Chapter 392: Dark Demon with a Giant Cat (4k)
The whistle sounded, and immediately the 30-second countdown for the preparation phase appeared.
The excited spectators discussing the outcomes of the duel suddenly fell silent due to the whistle’s impact.
The two duelists on the competitor platform were already fully focused.
For Stewart Fane, this duel was crucial both morally and strategically. Unlike Mike Owen, who hesitated initially, he invested all his effort right from the start.
Dark Demon was slightly stirred by Stewart’s determination, igniting his desire to win.
Both contestants reached for their cards almost simultaneously. They then placed exactly five mana spirit cards in front of them, arranging them into a fan shape.
After examining his five cards, Stewart clearly showed a look of satisfaction, as if he had drawn good cards.
Dark looked a hundred meters away towards the red side competitor platform, focusing his attention on his hand.
[Magic Beast: Eevee]
[Pride III]
[Mana Book]
[Meow]
[Fortune Die]
He frowned.
Compared to the five mana spirit cards he drew during his duel with Mike Owen, two of these cards appeared twice: “Pride III” and “Meow.”
But there was no [Curse Cage: Imp]!
Without [Curse Cage: Imp], he couldn’t summon the four-star demon. However, with [Magic Beast: Eevee], he had another option.
Also, the “Mana Book” wasn’t bad.
But the last one, the “Fortune Die”…
It was hard to describe.
After refining the “Fortune Die,” Dark had only thought about using it to turn the tide, never expecting to draw it in the first round.
If not for some entertainment, drawing the “Fortune Die” at the start meant it could only be treated as a useless card.
Removing the “Fortune Die,” he was left with four mana spirit cards.
Three of these could directly summon mana spirits.
“Firstly, exclude the ‘Mana Book.'”
“Summoning the ‘Mana Book’ at the start means giving up the first summon opportunity. If faced with a strong attack type mana spirit, the mana guidance ball will be defenseless.”
“The remaining choices are ‘Magic Beast: Eevee’ and ‘Meow.'”
“If you summon ‘Magic Beast: Eevee,’ you face the same problem; Eevee lacks basic defense capabilities compared to the flying imps.”
“As a precaution, summon ‘Meow’!”
Thinking this, Dark’s gaze became sharp.
Summoning ‘Meow’ at the start was both the result of elimination and the best choice.
Among the three-star mana spirits, few could match ‘Meow.’
…
The 30 seconds of thinking passed in an instant.
When the countdown reached zero, “Preparation Phase” instantly switched to “Battle Phase.”
Both contestants then began their turns.
“In the name of Dark Demon, mana summon — Meow!”
“In the name of Stewart Fane, mana summon — Shadow Worm.”
Loud voices echoed through the venue via amplifiers, stirring the audience’s emotions.
Zach Wilson on the commentary stand glanced subtly at Angus Jeffrey on the ring display.
At lunch, Jeffrey had reminded him to pay attention in the upcoming matches.
Zach had no choice but to “pay attention.”
He adapted to the atmosphere of the venue, exclaiming enthusiastically, “It’s the ‘Shadow Worm’! The third-year noble student Stewart Fane actually drew his core mana spirit in the first round, the notoriously troublesome ‘Shadow Worm’!
It’s unimaginable how Dark Demon will respond? Oh, he summoned a cute kitten! Let’s see how adorable his kitten is…”
The sudden change in commentary style surprised the audience.
But Angus Jeffrey on the ring display smiled contentedly.
“It’s really cute!”
In Wilson’s exaggerated tone, “Meow” appeared in the blue summoning zone.
It stood barely taller than the blue mana guidance ball, looking very small.
Despite its first appearance in such a setting, Meow showed no signs of nervousness, even shaking its whiskers and looking around.
…
Alvaraite in the spectator area felt much better after seeing the cat.
She commented, “This mana spirit called ‘Meow’ has a clever look in its eyes, quite nice.”
“Isn’t that more like mischief?” Claire rolled her eyes.
…
“This is the so-called hero cat you mentioned? It doesn’t seem like one!”
Prince Charles frowned.
His aide quickly said, “No, the one with hero qualities is the white cat, this one is gray.”
Charles looked visibly displeased, “Another white cat, another gray cat, they’re all cats? Where is the other mana spirit with hero qualities, a lion?”
Aide: “Your Highness, lions are also part of the cat family.”
Charles: “Get lost!”
…
On the blue contestant platform.
Dark wasn’t affected by the commentary.
He had carefully observed Stewart Fane’s previous duel and had a decent understanding of his mana spirits.
The “Shadow Worm” summoned alongside “Meow” was a giant worm-like creature over a meter long.
“Shadow Worm” had a pitch-black, non-glossy skin.
It had three pairs of legs, a spindle-shaped head without eyes or nose, and a tail that disappeared into shadows, making it hard to see its full form.
[Card Name: Shadow Worm]
[Type: Elemental Card]
[Level: ???]
[Race: Insect Type]
[Attribute: Dark]
[Mana: 1000]
[Attack: 1000]
[Defense: 1000]
[Ultimate Skills: Shadow Concealment, Worm Burrow, Shadow Hole]
Stewart Fane’s “Shadow Worm” possessed three ultimate skills, making it a genuine orange card.
With two more “Shadow Ghosts,” he now had three orange cards.
“Shadow Worm” wasn’t a direct attacking mana spirit; it was more of a foundational type in Stewart’s deck.
In other words, it laid the groundwork.
It shared the same ultimate skill as “Shadow Ghost” — “Shadow Concealment,” which allowed it to hide in shadows.
This made it difficult for a purely physical attacker like “Meow” to deal effective damage.
To counter Stewart’s “Shadow” series mana spirits, “Solo Sword Sheath” would be a great choice.
But one of the joys of dueling was imposing self-restraints.
Assuming he didn’t have “Solo Sword Sheath,” how should he proceed?
Dark quickly thought, ordering “Meow” to stay put.
“Meow—”
Meow obediently meowed and then crossed its arms over its belly, hopping lightly with one foot, spinning 360 degrees in mid-air before landing gracefully.
It seemed to be performing a dance, striking poses for the audience.
Dark knew it always had a strong desire to perform, so he turned a blind eye.
Meanwhile, “Shadow Worm” did not launch a direct attack but used another ultimate skill — “Worm Burrow.”
[Burrow: Like a worm, digging holes in shadows.]
[Shadow Hole: Increases the number and duration of shadow holes that “Shadow Worm” can create; connecting holes allows entities with “Shadow Concealment” to move between them.]
One “Shadow Worm” could dig out three “Shadow Holes!”
Even with light shining on them, these holes wouldn’t vanish immediately.
The power of shadows extended their existence.
Once summoned, “Shadow Worm” began digging extensively, creating the first “Shadow Hole” in the center of the red summoning zone.
Then it suddenly pulled, dragging the red mana guidance ball into the “Shadow Hole”!
…
If he hadn’t seen it in a previous duel, Dark would have been extremely surprised.
“Shadow Worm” could not only drag mana guidance balls into shadow holes but also other mana spirits.
It was indeed troublesome.
Dark counted down, using the time while “Shadow Worm” dug to summon [Magic Beast: Eevee]…
“Eevee—”
Eevee appeared in the summoning light, jumping behind Meow for protection.
…
Seeing Dark summon a magic beast, Stewart couldn’t help but sneer. His second “Shadow Worm” appeared in the red summoning zone!
This “Shadow Worm” meant he could create six “Shadow Holes” in the arena!
With these six holes, his “Shadow” series mana spirits could move freely and unpredictably.
“Now, I’ll use this mana card.”
Stewart drew his third mana card from his hand, observing Dark’s mana spirits while counting down.
Those two mana spirits that hadn’t appeared in the previous duel were unfamiliar to him.
But he suddenly heard Wilson’s exaggerated exclamation.
“Oh my god! Another cute little kitten! Dark Demon summoned another cute little kitten! Does he really love kittens that much?”
Wilson’s exaggerated performance and strange tone made Stewart frown.
Moreover, wasn’t Dark’s magic beast a dog?
What was Wilson doing?
Stewart was puzzled, starting to summon his third mana card.
“It’s a fox.”
But Dark’s voice through the amplifier made Stewart’s expression stiffen, his lips twitching.
“So it’s a fox.”
…
In a momentary distraction, Stewart saw Dark already holding his third mana card.
“Damn!”
He cursed silently, hurriedly beginning to summon.
But once he fell behind, he continued to lag.
Dark held “Pride III” between his fingers, drawing it sharply, sending dark gold light straight toward the [Magic Beast: Eevee] below…
Eevee understood, leaping high, its body enveloped by the glow of “Pride.” Almost immediately, the symbol of “Pride” appeared above its head.
More light was absorbed by the “Pride” symbol, transforming into intense, pure golden light.
The increasingly intense and dense golden light gradually transformed it into a sun, vying with the sky’s sun.
Wilson, sarcastically, and the bewildered audience were instantly captivated.
Especially Sona Montiel Farley and her daughter Aurora Montiel Farley from the Free City, who seemed to sense something, frowning suddenly.
Both relied on the evolved form of “Pride III.”
The “Demon Beast” didn’t affect them.
But Eevee hadn’t fully evolved yet, causing a stir in the mother-daughter duo.
“What kind of mana spirit is this?” asked the Montiel Farley City Lord.
Next to her, Principal Altair shook his head.
Because she truly didn’t know.
Eevee’s evolved form — “Sun Eevee” — had never been publicly revealed before.
Like a purple elemental cat, it flicked its forked tail and stretched its soft limbs in the air.
– It finally turned into a cat!
Its forehead was embedded with a smooth red gem, its purple fur soft and fine, highly sensitive.
As it fell from the air, a ray of sunlight suddenly descended, entering the red gem atop its head.
Dark suddenly noticed its mana value, which was already high, increasing!
[Card Name: Magic Beast (Sun Eevee)]
[Type: Elemental Card]
[Level: ???]
[Race: Avian-beast Kin]
[Attribute: Psychic]
[Mana: 2000]
[Attack: 1700]
[Defense: 900]
[Ultimate Skills: Mana Reflection, Telekinesis, Future Sight]
The 2012 mana points displayed on the mana card made Dark realize one reason why Sun Eevee was called “Sun Eevee.”
Under sunlight, the red gem on Sun Eevee’s forehead absorbed the light, converting it into its own mana.
Dark had never summoned “Sun Eevee” during the day until now.
Sun Eevee sensed its mana increasing, emitting a loud call!
The call was filled with indescribable surprise.
Thus, it immediately realized that once it evolved into “Sun Eevee,” it could go out in clear weather without worrying about mana consumption.
Night was the domain of “Dream Demon.”
Daytime was the domain of Sun Eevee!
Sun Eevee raised its head proudly, scrutinizing the two black worms opposite, the gem on its forehead emitting a golden-red light.
“Sun Eevee, use telekinesis!”
“Bottom Force!”
Following its owner’s command, Sun Eevee released “Telekinesis” without hesitation!
The originally weak telekinesis seemed to undergo a qualitative change after absorbing solar power.
Vast telekinetic energy instantly enveloped one of the “Shadow Worms.”
But just as Sun Eevee launched its attack, a dark curtain suddenly invaded, wrapping around the entire field like a cloak.
Shadows descended!
…
