Iya Continent: Card God

The main town of Döfir County.

As the main city of a county in the Kingdom of Modly, it boasts all the prosperity of the surrounding area. Transportation is seamless, with a constant flow of carriages and horses. All kinds of traded goods are readily available. Even at night, it remains brightly lit, its lights illuminating the sky.

Hal Cusk, the youngest and most powerful member of the Cusk family, sat with a worried expression on his face in the VIP seat on the balcony of the city's best restaurant. He had no appetite for the exquisite dishes on the table and listlessly looked at the bustling city.

Although he knew he still had a chance to regain power within the family, that chance was becoming increasingly difficult to grasp.

"Eh……"

Hal Kask groaned repeatedly, unable to escape regret and sorrow even though his father had told him what to do.

"Well, let's not overthink it. From now on, just do everything the patriarch has instructed us to do, and take it one step at a time. May the Lord God protect us..."

"Ok?"

Suddenly, Hal Kask's eyes flashed with a brilliant red flame.

The fireworks were dazzling in the sky, exceptionally eye-catching.

"This is……!"

Hal Kask was shocked. He recognized the fireworks; they were the magic potion he had given to the guards at the Longer Mountain Mine—a magical technique specifically used for signal transmission.

It's in use now. And the direction and distance are accurate.

"How could this be...?" Hal Cusk was still somewhat incredulous. How could there be unrest in that place as well? Is it real?

Whether it's true or false, Halkask didn't want to dwell on it. The management of the mine couldn't afford another mistake! Last time, they received the intelligence too late, leaving them with nothing to do. But this time was different.

Hal Kask set off immediately, heading to the manor to gather the family's knights and guards, and with lightning speed, rushed to the mine.

……

"Hiss! Ouch!" "Ta-da! Ta-ta-ta!!!"

Armored and mounted, they rode at full speed, aided by some kind of speed-enhancing magic potion, and arrived at the mine at top speed.

"Shut up!"

Hal Kask excitedly reined in the reins, his gaze fixed intently on the shimmering mine.

"Drink... Hoo...!"

Hal Kask took a deep breath, his eyes serious.

Inside the mine, there was no sound at all; it was eerily quiet.

A family knight volunteered, "Young master, I'll lead men in and storm in! Suppress the rebellion inside!"

"No, the enemy might be lying in ambush." ​​Hal Kaske immediately raised his hand to stop him.

He had once led his Silver Knights Ando and Bronze Soldiers to suffer heavy losses, and now he was wary. Even though the enemy now was not the same as the one before.

"call……!"

Hal Kask let out a long breath and took out the Twin Serpent Jewel Artifact. As the magic power was drawn out and consumed, the Twin Serpents transformed and snaked, climbing up the side of the mine wall and diving into the mine.

Although Hal Kask couldn't see the situation inside, he ordered the Twin Serpents to attack and kill any living people they saw. Chaos was inevitable inside; then he could lead his men in.

However, there was no sound of the two snakes attacking for a long time, nor any sound of turmoil or chaos.

Unwilling to continue depleting his magic power, Hal Caster immediately ended the transformation of the magical artifact, letting out a few deep breaths.

Looking completely bewildered, he said, "How...how could this be? They all escaped...so quickly..."

Based on his own deductions, the guards and soldiers here should be able to hold off the enemy for some time. He arrived at the first opportunity; the enemy couldn't have retreated so quickly. The slaves in the mine are almost all magic users. Could it be that they can all fly?

"Get in!"

Hal Kasker disregarded everything and led his knights and soldiers into the fray.

Upon entering, one finds a scene of utter devastation, with garrison soldiers lying in pools of blood.

There was absolutely no trace of enemies or miners.

"Young Master, what do we do now? Chase after them?"

Hal Kask was furious, gritting his teeth. Chase? Which way? Which direction?!

"Let's go back to the city. This is strange. Let's go back to the city first!"

The suppression team then rushed back to the city.

……

"Ta-da! Ta-ta-ta!" "Aww!"

When they arrived a few hundred meters outside the main city, they discovered that the main city was in turmoil, a major upheaval!

The shouts were fierce, and the sounds of weapons clashing echoed throughout the city.

"What?! What happened?!" Hal Kask's eyes widened, his face filled with shock and disbelief.

"Enter the city!"

At this moment, all he wanted was to enter the city and see what was going on. This was a city under the command of the Marquis of Doffier County; what could be the reason for such turmoil within its walls?

Upon entering the city, everything on the streets and in the shops was as usual, without any damage. None of the common people or merchants in the city were injured or killed in the turmoil, and they all curiously gathered towards the source of the sound, which seemed to originate from only one place: their own residence, the Castek Mansion!

"Clang! Clang!" "Clang clang clang!!!"

"Kill!"

Hal Kask rushed back to within two hundred meters of the patriarch's residence and immediately witnessed a shocking and astonishing scene.

A group of ragged, dusty "slaves," wielding various logging and digging tools as weapons, besieged the entire Cusk family mansion. The family was caught off guard by this sudden attack. There was simply no time to gather troops and manpower, and they could only rely on some of the family guards patrolling the city to resist.

However, the difference in numbers was enormous. Even though these people did not possess magic, their terrifying aura made even bronze and silver-level magic users tremble with fear.

Enraged, Hal Cusk immediately ordered his returning knightly guard to tear open a gaping hole from behind, inflicting heavy casualties on the rebellious slaves.

"Listen to my command..."

Just as Hal Kask was about to give the order, his warhorse suddenly pounded the ground, causing a violent tremor. With a cracking sound, the earth split open, and a gigantic maw emerged.

"Hiss!" "Roar!"

A gaping maw burst from the ground, devouring Hal Kaske.

"Ah...!" Hal Kask looked back in terror, unleashing all his attacks in that life-or-death moment. But these attacks had no effect on the black-scaled giant python's mouth; only its red tongue trembled, and its gaping maw seemed to swallow everything whole.

"Boom!"

Standing atop a towering building, Linta calmly observes all of this.

As the card-snake devoured Hal Kaske, the knights he brought back collapsed without a fight. One by one, upon seeing such a colossal monster, they fled in panic, not caring whether they had violated the family's death penalty law.

Linta naturally didn't bother with them, and they turned their gazes back to the entire Casac mansion.

This surging tide of resistance consisted entirely of innocent people captured by the Caster family, all of whom he had rescued overnight from various lumber mills and mines. He then used the "Space" teleportation power of his card to transport them here one after another.

"Clang! Clang!"

With the massive iron gates being pushed down and the clanging of metal echoing, they stormed into the Cusk family mansion.