Chapter 8: Analysis
"What just happened? That instant felt like being thrown into an absolute void with no light, no sound—couldn't even think! That sensation was ten thousand times more terrifying than missing a meal!"
Kerberos even attempted launching itself at Kazama seeking comfort, but seeing those utterly temperature-less black eyes, it screeched to a halt mid-air.
Kazama completely ignored its complaints.
He sat at the wind-ravaged desk, gripping the freshly captured Mirror card, brow furrowed into severe creases.
He was analyzing.
The abnormal situation just now carried extremely dangerous implications.
Without understanding the underlying principles, this could cost him his life later.
Kazama organized the logical chain:
First, the Rat Talisman's ability was "animation"—granting life to inanimate objects.
Like inserting a perpetual energy core into a battery-less toy.
When Kazama removed the Rat Talisman, he'd effectively cut the power.
By conventional logic, all electronics should cease functioning. Kerberos did stop—it reverted to a doll, matching the talisman's mechanics.
But the problem: why didn't The Mirror and Windy cards stop?
Kazama examined the card in his hand.
During those few seconds after removing the talisman, The Mirror disguised as Kerberos not only didn't revert to cardboard—it actually burst with greater mobility, even deploying flight magic while attempting escape.
This abnormal phenomenon triggered deep unease.
In this crossover melting pot world called Kamimizu City, rules were clearly far more chaotic than he'd imagined.
Theoretically, Cardcaptor Sakura existed in this world merely as an animated series. These cards were at most beautifully printed paper.
The Rat Talisman granted them life. No problem there.
But once alive, they apparently immediately resonated with some power in this world.
"Could Clow Reed genuinely exist in this world?"
Kazama's fingers tapped the desktop lightly.
Because according to source material, Clow Cards were high-tier magical creatures created by Clow Reed himself.
If Clow Reed actually lived, taking over card control from the Rat Talisman wasn't impossible—
But why would Kerberos and the Book revert then?
That made no sense. Weren't those two more important than cards?
Kazama discarded that theory, constructing alternative possibilities.
"Or perhaps this city contains magic invisible to ordinary people. Once Clow Cards awaken, they instinctively tap into and absorb this magic, escaping dependence on the Rat Talisman."
"For Kerberos and the Seal Key, they can't actively absorb magic. The Rat Talisman remains their sole power source."
Moreover, Kazama had keenly noticed that when using Windy earlier, its potency vastly exceeded the purely talisman-driven effect.
This indicated that unknown magic source possessed greater output than the Rat Talisman.
"This is problematic."
Kazama leaned back in his chair, tilting his head toward the slightly crooked ceiling light.
Awakened Clow Cards immediately escaped Rat Talisman dependence, instead autonomously devouring ambient energy to sustain existence.
They might even grow progressively stronger over time.
This explained why Windy's release earlier demonstrated far greater power than pure talisman operation.
Because Windy itself functioned as an amplifier, channeling external magic rather than consuming the talisman's limited output.
Though the logic closed properly, the conclusion made Kazama's teeth ache.
Because this meant his previous "mass production" plan had completely bankrupted.
His original calculations had been satisfying:
Regardless of whether cards escaped—
Just buy ten or twenty Book of Clow merchandise sets, activate them individually with the Rat Talisman, eventually collect all Clow Cards to steamroll everything.
But now? This approach equaled suicide.
If he dared attempt it, those activated cards would immediately lose control, transforming into wild monsters rampaging throughout the streets.
They wouldn't need talisman power. They wouldn't obey his commands.
Imagine thousands of individually-minded, overpowered, completely uncontrolled monsters careening through Kamimizu City's streets and alleys.
That scenario was too beautiful—basically fast-forwarding directly to apocalypse.
By then, as the instigator, he'd probably be the first trampled to paste by these runaway horses.
"Tch. So this is the so-called balance patch? Guess I can't be too greedy."
Kazama tossed The Mirror card onto the desk.
Though somewhat regretful, it sobered him considerably.
To control these dangerous independent missiles, he needed the sole controller—the Seal Key and Kerberos.
And that sole controller couldn't function without the Rat Talisman.
"Meaning I can only take the elite route. Must properly retrieve cards and establish contracts rather than attempting wholesale production."
This moment, Kazama felt profound malice from world will itself.
Even possessing cheat codes didn't permit easily exploiting bugs.
"HEY! Are you even listening to me?!"
Noise invaded his ears again.
Seeing Kazama ignore it for so long, Kerberos finally couldn't resist flying over, waving stubby paws before his eyes.
"You still haven't explained what just happened! You know how disgusting that felt? Like eating your favorite pudding when someone suddenly shoves wasabi in your mouth!"
The racket snapped Kazama back to attention. He glanced sideways at the still-chattering doll.
Explain? Unnecessary.
This stupid lion didn't need knowing it was merely a battery-powered toy.
Maintaining the illusion of "I'm a noble Beast of the Seal" actually benefited his control.
After all, this was currently his only guide. Though somewhat stupid, it retained utility value.
"Probably you're just too weak."
Kazama casually bullshitted an excuse, then extracted a cubic box from the messy shopping bags.
"Huh? Weak? I'm the mighty—"
"Catch."
Kazama pulled out an unopened chocolate cookie box, tossing it backward without looking.
"Huh?"
Kerberos instinctively caught the flying package.
When it registered the "limited edition" and "rich chocolate" labels, those beady eyes instantly transformed into hearts.
"Ohhh! Limited edition cookies?! Sounds delicious already!"
Kerberos's anger evaporated like summer thunderstorms—fast arrival, fast departure.
The Beast of the Seal that had been wailing moments ago now eagerly tore open packaging, grabbing a cookie to stuff in its mouth, releasing blissful chewing sounds.
"Mm mm mm! Delicious! Though you're cold-hearted, your taste isn't bad!"
Watching the instantly bribed Kerberos, Kazama shook his head wordlessly.
"Shut up after eating." He stood, stretching his somewhat stiff neck. "That's enough for today. We'll handle escaped cards tomorrow."
"Sleeping this early?" Kerberos mumbled through cookie crumbs. "Though we caught The Mirror, fifty cards remain! Shouldn't we strike while the iron's hot?"
"I'm human. I require rest."
Kazama cut it off. Walking to the bed, he kicked aside figure boxes scattered across the sheets by wind, clearing enough space to lie down.
"Besides, blind action without intelligence only increases risk. Do you know where other cards went? Their current states?"
"Uh... no."
"Then shut up."
Kazama delivered that cold response before reaching to extinguish the final light.
"Tch... so mean."
Darkness carried Kerberos's muttered complaints and cookie-crunching sounds.
Kazama collapsed on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Though only a few hours, the information density had overloaded his brain.
From acquiring the cheat to the recent battle and logical deduction—
His mind had remained taut. Now relaxing, exhaustion surged like tides.
More importantly, tomorrow held even more critical tasks.
Since a single Seal Key represented the current bottleneck, he needed increasing fault tolerance.
"Tomorrow requires an Akihabara trip."
Kazama calculated mentally:
"Can't mass-produce cards, but I can buy several Book of Clow merchandise sets as backups. If this staff breaks or that book gets damaged, I'll need replacements."
Moreover, now understanding "conceptual materialization" mechanics, besides Clow Cards, might other more controllable, more powerful items work?
Like defensive gear with automatic protection settings?
What about Artoria's Avalon? Could he borrow it?
Thinking, Kazama's consciousness gradually blurred.
Only Kerberos's cookie-crunching remained, oddly peaceful in this silent late night.
"Good night, nasty-tempered master."
The plush doll mumbled through cookie crumbs, body floating gently back to the desktop.
It found a comfortable position beside the still-open Book of Clow.
Kazama didn't respond. He'd already fallen asleep.