually, that wasn’t entirely accurate. He hadn’t been affected for quite some time. The signs had been there all along. The subtle changes in his movements. The way he had patiently observed the battlefield instead of actively participating. He hadn’t broken free from the effects of my curse field moments ago. He had escaped them long ago.

Veerott had simply waited patiently and silently. Without informing Seraphine and Aqualas. Without revealing a single clue. He had endured the entire battle while waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

That level of patience was terrifying. Far too terrifying for a Viltronian. Everything I knew about Viltronians suggested they were direct and straightforward warriors who preferred crushing obstacles head-on.

Veerott was different. He was too cautious, methodical, and patient for a Viltronian. He was like a hunter who could remain motionless for years if it increased his chances of success by a single percent. It went completely against my perception of Viltronians. Maybe it was the environment he grew up in. Back on Viltron, the Viltronian had no equals, here in the Card World as refugees it was different, he had to get smarter if he wanted to survive.

Veerott wasn’t just smart but no longer a normal Viltronian that only relied on their one of a kind physique. He practiced active soul control percentage, even though he didn’t contract grimoire. I’m guessing he couldn’t and later didn’t since the grimoires were regulated and monitored by the state.

However, he had forged his Viltronian Core into a mutated Ego Gem. Then he had gone even further and transformed it into a Divinity.

That evolution had fundamentally changed him.

Much like Jaya, his mutated Ego Gem appeared to grant him immunity to various rules and external influences. After ascending to Divinity, that immunity had evolved into something even more troublesome: a form of Invariability.

The ability to remain unchanged, to reject outside influences, to refuse alteration, to deny the authority of foreign influences. It was everything I feared about when I imagined what a ruler class Viltronian would be capable of. Veerott was living proof that my concerns had been justified.

There was more. Veerott had achieved One with the World State. That meant he didn’t merely possess soul energy, rule power, and Intent sense. He also had access to the Celestial Force itself.

How was I so certain? Because the Card Celestial didn’t discriminate against those who entered this world through dungeons, the monsters were perfect examples of this. More importantly, the fact that Veerott had successfully achieved One with the World State within the Card World proved that the world itself accepted him.

And if the world accepted him, then there was no reason the Card World’s Celestial Force would reject him.

Veerott could definitely borrow and wield it. In fact, he was currently maintaining One with the World State, ready to enter battle at a moment’s notice.

Through my Soul Pupils, I could see traces of Celestial Force flowing through him. Viltronian strength was already absurd on its own. Celestial Force only amplified its advantages further. The two complemented each other perfectly, creating a warrior capable of overwhelming opponents through both brute force and absolute authority. The combination was simply terrifying.

As our eyes met, I noticed a faint twinkle in his gaze. There was excitement and anticipation in them. He wanted to fight me and not because he hated me. He simply wanted to fight a worthy opponent.

Now that’s the Viltronian I remember. A smile crept onto my face. This was going to be fun. Truthfully, I wanted the same thing. For a long time, the concept of Ruler- Class Viltronian Invariability had lingered in the back of my mind like a nightmare. Now, I finally had the chance to determine whether those fears had been justified.

But first... I shifted my attention to Seraphine and asked, "Didn’t we agree to a truce and go our separate ways?"

"You want a truce now?" she sneered. "Just surrender or prepare to die."

Without hesitation, she rejected the very proposal she had made moments ago.

"Alright. Do what you must. I won’t surrender."

I merely shrugged. Seeing my reaction, Petra looked ready to argue, but I discreetly signaled for her to remain quiet and follow my lead.

Fortunately, she understood. Meanwhile, Seraphine and Veerott frowned. Something about my attitude bothered them. Both immediately inspected my body using their intent senses, checking if another Ego Gem was hidden somewhere within me or something.

They found nothing. No secondary core, no contingencies, nothing at all. Which only made them more suspicious. Neither of them believed I was foolish enough to bluff in a situation like this.

"Go ahead," I encouraged. "Do your worst."

For a brief moment, Seraphine hesitated. Then her eyes hardened. Without another word, she crushed the mutated Ego Gem in her hand, saying, "Fine. If that’s what you want."

The crystal shattered instantly. Fragments scattered through the air. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Truthfully, Seraphine would have preferred to capture me alive. Unfortunately, she knew that was far beyond her current abilities. Killing him was already a tremendous achievement.

Or so she believed. The moment the Ego Gem shattered, my body reacted, cracks spread across my skin, my flesh crumbled, and then my entire body turned to ash and dispersed into the wind.

Silence descended upon the battlefield. For a brief moment, victory seemed complete. Then Seraphine’s expression changed. The One Thousand Curse Fields remained active. The countless ruler-class curse fields still blanketed the battlefield. The suppression effects remained intact and the field continued operating flawlessly.

Nothing had changed. And there was only one possible explanation for that.

I was still alive. The realization struck Seraphine like a hammer. Her face instantly lost color, knowing she overplayed her hand.

"Fuck."

At that moment, she regretted rejecting the truce more than anything else.