Chapter 690 “12,000 Votes for the Match” Dark Demon Strategizes
In the sky, the “Wrestler Eagle,” a three-star golem, was swooping down toward the blue side’s Mana Guidance Ball.
On the high walls, the “Shadow Demon” was being beaten by the “Baby Blue-Eye Dragon,” while the “Shadow Demon Bull” was almost instantly killed by the [Magical Beast: Moon Eevee]. “Mewtwo” and the [Magical Beast: Ditto] split and swam towards the blue side’s half.
On the ground, the “Ghost Vine Pot” was quietly awaiting its second summoning opportunity. The “Ghost King of the Pot” summoned dozens of ghost snakes that quickly climbed up the walls, surging towards the “Baby Blue-Eye Dragon” and the [Magical Beast: Moon Eevee]. Two black dogs were still wrestling, while “Huhu” was watching the spectacle.
As for the “Ghost King of the Pot,” it had already climbed up the high wall, its icy gaze sweeping across the battlefield.
Among its three ultimate skills, the “Stamp of the Goblet” was a passive self-limitation. Although “Snake Demon Revelry” was useful in specific situations, it could only serve as a distraction in intense battles. That left only one sealing skill—the “Sealing Pot!”
However, Stewart Fane’s true intention was to protect the “Soul Vessel” from premature destruction, while making the other Mana Spirits naturally sacrifice themselves.
How to sacrifice them was also an art. They couldn’t be sacrificed too quickly or too slowly.
If sacrificed too quickly, the “Soul Vessel” would not yet be mature enough, leading to failure.
If sacrificed too slowly, the “Soul Vessel” would not absorb the shadow energy released upon the death of the Mana Spirits, and thus would not develop.
Therefore, choosing which Mana Spirit to seal was a very difficult decision.
Stewart Fane quickly commanded his Mana Spirits, extending his right hand to release mana and control the Mana Guidance Ball, causing the blue side’s Mana Guidance Ball to rapidly descend and return behind the “Ghost King of the Pot.”
The “Wrestler Eagle,” a mere ordinary three-star Mana Spirit, could not break through the “Ghost King of the Pot.”
Stewart Fane was well aware of this.
He slightly raised his gaze, looking at the “Battle Phase” countdown on the projection.
Time flowed swiftly.
The fifth round was about to end.
“Shadow Demon, transform into shadows—’Shadow Descent’!”
Stewart Fane’s voice suddenly rose. The “Shadow Demon,” who was suffering from the “Baby Blue-Eye Dragon’s” attack, suddenly emitted an unusual aura.
It flipped abruptly from the ground, roaring at the “Baby Blue-Eye Dragon” from above. The gathered shadow power within it leaped like flames, shooting high into the sky.
A black light converged into a line, expanding rapidly after reaching a certain height. The thin line thickened to the width of a wrist, then to that of a bucket…
Growing thicker and thicker, it expanded to a diameter of three to four meters, forming a massive black pillar.
The “Shadow Demon” stood in the center of this huge column, arms spread wide, head thrown back in a roar, its ferocious aura reaching the heavens.
During its first attack, it did not use this ultimate move. Now, under Stewart Fane’s command, it finally succeeded in releasing it.
Its body began to wildly expand within the black light column, black horns growing from its shoulders and head, its back bulging and bursting open, revealing a pair of demonic wings that tore through the flesh and spread out!
“Huff!”
The transformed “Shadow Demon” flapped its wings, its entire body soaring upward.
Its arms became extremely thick, muscles bulging and solid, claws sharp like blades.
On its stats panel, both defense and attack received unprecedented boosts!
The spectators outside erupted in exclamations.
…
The “Shadow Demon” was a higher-ranked race among the Demons.
Their rank was just below that of Vampires. Though they were often unnoticed due to their tendency to lurk in shadows, they caused terrifying casualties during wars.
A few of them possessed the ability to “transform,” calling upon shadow power in times of danger to temporarily turn into stronger demons!
Among the Mana Spirits, the “Shadow Demon” with the “Shadow Descent” ultimate skill was extremely rare.
This transformation finally allowed the “Shadow Demon” to surpass the combined stats of the six-star [Magical Beast: Moon Eevee], truly possessing the strength of a third-tier Mana Spirit.
It soared high, charging at the “Baby Blue-Eye Dragon” with iron resolve for revenge!
But when it finally reached the “Baby Blue-Eye Dragon,” it discovered that the young dragon with the fierce eyes was emitting a tangible rage.
“Ultimate Skill—’Dragon’s Inverted Scale’!”
“Transformation”? Who doesn’t?
The “Baby Blue-Eye Dragon’s” rage surged to its peak, white light swirling around its body. Its attack, originally at 3000 points, increased dramatically by fifty to one hundred percent.
But its rationality snapped in that instant, instinctively attacking the nearest living creature—the “Shadow Demon” happened to be in the way!
…
Before this, the “Shadow Demon Bull” successfully enraged the [Magical Beast: Moon Eevee], which then used a powerful “Heart-Piercing Pounce” to instantly kill the towering Minotaur!
Afterward, the [Magical Beast: Moon Eevee] stood stunned for several seconds before suddenly regaining its senses and noticing the dozens of ghost snakes approaching.
These ghost snakes could not harm it, so it completely ignored them and turned its gaze to the “Ghost King of the Pot” behind the snakes.
The “Ghost King of the Pot” sensed the threat and abruptly turned its head, its crimson snake eyes glaring at the small but incredibly strong [Magical Beast: Moon Eevee]…
It suddenly realized that this six-star black cat was a terrifying adversary.
At the same moment, Stewart Fane on the blue side’s platform made his decision: “Use ‘Sealing Pot’ on it!”
The “Sealing Pot” was the “Ghost King of the Pot’s” core ultimate skill.
Once sealed by it, the Mana Spirit would not only be imprisoned in the pot but also have its consciousness suppressed, mana absorbed, and resistance quickly lost.
Mana Spirits of the same tier, unless they possess countermeasures, cannot escape once sealed by the “Sealing Pot.”
During the Easter Duel Festival, the “Sealing Pot” of the “Ghost King of the Pot” mistakenly targeted the [Magical Beast: Sun Eevee], resulting in a reflection that trapped the “Ghost King of the Pot” itself.
But this time, it would not make the same mistake!
Currently, among Dark’s Mana Spirits, the “Baby Blue-Eye Dragon” activated “Dragon’s Inverted Scale,” although it held back the “Shadow Demon,” it also fell into chaos, reducing its threat.
“Mewtwo” has used three ultimate skills since its appearance and may have only one left.
The [Magical Beast: Ditto] is just a facade after deactivating “transformation.”
The “Wrestler Eagle” is not worth mentioning.
Therefore, the only remaining significant threat to the “Soul Vessel” is the [Magical Beast: Moon Eevee]!
Sealing it would greatly reduce Dark Demon’s offensive capabilities.
Stewart Fane quickly assessed the situation within a short time. After issuing these commands, he immediately placed his hand on top of his deck, ready to draw cards the moment the round switched, striving to win every second!
…
On the red side’s platform, although Dark was surprised by the “Shadow Demon’s” transformation, he was familiar with the “Ghost King of the Pot’s” “Sealing Pot.”
Thus, when Stewart Fane made his decision, he similarly ordered the [Magical Beast: Moon Eevee].
“Use ‘Black Gaze’ on it!”
…
The two Mana Spirits unleashed their ultimate skills the moment their gazes met and upon hearing their respective Magi’s orders.
The “Ghost King of the Pot” raised its ghostly tail, and a faint “black pot” quickly formed amidst the flickering black light.
The dark and eerie
The aura instantly erupted.
When the “Black Pot” finally formed, it sharply swung its tail, ready to throw the “Black Pot” towards the [Magical Beast: Moon Eevee]…
Once thrown, a black light beam would shoot out from the mouth of the “Black Pot,” enveloping the [Magical Beast: Moon Eevee]!
But its series of “preparation actions” were too numerous and complex.
However, the “black gaze (Bliss)” of the [Magical Beast: Moon Eevee] only needed one glare—the amber-like eyes emitted a splendid color, becoming captivating. The moment the “Ghost King of the Pot” moved, it was stared down by the “black gaze.” Its patience quickly turned into a mix of joy and fear.
Its massive body was then shrouded in black light, immobilizing it.
The two six-star Mana Spirits were thus frozen, one moving, one not.
…
On the Blue Side competitor platform, Stewart Fane’s expression suddenly changed.
The “black gaze (Bliss)” of the [Magical Beast: Moon Eevee] had already controlled the “Ghost King of the Pot.”
This meant it was a one-for-one exchange.
This was vastly different from his expected zero-for-one.
Thus, he lost the cards to counter “Mewtwo” and the [Magical Beast: Ditto].
In his field, the only remaining actionable ones were the “Ghost Vine Pot” in an empty state and the three-star black dog…
Realizing the situation was worsening infinitely, Stewart Fane hurriedly looked at the two newly acquired Mana Guidance Cards.
If these Mana Guidance Cards couldn’t buy time, he could only activate the “Soul Relic” prematurely!
“No!”
Fate did not seem to favor him this time.
Neither of the new Mana Guidance Cards contained Mana Spirit Cards.
If they were six-star Mana Spirit Cards, he could immediately perform a Sacrificial Summon.
But they weren’t.
“In the name of Stewart Fane, Mana Summoning — ‘Shadow Overwhelming’!”
Under the urgency, Stewart Fane had no choice but to use this desperate move, playing one of the special-effect Magic Spell Cards!
The Magic Spell Card named “Shadow Overwhelming” was one of his usual tactics, but with the “Light Hall” on the field, which conflicted with its attribute, the final effect might be far from ideal.
But he could only place his hopes on it.
At that moment, pitch-black light shot out from the “Shadow Overwhelming” card face, transforming into a curtain like a cloak, sweeping across the entire field.
Shadows descended!
…
This “Shadow Overwhelming” not only obstructed vision but also provided energy for the “Ghost Vine Pot.”
Unfortunately, Stewart Farn’s hand did not have high-star Mana Spirit Cards, so this sixth round was bound to be difficult.
The darkness curtain created by “Shadow Overwhelming” was affected by the “Light Hall,” making the white light extremely thin and unable to obscure much.
Clearly, this move was futile.
…
On the Red Side competitor platform, Dark also obtained new Mana Guidance Cards.
[Arrogance IV]
[Battle Horn]
The appearance of “Arrogance IV” gave him a backbone.
“Pity it’s not ‘Bliss IV? Moon,’ unable to test the power of ‘Bliss IV? Moon’ in this duel…”
Of course, he didn’t actually have the Mana Spirit Card that could evolve to the third tier using “Bliss IV? Moon.”
Even if he drew “Bliss IV? Moon,” it could only evolve another [Magical Beast: Moon Eevee]…
Therefore, “Arrogance IV” was the best choice.
He was lucky.
As long as he summoned the “Trash Slime” and offered it along with the remaining “Black Dog” or “Huhu” as sacrifices, he could perform a Sacrificial Summon of “Deoxys.”
The subsequent duel would be the stage of the “Celestial Beast”!
Stewart Fane’s Mana Spirits were all of the Dark Attribute; even if he exerted all his strength, he wouldn’t stand a chance against the “Celestial Beast”—unless he had a winning trump card to bring down the “Celestial Beast.”
But Dark didn’t think such a possibility existed.
He watched Stewart Fane activate “Shadow Overwhelming” and saw the curtain generated by “Shadow Overwhelming” dissipate under the influence of the “Light Hall,” then looked up at the opponent.
“Mewtwo” and the [Magical Beast: Ditto] had closed in on the “Soul Relic.”
The “Wrestler Eagle,” overlooked by Stewart Fane, charged again toward the Blue Side Mana Guidance Ball.
Stewart Fane’s tension could no longer be concealed.
The duel had entered its final phase.
Stewart Fane had shown several impressive moments, repeatedly surprising him during the duel.
As a fourth-year student lacking support, he had done well.
Dark thought so and snapped his fingers, summoning the “Trash Slime” and performing a Sacrificial Summon of “Deoxys.”
“In the name of Dark Demon, offering the ‘Trash Slime’ and the ‘Black Dog’ as sacrifices, Mana Summoning — ‘Deoxys’!”
The familiar white cat appeared from the Sacrificial Summon array, landing steadily on the high wall of the Red Side Summoning Area.
It crouched slightly, observing its surroundings, its gaze gradually sharpening, noticing the floating “Soul Relic” in an instant.
…
“Mewtwo” and the [Magical Beast: Ditto] had surrounded from both sides.
“Mewtwo” quickly reached the front of the “Soul Relic,” raising its tail to strike fiercely at the “Soul Relic.”
“Shadow Binding!”
Stewart Fane played another Mana Guidance Card.
The Magic Spell Card named “Shadow Binding,” once activated, immediately gathered the shadow forces lingering in the air, forming countless tentacles that tightly wrapped around “Mewtwo’s” massive body.
“Miū!”
A slight look of disgust appeared on “Mewtwo’s” face, its magic power instantly bursting, causing the “Life Stream” surrounding it to spin under its control, then spreading out forcefully.
The tentacles formed by the shadow forces shattered under the impact of the water stream, turning back into black mist and dispersing rapidly.
Then the [Magical Beast: Ditto] struck first, its tail heavily hitting the “Soul Relic”!
“Bang!”
The spindle-shaped special instrument emitted a hum, causing the sharp light emitted from its mouth to waver.
—But it wasn’t shattered!
The death of the “Dark Shadow Guardian” and the “Shadow Bull” had strengthened it somewhat, making its outer layer very hard.
“Roar!”
The roar of the “Shadow Demon” followed.
Under Stewart Fane’s forced command, it endured a dragon claw strike and finally broke free from the frenzied attack of the “Baby Blue-Eye Dragon,” rushing over crazily.
The [Magical Beast: Ditto] was about to launch a second attack on the “Soul Relic” when it suddenly noticed the light being blocked above, with the “Shadow Demon” descending from the sky, its sharp claws fiercely grabbing at its head.
“Ah!”
It let out a startled cry, its body suddenly deforming, transforming from “Mewtwo” into the form of the “Wrestler Eagle.”
In this ordinary transformation, it couldn’t inherit the flying instinct of the “Wrestler Eagle” and could only rely on its own efforts to flap its wings.
Thus, after barely dodging the sneak attack from the “Shadow Demon,” it wobbled and fell downward.
The real “Wrestler Eagle” had already attacked the life barrier of the Blue Side Mana Guidance Ball twice.
The life barrier’s mana value had dropped to only four thousand points.
Stewart Fane, whose attention was completely elsewhere, suddenly realized that the number representing his own life value plummeted instantly. He immediately lowered his head, hastily mobilizing mana to control the Mana Guidance Ball to dodge the attack.
But during this process, the Blue Side Mana Guidance Ball once again received a full-force blow from the “Wrestler Eagle.”
The life barrier’s mana value plummeted to just three thousand points!
…
The situation changed in an instant.
The transformation from what appeared to be an even and intense confrontation to the current state where the Blue Side was clearly at a disadvantage had only taken less than a minute.
But this was the charm of Mana Duel.
The pace was so fast it was suffocating, and the outcome of victory or defeat could never be predicted.
…
What made Stewart Fane even more uncomfortable was that the “Baby Blue-Eye Dragon,” which was in a chaotic state, actually chased after the “Shadow Demon”!
Watching the “Shadow Demon” clash with the “Baby Blue-Eye Dragon” again, he knew he couldn’t wait any longer!
“Shadow Demon, attack to the death!”
With his final command, Stewart Fane fully controlled the Mana Guidance Ball to dodge.
He did not pull the Mana Guidance Ball high into the sky; the sky was the domain of flying types, and there was no way he could avoid being hunted down by the “Wrestler Eagle.”
Under his control, the Blue Side’s Mana Guidance Ball flew into the labyrinth of the “Tomb of Shadows,” relying on extreme turns and pulls to constantly maneuver against the “Wrestler Eagle,” successfully buying some time to catch his breath.
And once the “Shadow Demon” received its orders, it immediately launched a fearless attack against the “Baby Blue-Eye Dragon”—and then, it really died!
The “Baby Blue-Eye Dragon” also regained some clarity after sustaining severe injuries and transformed into a dragon egg on the spot.
The relatively chaotic situation finally came to a clear end.
From Dark’s perspective, the only thing Stewart Fane didn’t do well was that he did not order the “Shadow Demon” to kill the “Ghost King of the Pot” pinned by the “black gaze” right away.
Such a ruthless approach would actually maximize the effectiveness.
But Stewart Fane ultimately did not do this.
This point greatly added to Dark’s impression.
However, sensory perceptions about people and things do not affect the duel.
Dark held nothing back and immediately raised the “Pride IV.”
“Are you ready, Deoxys?”
He softly said, then quickly chanted the regular summoning spell.
“In the name of Dark Demon, Mana Summoning—’Pride IV’!”
The brilliant light dispelled the dark curtain.
The thin black curtain spreading over the Red Side completely dissipated.
Deoxys stood under the light pillar formed by the凝聚而成的光柱，四肢迅速拉长，变成了高挑的人形。
随着六只洁白的羽翼从其背后生长出来，神圣而纯洁的天使气息弥漫开来。
“竟然是一只天使种！”
天使与恶魔天生是对立面。
受教会文化熏陶的人们，天生怀抱着对天使的崇敬和对恶魔的厌恶。
第一次目睹Deoxys的进化，让那些粉上Dark的观众感到无比激动。
而Deoxys的彩蛋模型恐怕又要畅销一段时间了。
…
当”天女兽”成功进化时，”阴魂之器”的表面外壳恰好被击碎，终于露出了其中的本质。
那并不是魔导精灵卡。
事实上，”阴魂之器”是一种仪式道具，兼具秘仪卡和道具卡的功能，需要满足特定条件后才能触发。
而当它成功触发后，它会根据吸入体内的阴影之力的不同，孕育出不同性质的”阴魂”！
此时的”阴魂之器”虽然还没有完全填满容量，但它已经吸收了一只六星的魔导精灵、一只三星的魔导精灵卡和一只七星的魔导精灵。
这三种阴影之力的融合，诞生了极为恐怖的”阴魂”！
“BOOM！”
“阴魂之器”的内部是一团散发着漆黑光芒的漩涡。
“暗影守墓人”、”阴影魔牛”和”阴影魔”的残魂幻影在那漩涡中交替闪现。
漩涡瞬间爆开，恐怖气息的”阴魂”从中孕育而出！
Mewtwo停止了继续攻击的动作。
【魔幻兽：百变怪】变回原形后站在其身边。
“天女兽”眼中露出厌恶，左腕延伸出的两片羽翼已经化为”神圣之弓”，它举起右手，两指间凝聚出光明汇聚的箭矢，赫然上弦！
战斗一触即发。
…
“阴魂之器”中诞生的”阴魂”有着接近人形的外表，它身材高大，体型瘦削，头顶两侧生有牛角，脸上戴着黄金面具，背后生着恶魔之翼，手中持有一柄半米长的短杖。
那根短杖上更是散发着极其危险的气息！
但Stewart Fane的脸上并没有多少喜悦。
“阴魂之器”吸收的力量是有折扣的，一只六星魔导精灵、一只三星魔导精灵和一只七星魔导精灵死后残留的阴影之力孕育出的这只”阴魂”，仅仅相当于一只七星的魔导精灵。
尽管同样是七星也有高下之分，但再高，能比得上Dark Demon的”天女兽”吗？
Stewart Fane的心情异常沉重。
尽管魔导决斗号称拥有无限的可能性，
但随着决斗的进行，卡组中剩余的魔导卡数量逐渐减少，魔导师对自己能够做到的程度都会有非常清晰的了解。
所谓的可能性，是在拥有一线生机的前提下。
如果没有一线生机，
剩下的，就只是”尽力局”。
Stewart Fane在比赛开始前就已经做好了输的心理准备，但他完全没有想到，会在孕育出”阴魂”之后陷入这种”尽力局”。
“呼！”
他深吸一口气，让自己尽快冷静下来。
决斗还没有结束，他的任务也没有完成。
赌上不存在的可能性。
“将那只高高在上的天使，拉入污秽的深渊！黑暗的阴魂，阴影魔爪！”
Stewart Fane在那一瞬间将蓝方的Mana Guidance Ball拉扯向”阴魂”身边，试图重振士气。
刚刚诞生的”阴魂”漂浮在半空中，接到命令后便高举手中的短杖，从黄金面具下发出嘶哑难听，仿若裂帛一般的声音。
那声音似乎是一种咏唱，但总之它手中的短杖已经发出漆黑之光。
“天女兽”立刻意识到这”阴魂”将目标对准了自己，顿时在心中冷笑一声，松开了持箭的手。
“嘣！”
弓弦尽落。
“神圣之箭”爆射而出！
光明汇聚的电击之矢携带着强烈的电光，宛如一道光柱一般，贯穿了整个场地。
下一秒。
“天女兽”的脚下浮现出漆黑的漩涡，一只干枯恐怖的魔爪竟是从这漩涡中突然钻出，当场抓住了”天女兽”的脚踝。
然后那只魔爪骤然发力，就要将”天女兽”拉入深渊！
从魔爪中流出的黑色物质沿着”天女兽”的细嫩皮肤向上蔓延，将其小腿逐渐染黑。
漩涡中也爆发出强烈的吸力。
“天女兽”悬浮在空中，六翼腾空，此时遭到这突如其来的攻击，竟被向下拉了一截。
但在脚尖点在漩涡上时，”天女兽”猛然张开翅膀，扼制住了下降趋势。
它目光冰冷地往下看去，炽亮的白光顺着目光向下聚集，光明之力汇聚脚下，竟硬生生地将那”阴影魔爪”逐渐消融。
而已然射出的”神圣之箭”丝毫没有偏移，正中”阴魂”的身体。
光明之力顺着箭矢的头部灌入”阴魂”体内，瞬间爆发造成大面积创伤。
而那箭矢附带的电流更是爬上”阴魂”的身体，使其浑身麻痹，无法动弹。
尽管这一阵电流并不长久，”阴魂”很快就能恢复正常的行动能力。
但当消失的知觉逐渐恢复正常，它的身体已经被Mewtwo以长尾捆缚，骤然收紧！
痛苦顿时袭来。
“阴魂”只觉浑身骨骼仿佛被挤压碎裂，胸口阵阵窒息。
What suffocated him was the overwhelming charm surging through his mind!
Though unintentional, he was indeed in the closest contact with “Mewtwo.”
Feeling such proximity to “Mewtwo”’s incredible charm, the ultimate skill—“Divine Light”—undoubtedly played its role.
This “shade,” had been captivated in the midst of peril!
Although there is the “Suspension Bridge Effect” where fear and emotions mix during crisis, this “shade” was clearly not experiencing that effect now.
After being thoroughly captivated, it even felt absurdly that the crushing sensation was quite nice!
In any case, it was completely entranced, passively accepting “Mewtwo”’s execution.
Such a phenomenon left the approaching “Celestial Beast” helpless.
The “Heavenly Purple Light” on its fist repeatedly illuminated and then receded, interrupting what should have been a smooth offensive.
But in the next moment, “Mewtwo” suddenly released its body, leaving only the tail end to bind the “shade”’s leg, before lifting its head to face “Celestial Beast.”
“Celestial Beast” instantly understood, emitting a beautiful and gentle purple glow from its right fist.
Then it let out a soft cry and swung its fist at the “shade”!
“Ultimate Skill—Heavenly Purple Light!”
The purple beam radiating from the fist pierced through the “shade”’s chest in an instant.
“Heavenly Purple Light” specifically targets evil.
It increases damage by 100% against demons, 50% against dark attributes, and 20% against evil attributes.
This “shade,” as both a demon and dark attribute, takes increased damage by 150%.
Even if the “shade”’s physical defense was strong, it could only accept death under this punch.
…
““Shade,” Lethal Infection!”
Stewart Fane’s next command came urgently, but it was already too late.
The “shade”’s ultimate skill—“Lethal Infection”—could release infection rays from its eyes, causing nearby targets to be consumed by shadows. The most apparent phenomenon was changes in race and attribute.
Targets infected by “Lethal Infection” would transform into “demon race” or “dark attribute.”
If allowed to succeed, all of “Celestial Beast”’s ultimate skills would be rendered useless!
This was the only card Stewart Fane could play in dire straits.
Though this card might not change the final outcome, it could bring more trouble to Dark Demon, creating a sense of defeat despite giving one’s best effort.
But after being captivated by “Mewtwo,” the “shade” couldn’t respond to his commands.
Stewart Fane still hadn’t realized that it was actually “Mewtwo” executing the “shade,” not “Celestial Beast” visibly defeating it.
…
When the “shade” was truly destroyed, the Blue Mana Guidance Ball was once again exposed to numerous dangers.
“Wrestler Eagle” pursued relentlessly, shattering the remaining Life Barrier of the Blue Mana Guidance Ball!
Stewart Fane’s mana reached zero!
“Beep—”
The whistle sounded.
“Winner: Dark Demon!”
…
The thunderous applause that should have erupted didn’t occur immediately.
The audience seemed to still be processing that the duel had ended.
Originally, after Stewart Fane summoned the “shade weapon,” the duel was becoming increasingly exciting.
With the “shade” finally nurtured after much hardship, it was supposed to be the time for Stewart Fane to signal the offensive.
But not only did no offensive signal come, even the agonized cries didn’t happen.
Stewart Fane lost unexpectedly.
It was anticlimactic!
Many spectators expressed similar disappointment, unaware he had done his best.
“Papapapapa!”
Those disappointed viewers eventually joined in the applause.
The duel officially ended.
…
Dark placed his hand on the Spellboard, still pondering the “shade”’s unused ultimate skills even after the duel ended.
“Pity Celestial Beast acted too quickly.”
He estimated, then began organizing his Mana Cards.
At that moment, Stewart Fane spoke softly, “In the end, you won.”
Dark looked up, smiling, “In a duel, there always needs to be a winner.”
Stewart Fane suddenly paused, then said, “You’re right.”
Dark smiled politely, “I hope we can duel again.”
“That’s what I hope for too,” Stewart Fane added, slightly clenching his fist.
Their pre- and post-duel exchanges seemed harmonious on the surface.
In the corner of the arena, Angus Jeffrey abruptly stood up after watching the duel and quickly left.
The subsequent developments had lost their meaning for him.
He would wait at the agreed location for Stewart Fane’s report and prepare for next week’s duel.
Only victory could erase the humiliation!
…
Both duelists withdrew.
After Dark put away all his Mana Golems, he descended from the Competitors’ Platform.
However, he didn’t leave immediately but quietly replenished the mana in his Mana Cards in the waiting room.
Since he had another duel scheduled in the afternoon, he needed to prepare.
Until today, he maintained an undefeated record in the “Golden Cup.”
However, this was mainly due to the regular opponents arranged by the Dueling Club being all third-year students!
He couldn’t understand the Dueling Club’s intentions, as these continuous victories didn’t truly demonstrate his strength.
He noticed that other second-year students who participated in the “Golden Cup” seemed to receive similar treatment.
Second-year students in the “Golden Cup” were matched against either their own classmates or third-year students just one grade higher.
This kind of favoritism went against Professor Pavar Jones’s intention of having second-year students participate in the “Golden Cup.”
Second-year students didn’t get to see the absolute gap between them and the seniors, and some even managed to win against third-year students.
Though they couldn’t accumulate points in the积分赛…
Currently, among the second-year students, only Dark Demon stood out, with a chance to advance to the main event.
…
An hour later, Dark stepped onto the dueling stage again, facing a third-year student who showed little desire for the duel.
Neither his demeanor nor attitude compared to Stewart Fane’s.
It seemed he believed he had no chance of winning from the start, making this duel just a formality.
Dark felt displeased but didn’t say much.
Everyone has their own way of living, and choosing to give up on a doomed duel was understandable.
Thus, after winning, he quickly left the stage without further interaction.
His schedule for this week had officially concluded.
Next, he visited the Magical Animal Club, releasing his Mana Golems one by one, then headed to Traveler’s Street and arrived at a branch of the Public Dueling Society.
A new batch of “Flower Cards” had been directly delivered to Eve, currently selling like hotcakes!
He entered the store and saw that besides Eve, only Nene, a maid from the “Scorpio Palace,” was present.
“It seems everything is settled.”
Dark nodded slightly.
Nene and Jossie had started rotating use of the “Reaper’s Casket” since last Saturday.
Nene adjusted her sleep schedule, sleeping from 6 AM to 2 PM, and had just been taking a nap inside the “Reaper’s Casket.”
—
Yes, Dark did not include the “Reaper’s Casket” in his deck.
When he dueled in the Outdoor Duel Arena, the “Reaper’s Casket” continued to absorb the power of the “Underworld Fire” tirelessly.
Now two points had already passed, and after Nene had washed up and eaten, she came to the store to exchange with Jossie.
Jossie estimated that she had already fallen asleep inside the “Reaper’s Casket.”
Her sleeping time was from two in the afternoon until ten at night.
Of course, there would be some discrepancies in the exact timing, but generally speaking, it was like this.
They were completely inverted day and night; during the day when it wasn’t their sleep time yet, they would both immerse themselves in the library, freely swimming in the ocean of knowledge.
This period was not difficult for them to endure.
Apart from rarely seeing the young master around the academy, everywhere else was as comfortable as a vacation.
And with the passage of time, the proficiency of the “Reaper’s Casket” grew, and it could now more clearly distinguish between the “Underworld Fire” and human souls.
After such a long period of experimentation, both Nene and Jossie reported no damage to the soul.
This meant that the capabilities of the “Reaper’s Casket” had been sufficiently proven.
Dark’s initial three experimental goals, the first one could be considered completed.
The results of the second and third experiments would come out within the next two days.
Considering that he still needed to observe the changes caused by the “Flower Card,” Dark decisively abandoned the plan to enter the secret path again before the end of November.
As the saying goes, plans always change, so he could only postpone the secret path exploration plan until December.
…
The sales of the “Flower Card” continued to increase.
This period of fermentation had accumulated good word-of-mouth for it, and many students were waiting for the opening of Traveler’s Street.
According to Eve, the busiest time was from twelve to two, but Dark just missed it.
Students rushed into the shop one after another, excitedly selecting their favorite colored “Flower Cards.”
Jossie, who wasn’t skilled at handling these situations, was flustered and almost made a mistake.
Currently, the versatile Nene took over Jossie’s work, and together with Eve, they managed the store efficiently.
Dark did not disturb their work. After understanding the situation, he began his planned shopping.
In the week’s experiments, he had consumed a large amount of basic materials, so all the missing items needed to be purchased.
Moreover, with the increasing number of “Moon Goddess Version Bliss,” he was also considering continuing the炼成, thus requiring the purchase of corresponding basic materials and auxiliary ingredients.
Additionally, since Sunday was already the first day of December, if he wanted to attempt the炼成 of “Magikarp” or “Gyarados” next week, he would need to buy the auxiliary materials in advance.
“Magikarp” was a pure water-attribute Golem.
“Gyarados” was a water-flying type.
The super-evolution form of “Gyarados” was a water-darkness type.
Therefore, when performing the炼成, he needed to consider adding flying-type and darkness-type materials to more precisely direct the outcome towards them.
However, Dark’s preference for “Magikarp” and “Gyarados” mainly stemmed from sentimentality.
Under the current circumstances, even if they were truly炼成, they could only be added as single cards without synergy to the deck, which wouldn’t significantly enhance the deck.
So, there was no rush regarding their炼成.
For now, he could only say he was just browsing and looking around.
He had also learned how to browse stalls.
There were indeed some high-quality materials among the ones placed on the street by the seniors for sale. Occasionally, he would find and purchase them for temporary storage.
…
Shopping time was always very short.
When Dark regained his senses, the sky was already filled with late-afternoon hues like burning flames.
He picked out food from the restaurant, packed it, and brought it to the store where he ate a simple yet refined dinner with Eve and Nene. He also checked the sales situation while eating.
Sales were very impressive.
But when Eve mentioned it, she frowned: “It’s indeed selling quickly, but it seems the limited quantity has actually stimulated consumption.”
Basically, every customer from noon to now had bought three Mana Spirit Cards.
And it seemed someone had leaked the information that their “Flower Cards” were limited products, and once cleared, they would stop selling.
Upon hearing this, Dark subconsciously looked at the maid Nene.
Nene immediately closed her lips tightly and shook her head vigorously, refuting, “Nene isn’t a big mouth!”
“Right.” Dark nodded.
Although Nene appeared to be a big mouth, she was actually a battle maid of the “Scorpio Palace” who had received special training, and her lips were very tight.
Thus, the person who leaked the information could only be Eve or Jossie, who was not present.
“It should be.” Dark couldn’t help rubbing his temples.
Unlike Nene, Jossie was completely tight-lipped.
But if she really leaked the information, she might not even realize it herself.
Perhaps, this was the difference between a maid of the “Scorpio Palace” and a maid of the “Leo Palace.”
“But this is a good thing,” Dark said lightly.
After the news of the limited supply spread, more people would rush to buy “Flower Cards.”
With three thousand “Flower Cards,” if each person bought three, it would be exactly one thousand people.
Considering that many sixth-year students were not in the castle, this thousand-person estimate was more than enough.
If any student intended to collect “Flower Cards,” they might ask others to buy on their behalf.
Of course, none of these were bad things.
It was unrealistic for everyone to have one “Flower Card,” and if the “Flower Cards” were distributed through the academy, it would be considered a violation, easily causing resistance and reducing the effect of the “Flower Cards.”
Therefore, his goal from the beginning was simply to distribute the “Flower Cards” to as many people as possible.
Based on the current sales trend, if everything went smoothly, he could achieve this small goal by the end of the weekend.
Then, whether he could reap a significant amount of “Moon Goddess Version Bliss” or not, the “breeder” hiding in the academy might also reveal themselves.
According to Professor Metia’s prediction, they would need to go through several twists and turns to uncover the truth.
So, the initial traces should also start to appear.
He had a feeling that perhaps the plan to find the initial targets through “Flower Cards” might really succeed.
…
That night after ten o’clock, Jossie opened her eyes from the coffin of the “Reaper’s Casket,” pushed open the lid like a vampire, and sat up.
Since she had laid out bedding in the coffin before going to sleep, she slept quite comfortably.
After getting up, she habitually inspected herself internally to check the status of the “Underworld Fire.”
Over the past nearly a week, most of the “Underworld Fire” inside her body had been absorbed by the “Reaper’s Casket,” leaving only a tiny flame yesterday.
Today, after lying in the “Reaper’s Casket” for eight hours, that tiny flame became even weaker.
She knew the final moment was approaching.
The remaining “Underworld Fire” would probably be completely devoured by the “Reaper’s Casket” within just one or two hours.
And the final result of the experiment would appear afterward!
If the experiment failed, the mana and related memories obtained through the “Underworld Fire” would disappear completely.
That definitely wouldn’t be a good thing.
“How is it?” Nene licked her milkshake and casually asked.
Jossie replied, “Tomorrow we can notify the young master that the final experiment can be conducted.”
