My Deck Is Made Up Of OP Anime Characters

The tournament continued with unrelenting momentum, and though Azrael's analytical gaze swept over the remaining competitors, he couldn't identify any particularly threatening opponents. The matches seemed evenly matched on the surface, but his instincts told him that this apparent mediocrity was nothing more than calculated deception.

They're all hiding their trump cards, Azrael mused as he watched another bland exchange between the contestants. Every fighter who'd made it to the final sixteen possessed something extraordinary, they had to. Nick's surprise revelation of the ancient tree being had proven that even familiar foes could harbor devastating secrets.

Azrael himself remained a perfect example of this principle. While viewers thought they had seen the full extent of his arsenal, he had yet to use Luffy's Gear Third techniques, let alone his three most carefully guarded secrets. Unfortunately, due to his precarious double life, these special cards would remain hidden forever.

The thought of Zoro, Utanobu Oshino, and Mark 3 brought a familiar pang of frustration. His Iron Man persona and infiltration of the Crimson Oath Society required absolute secrecy, and revealing these cards would unravel months of carefully constructed deception.

I'd love to show the world what Luffy and Zoro can do together, Azrael thought wistfully, imagining the devastating combination attacks the Straw Hat duo could unleash. But that revelation will have to wait until I'm free of the Crimson Oath Society's stranglehold.

"Azrael, I am absolutely convinced that you will claim first place!" Gabi declared with unwavering confidence, her eyes blazing with certainty as she turned away from the day's games.

Azrael couldn't help but smile at her fierce loyalty. "Your faith in me is remarkable."

His expression became more contemplative as he studied the remaining opposition. "But Victor won't be an easy opponent to handle."

Something about Victor's performance in the first match had triggered his fighting instincts, a nagging sense of danger that defied rational analysis. Though his analytical mind found no obvious flaws in Victor's displayed skills, the warning lingered like a phantom itch he couldn't scratch.

Gabi's brow furrowed in concern. "Victor?" She paused, searching her memory for details about the Crossgill student. "Is his tiger demon really so formidable?"

Azrael nodded grimly. "This tiger is a real menace," he admitted, his voice carrying uncharacteristic uncertainty. "More importantly, he's only shown one card so far. Who knows what other monsters he has in reserve?"

Gabi wouldn't dream of disagreeing with Azrael's professional assessment; his Bronze status lent tremendous weight to tactical assessments. "Regardless of the challenges that lie ahead," she said with fierce determination, "I still believe you will prevail."

Yurek had been absorbing their conversation with growing excitement, and now he nodded with such vigorous enthusiasm that Azrael feared the boy might hurt himself. "Azrael, if you don't take first place, who could?"

"I admit that Azrael of your school possesses impressive strength," a mocking voice from nearby interrupted, dripping with calculated provocation. "But unfortunately, he will find himself completely outmatched against Victor."

Azrael turned to face the speaker and immediately recognized the Crossgill High School uniform. One of Victor's classmates, clearly here to engage in pre-game psychological warfare.

Yurek's face turned crimson with indignation. "How could Victor's cards threaten Azrael's arsenal?"

The loyal friend had witnessed Azrael's entire tournament campaign firsthand. In his simple worldview, Yoriichi's release of Shikai could reduce Victor and his tigers to smoldering ashes in moments.

Unexpectedly, the Crossgill student's expression changed to one of genuine fear when he heard Yurek's challenge. "Azrael's cards are indeed terrifying," he admitted with obvious unease, his earlier bravado cracking like thin ice.

"But you have absolutely no idea why Victor has earned that particular name."

Gabi's frown deepened at the cryptic statement. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

The student seemed to realize he'd revealed too much, his face paling as he backed away in desperation. "Let's not even talk about what would happen if Victor found out I'd leaked information about his abilities."

He straightened up with false confidence, trying to regain his composure. "Besides, we're not friends or relatives, so why should I share secrets with potential enemies?"

With that parting shot, he turned and returned to his seat, deliberately ignoring the reactions of the Silverbrook group.

"You arrogant, !" Yurek was ready to explode with righteous anger.

Azrael quickly grabbed his friend's arm, preventing any embarrassing outbursts while his tactical mind processed the exchange with analytical precision. This brief conversation had yielded more valuable information than the student probably realized.

From the genuine fear in the boy's eyes and his careful choice of words, Azrael was able to draw several disturbing conclusions. Victor's true fighting methodology was likely far more brutal and unrestrained than his current performances suggested. The name itself might have meaning, perhaps indicating a particular reputation or fighting style that truly terrified other students.

"What a complete joke," Yurek muttered with lingering resentment. "Azrael is obviously the strongest competitor here."

Azrael looked at his loyal friend with a mixture of affection and annoyance. Please don't raise the flag of death with overconfident declarations, he thought grimly. Such obvious narrative set-ups rarely ended well for the protagonists.

As if summoned by his pessimistic thoughts, the day's competition ended with the ceremonial flourishes of the public address system echoing throughout the arena.

In the elevated University Representatives section, academic discussions reached a fever pitch as professors and administrators struggled to categorize the unprecedented phenomena they'd witnessed.

"This Azrael map is truly..." the Beijing University representative began, touching his chin thoughtfully as he searched for appropriate descriptive language. "Unprecedented in every conceivable way."

Unanimous nods rippled through the assembled academics, each representative grappling with the implications of Yoriichi's solar transformation on their existing theoretical frameworks. The combination of death domain authority with solar divine attributes defied conventional classification systems.

"Although the ultimate victor is far from certain," interrupted the Vaelcrest Institute representative, who had been conspicuously silent during most of the tournament observations.

Since Vaelcrest Institute shared Crossgill's metropolitan area, their representative had access to local intelligence that other universities lacked entirely.

"What exactly are you suggesting?" Several voices demanded simultaneously, curiosity overriding diplomatic protocols.

Based on today's elimination matches, no remaining contender seemed able to withstand Azrael's devastating Shikai techniques. The power differential seemed almost insurmountable.

The Vaelcrest representative's expression turned smug and mysterious. "Some things cannot be spoken aloud," he said with annoying vagueness. "You'll understand everything when Victor and Azrael finally meet."

Collective frustration radiated through the University section as every other representative silently cursed the man's deliberate ambiguity. The unspoken consensus was clear: Cryptic riddlers deserve whatever misfortune befalls them.

Only the representative of the Vaelcrest Institute remained calmly confident in his private thoughts. "Victor," he mused quietly, savoring the appropriateness of the name. "How perfectly fitting indeed."

Fortunately, we have been proactive. Victor had already essentially committed to joining our institution.

This pre-recruitment secured his position to give tantalizing hints without risking competitive disadvantage. If other universities realized Victor's true potential, they'd find their target already out of reach.

Back in his hotel room, Azrael immediately began planning his next strategic moves. Adding new Trump cards before the quarterfinals was essential, but his severely limited finances limited the options available.

Creating additional Bronze-level cards was financially impossible with his current resources; he simply lacked the capital for quality materials. However, there was an alternative: creating a Black Iron level card specifically designed to trigger the Bond effects of Luffy's Straw Hat Pirates.

The Bond mechanic offered truly powerful multiplier enhancements that could dramatically change tactical situations. Fortunately, the Straw Hat crew provided plenty of potential candidates for expansion.

Sanji, Nami, Robin, and Chopper were all viable options for his pirate-themed arsenal. Since this was primarily a matter of maximizing the efficiency of the bond with a minimal investment of resources, Azrael intended to optimize his choices carefully.

He had already decided to focus on either Nami or Robin. Two male Straw Hat cards were enough for now, and introducing female crew members would provide valuable tactical variety while maintaining thematic consistency.

The specific choice would depend entirely on what materials the trade markets currently had to offer within his meager price range.

Azrael opened his phone and navigated to the familiar interface of a trading website, hoping to find suitable components for his next creation.

"What kind of garbage is this?" he muttered in disgust, scrolling through page after page of overpriced or completely irrelevant materials.

The selection was abysmal, either prohibitively expensive items far beyond his budget, or worthless components that wouldn't support even basic map creation. After much searching, he finally found two potentially useful items: Black Iron Level [Greedy Girl] (blue) and Black Iron Level [Rookie Pirate] (green).

Both seemed appropriate for Nami's character archetype, though they were sadly lacking the weather manipulation elements he'd originally hoped for. Ideally, Azrael would have preferred climate-related materials to properly represent Nami's Clima-Tact abilities and meteorological mastery.

Unfortunately, weather-based components seemed to be exceptionally rare or entirely absent from the Black Iron tier markets, presumably reserved for higher-level crafters with considerably deeper pockets.

"I'll have to make creative substitutions," he concluded reluctantly, abandoning his search for weather materials in favor of available alternatives.

His attention settled on the Black Iron Level [Metal Long Staff] (Green) as a reasonable compromise option. The weapon could serve as a foundation for Nami's signature fighting style, even if it lacked her trademark weather manipulation abilities.

"This will have to do," Azrael sighed, adding the item to his purchase queue with resigned determination.

His remaining funds barely covered these three materials, leaving only 20,000 Empyrean Dollars for daily expenses and emergencies. At this rate, he would be completely broke within a week.

The familiar sight of Pidgeot delivering his ordered materials provided some comfort as Azrael prepared for the creation process. Despite the financial limitations and the sub-optimal quality of the components, he remained confident in his ability to create something useful.

His previous successes had proven that creative storytelling could often compensate for material deficiencies, elevating mediocre components into truly powerful cards through innovative narrative frameworks.

Taking a deep breath to center his focus, Azrael arranged the materials before him with practiced precision. The meditation techniques he had developed over months of intensive training helped clear his mind of distracting thoughts and competitive anxiety.

"Time to expand the crew," he murmured, settling into the meditative state required to create the maps. "Let's see what kind of navigator the mysterious space will approve."

The materials glowed softly as his mental energy enveloped them, preparing them for the transformation that would hopefully give him the tactical edge he desperately needed against Victor's unknown abilities. Whatever secrets his opponent was hiding, Azrael intended to be ready.