Amidst his shielded body, Kairo noticed that the chaos had not stopped at the level of the card mage police ships but all over.
The whale of the underground card masters emitted a faint ultra sound. They were like waves moving freely in the air around them. Each time the birds dove down, they would avoid the whale and attack the freelance card mages.
"No wonder she is Selis." Kairo felt a tinge of envy in his heart. All he had to do for now was stand in front of the shield bearer as a tank.
But he wasn't very good at standing still. In the meantime, Kairo's mind was observing.
The freelance mages were the first to fall one after another. They were not as prepared as the big organizations and had little to protect themselves. The water body was rapidly filled with bodies floating above it.
On the surface, the humanoid figure would pop its head outward, observing furtively to check if it was being observed. Then it would drag the bodies into the depth of the water before disappearing again.
Kairo felt a chill run down his spine. "Surely a card fossil," Kairo commented. The more he observed, the more he felt something was off. Amidst his chaotic vision, he noticed that the volley of birds fell in four directions. To be precise, the four directions of the shield.
The protector armor was impenetrable, that is why Kairo had not been attacked for long. After finding out the thunder could not harm him, the birds had started focusing on the other four sides. Kairo's mind illuminated.
"They are not mindless beasts," he said.
This meant that the others were in greater danger than he was. Startled, he tilted his head to the south.
There Mirelle was facing off an aggressive wave of bird attacks. Each of their collisions made the lightning ripple just above her face.
Mirelle on her part never showed any sign of fear. Before the thunder could strike her, she would step into the mirror reflection and disappear, using it to redirect the waves of energy outwards, thus protecting the card mages.
"She should be just fine," Kairo said. Dragging his attention back to the east corner.
The card mages had gathered in a group. One was using a shield to tank through the attacks, while the other was using his flaming wings to direct the thunder his way. Before it could land on him, the card mage would tank with his shield. They were not as impressive as Mirelle but their coordination made them shine. This was the world of the reapers. They were like fish in water.
"The last corner then," Kairo murmured.
On this side, the card mages used a sort of mirror-like barrier around them, creating an extra shield. It was smaller and focused entirely on the main shield bearer. Their expressions were strained and their eyes painted with fear.
The explosions all over the water body had already made Kairo's ears numb. But this one did not. He lifted his head in the sky and his expression shifted drastically.
"Get out of the way!" he shouted.
His voice was loud enough to travel to that corner. The mages' alarms all jumped in different directions. When the debris of the helicopter fell on the shield, its sharp edges pierced through their shield, breaking it briefly.
It hammered on the ship's cuirass again and again.
The collision had been brief but it had been enough for a spark of the thunder storm above them to infiltrate. It moved like a living being, cracking and undulating around. Within seconds, miniature versions of the thunder bird began moving out, like crows flying away from danger, they began attacking the card mages in the shield.
"The helicopter from the ICMA. Damn these fools will get us all killed," Kairo cursed. He lifted his left arm. The Ember Sky was ready. As the birds flew outwards, Kairo fired with his left hand. There was a thunderous clap in between his palm.
The ray of the ember sky burst forth, travelling the void with unparalleled speed. Unlike with Selis's attack, it was less impressive but its power no less. The ember rays connected with the lightning field, causing it to shatter into thousands of sparkles midair.
The explosion made a sonic wave spread outward, dissipating all the thunder birds before they could attack the disoriented mages. Some blinked in surprise, eyes all falling back on Kairo. Although they wanted to say thank you, it was somehow stuck in their throat. The reapers stood up one after the other, reassuming their positions.
Kairo simply nodded at those who smiled at him and ignored the others. He wasn't expecting a thank you or anything. For him they were first and foremost card mage officers. This star on their shoulder was not just an insignia; it was the mark of their unity.
"Resume your position," Mirelle said, setting the group back in motion. Although she didn't say anything, Kairo didn't miss the smile in his direction. But Mirelle needed to stay professional.
The show was not far from their position. Selis and her group were the first to arrive. Thanks to their whale, they had little to no casualties.
"How many crazy cards does she have under her belt?" Kairo said, a tad frustrated. Their ship was the second to arrive at the shore. Next came the second ship where David and the others were. Some freelance card mages including the members of the OBH had managed to arrive intact among them.
Kairo noticed the Collector. They had a brief eye exchange before parting their way. "Card Zero is absent?" Kairo believed he was very close to the Collector and they would be together on the island. But he quickly found out he knew very little about Card Zero. "Is he really the killer of Sam's son?" This was something Kairo wanted to find out.
Kairo jumped onto the sand. A smile on his face, he wiped the water from his face. The card mage police had formed a group ahead and was currently forming teams. Kairo searched for Nyx in the chaos and soon found her.
After confirming she was okay, he noticed that the group was not advancing immediately into the mountain. Instead their attention was still focused on the water body behind them. "Strange." Surprised, Kairo and Nyx returned closer to the beach. That is when they noticed it.
Of all the groups, the members of the ICMA were the ones who had suffered the most. All of their helicopters were falling one after the other. Kairo could see card mages rock down from the destroyed apparatus. Before they could hit the water, the thunder birds would collide with them, causing their bodies to explode into thousands of particles. It was like it was raining red.
Kairo felt his hands tremble slightly. "We all knew what awaited us coming here," Nyx said.
"I know," Kairo added. All over the water body were bodies floating. Some in pieces, some whole. But most of them were still. The humanoid figure would pop out again and drag the bodies deep into the water, and that would be the last thing that was ever seen of them.
"They need help," Kairo said.
In the sky, there was a group of three helicopters that were still moving forward. Despite the carnage, they didn't retreat; instead they charged forward. The pilots' skills left the onlookers' mouths agape. They would maneuver the engine to spin and evade the birds by inches while they moved.
"They are aided by card magic but it will not be enough. They should stop now," Nyx added.
It was subtle, but the wings of the helicopter were guided by some sort of wind current, created by the card mage on the helicopter side. But Kairo and the others were certain it would not be enough. They had been ill prepared for this, Kairo thought.
The onlookers observed the chaos with detachment, some even smiling at the ICMA's despair. For them, if they could all die, it would be ideal. This would make less competition for chosen destiny.
"Just a bunch of mercenaries disguised as an association. Good for them."
"They are done for."
The hateful comments flowed again and again.
Kairo turned his back to leave, unable to keep looking at that.
In the sky, Kairo noticed the three helicopters soon entered a strange formation. "Is he going to jump?" Kairo asked.
As if answering his question, Sam was the first person to move. He actually jumped out of the helicopter, falling thousands of kilometers above the sky. For most of the onlookers, Kairo included, it was suicidal because the thunder birds would not miss them. And even if they did miraculously go through, the impact with the water at this level would kill them.
Before Sam and his group got too close to the ground, he flashed a card in his hand. Then the next thing they saw was the water splash upward, so high it blocked their entire line of sight, causing an artificial rain to fall.
Amidst the falling water, a massive figure emerged. It was like a humanoid figure standing up. In the watery storm, there were two red eyes.
The figure opened its mouth and let out a roar so powerful the entire beach trembled. When the water finally fell back, there was a massive golem in the water, moving on four feet like a monkey. The thunder birds dove again and again but were unable to break its defence. The golem swung its arms effortlessly, causing the entire sky to blow.
The birds were destroyed again and again. The winds were so intense that they blew away the sand. Kairo and his group were forced to step back to prevent the sand from blinding them.
"Looks like we've talked way too fast," Kairo murmured. He had been naive enough to think the main contestants were only the card mage police and the underground card masters. Now he had to reassess what he had seen. The Independent Card Mage Association was also part of the race. The Order of Bounty Hunters and even the freelance card mages could pose a threat.