Chapter 597: Dark Demon’s Ultimate Bliss (10k)
In the golden autumn of October, the sky was as clear as jade.
A faint floral scent drifted through the academy.
Students chatted and laughed as they walked down the castle corridors, the wind from the square vents carrying a hint of bleakness and chill.
The seniors were already accustomed to the “Silver Cup” held every year at this time and had grown used to discussing it over tea and after meals.
After all, when the “Golden Cup” was held next month, those discussions would shift to some among them.
If they didn’t speak up now, there wouldn’t be another chance.
Moreover, the seniors were very interested in which second-year students would stand out, whether the well-known geniuses could maintain their status, and if any dark horses would surprise everyone in the competitions.
Those who ultimately stood out as second-year students would surely become a significant boost for the “Academy Cup.”
Second-year students were already eligible to participate in the “Academy Cup,” competing for their respective schools.
…
In a corner of the cafeteria, key members of the Noble History Research Society sat together, savoring half-elf specially prepared steak with dipping sauce in an extremely elegant manner.
Sitting opposite Mike Owen was the current president of the Noble History Research Society, Fifth-Year Edwin Clarissa.
Edwin had standard radiant blonde hair, but his curls were somewhat messy, giving him a very lazy aura.
As the cousin of the “Fairy Princess” Eluri Clarissa, Edwin Clarissa also possessed noble royal blood, which was one of the reasons he could take over the Noble History Research Society so calmly.
In the Noble History Research Society where identity equaled status, even a count—though he was the son of one of the thirty-six senators, Angus Jeffrey—wasn’t impressive enough.
Only people like Edwin, with higher statuses, weren’t enthusiastic about the trivial power struggles within these societies.
They preferred to enjoy youth more purely.
Saint Maryann Academy was like a fortress with towering walls, isolating external dangers and conflicts outside.
Regardless of identity or status, everyone within the academy was simply a student.
These nobles, once they stepped out of the school gate, would be wrapped in their identities, but here at Saint Maryann Academy, they could seek a relatively pure environment.
As Edwin put it, it was “rarely peaceful.”
If Angus Jeffrey hadn’t acted disgracefully and tarnished the noble image, Edwin wouldn’t have intervened.
But once in a position, one must bear the responsibility.
Since Edwin had taken the position of the Noble History Research Society president, he had no intention of slacking off.
The society’s reputation in the academy was mixed; it was a specialized club for the Noble Academy and enjoyed support from most of its members.
In previous years, the Academy Cup contests were mostly led by the Noble History Research Society.
Last academic year, the Noble Academy fell short against the Mana Academy and lost the Academy Cup, which they considered shameful.
This academic year, the top students from each grade of the Noble Academy, though not openly saying it, harbored a determination to reclaim the Academy Cup.
Edwin shared the same sentiment.
The final competition for the Academy Cup consisted of two major parts: the underground city contest and the duel contest.
Every grade except first-year had to select three to four participants, each joining the three-person team for the underground city contest and the individual duel contest.
To ensure safety, there would usually be one or two substitutes for critical moments.
Edwin was quite familiar with the students from third to sixth year in the Noble Academy, as they had all participated in the Academy Cup contests before.
However, he knew little about second-year students.
In other words, he needed to use this “Silver Cup” and the subsequent “Golden Cup” to select the most suitable three to four participants.
“Mike, how much do you know about this year’s second-year students?”
Edwin cut the beef with his fork, dipped a piece in the sauce, and spoke clearly while chewing.
Mike Owen smiled and mentioned that name again: “Dark Demon.”
“I see.” Edwin waved his fork. “What else?”
Mike Owen then mentioned a few more names: “Teddy Dolong, Diana Gretbail…”
“Are they from the Dolong family and the Giant Bear family?” Edwin shook his head. “I need more surprises.”
…
Aside from Edwin, many seniors were particularly focused on this “Silver Cup.”
Moreover, the leaders of the Academy Cups from the other three academies faced even greater pressure!
Because the situation for this year’s second-year students was too clear.
As the top student of the second year, Dark Demon had already distanced himself from other students in first year. Finding duelists capable of competing with him in their respective schools was quite challenging.
But they couldn’t afford to give up, so they could only hope for a dark horse to emerge or for the highly anticipated individuals to make breakthroughs.
If all else failed, they could only focus on the three-person team contest in the underground city…
In short, they would create conditions if necessary to compete!
During this process, resource allocation was just a minor matter.
Even before the “Silver Cup” opened, tensions were already high.
…
However, the second-year students who were about to participate in the “Silver Cup” didn’t have much time to think about it.
Most of them were excited about the upcoming duels, and even those without qualifications were ready to cheer for their schoolmates.
Dark Demon and his companions entered the cafeteria late.
They carried trays filled with delicious food and sat in the area where second-year students were more numerous, eating and chatting.
When Dark Demon turned his head slightly, he could see Wit and Robert sitting two seats away.
These two “mock duelists” who were about to perform in the exhibition match were inexplicably frowning at each other.
When Dark Demon was puzzled by this, Robert suddenly became serious, furrowing his brows in a “川” shape, as if facing a battlefield… and started shoveling food into his mouth.
Wit, a moment later, also accelerated his eating.
Within a few minutes, both plates were empty.
Then the two raced out of the cafeteria, facing off at half-meter intervals, the atmosphere tense as if they might fight at any moment.
“An exhibition match isn’t like going to battle… what’s wrong with them?”
Dark Demon shook his head and continued eating.
…
The opening ceremony for the “Silver Cup” would begin at two o’clock in the afternoon.
After the opening ceremony, it would immediately transition to the scoring round, where every participating student would receive a schedule.
From the next day onward, new schedules would be issued every Tuesday.
If needed, applications for the Dueling Club could be made on Wednesday afternoon.
…
Adjustment.
The rules for the point-based matches are very simple: three points for the winner, minus two points for the loser, no draws.
Each student must participate in at least ten duels before the end of the point-based matches. The total scores will be sorted, and the top eight will advance to the main tournament, which uses a double-elimination format to determine the champion.
After ten duels, participants can apply to continue dueling or stop, with a maximum of twenty duels.
According to the competition rules, the more times one participates, the greater the possibility of obtaining high scores.
Therefore, the academy encourages students to participate in as many duels as possible.
The Dueling Club also strives to arrange duel rounds as fairly as possible.
The point-based match period will run from early October to late November.
The main tournament starts in December.
Usually, results will be determined before Christmas.
…
After lunch, Dark returned to the dormitory to rest and regain his strength.
Although the “Silver Cup” is an internal battle among second-year students, there are some exceptional individuals among this year’s second-year students.
With enough time, no one knows how high they could fly.
Dark decided to treat this cautiously.
He gathered his Mana Spirits and held a pre-battle meeting, appealing to their interests, emotions, and reasoning, successfully boosting morale before storing them back into Mana Spirit Cards.
Sometimes he envied the Mana Spirits. Once inside the Mana Spirit Cards, they didn’t have to worry about insomnia; a thought would put them into a dormant state, and after one or two hours, they would be full of energy and ready for action.
This was something every human dreamed of.
The human body is actually very fragile. Frequent use of potions to enter deep sleep to shorten sleep time can easily lead to dependence on these potions. It becomes nearly impossible to return to natural sleep once addicted.
Dark unstrapped his Mana Card Deck and placed it by his bedside, then fell into a nap with the Mana Spirits.
At exactly one o’clock in the afternoon.
The alarm rang.
After waking up, Dark first refilled a glass of apple juice, then took out his Mana Card Deck and began organizing his deck.
The “Silver Cup” adopts the format of the Novice Tournament, limiting the number of cards in the deck to between 20 and 40, with the minimum being 20 cards.
Additionally, no more than three Mana Spirit Cards with the same name can be held simultaneously.
However, there has been an adjustment in the level of the Magic Guidance Ball Life Barrier, changing from Level Two with 2000 Mana Value to Level Three with 4000 Mana Value.
A 4000 Mana Value Life Barrier is harder to break than a 2000 Mana Value one, increasing the margin of error for victory.
Having a minimum of 20 cards in the deck maximizes strategic play.
But if the battle isn’t concluded after all 20 Mana Spirit Cards are used, it becomes a disadvantage.
Thus, the number of Mana Spirit Cards one carries depends on the duelist’s own judgment based on the situation.
Since the schedule is announced in advance, participants in the “Silver Cup” can obtain information about their opponents and adjust their decks according to the opponent’s usual lineup for targeted strategies.
Of course, opponents can also adjust based on your changes…
In any case, before that, Dark decided to first try building a 20-card deck, then make adjustments based on that.
The construction idea for this deck was already well-formed but was always limited by the number of cards in the deck—his available Mana Spirit Cards were limited.
This time, reducing the deck size to 20 cards finally allowed him to try it out.
First, he determined the theme.
For this build, the core will be a single “Capital Sin!”
The “Capital Sin Cards” Dark currently owns are:
“Arrogance I” X1;
“Arrogance II” X2;
“Greed II” X2;
“Bliss II” X1;
“Bliss III” X4;
“Arrogance III” X1;
“Greed III” X1;
“Arrogance IV” X1;
…
Undoubtedly, “Bliss” and “Pride” dominate, with “Bliss” being the most numerous.
Four “Bliss III” cards make the construction of a “Bliss” deck feasible.
However, since one of the “Bliss III” cards is uncontrollable, it is temporarily set aside, leaving only three.
So now, one “Bliss II” and three “Bliss III” cards are added to the deck.
Then, suitable Mana Spirit Cards are selected from the Mana Spirit Card pool.
They are:
[Magic Beast: Eevee]?
[Magic Beast: Ditto]?
[Curse Cage: Imp (Male)]?
[Fairy Mana Spirit]???
[Demon Fox Beast]???
…
“Now, there are already nine Mana Spirit Cards. After adding higher individual strength cards.”
“The first must certainly be the sole fourth-level ‘Capital Sin Card’ — ‘Arrogance IV’!”
“Based on ‘Arrogance IV,’ select high-strength Mana Spirit Cards that complement it.”
“For example, the ‘Primordial Dragon Egg’ that can be summoned without needing Sacrificial Summoning Spell!”
“Thus, there are already eleven Mana Spirit Cards, still needing nine more.”
“Among these nine, one must include ‘Solo Sword Sheath (Weapon Form)’.”
“Then choose suitable single cards from the Three-star Mana Spirit Cards, such as ‘Huhu’ and ‘Wrestler Eagle’.”
“‘Huhu’ goes without saying, while ‘Wrestler Eagle’ can fly, which is a significant advantage.”
“Up to this point, there are fourteen Mana Spirit Cards.”
“Still six short, add Item Cards and Magic Spell Cards.”
They are:
[Soul of the Moon Goddess I]
[Sickle Dagger]
[Moon Pendant]
[Soul Ring of the Netherworld]
[Flight Spell]
…
“Finally, add one more ‘Eevee’ and ‘Big Milk Jar’!”
“After all, it’s the ‘Bliss’ series, including ‘Eevee’ and ‘Big Milk Jar’ makes it complete ‘Bliss’.”
“Pity for the lack of ‘Bliss’ trump card — ‘Vampire Noble’!”
“Of course, if you want to go further, you can add [Curse Cage: Agumon]…”
“But Agumon needs to take care of the ‘Tiny Night Bird’ and watch over the bear cubs, so it’s temporarily set aside.”
After careful consideration, Dark checked everything again.
There are eight first-tier Mana Spirit Cards that can be normally summoned.
Two Mana Spirit Cards require Sacrificial Summoning.
“Solo Sword Sheath (Weapon Form)” is temporarily categorized as an Item Card.
In this way, there are four Item Cards and seven Magic Spell Cards.
A total of twenty-one cards, with “Sickle Dagger” temporarily excluded.
“In this way, the formula for victory is complete!”
Mana Spirit Cards:
[Magic Beast: Eevee]?
[Magic Beast: Ditto]?
[Curse Cage: Imp (Male)]?
[Fairy Mana Spirit]???
[Demon Fox Beast]???
[Huhu]???
[Wrestler Eagle]???
[Primordial Dragon Egg]???
[Eevee]????
[Big Milk Jar]????
Item Cards:
[Solo Sword Sheath (Weapon Form)]
[Soul of the Moon Goddess I]
[Sickle Dagger]
[Moon Pendant]
Magic Spell Cards:
[Bliss II 3.0]
[Bliss III]
[Bliss III? Month]
[Pride
【Chapter IV】
【Soul Ring of the Netherworld】
【Flight Spell】
…
Although Dark really wanted to add some other elements to this deck, he ultimately held back.
The “Silver Cup” must play at least ten matches before he could experiment with other decks.
For example, the “Zoo” series or the “Bliss + Pride” series.
Additionally, with the continuous creation of new mana cards, there was still plenty of room for reconstruction.
After confirming the completion of his deck, Dark changed into his uniform, tidied up, and put on the “Noble Academy” badge and the “Dueling” badge one by one, then attached his deck and left the room.
There was no mandatory requirement for students to attend the opening ceremony of the “Silver Cup.”
However, most second-year students wouldn’t miss it.
In the public lounge of the Noble Academy, familiar second-year students gathered together, full of energy.
Everyone was eagerly anticipating the opening of the “Silver Cup.”
Dark glanced at Diana and Rose among the group of girls, then headed toward Tudor.
“Did you hear? There’s a special exhibition match this year at the opening of the “Silver Cup.”
“Do I even need to hear that? It’s already posted on the bulletin board outside the castle…”
“A simulation duel, I’ve seen them play it, why don’t we give it a try?”
“Let’s talk about it later, games are games, they look fine but are a bit childish.”
The male students of the second year naturally started talking about such topics.
Dark didn’t sit down but walked over to Tudor and casually asked, “When are we leaving?”
Tudor, being the class president, couldn’t be too excited. He turned and said, “Half past one! We’ll leave from here and find a spot in the circular seating area of the outdoor dueling arena. But our seats for second-year students are already arranged… Hey, Dark, how are you prepared?”
Dark smiled, “What else can I do? Just have some fun.”
“That’s reassuring,” Tudor’s smile grew broader.
Then he suddenly turned his head and loudly addressed the second-year male students, “Brothers, the champion trophy has been delivered to our Noble Academy ahead of time!”
“Oh! Oh oh oh!”
“The great Dark Demon is approaching his most loyal Silver Throne!”
The second-year male students immediately started cheering.
The girls looked at the rowdy boys with disdain.
Diana and Rose were huddled together, one popping candy into her mouth while the other was feeding someone else.
At half past one, the students in the public lounge began to rise and streamed out like a tide toward the outdoor dueling arena outside the castle.
Once they exited the castle, the outdoor dueling arena came into view, and the students’ footsteps suddenly paused.
Then the noise suddenly erupted.
Dark raised his head in the crowd and was almost instantly dazzled by the silver light.
The Saint Maryann Academy’s outdoor dueling arena, more magnificent than the Roman Colosseum, was now adorned with a shimmering silver coat.
The entire dueling arena seemed painted in silver, losing some of its ancient ferocity and gaining a new, luxurious elegance.
“The decoration last year’s “Silver Cup” did not have…”
The senior students also looked up in amazement, developing a different kind of anticipation for this year’s “Silver Cup.”
After the students briefly paused, they quickly resumed their march, their steps accelerating.
The Dueling Club and staff hurriedly maintained order, guiding the crowd towards the inner spectator area of the ring-shaped seating.
Second-year students had fixed seats for the opening ceremony and didn’t need to compete for spots.
Dark and the others soon found their seats.
He was sandwiched between Tudor and Pistons, feeling the sudden warmth of autumn.
Even seated, Tudor couldn’t hide his excitement: “Dark, do you know who will be performing in the opening exhibition matches?”
Although Dark knew, he played along: “I took a quick look when I left the castle. The poster for the exhibition matches has two silhouettes, so there should be four people.”
Tudor immediately said, “I heard two of them are from our second year, unfortunately, they don’t seem to be from our Noble Academy.”
“Who did you hear that from?”
Dark rolled his eyes and agreed, “Who could it be then?”
“I have no idea, they seem to be two boys,” Tudor said excitedly, “But the other pair looks like girls, you can tell just from the silhouette, they must be beautiful seniors!”
Dark chuckled, “Why can’t they also be second-year students?”
Tudor waved his hand dismissively, “Those tall and… girls, we don’t have any of those in our year.”
Dark shrugged, “You can’t say things like that, if someone hears you… oh, someone already did. Good luck, Tudor!”
Behind Tudor, two girls from the Noble Academy were glaring daggers at the back of his head.
Dark wore a smug expression.
…
As it neared two o’clock, all second-year students and professors had taken their seats.
The flow of people entering the dueling arena gradually decreased, as those who wanted to see the opening ceremony had mostly arrived.
In the center of the dueling field, the ground suddenly rose into a high platform where a fairy-like female host dressed in a silver gown—Senior Sister Judy—was already standing.
She held an amplifier shaped like a microphone, with a small elf-like familiar wearing a princess dress flying around her shoulders.
Long unseen, Senior Sister Judy remained captivating.
With a sunlit smile, she gracefully bowed toward the audience.
“Snap.”
A snap of the fingers.
The dueling arena instantly filled with elegant music.
A moment later, projections of viewers from various regions appeared in the outer spectator area.
The projection of the capital city’s dueling branch was right behind the second-year seats, with the familiar figures sitting in the front row.
Valkyrie Alvaraite smiled charmingly; on her right sat Silver Wolf Knight Camilla and Aries Olivia, and on her left sat Viscountess Floretty.
It was clear that Viscountess Floretty’s demeanor was somewhat restrained.
Clearly, the sudden invitation from Duke greatly made the viscountess, who had a ticket but wasn’t in the first row, feel uneasy.
Of course, there was another reason making her feel so constrained.
On the viscountess’s left, just three seats away, Prince Charles sat with a smile.
Prince Charles was accompanied only by his two close advisors, both in casual attire.
However, on this day, Princess Elisa, busy with official duties, did not arrive.
Five rows back.
Viscount Gretebail and Viscountess Floretty happened to sit together, but after exchanging a few polite words, they stopped talking.
Without their wives by their sides, the two viscounts seemed rather uneasy.
“Standing once again on the stage of the “Silver Cup” opening ceremony, feeling the intense atmosphere more than ever, it is truly an honor.
“…and thus the feeling was born.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, good day. I am Judy, and as always, I am your host for this year’s ‘Silver Cup.'”
Judy’s voice echoed throughout the entire venue, causing both the internal and external spectator areas to fall silent.
However, in a corner somewhere, fans took advantage of the moment to shout loudly.
Judy smiled and ignored the cries of “Judy, Judy, I love you,” continuing her speech.
“As we all know, the ‘Silver Cup’ is a stage specifically set up for new talents, and among this year’s newcomers, several have already left a particularly deep impression on us.”
“For instance, those who performed excellently in their debut matches a few years ago, and the one who won the lower grade group championship at this year’s Easter Duel Festival, as well as that person who everyone has been concerned about…”
“And after today’s opening ceremony this afternoon, they will each take the stage to bring even more thrilling duels to the audience!”
“So, the opening ceremony for this year’s ‘Silver Cup’ now begins!”
…
Judy stepped down from the stage, handing over to two male and female students who were hosting the opening performance. Then, performances began, much like an arts festival.
The duel arena of Saint Maryann Academy wasn’t exclusively used for duels.
Other projects within the academy occasionally took place here as well.
For example, musical performances, riding competitions, and so on.
Every time there was a major competition opening, a band made up of academy students would perform on stage.
Some viewers might find it boring, but such performances were actually quite rare, and some people even bought tickets just to watch the performances.
The entire performance segment lasted half an hour.
Finally, the grand finale arrived!
At this point, the second-year students had long noticed that Robert and Wit, the most rowdy ones, were not present.
Combining the promotional announcements and posters of the simulated duel exhibition, the identities of the two contestants in this performance match had long been revealed.
Though the students of the Noble Academy were dissatisfied, the students of the Knight Academy were exceptionally excited.
Even someone pretended to cry with tears streaming down their face: “Our ‘Hero’ finally has something to show for himself!”
In the corner of the circular area, “Blood Princess.” Ophelia Brad also appeared in the spectator area after changing her appearance.
Next to her sat Hefestus Dragone.
…
Hefestus received notification of approval yesterday afternoon.
Excited, she packed her bags overnight, moved into the academy, and settled early in the teacher’s dormitory.
Today was the first time she watched her daughter’s duel—though it was a performance match, she naturally couldn’t miss it.
Therefore, as soon as the afternoon came, she rushed to the duel arena and immediately spotted Ophelia Brad among the crowd.
In the “True Dragon Eye,” Ophelia’s disguise made her stand out even more.
Although Hefestus and Ophelia shared similar experiences and were both former inmates who escaped from Bustedia Prison, they weren’t particularly close.
But meeting here in the special environment of Saint Maryann Academy gave them a reason to become closer.
“So, what’s your reason for disguising yourself to enter Saint Maryann Academy?” Hefestus looked at Ophelia, her golden-red dragon eyes flickering with light.
Ophelia merely stared at the stage performance, casually retorting, “And you? After all the trouble you went through to escape, why didn’t you return to your divine dragon island?”
Hefestus lifted her head, a look of pride on her face, “Why should I go back? Times have changed; I am now a professor at this academy!”
From the moment she received her appointment letter, it meant she was under the protection of Saint Maryann Academy.
Ophelia’s eyes showed surprise, but she didn’t reveal it.
Facing Hefestus’ aggressive attitude, she simply said calmly, “I’ve lived in the academy for almost a year now.”
Implied meaning: You are the outsider.
Hefestus immediately realized that this fellow inmate was also under the protection of Saint Maryann Academy.
Their past and current situations seemed to share some similarities.
Thus, hostility dissolved, and they began to chat idly about trivial matters, but avoided talking about their own children.
However, as the opening performance of the finale approached, this small secret was destined to be exposed.
…
Judy returned to the stage and introduced the simulated duel according to the academy’s requirements.
Audience members, encountering the information about simulated duels for the first time, initially felt confused. Some even criticized Saint Maryann Academy for inserting advertisements during the opening ceremony—paid advertisements, no less!
But once the concept of “Universal Duel” was proposed, the attention of tens of thousands of spectators was instantly captured!
What is the greatest regret for duel enthusiasts who are not magi?
Undoubtedly, it’s the inability to personally step onto the duel stage!
This “simulated duel” introduced by Saint Maryann Academy perfectly solved this problem.
As the audience gradually understood what “simulated duel” truly was, excitement and desire appeared on their faces.
The only thing preventing them from fully expressing their excitement was the fact that they hadn’t seen this “simulated duel” with their own eyes yet!
A smile appeared on Judy’s lips.
She knew she had raised the audience’s anticipation to its peak.
So, whether this promotion of the simulated duel would succeed depended on whether the next two simulated duel exhibition matches could satisfy the majority of the audience!
“Now, please welcome the son of ‘Hero’ Brett Gold—Wit Gold, and his best friend—Robert Broheim!”
“Our beloved ‘Hero’s Child’ will publicly demonstrate the charm of simulated duels on stage today!”
“Let’s give them a round of applause!”
…
“Papapapapa!”
It was the first time Wit and Robert had experienced such enthusiastic applause.
Even during the sorting ceremony when students learned he was the ‘Hero’s Child’, they hadn’t shown such enthusiasm.
He pressed his heart, which felt like it might leap out at any moment, and together with Robert, stepped onto the stage.
Immediately afterward, Judy introduced them separately and began explaining the rules.
On the table, three complete sets of cards were neatly arranged.
Wit and Robert would choose forty cards from these three sets and then proceed to duel!
They only learned of the rule changes yesterday and spent the night reviewing the guidebooks. Their eyes met with flashes of lightning, filled with hostility.
“Robert, there is always only one winner in a duel.”
“You’re talking about me, Wit?”
“No, you know, you can never be my opponent in a duel.”
“But that
Mana Duels, in fact, you often lose more than you win in these simulated duels and past Mana Chess games.”
“I just wasn’t serious!”
“Then show me what you can do when you’re serious!”
“Darn it! (〃>皿<)"
After a few exchanges, the two were on the verge of conflict.
Senior Judy smiled and pushed forward with the rules: "The specific rules are as follows. Roll the dice to decide who picks first. You can pick two cards each time until you have forty cards in your deck. Now, roll the dice."
Wit and Robert simultaneously picked up the dice from the spellboard.
The mana projection magnified the dice so that the audience could clearly see them.
Both swallowed slightly before rolling them simultaneously.
...
In the circular spectator area, Dark blocked out the distractions from Tudor and Pistons and carefully watched the exhibition match.
The success of this exhibition match was crucial for promoting the simulated duels externally.
He also needed to address any issues that arose during the duel and improve the card designs afterward.
Moreover, Wit and Robert's skill levels were not particularly high, making them perfect tools for educating the audience.
After this exhibition match, the audience should have a basic understanding of the rules of the simulated duels.
Then, Pandora and Wynne's appearance would elevate the audience's impression of the simulated duels to a new level.
"I hope it goes smoothly,"
Dark silently prayed.
...
Claire and the twin sisters were watching nearby, quite relaxed and confident about the exhibition match.
On the other hand, Ophelia Brad subconsciously paid more attention to Wit on stage.
Hephaestus took one look and understood the situation.
Finally, the dice rolled by Wit and Robert stopped.
Wit: 5;
Robert: 1;
"It seems our dear 'Hero's Child' has the priority. Let's see which two cards he picks."
Judy emphasized the term "Hero's Child" when announcing, increasing the weight of this exhibition match in people's minds.
Wit was slightly pleased after gaining priority and immediately reached for a card.
He had finally determined his strategy after much thought, so his moves were clear in purpose.
Robert noticed the direction he was reaching for and instantly changed his expression because those were the cards he wanted too!
"Got the 'Counter Shield'!"
Wit's voice was filled with excitement. With the two 'Counter Shield' cards in hand, he felt confident of victory.
The giant projection above their heads displayed the card face of the 'Counter Shield'.
Judy began to introduce it in detail.
Most of the audience were duel enthusiasts and easily understood the effects of such cards.
Soon, there was commotion among the crowd.
Because the effect of this card was incredibly strong!
Although its effect was only once, being able to completely bounce back the attack of a mana golem made it a decisive card!
"Damn!"
After his anger, Robert then drew the last 'Counter Shield.'
Immediately afterward, he reached for another card—'Blue-Eyed White Dragon'!
Despite this 'Blue-Eyed White Dragon' being a mere nine-star card, it was the strongest in terms of attack and defense among the cards in this version!
[Card Name: Blue-Eyed White Dragon]
[Level: ???????]
[Attack: 5000]
[Defense: 4500]
[Ultimate Skill: None]
"As long as you successfully summon the 'Blue-Eyed White Dragon,' you'll be invincible!"
Robert adhered to the idea of extreme strength and took a 'Blue-Eyed White Dragon' first. Then he nervously watched Wit, fearing he might take the other two.
But Wit did not touch the other two 'Blue-Eyed White Dragons'; instead, he picked up two three-star [Huhu] cards.
In the first version of the duel cards, elemental cards with special ultimate skills were rare, and 'Huhu' was one of them.
However, this 'Huhu' had only one ultimate skill—'Solidify'!
[Card Name: Huhu]
[Level: ???]
[Attack: 0]
[Defense: 2200]
[Ultimate Skill: Solidify]
"A mana golem with 2200 defense points at the first tier, and with the ultimate skill 'Solidify,' it cannot be killed in one hit. As long as it remains in defense mode, it becomes an indestructible shield + three-star sacrifice."
Wit had already determined his core strategy. When he got the two 'Huhu' cards, he felt certain of winning!
...
The struggle for cards became increasingly intense.
But the paths of their decks gradually diverged, forming two completely different sets of decks.
And the audience quickly recognized the first version of the duel cards through this.
They soon discovered that most of the elemental cards in these decks were possessed by students from Saint Maryann Academy.
This was of course intentional; otherwise, how could they match the model Easter eggs?
By the end of the on-site deck-building phase, the audience's interest was gradually cultivated.
Dark Demon at the bottom of the stage also had a slight smile.
Just by looking at the deck-building process of the two on stage, he knew that even if the exhibition match wasn't spectacular, it would still showcase some unique features.
Wit and Robert both had their own ideas and were not the type to use generic tactics.
The exhibition match then began under Senior Judy's hosting, with her serving as both judge and commentator.
Wit and Robert put on the duel disks and stood on either side of the platform.
Then they exchanged glances and shouted simultaneously:
"Login, Hero's Child!"
"Login, Steel Fist Warrior!"
...
"Connection successful." "Hero's Child" vs "Steel Fist Warrior."
...
Wit's login name was changed upon request.
Although he felt embarrassed, he still read it out.
Almost simultaneously, heavy iron chains appeared beneath both their feet, extending rapidly to connect instantly.
"Click!"
The connection of the field was complete.
"Battle begins!"
The authoritative voice that emerged from the silver duel disk made the audience subconsciously ignore the embarrassing self-introductions of the two on stage.
The subsequent changes in the field also made them realize immediately that this simulated duel platform was far from a shoddy product!
"Boom!"
Flaming projections divided the entire field into two parts.
"Spellzone," "Summoning Area," "Field Zone," and the newly introduced concept—"Graveyard"—were all clearly demarcated!
At the same time, burning flame frames appeared at both ends of the field, with numbers representing life values jumping from 0 to 8000 for both sides.
DUEL!
