Kurosaki Ichigo Got the MVP! Madara Uchiha Won While Lying Down!

The bone-chilling gale circled over the frozen earth, and the devastated land was soon covered by a thin layer of snow.

Tempest took a light breath, trying to ease her exhaustion with the icy air.

After her grueling battle with Lu Su’s cards, the Army Lord of the Demon Army had suffered a massive decline in strength.

If someone had told Tempest before the battle that she would expend so much energy on a Diamond Grade Card Master, she never would have believed it.

Unfortunately, reality taught her a lesson.

After recovering a little stamina, Tempest prepared to support her other four colleagues.

However, just as she was about to move, an extremely familiar presence suddenly appeared behind her.

Boom—!

Caught completely off guard, Tempest crashed into the ground like a falling meteor.

The sudden change caused everyone present to pause their movements.

The Army Lords in particular stared wide-eyed as if they had seen a ghost, their mouths opening instinctively. "That is?!"

They had already recognized who it was.

"How is that possible?!"

No two leaves in the world were exactly alike, and naturally, no two cards could be completely identical.

Yet the several Army Lords were seeing it now.

What entered their sight was the blond youth card that had previously dissipated beneath Tempest’s hands.

And that was not all.

Under the stunned gazes of the demons, cards that should have long since disappeared—Luffy, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, Hashirama Senju, and the others—appeared on the battlefield once more.

"…???"

Even in the Army Lords’ long lives, they had never witnessed such a scene.

"This is… an illusion, right?!"

At this moment, the Demon Army desperately hoped that what they were seeing was merely an illusion created by some ability.

Because if everything happening now was real, then it meant—

Tempest was in danger.

They did not want to believe it, nor did they dare to.

"How was this done…?"

The Army Lords could not figure it out no matter how hard they thought.

At the same time, Fang Wenlong and the others were equally shocked.

They had never heard of a card capable of resetting the cooldowns of other cards.

That was right. These figures standing at the pinnacle of Card Masters could naturally tell that everything had been caused by the newly appeared card.

Noticing Catherine and Nikolai’s horrified yet curious gazes, Fang Wenlong gave a bitter smile and spread his only remaining right hand.

He meant that he did not know either.

The middle-aged man known as the War God naturally could not know, since Madara Uchiha was Lu Su’s latest card.

Moreover, no Card Master in their right mind would go around publicizing a trump card like this.

Even if Fang Wenlong knew the details of the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, he would do everything he could to help Lu Su conceal them.

Unaware of the complicated emotions within the Great Ming Card Master, Catherine forcibly calmed herself. Then, a disdainful smile appeared on her lips as she looked coldly at the four Army Lords in the distance. "Looks like today is the day you die."

Hearing this, the four demons exchanged grim looks, silently communicating about the situation.

They had originally been waiting for Tempest’s support, but judging by the current situation, the Lord of Storms was likely unable to protect even herself.

Then…

Should they run?

Elsewhere.

A violent gust suddenly rose from where Tempest had fallen, scattering the smoke and dust hanging in the air.

Soon, the somewhat disheveled woman reappeared in everyone’s sight. However, the Army Lord of the Demon Army had no mind to spare for her distant colleagues now.

Ignoring the burning pain across her back, Tempest stood expressionlessly upon the earth and looked at the cards in the sky.

"I see."

Only then did she understand what the black-haired man’s mockery had meant.

"To think he could achieve this much."

Tempest closed her eyes and sighed softly.

She knew that she likely would not survive this ordeal today.

But who could have imagined that such a terrifying ability would appear on a Diamond Grade card?

Tempest believed she had not underestimated her opponent. Against Lu Su, she had already used one hundred percent of her strength.

Unfortunately…

She had been dragged to death.

Whenever she believed victory was firmly in her grasp, that Diamond Grade Card Master would produce some heaven-defying method.

First, he had used a group of Diamond Grade cards to confront her, a Master Grade existence. Then, in the midst of battle, he created a card with a powerful Bond.

Finally, he used that card to force her into her current predicament.

Thinking of this, Tempest opened her eyes and looked toward Lu Su, who had appeared at some point in the distance. She opened her mouth, intending to say something.

However, the cards led by Kurosaki Ichigo had no intention of giving her a chance to catch her breath. They immediately attacked the Master Grade Demon on the ground.

Facing the incoming cards, Tempest’s expression did not change. She commanded the raging winds to block the attacks coming from every direction.

However, her increasingly strained movements made it clear that the Storm Sovereign, who had been so arrogant not long ago, was beginning to struggle.

Whoosh—!

After forcibly gathering a storm tornado and driving back the cards besieging her, Tempest gasped heavily.

She tugged at the corner of her mouth and said with some difficulty, "…I’ve forgotten how many years it has been since I was this close to death."

Her emotionless voice spread outward with the wind.

Upon hearing those words, Lu Su’s gaze flickered, but in the end, he said nothing.

A trace of disappointment flashed through Tempest’s eyes.

She sighed faintly. "You truly are cautious."

"I did not lose to you unjustly."

At this point, Tempest paused before changing the subject. "But if you think I’ll surrender without a fight, then you are gravely mistaken."

As soon as her words fell, endless storms gathered toward her.

Clearly, Tempest was preparing for a final, desperate struggle.

As for running?

It had never been an option she considered.

Even if she escaped successfully today, what about the future?

Given the terrifying talent of the person on the other side, the day he advanced to Master Grade would likely be the day her entire race perished.

Since that was the case, she might as well try to take him down with her while she was still alive.

What Tempest did not know was that her colleagues were already considering how to escape.

Faced with this scene, Lu Su merely shook his head slightly, then had Spider-girl take him into hiding once again.

He was not an idiot. There was no need to step forward and show his face at the moment of victory. Who knew whether his opponent still had some hidden move?

The battle erupted once more.

At this point, Lu Su’s cards had no intention of confronting Tempest head-on. After all, anyone with half a brain could see that the demon wanted to trade her life for theirs.

Powerful wind blades occasionally streaked across the sky, leaving enormous scars across this land of eternal frost.

The terrifying sight made the Diamond Grade demons watching from far away tremble.

The Corrupt Great Demon could not help swallowing. Lowering his voice, he quietly said to the colleagues beside him, "Do you think Lady Tempest is about to—"

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey." The Mirror Count hurriedly stopped him. "Don’t jinx it."

"If Lady Tempest is defeated, we definitely won’t have a good ending either!"

Hearing that, the Corrupt Great Demon slapped himself and repeatedly said, "Right, right. You’re right."

After saying that, he fell silent and began wondering whether he should run away.

After a while, the Mirror Count asked hesitantly, "…Do you think that kid used materials from that old undead to make that card?"

He was referring to the King of the Living Dead.

The Diamond Grade demons had naturally noticed Madara Uchiha’s appearance and realized that he was likely a new card created on the spot by that Diamond Grade Card Master.

Combined with the fact that Lu Su had risked severe injury to kill Sean before fleeing, there was a high possibility that the King of the Living Dead had contributed to it.

"…" The Corrupt Great Demon opened his mouth and said nervously, "There can’t be such a coincidence, right?"

The situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse only after that new card appeared. Every demon present could see that.

If Lu Su had truly obtained Sean’s materials and that had led to the appearance of this card, then did that not mean they, who had allowed him to kill Sean, had played a part too?

The Corrupt Great Demon did not dare shoulder such an enormous blame.

Yet no matter how unwilling they were, the Diamond Grade demons all understood that this was most likely the truth.

Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret in this world.

At the same time.

The battle between Lu Su’s cards and Tempest was already nearing its end.

Kurosaki Ichigo stood in midair with Tensa Zangetsu in hand, his expression calm as he looked at the demon covered in wounds.

He knew that she was already at the end of her rope. With just a little more force, he could become the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

And as it happened, the blond youth’s Mugetsu state did not have much time left either.

But precisely because of that, they needed to be even more cautious.

A trapped beast still fought. The counterattack of a powerhouse before death was always the most frenzied.

As the offensive briefly slowed, Tempest swept her gaze over the cards that had surrounded her.

Directly in front of her stood the blond youth who had left a terrifying wound across her chest.

On her left stood the muscular, white-bearded old man radiating endless killing intent.

On her right stood the Straw Hat Boy, who burst into laughter from time to time and fought as though it were all a game.

Behind her stood the God of Shinobi, watching her closely from atop the head of a towering wooden Buddha.

Beyond them were numerous subordinate cards, scattered at varying distances behind the four.

And all of these beings should have been defeated by her already.

Everything, everything, had been caused by that black-haired man with cracks across his face.

Thinking of this, Tempest let out a long breath and sighed somewhat wistfully. "I no longer have the ability to resist."

"Are you still not going to show yourself?"

No one answered.

Lu Su remained hidden in the shadows, coldly watching the demon’s performance.

Whether she was sincere or putting on an act, he would not reveal himself before she died.

Seeing this, Tempest cast aside her earlier despondence and spoke coldly, like a snow mountain that would never melt. "Cautious enough."

"Heh."

"Be proud. You are about to kill the Lord of the End who commands storms."

Her eyes were filled with indifference, as though the weakness she had displayed before had all been an act.

Of course it had been an act!

How could a terrifying existence like her, one accustomed to life and death and holding the power of life and death over countless billions of subjects, possibly reveal such a nauseating expression?

Now, she felt only anger at her own insufficient strength, along with admiration for Lu Su.

As for fear of death?

She had discarded that useless thing long ago, when she embarked on the irreversible path called slaughter.

"Let this next move decide the victor."

As she spoke, Tempest slowly extended her right hand.

Just as she had done when facing the Armored Wooden Giant, she once again gathered the endless storms of the heavens into her hand.

To unleash this attack, Tempest wagered her past, her present, and… her future.

Having witnessed the power of the Spear of the End, Kurosaki Ichigo and the others naturally would not sit by and let it take shape.

Buddha Manifestation!

Hashirama Senju immediately unleashed his strongest killing move.

Boom! Boom! Boom—!

Amid the continuous barrage of impacts, Tempest was smashed into the ground in merely a few breaths.

Yet Hashirama Senju furrowed his brow.

Buddha Manifestation had not struck her.

Every fist was torn apart by the wild winds escaping from her hand before it could land on Tempest.

Seeing this, Kurosaki Ichigo stopped waiting and immediately unleashed his strongest technique.

Mugetsu!

Sensing that a slash capable of threatening her life was about to strike, Tempest immediately released the Spear of the End in her hand.

In an instant, a pale Wind Blast howled forth.

Yet this time, it no longer possessed the overwhelming momentum it had shown when facing Madara and Hashirama.

The enormous black slash wave collided head-on with the Spear of the End. The scattered air currents instantly pulverized the surrounding land.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

Finally, after a prolonged stalemate, the Spear of the End was split in two and roared into the distance, leaving two deep ravines in the ground.

However, as the price, Mugetsu also dissipated into the air.

Seeing this, Tempest could not help sighing regretfully.

She regretted that the attack in her hands was no longer at its strongest state. After all, she had first drawn out part of its power to deal with Buddha Manifestation, and then, faced with a life-or-death crisis, had no choice but to release it ahead of time.

But.

She had already done her best. If anyone was to blame, blame that Diamond Grade Card Master on the other side for being too powerful.

With that thought, a trace of relief appeared on Tempest’s ever-icy face.

At that moment, an aged voice suddenly shouted, "Heavenly Ash Extermination!"

The instant Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto finished speaking, an ultra-high-speed slash too fast for the naked eye to perceive had already struck Tempest’s body.

Sshk—!

As the slash passed through her, more than half of Tempest’s body was instantly erased into the air.

She died without even having the chance to leave behind any last words.

As Tempest’s severed body fell helplessly toward the ground, an eerie silence descended over the battlefield. Only the cold wind continued to wail, as though mourning the Lord of Storms.

At this moment, whether Demon or Card Master.

Whether Diamond Grade or Master Grade.

They all stared blankly at the distant corpse of the Demon Army’s Army Lord.

Only then did everyone truly realize that someone had, as a Diamond Grade, slain an opponent powerful enough to be considered formidable even among Master Grades.

"…"

"Tempest!?"