Monsters. Flying monsters. The same kind that had attacked them in the air earlier. Only this time, their numbers were many times greater.

  Toby slowly pushed himself to his feet and looked up, even though the sunlight was blinding. The creatures were clearly circling them, watching, waiting. Hunting.

  There was no doubt. They were the prey.

  And they would have to fight.

  In this condition. With their strength nearly drained. With exhaustion pressing down on every limb.

  Vale stood up beside him. Cassie followed, even though she did not tilt her face upward.

  “Let’s go,” Vale said.

  A card materialized in front of her. It wrapped around her body as blue lightning burst outward once again, restoring her crackling form from before.

  “We have to kill as many of them as we can. That’s the only way this trial ends,” she added, flashing a sharp grin.

  “You really don’t know how to give up, do you, Vale?” Toby said with a grin of his own.

  It felt strange. Mentally, he knew he should be older, more composed. And yet here he was, feeling outmatched in spirit by a girl who was not even older than the age of this body he now had.

  Above them, the monsters began to descend.

  Other surviving applicants also rose to their feet, summoning weapons, activating cards, and preparing for another clash.

  Several monsters dived at once. Some swooped low, talons outstretched to grab. Others snapped their massive jaws shut around unlucky participants, lifting them high into the air before tossing them back down like discarded prey.

  Toby clenched his fists.

  This would likely be their final battle.

  “Cassie?” he said quietly, glancing over his shoulder.

  She smiled and gave a small nod. “I’ll help with the attack too.”

  Right. Of course she would.

  Why was he even worrying about her? She outranked him. She might be blind, but once her Innate Card was active, she could see from everywhere at once.

  A piercing roar echoed above them as three monsters circled directly overhead.

  Then four more joined them.

  [2nd Prime - Rare Equipment Card - Skybreaker Aegis activated.]

  An explosion of energy burst from Vale.

  Her clothes were instantly swallowed by a surge of blue lightning. In its place formed a full set of armor, sleek and flexible, made of condensed lightning that flowed over her body like living energy. It did not look heavy, yet it radiated power.

  A spear materialized once more in her hand, crackling with violent blue arcs.

  Toby gave a slow nod. He reached for the only purple card orbiting his body and whispered,

  [1st Prime - Rare Weapon Card - Crimson Drakebound Sword activated.]

  The already heated air around them grew even hotter. A thunderous roar echoed across the battlefield.

  A dragon’s roar.

  Flames spiraled into existence before Toby, twisting and compressing until they took shape. A massive sword formed in front of him, wide and tall, nearly the same height as his body.

  The blade burned with deep crimson fire patterns along its edge.

  Toby grabbed the hilt.

  He had trained with this sword before. But this would be the first time he used it against real monsters.

  “Nice sword, Toby,” Vale said with a grin.

  “Nice spear and armor, Vale,” Toby shot back.

  “Don’t pass out first, okay? We’ve come this far,” she added.

  “Like I’d lose to you.”

  “Big words. Make sure you can back them up,” she replied instantly.

  Four monsters spun sharply overhead and dove straight at them. Their massive bodies cut through the air with frightening speed.

  “Cassie?”

  She stood calm. Her Innate Card was already active.

  Just as the monsters closed in, time seemed to slow again.

  That strange sensation returned to Toby. The world widened. His vision expanded in every direction. He could see the monsters’ trajectories. The other applicants fighting nearby.

  Every movement unfolding at once.

  [1st Prime - Common Offensive Card - Psychic Thorns activated.]

  Golden spikes of condensed aura shot forward from Cassie’s direction. They streaked through the air and struck the incoming monsters mid-dive.

  The creatures screeched as the impact knocked them off course, sending them crashing several meters away.

  “Now!” Vale shouted.

  Toby launched forward immediately.

  [Synthesis Equipment Card - Windstep Boots Tier-2 activated.]

  He really needed to reproduce a mobility card like this soon. At this rate, the boots would shatter from overuse.

  He gritted his teeth and pulled the massive sword upward. The weight dragged at his arms, but he forced momentum into the swing, spinning his body with the blade.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  A massive eruption of flames burst outward.

  The roar of a dragon exploded through the air as fire spiraled around him. The strike collided with one of the monsters, detonating in a violent blast of heat and force.

  The creature screamed as it was engulfed.

  The backlash threw Toby backward. He hit the ground hard, the sword striking first and embedding into the earth. He held tightly to the hilt, using it to steady himself as he forced himself back up.

  Vale surged forward in a blur of lightning. Her armored form moved as if she had fused with the storm itself. She leapt, ran across the air, and slashed with her spear.

  It looked like she was dancing in the sky.

  Toby glanced at the other remaining participants. The ones who were still standing. He could not help but feel a quiet sense of awe as he understood why they had survived this far.

  The red-haired boy with wings was still in the air, a flaming sword blazing in his hand as he clashed head-on with the monsters.

  Not far from him, a girl stood almost completely still. Hundreds of floating bubbles surrounded her in a wide radius. Every time a monster touched one, it exploded violently, blasting the creature away.

  Others took advantage of the openings she created and rushed in to finish the job.

  There was also someone sprinting across the ground on all fours, moving like a wild animal. Above him loomed the massive avatar of a wolf, shadowing his every motion.

  He leapt high into the air and slashed with enormous claw-like constructs extending from his hands, tearing into the flying beasts.

  These were not ordinary people.

  The battle dragged on.

  They managed to kill several monsters, but the numbers in the sky did not seem to thin. The swarm still loomed above them.

  Eventually, Toby and Vale stood side by side again, with Cassie just behind them.

  The crackling lightning around Vale’s armor had dimmed significantly. Her Prime Card had already deactivated.

  Toby was no better. He was so exhausted that even lifting his massive sword felt impossible now. His arms trembled under its weight.

  “Why aren’t their numbers going down?!” Vale shouted, frustration clear in her voice.

  Then she suddenly turned toward a distant direction and yelled,

  “Hey! You examiners! Just let us pass! There are only a few dozen of us left!” she shouted again.

  Toby could not disagree.

  At this point, there might not even be enough of them left to fill a single class.

  So why was the trial still not over?

  At that moment, the ground began to tremble.

  The vibration grew stronger by the second. Vale grabbed Toby’s right hand as the shaking intensified beneath their feet.

  “What now?!” Vale shouted, her voice sharp with frustration.

  “A-another monster,” Cassie said from behind them.

  The flying monsters descended to the ground, screeching as if preparing to wipe out the remaining survivors. Nearly a dozen of them surrounded the three of them, forming a tightening circle.

  Around the battlefield, the other participants were still locked in combat, struggling against their own groups of monsters.

  Then. A massive impact struck the desert not far in front of them.

  Sand exploded upward.

  Something huge forced its way out from beneath the desert floor.

  “What is that?!” Toby gasped.

  A towering figure emerged from the sand. It looked like a massive desert lizard, but it stood upright on two powerful legs. It rose to nearly four times their height, casting a long shadow over them.

  “This is too much,” Vale muttered.

  “It’s a Level 32 Sand Tyrant,” Cassie said from behind them.

  [Innate Core Card - Second Pulse deactivated.]

  The massive sword in front of Toby vanished into fading embers.

  He staggered, breathing heavily, his legs nearly giving out completely.

  The Sand Tyrant let out a thunderous roar, the sound vibrating through their chests as it leaned forward, clearly preparing to strike the three of them down.

  At that moment, a voice echoed across the entire area. But it was not Cassie.

  “Finish the trial. Kill every monster, or no one passes!” a woman’s voice declared.

  It was the same woman who had brought all the participants here.

  “So they really made the trial harder this year?” Toby muttered. “Or is it always this crazy?”

  He swallowed hard. How was he supposed to fight now? He had fallen from the sky, smashed into the ground, bled across the sand, and activated his Cards again and again. There was barely anything left in him.

  “Toby. Vale.”

  Cassie’s voice cut through his thoughts.

  Both of them turned toward her at the same time.

  “There is still hope,” she said.

  “What do you mean?” Toby asked.

  “I see high compatibility,” she continued calmly.

  “Compatibility?” Toby repeated.

  “Yes. Have you ever heard of Harmonic Link?”

  “Harmonic Link?” Vale echoed. “No. What is that?”

  “You’re a Rank-2 Guardian and you don’t know about Harmonic Link, Vale?” Toby said.

  “Just explain.”

  Toby exhaled.

  “Harmonic Link is a state where two or more Cardmasters synchronize their mana circulation until it reaches the same frequency,” he explained quickly.

  He had no intention of going into a long lecture. “In simple terms, when two Cardmasters have strong compatibility in their mana circuits and emotional alignment, they can enter Harmonic Link. In that state, they can temporarily share output, amplify each other’s Cards, or even channel one another’s abilities.”

  “Okay… and?” Vale pressed.

  “Valeria and Toby’s compatibility is above 85%,” Cassie said firmly.

  “Eighty-five percent?” Toby repeated in disbelief. “That’s impossible. I just met her. I barely know Vale, and that…”

  Cassie gave a small, certain nod.

  Around them, the monsters began closing in again.

  “How do we do it?” Vale asked without hesitation.

  “Activate your Innate Cards at the same time,” Cassie replied. “Then synchronize. Your emotions, your thoughts, your intent. Do not resist each other. Let your mana flow in rhythm.”

  Vale went silent for a second, thinking.

  Then she nodded and grabbed Toby’s left hand. “Let’s do it, Toby. We don’t have time.”

  But this was not something that should be easy.

  Harmonic Link required more than surface-level trust. It demanded mental alignment. Emotional resonance. A natural compatibility between mana circuits. If forced, the backlash could destroy both Cardmasters from the inside. Mana collapse. Circuit fracture. Permanent damage.

  “Cassie said it’s 85%. That’s not a number we ignore,” Vale said firmly.

  She closed her eyes.

  Toby clenched his right fist and gritted his teeth.

  “Valeria. Can you hear me?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she answered.

  “I don’t understand why our compatibility is that high. We barely know each other. But right now… I’m trusting you. So trust me too. Lend me your strength. Not as allies in this trial. As partners.”

  There was a brief pause.

  Then she replied, her voice softer. “I was never planning to stand behind you, Toby. If we’re doing this, we face it side by side. I’ll give you my strength… so don’t you dare fall before I do.”

  Their Cards materialized in front of them.

  They spun violently before crashing into their respective bodies. Usually, their auras would bloom separately, wrapping only around their own forms.

  But this time, the energy did not stay contained.

  Blue lightning and crimson flame surged outward, then intertwined.

  [Harmonic Link established.]

  [Compatibility confirmed: 87%. Mana circuits synchronized.]

  The ground beneath them cracked as their combined energy spiked.

  Vale grabbed one of the purple Cards orbiting her.

  Toby did the same.

  Without hesitation, they threw the two Cards forward at the same time. The Cards collided midair and stacked on top of each other.

  [2nd Prime - Rare Equipment Card - Skybreaker Aegis activated.]

  [1st Prime - Rare Weapon Card - Crimson Drakebound Sword activated.]

  The two activations overlapped.

  Blue lightning wrapped around the massive crimson blade. Flames spiraled around Vale’s lightning-forged armor.

  The energy condensed, compressed, and then!

  [System Notice: Dual Card Resonance detected.]

  [Prime Fusion condition met.]

  [Rare Fusion Card - Stormbound Drake Aegis Blade activated.]