Chapter 246: Dark Demon, I Remember You (4k)
As the water waves covering the sky suddenly dispersed, a few drops of water fell.
Angelia reached out blankly, and the coldness at her fingertips made her realize that she had truly lost.
Although victory and defeat were common in battles, losing unexpectedly in a duel where she had once felt certain of winning was hard for her to accept, especially since her opponent was a first-year student.
Among the hand cards she had just drawn, there was indeed a Mana Spirit Card that could be summoned, but even if a two-star Mana Spirit was summoned, it wouldn’t have been useful. Therefore, she hesitated.
But this hesitation did not change the outcome.
She had lost, and Angelia had not yet reached the point of refusing to acknowledge failure.
She took a deep breath, put away the Mana Spirit Cards, and turned towards the competitors’ platform.
“Dark Demon, I remember you!”
…
The audience’s applause came late but surely.
Dark stayed on the competitors’ platform longer than Angelia.
He returned each of his Mana Spirits, his mind still replaying the duel.
The four-minute duel, though exhilarating, also left him feeling exhausted.
The intense concentration of his mental energy and the continuous activation of his Mana had led to significant consumption.
He did not feel proud of his victory.
This duel was more a victory for the Mana Spirits than for himself!
Without Deoxys’s extraordinary performance and Ditto’s quick thinking at a critical moment, he might have already lost.
This result reinforced his belief in the correctness of educating the Mana Spirits with knowledge!
Of course, moral education should not be neglected either.
Eevee’s unwavering determination to protect the Mana Guidance Ball after being knocked away was praiseworthy.
As the intelligence of Mana Spirits increased, their reactions to damage and pain would also increase.
Putting himself in their shoes, Dark did not think he could react in such a way when injured.
He continued reflecting on what needed improvement and what could be leveraged, slowly descending from the platform.
The three judges on the reviewing stand announced their scores at this time.
Professor Jones raised his sign first.
“Red side, Angelia, 9 points.”
“Blue side, Dark, 10 points.”
As the victor, Dark unsurprisingly received a perfect score.
Angelia, the defeated party, also received a high score of 9 points—just one point short of perfection.
But that was not because she had lost.
It was because, as a third-year student, she did not display the dominance expected of a third-year student.
Her quick summoning technique was an advantage, but her subsequent handling was a disadvantage.
However, this time, Professor Foxs gave her a perfect score.
“Red side, 10 points.”
“Blue side, 10 points.”
Considering only this recruitment match, both performances were undoubtedly above standard and could no longer be criticized.
Professor Foxs praised Angelia’s “Grand Release.”
Finally, the fifth-year student judge also awarded both contestants full marks.
…
After these scores were announced, even if they both abandoned the third round, they would have already passed the recruitment evaluation.
Dark returned to the bench and continued to ponder.
Diana and Rose did not disturb him.
Every duel revealed many areas needing improvement, but addressing them was not easy.
He continued to summarize and reflect.
…
The recruitment matches continued.
The next match on field #1 was an intra-academy duel.
The participants were Wit, a first-year Knight Academy student, and Tudor, a first-year Noble Academy student!
Tudor was surprised to find himself matched against Wit.
But he quickly composed himself and stepped onto the competitors’ platform,
On the other side, Wit let out a sigh of relief; he had feared being matched against a third-year student like Emma and Dark, which would have resulted in a loss without any chance to show his skills.
Originally, his first-round score was barely passing, and if he couldn’t improve in the second and third rounds, things would be dire.
But now, facing Tudor, a fellow first-year student, he could finally showcase his best.
The summoning speed advantage that he couldn’t demonstrate against Scott could now be fully utilized.
If he won again, it would be perfect!
Things were developing in his favor.
And this time, Wit seized the opportunity!
His summoning speed was higher than Tudor’s, and the quality of his individual Mana Spirit Cards was also superior. He possessed better luck than Tudor, putting him in a comprehensive advantageous position.
This match ended successfully.
He earned two 7s and one 6!
Though Tudor lost, he still showcased his strength and received a passing score.
…
The fourth match then came around, and it was Diana’s turn.
Having defeated second-year senior Marjory in the previous round, she faced another second-year senior this time.
But this time, she wasn’t as lucky.
This Knight Academy senior played a steady game, blocking and neutralizing all of her attacks. Finally, relying on a richer deck, he defeated her!
Both contestants performed well in this match, earning high praise from the three judges.
…
Next were the fifth and sixth matches, leading up to the seventh match, where Emma Maltis appeared again!
After her initial defeat by senior Angelia and her lackluster performance, Emma finally encountered a somewhat normal opponent.
That opponent was a second-year student from the Mana Academy!
This match immediately caught Dark’s attention. He turned from his conversation with Diana and looked at the second-year student.
That was a clean-cut young man wearing a brown scarf, looking very much the part of a Mana Academy student.
It was unknown why such a senior hadn’t passed the assessment last semester.
“Spencer Alec, please take care of me.”
Upon stepping onto the platform, Spencer greeted Emma politely.
He seemed to have good relationships, as many students cheered for him outside the arena.
Dark blinked, thinking that Emma was indeed unlucky, having faced tough opponents twice in a row.
Compared to senior Angelia, Spencer seemed slightly less formidable, giving Emma a chance.
A similar judgment formed between Helena and Winnie.
The two members of the Literature Club watched Emma on the red side platform with concern. Beside them was Angelia, who had joined them.
Helena turned to tease, “Angelia, how does it feel to lose?”
Angelia replied expressionlessly, “Not bad.”
Helena widened her eyes, “You’re acting strange!”
Angelia: “? ?”
Helena: “I didn’t realize you had such a thing for it!”
Angelia struggled to resist the urge to hit her with “Claire’s Travels,” suppressing her tone and asking, “Have you chosen your candidates for the new Noble Academy freshmen?”
Helena shook her head, “Not yet. Why, do you have someone to recommend?”
Angelia pointed at a figure in the middle of two girls on the bench, puzzled, “Why don’t you go talk to him?”
Helena glanced at Dark and smiled, “So that’s why you suddenly care about club recruitment! If you can bring him into the club, I’ll cover all your books next month!”
Angelia rolled her eyes, guessing the reason.
…
While the others chatted, the match inside the arena had progressed to the “Battle Phase.”
Emma was slightly behind in the first round’s speed comparison, but she drew “Golden Beast” again in her starting hand of five cards!
“Golden Beast,” as the most crucial part of her tactical system, not only had top-tier 1500 defense but also a divine skill, “Golden Devour!”
Compared to classroom matches, her current deck was further improved and had more compatible Mana Spirit Cards.
The white light emanating from the “Golden Beast” card landed on the red side’s summoning zone. A mechanical creature, cast in gold and standing about two meters tall, roared loudly upon its appearance, glaring fiercely at the Mana Spirit in the opposing summoning zone!
It was also a three-star Mana Spirit.
Spencer summoned a Tiger with a height of three meters, but with short limbs and a bulky body!
This tiger, with a texture resembling a plush toy, entered the scene in a sitting posture. Its short limbs seemed unable to support its massive belly, and it lacked the sharp claws typical of tigers.
But the “Golden Beast” clearly sensed a threat from this seemingly harmless Mana Spirit!
…
[Card Name: Sandbag Tiger]
[Type: Elemental Card]
[Level: ???]
[Race: Avian-beast Kin]
[Attribute: Normal]
[Mana Value: 1400]
[Attack: 800]
[Defense: 1600]
[Ultimate Skill: Endurance, Vent Fury]
…
Spencer glanced at Emma’s Golden Beast, then at his own Sandbag Tiger, but made no command to attack.
Emma did the same; both sides were extremely cautious.
But after the cooldown for summoning spells ended, both players drew their second Mana Spirit Cards.
Spencer’s second card was also a Mana Spirit Card!
With a roar, a gaunt tiger appeared beside the Sandbag Tiger!
This tiger, emaciated like it hadn’t eaten for days, seemed ready to collapse under the slightest wind, but its eyes held a ferocity that the Sandbag Tiger lacked!
…
[Card Name: Bone-thin Tiger]
[Type: Elemental Card]
[Level: ???]
[Race: Avian-beast Kin]
[Attribute: Normal]
[Mana Value: 1100]
[Attack: 1500]
[Defense: 700]
[Ultimate Skill: Last Breath Bone]
…
Spencer, who completed the summon faster than Emma, immediately issued an attack command: “Rip apart those metal chunks!”
Despite the Bone-thin Tiger not knowing how to “rip apart,” it crouched low and revealed sharp fangs at the Golden Beast!
“Roar!”
Red light flashed in its eyes.
The Bone-thin Tiger charged forward.
Perhaps due to its lack of weight, the Bone-thin Tiger’s speed was surprisingly fast, like a hurricane rushing into the red side’s arena, its fierce aura eroding the air.
The Golden Beast roared fiercely and charged fearlessly at the Bone-thin Tiger!
“Bang!”
A loud sound.
The Bone-thin Tiger’s frail body nearly shattered.
The Golden Beast had only a shallow scratch on its head!
Though it broke through the defense, it was akin to scratching.
Emma felt a bit relieved as her second Mana Spirit Card was finally summoned,
A winged ancient gold coin descended from the sky, shooting towards the Golden Beast like a beam of light!
“Golden Parasite!”
Emma’s voice rose slightly.
The winged gold coin, flying swiftly, landed on the Golden Beast’s spine with a “thud!”
Then, its body suddenly sank, integrating itself into the Golden Beast’s golden shell.
Immediately afterward, the Golden Beast trembled, and two streams of liquid metal emerged from its sides, forming golden armor covering its entire body.
A pair of golden wings spread open!
“Roar!”
The Golden Beast lowered its head and roared, its aura surging!
[Mana Value: 1000-1300]
[Attack: 1300]
[Defense: 1500-1800]
[Ultimate Skill: Golden Devour, Arrow Feather]
The parasitic Golden Insect granted the Golden Beast a 300-point boost in Mana Value and Defense, along with the ultimate skill—Arrow Feather!
In an instant, the Golden Beast’s speed surged, biting down on the Bone-thin Tiger retreating several steps.
How could the Bone-thin Tiger’s fragile 700 defense withstand another attack from the Golden Beast?
Its Mana Value plummeted like a flood.
Moments later, the Bone-thin Tiger became unresponsive and was casually thrown aside.
The Bone-thin Tiger, heavily landing on the ground, had its skin tissue disintegrate into starlight, but its complete skeleton remained.
Emma frowned on the platform, but she couldn’t pinpoint the issue immediately and thus hurriedly commanded the Golden Beast to attack the Sandbag Tiger!
With wings, the Golden Beast moved swiftly, tearing open the Sandbag Tiger’s abdomen in its first move!
Inside, there was no cotton.
Of course, there were no intestines either.
Spencer on the platform remained calm.
The Sandbag Tiger was considered a strong card among Spencer’s three-star Mana Spirits, boasting a hundred-point higher defense than the top values, thanks to its physical traits. It was almost immune to blunt force but very vulnerable to sharp weapons.
The Golden Beast’s attack, at 1300 points, could tear open the Sandbag Tiger’s abdomen with its sharp claws.
However, the Sandbag Tiger’s injuries were not as severe as they appeared.
Its Mana Value barely dropped.
Even after the Golden Beast repeatedly inflicted wounds, it remained seated, immobile.
After several attempts, Emma realized something was wrong and immediately shouted, “Golden Beast, bypass it!”
But when the Golden Beast tried to bypass the Sandbag Tiger to attack the Mana Guidance Ball, the Sandbag Tiger suddenly turned and tightly hugged the blue side Mana Guidance Ball—no, it even stuffed it into its torn belly!
This reminded Emma of Sarah’s “Death Mummy,” both using similar methods to protect the ball.
Her face showed frustration.
Reluctantly, the Golden Beast continued attacking the Sandbag Tiger, leaving more scars on its body.
“Drip!”
“Drip!”
“Drip!”
…
