Captivated by the Ruler of the Underworld

With the agreement inked and the casino buzzing with anticipation, thanks to Lela's charisma and Yaz's concern for his reputation and his unwavering confidence, the deal was struck in an instant.

A hush fell over the casino floor.

The cards were inspected and handed to the dealer to shuffle, cut, and layout in a seamless flow.

With the hole cards dealt, the dealer began the draw, starting counterclockwise.

Lela's upcard was a Queen; Yaz had a King - both held a solid ten.

In Blackjack, both Q and K were valued at ten; he was even with his opponent, perhaps even holding a stronger hand.

Yaz raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed on Lela, filled with certainty.

Lela remained composed, her face showing not an ounce of fear.

On this hand, folding wasn't an option. It was all or nothing.

The dealer continued to draw cards counterclockwise. The second face-up card for Lela was an eight, and Yaz had landed an eight as well. Both had face-up cards of equal value.

One hole card, two face-up cards-they had three cards each.

Lela propped herself up from the table, her slender fingers gripping her cards, flipped them, and threw them down on the table.

Her hole card was a three, making a perfect twenty-one.

Yaz watched Lela's hand, a creeping anxiety taking hold of him.

He was never one to fear a bet, but this time, for some reason, he was on edge.

Mentally saying a prayer, Yaz revealed his hand.

To his astonishment, his hole card was a four, totaling twenty-two. It was a bust.

In the game of Blackjack, the player with the highest score wins, provided the score is equal to or less than twenty-one, but exceeding twenty-one is a bust. A bust meant losing.

And losing big time.

Yaz stared at his cards in disbelief.

He hadn't anticipated drawing a four.

The crowd was going wild, astonished that Yaz had drawn a four.

"So, the King of Gamblers wins, right? And so do I."

"Damn! What kind of skill is that? You had the guts to bet with those odds?"

Some in the stands cheered while others groaned a lot of them had bet on Yaz, and those who'd bet on the King of Gamblers were ecstatic.

Lela leaned over, chuckling lightly, "You've lost."

Luck was a significant component of gambling.

And as it happened, she was the favored one.

From escaping The Immortal Man to meeting Sylvester, her luck had turned.

Nobody's luck could beat hers.

Fate had always been on her side, hadn't it?

In the midst of the frenzy, realization dawned on the audience—it wasn't money at stake, but a pair of eyes, and the crowd started chanting. "Gouge 'em out, gouge 'em out, gouge 'em out."

Perhaps the macabre really did awaken the dark side of human nature; everyone was yelling, eagerly awaiting the gruesome spectacle.

Yaz stood up, panic in his gaze as he attempted to leave, but the casino's security swarmed around him, cornering him.

Approaching Yaz, Lela wielded a sharp knife.

Prince Charles, observing the situation, looked troubled. He stood up and interjected, "I implore you, Mr. King of Gamblers, to spare Yaz for my sake."

At his words, Lela tilted her head, her eyes peering through her mask at Charles-only to meet a pair of eyes so deeply familiar, they could belong to no one else but Master Sylvester!