My Deck Is Made Up Of OP Anime Characters

BANG!

A thunderous impact echoed across the mountaintop as the black and red monstrous humanoid absorbed the full force of the Yellow Turban Warrior's devastating blow. Cobweb cracks instantly spread beneath Azrael's feet, the stone shattering under the tremendous pressure of the collision.

The Lore Cardian students watching from the sidelines stared in stunned silence at Azrael's transformed appearance. Even Harold and Arnald, who had witnessed his dramatic arrival at the campus entrance, could not hide their amazement at this display of raw power.

"What kind of card is that?" someone whispered, awe creeping into their voice.

"I don't know, but it looks terrifying," another replied, unconsciously taking a step back.

"This aesthetic is straight out of a villain's playbook," a third student muttered, though fascination colored his tone despite the intimidating display.

In the center of the training area, Azrael, now fully merged with Pride's symbiotic form, examined the Yellow Turban Warrior, his right fist still locked in his iron grip. The grotesque face, lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth, stretched into an exaggerated grin that would have caused most humans to flee in terror.

"Now it's my turn!" The overlapping voices of Azrael and Pride echoed across the mountaintop, creating an unsettling harmony that sent shivers down the spines of everyone present.

The yellow-turbaned warrior's pupils narrowed in alarm as he sensed the shift in momentum. A blade of writhing black and red biomass had already formed from Azrael's arm, slicing through the air with a terrifying whistling sound and aimed directly at the warrior's torso.

The spectators gasped as the severed arm spun through the air before hitting the ground with a wet thud. The yellow-turbaned warrior had sacrificed his limb to avoid what would have been a fatal blow, but his desperate evasion had only bought precious seconds.

Azrael was not about to waste such a perfect opportunity. Black and red tentacles shot out like piercing snakes, wrapping around the retreating warrior and dragging him back within striking distance. The creature's hollow eyes widened in what might have been surprise as massive biomass-enhanced hands clamped around its head.

With a sickening CRUNCH, the Yellow Turban Warrior's form collapsed, disintegrating into motes of spiritual energy that dissipated like white smoke on the mountain breeze.

Having dispatched his opponent with such overwhelming efficiency, Azrael turned to Alice, his monstrous features somehow managing to convey a casual question. "Elder sister, is there anything else you would like me to demonstrate?"

Alice shook her head with barely perceptible movement, her expression carefully neutral despite the impressive display. This particular course was designed to train students to survive encounters in the wilderness. Since the curriculum specifically prohibited the use of stand-alone cards, she couldn't use anything close to her true abilities. The Yellow Turban Warrior she'd summoned was only Bronze level with Blue quality, hardly a serious challenge for someone of Azrael's caliber.

After silently recording Azrael's perfect score for survival in wilderness combat on her phone, she turned her attention to the remaining students, who had their own demonstrations to complete.

The assembled students, however, were completely distracted by what they had just witnessed.

"Holy shit, in half a year of classes, this is the first time anyone has actually defeated Professor Alice's Yellow Turban Warrior," one student breathed, his voice filled with disbelief.

"That's because our strength lies in our biological cards," another replied pragmatically. "Most of us can barely defend ourselves against Professor Alice's demonstrations, let alone win."

"But don't you think Azrael's symbiote form looked incredible?" a female student added, her eyes still fixed on where the battle had taken place. "The way it moved and fought was like something out of a nightmare, but in the best possible way."

"Now I understand why he was admitted mid-semester," someone else concluded with newfound respect. "He's really exceptional."

The Class 1 students had been attending these training sessions for half a year, and this was the first time any of them had seen the Yellow Turban Warrior so completely helpless against a Lore Cardian fighting in person. After all, the combat effectiveness of most Lore Cardians relied heavily on their summoned creatures rather than their personal abilities.

The entire purpose of Alice's curriculum was to develop their emergency response skills for wilderness encounters, situations in which they might be separated from their primary cards or forced to fight with limited resources. What Azrael had just demonstrated was a level of personal combat skill that completely exceeded normal expectations.

Pride slowly seeped back into Azrael's body, returning him to his normal human appearance as he addressed his instructor. "I didn't feel any significant pressure during this encounter, Senior Sister."

With Pride's [Battle Master] trait providing tactical guidance and combat expertise, Azrael felt like he hadn't put in much effort during the brief confrontation. The Yellow Turban Warrior's movements had seemed almost predictable, his attack patterns easily countered by superior positioning and timing.

When Alice heard his assessment, she replied in a voice so soft it was barely audible, fortunately Pride's enhanced hearing allowed him to catch her words. "It's your first class, and I couldn't really gauge your abilities, so I used the average difficulty level for our students."

"That makes sense," Azrael thought with understanding. Had the Yellow Turban Warrior really been weak? Not at all, the cobweb cracks in the stone beneath his feet were clear evidence of how devastating his initial attack had been. The problem was that most students could only run for their lives in the face of such overwhelming force, making effective resistance almost impossible.

The disparity between his abilities and the normal student's limitations had created a situation where what should have been a challenging exercise became a demonstration of dominance.

"Next!" Azrael called loudly, recognizing Alice's social anxiety and knowing that she would have difficulty regaining control of the increasingly animated crowd without assistance.

At his command, the middle-aged Taoist beside Alice made a subtle gesture, summoning another yellow-turbaned warrior to the center of the training area. The remaining Class 1 students would now take their turns facing the standardized challenge.

What followed could be generously described as a series of educational beatings. While calling them outright defeats might be a bit harsh, several students managed to put up a respectable fight, even forcing the yellow-turbaned warrior to work for his victories, but none came close to matching Azrael's decisive triumph.

As Azrael watched his classmates struggle against the same opponent he had so easily dispatched, his thoughts drifted to other potential challengers. "If Victor were here, he could probably match this performance," he mused, remembering his semi-final opponent from the Provincial Championship. "His martial arts training and personal fighting style would be perfect for such a challenge."

The memory brought a slight smile to his face as he recalled their brutal confrontation. Victor's willingness to engage in direct combat had been both impressive and dangerous, and represented exactly the kind of approach that would excel in Alice's wilderness survival curriculum.

Soon enough, Azrael's first practical lesson at Pixar University ended with the last student being systematically defeated by the Yellow Turban Warrior.

"That was incredible, Azrael!" Harold approached him after class, his eyes practically glowing with admiration. While he'd seen glimpses of Azrael's symbiotic transformation during their first meeting, to witness his fighting prowess firsthand had been a revelation.

"You are incredibly strong," Harold continued with growing excitement. "Would you like to join the Battle Club?"

"Battle Club?" Azrael raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar term. "Our university has such a thing?"

Harold immediately corrected his assumption with the patience of someone explaining basic facts to a newcomer. "It's not just our university, every school with a Lore Cardian department has a Battle Club. It's practically mandatory."

This immediately caught Azrael's attention. Any institution that existed universally across academic institutions usually served important purposes. "There must be something important about these Battle Clubs if every university maintains one."

"Exactly!" Harold nodded enthusiastically, pleased that Azrael had grasped the implications so quickly. "The reason every school has a Battle Club is because there's a national competition every June. Universities from all over the Empire compete in both team and individual categories."

"What about prizes?" Azrael asked pragmatically. He had learned that contests of this magnitude rarely attracted such widespread participation without substantial incentives.

Harold's expression turned dreamy as he considered the rewards. "I am not quite sure what this year's rewards will be, but last year's rewards were exceptional. The first-place team received access to a secret welfare realm, while the individual champion received a complete set of gold-level crafting materials."

A complete set. Azrael felt his pulse quicken at the implications. From his experience with Master Lucian's material packages, a "set" usually consisted of at least three coordinated components, sometimes more. For a contest of this magnitude, the quality would undoubtedly be exceptional, rather than the minimum viable offering.

And these were gold-level materials, a level he'd never encountered, let alone possessed.

Still, Azrael had questions about the structure and limitations of the competition. "Are there any restrictions on who can participate in this national tournament?"

"The specific selection process varies from institution to institution," Harold explained knowledgeably, "but participation is limited to freshmen and sophomores. The organizers actively investigate any suspicious cases to prevent people from deliberately repeating grades to maintain eligibility."

Azrael nodded as understanding began to dawn. The restrictions made sense from several perspectives. He remembered Micheal, a junior at Velkairos University, mentioning that third-year students were typically assigned to internship programs. Apparently, this pattern held true throughout the educational system.

More importantly, limiting participation to underclassmen prevented absurd mismatches between vastly different power levels. While Silver-level students might still dominate Bronze-level opponents, at least the competitions wouldn't feature Gold-level powerhouses crushing everyone below them.

"So," Harold asked again with renewed enthusiasm, "what do you think about joining the Battle Club?"

Azrael considered the suggestion carefully. The National Tournament was an exceptional opportunity, not only for the material rewards, but also for the experience of facing talented opponents from across the Empire. Such encounters would provide invaluable insight into the broader landscape of young Lore Cardians and their evolving abilities.

In addition, his current deck of cards would benefit tremendously from gold-level advancement materials. While he possessed several powerful Bronze and Silver level units, reaching Gold would open up entirely new categories of abilities and strategic options.

"I'm definitely interested," Azrael replied with growing conviction. "When do the tryouts begin?"

Harold's face lit up with obvious pleasure at securing such a promising recruit. "Excellent! I'll introduce you to our club president tomorrow. With your proven abilities, I am certain you will earn a spot on the competitive team."

As they walked down the mountain path together, Azrael reflected on how quickly his university experience was expanding beyond mere academics. The Battle Club represented another avenue for growth and development, while the National Competition promised challenges that would test his skills against the Empire's most promising young talents.

The foundation he'd built through careful cultivation and strategic card design was about to be put to its most comprehensive test yet. But instead of feeling anxious, Azrael found himself anticipating the opportunity to discover just how far his power had progressed.

After all, he'd spent months building up to moments like this, opportunities to test his strength against worthy opponents while seeking rewards that would accelerate his development even further. The National Competition was exactly the kind of high-stakes challenge he'd been preparing for since his arrival in this world.

Time to find out if his efforts had been enough to compete at the highest levels of academic card making.