Elise's hands shook as she took the card from him and looked at it. She wondered whether this would summon the dragon to assist her in the battle, but having such a card is like a life-saving treasure either way. She couldn't help but shake his hands, "I feel like I owe you now." She tucked the skill card into her storage with great care. Her eyes sparkled then as she added in an earnest tone. "Whatever help you want in the future, regardless of what it is, whether small or big, I promise you that I will come to you."

Orion gave a faint smile and waved a hand lazily. "You're being dramatic. Just consider it to be over."

"No, I'm only being fair," she countered, munching down the piece of fish. "Whether my favor on you is over or not, you get to decide, but whether I owe you or not, I get to decide that, right?"

Orion smiled and said nothing.

Later at the hotel;

The glow of soft moonlight bathed the hotel room in silver as Orion sat cross-legged on the bed, his breathing calm and rhythm steady. Threads of natural energy coiled around him like strands of silk, harmonizing with each slow inhale.

Then—

Zzzip.

A ripple of golden light flashed mid-air. A paper envelope materialized from thin air, swirling once before phasing into his forehead.

Azzy's voice echoed inside his head, interrupting his meditation. "Hey Son, I know it's late, but I just want to remind something I have forgotten before. Regarding the skill card, if you haven't used it yet, don't use it until you return home. Reply when you return home when you see this message."

The message made Orion's eyes snap open.

He exhaled through his nose, then replied with a voice message of his own, laced with a soft apology. "No, Father. I didn't use the skill card. I gave it away to someone as a way to repay a debt."

Elsewhere in the hidden dimension…

In the vast Garcia palace of the Death Clan village, Azzy stirred.

He just lay in an expansive bed, draped in dark silk sheets. Beside him, Leiza breathed softly in her sleep, curled against his arm. Her silver hair fell like moonlight over the pillow.

But his eyes flew open as he got a reply within minutes. "What?"

When he read it, his heart raced for a moment.

Leiza murmured, "Mmm… Dear?" Her eyes fluttered open briefly.

Azzy leaned over and kissed her forehead gently. "Nothing. Just a dream. Go back to sleep."

She sighed and sank back into slumber.

A moment later, Azrael vanished from the room in a flicker of black-gold light.

Back in Freyles…

Fifteen minutes passed.

Orion was just adjusting back into his meditation when—BOOM!—a gust of pressure exploded across his hotel room. The balcony doors flung open.

Azzy stood there, boots crackling with energy, brows furrowed in displeasure.

Orion nearly fell off the bed. "D-Dad?! What are you doing here?"

Azzy strode in like thunder. "Who was it?" he asked sharply. "Who did you give the skill card to?"

Orion stood, flustered. "At the banquet… There was a girl. Elise. She's one of the top eight. We were talking about my debt repayment to her because she was indirectly the reason I was late and tested by Uncle Gideon… I thought it was just a skill card. I can't use soul skills anyway, so…"

Azzy raised his hand. His fingers twitched as though resisting the urge to scold him for how stupid he could be. He wanted to scold his son, 'Gideon didn't test him because of the battle in Round 32.' However, He shut his eyes tightly, collecting himself.

He then exhaled slowly. "It wasn't exactly a skill card, son."

Orion blinked. "What?"

Azzy opened his eyes, tone quieter now, but ten times heavier. "That wasn't just any reward you got from the tournament. It was the gift of an Arcana spirit. I sealed a celestial-grade entity inside the card. It was disguised as a skill… but meant for you so that you can have an Arcana spirit just like the rest of the world."

Orion froze. "Wait… an actual Arcana spirit?"

"Yes," Azzy cut in. "Bound by me personally. Ready for immediate contract. I was going to let you unlock it after you return from the tournament. But you just gave it away?"

Orion hesitated, guilt creeping across his face. "I didn't know. I'm sorry. I thought skill cards weren't useful to me."

Azzy sighed. "Why did you think that I would give you a skill you cannot use? The tournament was conducted by Leah on my instructions. Obviously, she knows your condition. Even if we give a skill card instead of a disguised Arcana spirit contract, it would still be something that you could use it right away." Azzy's voice then turned quieter as he added. "Who exactly did you give it to?"

Orion replied. "Her name was Elise. That's all I know. She's unaffiliated. I didn't… ask more."

Azzy rubbed his temples. "Elise? That girl with Yggdrassil? Anyway, do you have her soul signature registered in your message card? A contact on the phone? Email? Or where was she staying? Anything?"

Orion shook his head.

Silence.

Azzy muttered, "Gods above…" He turned toward the balcony, calculating rapidly. "It's fine. I'll track her down through the tournament system records. It's not lost yet as long as she doesn't use it and realizes that it isn't some life-saving card but an Arcana spirit."

But then, he stopped mid-step.

His gaze jerked to the west, beyond the horizon. His eyes narrowed. "What the…"

A sharp pulse of unfamiliar energy rippled across the sky. It wasn't just him alone; every Supreme realm expert in the city felt it. Orion somehow felt it too, even though he is not one, a subtle quake beneath his ribs.

Azzy's voice dropped to a whisper. "Something's happening."

He vanished in the blink of an eye.

Orion stood there, alone, heart still thudding.

Meanwhile, at Hotel Blacktree Inn, 1:12 AM

Elise's chest rose and fell rhythmically on the bed. Her breathing was calm.

But the air wasn't.

The Rank-9 skill card she had stored in her storage card flew out of it on its own and was now floating, spinning slowly in midair.

Its core pulsed—a dull red glow.

Then it flared.

Whoosh—

With a sudden hiss of energy, the card spun faster and then shot straight into her chest. Elise's body arched off the bed, eyes snapping open in shock.

"AGH—!"

Light consumed her vision.

And in the next instant, she stood within the mindscape, a twilight forest under a night sky. Towering trees formed a circular grove, and at the center, two presences waited.

One was familiar.

Yggdrasil, her Arcana Spirit, shimmered as a towering tree rooted into the void, glowing with natural essence. It bowed gently as if acknowledging the moment.

The other was new.

A colossal dragon coiled beside the roots. Its scales were obsidian laced with gold. Faint glowing lines ran along its body like magma veins. Its eyes locked onto Elise with a gaze that saw straight through her. "So you are the one," it rumbled.

Elise took a shaky step back. "W-What… Who…?"

The dragon's voice filled her soul.

"I am Nidhoggr. And I have chosen you."

Elise swallowed hard. "Chosen… me? Why? What's going on?"

Then…

BOOM.

A blast of spiritual energy erupted from her body in the real world.

Her soul energy increased rapidly. A new planet formed in her soul system. Her rank rose to Rank-8.

Meanwhile, outside the hotel, Azzy appeared, his eyes glowing in pitch black. "It's too late. Nidhoggr. I underestimated you a lot. I never thought you would take the initiative for the merge."