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Poker Room
Erza revealed her final hand—a Royal Flush. The crowd erupted in shock and admiration.
"That's amazing, Erza!!" Lucy cheered, completely transformed into Erza's biggest fan.
"Heh, just lucky today," Erza replied casually.
The dealer, now sweating profusely, was on the verge of panic. A towering stack of chips had already formed in front of Erza. Losing this much money might even cost him his job.
Just then, a blonde-haired man in a dealer's uniform stepped forward and shoved the previous dealer aside. "Time for a dealer change."
"Doesn't matter who deals," Erza said confidently. "I won't lose."
"Good," the man smirked. "Then how about we play a special game? This time, no chips."
With a swift motion, he dealt the cards. Five letters were visible on them: D-E-A-T-H.
Erza's expression shifted slightly as she looked up at the man.
"Let's bet with lives, Erza." His voice was eerily calm.
"Shô…" Erza's pupils shrank.
"It's been a while, big sis," Sho said with a cold smile.
"Huh? Huh?" Lucy glanced between Sho and Erza, completely lost.
"You… you're alive," Erza murmured.
"Alive?" Shô scoffed.
Suddenly, the entire casino went dark, plunging into pitch blackness.
"What the hell?!"
"What happened?!"
Moments later, the lights flickered back on.
"Shô!" Erza scanned the room frantically.
"Over here, sis," Shô's voice echoed.
He tossed a handful of cards into the air. Moments ago, the casino had been bustling with people—now, it was eerily empty. Cries for help came from within the cards.
"They're trapped in the cards?!"
"Surprised? I can use magic now, too," Shô smirked. "It's been so long, Erza. You've really grown into a fine woman."
As he spoke, a cluster of square-shaped objects merged together, forming a humanoid figure.
"That voice… Wally? You can use magic too?"
"Not so shocking, right? Once you figure out the trick, anyone can use magic. Isn't that right, Erza?"
A magic circle appeared on the ground, and a massive figure emerged.
"Simon?!"
"Meow! So full of energy? Long time no see, little Erza!"
A cat-like girl appeared, holding a rope. Bound at the other end of it was—
"Kitaro?!" Lucy's jaw dropped when she saw Uchiha Kitaro tied up.
"Yo! Looks like I got caught," Kitaro greeted with a grin, completely unfazed.
"Milliana?! What are you doing?! Kitaro is our friend!" Lucy protested.
Sho's expression turned cold. "We used to be friends too, before you betrayed us, sis."
"What…" Lucy's confusion deepened. "Erza, who are these people?! And why do they keep calling you sister?"
"Not my blood relatives," Erza said quietly. "They were once my comrades. Why are you all here?"
"We've come to take you back."
"Meow!"
"Come with us, big sis."
"And if you don't cooperate…"
Wally raised his gun and pointed it directly at Kitaro's forehead.
"Stop!!" Erza shouted.
Suddenly, Kitaro spoke in a calm yet chilling voice. "I really… hate it when people point guns at my head."
Wally smirked. "And what are you gonna do about it? No matter how strong you are, Milliana's magic can bind any wizard. Once bound, you can't use magic."
Lucy blinked in realization. "Magic? But Kitaro isn't a wizard."
"What?!"
"Meow?!"
Snap!
Kitaro effortlessly snapped the ropes around him and grabbed Wally's gun.
Crunch!
With one hand, he crushed the gun into a useless lump of metal.
"My gun! You bastard—"
BAM!
Kitaro's fist slammed into Wally's face, sending him flying. Before anyone could react, he spun and kicked Simon away, his eyes scanning for the next target. Milliana barely had time to register what was happening before she collapsed, caught in an instant hypnosis spell.
As Kitaro turned toward Sho, ready to finish him off—
"Kitaro!! Stop!!" Erza's voice rang out.
His fist halted just before Sho's face, the sheer force of the wind distorting Sho's features.
Shô was completely stunned. In just a few seconds, Kitaro had taken down his entire team. He hadn't even had time to react.
Realizing his chance, Sho quickly pulled out a card—
Whoosh!
Kitaro was sucked inside the card.
"Shô! What are you doing?! Let him out now!" Erza shouted, guilt washing over her. Because she had told Kitaro to stop, he had been caught off guard.
Hum—CRACK!!
The card shattered into pieces.
"WHAT?!" Sho's eyes widened in disbelief. He had reinforced that card specifically to prevent it from being broken. And yet—
A hand shot out, grabbing Sho by the throat and lifting him effortlessly.
Sho felt like he was being held in an iron vice. The sheer pressure on his neck told him that, with just a little more force, his life would be over. His entire body froze in terror.
"Kitaro!" Erza rushed to his side, placing a hand on his arm, her eyes pleading. "Please…"
Kitaro scoffed and dropped Sho to the ground. "Hmph. I won't kill you—only because of Erza."
The aura of sheer murderous intent radiating from him made Sho tremble uncontrollably. He had never been so certain in his life—Kitaro had truly intended to kill him.
At first, Kitaro had let himself be captured just to see what this was all about. But having a gun pointed at his head? That had crossed a line. If it weren't for Erza, he would've eliminated them all in an instant.
"Thank you…" Erza whispered, looking at Kitaro with gratitude.
Sho, still gasping for breath, finally managed to speak. "We… we came here to bring you back, Erza."
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