Chapter 401: Dark Demon’s Victory Puzzle (39/233)
Dark Demon was not unfamiliar with activating the sacred attributes of the “Solo Sword Sheath” during the Easter Duel Festival.
For Tom Nixon, who aimed for ultimate victory from the beginning, there was no doubt that he had closely observed Dark Demon’s matches.
It was precisely because of his observations that Tom Nixon had been cautious and immediately used the “Corpse Rot Slime’s” “Corpse Rot Curse” to weaken him.
However, it seemed that the “Corpse Rot Curse” had clearly been nullified.
The sword had also returned to its peak condition.
There might be reasons behind this, which could be uncovered with careful examination.
But Tom Nixon did not have the time for that now.
He realized that the lion beast and the Solo Sword Sheath likely had a special联动技 that could trigger the sword’s characteristics.
And it was that characteristic that had nullified the “Corpse Rot Curse.”
Additionally, the five-star golem lion beast holding the Solo Sword Sheath probably had the strength to counter his “Blood Moon Werewolf.”
But only by testing would he know for sure.
If it really couldn’t be done, then he would have to use that move!
…
Tom Nixon did not actually notice the slight pain on his Blood Moon Werewolf’s face when it was illuminated by the holy light.
Even if he had noticed, he wouldn’t have changed his course of action.
“Blood Moon Werewolf, charge!”
After receiving the command, the Blood Moon Werewolf at the center of the field launched itself forward instantly!
The lion beast, seeing the Blood Moon Werewolf’s movement, swung the Solo Sword Sheath downward and charged straight ahead.
The Blood Moon Werewolf, with its “Wraith Wings,” accelerated to incredible speed.
Although the lion beast was fast, it was slightly slower.
They collided sharply in the red summoning zone.
The lion beast raised its sword and struck fiercely, while the Blood Moon Werewolf suddenly flapped its wings to fly high, evading the strike. Its iron-like wolf claws then slashed down toward the lion beast’s head!
“Roar!”
At that moment, the lion beast roared, and holy light flowed from the Solo Sword Sheath into its body, bursting forth!
The Blood Moon Werewolf’s claws were illuminated by the light, making them scorching hot, as if they were melting. The razor-sharp claws became soft.
Its body was also suspended in mid-air due to the light.
The lion beast did not stop; instead, it swung its sword upward, aiming to slash the Blood Moon Werewolf’s chest and abdomen.
But the Blood Moon Werewolf instinctively used its claws to block the sword before the Solo Sword Sheath could exert its full force, taking off into the air to escape hastily.
The lion beast let out a slight hum, retracted its sword, and looked up at the Blood Moon Werewolf in the sky.
If the Blood Moon Werewolf had not reacted so quickly, it would have been killed instantly.
The lion beast felt that this seemingly powerful demon wolf might not withstand its attack.
When the Holy Sword’s sacred attribute was activated, it could exert extremely terrifying control over dark attribute demons like the Blood Moon Werewolf.
Thus, just one strike was needed!
…
“What’s going on?”
On the blue side competitor platform, Tom Nixon’s pupils narrowed, showing disbelief.
He was not shocked by the lion beast’s power but by the Blood Moon Werewolf’s retreat.
Though the Blood Moon Werewolf’s transformation under the “Crescent Moon” was not as irrational as when it used “Blood Rage,” it still brought out its ferocity, causing it to act on its bloodthirsty instincts.
Facing enemies, it would fight to the death.
But just now, the Blood Moon Werewolf had been genuinely scared and was now clearly retreating in the air.
“Is it because of that sword? Or is there something wrong with the lion beast?”
Tom Nixon’s eyes flickered, and he made a decision as he reached for his cards.
“Use Parasitic Demon!”
…
The duel entered the ninth round.
…
Under Tom Nixon’s forced command, the Blood Moon Werewolf lunged at the lion beast.
Realizing the urgency, Tom Nixon urgently summoned.
The ninth round draw card increased his sense of urgency.
…
“Parasitic Demon?”
Upon hearing the name of this ultimate skill, Dark felt a foreboding and placed his hand on his deck, warning immediately: “Lion Beast, be careful!”
But the Blood Moon Werewolf had already attacked fiercely.
The lion beast tilted its head upward, directly meeting the Blood Moon Werewolf’s blood-red eyes.
The Blood Moon Werewolf’s previous behavior had made the lion beast think it possessed intelligence, but it saw only madness and bloodlust, and a hint of fear!
The lion beast pondered briefly, wielding the Solo Sword Sheath expertly and striking at the Blood Moon Werewolf’s claw.
The Blood Moon Werewolf, however, extended its left claw, finally revealing its true nature, grabbing the holy light-corroded blade of the Solo Sword Sheath, and then its right claw shot out, aiming for the lion beast’s face.
The lion beast focused its eyes, closed its lips, and suddenly rotated its right wrist, twisting the Solo Sword Sheath’s blade at an angle, and then exerted force, slicing open the Blood Moon Werewolf’s left claw from the palm, and then slashing diagonally.
Just as the Blood Moon Werewolf’s claw was about to reach the lion beast, its right arm was severed at the elbow.
Both sides moved incredibly fast.
In an instant, the Blood Moon Werewolf’s claws were rendered useless by the lion beast.
The lion beast’s expression remained calm as it continued to strike at the Blood Moon Werewolf’s waist and abdomen.
A white light flashed, and the Blood Moon Werewolf’s body below the waist was cut through instantly, without any pause.
Despite having base stats comparable to a seven-star golem, the Blood Moon Werewolf lost all hope after this horizontal slash.
But the lion beast suddenly felt a chill on its left cheek, subconsciously reaching up to grab it, only to find a smear of blood!
It held its bloody left hand in front of its face, frowning deeply: When did it get hit?
…
“Could that be one of the Brave Candidates—the Lion Beast?”
Prince Charles’ expression gradually turned serious.
The lion beast’s demonstration of resonance between “Hero” and “Holy Sword” confirmed for him that such a thing existed.
Moreover, the lion beast’s aura indeed resembled that of a “Hero.”
The only issue was its attribute.
The lion beast was a fighting type, not a light type.
This significantly reduced its chances of becoming a true hero.
Furthermore, the prince could not imagine how a golem could gradually purify its lineage to become a true hero through the Holy Sword.
Brave One?
After all, why can a Mana Spirit with Hero Qualities be refined?
If the golden-haired youth on the field was not the Valkyrie’s only son, he would have spared no effort in investigating the reason.
But he just happened to be the Valkyrie’s son!
This limited the methods available to him significantly.
…
On the other side,
The Big Princess thought about this matter similarly to Prince Charles.
Only her approach was different, thus the means she employed would also differ.
Whether it was a conciliatory approach or a forceful one, neither could be effectively utilized due to the Valkyrie acting as an obstacle.
From her standpoint, it was even more impossible to do anything.
Compared to this, Prince Charles might still use some harmless small tactics.
Eliza stared intently at the Lion Beast on the field, her mind racing.
…
At this moment, both heirs to the royal family seemed to have forgotten that there was a legitimate heir to the title of Brave One within Saint Maryann Academy.
…
However, beside Eliza, Alvaraite was now looking at the bloodstain on the Lion Beast’s face, feeling tense.
Her years of combat experience allowed her to instantly sense the danger, causing her to worry about her precious charge.
…
That bloodstain on the Lion Beast’s face was actually spurted from the severed right paw of the “Blood Moon Werewolf.”
At that time, the Lion Beast never imagined the “Blood Moon Werewolf” had such a move, even though Dark had warned him, he still fell victim to it.
Tom Nixon on the Blue Side platform couldn’t help but sneer after summoning.
“It worked again!”
Once the parasitic seed of the “Blood Moon Werewolf” was planted, it could enter the body of its target, causing them to lose control over their magic.
If the “Blood Moon Werewolf” were still alive, it could even control the target to some extent.
Unfortunately, the “Blood Moon Werewolf” couldn’t withstand the Lion Beast’s sword strike, otherwise…
But successfully planting the seed itself was a victory.
The only thing Tom Nixon worried about was the Lion Beast triggering the sacred power of the sword again, forcing out the dark attribute “parasitic seed.”
However, it seemed there was no such concern at present?
This made him feel much more relieved after completing his summon.
…
Above the sky, the rapidly dissipating crimson sky curtain revealed that the “Bliss III Moon” had already lost its color after the death of the “Blood Moon Werewolf,” and the field returned to light.
But the embodiment of justice—the Lion Beast—was having problems.
Its left eye turned red visibly, as if blood was seeping from the bottom, staining the entire eye.
Around its眼角, obvious veins burst out, making its face suddenly狰狞.
“Clang!”
The Solo Sword Sheath emitted a light sound.
Without the cooperation of a “Brave One’s” heart, it couldn’t activate its sacred characteristics in weapon form.
“Lion Beast?” Dark noticed the abnormality of the Lion Beast and instinctively called out softly.
But the ferocious expression on the Lion Beast’s face grew heavier. It let out a roar, pressing its left eye forcefully, losing control and kneeling on one knee, barely supporting itself with the Solo Sword Sheath.
From the moment the “parasitic seed” was planted to when the effect took place, it was less than ten seconds.
But the madness revealed on its face was even worse than Tom Nixon expected!
“Roar!”
Another roar.
Roots suddenly emerged from beneath its hand covering the left eye, deeply embedding themselves into the skin around the left eye, then wildly spreading, crawling towards the surrounding face.
In an instant, its face was covered with roots, and blood qi rose, enveloping it completely.
“It’s working!”
Tom Nixon couldn’t help but exclaim upon witnessing this scene.
Dark glanced at him quickly and said, “Black Diarumon, help.”
So Black Diarumon moved forward swiftly.
It couldn’t intervene during the fight between the Lion Beast and the “Blood Moon Werewolf.”
But now that the “Blood Moon Werewolf” was eliminated, its thoughts became active again.
“Miao.”
Black Diarumon approached the Lion Beast and poked its head with a cat paw.
But the Lion Beast was clearly struggling against the “magicalization” caused by the “parasitic seed,” paying no attention to it.
“Miao?”
Black Diarumon poked the Lion Beast’s head again.
Seeing no reaction from the Lion Beast, it raised its head, opened its arms towards Dark, and shrugged: Sorry.
Dark felt a headache, putting away two Mana Spirit Cards for this round, forcing himself to mentally prepare for temporarily abandoning the Lion Beast.
If it weren’t for the rules of Mana Duel prohibiting the retrieval of Mana Spirits into cards during the duel, he would likely have chosen to quickly recall it.
Because the state of the Lion Beast was clearly off.
He guessed it was hit by a “Blood Moon Werewolf’s” ultimate skill, but he didn’t know the details.
He could only tell from the current state of the Lion Beast that it was some kind of skill that drives the opponent mad, similar to “Blood Rage” or “Frenzy.”
This guess further fueled his lingering worries.
This “Lion Beast” was refined using a special “Pride Fruit,” and the “Pride Fruit” cultivated from Liongrass likely contained the crazy factor of the Liongrass.
This might make the “Lion Beast” weak against abilities that induce madness.
Otherwise, with the “Heart of Justice,” the Lion Beast should have strong resistance to such effects.
This situation was very tricky for Dark.
He didn’t have any means to dispel this abnormal state. Even if he summoned Deoxys or had the Solo Sword Sheath transform into an Elemental, the sacred characteristics of the Holy Sword would only work well on dispelling its own abnormalities.
The holy light wasn’t a complete ultimate skill.
Another method, sacrificing the Lion Beast as an offering to summon a five-star or higher Mana Spirit—unfortunately, that was also impossible.
Because the Lion Beast was already the highest-starred Mana Spirit Card in his possession.
“Quick resolution!”
Dark looked at his hand, his eyes flashing sharply.
[Deoxys]
[Dream Spirit]
In the ninth round, he finally drew another “Brave One”—”Deoxys”!
And the appearance of “Dream Spirit” gave him more maneuvering room in the subsequent rounds.
Even if “Deoxys” was targeted,
he could still hope for the “Bliss III Moon” in later rounds.
But there were only seconds left until the end of the ninth round.
Dark had spent too much attention on the Lion Beast, neglecting timely action.
And Tom Nixon…
Nixon had already summoned a new Mana Spirit on that “Bloody Platform.”
It was another Mana Spirit card that was extremely similar to the previously seen “Decaying Slime” — the “Scavenger Slime.”
[Card Name: Scavenger Slime]
[Type: Elemental Card]
[Level: ???]
[Race: Undead]
[Attribute: Ghost Type/Poison Type]
[Mana: 1200]
[Attack: 1600]
[Defense: 800]
[Ultimate Skills: Ghoul, Apparent Death]
This “Scavenger Slime,” which differed only slightly in name from the “Decaying Slime,” had the same level, race, attributes, and mana as the latter.
However, the attack and defense values were swapped, and besides the same ultimate skill “Apparent Death,” the original “Decaying Curse” had become “Ghoul.”
The “Decaying Slime” with the “Ghoul” ultimate skill could consume the opponent’s corpse to restore and strengthen itself.
In the context of a Mana Duel, this meant absorbing the remaining mana after the Mana Spirit’s death.
Though seemingly unremarkable, this effect could cut off various resurrection-type magic effects, even preventing “Apparent Death” and “Zombification.” It was considered an absolute counter to that type of Mana Card.
But aside from this, it was just like any other Mana Spirit.
The “Ghoul” effect of this “Decaying Slime” could absorb and convert mana equal to the star rating of the dead Mana Spirit times ten, while increasing its attack by the star rating times ten, with a maximum limit of storing up to 100 stars’ worth of effects.
That is, it could increase its attack and mana value by up to 1000 points each, requiring a large amount of corpses for absorption.
It could be said that the effect was quite poor.
Tom Nixon did not consider it a core Mana Spirit and summoned it merely for sacrificial purposes.
However, as a Three-star Mana Spirit, the “Decaying Slime” was actually quite powerful.
After absorbing the remaining mana from the “Blood Moon Werewolf” after its death, its attributes also saw a slight improvement.
Following this, Tom Nixon activated his next Secret Rite Card — “Predator’s Gift.”
Although this Secret Rite Card did not have overly powerful effects, its trigger conditions were very ordinary and worked well with Tom Nixon’s deck.
In a sense, it was almost a semi-core Mana Card.
Its trigger condition was successfully capturing prey during battle!
And what constituted “capturing prey” was very diverse.
Including “drinking blood,” “scavenging,” “absorbing mana”…
As long as the hunter kills and consumes the prey, it triggers the ritual and produces an effect.
The effect of “Predator’s Gift” was to extract half of the captured substance and transform it into a “Gift.”
That was a Mana Spirit named “Gift.”
It had a star rating of 1, mana value N, attack 0, defense 0, and no ultimate skills.
The number of “Gifts” depended on the star rating of the prey…
…
Tom Nixon had possessed this “Predator’s Gift” for some time, but his Mana Spirits with the “Bloodthirsty” ability couldn’t even capture a single prey, preventing him from activating this Secret Rite Card.
Even now, with this “Decaying Slime,” he resorted to a “cheating” method, using the act of capturing and consuming from corpses to barely meet the ritual conditions.
This勉强 met condition greatly diminished the effect of the Secret Rite Card.
A ritual that originally could produce six “Gifts” ended up producing only three.
Three one-star “Gifts,” and one three-star “Scavenger Slime,” the materials for summoning a six-star Mana Spirit were complete.
And Tom Nixon held more than one six-star Mana Spirit card in his hand!
Choosing to summon “Blood Moon Werewolf” in the previous sacrificial summon did not mean he only had one six-star Mana Spirit card at that time.
Thus, for him, the duel was far from over.
……
Under such circumstances, the ninth round passed in an instant.
“Tick.”
The tenth round began.
Both sides drew cards simultaneously.
Tom Nixon looked at his newly acquired six-star Mana Spirit card and instantly changed his mind.
On the red side’s platform,
Dark had two new cards in his hand.
[Fusion]
[Bliss III Moon]
Because there was too much information to process in an instant,
he was stunned for two seconds.
Then he immediately issued new commands to the Mana Spirits below.
“Black Diarumon…”
“Mew?”
Before Dark issued his command, he had already pulled out the “Solo Sword Sheath” from the crazed Lion Beast and looked up in confusion, appearing innocent.
Dark twitched his eyebrows and gave another command: “Big Milk Jar, drink milk! Sun Eevee, telekinetic attack!”
Then he quickly drew “Deoxys” and performed the Sacrificial Summoning Spell.
The pieces of victory were in place; all he needed to do now was play freely.
After hearing Dark’s command, Big Milk Jar immediately stopped being round and started making milk with its hands.
It understood Dark’s brief command thoroughly.
Making it drink milk was equivalent to canceling the protection of the Mana Guidance Ball.
This meant its mission was completed, and the next step was to become a sacrifice.
Before that, it could contribute more to the team.
For example, Black Diarumon had consumed a lot of mana in the previous battle, so this bottle of milk that could recover half of its mana was crucial.
Of course, the milk could also be left for the next Mana Spirit to use.
Big Milk Jar had a gentle expression.
……
After receiving the command, Sun Eevee immediately began to act.
The disappearance of “Dark Red Sky” further enhanced its telekinesis, especially increasing its attack range significantly.
Dark wanted Sun Eevee to use telekinesis to interfere with Tom Nixon’s summoning as much as possible.
Both sides needed to perform the Sacrificial Summoning Spell.
Dark was already a step behind, and his casting speed was slower.
If Sun Eevee could distract Tom Nixon’s summoning, he wouldn’t lose the initiative.
……
Dark’s idea was undoubtedly correct.
Unfortunately, he was still a step late.
Tom Nixon was extremely decisive in this phase.
The “Scavenger Slime” enveloped the three “Gifts” with its body, rendering Sun Eevee’s telekinesis ineffective.
Thus, Sun Eevee could only attack the blue side’s Mana Guidance Ball.
But Tom Nixon paid no attention to this.
[Magic Value (Blue): 4521-3444]
Only when the Sacrificial Summoning Spell was completed did he suddenly point his finger, manipulating the blue side’s Mana Guidance Ball to dodge further tugging by Sun Eevee.
