Timeless Assassin-Chapter 1077: Sacrificing Victory

(Planet Granada, Leo’s POV)

Both Mauriss and Leo had two cards and one special multiplier card left now.

One attack.

One defend.

And one final amplification that could decide everything, as the match narrowed into its final state where every remaining possibility could be traced, and every mistake carried absolute consequence.

With Leo’s golem having taken significantly less damage compared to Mauriss, he now held a minimum eighty percent chance at a draw or outright victory from this position.

While the chances of Mauriss turning this around depended entirely on whether the Deceiver could navigate the shrinking field of options with perfect precision or not.

However, as Leo lifted his gaze towards Mauriss, something felt different.

For the first time since the game had begun, Mauriss’s expression changed.

The manic amusement that had defined him until now began to fade, as his features settled into something far quieter and sharper.

Gone was the wild unpredictability, as in its stead, a focused and intelligent look replaced Mauriss’s face, giving it a weight that the madness never could.

As for the first time ever, he looked surprisingly... normal.

And that was what made it dangerous.

*Shiver*

A subtle chill ran down Leo’s spine as he observed him, as this version of Mauriss, composed and completely present in the moment, carried a pressure that felt far more oppressive than his earlier theatrics, as though the game had finally reached a point where he no longer needed to entertain himself.

"I’m going to use defend next, Skyshard...."

Mauriss muttered, his voice calm and measured as he selected a card and slid it into the machine with steady fingers, his movements precise, deliberate, offering no unnecessary motion that could be read or misinterpreted.

Leo watched him closely. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Every movement.

Every breath.

Every flicker of intent that might betray what lay beneath the surface.

For a few seconds, nothing changed.

The aura around Mauriss remained stable, controlled, giving away nothing, as Leo continued to observe, waiting for even the slightest inconsistency that might reveal the truth behind his words.

And then—

A wisp appeared.

Faint.

Barely visible.

A thin strand of black that slipped from Mauriss’s body for just a moment before fading into nothing, so subtle that it could have been dismissed as a trick of the eye if not for the fact that Leo had seen it clearly.

As Leo narrowed his eyes slightly.

’Was it real?’

’Or was it meant to be seen?’

’Is he lying... or does he want me to think he’s lying?’

The thought surfaced quietly, as Leo’s mind began to turn over the possibilities, each one branching into another layer of uncertainty as he tried to anchor himself in something concrete.

As in that moment, he couldn’t help but recall an old lesson from Charles, a warning given long ago about the dangers of relying too heavily on aura, as the smoking man had been of the opinion that those standing at the pinnacle of universal power, knew how to shape it, distort it, weaponize it into something misleading rather than revealing.

"Fuck me...."

Leo muttered, as once that memory settled in, Leo felt a brief flicker of confusion, as the one tool he had instinctively turned to for collecting more information had now become unreliable, forcing him to reconsider everything from the ground up.

’I can’t let him dictate what I do...’

The thought cut through the uncertainty, grounding him as he straightened slightly, his gaze steady once more as he shifted his focus away from Mauriss and back onto the board itself.

Because in the end, the answer did not lie in reading him.

It lay in the numbers.

In the structure of the game.

In what each outcome would lead to.

As after calculating those probabilities, Leo made a decision based on what suited him best, as he reached forward and selected his card.

He had chosen to use defend, because from his position, he only needed a single clean hit to end the match, while for Mauriss the only path to achieving a draw was by him using attack, when Mauriss had chosen to defend.

As only when an attack was blocked using defend, did the damage from the attack drop by about 80%.

Which was the only scenario in which Mauriss’s golem stayed alive.

Whereas, if the two traded blows, while Leo’s golem would indeed take damage, as long as it also returned the hit cleanly, it would win.

Which meant that, in the current position, if he used defend and Mauriss had also chosen to defend, the last move would be a trade of blows where he would win.

While, if he used defend, while Mauriss had used attack, then he would take less damage in this move, and would have one attack and one multiplier left for the last move.

Whereas Mauriss would be out of attacking options, meaning, the best the Deceiver could hope for then was a draw.

Either way, the structure favored him.

And that was enough for him to make this choice.

*Click*

The sound echoed between them, sharp and final, as the decision was locked in place.

A tense moment passed.

Then—

*Flip*

Attack.

Defend.

Both players chose opposing actions, as while Leo committed to defense, Mauriss’s construct surged forward to strike, the difference in their decisions immediately translating into motion on the battlefield.

*Step* *Step*

The golems responded, Mauriss’s construct lunged ahead with ruthless intent, its arm rising high above its head before descending in a brutal overhead arc aimed straight at Leo’s, the force behind it carrying the desperation of a player who knew this exchange had to matter.

*CRASH*

The strike connected.

Yet not as intended.

As Leo’s golem, already braced and anchored into a defensive stance, absorbed the blow head-on, its arms crossing upward to intercept the attack as the impact rang out sharply across the field, the force dispersing through its reinforced frame instead of breaking through it.

The result was controlled.

The cracks along Leo’s construct deepened slightly, the damage registering across its surface as faint fractures widened under the pressure, yet the defensive posture held firm, reducing the incoming force to a fraction of what it could have been.

Only a portion of the damage went through.

Barely enough to matter.

As when the force finally settled, Leo’s golem remained upright, stable, its stance unbroken despite the impact, while Mauriss’s construct, having used its final attack, now only had one defend left.

As in that single exchange, the outcome became clearer.

Mauriss had played the only move that could extend the match.

But in doing so, he had surrendered his final path to victory, as now, he had no offensive moves left.

However, he had also done it strategically, because, by having a defend left now, he had significantly increased his odds at achieving a draw, as now with both of them having opposing cards and a special multiplier left, the final outcome was going to depend on the resolve of each player.

Especially since the final multiplier card read

"To reveal this card, both players must sign a binding soul contract.

Please sign the agreement to proceed with the next phase."