As the two combatants took their positions on opposite sides of the battlefield, Azrael finally observed Oliver's third card for the first time.
A heroic figure emerged clad in midnight-black armor that gleamed with supernatural energy. The warrior's imposing presence radiated power and confidence, clearly another of Oliver's self-created cards designed to complement his shadow-based fighting style.
Surge observed this familiar sight and shook his head with an amused smile. "Old Chai, it seems your Battle Club hasn't improved much. Why are you still using the same old trio?"
As higher education institutions within the same city, Southeast University's Battle Club had naturally clashed with Pixar University's team numerous times over the years. Oliver's card information had been thoroughly documented through previous encounters, making his tactical approaches predictable and well-understood.
Chisaki glanced at Surge with characteristic indifference. "They work well enough."
Surge's smile widened, but he refrained from further comment, clearly anticipating developments that would soon prove his point.
On the battlefield, as the serpentine dragon took to the skies and the shadowy humanoid dissolved into black liquid covering the ground, Azrael finally got a clear view of Hisham's summoned cards.
The bowl-cut student had manifested only two entities, a knight bearing an impressive shield and a middle-aged man wearing traditional Taoist robes. The combination struck Azrael as remarkably incongruous.
"What kind of combination is this?" Azrael thought with barely suppressed amusement. "A knight and a Taoist priest? Talk about mixing East and West."
Jea-Min voiced a similar observation from beside him. "Last time we faced Southeast University, he didn't have that Taoist priest card, did he?"
"Correct," Sun-Myun confirmed with obvious familiarity. "His knight card is tough as a turtle shell, but it lacks any real offensive capabilities."
In previous encounters, Hisham had operated with only his defensive knight card, often serving as little more than an intelligence gatherer. He couldn't eliminate opponents, but neither could they break through his defenses, a stalemate specialist who frustrated enemies without achieving decisive victories.
Azrael stroked his chin thoughtfully as he processed this information. Since Surge displayed such confidence about today's outcome, the newly acquired Taoist priest card must possess capabilities that would fundamentally alter Hisham's tactical effectiveness.
In the arena, dragons and shadows danced through the air as dark storm clouds gathered with increasing density overhead. The atmospheric pressure built steadily, creating an oppressive environment that seemed to pulse with barely contained energy.
Finally, as if reaching a critical threshold, a massive bolt of blue lightning crashed down from the roiling clouds to strike the armored warrior directly.
The black armor began glowing with intricate lightning patterns, crackling energy racing across its surface as blue light illuminated the heroic figure's determined features. Under the fascinated gaze of the assembled spectators, a spear of concentrated lightning coalesced in the warrior's gauntleted hand.
"Odin? Thor?" Azrael murmured as recognition dawned. "Oliver's card draws inspiration from Norse mythology."
The heroic figure bore clear resemblance to mythological thunder gods, though significantly weakened to fit within Silver-tier limitations. "Probably a simplified version," Azrael concluded analytically. "Otherwise it couldn't be created at Silver level."
Without warning, the lightning spear launched from the warrior's hand with devastating velocity.
In an instant, the crackling projectile had crossed the battlefield to arrive before the knight's position. With a resonant battle cry, a massive tower shield wreathed in golden radiance materialized before both the knight and the Taoist priest.
The black mud that had been creeping toward their position was immediately expelled by the shield's protective aura.
The lightning spear struck the tower shield with tremendous force, the collision generating electrical discharges that carved deep furrows in the ground around them. Sparks and energy crackled between the competing powers as divine lightning met earthly protection.
Before anyone present could fully process the exchange, several identical lightning spears materialized and hammered the tower shield in rapid succession. The armored warrior's body blazed with increasingly intense electrical energy, his form becoming almost too bright to observe directly.
Chisaki chuckled with obvious satisfaction. "Old Pan, this won't work. Oliver doesn't seem to feel any pressure at all."
Surge's mysterious smile never wavered as he remained pointedly silent, his confidence undiminished by the apparent one-sided nature of the battle.
Choi-Gyu watched the ongoing assault with obvious admiration. "As expected, Brother Oliver remains incredibly strong."
Sun-Myun's eyes flashed with poorly concealed jealousy before his features settled into a hypocritical smile. "Brother Oliver is our Battle Club's trump card, after all."
As he spoke, Sun-Myun cast a meaningful glance toward Azrael, a subtle reminder of hierarchies and established positions within their team structure.
Azrael frowned as he studied the battlefield dynamics, his tactical instincts detecting something fundamentally wrong with the situation. "This isn't right," he muttered with growing certainty.
The other three members turned toward him with obvious confusion. "What's wrong?" Jea-Min asked with genuine curiosity.
Azrael surveyed his teammates before explaining patiently, "Hisham's Taoist priest card hasn't made any significant moves since manifesting. It's impossible that they brought it just to spectate, right?"
Sun-Myun sneered dismissively. "Maybe the Taoist priest is simply suppressed by Brother Oliver's overwhelming power and can't act."
Azrael felt no inclination to argue further, instead returning his attention to the battlefield with focused intensity. His enhanced analytical capabilities suggested hidden layers to this confrontation that his teammates were missing entirely.
Black mud continued surging toward the golden tower shield in relentless waves, coordinating with the seemingly endless barrage of lightning spears to test the defensive barrier's limits. The combined assault created a spectacular light show that illuminated the arena with strobing electrical discharge.
Oliver was beginning to sense something amiss as well. Previously, Hisham had been limited to purely defensive tactics, able to endure punishment but never mount meaningful counterattacks. The addition of a new card should have fundamentally altered his capabilities, so why hadn't the Taoist priest demonstrated any offensive techniques?
After a moment of strategic consideration, Oliver issued mental commands to escalate the engagement.
The armored warrior now blazed with such intense lightning that direct observation became nearly impossible. The electrical aura surrounding his form pulsed with accumulated power that spoke of imminent devastating release.
Finally, as if crossing some invisible threshold, the heroic figure launched himself toward the tower shield with his entire body serving as a lightning-charged projectile.
The ground tore apart under the tremendous forces involved, while a deafening sonic boom echoed across the battlefield. Fortunately, everyone present possessed supernatural physiques that allowed them to endure the acoustic assault with only minor discomfort.
In mere moments, the warrior collided with the defensive barrier using his lightning-wreathed form as a living spear.
Electrical discharge several times more intense than previous attacks erupted from the point of impact, the violent energy hammering against the protective barriers surrounding the venue. Visible ripples spread across the containment field as it struggled to absorb the tremendous forces being unleashed.
Under such overwhelming assault, the previously impregnable tower shield began showing hairline cracks across its golden surface. The defensive barrier that had seemed unbreakable moments ago was finally showing signs of structural failure.
From the sidelines, Jea-Min observed the battle's progression with growing puzzlement. "Would Oliver normally use this technique so early in a match?"
Choi-Gyu's response carried casual indifference to such tactical considerations. "It's obviously a guaranteed victory anyway. Brother Oliver probably just wants to end things quickly."
Chisaki watched the ongoing combat with increasing seriousness, his experienced eye detecting subtle wrongness in the battle's development that his students were overlooking.
Finally, the deteriorating tower shield slowly dissipated into sparkling motes of golden light, leaving Hisham's cards apparently defenseless.
Oliver smiled with satisfaction as he observed his opponent's exposed position. "Victory is ours."
Before the armored warrior stood only a knight wielding a simple longsword and a Taoist priest whose expression remained coldly impassive despite his apparent vulnerability.
Just as the lightning-wreathed figure prepared to deliver the finishing blow, the electrical energy coating his form suddenly dispersed into harmless sparks.
Agonized cries echoed from overhead as the serpentine dragon began plummeting from the storm clouds.
Everyone from Pixar University displayed visible shock at this unexpected development, everyone except Azrael.
After all, this marked his first participation in inter-school Battle Club competition. He lacked familiarity with his own team's detailed card information, let alone comprehensive intelligence about opposing institutions' capabilities.
Oliver felt the mental connection to his draconic card enter cooldown status, his expression darkening as the tactical implications became clear. The situation had spiraled beyond his control with devastating suddenness.
However, the strangest aspect was that although the dragon had dissipated, the accumulated storm clouds remained hovering above the battlefield. Dark energy continued swirling within their depths, suggesting the weather manipulation had been sustained through entirely different means.
As Oliver considered the disturbing possibilities this represented, his features grew grim with the certainty of approaching defeat.
From the observation area, Azrael sensed the dragon's spiritual signature fade while noting how electrical energy continued crackling through the overhead clouds. His analytical assessment was delivered with calm certainty. "Senior Brother Oliver is going to lose."
Jea-Min maintained diplomatic silence rather than commenting on such a bold prediction, while Choi-Gyu and Sun-Myun stared at him with incredulous disbelief.
"How is that possible?!" they protested in unison, their voices carrying the shock of witnessing their fundamental assumptions being challenged.
The storm clouds above began rotating with increasing intensity, and Azrael realized that Hisham's true strategy was finally about to be revealed. Whatever the Taoist priest had been preparing during his apparent inactivity, its culmination promised to dramatically reverse the battle's outcome.
Surge's confident smile suggested he'd been anticipating this exact sequence of events from the beginning. Southeast University's secret weapon was about to demonstrate why their instructor had been so certain of victory against Pixar University's supposedly superior team.
The real battle was just beginning, and Oliver found himself facing an opponent whose capabilities he'd completely misjudged. The tables were about to turn in spectacular fashion.