The Ascension Pillar wasn't built by human hands.
It stood like a fang of obsidian at the northern edge of Tier One—unnaturally smooth, impossibly tall, humming with power. Its surface pulsed with runes that changed every few seconds, reacting to the presence of the Beast Core Card floating beside Caesar's head.
The three of them stood in silence, bruised, scorched, and barely upright. Jack still had dried blood on his cheek. Leo's left boot was half-melted. Caesar's right arm had gone numb ever since the final Ember Fist punch. The aftermath of channeling so much raw card energy was starting to show.
They didn't care.
They'd won.
"Are you sure this is it?" Leo asked, squinting up at the pillar. "This thing looks more like a giant middle finger than an elevator."
"Yeah," Jack said. "That tracks."
Caesar ignored the banter and stepped forward. The moment his foot touched the outer ring engraved into the earth around the pillar, a voice—not mechanical, but ancient—spoke inside his skull.
> [Ascension Protocol Detected]
Beast Core Present. Combat Readiness: Verified.
Initiating Tier Trial: One Challenger. Two Opponents. One Path.
"Wait, what?" Caesar turned around. "It says it's only letting one of us ascend."
Jack narrowed his eyes. "Figures. You landed the killing blow. You touched the card."
Leo groaned. "Why is this place allergic to teamwork?"
Before they could argue, a blinding column of light erupted from the pillar and surrounded Caesar. His deck vibrated against his chest, and all three of his cards floated into the air, spinning wildly.
> [Caesar – Trial Initiated]
Ascension Duel Begins in 60 Seconds.
He looked back. Jack and Leo were already outside the ring, unable to follow. Leo gave him a thumbs up, though his expression was tight.
Jack just crossed his arms. "Win."
The light twisted—and the world changed.
---
He stood in a vast arena, suspended in the void.
No sky. No ground. Just a circular platform of silver stone floating in the dark, with card-shaped glyphs hovering in the air around the perimeter. Across from him stood a figure.
Human.
Barefoot, pale, and wearing the same green uniform as Caesar. But the eyes… they were wrong. They flickered with the same golden fire he'd seen in the Hollow Maw.
And beside that figure floated two cards:
> [Echo Beast – Tier 2 Summon]
[Flare Clone – Tier 1 Trap]
The system's voice boomed.
> Ascension Duel: Caesar vs. Mirror Echo. Victory condition: Disable opponent's deck. Combat begins in 3… 2… 1.
The figure moved first.
"Echo Beast—Manifest."
A creature emerged from thin air—identical to the Hollow Maw, but smaller, leaner. It roared and pounced.
Caesar yanked out his Flame Lure, tossing it forward. The clone decoy ignited, drawing the beast's jaws—BOOM. The explosion knocked it back, dazed.
"Chainshot!"
Leo's card snapped into his hand, and Caesar launched the bolt, anchoring the beast to a floating glyph on the edge of the arena.
"Ember Fist—upgrade burst!"
His punch landed true—right between the creature's burning eyes. The knockback sent it tumbling.
But the Echo wasn't done. It activated its second card—Flare Clone—and suddenly, two Caesars appeared on the battlefield, both glowing with the same energy. One dashed forward, mimicking his moves exactly.
He hesitated. Which one's real?
The fake Caesar struck first, landing a burning punch into his ribs. The pain was real. He rolled backward, gasping.
Then he saw it. The real Caesar's chain bolt was still embedded in the stone. The clone hadn't fired it.
He grinned.
"Gotcha."
He canceled Chainshot, summoning a new tether and yanking himself toward the clone. Mid-air, he activated Ember Fist and struck from above.
The clone shattered like glass.
The Echo snarled and sent the Echo Beast charging again.
Caesar had seconds. He pulled out his final card.
[Beast Core – Hollow Maw]
It hovered before him, heavy, ancient, hot to the touch.
> Consumes two card slots. Can only be used once per tier.
Caesar took a breath.
Then slammed it down.
"Summon: HOLLOW MAW."
The arena shook. A portal ripped itself open beneath his feet, and the Maw emerged—roaring in full, terrible glory.
The Echo tried to retreat—but it was too late.
The beast struck once, obliterating the Echo Beast with a swipe of its burning tusks.
Then it pounced on the Echo himself.
The moment the Maw struck its summoner, the duel ended.
> Victory: Caesar
Ascension Trial Complete.
Rewards: Tier Two Access Granted. New Slot Unlocked. Deck Capacity Increased.
The Echo vanished. The beast dissolved into flame. The cards around Caesar began to shift, evolve, grow. His deck now had four slots. A gift. Or maybe a curse.
The platform began to rise—straight up into the black.
---
He landed hard.
Tier Two smelled… different.
The air was cool, clean. Trees with crimson leaves whispered in the wind. Blue-tiled towers spiraled in the distance. There were buildings. Civilization.
People watched him arrive from a stone terrace above. Some in robes. Others armored. All holding glowing cards.
A man stepped forward. Long gray coat. A black deck holster over one shoulder. His eyes gleamed silver.
"You're the new Ascender," he said. "Caesar, right?"
Caesar hesitated. "Yeah."
The man smirked. "Welcome to Tier Two. You've just joined the game for real."
---
End of Chapter 3