As Jevil pulled out the [Jester Hammer] with a dramatic flourish, using the ten floating cards that circled him like orbiting stars, he lifted himself off the ground, hovering effortlessly in the air.

The massive, absurdly decorated hammer spun in his hand, bursting with chaotic energy, and he looked ready to bring it crashing down at any moment.

Sam didn’t flinch. Instead, he focused.

Primordial Spirits!

---

[Which spirit do you wish to summon?]

[→ Mirla, The Smiling Jester (Level 60)]

[→ Vinn, The Weeping Jester (Level 60)]

[→ Grint, The Blank Jester (Level 60)]

---

A wide grin formed across Sam’s face as his focus deepened, and without hesitation, he selected all three.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three loud bursts of crimson aura erupted in front of him like silent explosions, and as the dust settled, three figures stood there, carved entirely from a dark crimson glow.

Though ethereal, they looked vivid, real, even.

They said nothing.

Sam noticed immediately that none of them spoke, which struck him as odd.

The [Rune Dragon] spirit had roared without issue when summoned, so why couldn’t they?

Maybe spirits simply couldn’t speak actual words.

Regardless, he scanned the aura surrounding each one.

Mirla and Vinn each had two cards orbiting them, glowing faintly, while Grint had three.

This meant they had the same capabilities as their real self, and with Sam’s affinities layered on top, their potential had grown even more.

Jevil looked delighted.

"Oh~" he cackled, watching the spirits take form, "I guess you could do that, huh. Got more surprises hidden up your sleeve~?"

Sam pointed at him.

"Who knows."

The [Abyssal Obliteration] he had summoned in the previous floor was still above him, and he had already charged a [Bullet of Oblivion].

He didn’t hesitate.

Fwish! BOOM!

The bullet tore through the air with terrifying speed, leaving behind a long streak of warped energy.

The impact sent shockwaves across the battlefield, fracturing the already-damaged stone floor even more.

But Jevil didn’t seem worried.

Fwish! SLAM!

With a flick of his wrist, Jevil swung the [Jester Hammer] to meet the oncoming bullet.

For a few seconds, the energy between them clashed violently.

It looked like Jevil was actually struggling, his mask slightly twitching as he strained—

BOOM!

Suddenly, he deflected it.

The bullet veered off course and flew straight into Mirla’s spirit.

The moment it struck, her head burst into aura fragments, her figure immediately beginning to dissolve.

"Seriously?" Sam groaned, "Defend yourselves and try to assist me," he ordered sharply.

Vinn responded instantly, summoning a jagged whip with his two cards, while Grint extended the blades from his arms.

Both positioned themselves defensively, prepared to protect Sam.

"Four-on-One, huh~?" Jevil giggled mockingly, "Let’s fix that~!"

He dismissed the [Jester Hammer] without a word, clapped his hands twice, and three of his orbiting ten cards dropped to the ground.

In an instant, they transformed.

Three new Jevils appeared, each identical to the original, floating midair with twisted grins and glowing masks.

Sam narrowed his eyes. So it was now a true four-on-four.

He had suspected from the beginning that Jevil was playing with him.

Despite the madness, there had always been precision behind his every move.

He didn’t take this fight lightly.

[Void Watcher: He is extremely cautious of you.]

That confirmed it. He just had a damn good way of hiding it.

Sam studied the clones. Seven of the cards still surrounded each one of them.

That raised a red flag in his mind.

Were they like his [Forsaken Clone]? Did they also have access to Jevil’s full powers?

Apparently, yes.

Two of the clones summoned the [Jester Scythe] from the seven cards they had, each one brandishing it with the same chaotic flair as the original.

"Go," Sam ordered, nodding to the spirits, "The [Forsaken Clone] will support you."

Without a word, the three dashed forward.

Sam remained in place, gripping the [Primordial Sword] with one hand while holding the growing orb of flame from [Sovereign Inferno] in the other.

He didn’t rush. He was preparing the [Primordial Hellfire] spell.

Surely Jevil’s clones couldn’t each wield the full seven-card power like the original—

Fwish! BOOM!

He was wrong.

As two of Jevil’s clones rushed in, they swung their scythes in synchronized arcs.

Vinn and Grint tried to evade, but the damage was already done.

A third Jevil clone held up seven cards, which combined into a swirling ball of white energy.

Then it began to glow brighter.

Jester Beam!

BOOM!

Four massive beams fired toward Sam, the clone, and the two remaining spirits.

Sam quickly stepped back and tried to dodge.

But then the beam curved midair. It turned to follow him.

"What? It tracks me?!"

Fwish! BOOM!

With no other option, Sam swung the [Primordial Sword] in a powerful arc, intercepting the beam just in time.

The impact was massive, shaking the entire floor.

When he looked to the side, he saw that his [Forsaken Clone] had managed to block another beam as well.

But the spirits? They were gone.

"Using my own disciples against me was never going to work~" Jevil called out gleefully, "Was that your trump card~?"

Sam’s fists tightened.

He had overestimated their chances.

Those spirits had only two or three cards each, while Jevil and his clones had more as much as the three of them combined.

The outcome had been obvious in hindsight.

"Four-on-Two, now~" Jevil said, spreading his arms with glee, "And I’ve got so many more tricks left~ Let’s see what you’ll do~"

Sam and his clone didn’t move.

Instead, Sam looked down at the flame still flickering in his hand.

He had finished charging it.

The fire was hot enough to reduce even [Ascendant] rank monsters to ash.

He shut his hand tightly around the flame, focused every drop of aura and every fiber of his determination into the skill, and then—

PRIMORDIAL HELLFIRE!

A tidal wave of fire surged outward from his palm, consuming the entire arena.

Flames filled every corner, every crack in the stone, rising high.

The sky itself seemed to ignite for a moment.

But once the fire settled...

Clap! Clap! Clap!

"Very nice~"

Jevil’s voice echoed.

As the smoke faded, Sam saw them, the four Jevil clones, perfectly positioned in a circle, cards whirling around them.

They had used those cards to form layers of magical barriers, protecting themselves from the flames.

"Very~ VERY~ good try~" Jevil grinned.

Sam exhaled quietly.

He hadn’t truly expected that to work.

He had hoped, but deep down, he knew Jevil was too slippery.

When spells failed, it always came back to the blade.

His skills with the [Primordial Sword] were tied to his soul, affinities and determination.

And the more determined he became, the stronger his blade was as a response.

Jevil knew that.

They all seemed to know a lot more about the [Primordials] and that strange force of "determination" than Sam himself.

But it didn’t matter.

"Here we go, then~" Jevil laughed again.

He clapped. The clones vanished in an instant.

Three cards flew back to orbit around him, bringing his total back to ten.

Then he clapped again.

"This is it! The [Jester Frenzy]~ The very move that ended so many of your kind~"

Nine of Jevil’s ten cards shot outward, glowing as they planted themselves across the edges of the arena.

Each one pulsed with chaotic magic.

And one by one, nine new Jevils appeared.

There were ten in total now.

Sam and his clone were surrounded.

And with their one remaining card, each Jevil summoned a [Jester Scythe] into their hands.

"Scythe against sword~" the ten of them said in eerie unison, their masks flashing with power, "Let’s end this, then~"

Fwish! BOOM!

With perfect coordination, all ten Jevils lunged toward him, their scythes drawn back and ready to strike.

Sam braced himself.

[How foolish of him =)]

[Stay determined, we can win!]

Sam’s gaze burned with fire.

He wasn’t done yet. Not even close.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com