As Old James's voice faded, the space before him suddenly began to twist and blur.
Thundering lightning gathered before him into a gigantic blue-white bird. Electricity arced from its body as it let out a cry like a birdcall.
--Summon Thunderbird! This was a Fourth Level spell that drew upon thunder to summon a gigantic thunderbird capable of autonomously seeking out enemies. It counted as an elemental life-form and would automatically dissipate once the energy within it was depleted.
Iver stood calmly where he was.
His nimble fingers kept fiddling with the cards, performing tricks like a dealer and making the cards appear and vanish between his fingers.
When he saw this symbolic attack, a card silently appeared between his fingers.
Before the thunderbird could reach him, a rainbow-colored ice wall rose from the ground before him--
The blue-white forked lightning struck the ice wall, yet not even a speck of ice fell from it.
But in the very next instant, the thunderbird flying through the air suddenly let out a shrill cry and inexplicably froze solid! It had already turned to ice the moment its mournful cry rang out. It fell from the sky and shattered upon the ground into a spray of electric sparks like a flashbang.
"...Does that not count as an attack from the summoner?"
Iver thought.
--If Old Moriarty's spell had directly struck Star Ice, he would have been frozen by the Twilight Power contained within it.
There was no denying it... Old Moriarty was truly cautious.
He had clearly been saying things like "You've already surpassed me" and "From now on, you are Moriarty," yet he had even left the attacking to his summoned creature! Still, Iver was not particularly disappointed.
Because Iver had also guessed that Moriarty probably would not fall for such