Chapter 174: Dark Demon’s First Round (4K)
—
[Card Name: Golden Beast]
[Type: Elemental Card]
[Level: ???]
[Race: Mechanical Species]
[Attribute: Steel]
[Mana: 1000]
[Attack: 1300]
[Defense: 1500]
[Ultimate Skill: Golden Devour]
…
The Golden Beast belongs to the ancient mechanical species and is a product of forgotten technology, similar to a construct but entirely mechanical in its entirety.
Strictly speaking, the Golden Beast created through mana technology is not the same as the true Golden Beast because it lacks a “mechanical core.”
“The mechanical core” is the heart of all ancient mechanical species.
In today’s era, the last remaining mechanical core is preserved in a museum somewhere.
The Golden Beast created through mana technology uses a special life mechanism on a mana card to replace the mechanical core, which makes them different from the true Golden Beast.
Emma’s Golden Beast focuses on defense, but its attack is also formidable.
Its ultimate skill, “Golden Devour,” is truly divine!
…
Under Emma’s command, the Golden Beast stretched out its limbs and dashed toward the summoning area of the red side.
Following closely, Dark began his second normal summon!
Before the Golden Beast could take more than a few steps, Dark had already completed the summon.
A beam of white light emerged from the second mana guidance card in his hand.
Guided deliberately by Dark, this white light landed on the shell of Huhu.
It then solidified into a tangible form.
It was none other than the “Trash Slime”!
…
Previously, Dark instinctively considered the powerful [Magical Beast: Ibut] as a benchmark, leading him to believe that it would be difficult to protect the one-star mana spirit after “Huhu’s” weakness was exposed.
That thought was correct.
But if he replaced [Magical Beast: Ibut] with “Trash Slime”…
Huhu could completely protect it!
Because the trash slime, when concentrated, could be even smaller than an apple!
If the trash slime was hidden inside the shell, it would be absolutely safe!
…
After all, this was a real duel, not just a card game.
Breaking free from the fixed mindset of card games reveals many exploitable points.
…
Under Dark’s command.
The trash slime “sucked” into Huhu’s shell.
This strong combination merged into one, leaving the audience, professor, and Emma on the competitor platform bewildered!
Even the golden beast stopped in its tracks.
It widened its eyes, using its 2.0 intelligence level to desperately think about how to execute its master’s orders.
Needless to say, it couldn’t figure it out.
If it could, it wouldn’t have an intelligence level of 2.0!
…
With the sacrificial summon unstoppable now.
Emma drew a mana spirit card from her hand and immediately gave new orders to the golden beast: “Bypass that Huhu and directly attack the mana guidance ball!”
Upon receiving the new order, the golden beast raised its head, roared, and then leaped, starting to run again!
However, Huhu was summoned directly in front of the mana guidance ball.
In its normal state, Huhu was 0.6 meters tall.
The initial height of the mana guidance ball was 1 meter.
It only needed to stretch its neck or use its tentacles to lift its body to easily touch the mana guidance ball.
But the diameter of the mana guidance ball was 0.3 meters, equal to the height of a small Ibut, and the mana guidance ball with its life barrier was even larger!
So touching the mana guidance ball was just the beginning; to bring it down required another effort.
The “levitation property” of the mana guidance ball was based on casting a “telekinesis” spell on itself, keeping it fixed in the air.
To move it, one needed to counteract this telekinesis.
Fortunately, the telekinesis was not too strong.
Even without using “power trick,” Huhu could still bring down the mana guidance ball.
Then, hide it behind.
This concealment wasn’t very meaningful, as it was vulnerable from all sides.
But it could lure the golden beast closer to Huhu.
And Huhu could precisely time a punch!
This punch might not knock down the golden beast, but it could buy some time.
The mana value of the mana guidance ball’s life barrier was 1000.
The strength of a three-star mana spirit was typically capped at 1500.
After “power split,” it was reduced to 750.
The mana guidance ball’s life barrier could withstand a hit without breaking.
This bought more time.
If necessary, Huhu could throw the mana guidance ball into the air!
Wouldn’t the golden beast fly?
…
Huhu’s eyes glimmered with psychic energy. As the golden beast approached, it immediately used “power split.”
Both the golden beast and Huhu’s attack became 650.
Then, Huhu used “power trick” to switch offense and defense.
Its tentacles instantly thickened and grew, showing muscle outlines!
But the golden beast suddenly leaped, jumping over Huhu’s head.
“Crack!”
Huhu snapped its head up, watching the semi-mechanical beast land smoothly, twist, open its bloodthirsty mouth, and bite at the mana guidance ball!
“Snap!”
The golden beast’s fangs pierced the life barrier, causing obvious cracks.
[1000-400]
Huhu quickly extended its tentacle, forcefully pushing the mana guidance ball away, and simultaneously curled another tentacle upward to strike!
“BOOM!”
This strike sent the golden beast’s massive head reeling backward!
Its mana plummeted!
But due to its full metallic construction, the golden beast managed to resist being knocked away.
Then, it viciously swiped a claw at Huhu!
…
At the same time.
Emma completed her second normal summon, and a winged gold coin appeared in the blue summoning zone.
Not long after,
Dark’s sacrificial summon finally completed.
The golden beast fighting Huhu suddenly turned into light, and a pink elemental creature with a ribbon leaped out from the sacrificial summon circle.
Eevee’s reappearance caused a commotion outside the arena.
Only Emma’s expression darkened.
Yet she remained calm.
She pointed her finger, and the winged gold coin accelerated rapidly, crossing the field like a golden streak, heading straight for the golden beast!
At this moment…
Eevee had just appeared, and upon seeing the ferocious golden beast, it opened its mouth slightly, releasing a note.
The golden beast instinctively took a step back.
Emma on the blue competitor platform suddenly shouted, “Cover your ears!”
The golden beast’s mechanical ears immediately covered themselves, blocking any sound.
Its mana value, already low, stopped declining!
“I knew it!”
Seeing this, Emma regained confidence.
She immediately shouted, “Gold Coin Beetle, parasitize!”
The swiftly flying winged gold coin stuck to the golden beast’s spine with a “snap!”
Its body sank, merging into the golden beast’s golden shell.
Then, the golden beast roared, and two liquid metal clusters burst from its body, forming armor that transformed into a pair of golden wings!
The golden beast could fly now!
…
[Card Name: Golden Beetle]
[Type: Elemental Card]
[Level: ?]
[Race: Mechanical Species]
[Attribute: Steel]
[Mana: 100]
[Attack: 0]
[Defense: 100]
[Ultimate Skill: Golden Parasite]
…
The golden beetle with 0 attack was fragile, almost dying with a single blow.
But after using its ultimate skill, “Golden Parasite,” it could boost the parasitized target’s mana by 300 and defense by 300!
More importantly, it could give the parasitized target a pair of golden wings!
These wings came with an ultimate skill—“Arrow Feather”!
…
[Card Name: Golden Beast (Golden Parasite)]
[Type: Elemental Card]
[Level: ???]
[Race: Mechanical Species]
[Attribute: Steel]
[Mana: 1300]
[Attack: 1300]
[Defense: 1800]
[Ultimate Skills: Golden Devour, Arrow Feather]
…
The mana limit increased by 300, defense broke through the regular cap for a three-star mana spirit, and mobility surged!
This golden beast now had the aura of a four-star mana spirit!
With the increase in mana limit, its depleted mana value returned to a relatively healthy state.
Once the psychic effect of “power split” gradually faded, its threat would surge!
“Meeow!”
Eevee stopped singing.
In front of a mechanical species, the effect of “charming body” was greatly reduced.
With only 1700 attack, Eevee struggled to break the golden beast’s defense.
Moreover, fairies and steel types did not mix well.
The only advantage was that Eevee’s defense was 1300, exactly in the range where the golden beast found it hard to break!
Dark’s thoughts raced.
It seemed this was the first time Emma used the winged gold coin’s ultimate skill in public.
The so-called gold coin beetle was surprisingly similar to an armed series of道具卡.
With the gold coin beetle’s parasitism, the golden beast gained the capability to fight Eevee.
Fortunately, Dark had anticipated this scenario.
Thus, among his five-card deck, he prepared a “Deoxys” card!
But before the second sacrificial summon, he needed to try something.
“Moon Power!”
Eevee’s forehead immediately emitted moonlight.
It slightly opened its mouth, and the starlight quickly gathered into a moonlight sphere, which it then spat out!
The light ball bloomed at the exit, turning into a wide-range beam.
The target was clearly the blue mana guidance ball!
People often forgot that breaking the mana guidance ball’s life barrier was the initial goal of the duel.
But Emma clearly hadn’t forgotten!
As soon as Eevee started charging, the golden beast had already taken flight, intercepting the beam!
Withstanding the fairy-type ultimate skill, the golden beast, thanks to its 1800 defense and partial immunity to fairy-type skills, stood immovable under the moonlight.
Eevee frowned slightly and let out a short cry.
Then, it lowered its head sharply, rushing forward towards the golden beast!
The golden beast, having descended to block the “Moon Power,” didn’t have time to take off before Eevee struck its head!
Its head wasn’t covered by the liquid metal produced by the gold coin beetle, leaving its defense at the initial 1300—a stark difference from a game!
The golden beast’s mana plummeted drastically.
It quickly flapped its wings, avoiding Eevee’s finishing blow.
After missing, Eevee pounced on the blue mana guidance ball.
At this moment,
Dark sensed something amiss and immediately said, “Defend!”
Eevee twisted and spun, like a ballet dancer, decisively abandoning its target and protecting the red mana guidance ball.
In the sky,
The golden beast flapped its wings, and feathers stood erect from its golden wings.
“Arrow Feather!”
Almost in sync with Emma’s shout,
The golden beast fired two golden arrows!
Two beams of golden light flashed, hitting Eevee mid-flight!
But with 1900 mana, Eevee landed lightly, barely affected.
It shook off the golden feathers effortlessly.
The golden beast, having expended its mana, was left with only a sliver of health.
Emma looked at the data displayed on the “Golden Beast” mana spirit card, feeling increasingly urgent.
The pressure Dark exerted on her during the duel was unlike any other student before.
Meanwhile, Dark remained composed.
He was both anticipating Emma’s countermeasures and waiting for the cooldown on the sacrificial summon to end.
“Drip!”
The intense offensive and defensive struggle had lasted only half a minute.
—
The duel entered the second round.
—
Emma began drawing cards.
But both summoning techniques were still on cooldown.
…
Just then, Eevee’s ribbon stretched, picking up two golden feathers from the ground!
Then, it focused its gaze.
Without Dark’s command, it suddenly whipped its ribbon, using one of the golden feathers as a projectile.
-Directly at the golden beast!
“Whoosh!”
The golden beast, with only a sliver of health, instinctively used its fully powered golden feather to defend.
At this moment, Eevee seized the opportunity and shot a second golden feather at the blue mana guidance ball!
“Snap!”
The golden feather, carrying 1700 attack power, shattered the blue mana guidance ball’s life barrier!
…
Emma looked at her “Golden Treasure Chest” in her hand, her face pale.
—
“Battle Over!”
“Winner: Dark Demon.”
—
[End Phase]
Dark reached out.
Eevee immediately divided into three beams of light, each entering three mana spirit cards.
Such is the nature of mana duels.
In a significant disparity of power, the outcome can be determined in as little as one round!
“You’re still a bit young.” Dark glanced at Emma and whispered.
“The fundamental reason why first-year students find it hard to defeat seniors is always summon speed.”
