“The hell is that…?” asked Cha Yeon-Joo who had taken out her chains to prepare for battle.


    “No idea.”


    Oh Kang-Woo expected a bloodbath to occur from the bloodlust the chimera was exuding but he had not expected this turn of events— no, who could have possibly expected a menacing three-meter chimera to take out a deck of cards instead of its fangs and claws?


    “What… are you doing? Why aren’t you putting on your Disk?”


    ‘I don’t even know what that even is.’


    “I don’t have this Disk thing you keep mentioning,” Kang-Woo replied.


    “Hah! A petty trick to avoid a Duel, I see! You have one right there!”


    “Oh.”


    Kang-Woo raised the odd-looking shield.


    “Alright! Hurry up and place your deck in the Disk and pull out your card!!!”


    “...”


    “What’s wrong? Are you planning on running away from a sacred Duel?”


    “Running away, my ass. I don’t even want to play.” Sёarch* The novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    “Wh-What? You don’t want to duel?” The Chimera’s six eyes widened in disbelief. “Hmm. If you have no intention of dueling…”


    “Yeah, let’s settle this with an old-fashioned physical brawl—”


    The chimera cut Kang-Woo off as he selected one of the five cards in his hand.


    “I will make the first move.”


    “The fuck?”


    “My turn!”


    “...”


    Kang-Woo gave up and observed what the otherworldly chimera was doing.


    “I summon Lakkari Warrior in attack position!”


    The chimera placed the card on one of the Disk’s grooves. A monster wielding a grotesque sword appeared on the ground out of nowhere.


    “I then set two cards face down and end my turn!”


    Kang-Woo’s turn had arrived but he couldn’t do anything.


    The chimera smiled nastily as he watched Kang-Woo standing still and doing nothing.


    “Hmph. If you don’t pull out a card, my turn begins automatically.”


    “Bro, I don’t even have any cards.”


    “Well, then, my turn again!” The chimera waited for two minutes and stretched his arm forward. He shouted confidently, “Pierce the enemy’s heart, warrior of hell!!”


    “GRRRRRR!!!”


    The warrior summoned from the Disk charged at Kang-Woo with its grotesque greatsword.


    “Hyung-nim, this is…”


    “Yeah. It looks like he can attack with monsters summoned from that Disk thing.”


    Kang-Woo smiled as he stared at the charging warrior.


    This world known as Zexal had a method to summon monsters displayed on those cards like magic and it was common sense to engage in combat through them.


    ‘In other words.’


    Kang-Woo didn’t need to rely on cards or a Disk as long as he destroyed the monsters himself.


    It was no different from fighting against a necromancer or summoner. He could win without playing the stupid card game if he defeated the monsters summoned through the Disk and the chimera along with them.


    “I will face it, hyung-nim.”


    “No, I’ll go,” Kang-Woo interjected as he blocked Kim Si-Hun pulling his sword out from his waist.


    He was fairly impressed by the purple aura the chimera had exuded so he was also hoping his summon to be just as strong.


    “Well, even so…”


    Kang-Woo charged at the warrior. He created a black blade using the Authority of Blades.


    Slash!!!


    He raised it high and swung it down without hesitation.


    “GRRRRRRRRRR!!”


    “...!”


    Kang-Woo stared wide-eyed at the monster holding a greatsword. Not only did it not die from his attack but it was completely unscathed.


    The Lakkari Warrior’s greatsword slashed Kang-Woo’s torso before he could even finish his thought.


    “...”


    However, it only went through him.


    “The hell…?”


    Kang-Woo extended his arm and touched the monster. His hand went through it as if it were a hologram.


    It wasn’t just like a hologram— it was a hologram.


    “He… wasn’t a summoner?”


    “YOU BASTAAAAAAAAAARD!!!” the chimera bellowed. “IT’S PROPER MANNERS TO MAKE A CORRESPONDING RESPONSE IF YOU TAKE DAMAGE TO YOUR LIFE POINTS!!!”


    “...”


    “You… never mind.”


    Kang-Woo was about to argue but shook his head, not wanting to go through the trouble.


    He needed to plunge this world into despair as soon as possible to fulfill Midir’s awakening conditions.


    They would fall into despair on their own if he beat them all senseless. All lifeforms fell into despair from pain.


    Kang-Woo walked toward the chimera, ignoring the hologram fervently swinging its greatsword at him.


    “I don’t have time to waste playing card games so let’s finish this quick.”


    “Urgh! Wh-What do you think you’re doing?!”


    Kang-Woo walked up to the chimera and broke the Disk on his arm.


    “AAAAHHH!! M-MY CARDS!!!”


    “...”


    Kang-Woo was swept with an inexplicable sense of guilt as he watched the chimera picking up the cards scattered on the ground.


    Kang-Woo would somewhat understand if real monsters could be summoned with them but that wasn’t the case. Those cards were made purely for the sake of .


    “ M-My cards…”


    The chimera bawled his eyes out as he embraced his cards that ripped from the impact.


    Kang-Woo was overflowing with guilt.


    His heart felt heavy as the chimera cried because his cards were torn.


    “Mmm… Hey, Oh Kang-Woo. Do we have to go this far?”


    “A-Ahem. I-I’m getting a little depressed.”


    Yeon-Joo and Si-Hun looked down at the chimera with guilt, feeling the same way as Kang-Woo.


    “Tsk… We have no other choice.” Kang-Woo clicked his tongue after some thought and pulled out Midir.


    However guilty he felt, he had no choice but to create despair to fulfill Midir’s awakening conditions.


    Kang-Woo brought Midir close to the crying chimera and commanded, “Eat this guy’s despair.”


    [Huh?] Midir’s voice echoed in Kang-Woo’s head. [What are you talking about? There’s no despair for me to eat.]


    “What do you mean? It’s right there.”


    Even now, the chimera was making a fountain of tears as he held his ripped cards.


    [Hmph. That’s sorrow. It’s different from despair.]


    “What?”


    “You bastard… I will never forgive you!! One day… I will make you pay for this!”


    The chimera stood up and glared at Kang-Woo with thick bloodlust.


    “Haaa,” Kang-Woo sighed.


    He felt guilty from seeing the chimera crying as he embraced his torn cards but he could ignore such feelings as long as he accomplished his goal.


    “Why wait until one day?” Kang-Woo remarked.


    “Wh-What?”


    “If you want revenge for your cards, act now by using your body,” said Kang-Woo as he pointed at the menacing spikes on the chimera’s elbows.


    The chimera seemed far stronger than the holographic monster he created.


    Kang-Woo mockingly stared at the chimera shaking like a vibrator.


    “A-Are you suggesting we… f-fight hand-to-hand?”


    “What else could I be suggesting?”


    “Y-You damn barbarian!!!”


    “If you call yourself an honorable Duelist, fight fair and square with a Duel!!!”


    “Wha—”


    The chimera was three meters tall, was covered in a hard shell, had sharp claws, and even those menacing spikes on his elbows. The otherworldly resident who looked as if he were born for battle was trembling like a scared rat.


    Kang-Woo feigned laughter and raised his fist. If the chimera wouldn’t fight, Kang-Woo had no choice.


    “I’m sure you’ll change your mind after a beating.”


    “Kurgh!! Urgh!! Gaaaahhh!!”


    A merciless beating commenced. Kang-Woo held back as much as possible so he wouldn’t kill the chimera by accident but the chimera did not put up any resistance.


    ‘Let’s see for how long you can keep that up.’


    Even a rat would attack a cat if it were cornered. No matter how unwilling the chimera was to brawl, he would change his mind once he continued getting beaten up one-sidedly.


    Ten minutes passed.


    “Gurgh… Argh… Grrrrk.”


    “Goddammit…”


    “M-Mmm…”


    “Th-This is a bit…”


    Kang-Woo’s comrades were averting their gazes from the beating and sighed, unable to keep watching. Even if it was to save Earth, they felt bad watching someone who had no intention of fighting, getting beaten up senselessly.


    “Haaa.”


    Even Kang-Woo was feeling unpleasant.


    Extreme pain was bound to bring about despair.


    “Midir, eat this guy’s despair.”


    [There’s nothing to eat, though…]


    “What?”


    [I said, there’s no despair for me to eat. This guy isn’t despairing at all.]


    “...”


    Kang-Woo grabbed his forehead as if his head hurt.


    “Kurgh… Th-There’s no point… in b-being b-barbaric…” The chimera, covered in blood, glared at Kang-Woo with his six eyes. He continued, “We warriors of Zexal… will n-never despair… unless w-we have lost a D-Duel…!!!”


    “...”


    The chimera had just proven his words were no bluff.


    “Wh-What should we do now, hyung-nim?” asked Si-Hun in panic.


    “What else…?” Kang-Woo sighed deeply. He walked over to the collapsed chimera and crouched next to him. “Where can we get these cards?”