Dekan boasted that he was a master of hide-and-seek.
The card [Mental Collision] would trigger a clash of mental forces between both parties.
The effect would be that the stronger mental force would cause a Mental Impact with a strong dizziness effect on the weaker one.
In the collision of spirits, the stronger would inflict great pain on the weaker.
Dekan had once used this card to deal with the final boss, Olive, back at the Demon Academy.
However, this card had stringent conditions for activation.
It would only work when both parties were less than a meter apart.
And the closer the distance, the stronger the effect.
At that time, Dekan had cajoled and deceived Olive, getting his forehead to touch hers to cause her mental spirit to collide violently with his.
In the end, the mentally stronger Olive inflicted tremendous pain on the mentally weaker Dekan.
Dekan then multiplied this pain by 60 times and fed it back to Olive, directly damaging her brain.
With just a bit more effort, Dekan had hoped to replicate the 60-fold pain feedback mental collision and knock out Isabel.
Now Isabel and Dekan were already very close.
But.
At this moment, Isabel seemed to be on guard and deliberately kept a distance of over a meter from Dekan.
This made Dekan and Chloix’s expressions gradually turn grim.
“Ho ho, truly pitiful, do you actually think I can’t guess your intentions?”
Isabel sneered with disdain in her eyes.
“So what? Aren’t you still unable to do anything to me right now?”
Dekan coldly responded.
“From the very beginning, you had no chance of winning. So what if I played according to your plan?”
Isabel shook her head, a profound smile on her face.
In the next second, she stepped without hesitation into the one-meter radius around Dekan!
Dekan and Chloix both became suddenly alert.
As Dekan was about to use [Mental Collision],
he seemed to notice something was off, tightly gripping the card in his hand and not using it.
Thus, instead of using [Mental Collision], Dekan activated another mind-based magic card, [Mental Interference] (brief mental control),
intending to make Isabel kneel and create an opportunity to retreat.
The situation was not good.
The best strategy was undoubtedly to join up with Chloix first!
Dekan had already guessed from Isabel’s reaction —
Isabel must have an anti-magic card!
Isabel predictably used a card.
It seemed she was just waiting for Dekan to use a magic card!
[Shadow Silence]
[Category: Magic Card]
[Rank: Orange Epic]
[Class: 6]
[Effect: When the opponent uses a magic card of rank 2 or lower, it can be activated to render the magic ineffective and place the opponent under a six-second silence, during which they cannot use any magic cards. One-minute cooldown.]
[Note: A masterpiece of Shadow Bishop Minos.]
All magic cards of rank 1 and 2 could be completely countered by this card!
And once the subsequent silence triggered, it would push a mage to the brink of a dire situation!
Without hesitation, Isabel took advantage of the six seconds Dekan was silenced to mercilessly swing her dagger and sever Dekan’s legs!
Blood splattered everywhere as Dekan collapsed in intense pain, his face turning pale as he howled in agony.
Even if Dekan could purify the silence during these six seconds, she could counter with a conventional [Silence Magic] once more.
And Dekan’s [Purify] would enter cooldown, unable to remove the new silence.
With Dekan silenced, there was nothing he could do!
Not only could he not use any magic cards, but he couldn’t even summon his core [Ruined Bard]!
In short, from the moment Dekan dared to use a rank 1 or 2 magic card in front of her,
his defeat was inevitable!
“How about it, Dekan, do you understand what rank suppression is?”
Isabel mocked, looking at Dekan.
“Arghhhhh!!!”
Dekan’s bloodcurdling screams sounded especially pleasant to Isabel.
She finally saw the helpless sight of the ridiculously overconfident individual.
The surroundings felt even more wonderful.
“…”
Wonderful?
Isabel’s nose twitched slightly as she instinctively sniffed.
Her frown deepened.
Something felt off.
It felt like… the air was missing the scent of blood?
She hurriedly looked at the Dekan lying on the ground, screaming his heart out.
The blood flowing from Dekan’s horrifying wound, staining the ice red…
Didn’t it seem like fake blood from a play?!
A sense of foreboding surged up within Isabel.
Could this thing lying on the floor be a… [Substitute Puppet]?
Was this wretched man not here himself?
To what lengths was he willing to go just to stay hidden!
“No! That’s not it!”
Isabel roared in anger, hastily turning to look around.
And she immediately slapped on herself [Magic Counter].
[Magic Counter]
[Category: Magic Card]
[Rank: Purple Rare]
[Class: 6]
[Passive Effect: Automatically triggers when enemies use rank 3 or lower magic cards against you, making them ineffective and entering double cooldown time. This card is effective only once every 24 hours.]
[Note: Prohibition of effectiveness!]
The thing lying on the floor shouldn’t be the rank 3 summoned creature [Substitute Puppet].
[Substitute Puppet] can only simulate appearance and attire, and cannot use magic cards.
Dekan had clearly used several magic cards earlier.
That was why Isabel had never suspected that Dekan was the [Substitute Puppet] before.
So what on earth was this thing on the ground?
And where was Dekan’s real self hiding?
The more she thought, the more panicked she got.
Dekan was one concept when in the open and another when hidden!
Isabel wasn’t afraid of the Dekan standing in the light.
But Dekan lurking in the shadows? She couldn’t say for sure!
Even though there was no question that Isabel had an absolute advantage and had highly reassuring life-saving and strategy cards in her possession,
once the battle with Dekan reached a turning point,
the story and tone could change dramatically at any moment.
Isabel didn’t know where the real Dekan was or what he was planning.
But she knew that the six-second silence time was over.
Now Dekan was not absolutely non-threatening!
She must find the real Dekan!
Otherwise, there would be serious trouble!
However.
Before Isabel could locate Dekan,
the black fog suddenly erupted like a fountain from “Dekan’s” body and then spread across the ice!
The Ruined Bard appeared.
Chloix also forcibly dispelled the [Pain Suppression] on Isabel as if on cue.
Isabel instantly realized where Dekan truly was!
This scoundrel had hidden himself from the very start, fighting with his [Substitute Puppet]!
He had even hollowed out the abdomen of the [Substitute Puppet], shrinking himself down to a smaller form and hiding inside it!
So every time the [Substitute Puppet] held a card, it was actually the real Dekan hiding inside the [Substitute Puppet] who was activating it!
Now Dekan had reached his preliminary victory conditions.
He had tricked Isabel into using her key epic card.
Being within a meter of Isabel.
And Chloix’s support had arrived.
“Pay attention to Dekan meow.”
With this voice coming from inside the belly of the [Substitute Puppet] on the ground, Dekan activated [Mental Collision]!
