Kairo found himself in a very difficult situation. With the engineers getting closer to the control panel and Nyx attacking him, he didn't know where to start. Kairo didn't want to harm any of them, thus kept evading Nyx.
Running to the side, he evaded Sifa's attack, getting closer to the engineers instead. He could not fight against her; without the pocket hourglass, if he went too hard on her, the consequences could be disastrous.
"What is going on, Kairo? Have you lost your will to fight?" Harid kept pestering him, eager for Kairo to make a mistake.
Kairo, on his part, was not a fool. Steeling his resolve against Harid's words, he kept Nyx out of range. With a flip of his finger, he summoned the Sand Paladin from the confines of its card. Around him, a storm of sand appeared, transforming the numerous particles into a stoic paladin.
Kairo's immediate objective was to evade Nyx and stop the engineers from getting close to the control panel.
"Sand Paladin, take them down without harm," Kairo ordered. Even if it didn't work, he would gain some minutes.
"It's useless to do that. They will stand up a minute later. You'll be better off trying to stop me, Kairo. What are you doing?" Harid said, his smile perfectly masquerading his intentions.
But Kairo expression tightened immediately, reading in between Harid's words. "The fool sold himself out," Kairo smirked. At first, it had just been a guess.
Kairo believed that if the subject was unconscious, then maybe the magic would have no effect on them, since it was a deal that made them forget the details. Technically, it had something to do with the brain or memory.
Armed with that knowledge, Kairo shot toward the engineers, determined to finish them off.
But Nyx was a real nightmare, he thought. Using Sifa, she sent it striking across the space, catching Kairo's foot midway. With a powerful swing, she yanked him backward, snapping his balance.
Kairo's body was flying backward, crashing into the machinery.
"Nyx, please, it's me, Kairo," he said, rising back to his feet. His head was heavy, as if his brain was striking on each side of his skull. But Nyx was oblivious to his plea, responding only to the call of Obey.
"Open the cells," Harid said to the zombie-like engineers. One after another, they placed their fingers on the control panel. It lit up like a charging bar—one percent slowly rising to twenty, then fifty.
Kairo could definitely not let this happen. Despite his shaking brain, he rose back to his feet. The Sand Paladin, however, had not obeyed his command this time and still stood without moving. Kairo could not understand what was wrong with him.
"What the hell are you doing still standing there?"
From the look of things, he could not count on the Sand Paladin anymore. It was like the Sand Paladin was broken or something. Kairo had no time to waste with him. Nyx, on her part, was blocking his path to prevent him from passing. If Kairo wanted to stop the engineers, he had no choice now but to harm her.
"I'm sorry," Kairo said inwardly. With another flip of his card, Animate was set in motion. Kairo used the broken machinery to pull a few of their cables from within, using them as a whip. Covered in tactical brilliance, he shot out.
It was like the water in the room was obeying Kairo's command. Under the power of Animate, the water parted away, clearing a perfect dry path for him. Then Kairo plugged the machinery cables into the water, sending waves after waves of electricity through the place.
Above the water, one could see white lines jumping up and down as the electricity soared through their bodies. One after another, the engineers and Nyx all fell to their knees, the impulse so violent many lost consciousness immediately.
Kairo left it on barely a few seconds—just enough to stop them and not to kill them—before throwing the cables away. The effect of Animate faded, and the water regrouped, recovering all the place, including him.
With Animate that had parted the water around him, Kairo had been safe, but even Harid had taken a hit. "This…" Harid was fuming with anger, barely standing on his two feet anymore. He didn't have the power to keep controlling Obey, and the card finally vanished, releasing all the engineers and Camilla.
"Nyx... are you okay?" Kairo disregarded everything, rushing to her side. He regretted deeply, but he could not have hesitated. The last time he did that, Corry almost killed him. Kairo moved out and caught Nyx in his arms before she fell into the water.
Her radiant expression had faded, leaving nothing more than a pale body and fading breath. "This is bad, Kairo. At this rate I won't be able to even the scores of saving you too," Nyx said with a smile, her voice barely audible, as if it would fade at any time.
Kairo's heart bled as if it had been the one taking the electric shock. "Still have the energy to tease me even in your state. Don't worry, it's almost over," Kairo smiled. He could understand why she thought that way, but he could not agree with it. Whether it was with Jed, or during the Trauma Storm, or even with the Surgeon, she had always acted for his safety. Their scores didn't need to be even for her. She had done more than enough, he felt.
"She will be okay. If we can get to a safe place, Danzan will be able to heal her," Camilla said. After examining Nyx for a few seconds, she added, "Yet we need to hurry. Her body has been under immense strain from the beginning. I understand anyone wanting to be a Card Mage, but this life is not for everyone. I've seen too many end on this path. We can't let this happen to her," Camilla said.
"We all knew the risk," Kairo nodded.
Camilla was right—the job of a Card Mage was indeed very risky. Many perished on missions each time. Yet the number of candidates never reduced. The pay was pretty decent, but that wasn't the main reason. For some, it was the thrill of adventure and curiosity about Card Magic, a little like Kairo. For some, it was family or a mixture of many reasons. And others like Nyx—it was simply a way out. Yet all of them worked for one reason: ensuring Card Magic stayed safe, and the people outside of its sphere too. This was their objective.
"Happy to see you safe, but always make sure your opponent can't move before rejoicing in a fight. Otherwise, you will die a horrible death," the muscular voice of Donsentos sounded, attracting all their attention.
He was holding Harid between his huge palms. The other party was kneeling underneath, barely able to lift his head anymore, while Harid's cards had been discarded by Donsentos to the side, ensuring he couldn't harm them.
"Inquisitor Mar, you're here! We are safe!" an engineer cried out, so joyful that tears were flowing down his cheeks. With Donsentos here, the horror was over. They were safe.
"You did take your time, Donsentos. I'm happy you're now free from the mind controller," Camilla said with genuine concern. Clearly, she too believed they were out of danger.
"Sorry, we've been careless," Kairo admitted. He had been so preoccupied by Nyx's condition he almost forgot to verify if his opponent could move anymore. Luckily, Donsentos arrived just in time—otherwise, they would have paid a great price for this mistake. He balled his fist in frustration. How could he make such a big mistake? His father would have been greatly dissatisfied if he had been here. Fortunately, he wasn't—Kairo consoled himself with that.
"Stay focused, Kairo," Donsentos said with an unusually serious expression. With a swift move, he knocked Harid unconscious, letting him fall face-first in the water. "The soul transfer ends once the subject loses consciousness. If he doesn't want to die, he'll have to return to his original body and stop sullying the one of our courageous officer," Donsentos said with a hint of sorrow in his voice. Clearly, the death of those officers was not leaving anyone well.
"He isn't calling us mushrooms anymore. Have we earned his respect?" Kairo was uncertain. Donsentos was not difficult to read, but he wasn't an open book either. Thus, he could only guess.
"Captain Donsentos, what is the plan?" a group of officers soon arrived after him, running in the water. They ran with great effort to catch up with Donsentos's speed. From their wounds and bruises, Kairo guessed they had all been through some rough ride until here.
"Can't you mushrooms run a little faster? The plan has changed," Donsentos said with a frown.
"What do you mean?" Kairo was confused. Although his muscles lightened when he saw Donsentos, the expression of the other party left him worried.
Donsentos just glanced toward the ceiling, pointing with his finger as if counting in seconds. All the officers, including Kairo and Camilla, were looking at him utterly speechless. What does he have in mind? Kairo asked inwardly.
When Donsentos counted the fifth finger, an ear-piercing alarm began ringing all over the submarine. As if summoned by him, the red alarm moved like a laser back and forth above their heads, signaling something terrible. Although Kairo could not yet tell what was happening, he knew red was the universal color for problems.
"Danzan has freed the prisoners," Donsentos said.
"What?" Kairo and the others almost fell on their heads.
A