The Elven Maiden’s Frenzy

Three cards were played in the blink of an eye, the last of which was [Reckless Charge].

Sovenia took a wide stride forward, pushing off with powerful force, launching into an explosive sprint.

Even though she exerted her full strength, she felt no sense of ‘exhaustion’.

This was because all ‘costs’ were covered by the cards.

The cards were her, and she was the cards.

A desire for slaughter, like a flickering flame, surged from the depths of her heart.

Her speed was astonishing.

It was so swift that even she was taken aback.

Though this elven maiden’s body was frail, the power erupting from her long legs was truly remarkable.

She charged towards the carrion hound attempting to flank her from the left.

The carrion hound attempting to flank her from the left was caught completely off guard, frantically digging its claws into the ground, desperately trying to halt its charge and turn to flee.

Yet she was already upon it, her Moonlit Blade tracing a silver arc as its edge slashed towards the carrion hound’s front leg.

A beastly howl, putrid blood splattering, the carrion hound shrieked as it recoiled, a sight that made it truly difficult to suppress the urge to pursue.

However, the sound of two sets of claws scraping the ground assailed Sovenia from behind.

Sovenia, ever prepared, pivoted her foot, observing two hounds lunging, one after the other.

They attacked almost simultaneously in quick succession, demonstrating remarkably seasoned coordination.

Nevertheless, Sovenia’s experience proved far more lethal than their combined efforts.

The minuscule gap between the two carrion hounds, inconsequential to others, appeared as a vast chasm in her eyes, easily exploitable.

Ignoring the sharp claws assailing her from behind, she precisely struck the nose of the carrion hound in front with a single sword stroke.

The hound, larger than any war mastiff, howled in agony; almost simultaneously, the second one lunged, shattering a fragile ice shield, though its momentum was momentarily checked.

Sovenia’s sword continued its trajectory without pause, its blade twisting in the air, the sharp edge coming to rest directly before the second carrion hound just as it lunged.

The blade sliced through flesh and hide, and the carrion hound howled as it retreated, leaving a pool of putrid blood on the ground.

As the remaining carrion hounds prepared to pounce, Sovenia swung her sword in a wide arc, forcing them back; they scattered, granting her a precious moment to breathe.

The turn ended.

****

Turn 2 began.

Three new cards materialized before her: [Daze], [Quick Strike+], and [Attack].

What a draw!

Sovenia felt a surge of delight.

[Daze] was a negative side effect of [Reckless Charge], possessing no intrinsic power itself, only causing the user a momentary dizziness while occupying a draw slot.

However, with [Evolve+] now in play—

[Daze] triggered [Evolve+], immediately allowing her to draw two additional cards.

The newly drawn cards were: [Attack] and [Double Tap].

Fortuitously, it was [Double Tap]!

Sovenia moved without hesitation, lunging forward with powerful strides, her Moonlit Blade held high; the three carrion hounds ahead almost instantly turned and retreated.

Yet Sovenia’s strike was a feint; her blade, having carved a circle, spun backward, her steps following the sword’s rotation until she faced the rear, where, as expected, she saw two more carrion hounds lunging.

She instantly activated [Double Tap], combining it with [Quick Strike+].

With a fluid motion, she swung her sword, a phantom blade trailing closely behind her Moonlit Blade, striking the hound’s head; this single stroke, inheriting the momentum from her feint, carried terrifying power.

Immediately afterward, the phantom blade passed through the sword itself, striking in tandem, precisely cleaving the same wound.

The frail carrion hound collapsed with a thud, unable even to let out a whimper.

As another carrion hound attempted a back attack, Sovenia withdrew her sword to parry, positioning the blade before the hound’s head and chest, and, retreating with her steps, effortlessly neutralized the assault.

Having activated [Quick Strike+] twice, its effect triggered twice, instantly granting her four new cards: [Defend], [Defend], [Attack], and [Fiery Strike+2].

‘Where was the 0-cost [Reckless Charge]?’ she wondered.

It wasn’t there.

Glancing down, she saw her draw pile was empty, and [Reckless Charge] remained in the discard pile.

‘My calculations were off!’ Sovenia cursed inwardly.

This veteran card player, who had played for a century, had miscalculated; her card-drawing ability simply wasn’t enough to cycle through her deck, drawing the 0-cost [Reckless Charge] repeatedly.

Only 1 energy remained.

Sovenia made an immediate decision, activating [Attack]; with a flick of her wrist, her sword once again carved a circle, her own strength combined with the power of the [Attack] card, slaying the injured carrion hound instantly.

The remaining three carrion hounds immediately turned to flee.

****

Turn 3 began.

The cards drawn were: [Quick Strike+], [Double Tap], and [Reckless Charge].

Since [Double Tap]’s effect had activated last turn, 1 energy was deducted, leaving her with only 1.

Another excellent hand.

Sovenia, exerting her full might, vigorously pursued an injured carrion hound; wantonly expending stamina in battle would ordinarily be a luxury, but with the cards ‘fueling’ her, she could indulge in such extravagance indefinitely.

As the carrion hound turned its head, Sovenia slew it with a single sword strike, immediately activating [Double Tap] and [Reckless Charge], rushing towards the nearest hound; the blade and its phantom counterpart sliced through its ribs, causing it to collapse dead.

The twin activations of [Reckless Charge] added two [Daze] cards to her draw pile.

Only one carrion hound remained, fleeing swiftly and far.

A flicker of madness gleamed in Sovenia’s eyes as she charged once more.

****

Turn 4 began.

Drawing [Daze], [Daze], and [Attack], [Evolve] triggered twice, allowing her to draw four cards, instantly emptying her draw pile.

With [Fiery Strike+2] in hand, the dizziness from drawing [Daze] paradoxically plunged her into a bloodthirsty euphoria, making her run even faster.

The carrion hound sensed Sovenia’s ‘killing intent,’ its four limbs blurring into shadows as it ran.

Yet Sovenia, relying on her long legs, managed to overtake the carrion hound across the uneven ground.

However, the carrion hound leaped towards a dog-hole beneath a wall ahead; Sovenia judged that the distance between them would only allow her one strike, and in her urgency, she played [Fiery Strike+2].

A layer of pale white flames suddenly ignited upon the Moonlit Blade, magical energy coalescing along its length with a resonant hum.

She brought her sword down, unleashing 3.5 times her attack damage.

The sword’s tip barely grazed the carrion hound’s rear before the energy of [Fiery Strike] violently detonated.

The beast, vibrant with life just a second before, had its lower half instantly transformed into a gruesome fireworks display of flesh and blood, only its front half, propelled by inertia, plunging into the dog-hole, its entrails splattering around the opening.

Sovenia couldn’t stop her momentum, reaching out to brace herself against the wall, finally halting beside the dog’s bisected corpse, gasping for breath.

The battle concluded.

****

The Ever-Changing Deck once again receded into the depths of her soul.

Three random bronze cards floated before her eyes; she glanced at [War Cry], [Blinding Flash], and [Heavy Blade]—all trash, so she dismissed them without a second thought.

Sovenia sensed something amiss, yet couldn’t quite recall what it was, only that it seemed related to her sword.

She looked down at the Moonlit Blade in her hand, still gleaming brilliantly and emitting a faint glow, as if bathed in moonlight.

There were still nicks and chips, but it was of no concern; magical weapons repaired themselves.

‘Wait, the sword… Fiery Strike…’ she mused.

‘I remember having only 1 energy left in the fourth turn, considering I used [Double Tap] last turn.’

‘Then why was I able to use the 2-cost [Fiery Strike+2]?’

‘Could it be that in my desperation, I instinctively comprehended [Fiery Strike+2], making up for that missing 1 energy?’

This wouldn’t be unusual; in her previous life, she had learned techniques through cards.

Perhaps this elven maiden’s body possessed innate talent and magic.

The accompanying sensation of profound exhaustion was now also explained.

However, Sovenia couldn’t be bothered to learn Fiery Strike; time was short, and even if she did, it wouldn’t compare to the power she would regain upon acquiring her male body’s head.

She took a deep breath and turned to leave, the strewn carrion hound corpses stirring a sense of murderous satisfaction within her heart.

Yet this satisfaction was markedly less than what she felt in her previous life as a Heavenly King.

Soon, she became aware of something else—

Hunger.

Her stomach rumbled incessantly, and her body, weakened and fatigued from the intense exertion and the magical expenditure of wielding the Fiery Blade, pulsed with discomfort.

This sensation filled her with immense irritation and disgust.

‘Something is missing…’ she realized.

The realization struck her instantly.

In the past, such a satisfying slaughter would have seen her Four Gods-blessed body instantly sate her hunger and thirst, soothe her weariness, and fully nourish her soul with blood.

But now… after the killing, only an empty, burning sensation in her stomach remained, coupled with the profound, debilitating weakness of this body.

Sovenia scorned inwardly, ‘Frail elven maiden’s body!’

She turned and walked to the door, her Moonlit Blade resting on her shoulder, and knocked with one hand.