The enormous giants stood motionless at the edge of the barrier, their icy aura instantly transforming the entire arena from summer to winter. However, once the protective barrier covering the battleground became fully operational, the temperature within the arena gradually returned to normal. Otherwise, many spectators would have surely caught cold from the sudden chill.
"Speaking of which, if they're a couple," Azrael suddenly asked, looking thoughtfully at the two giant cards belonging to Mikeala, "could their ability be to create another being together?"
Upon hearing this provocative question, the Pixar University bench fell into a momentary, awkward silence.
Jea-Min, standing nearby, seemed to have a sudden realization and quickly pushed up her black-framed glasses to conceal her growing embarrassment.
Only Oliver, after a moment's careful deliberation, said with complete seriousness, "Can such content even be broadcast live on television?"
"Is it actually possible?" Azrael said with genuine hesitation in his voice.
The Empire of Aetherlight didn't enforce particularly strict broadcasting regulations these days. After all, brothels still existed openly, so such suggestive acts on live television wouldn't necessarily be a major issue for censors.
Azrael glanced back at the stage thoughtfully. "Speaking of which, should we be using the 'forbidden' content tag for this?"
Giant. Outsider. Heavy Preference.
"..."
Seeing the conversation spiraling further and further away from the actual match at hand, Chisaki coughed pointedly, effectively halting the inappropriate discussion.
These words might seem private among teammates, but the competition was still ongoing and being broadcast. If outsiders or officials overheard such commentary, Pixar University's reputation and image would be severely damaged.
Stare.
An inexplicably intense gaze suddenly reached Azrael, and he turned curiously to see it was his senior sister Alice. He chuckled nervously and fell silent immediately.
It was mainly because Alice had been so unusually quiet throughout the tournament that he had almost completely forgotten her intimidating presence.
On the battlefield, Kevaugn also summoned his own carefully prepared cards: Yaksha, Asura, and a dignified woman gracefully holding a traditional pipa instrument.
After being soundly defeated by Azrael in their previous encounter, he had learned his harsh lesson and painstakingly crafted another strategic card, still basing his entire combat strategy on the legendary Eight Divisions of Buddhism.
The main tactical reason was that the cards he personally crafted weren't of particularly high quality, mostly remaining at purple-tier level, requiring him to rely heavily on intricate card bonds to compensate for some of their inherent strength limitations.
As for Kevaugn's mysterious third card, Azrael and the other experienced players naturally recognized its true mythological name.
Eight Divisions: Kinnara.
Azrael had previously discovered, during his intense battle with Kevaugn, that the Eight Divisions bond provided a permanent defensive ability that couldn't be easily broken.
It functioned more like a significantly weakened version of Fubuki's legendary Telekinetic Barrier technique.
Calling it merely a weakened version wasn't entirely accurate, however, as the Eight Divisions was fundamentally a bond effect. While its raw defensive power wasn't nearly as strong as Fubuki's personal ability, it crucially didn't drain Kevaugn's precious mental energy reserves during prolonged combat.
Therefore, Kevaugn's current overall combat power was quite respectable for his level, representing a well-balanced, versatile fighting type.
Seeing Kevaugn's three human-sized cards barely reaching the towering Frost Giants' massive ankles, Azrael's eyes twitched involuntarily. "Is this classic David versus Goliath strategy really going to be that effective against such overwhelming size?"
With that concerning thought, the official battle finally began in earnest.
The crisp, melodious sound of a skillfully played pipa filled everyone's ears, as Kinnara performed ethereal string music with her eyes peacefully closed in concentration.
Meanwhile, both Asura and Yaksha had visibly bulked up considerably. Surrounded by floating pale golden Buddhist scriptures, their once naturally ferocious faces gradually took on a more majestic, divine appearance.
But the next scene that unfolded left Azrael completely frozen in stunned disbelief. "You've absolutely got to be kidding me right now!"
He hadn't previously witnessed a large-scale battle between giants before, but the manifestation he feared had indeed appeared dramatically on the battlefield.
Amidst a shimmering, otherworldly icy atmosphere, numerous small, seemingly mindless giant creatures gradually materialized and appeared on the expansive stage.
Soon, including the two original Primordial Frost Giants, there were exactly thirty giants crowding the field, though twenty-eight of them were merely mindless, instinct-driven humanoid creatures.
The national tournament venue was fortunately spacious enough to accommodate such numbers; otherwise, it wouldn't have been physically able to contain so many massive Frost Giants simultaneously.
Even so, Kevaugn's expression visibly darkened as he assessed the overwhelming odds.
His carefully chosen Eight Divisions cards completely lacked any meaningful area-of-effect attack capabilities whatsoever.
Directly breaking through the enormous giant horde and somehow eliminating the two mighty Primordial Frost Giants wasn't realistically achievable, especially when every single one of them clearly exuded a threatening Silver-level aura.
"Kevaugn is in serious trouble now," Oliver said gravely, his voice heavy with concern. He genuinely hadn't expected Mikeala, who had performed so unremarkably in all the previous tournament rounds, to suddenly resort to such overwhelming tactics.
By this critical time, none of the Pixar University players cared anymore about Azrael's earlier inappropriate joke.
Azrael had also finally come to understand Mingke University's carefully planned strategy. In the previous tournament rounds, when their opponents were considerably weaker, Olek would deliberately expose his own cards to deal with them efficiently, strategically allowing Mikeala to completely conceal her own powerful trump cards.
Now, facing the genuinely formidable Pixar University team, Mikeala, well known for her exceptional high attrition potential, would logically be the first player to take the field.
On the battlefield, amidst the increasingly intense and hypnotic sound of the skillfully played pipa, Yaksha, Asura, and the summoned Giants violently clashed together in combat.
Although Azrael's earlier card comparison had referenced the classic David versus Goliath biblical story, the Eight Divisions was, after all, a genuinely silver-tier bond effect. There was absolutely no problem with dealing effectively with these mindless creature summons.
In a matter of mere moments, several Giants completely vanished from the battlefield in defeat.
"Not bad at all, they can actually fight properly!" Kevaugn was genuinely delighted at the encouraging scene unfolding before him.
However, what happened immediately next instantly chilled his spirits and dashed his hopes.
Amidst thunderous roars, several fresh Giants appeared directly beside the two commanding Primordial Frost Giants, bringing the total number of Giants right back to twenty-eight.
"As long as there's sufficient mental energy available, can they be replenished continuously without limit?" Azrael speculated thoughtfully, glancing directly at Mikeala, who appeared completely unfazed by the ongoing battle.
But seeing her utterly unburdened expression and calm demeanor, he couldn't help but completely overturn his initial assumption.
"Even if it were me with my abilities, maintaining this sheer number of Silver-level beings would be an incredible struggle."
"So either she's naturally as gifted as I am, or there's absolutely no cost to pay whatsoever."
"Could it be a bond effect?"
Azrael sighed deeply, quietly waiting for the inevitable outcome.
The ensuing battle unfolded exactly as he had grimly predicted. Even though Kevaugn heroically slew over a dozen Giants through skill and determination, the total number of Giants stubbornly remained at exactly twenty-eight.
And even after replenishing so many powerful Silver-level Frost Giants, Mikeala remained completely unfazed and showed no signs of exhaustion.
"So they can only be defeated with large-scale, overwhelming attacks," Azrael speculated logically. "But they should definitely know about Lily's devastating Noble Phantasm ability, right?"
He pondered this tactical situation carefully. Logically, with such a clear and obvious weakness, the enemy team wouldn't be completely unprepared for that specific threat.
Thinking of this strategic concern, he whispered quietly to Oliver, "Oliver, you're going next into battle."
"Remember to test their defenses with a large-scale lightning attack first."
Oliver was genuinely stunned by this decision. He had naturally thought Azrael would be the next player to go onto the field. After all, the current overwhelming situation was seemingly best handled by Lily's power. "Do you have any specific ideas or strategy?"
Upon hearing this direct question, Azrael shared his complete theory with the other team members.
Oliver's face became solemn with understanding. "I understand the plan completely. I'll do my absolute best to find out their capabilities."
With that firm commitment, he stood up determinedly and approached the official battle table.
The familiar combination of the black-armored youth, the serpentine dragon, and the mysterious black mud reappeared on the battlefield once again.
Azrael still didn't know the specific mythological names of Oliver's powerful cards.
On the elevated stage, the dragon serpent gracefully took to the air and began to dance with fluid movements. However, due to the sheer overwhelming size of the two Primordial Frost Giants, it nearly got caught and crushed several times.
Fortunately, dark storm clouds eventually gathered ominously overhead. Surges of brilliant lightning raced through them dramatically, causing a slight but noticeable commotion among the giants gathered below.
Azrael's eyes narrowed with keen interest. "Are they really naturally weakened by lightning attacks?"
In traditional Norse mythology, Thor is considered the natural enemy of all giants, both frost and fire giants alike.
The only giant who could potentially rival mighty Thor is Jormungandr, the legendary World Serpent.
That assumes, of course, that Thor isn't merely "For the Glory of the Northern God," and Jormungandr isn't simply just an ordinary serpent.
Of course, the creature before him wasn't weak either by any measure.
So, Azrael wasn't particularly surprised that the giants before him showed clear fear of lightning.
That's precisely why he had sent Oliver to the field first as a test.
On the sidelines, Oliver naturally noticed the giants' subtle but unmistakable fear and felt genuinely reassured, "It seems I can still defeat them decisively even without requiring Azrael's direct intervention."
Even as he thought this confidently, the armored youth on the field, completely wreathed in crackling lightning, charged boldly towards the assembled giants.
Human-like fear shone clearly across the faces of all twenty-eight Frost Giants, their previously bestial expressions now etched with unmistakable terror.
But amid the commanding roars of the two mighty Primordial Frost Giants, they finally mustered the courage to directly confront the approaching armored youth.
However, psychological fear inevitably betrays the physical body.
A brilliant flash of lightning instantly pierced through the bodies of several giants and reached the two towering Primordial Giants.
Just as Oliver thought his card was about to score a decisive victory, he caught a troubling glimpse of Mikeala, standing calmly nearby, still completely unfazed.
"...?"
In the battlefield, lightning far more violent and intense than before suddenly erupted dramatically, illuminating the entire area in front of the two Primordial Giants with an eerie pale blue glow.
"Crack!"
The pale Primordial Giant stood completely motionless, silently watching the black-armored youth approach them and thrust his lightning spear forward.
Scattered lightning carved violently across the ground, leaving distinctive streaks of charred black earth.
But when the lightning finally dissipated completely, the scene in the field fell into dead, stunned silence.
A small wooden boat, shimmering with brilliant golden light, swayed peacefully before Bergelmir.
All of the black-armored youth's previous powerful attacks had been completely blocked by the mysterious wooden boat.
The two Primordial Giants remained entirely unharmed.
Lúr.
In traditional Norse mythology, the vessel that carried Bergelmir and his wife safely to Jotunheim was depicted.
Azrael quickly flipped through the original Edda texts he had carefully memorized, finding the specific reference to the wooden boat.
It was called a small boat, but that was only in direct comparison to the massive size of the Primordial Giants themselves.
"Does it really have the defensive capabilities to withstand large-scale attacks?" Azrael breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as we can test it thoroughly, that's good for our strategy."
"The only thing I'm truly afraid of is that they have other dangerous tricks up their sleeves."
With the entire group of summoned giants completely wiped out, the two Primordial Giants had no choice but to take matters into their own massive hands.
If anyone foolishly thought Bergelmir and his wife were merely reproductive tools, they would be in for a very rude awakening.
Just like the young man in black armor right now.
A giant palm, so absolutely massive it could be described as blotting out the sun and sky entirely, descended from above, its icy aura causing the young man to feel his mind begin to freeze.
Fortunately, the mysterious black mud managed to drag him out of the Primordial Giants' devastating attack range.
Watching the slowly recovering group of giants, Oliver's heart sank with despair.
The previous lightning attack was the strongest he could possibly muster with his current abilities.
"Is this really the end for me?"
He couldn't help but think that defeatist thought. It was genuinely uncertain whether Lily's powerful Noble Phantasm could actually penetrate their mysterious defenses.
If it couldn't break through, even someone as incredibly powerful as Azrael would be slowly worn down through attrition.
Just like him right now.
As the black-armored young man was exhausted and completely overwhelmed by the giants, Oliver's eyes gradually dimmed with defeat.
His mood now was as gloomy as the dark storm clouds that had not yet dispersed in the sky above.
In the spectator stands, discussions gradually arose among the audience.
"Mingke University is truly worthy of being the defending champion, they are ridiculously strong."
"Pixar University won't actually lose today, will they?"
"Don't talk nonsense like that, Pixar University's Azrael hasn't even appeared yet. Have you already forgotten his outrageous attack power? It's absolutely perfect for dealing with such large targets."
"Our forces failed to penetrate the enemy's armor!"
"?"
In the distinguished guest seats, Yuichi seemed to sigh deeply, and said with genuine regret, "It was hidden well indeed."
Finn heard this comment and didn't seem particularly concerned, "Mikeala's card strategy is indeed very innovative, but it would be extremely difficult to stop Azrael, right?"
Yuichi gave the old man in traditional Taoist robes next to him a strange, knowing look, "Did you really not notice it or are you pretending not to notice it?"
Finn was stunned by this implication, "What exactly do you mean by that?"
"You'll find out if you keep watching carefully."
Azrael patted the distraught Oliver on the shoulder reassuringly. "Don't overthink this situation. Leave it entirely to me."
Oliver raised his head slowly, his once perfectly slicked-back hair now with a few disheveled strands scattered across his forehead. "Sorry, I..."
Azrael reached out to stop Oliver mid-sentence, a confident smile plastered across his face. "We'll win this match. Leave it completely to me."
Without looking back at his teammates, he walked determinedly towards the battle table.
Everyone from Pixar University stared at Azrael's retreating back, lost in contemplative thought. Only Chisaki, stroking his chin thoughtfully, muttered under his breath, "Why do I always feel like this is a classic death flag?"
On the sidelines, watching Azrael release his powerful cards, Mikeala, whose expression had remained completely stern since the very start of the match, suddenly said with a hint of genuine regret, "I didn't expect you to enter the battle now."
Azrael shrugged casually. "If I don't enter now, do you honestly think you'll just wear everyone down through attrition?"
"Hmph." Mikeala raised her swan-like neck proudly and snorted coldly. "That's true."
On the battlefield, Azrael's cards were ready and positioned.
As soon as the referee's sharp whistle blew, Lily immediately began gathering energy for her devastating Caliburn attack.
Seeing this dangerous development, the group of giants tried desperately to stop Lily, but with Unohana and the others providing effective cover, their efforts were completely pointless.
A war of attrition against an opponent like Mikeala was absolutely meaningless.
Watching Lily's focused movements, a flicker of anticipation crossed Mikeala's eyes from the sidelines.
Golden particles gradually converged into a massive, brilliant beam. Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath, like a torrent of natural disaster descending from the heavens above.
In a single breath, all thirty giants present were completely engulfed.
A moment later, the holy sword symbolizing royal power dissipated entirely, leaving only a devastated mess on the ground and two intact pale giants standing.
Lúr, now battered and severely shattered, had somehow withstood Caliburn's devastating assault after taking the wooden boat's full defensive power.
But at the significant cost of nearly losing all its protective defenses.
However, as everyone watched in amazement, the wreckage was slowly being repaired at an extremely gradual pace.
In the guest seats, Finn looked at Lúr in complete shock, "You knew about this self-repair ability already?"
Yuichi, upon hearing this, also looked at him in shock, "You really didn't realize this card could repair itself automatically?"
"And you're a Diamond-tier Lore Cardian?!"
A hint of embarrassment crossed Finn's weathered face. He hadn't released his mental power to scan properly, so he certainly wouldn't have noticed such details just by casual observation. But then, with a heavy expression, he said grimly, "That's going to be incredibly tough for Azrael."
Who could have possibly imagined that Yuichi was even more shocked by this, "You didn't realize it again?"
"Huh?"
The two Lore Cardians at the absolute pinnacle of the Empire of Aetherlight stared at each other in complete amazement.
On the sidelines, Mikeala sensed the current state of the card in her mind and breathed a sigh of relief, then felt a wave of fear wash over her, "It was just a little bit short of complete destruction."
She finally understood why Olek had repeatedly urged her not to underestimate any enemy.
Lily's devastating attack had nearly destroyed all of Mingke University's careful preparations.
But now...
"Victory is finally ours," Mikeala declared confidently.
On the sidelines, Oliver and the others felt their hearts skip a beat, "Is there really no way out of this?"
"Azrael, use your trump card and think of a solution!"
As if hearing the inner prayers of his companions behind him, Azrael said quietly, "Do you think victory is already in your grasp?"
"But I should be the one saying this."
"Your ambition to win the championship for the second time in a row..."
Azrael's voice echoed alongside the cold words of the black-haired, red-eyed youth in the field.
"Dissipate with the thunder."
"Lightning Release: Kirin."