Chapter 173: Dark Demon VS Emma Maltis (4K)
After getting off the competitor platform, Dark quickly met up with Diana.
Diana pouted, clearly displeased; “If I had known that you didn’t draw a Mana Spirit, I should have summoned a new one during my second summon. Even if it was a useless card, it could still be thrown!”
Dark chuckled lightly, “So no matter what you do, you should always think first.”
Diana complained, “But my brain isn’t very sharp!”
Dark responded, “It will become sharper with use. Come on, let’s check next door.”
Site ②.
As part of the winners’ bracket, Emma Maltis’s duel was still ongoing.
Her opponent—the Fool’s Academy student #1—proved unexpectedly resilient. Though the white cards in his hand lacked a ultimate skill, their stats were well-rounded and their summon speed wasn’t slow.
By utilizing numerous white cards, he managed to drag out the duel until now.
A quick calculation by some students revealed that he had summoned a total of ten Mana Spirits by the end of the duel!
Unfortunately, none of these Mana Spirits were strong enough.
…
“Is Emma indeed my next opponent?”
Dark focused slightly, sensing that Emma, still on the competitor platform, was looking over here.
At the end of this round.
Winners’ bracket moving from four to two: Dark (①) and Emma (⑤) advanced, while Diana (②) and the Fool’s Academy student (#?) were relegated to the losers’ bracket.
However, there were many examples of students rising from the losers’ bracket to win the tournament.
The outcome of a duel depends not only on the strength of the deck but also on luck and tactics. Defeated players can learn from their experience, adjust their decks or strategies, and turn defeat into victory.
In this round’s losers’ bracket:
Sarah (#9) easily defeated the male student (#10) from the Mana Academy.
The Knight Academy student (#7) narrowly won against the Fool’s Academy student (#?), advancing to the next round in the losers’ bracket.
Meanwhile, students #10 and #? were eliminated.
…
The new schedule was soon announced.
Winners’ bracket:
Site ①:
① vs ⑤;
Losers’ bracket:
Site ②:
② vs ⑦;
Site ③:
#? vs ⑨;
…
Dark found a long bench to sit on, beginning to enrich his Mana Cards and adjust his deck!
Drawing lessons from the previous duel, Dark’s adjustments focused on “streamlining.”
Given the lack of First-Tier Mana Spirit Cards and the current inability to chain Mana Cards, he aimed to minimize the probability of starting with no monsters.
Ideally, he wanted to target Emma’s deck specifically.
But realistically, this was difficult.
Dark first re-added “Arrogance I” to his deck.
Using “Arrogance I” against “Golden Treasure Chest” was a conventional strategy.
He then temporarily removed all other magic cards, adding “Magical Beast: Eevee,” “Trash Slime,” and “Huhu” to his deck, while keeping the Second-Tier Mana Spirit Cards pending.
Dark had considered carrying only five Mana Spirit Cards in his deck…
This way, he could have a complete hand right from the start!
However, upon further consideration, he realized that if he carried three First-Tier Mana Spirit Cards and two Second-Tier Mana Spirit Cards, and if the opponent summoned a powerful Three-Star Mana Spirit like “Bear Spirit” in the first round, Dark would almost certainly lose!
The information about each player’s deck was gradually exposed.
As Dark began to understand the core Mana Cards of other players, they similarly gained insight into his key Mana Cards.
For example, in the previous match, Sarah locked “Huhu” with “Sphinx Cat,” preventing him from performing a sacrificial summon.
His First-Tier Mana Spirit Cards, “Magical Beast: Eevee” and “Trash Slime,” were extremely weak, putting him in a tight spot.
But this was not the optimal solution.
Summoning a Four-Star Mana Spirit through a sacrificial summon required either “Huhu” + “Magical Beast: Eevee” or “Huhu” + “Trash Slime.”
If Emma managed to summon “Magical Beast: Eevee” or “Trash Slime” before the sacrificial summon was completed, and then destroyed them…
It would be a death trap!
“Huhu’s” slow movement speed was likely exposed, so Emma might choose to ignore “Huhu” and focus on destroying “Magical Beast: Eevee” or “Trash Slime.”
If she did so before the sacrificial summon was completed, Dark wouldn’t be able to summon a Four-Star Mana Spirit!
He hadn’t mastered the sacrificial summon spell yet, so he couldn’t summon quickly.
Therefore, a deck with only five Mana Spirit Cards was almost equivalent to suicide.
He needed additional cards to ensure the survival of “Magical Beast: Eevee” or “Trash Slime.”
“Then I can add another ‘Invisibility Spell.'”
“Additionally, to counter the bug tactic of throwing the Mana Guidance Ball high, I need an ‘Push Spell.'”
“The ‘Magic Bullet Spell’ and ‘Barrier Spell’ can be temporarily streamlined.”
“As for the ‘Flash Spell’… I’ll leave it for now.”
“Three Second-Tier Mana Spirit Cards are too many.”
“‘Eevee’ has a ranged attack skill, so it must be retained.”
“‘Deoxys’ and ‘Big Milk Jar’ can be chosen between.”
“‘Deoxys’ has the best stats and highest mobility with the ‘Sacred Ring’ bonus.”
“‘Big Milk Jar’ is a tank and rolls invincibly!”
“But currently, ‘Big Milk Jar’s’ convenience is inferior to ‘Deoxys,’ especially since ‘Deoxys’ has the control skill ‘Cat Eye’…”
…
The final result was:
“Magical Beast: Eevee,” “Trash Slime,” “Huhu”
“Eevee,” “Deoxys”
“Arrogance I,” “Push Spell,” “Invisibility Spell”
Just eight Mana Cards.
Starting with five cards, the probability of not having a First-Tier Mana Spirit Card is very low.
Actually, if he streamlined one more card, he could guarantee drawing at least one First-Tier Mana Spirit Card.
But Dark didn’t do that; he needed a bit more margin for error.
Emma’s summoning speed was faster than Diana’s, and her deck was definitely more unpredictable, making it hard to handle.
…
After initial adjustments, Dark continued to enrich his Mana Cards while thinking.
Suddenly, an idea struck him: “No, if I streamline down to five cards based on this deck, like ‘Trash Slime,’ ‘Huhu,’ ‘Eevee,’ ‘Deoxys,’ and ‘Arrogance I,’ how would that work?”
This thought woke him up instantly, making him much clearer.
In a match without a set number of cards, five cards in hand were the底线.
“Arrogance I” was used to counter “Golden Treasure Chest.”
High-altitude tactics were handled by “Eevee.”
Emma didn’t have any Mana Cards like “Sphinx Cat” that could lock sacrifices, so she didn’t need three First-Tier Mana Cards!
Ensuring the survival of sacrifices, the necessity of both “Eevee” and “Deoxys”…
Dark’s thoughts became clear, and he made a final decision.
The final result was:
“Trash Slime”
“Huhu”
“Eevee”
“Deoxys”
“Arrogance I”
…
Time passed quickly.
Players needed to hurry up and enrich their Mana Cards and adjust their decks! The half-hour interval wasn’t even enough.
Students who weren’t competing were still enthusiastically discussing the previous round, not finding the wait tedious at all.
Half an hour passed in a blink.
A new round of matches began!
…
Since the competition sites were reduced from four to three, Claire, who was temporarily overseeing the Fool’s Academy, had some free time.
She naturally appeared at the winners’ bracket Site ① to watch Dark’s match.
Among the other students, most of those from the Noble Academy and Knight Academy gathered here.
Most of the Mana Academy students watched Sarah’s match at Site ②.
The Fool’s Academy students gathered at Site ③.
…
Just as the match was about to begin, Dark and Diana encouraged each other, heading to different sites. Rose followed Diana.
Diana’s opponent this round was the Knight Academy student #7.
He was a sunny-faced boy who had once encouraged the defeated Wit during the first class competition.
His demeanor and physique resembled a standard paladin, and he was quite popular in the Knight Academy.
His name was Justin Wayne.
Though Wayne was in the losers’ bracket, his strength was not weak.
This duel was a test for Diana.
…
While thinking about Diana, Dark walked onto the competitor platform.
Still the red side platform, he was already familiar with its environment, first placing just five Mana Cards into the slots.
Once the spellboard was activated by mana, it began to shuffle automatically.
He looked at the Mana Cards that were shuffled, revealing only five, and a smile formed on his face.
“This might be the last time I use such a desperate tactic in a duel.”
…
On the other side, Emma Maltis also stepped onto the blue side platform.
Looking across at Dark Demon, Emma clenched her fist tightly!
During the first class competition, she lost to Dark.
That failure changed her life.
She listened to Dark’s “advice,” tried to change herself slightly, and eventually reached where she was now!
Looking down at the students cheering her on, Emma suppressed a smile, not letting her happiness show.
Deep inside, she yearned to gain more recognition.
“It’s time for revenge!”
Emma raised her head again, her eyes burning with determination.
…
Dark then heard Emma’s declaration: “Dark, this time I will win back!”
Dark was slightly taken aback, then smiled, “Sure, I’m looking forward to it.”
After their exchange, the countdown for the preparation phase began.
Preparation Phase [30s]
Dark immediately focused, maintaining a high level of mana activity within his body.
He then drew all five Mana Cards from the slot!
In an instant, observant spectators noticed that Dark’s slot was empty.
“What’s going on? He only brought five Mana Cards?”
Tudor was stunned, mouth agape.
His plump classmate wondered, “Could he have mixed up his deck?”
That was impossible.
Several students nearby glanced at him.
Not far away.
The two girls from the Knight Academy, Susan and Lucy, who usually sat beside Emma, noticed the number of cards in Dark’s deck.
One looked delighted, the other serious.
Susan couldn’t help but raise her voice, “Just five Mana Cards, what will she do when they run out? Our Emma won’t show mercy.”
Seeing the Knight Academy students glaring at them, Lucy nudged her arm, whispering, “Be careful, I have a bad feeling.”
Professor Claire, standing behind the students, exchanged a glance with Professor Jones, the referee, then crossed her arms and smiled.
The spectators suddenly became alert.
…
The two competitors on the platform were unaffected.
Thirty seconds of thinking time wasn’t long. Emma concentrated on her hand, not paying attention to Dark.
Her five cards included a “Golden Treasure Chest” and a “Golden Beast!”
“Golden Beast” was a Mana Spirit Card successfully crafted by Emma in the Mana Theory class.
At that time, Dark crafted “Huhu,” Diana crafted “Earth Bear,” Wit crafted “Gigant,” and Robert crafted “Semi-Mechanical Rodent.”
“Golden Beast” was made using an ancient gold coin as the core material.
It had appeared several times in earlier matches, a mechanical creature about two meters tall with a golden shell!
“Golden Beast” had shown its power in previous duels, which Dark had heard about.
…
Battle Phase [30s]
The words on the spellboard changed instantly.
Both players began summoning simultaneously!
“Mana Summon!”
Dark was still ahead, his white light from the Mana Card landing on the red side summoning zone.
“Huhu” emerged from its shell after being materialized, showing a four-legged form.
It blinked, moved a bit, then retreated back into the shell, leaving only its head visible.
Because Dark had commanded it to “Defend” before the match, it was being particularly cautious.
Seconds later.
Emma successfully summoned “Golden Beast” at the eighth second of the battle phase!
The “Golden Beast” appearing on the blue side summoning zone looked like a fierce lion made of gold!
It was more imposing and ferocious than a stone lion often placed at the entrance of buildings.
Dark had seen something similar in “The Golden King and the Secret Treasure.”
After summoning “Golden Beast,” Emma immediately ordered it to charge toward the red side summoning zone!
From appearances alone.
“Huhu” and “Golden Beast” were incomparable, as if the latter could crush the former with a bite.
But Emma was not fooled by “Huhu’s” appearance; her thoughts were clear.
Approach the summoning zone, wait for Dark to summon again, then use another Mana Spirit as a sacrifice and destroy it!
