Crimson: born as noble lived as phantom

“Where am I…?”

I opened my eyes, only to find myself floating in a void of absolute, suffocating pitch black.

The agonizing memory of being stabbed by that damn old man flashed through my mind. Grim had pierced my vitals without a shred of hesitation. But what happened after that? Did Grim save me, or did I actually slip into the afterlife?

“Hehehehehe…”

A dark, echoing chuckle resonated from every direction, vibrating straight through my soul.

“Who is there?!” I demanded, my eyes straining against the endless void.

“That is my question, little mortal,” the raspy, booming voice countered. “Who has stumbled into my domain? Introduce yourself.”

Floating in this endless dark, I knew I had zero leverage. I had no choice but to play along. “My name is Erik Novalanch. According to a certain legendary craftsman, I carry the blood of Phantoms. I came here to awaken that strength.”

“Hehehehehe! A Phantom!” The voice erupted into a manic, ecstatic burst of laughter. “It has been centuries since a Phantom last descended into this abyss to claim their heritage. I almost miss those ancient days when your kind dominated the surface world. But supreme strength does not come for free, boy. Let us make a deal.”

“A deal?” I asked cautiously, narrowing my eyes.

“Yes. Because if I grant you the dormant strength of the Phantom race, you will become unimaginably strong.”

“Who exactly are you?”

“How rude of me. I suppose I haven't introduced myself,” a pair of massive, glowing eyes manifested in the darkness above me. “I am Ikalgo, one of the fourteen highest devils of the underworld. Forging a contract with me will not only unlock your insane magical and physical phantom potential, but it will also grant you a highly unique, customized skill: Death’s Gambit.”

“Death’s Gambit…?” I repeated, the name itself sounding ominous.

“Yes,” the devil purred, a phantom deck of pitch-black cards appearing before my eyes. “When activated, five cards will manifest in your hand: the Ace, Jack, King, and Queen of Spades, alongside a final card—the Joker. Each card holds a god-like power. But to extract those abilities, you must place a bet.”

I looked at the floating cards. “A bet?”

“Precisely. You must predict exactly what will happen in the next thirty seconds of your battle. You can think of four possible outcomes and assign one outcome to each of the four standard cards. For example, you can bet: 'My opponent will laugh in the next thirty seconds' on the Queen, and 'My opponent will scream' on the Ace. If they laugh, the Queen is drawn, and you unlock her power. If they scream, you unlock the Ace. However, you cannot assign the same outcome to more than one card.”

I frowned, analyzing the rules. “What if a completely random outcome happens? What if they just sneeze?”

“Well, if none of your four predictions come true within those thirty seconds… the Joker is automatically drawn.”

“What kind of powers do these cards actually carry?” I asked.

“The Ace will grant you the authority to summon the Flames of Hell, which—”

“The Flames of Hell?!” I interrupted, my eyes widening.

FWOOSH!

A sudden wave of intense, crushing demonic pressure slammed into my chest, nearly suffocating me. The glowing eyes flared with a lethal, terrifying heat.

“Yes, the Black Flames of Hell, which can annihilate anything in existence,” Ikalgo hissed, his voice dropping into a dangerous, icy tone. “Though as weak as you are now, it won't destroy everything. And furthermore… I highly despise being interrupted. If you cut me off again, little phantom, I will personally turn your soul into ashes.”

“S—Sorry,” I choked out, a cold sweat breaking out across my back.

“Good,” the devil continued, the crushing pressure lifting. “The King will grant you Supreme Mana, turning your body into a weapon of mass destruction. If the power gap between you and your opponents is too vast, they will instantly collapse unconscious in your presence. If an army of ten thousand weak soldiers charges you, a single flare of the King's mana will faint them all.

Next, the Jack grants you the ability to completely halt time. However, while time is frozen, your physical body cannot move or attack. You can only perceive the entire battlefield from a bird's-eye view, allowing you to cleverly analyze the situation like a grand strategist.

As for the Queen, she grants you the power to see exactly five seconds into the future. It may not sound like much, but in a high-stakes duel, five seconds is the difference between life and death. But beware—once a card is successfully drawn, you only have three minutes to utilize its power. After that, the card burns away, and you must place a new bet.”

I absorbed the rules quickly, my tactical mind already spinning with possibilities. “You didn’t mention the power of the Joker. And what are the terms of this deal?”

“The Joker is a surprise,” Ikalgo chuckled darkly. “And the terms are simple: Slay the Angel. You have exactly three years to complete the task.”

I bit my lip. With my execution scheduled for tomorrow and a princess to save in three days, I had no room for bargaining. I needed this power, no matter the cost. “I accept. But first, tell me… what exactly is an Angel?”

“You will find out eventually,” the devil’s voice began to fade as the darkness around me started to warp and crack. “Now go, Phantom. A new era is coming. The curtains are rising… step onto your stage.”

Before I could say another word, the invisible ground beneath my feet completely 

disappeared. I plummeted backward into the abyss, falling right back into the land of the living.

______________________________________________________________________

GASP!

My eyes violently snapped open as a rush of freezing air flooded my burning lungs. I sat up so fast my spine popped, my hand instinctively flying to my chest.

The wound was gone. There was no blood, no hole from the Mad Blade, and no tearing pain in my vitals. Instead, an entirely new, chilling sensation swirled deep within my mana core. Five pitch-black, spectral cards faintly shimmered in the back of my mind before fading into my soul.

The Death’s Gambit. It wasn't a hallucination.

I looked down at a puddle of rainwater on the floor of the hut. Reflected back at me were two brilliant, glowing crimson eyes.

“About time you woke up,” a gruff, exhausted voice called out from the center of the room.

I snapped my head up. Grim was sitting at his messy workbench, looking incredibly drained. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his tattered robes were covered in soot and metallic filings.

“Grim… how long was I out?” I demanded, scrambling to my feet. My body felt weirdly light, brimming with a terrifying amount of raw physical strength.

“Precisely seventy-one hours and forty-five minutes,” Grim said, pointing a finger at the grandfather clock in the corner. “You’ve been floating between life and death for three whole days, boy. The assassination of Princess Quina is scheduled to begin in exactly fifteen minutes.”

“What?!” My heart plummeted. “Fifteen minutes?! You told me I had three days to train!”

“Surviving the devil's baptism was your training,” Grim countered deadpan, standing up and violently shoving a heavy leather bundle into my chest. “There is no time to argue or strategize. I’ve been working non-stop for three days straight while you were sleeping. Look inside.”

I tore the bundle open. Resting inside were the two forged steel swords from the sewer, but Grim had heavily modified them. Their hilts were wrapped in shadow-silk, and the blades were now coated in a matte-black, light-absorbing alloy that completely hid their magical aura. Beside the twin blades sat three of his mechanical eagle spy drones, shrunk down to the size of pocket watches.

“The King, Queen, and high-ranking captains have officially cleared out of the palace for the summit,” Grim spoke rapidly, throwing a heavy black cloak over my shoulders. “The attackers have already breached the lower aqueducts. My drones are in position, but you need to move now.”

“But I don't even know how to use these cards yet! I don't have a plan!” I yelled, strapping the black twin swords to my waist.

“Then formulate one on the way!” Grim roared, grabbing me by the collar and dragging me toward the back door of the hut, where a swirling, dark spatial teleportation rune was glowing on the floor. “The eagle drones will feed the live layout of the palace directly into your mind the moment you step through. Use your phantom speed, gamble your life with those cards, and rescue the princess. Don't you dare die out there and ruin my  destiny!”

Before I could say another word, Grim violently shoved me onto the glowing rune.

The world spun into a chaotic blur of blinding light and rushing wind. The Forbidden Forest vanished, and the heavy, royal scent of incense and polished marble flooded my nose.

The curtains were officially drawn. The stage was set. And I had less than fifteen minutes to become the ultimate shadow savior.

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