Chapter 390: Dark Demon Thriving in Spring (25/233)
“By the name of Maly Bond, Mana Summoning!”
She stacked three Equipment Cards together, and surprisingly, she summoned three Mana Cards simultaneously – something that was originally impossible!
But there seemed to be a connection between these three Mana Cards.
As the incantation began, a Mana Chain passed through the top right corner of the three Mana Cards, forming a lock.
Just by summoning the “Beast King Belt,” the “Beast King Leggings” and “Beast King Bracers” were also activated.
However, this resulted in an increase in summoning time.
It took about eight seconds for Maly to summon all three Mana Cards.
At this moment, her Mana Golems in the duel arena had been consecutively defeated, leaving only one “Rage Tiger” and another Mana Golem protecting the Mana Guidance Ball.
If the “Rage Tiger” was breached, she would have no chance of turning the tide.
“The time has come, Beast King Armed!”
With a roar, Maly Bond raised the three Mana Cards high.
The light beams from the Mana Cards landed on the “Rage Tiger’s” arms, legs, and waist.
The three “equipments” instantly connected.
From the “Beast King Belt,” a sheet of light membrane extended outward, connecting with the “Beast King Leggings” and “Beast King Bracers.”
Once the light faded, the “Rage Tiger” below the neck was covered in armor.
Fully dressed!
…
Merging three “equipments” into one “armor” was Maly Bond’s secret technique.
Wearing the “Beast King Armor,” the “Rage Tiger” faced the Mana Golems’ attack, suddenly spreading its arms and roaring. From the mouth on the “Beast King Belt,” a tiger-shaped roar bullet burst forth.
The immense roar bullet instantly sent all surrounding Mana Golems flying.
The “Rage Tiger” took down the “Wyvern” head-on with the “Beast King Roar Bullet”!
“Rage!”
Under Maly’s command, the “Rage Tiger” activated its ultimate skill—”Rage.”
Its eyes turned crimson, like a hungry tiger pouncing towards Else Kevin’s Mana Golem.
Afterwards, the entire field became the “Rage Tiger’s” hunting ground.
…
“The match is over! After a fierce battle, Maly Bond managed to reverse the situation and secure victory. This is perhaps the charm of dueling!”
“The winner is the second-year student from the Noble Academy—Maly Bond!”
…
Amidst cheers, the referee announced Maly Bond’s victory.
After watching the thrilling duel, Dark looked at Pandora and blinked: “Senior, it seems I won.”
“That’s right, you won.” Pandora leaned in slightly and said, “Accept your loss gracefully. What can I help you with?”
Dark smiled gently: “Can I join your experiment then?”
Pandora smiled happily: “Of course.”
…
In the spring breeze, the horse gallops swiftly, seeing all the flowers of Chang’an in a day.
…
After the first round of the lower grades was over, it was the turn of the upper grades again.
This time, Noah Sharp, the highly anticipated “Night Baron,” finally appeared on stage. His opponent was a fifth-year student who had previously summoned a light cage during the preliminaries, trapping Noah’s “Red Spine Black Dragon.”
The match between them was even more spectacular than the previous two. Finally, the “Night Baron” summoned a full nine-star dragon—the “Red Spine Black Dragon”!
The “Red Spine Black Dragon,” standing over ten meters tall, immediately drew excited shouts from the audience.
No matter where you are, people always show extra respect and fondness for dragons.
In the war between humans and demons, countless dragons participated.
Those affiliated with demons were called demon dragons by humans, while those affiliated with the human Holy Church were known as holy dragons.
But dragons themselves were neutral, belonging to a neutral race.
So people’s disdain for demon dragons rarely extended to dragons themselves.
…
The duel ultimately ended in Noah Sharp’s victory.
After this duel, the competition temporarily paused. Both participants and spectators needed to eat.
In various halls, special Easter-themed food and souvenirs were provided for the audience.
This was naturally the peak time for “egg cracking.”
Based on today’s performance, people developed strong preferences for certain Mana Golems and wanted to crack open Easter Eggs to get their desired models.
Various model Easter Eggs were almost sold out, creating a very lively atmosphere.
…
At Saint Maryann Academy.
Professors and students rose from their seats and headed en masse towards the cafeteria.
After all, it was Easter.
Although there wouldn’t be a feast in the banquet hall, the cafeteria’s meals were naturally more abundant today.
Dark released the Imp Beast from the Spell Cage, asking it to greet Diana and Rose, and then walked slowly out of the duel arena with Pandora amidst the crowd.
Soon after, Diana and Rose found Dark and Pandora with the help of the Imp Beast.
The four of them weren’t strangers to each other, so they cheerfully made their way to the cafeteria.
Originally, Dark thought about going to Traveler’s Street for a good meal, but he couldn’t resist the Easter Eggs distributed in the cafeteria at noon.
Even if the Easter Eggs might only yield a 10-credit voucher, they enjoyed the process of cracking them open.
“I wonder what will be inside the Easter Eggs at noon?”
Diana excitedly picked up the hexagonal gem she received during the competition and held it up to the sun.
The sunlight entering the gem caused a slight movement within the shadow, as if it were coming to life.
Even though Diana couldn’t identify the gem’s origin, she could tell that it was valuable.
“It’s really nice.”
Rose looked at the gem in Diana’s hand with envy.
Diana pointed to the Easter Egg in her bag and asked curiously, “Why don’t you open it now?”
Rose blinked and replied, “I thought about it, and it’s fine to take it back. You see, if I open it now, the model inside will be determined. But if I keep it closed, there are countless possibilities. It’s like having all the eggs.”
Diana: “??”
“Alright, stop teasing her,” Dark chuckled and tapped Diana’s head, saying, “Think about what we’re going to eat next, and let’s finish quickly.”
…
The four entered the cafeteria and queued up in order.
When it was their turn, each of them got an Easter Egg.
Of course, they didn’t forget to get one for the Imp Beast.
Thus, the four of them and the Imp Beast carried their plates to an empty table and prepared to crack open the eggs.
It’s better to enjoy together than alone.
Most of the students in the cafeteria were enjoying the fun of cracking open the eggs.
Good-natured jeers and sarcastic congratulations filled the air.
The Imp Beast’s eyes darted around eagerly before it impatiently cracked the egg in its claws.
Earlier, it was the last one to crack an egg; now, it wanted to be the first!
“Crack!”
Yellow liquid flowed out of the broken egg.
An intense sour smell immediately filled the air.
The Imp Beast was pushed upward by the force, flapping its wings to hover in mid-air.
“Is this lemon juice?” Dark covered his nose and asked curiously.
Diana sniffed and said, “No, it’s the saliva of a Jealousy Bird. They say it’s ten times more sour than lemon juice.”
Pandora laughed and said, “Clean it up.”
Dark summoned the Trash Slime.
The manifested Trash Slime rubbed against his finger and moved to the puddle of Jealousy Bird saliva, absorbing it all at once.
After playing with the Trash Slime for a while, Dark put it back into the Mana Card.
By then, the other three had already cracked open their eggs.
Diana peeled off the shell and swallowed it whole, only bursting into juice when it reached her mouth—it was chicken juice!
Rose picked out a piece of chocolate from the yolk of her egg and felt quite happy.
Pandora cracked open her egg, and inside the yolk was a “sauce-flavored jelly.”
Dark hurriedly cracked open his own egg.
To his surprise, it was just a plain boiled egg.
“Ouch!”
He tapped his forehead, cut the boiled egg in half with a knife, and ate it with the sauce.
The four of them chatted about the Duel Festival as they ate.
After dinner, Pandora naturally walked with Diana and Rose, while Dark returned to the waiting room to confirm the schedule for the afternoon matches.
“The afternoon matches start at one o’clock. With ten matches remaining according to the schedule, it should end around six o’clock.”
After pondering for a while, Dark returned to the spectator area and followed the Imp Beast’s guidance to find Pandora, Diana, and Rose.
With the company of the two younger sisters, Pandora talked much more.
Since the Christmas holiday, her attitude had noticeably changed, becoming more willing to interact with others.
Diana and Rose were both good kids, and getting along with them was enjoyable.
Therefore, when Dark returned, he suddenly felt a bit out of place in their conversation.
He shook his head and didn’t force himself to join in.
On stage, a skilled senior was playing a famous piano piece—a recent hit called “Dying Breath of Hasca.”
The piece itself told the story of a hero named Hasca making a heroic last stand in his final moments.
The alternating sad and intense melody was perfect for a duel.
As time passed, more people returned to the duel arena.
They found their seats and excitedly discussed topics related to duels and Easter Eggs.
In the gradually building atmosphere, the clock struck one o’clock in the afternoon, and Judy, dressed in a deep red gown, stepped onto the stage.
She expertly delivered her opening remarks, quickly drawing the audience’s attention back to the duel, and then broke two Easter Eggs, revealing two tokens and loudly announcing the names of the next contestants.
First match of the afternoon.
Third round of the first round for the lower grades.
Third year, Knight Academy, Paul Duller.
—VS—
Third year, Noble Academy, Stewart Fane.
…
“A classic match between the Knight Academy and the Noble Academy?”
Dark couldn’t help but frown slightly. There was something unsettling about Stewart Fane from the Noble Academy.
“I’ll observe him closely in this duel. Maybe I’ll face him later.”
…
The match began as scheduled.
Both third-year students, Paul Duller from the Knight Academy and Stewart Fane from the Noble Academy, were clearly old acquaintances.
From the moment they appeared, they engaged in a subtle exchange of barbs, creating a tense atmosphere.
In the subsequent battle, the two contestants clashed fiercely, drawing loud cheers from the audience.
Ultimately, Paul Duller narrowly lost by a single move.
Stewart Fane sneered and threw a barrage of sharp words, thoroughly humiliating him.
…
After watching this duel, Dark fell silent for a moment, then continued watching the next match.
But the next high-grade match, the third round of the first round, concluded in just two rounds with a brutal display of dominance!
The only sixth-year student on the field crushed a fourth-year female contestant.
The girl was one of the standout performers in the fourth year, otherwise, she wouldn’t have made it through the preliminary melee.
Facing a vastly superior sixth-year student, she had no chance of fighting back and was utterly defeated in less than a minute, crying as she left the stage.
But the victor reigns, and the loser feeds the dust.
No one cared about the loser’s tears; everyone’s eyes were on the victor.
The shock caused by the sixth-year student lasted until the start of the next match.
Next up was the fourth match of the first round for the lower grades.
Third-year student from the Noble Academy, Vini Scarlet, versus third-year student from the Fool’s Academy, Tom Nixon.
“A match with no suspense!”
Vini Scarlet was well-known among third and fourth years.
Her status as a descendant of the “Winter Sage” brought her additional attention.
Though she herself did not take pride in it, the benefits brought by her lineage were undeniable.
Vini Scarlet had a wide range of interests but often used Ice-type Mana Golems as the core of her deck.
This was due to her own mana properties and heritage.
Her “Ice Maiden” was beautiful and powerful, with extremely high popularity, rare among Mana Golems with an A rating.
Therefore, most knowledgeable viewers believed she would win.
Tom Nixon, her opponent from the Fool’s Academy, although gradually gaining prominence since the third year, still couldn’t compare to Vini’s popularity.
Tom Nixon came from humble beginnings; his mother was an ordinary woman skilled only in sewing.
His father was an unknown beastman who disappeared long ago.
Before being admitted to the academy, Tom and his family, including two younger sisters, relied on his mother’s modest income to barely survive.
It wasn’t until he was admitted to the academy that he benefited from the scholarship, greatly improving his family’s situation.
Thus, Tom Nixon was deeply grateful to the academy.
He climbed from being a struggling student to an outstanding one in the third year through sheer effort.
This duel was a chance for him to prove himself.
He had made ample preparations for this match, showing great seriousness and caution.
In contrast, Vini Scarlet appeared very casual.
Even after stepping onto the competitor platform, she didn’t want to put down the little book she was holding.
Only when the referee blew the whistle did they place their decks on the spellboard and prepare for battle!
…
The outcome of the battle was unexpected yet somewhat expected.
Vini Scarlet, who hadn’t put much effort into this match, didn’t receive the desired response from her deck.
Tom Nixon, who had given it his all, reaped the fruits of victory.
…
To conclude, the first round of the lower grades saw four matches.
The winners were:
First year, Noble Academy, Dark Demon.
Second year, Noble Academy, Maly Bond.
Third year, Noble Academy, Stewart Fane.
Third year, Fool’s Academy, Tom Nixon.
…
Four advanced, three from the Noble Academy, with Tom Nixon from the Fool’s Academy being the only exception.
Despite many other factors, such as some top students not participating in the excitement…
Nevertheless, the dominance of the Noble Academy in the lower grades was evident.
…
The last match of the first round of the higher grades began amid the audience’s cheers.
The result was a close victory by a fourth-year student over a fifth-year student.
Thus, the higher grades advanced one sixth-year student, two fifth-year students, and one fourth-year student to the second round.
Among them, Luke Beck, a fifth-year student from the Fool’s Academy, was a “Dragon Slayer.”
Noah Sharp, a fifth-year student from the Knight Academy, was the “Night Baron.”
The only sixth-year student was from the Mana Academy.
The last fourth-year student was from the Noble Academy.
…
The Easter Duel Festival thus entered the second round of the main event.
“It’s finally starting, the second round.”
Dark adjusted his collar and stood up.
After standing up, Pandora placed a bag of catnip grass and a baby wyvern in his seat.
Dark turned around in confusion.
Pandora smiled: “Since you’re not coming back, I’ll leave them here.”
Dark sighed: “The seniors and seniors in the second round are all very strong.”
Diana leaned over and teased: “We’ll definitely win, right? I’ve always wondered what’s inside the winning Easter Eggs!”
Rose nodded vigorously.
Dark rubbed his head and said, “I’ll do my best.”
People are always complicated; they start with the goal of winning but only admit it when prompted.
With a light step, Dark walked out of the circular area, disappearing into the entrance of the competitor passage.
To remind the audience of the qualifiers, he had to walk on stage with several other contestants.
