Miracle Card Shop: All My Cards Can Be Actualize

Daniel begins the process of actualizing Mordred. Motes of white light gather and form a silhouette, wearing the armor Daniel is all too familiar with—the armor he forged using his artificing skills. A strong wave of melancholy and nostalgia wells up in his chest as he watches.

The light solidifies, then slowly fades, revealing a familiar figure. A woman in her early twenties looks around in confusion before her eyes land on Daniel. A smile spreads across her lips, and she jumps toward him in excitement.

"Dad!" Mordred shouts joyfully, wrapping her arms around Daniel in a tight hug. Daniel lets out a sigh, returning the hug and gently stroking her head.

"See? As I said, we've met again," Daniel says with a smile.

"Did you resurrect me?" she asks, her curiosity shining through.

"Yes…" Daniel nods. "You could put it that way."

Mordred then fires off a rapid series of questions, eager to know how Daniel has been. Has he been living well? What has he been eating? And most importantly, how has the world changed since her death?

Daniel leads Mordred to the guest room and patiently answers every question she asks. In return, Mordred shares everything that happened after Daniel disappeared. Her stories fill Daniel with deep guilt, especially toward Envy.

But when Mordred recounts how she was killed by Arthur, Daniel's face grows solemn. He doesn't know what happened after her death, but he hopes Envy took her revenge and hope that Arthur's soul rots in hell.

The father and daughter are enjoying their free time together. With unlimited drinks and snacks in the room, coupled with delicious ice cream, Mordred feels like she's in paradise. Now, they're simply waiting for the time transition to finish so they can leave this place and arrive at the designated era.

— Present Time: 10 Years After Daniel's Disappearance —

Today marks the ten-year anniversary of Daniel's disappearance. It's not a day that warrants special celebration or remembrance, like a marriage anniversary. It's just another day, but it's notable because it has reached the milestone of a decade.

It's been ten years, and three years since the war with the Olympian gods ended—if it can even be called a war, given how quickly they were eliminated through a series of well-planned ambushes.

Envy wakes up in her office. The movements of the extraterrestrial forces have become more visible; their fleet is now just a day away from entering the solar system. The war is about to begin once again.

Cao Cao's faction, the Ming Federation, and the European faction—which Albert completely subdued after the fall of the Hightower—have all responded to her call. The technology distributed by the Order of Ember to nations around the world will now be put to use.

Envy doesn't know how difficult it will be to fight against these extraterrestrial forces, but she is determined to do her best. This is the first time she's nearly blind due to a lack of information about the enemy. All they have are visual observations, and they can only deduce the enemy's technological level and capabilities from what they see.

"Danny… when will you come back? I need you," Envy mutters under her breath. Her only consolation now is the notebook filled with contingency plans and preparations that Daniel left for her.

She opens the notebook and reads one of the lines Daniel wrote about the secret of Elpis:

"Elpis's weapon power will scale along with the population that resides on it."

This line fills Envy with both fear and hope. She fears that this power might drain the life force of everyone living on Elpis, transforming it into energy for the weapons. But she's also hopeful because it's the only thing she can rely on when push comes to shove. Moreover, after extensive testing by both mages and Nexus Prime, there's no evidence that Elpis drains life force from its inhabitants.

There are two possible explanations for how this works without harming Elpis's residents. First, Elpis might use the fate, destiny, or faith of its inhabitants to strengthen its power. This is one plausible theory.

The second possibility is that Elpis is connected to the Akashic Record. The theory suggests that the people living on Elpis serve as a bridge to the Akashic Record, allowing Elpis to draw power from it. While this theory seems far-fetched, the Akashic Record is a mysterious force that has never been fully studied, so it might hold some truth.

Envy sits in her chair, staring at the screen. The visuals show the vast armada of the extraterrestrial fleet approaching. The largest ship is half the size of the moon, while the smallest is no bigger than a car.

Suddenly, there's movement from the fleet. Faster, smaller ships break away and head toward Earth at incredible speed. According to real-time data on the screen, they will likely reach Earth in just half an hour.

"They're coming! Send out the battle drones!" Envy shouts, issuing her command.

Below Elpis, millions of battle drones launch from their hangars. These unmanned drones, controlled by Nexus Prime, surge toward the detached forces from the main armada. The battle begins immediately.

The drones open fire with bullets, but the energy shields of the extraterrestrial fighters easily block the attacks. The extraterrestrial forces retaliate with energy pulses, which strike the drones.

However, the drones are a fusion of magic and science, powered by mana-based engines and energy cores. This means they are equipped with mana shields, which block the energy pulses from the extraterrestrial forces.

A dogfight ensues between the unmanned drones and the extraterrestrial fighters. While the drones are capable of destroying the enemy forces, the extraterrestrial fighters have more experience in space warfare.

Their energy pulses and shields are a level stronger, the the battle Nexus Prime need roughly three drones to take down one fighter. However, the sheer number of drones makes it difficult for the extraterrestrial forces to advance toward Earth.

In the command center, the battle continues to play out on the screen. Envy watches with bated breath, though her face remains a calm, unreadable mask. Her subordinates, working diligently around her, glance at her composed demeanor and find their own nerves steadied, allowing them to maintain their focus and cool under pressure.

At this moment, the vanguard fleet of fighters and corvettes changes tactics. They quickly retreat back to the main fleet, which is advancing rapidly. As the vanguard rejoins the main fleet, the energy detectors on Elpis blare an alarm—the power level from the enemy fleet has surged to a dangerous level.

Suddenly, a massive barrage of energy beams shoots through space, obliterating nearly all the battle drones blocking their path. Millions of drones are destroyed in a single strike, with only a few thousand remaining unharmed.

Seizing the opportunity, the extraterrestrial fleet accelerates toward Earth, the massive mothership leading the charge.

"Prime, do you have any more drones to fend them off?" Envy asks the Super A.I.

[Negative, Lady Envy. My factories are operating at full capacity. It would take months to replenish the drones destroyed in this strike. Based on my estimation, our production capabilities and technological limitations are approximately 20 years behind this spacefaring civilization. We still have significant ground to cover to match their level.] The A.I. replies.

Hearing this, Envy calculates their best chance: luring the fleet closer—or better yet, into Earth's atmosphere. This would allow their main forces, such as mages and other specialized units, to engage the extraterrestrial forces directly, exploiting their unfamiliarity with the magic of this world.

The extraterrestrial fleet moves at incredible speed, slowing only as it nears the moon's orbit. The mothership, one-third the size of the moon, gradually enters the orbit and touches down on the dark side of the moon.

All of this is displayed on the screen. Envy's face pales as she watches the mothership land on the moon's dark side.

While Envy has never been to the moon herself, Nexus Prime's drone technology has allowed her to survey it extensively, especially the dark side. Over the past ten years, she has observed a growing crack in the ancient seal there. She is certain that the interdimensional being sealed beneath the moon is trying to break free.

She doesn't know the full extent of this being's power, but ancient records from lost civilization ruins in Israel provide some clues. In pursuit of greater knowledge and power, King Solomon sought to bind 73 demons. This one, the 73rd, was far more powerful than the other 72 combined. It led to Solomon's downfall, and the most he could achieve was sacrificing himself and all his power to seal the 73rd demon on the moon.

Envy watches the screen with bated breath, praying that nothing goes wrong. But then—a flash of light erupts from the dark side of the moon, followed by a massive explosion that annihilates the mothership and, moments later, the entire extraterrestrial fleet.

"No…" Envy's face turns ashen as she collapses into her seat. Her mind races to her beloved. "Danny…" she utters in despair.

— Meanwhile —

On the streets of Elpis, near the Emberweave residence, a door materializes out of nowhere. Daniel steps through it, followed by Mordred.

"Finally… I'm back," Daniel says, his voice filled with nostalgia.