My Deck Is Made Up Of OP Anime Characters

"I didn't think we'd meet in the last sixteen," Nick said, standing next to Azrael as they both studied the tournament schedule displayed on the arena's giant screen. There was a note of rueful disappointment mixed with grim determination in his voice.

He had hoped to avoid facing Azrael until at least the semi-final, preferably the final. Each additional round would have given him more opportunity to study his friend's evolving fighting style and devise countermeasures. But fate had other plans, and Nick wasn't the type to waste energy bemoaning circumstances beyond his control.

"I'll give you everything I have," Nick declared, turning to face Azrael with a blazing intensity radiating from his dark eyes. "You'll see how much I've grown since we last met!"

Azrael watched his classmate's passionate declaration with a mixture of amusement and genuine respect. "Don't make me sound like some kind of final boss," he replied with a slight smile, trying to lighten the increasingly dramatic atmosphere.

Nick's grim expression cracked and he burst into genuine laughter at Azrael's deadpan delivery. The tension between them had eased considerably; whatever happened in the coming battle, their friendship would survive intact.

With neither competitor scheduled for the opening match, both young men returned to the Silverbrook High School section after checking the bracket information. The first elimination round match would pit Hu Lai of Jinghai Middle School against Ji Yang of Wujun No. 1 Middle School.

Azrael had come across Hu Lai's name in Fredrika's intelligence files, another seeded player who had received an automatic bye past the preliminary rounds. However, the information on his specific skills had been frustratingly vague, containing little more than basic biographical data and power level confirmations.

As the referee's whistle signalled the start of the match, Azrael leaned forward with analytical focus, eager to finally see one of his potential future opponents in action.

The card Hu Lai summoned immediately drew the attention of the entire arena. A magnificent tiger materialised on the battlefield, no ordinary feline, but a supernatural predator that radiated otherworldly menace. Ghostly wisps of energy curled around its massive frame like ethereal mist, and when it moved, the very air seemed to respond to its presence with subtle wind currents.

"Wind manipulation combined with spectral enhancement," Azrael noted quietly, filing the tactical information away for future reference. "Interesting hybrid approach."

Ji Yang's map, on the other hand, seemed painfully inferior from the moment it manifested. Azrael had watched Ji Yang's previous matches and come to the uncomfortable conclusion that the Wujun No. 1 Middle School student had gotten this far more through favourable bracket positioning than through any exceptional skill.

Sometimes luck played a crucial role in tournament success, and Azrael held no personal judgement against Ji Yang for benefiting from circumstance. However, facing a seeded player like Hu Lai represented a dramatic escalation in difficulty that Ji Yang's skills simply couldn't cope with.

The battle ended with brutal efficiency. Hu Lai's ghostly tiger moved with supernatural grace, its claws trailing crimson energy that seemed to carry the scent of ancient blood. As those deadly claws sliced through the air towards Ji Yang's defence card, the opposing creature simply dissolved into dissipating light, unable to put up any meaningful resistance.

Standing in the centre of the arena, Hu Lai looked at his defeated opponent with obvious disappointment etched into his features. "This level of competition made it to the last sixteen?" he said, his voice loud enough for the nearby spectators to hear the dismissive assessment.

Then his gaze swept up towards the raised seats, scanning the assembled faces until his eyes locked on Azrael's position. For a moment, an unreadable emotion flickered across Hu Lai's expression before he turned away.

The only worthy opponents left are Azrael and myself,' Hu Lai thought with growing anticipation. Everyone else is just background noise.

Azrael, watching from the bleachers, caught Hu Lai's meaningful look but could not decipher the specific message being conveyed. His attention had already shifted to tactical analysis and a growing sense of sympathy for his former opponent.

"Poor Vali," Azrael mused softly. "If he had drawn Ji Yang instead of me, he'd probably be in the quarter-finals."

The battlefield had suffered minimal damage during Hu Lai's overwhelming victory, so there was no need for extensive repairs between matches. Within minutes, the arena staff had cleared away the remaining energy signatures, and the second match was ready to begin.

"Round of sixteen, second match: Azrael from Silverbrook High School versus Nick from Silverbrook High School," the announcer's voice boomed across the arena. "Contestants, please take your positions."

As the two young men descended onto the battlefield, Nick's expression changed from friendly warmth to intense concentration. The moment his feet touched the arena floor, he summoned three cards simultaneously, his mental energy flaring as he maintained multiple manifestations.

Azrael's analytical mind immediately processed the tactical implications. "Two Bronze level cards and a Black Iron level card," he assessed, noting the considerable mental strain Nick was taking by deploying his entire roster right from the start. "And the third card... I've never seen it before."

Nick's previous battles had featured his familiar duo, the Black Iron level Wuzhiqi Guomin and the Bronze level Bo. Their synergy had carried him through the main rounds of the competition with impressive efficiency. But this third manifestation was a complete unknown.

The mysterious map took the form of a massive tree, its thick roots instantly burrowing deep into the arena floor with preternatural speed. Its branches spread far overhead, casting intricate shadows across the battlefield, while an ineffable quality to its presence suggested immense age and power.

"Fusang? Jianmu?" Azrael wondered, his mind racing with possibilities from the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Given Nick's consistent thematic approach, either legendary tree would fit perfectly within his established framework.

Both mythological specimens had world-changing significance in Chinese cosmology, Fusang as the tree where the ten suns rode, Jianmu as the cosmic pillar connecting heaven and earth. If Nick had somehow managed to create even a juvenile version of either creature, the tactical implications would be staggering.

"How do you like my surprise, Azrael?" Nick shouted with obvious pride, gesturing to his newly revealed trump card.

Ignoring the taunt, Azrael responded by summoning his own three-card formation. Kaneki materialised first, his Centipede Kagune writhing with predatory hunger. Despite being outclassed by Bronze level opponents, his Red quality rating still provided useful combat support. Yoriichi appeared next, his hand casually resting on the hilt of his Zanpakutō, while Luffy completed the trio with his trademark confident grin.

The referee blew his whistle, and the tension in the arena reached its peak.

"Round of sixteen: Azrael versus Nick. Begin!"

The sharp blast started the fight, and Yoriichi instantly disappeared with Shunpo, reappearing beside Bo with his blade already in motion. The Zanpakutō sang through the air in a perfect killing arc, aiming for the creature's vital points.

Clang!

A golden sword-shaped phantom materialised just in time to intercept Yoriichi's strike, deflecting the attack with a metallic resonance that echoed throughout the arena. But the spectral weapon was only an emergency defence, lacking the substance to truly stop a Soul Reaper's attack.

"Hadō #1: Shō," Yoriichi intoned with quiet authority.

A concentrated burst of kinetic force erupted from his fingertip, striking the golden phantom and disrupting its cohesion just enough to create an opening. Yoriichi flowed through the gap with liquid grace, closing the distance to Bo's vulnerable position.

Bo refused to yield without resistance. Several sword phantoms condensed out of thin air, their gleaming edges converging on Yoriichi's position from multiple angles simultaneously. The Soul Reaper's blade became a silver blur as he deflected the incoming projectiles, sparks cascading around him like deadly fireworks.

Ding! Thing! Thing! Ding!

Each blow pushed Yoriichi back a little, the coordinated attack successfully disrupting his offensive momentum. Bo had clearly learned from observing Azrael's previous battles that maintaining distance while using superior numbers was the most effective strategy against close-combat specialists.

Meanwhile, Wuzhiqi Guomin seized the opportunity to provide ranged support. The ancient water god raised Bo's conjured longbow and released an arrow that crackled with dark energy. The projectile screamed through the air towards Yoriichi's exposed flank.

Kaneki's kagune parried the attack with violent force, his centipede appendages wrapping protectively around his allies. The impact of the arrow sent shockwaves through his enhanced biology, but his regenerative abilities absorbed the damage with little concern.

Luffy had been patiently waiting for the perfect opening, and Nick's focus on Yoriichi provided exactly what he needed. Steam began to rise from the pirate's skin as he activated the Second Gear, his complexion flushing to a bright pink.

"Gum-Gum Jet Pistol!"

The enhanced blow cut through the air like a cannonball, Luffy's fist leaving afterimages as it rocketed towards Bo's centre of mass. The creature tried to summon defensive phantoms, but Luffy's tremendous speed overwhelmed its reaction time.

WHAM!

The devastating blow landed firmly, sending Bo staggering backwards with obvious damage to his magical skeleton. Azrael felt a surge of satisfaction as his tactical gambit paid off; while Nick's attention remained focused on Yoriichi's dazzling swordplay, Luffy had delivered a crushing blow that significantly altered the momentum of the battle.

But victory remained elusive. As Azrael watched, a soft green radiance began to emanate from Bo's wounded areas, magical energy flowing like healing sap to repair the damage Luffy had inflicted.

At the same time, thick vines erupted from the canopy of the mysterious tree, lashing out at Yoriichi with bone-crushing force. The Soul Reaper barely managed to dodge the first blow, the massive plant appendage cratering the arena floor where he'd stood moments before.

"Recovery, control and protection," Azrael muttered, his tactical assessment growing increasingly grim. "This is going to be problematic."

Nick had devised a near-perfect defensive formation. Bo provided offensive and magical support, Wuzhiqi Guomin provided ranged attacks and tactical coordination, while the Tree Entity provided battlefield control and healing. A prolonged battle against such a balanced team would gradually tilt the odds in Nick's favour.

Even Luffy's [Survive in a Desperate Situation] trait had its limits; if his opponents could keep up the pressure while negating his burst damage with healing, even his incredible tenacity would eventually reach its breaking point.

"At least it's not Fusang," Azrael comforted himself, studying the tree's combat patterns for further clues to its identity. "If this thing could summon sunfire, we'd be in serious trouble."

However, the current situation demanded immediate action. Nick's strategy was sound, and given time to fully develop, his defensive formation would be virtually impregnable. Azrael needed to break the stalemate before his opponents could fully capitalise on their tactical advantages.

"I think it's time to reveal a trump card," Azrael decided with inner resignation.

He'd hoped to keep Yoriichi's Shikai hidden until the final, but circumstances had forced his hand. Besides, with the number of secrets still hidden in his arsenal, revealing one technique was hardly a catastrophic loss of strategic depth.

"If we're going for a decisive engagement," Azrael calculated, "Luffy's Gear Third could probably shatter their formation with raw power. But since Yoriichi is already engaged..."

The Soul Reaper was the more elegant solution. His Zanpakutō's true capabilities remained completely unknown to their opponents, and the psychological impact of witnessing an unprecedented technique could destabilise Nick's tactical coordination.

Had Nick's tree been Fusang, the legendary roost of the ten suns, Azrael would never have considered this approach. But the being before him had no solar associations, which meant that Yoriichi's fire-based abilities shouldn't trigger any dangerous mythological resonances.

Azrael had put a lot of effort into designing Yoriichi's release incantation during the card creation process, and he was genuinely curious to see the results in actual combat. This battle was the perfect opportunity to test his design theories against live opponents.

Taking a deep breath, Azrael made his decision. "Time to show them something they've never seen before."

On the battlefield, Yoriichi seemed to sense his creator's intentions. The Soul Reaper disengaged from his current skirmish, stepping back several paces to create the proper distance for what was about to unfold. His hand moved to the hilt of the Zanpakutō with ritualistic precision, and spiritual energy began to gather around his form like a rising tide.

Nick noticed the shift immediately, his tactical instincts screaming warnings about the supernatural pressure now emanating from his opponent. "What's he doing?" he wondered, unconsciously adopting a defensive stance.

Throughout the arena, spectators leaned forward in growing anticipation. Something unprecedented was about to happen, and all present could sense the building power that defied their understanding of normal card combat.

Yoriichi's voice rang out with crystalline clarity, each word carrying the weight of absolute authority:

"Incinerate all evil and burn everything to ashes!"

"Nichirin!"

Golden-red flames erupted around Yoriichi's Zanpakutō as it transformed from a simple steel blade into a weapon of supernatural fire. The temperature in the arena rose dramatically, and the air itself began to shimmer with heat distortion, making distant objects appear like mirages.

For the first time in the history of the world, witnesses witnessed the release of the Shikai of an Shinigami.

The response was immediate and overwhelming. University representatives leapt to their raised seats, notebooks forgotten as they stared in disbelief at the impossible phenomenon unfolding below. Students throughout the arena gasped in collective shock as even seasoned Lore Cardians struggled to comprehend what they were witnessing.

Nick's confident expression crumbled into uncertainty as he faced an ability completely outside his knowledge base. No amount of preparation could account for techniques that had never been seen in documented card combat.

"What sort of monster are you, Azrael?" Nick whispered, his voice barely audible over the crackling flames that now surrounded his opponent.

Azrael allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction. The psychological warfare had worked beyond his expectations and now it was time to exploit their advantage before Nick could adjust to the new reality.

The real battle was about to begin.