Leviathana of Envy #1

Numbers appeared on my Battle Arc and the woman's.

Mine was 5. Hers was 6.

A one-point difference. She had first turn.

"Well then─ let's─ start with introductions first─?"

"Introductions?"

"Yeees─ we should─ act like proper gentlemen and ladies─ with some manners, right─?"

The woman spouted nonsense like that, then giggled as she continued.

"My name is─ Leviathana. Leviathana─ of Envy─. Nice to meet you─?"

She could've just said her name. Why tack on "Envy"? Was she trying to advertise how suspicious she was? Not that she needed to say it out loud—her appearance screamed it already.

"Leviathana of Envy... Eek! B-Be careful, Young Master Bardi!"

Unexpectedly, Beatrice spoke up, clutching her old amulet tightly. It was louder than usual for her.

"Lady Albani?"

"Beatrice, do you know something?"

"Eek...! Y-Yes, Your Highness...! I've heard of her...!"

"Explain, quickly!"

"Eek! Th-That... I've heard the executives of Seven's Finger use names like that...!"

"Seven's Finger?!"

"The criminal organization stealing rare cards from countries all over!"

"One of their executives infiltrated the academy...? Disguised as Miss Belluna?"

The students panicked, faces filled with terror. Even in Nicola Class, they were just seventeen-year-olds. No one could stay calm hearing about a crime syndicate executive.

"Quiet!"

Alessia cut through with a firm shout. The students flinched but shut their mouths under her commanding presence.

"Beatrice, are you certain?"

"Y-Yes... Your Highness...! No doubt...!"

"Did you hear that, Young Master Bardi?"

"Yes, loud and clear. Thank you, Your Highness."

So that's what it was.

"Hey."

"Hm─? What is it, kiddo─?"

Leviathana, savoring the students' fearful murmurs like a masterpiece symphony, tilted her head at my voice. "Tilted" was generous—it creaked like rusty hinges.

"If you're Envy, what are the other executives? Pride, Wrath, something like that?"

"Oh my─ so knowledgeable─ or should I say quick on the uptake─? Spot on─."

Got it. Straight out of the Seven Deadly Sins, huh? Classic setup.

"Where are the other executives?"

"Hehe─ kiddo─ if you wanna know that, beat me in a duel first─?"

Tsk. No dice. Worth a shot, but no surprise there.

"Bardi! I'll alert the professors!"

Eden said. I nodded to him.

"Anyway─ kiddo─ what's your name─?"

Leviathana remained utterly unfazed. Must come with being a top-tier crime boss—unshakable confidence.

"You already know it."

"That's one thing─ manners are another─."

"Ricardo Bardi."

"Hehe─ good boy─."

I grimaced and growled at her condescending, child-patting tone.

"Enough. Shut up and take your turn."

"Hahaha─ so harsh─. Fine─ let's begin─?"

Leviathana wiggled her withered fingers and drew a card from her deck.

"I'll summon─ Dark Slime - Dark Pudding─."

Splat!

From the Battle Arc where she placed her card, a pitch-black blob of slime plopped down.

An amorphous monster wriggling endlessly without form. Leviathana gazed at its grotesque shape like it was her precious child.

"And I'll set one magic circle─ then ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠end my turn─. Your move, kiddo─?"

Leviathana grinned, her gooey lips splitting wide. It was so inhuman, so chilling.

"Young master!"

Isabella burst through the classroom door.

Perfect timing. I met her eyes, then swept my gaze over the students and snapped my tongue twice—click, click.

"...!"

No words needed. Isabella caught on instantly, glancing at the students. She'd notice Adella was missing and act.

It was a code we'd set before I entered the academy. She loved having our secret signal.

One tongue snap meant find a guy; two meant a girl.

Her unique magic was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠perfect for intel. She might beat the professors to finding Adella.

"Hmm─ who's that girl─? So pretty─. Seems close to you, kiddo─? I'm jealous─."

Then I could focus solely on crushing this woman—Leviathana of Envy.

"Jealous─────."

Leviathana dragged out the word, scratching her sunken cheeks. Her corpse-like, floppy skin stretched and dangled from her fingers.

But I'd seen worse in my past life. No shaking me.

"My turn!"

Just crush the enemy in front of me. Like always.

I slotted the drawn card into my hand and eyed her summoned creature closely.

[Dark Pudding]. Rank 1, stats 500. Weakling.

The students around me didn't dismiss it as bottom-tier trash. Smart—they weren't goldfish.

They'd seen me win with [Cursed Wooden Doll], even weaker stats. Dismissing low stats now would be stupidity. No idiots in Nicola Class.

What ability does it have?

Two possibilities for deploying it first turn.

It had a useful special ability.

Or it was bait for her magic circle trap.

I ruled out a bricked hand. No crime lord pulling that.

So, special ability or bait for the circle...

My gut said the former.

Her mimicking Adella. Targeting my dragon cards, probably. And "slime" imagery...

I pieced together public info into my theory.

Let's test it.

I pulled two cards from hand and set them on the Battle Arc.

"I summon Cursed Wooden Doll!"

A rickety wooden doll creaked into view over my field.

"Spend one Mana Crystal to deploy magic circle! Righteous Justice!"

"Oh my─?"

"Righteous Justice... What's that card? You know it?"

"First time hearing it. Rare card?"

"Damn, wish Rogers was here!"

A tense air hung between the crude [Wooden Doll] and the mindless wriggling [Dark Pudding].

"I'll equip Righteous Justice on Cursed Wooden Doll. When the equipped creature battles a Rank 2 or lower foe, it matches that creature's stats."

And that's not all.

"Plus, during battle, both creatures' special abilities are negated!"

"Nice! Whatever Dark Pudding's got, we can take it out—even if it self-destructs!"

"We'll lose some Soul Points, but 500 is manageable!"

Worth of Nicola Class. Even without Eden or Adella's commentary, the kids analyzed eagerly.

"Battle! Cursed Wooden Doll attacks Dark Pudding!"

Creak. Creeeak.

The doll lunged with a chalkboard-scraping screech.

Small-scale compared to my past fights, but a real monster clash—fierce.

Crack! Splat!

No victor. The [Dark Pudding]'s slime tore as the doll's neck snapped.

"Ouch─ that hurts, kiddo─."

"Hmph."

"At this moment, activate Cursed Wooden Doll's special ability!"

Mixed in the [Dark Pudding] wreckage, the doll's black magic rune glowed ominously. It twitched.

"If this creature falls to an opponent's attack and goes to the grave, it revives as an undead at end of turn!"

But [Righteous Justice] negated abilities? True—but this triggers on going to grave, not during battle.

[Righteous Justice] only seals during combat. Irrelevant here.

"Hehe─ then I'll activate my set magic circle─."

Tsk. Triggered by [Dark Pudding]'s destruction? I glared at her smug face, waiting.

"My card is─ Division Reproduction─! When a slime-named creature on my field falls in battle─ I can Special Summon as many same-named from deck─."

The [Dark Pudding] remains convulsed, each fragment becoming a new one. Now three.

Instead of eliminating the unknown threat, I'd multiplied it.

And...

...No rank limit?

Did she skip mentioning it, or none at all?

If the latter, she could swarm high-rank slimes fast.

...Tsk.

Fine. Let's turn this around.

"Then I'll deploy magic circle, Rampaging Black Magic!"

"Huh─?"

A black magic circle rippled at the doll's feet, growing to summon three more crude [Wooden Dolls] from below.

"Now, Cursed Wooden Doll's other special ability triggers! While undead are on field, Wooden Dolls become undead!"

Black magic spread spiderweb-like through the doll horde.

Creak, creeeak... Creeeak! Creak-creak!

Runes on their bodies glowed fiercer. Their aimless shuffling scraped louder, like nails on chalkboard.

"Set one magic circle, turn end!"

"My turn now─."

Leviathana drew casually, her bloodshot eyes darting as she giggled.

"You okay, kiddo─? If we leave it like this─ your cute dolls─ will get eaten by my cuter Dark Puddings─?"

"..."

I just jerked my chin. Get on with it.

She pouted childishly—out of place.

"Really─ no sense of fun─. Oh well─."

Her creepy gaze poured onto the [Dark Puddings]. Her words dripped affection.

"Dark Puddings─ let's─ become one─?"

Motherly tone. But ominous meaning.

"From hand─ deploy magic circle, Digestion Fusion─."

The [Dark Puddings] writhed violently.

Terror? Hunger? They clustered, devouring each other.

Even the cards on the table convulsed without her touch, merging into a new one.

"What...?"

"Ahaha─ I fuse three Dark Puddings into─ Dark Slime - Darkness Pudding via ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fusion digestion─!"

Leviathana cackled, raising her voice.