Chapter 166: Saraswati’s Cat
“Beep—”
Prompted by the whistle, Dark and Diana encouraged each other before parting ways.
The remaining eight contestants also arrived at their respective arenas according to the schedule.
Arena ①:
Contestant ① vs Contestant ⑨;
Arena ②:
Contestant ② vs ?;
Arena ③:
Contestant ⑤ vs Contestant ⑩;
Arena ④:
Contestant ⑦ vs ?;
…
The duel between Dark and Sarah clearly attracted more attention.
More than half of the students chose to watch at Arena ①.
Even Wit, who was defeated by Diana, couldn’t help but appear among the crowd with Robert.
He felt deeply afraid of blending into the masses.
Capturing the highlights of outstanding individuals had become his subconscious behavior.
…
“Contestant ① Dark Demon, Contestant ⑨ Sarah Swati! Given the excellence of these two, I don’t need to introduce them much. Please, both contestants step up to the Competitors’ Platform!”
Professor Jones’ voice was still as loud and spirited as ever.
Dark and Sarah stepped onto the Competitors’ Platform.
Only after stepping up did Sarah Swati activate her Spellboard and call out from afar, “Hey.”
Dark placed his hand on the Spellboard and injected mana in response, “Hey?”
It felt like they were talking face-to-face yet trying to communicate over a phone.
Sarah squinted and smiled, “A semester is almost over; this must be our first conversation, right?”
Dark nodded slightly, “But not our first exchange.”
Sarah paused for a moment before smiling, “You really know how to talk; I should have met you earlier.”
Dark placed his Deck into the Card Slot on the Spellboard, “It’s never too late.”
Sarah’s expression gradually turned serious, “Let’s get to know each other through this duel!”
[Standby Phase]
The remote interaction between Dark and Sarah added a lot to the match.
While the Mana Academy wasn’t as peaceful as the Fool’s Academy, it didn’t have many competitors due to its different class schedules compared to the Knight Academy and Noble Academy.
Moreover, most students of the Mana Academy wished for a day to have 25 hours, constantly drawn by the rich collection of books at St. Maryan!
Therefore, the relationship between the Mana Academy and Noble Academy was not as tense as that between the Knight Academy and Noble Academy.
It wasn’t until the top students of both schools stood on the Dueling Arena that a spark finally ignited uncontrollably!
“Even if it’s Swati, she can’t be Demon’s opponent. You wouldn’t understand unless you’ve dueled him; being his opponent is incredibly powerless.”
Tudor shrugged, further emphasizing his stance.
Less than two meters away from Tudor’s circle, Swati’s supporters glared at him fiercely.
One girl with black hair tied into two thick braids, standing proudly, said, “Boys always overestimate themselves; Swati will teach you a lesson!”
Tudor raised his head, “My upbringing prevents me from saying harsh words, but you must know that this era is still supported by men!”
Heidi: “That will soon change!”
Tudor: “Ridiculous!”
Both held their ground, gradually deviating from the topic.
But the duel on the field would not stop because of them.
[30s]
As the automatic shuffling ended, the countdown for the Standby Phase began.
Both contestants switched states, fully immersing themselves in the duel.
Dark quickly drew five cards from his Deck.
[壶壶]
[Trash Slime]
[Deoxys]
[Revealing Powder]
[Aragrance I]
“Is the sacrifice ready for the summon?”
Dark quickly assessed the possibility of summoning “Deoxys” via “Sacrificial Summon” in the first round.
Then he focused his gaze on “壶壶”.
With a pot, choose a pot; without one, choose another.
This was undoubtedly the optimal solution in Dark’s deck.
When the 30-second countdown for the Standby Phase reached zero, the Spellboard emitted a reminder sound similar to the clock striking midnight.
Skilled duelists were particularly sensitive to this sound.
They relied on it to confirm the start of each round.
[Battle Phase] [30s]
The atmosphere on the field changed dramatically!
“Mana Summon!”
Dark drew “壶壶” from his hand and summoned it at lightning speed!
It had been less than an hour since the last duel.
Most people still remembered the scene where 壶壶 smashed the Baby Rock Dragon’s skull with a single punch, so they no longer underestimated the three-star Mana Spirit Card with zero attack.
Following closely behind Dark, Sarah also completed her summon!
Appearing in the Blue Side Summoning Area was a black cat about the same size as 壶壶!
Its ears were enormous, and it had no fur on its body. Its golden eyes exuded an inexplicable aura of eeriness.
…
[Card Name: Sphinx Cat]
[Type: Elemental Card]
[Level: ??]
[Race: Avian-beast Kin]
[Attribute: Dark]
[Mana: 600]
[Attack: 600]
[Defense: 600]
[Ultimate Skill: Shadow Step]
…
In legends, Sphinx Cats were said to come from the underworld. Their grotesque appearance made ancient people often speak ill of them.
But over time, rumors turned into legends, and Sphinx Cats became symbols of misfortune.
Witches and sorceresses of the previous century favored Sphinx Cats, believing they could ward off misfortune and reduce the side effects of predictions.
Sarah’s “Sphinx Cat” was not a result of gambling.
She rarely gambled.
St. Maryan’s Traveler’s Street had extremely rare materials even hard to find in the black market.
Using the Conjure Method inherited from ancient sages, Sarah successfully crafted this two-star Mana Spirit Card after Halloween.
Although she was not entirely satisfied with its blue quality, she still loved it greatly.
A wise person does not judge things by their appearance.
“Sphinx Cat” was undoubtedly one of the core tactics of Sarah’s strategy.
However, she had never summoned it in public before.
Facing Dark Demon, she decisively used her trump card!
…
Despite 壶壶 being summoned faster than the Sphinx Cat, the latter’s mobility far surpassed 壶壶!
As it landed, it gathered power in all four limbs and sprang up instantly, turning into a black arrow, rushing toward the opponent’s field like the wind!
Though Dark remained cautious, he trusted 壶壶 and immediately summoned “Trash Slime” once the cooldown was over.
With the three-star “壶壶” and one-star “Trash Slime” as sacrifices, he could summon the four-star “Deoxys”!
Once “Deoxys” appeared, it would create a crushing advantage!
However, the black hairless cat did not target 壶壶 but instead stepped on 壶壶’s shadow when Dark successfully summoned “Trash Slime”!
Its golden eyes released dazzling light.
Shadow Step, activated!
