Published at 5th of May 2026 7:31 am

Chapter 2128 Cards

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In front of the glass house-

Thud

The Cosmic Elder threw a card onto the table with a sharp motion, the sound echoing slightly in the stillness around them, then raised his voice a little in visible annoyance, "Play!"

The card bore the number nine, its symbol shaped like bones, faintly gleaming as it settled on the surface.

Whoooooosh

Atop a towering mountain that pierced through layers of drifting clouds, the intensity of the wind and the biting cold were beyond description, strong enough to tear apart ordinary structures, and yet there was something like a protective, invisible bubble surrounding the two glass houses in general, and the gaming table in particular, isolating them completely from the violent environment outside. Not even a trace of wind could pass through.

Thud

Robin threw a card as well, his movement calm and controlled, raising one eyebrow slightly, "You seem awfully serious, old man. That's bad for your skin." His card bore the number six, its symbol shaped like swords, and it landed precisely atop the Cosmic Elder's card, increasing the pile by one more layer.

Robin spoke in a teasing, almost lazy tone, appearing relaxed and at ease on the surface, but the faint beads of sweat gathering on his skin and the dim golden glow flickering deep within his eyes made it clear that he was taking the game seriously as well, far more than he let on.

There was a small but steadily growing pile of cards between Robin and the Cosmic Elder. Each of them held the same number of cards in their hands, and each took turns playing a random card from what they possessed, with no apparent pattern or restriction guiding their choices.

Whoever played a card matching the number of the card on top of the pile had the right to take the entire pile for themselves... and the final winner would be the one who managed to take all the cards from their opponent's hand, leaving the other with nothing.

A game with no element of strategy or planning, relying entirely on luck and patience, a simple exchange of chance...

...at least, that was how it appeared for ordinary people who lacked deeper

means.

Thud

The Cosmic Elder threw another card onto the pile without hesitation.

Then, almost instantly, he revealed a wide grin and burst into loud, unrestrained laughter, "Hahahahaha! I've surpassed you now, you won't see another win ever again!"

The card he played was a six, its symbol shaped like a frog, landing perfectly to claim the pile.

Robin watched in silence as the Cosmic Elder gathered the entire pile of cards toward himself, his movements almost smug, then lifted his gaze toward him with half-lidded, sleepy eyes, "I know you're desperate and want to win by any means, but at least try not to make it this obvious. You played that card just seven turns ago. How did it return to your hand? Did you use fair exchange to summon it back?"

"Delusions." The Cosmic Elder chuckled, his tone relaxed as he collected the cards into his hand and began shuffling them casually, deliberately mixing them in a seemingly random manner, "Do you have any proof that I cheated? Did you feel anything unusual?"

"Out of everyone, you pick me and say I'm Delusional? Tsk..." Robin clicked his tongue softly and pointed at him, "You're the most shameless cheater in history."

"Hey!" The Cosmic Elder raised his voice slightly, his expression turning mildly indignant, "I didn't say anything when you used the first stage of causality to predict my moves and win the previous round." Then he pointed back at him with a hint of irritation, "That's exactly why we stopped playing chess, and now you're pulling the same dirty trick with cards too."

"...?" Robin raised an eyebrow again, a hint of curiosity flashing across his face, "Was it that obvious?" Then his brows drew together slightly as he considered it, "Should we agree not to use any form of perception to sense what the other is doing?"

Using the first stage of space-time, creation, causality, and balance did not require the manifestation of the golden runes that usually covered his body. They could activate these powers at an extremely subtle level without any visible markings, especially for something trivial like manipulating a simple card game, making detection nearly impossible under normal circumstances.

As for that strange rule they were discussing, it existed for two main reasons...

The first was that the Cosmic Elder and Robin had fought many times in the past because each of them sensed the other cheating during such games, turning even harmless matches into clashes of power.

And the second was that Robin wanted to increase the efficiency and precision of his use of the Master Laws, training himself to activate and deactivate them seamlessly and without excess leakage whenever needed.

Especially since he had been relying on them heavily lately just to stay alive, pushing them to their limits in real situations... particularly the Master Law of Causality, which he had been using more frequently than ever before.

"It was very obvious." The Cosmic Elder waved his hand dismissively, his tone carrying a hint of ridicule, "You resorted to randomly rearranging your cards right before your win. Coincidence?"

"...Delusions." Robin looked away, his expression calm, as if the accusation didn't concern him in the slightest.

"Tsk~ And you, of all people, call me a cheater." The Cosmic Elder finished rearranging his cards with slow, deliberate motions, then threw one onto the table with a wide, almost provocative grin, "Play!"

Robin glanced at the four cards remaining in his hand with a hint of frustration, his gaze lingering for a brief moment, then shifted his eyes toward the Cosmic Elder's hand, now filled with the cards he had just won, and let out a quiet,

restrained sigh.

He still had a long way to go before he could use the Master Laws as frequently, smoothly, and effortlessly as the Cosmic Elder did, without leaving even the slightest trace behind.

Then, thud, he played a card anyway, his movements steady, "When are you going back to the passage, old man?" He tilted his head slightly toward the glass house beside them, "I built this for you so you could change your clothes, drink your coffee, then head back to the passage or return to your people... but you've practically started living in it."

"..." The Cosmic Elder tilted his head slightly toward the table for a few

moments, his gaze lingering on the scattered cards as if lost in thought, "The other side is bad, little Robin... very bad..." Then he sighed, a deep and heavy sound that carried more weight than his earlier laughter, "I've explored areas equivalent to several Mid sectors when compared to the universe we know... vast stretches that should have held something... anything... but there's nothing there except darkness and beasts."

Then he revealed a strange smile, one that didn't quite align with the exhaustion in his voice, "You know? I've been swallowed several times over

there... whole... dragged into those things. Even if I can get out easily every

time, it's not entertaining at all."

"Did you encounter more space beass with the strength of ancestor-level beasts?" Robin frowned slightly, leaning forward just a fraction, somewhat relieved that the Cosmic Elder had momentarily forgotten his turn.

"Of course, plenty of them actually, and fought a few." The Cosmic Elder waved his hand casually, as if it was nothing worth noting, "ancestor-level space beasts are manageable. If I caught one here in our universe, I could deal with it without even feeling tired." Then he turned his gaze away, his expression dimming slightly, "But over there, it's different."

"There's true space there... void... a complete absence. There is none of the energy we're familiar with, nothing to draw from, nothing to circulate. Whatever you expend, you cannot recover, not even a fraction of it."

He paused briefly before continuing, his tone slower and more serious, "So I try

to choose my battles as carefully as possible. Every move, every clash... has a cost I cannot take back."

Then he continued, almost as if speaking to himself, "But that limits how far I can travel. I can't cross a certain distance without getting into several fights. My energy runs out, and I'm forced to return before I can push any deeper." A faint trace of dissatisfaction appeared on his face, "I've started to feel like this exploration mission was nothing more than a false hope... an illusion I convinced myself of."

"..." Robin nodded quietly, his expression thoughtful.

Every time the Cosmic Elder returned from the other side, he would take in a deep breath, as if he had been submerged beneath the sea for years without air, then begin absorbing energy from the surroundings like a sponge, endlessly and hungrily, as if a man dying of thirst had finally stumbled upon water. Someone like the Cosmic Elder could live without air, could survive in a hostile,

crushing void, could endure even without a direct source of energy for

extended periods...

But when all of that was combined with countless monsters, endless darkness,

and no way to recover what was lost?

One could only imagine the kind of pressure, exhaustion, and silent danger he

had to endure on the other side.

No wonder he didn't want to go back.

Robin remained silent for a moment, his thoughts turning inward as he

considered the situation more deeply, then finally asked, "Didn't you ever consider taking someone with you?"

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