Yet within this frozen world, one figure could move freely.
That was Sakura.
After realizing that the Wind Card had not immediately incapacitated Ais, Sakura decisively used her second card: the Time Card, which could manipulate time.
Drawing on the Time Card's power, Sakura successfully stopped time, just like a certain blond vampire next door, then slowly walked up to Ais.
Ais, who had been moving at high speed before time stopped, remained frozen in a fixed pose within the gray-white world. Sakura walked up to her and drew a shallow bloody line across her slender, snow-white neck with the sword in her hand.
The Sword Card's residual power passed through Ais's body and spread toward the training ground behind her.
Then Sakura withdrew her sword and dispelled the Time Card's effect.
The world returned to normal as though someone had pressed play, but everyone immediately sensed that something was wrong.
BOOM!!!
A sword mark over a hundred meters long tore through the training ground, kicking up clouds of dust. Sakura, who had originally remained where she was, relying on defense to withstand Ais's attacks, had somehow appeared at Ais's side.
Ais immediately noticed the bloody mark on her neck as well.
"Big Sister Ais, you lost."
Sakura spoke from beside Ais.
Hearing Sakura's words, Ais, who had stopped moving, looked at Sakura before her, then at the broken sword in her hand, the blood stained on her neck, and the hundred-meter sword mark behind her. Finally, she nodded.
"You're right. This battle... I lost."
Although she had no idea how she had lost, seeing Sakura suddenly appear beside her, along with the new wound and blood on her body, Ais realized it was likely the effect of some new card. Though unwilling to accept it, she still readily acknowledged