A Trump Card is an abnormal mental state.
A state of mind that enables rapid thinking.
It doesn't grant omniscience, but rather achieves an extraordinary level of self-control.
So extraordinary that Lin Ye could create three overlapping layers of mutated spiritual energy shield fused with Severing runes and rotational techniques in the instant a third-tier bug monster attacked.
He didn't suddenly learn any new knowledge, yet effortlessly shattered the limbs of a third-tier creature.
Lin Ye wanted to use this state to ponder unsolved questions, but found it impossible.
He could only employ this mental state to find solutions, not actively contemplate problems.
Moreover, this skill lasted only one minute - he now had 57 seconds remaining.
One minute passes in the blink of an eye during war.
Lin Ye abruptly appeared beside a second-tier spike-shelled bug, his blade piercing through its mutation organ in one strike.
This movement and attack utilized hybrid runes combining acceleration and severing, making him too fast for second-tier creatures to react.
First, second and third-tier creatures are all considered low-tier beings - fundamentally, their differences lie only in physical strength and number of mutation organs.
Lin Ye began rapidly teleporting across the battlefield, eliminating one second-tier bug with each stop.
The bug monster quickly grew impatient. While the swarm had countless tierless and first-tier bugs, second-tier were fewer, and third-tier only had itself.
Stronger Abyss creatures had all gone to the frontline - only mediocre ones like itself got assigned to battlefield edges.
Previously it wanted to capture Lin Ye alive as live material, now it just wanted him dead quickly.
The bug monster charged again. Lin Ye ignored it, using his mutated spiritual energy shield to block attacks while borrowing momentum to kill second-tier bugs.
As Lin Ye systematically eliminated all second-tier bugs in sight, the monster finally shattered his shield. Lin Ye replenished it while drawing CL0 and firing skyward.
Bang!
The bullet didn't fly upward but traced an angular arc, beginning an extended zigzag trajectory.
Instead of decelerating, it accelerated at each turn - which coincidentally aligned with every second-tier bug corpse Lin Ye had left.
Finally reaching incomprehensible speed, it struck the bug monster, whose body instantly disintegrated into fragments.
With their leader gone, the swarm showed signs of chaos. Lin Ye kept slaughtering first-tier bugs until they retreated, dragging the tierless ones with them.
Lin Ye had repelled them.
The entire process took just 53 seconds.
With 4 seconds left, Lin Ye connected to his divine seat. He'd sensed the connection earlier but prioritized the battle first.
Closing his eyes, Lin Ye returned to that darkness.
Light particles illuminated the void, but Lin Ye didn't linger - following the divine connection, he walked into the darkness.
Time became meaningless until he entered a blood-red world where a crimson moon illuminated a ruined divine throne.
"Big brother, who are you?"
A childish voice spoke behind him. Turning, Lin Ye saw a pink-haired little girl tilting her head at him.
"I'm Lin Ye."
He instantly knew who this was - and admittedly panicked slightly.
Only those connected to a divine seat could stand before it unimpeded.
'What do you do when you come to inherit a godhood and meet the actual god? Asking for a friend, it's urgent.'
'Those two unreliable nun and Holy Maiden - your god is clearly fine! Why send me here? To chat with deities?'
'I'm only first-tier dammit! Even my Trump Card can't handle this!'
"Lin Ye, do you know who I am?"
The girl walked past him, yawned and drowsily slumped onto the throne's armrest.
"You are naturally this place's deity," Lin Ye answered respectfully.
She literally sat on the god's throne - was this a trick question?
"Deity... what's that?" The girl looked confused.
"A beacon in the spiritual world," Lin Ye answered like clergy, meeting her crimson eyes.
"Don't understand. Lin Ye, want to sit beside me?" Her eyes fluttered shut as sleep took her.
"If you don't mind."
Lin Ye had no clue what deities thought about - probably not dinner plans like him.
"Of course. You should sit here. I don't know why, but feel you should."
As the girl murmured sleepily, Lin Ye approached the throne and sat beside her.
The blood moon above suddenly brightened like a lighthouse, its red glow startling powerful beings across countless realms.
Opening his eyes, Lin Ye found this divine connection didn't grant new runes, but a skill called Sacrificial Offering.
Its activation conditions were stringent, but with under 4 seconds of Trump Card remaining, perfect for testing.
"Sacrificial Offering."
As Lin Ye spoke, all corpses in sight converged beneath him, forming a flesh platform lifting him skyward.
A flesh-woven box appeared before him, opening to reveal a pulsating mutated heart.
Taking it amid allies' horrified stares, Lin Ye chose to return to the Shelter.
[War Front activity concluded. Received Special War Gift Box*1 based on enemy kills]
Back at the Shelter, Lin Ye didn't immediately sort loot but reviewed rune techniques developed during Trump Card state.
Without that enhanced state, he couldn't currently execute those complex rune skills - but having used them once, with time he could relearn them.
Severing - Speed Movement
Severing - Speed Attack
Mutation - Rotation - Shield
Bullet Node Acceleration Mutation Redirect
Acceleration - Collapse Rune Bullet
...
In just one minute, Trump Card Lin Ye had created numerous skills to slaughter bugs. Now he deeply regretted not using Power Cards earlier - though honestly, he'd been too overwhelmed managing existing rune cards to handle more.