Chapter 608: Dark Demon VS Fool’s Academy (8k)
Jimmy Abbott.
Ordinary appearance, ordinary grades, ordinary background.
Except for possessing a little “divination talent,” there was nothing extraordinary about him.
But Jimmy had a good personality; he was sincere and willing to help others, which made him quite popular in Fool’s Academy.
“Beep—”
When his selection card suddenly vibrated, the second-year student from Fool’s Academy sitting next to him, Bobby Bernal, immediately perked up and leaned in, saying, “It’s your turn, Jimmy!”
“Don’t get too excited, Bobby. It’s my turn.” Jimmy said as he rubbed his forehead.
Bobby grinned and replied, “That’s why I’m excited. If it were me, I’d probably be hiding somewhere nibbling on the table corner.”
“Even if I’m nervous, I wouldn’t go so far as to nibble on the table corner, would I?” Jimmy muttered.
“Don’t listen to him rambling.” Another second-year student from Fool’s Academy approached and asked, “How are you prepared? Can you handle it?”
Jimmy couldn’t help but say, “What counts as being able to handle it… I’ll give it my best shot.”
The second-year student quickly added, “Don’t be too nervous either. Fighting on the same stage as Dark is not necessarily a bad thing.”
Jimmy nodded, understanding the sentiment.
He patted his mana card deck and stood up, saying, “Then I’ll go first.”
The second-year student immediately raised his fist and cheered, “Go for it!”
Bobby echoed, “We’ll all cheer for you based on your performance.” Jimmy nodded firmly and resolutely walked towards the competitor passage.
His gradually fading figure resembled a veteran general bearing everything as he marched onto the battlefield, exuding a solemn aura.
The second-year students from Fool’s Academy looked at each other and then turned their heads to continue watching the upcoming twenty-first match on the field.
After entering the regular tournament phase, the ranking matches for the “Silver Cup” would be held simultaneously across multiple venues, with no post-match interviews.
Additionally, the “Novice Tournament” held every Saturday morning continued to run smoothly.
Audiences could freely choose which ongoing match to watch.
Dark Demon vs. Jimmy Abbott’s match was scheduled in the central venue, clearly due to Dark’s accumulated popularity from the previous day.
The Dueling Club always paid close attention to the arrangement of events.
When Jimmy Abbott passed through the competitor passage and entered the field, he found staff waiting for him at the entrance.
He took a deep breath and followed the staff to the designated dueling arena.
“Is this it?”
Standing in front of the competitor platform’s steps, Jimmy tried to remain calm and then looked up at the opponent’s platform.
On the blue side platform, Dark was looking down and waved at Jimmy with a friendly smile.
Jimmy waved back and then stepped up the red side platform’s steps.
Ever since he received the schedule sheet last night, he had been preparing for this moment.
Now that the time had come, whether he would stand out or blend in would depend on his performance!
…
On the blue side platform.
Dark observed his classmate from Fool’s Academy for a while and remarked unexpectedly, “Looks like he has a decent aura.”
Jimmy had short dark gray hair, a watermelon hairstyle, slightly yellow skin, and freckles, making him a plain-looking person with a zero回头 rate on the streets.
But in this world, ordinary looks were common.
Judging someone by their appearance was very impolite.
Jimmy’s expression when he ascended the platform clearly showed he wasn’t here to just go through the motions.
Dark decided to take him seriously.
…
“Good afternoon, Demon.” After Jimmy ascended the red side platform, he activated the spellboard and greeted.
“Good afternoon, Abbott.”
Dark returned the greeting and casually asked, “How’s the astrology homework going?”
Jimmy immediately showed a troubled expression, “Can we not talk about that? It’s too difficult…”
Dark laughed and said, “I see.”
Their relationship seemed to have become closer.
Jimmy adjusted his mood again and said seriously, “Please guide me during this duel!”
Dark nodded, “Please guide me.”
Then they did not engage in further small talk and quickly began preparations.
Dark had already placed his deck into the card slots before Jimmy arrived.
Once Jimmy also placed his deck into the slots, both spellboards shuffled simultaneously.
Above the spellboard, the words “Standby Phase” appeared.
The referee overseeing the match glanced at both sides and blew the whistle to remind them, “Both competitors prepare individually; the countdown phase will begin soon!”
The commentator who was briefly introducing the two competitors immediately paused and waited.
The atmosphere of the duel slowly built up.
Dark placed his hand on the top of his deck, ready to draw cards quickly.
…
“Beep—”
The referee blew the whistle again.
“Thirty seconds” immediately appeared behind “Standby Phase”!
Both competitors’ expressions instantly became serious.
That serious demeanor was magnified and displayed in front of all the audience members.
The duelists’ facial expressions during the duel were one of the elements that attracted viewers to watch the duel.
Today, some of the audience outside the arena had specially come to support after receiving the news that Dark Demon would be dueling in the afternoon.
Some even stayed up all night to make signs and banners, waving them energetically in a corner of the spectator area.
Although they were still far from the scale of those established star duelists, they were starting to show some form.
So, never underestimate the power of fans.
—No matter which era it is.
While drawing cards, Dark heard the audience chanting his name, but he focused slightly and dismissed these external influences.
As he acquired all five mana spirit cards, he was completely immersed in the duel.
“Let’s see how my luck is today!”
[Lion Beast]
[Mana Book]
[Huhu]
[Bliss III Moon]
[Pride IV]
“A ‘Bliss III Moon’ and a ‘Pride IV’!”
“Starting with these two mana spirit cards can almost determine the situation.”
“However, among the five mana spirit cards drawn at the beginning, there are none that can directly use these two major sin cards.”
“Lion Beast can evolve into a ‘Crazed Lion Beast’ with ‘Pride IV,’ but it’s a five-star mana spirit card…”
“Hmm, good fortune, sacrifices are complete.”
Dark looked at the two mana spirit cards in his hand that could not be evolved with major sin cards and couldn’t help but smile wryly.
…
The third-year commentator in charge of this match suddenly lit up and exclaimed loudly, “We can see that Dark Demon is showing a very confident smile. It seems he is very satisfied with the five mana spirit cards he drew at the beginning. We might witness a high-level start…”
…
The commentator’s words reached Jimmy Abbott’s ears, causing him to furrow his brows slightly.
To steady himself, he hurriedly whispered, “Don’t worry, I’ve drawn good cards too!”
“It seems our luck is both pretty good.” Dark heard this and raised his head to say.
Jimmy gave an awkward smile.
Then both competitors noticed that the thirty-second countdown for the “Standby Phase” had only seconds left!
…
“Ding.”
The “Standby Phase” instantly switched to “Battle Phase,”
The thirty-second countdown for the first round of the “Battle Phase” began counting down!
…
Almost simultaneously, both competitors drew a card from their hands and quickly performed a normal summoning spell.
Jimmy’s normal summoning spell was actually not slow.
But compared to Dark, it showed a gap.
“In the name of Dark Demon, Mana Summoning — Huhu!”
The white light from the mana spirit card landed in the blue side summoning zone.
A bug-type mana spirit similar to a small turtle instantly materialized.
“Zap!”
Huhu’s eyes narrowed, confirming it was the first summoned mana spirit, and felt a surge of excitement.
In its line of sight, there was also light shining on the red side platform.
But just as it was guessing what kind of mana spirit it would face this time, the white light from Jimmy’s mana spirit card enveloped the mana guidance ball on the red side platform!
—He did not choose to summon a mana spirit in the first round’s opening hand!
Seeing this, Dark raised an eyebrow, paying attention.
Choosing to summon other types of mana spirit cards instead of mana spirits in the first round’s opening hand,
This was actually a conventional tactic in high-level duels, but it was very rare in lower grades.
There were many reasons for magicians to summon mana spirits at the beginning.
Among the most direct reasons were “protecting the mana guidance ball from immediate attacks” and “preparing sacrifices for the second-tier mana spirits” and so on.
Their strategies and tactics began to unfold in earnest.
In the midst of protecting the Mana Guidance Ball, there were significant reasons involved.
But what if there were other means to protect the Mana Guidance Ball?
…
“By the name of Jimmy Abbott, Mana Summoning — ‘Swift Invisibility!'”
Jimmy raised his hand and pointed, causing the Red Side Mana Guidance Ball to suddenly vanish completely from everyone’s sight!
He had unexpectedly used an advanced version of the “Invisibility Spell” right at the start.
Dark was quite surprised upon seeing this.
“Swift Invisibility” could be considered an upper-tier derivative of the “Gradual Invisibility Spell,” almost eliminating the pre-cast delay while extending the invisibility duration from five seconds to three minutes.
With Dark’s current level, he could have easily crafted “Swift Invisibility” and “Obstacle Course” spells, but his focus had never been on these.
Jimmy not only managed to craft “Swift Invisibility” but also applied it skillfully in the duel, which was commendable.
However, with just one “Illusionary Worm” card, the invisibility could be easily broken.
Jimmy’s initial move was to gamble that Dark hadn’t included “Soul Illusion Worm” or any other revealing cards in his deck.
This gave him six rounds to maneuver around.
It also slightly compensated for the slower summoning speed.
He released his Mana, and the invisible Mana Guidance Ball was pulled high into the sky in the next moment!
…
Meanwhile, Dark Demon started his second summon as soon as Jimmy did this.
“In the name of Dark Demon, Mana Summoning — ‘Mana Book!'”
Originally, Dark put the “Mana Book” into his deck to synchronize spells and summon Mana Spirits faster.
But once the duel began, Dark quickly realized that the “Mana Book” wasn’t very practical in this “Silver Cup.”
So he summoned it this time to use it as a sacrifice!
…
Three seconds passed after the “Mana Book” was summoned.
Jimmy’s regular summon had just cooled down, and his field had no offensive Mana Spirits, so it posed no threat.
Dark could fully concentrate on his summon, completing the call of two First Tier Mana Spirits in the shortest time.
In his third summon, he chose the “Sacrificial Summon!”
The object of the sacrifice was naturally the “Lion Beast!”
“There is a three-star and a two-star, I offer up ‘Huhu’ and ‘Mana Book’ as sacrifices. Here, summon the embodiment of justice, come forth, ‘Lion Beast!’”
On the field, “Huhu” had some reservations about being demoted from “Ace” to “Sacrifice,” but still complied with Dark’s wish and turned into light.
When three beams of light converged and quickly formed the sacrificial summon array, the righteous “Lion Beast” was finally summoned!
…
“The Second Tier Five-Star Mana Spirit, Lion Beast!”
The commentator excitedly shouted.
“Dark Demon called out a Five-Star Mana Spirit right from the first round! And it’s one of his key cards, the ‘Lion Beast’! Many new viewers might not know, but once this ‘Lion Beast’ holds a sword, nothing can stop it!”
…
“Lion Beast” calmly walked out of the sacrificial summon array and then frowned at the opponent.
There were no Mana Spirits or Mana Guidance Balls on the opponent’s field, leaving him unsure how to proceed.
“Protect the Mana Guidance Ball.”
As it was confused, Dark’s instruction quietly came through, stabilizing its mindset.
But Dark felt a bit helpless.
Not only did he not include “Soul Illusion Worm” or “Revealing Powder” in his deck, but he also replaced “Flight Spell” with “Fusion.”
However, even if the conditions for using “Fusion” were strict.
Without “Flight Spell,” even if “Lion Beast” evolved into “Crazed Lion Beast,” it would still be ineffective against aerial units.
Therefore, Dark decisively abandoned the idea of summoning “Crazed Lion Beast” in the first round.
…
“This duel seems unlikely to be decided in the first round.”
He glanced at the two “Capital Sin Cards” in his hand and waited patiently.
After summoning “Lion Beast,” Jimmy Abbott successfully completed his second summon.
This time, he didn’t use a spell card but summoned a First Tier Mana Spirit properly.
The Mana Spirit looked like a rat person, standing nearly one and a half meters tall when straightening its back.
It wore a cloak that was black on the outside and red on the inside, holding a tube the length of an arm.
Just as Dark was pondering the purpose of the tube, the Mana Spirit suddenly threw the cloak, which instantly expanded and enveloped its entire body.
Then both the Mana Spirit and the cloak vanished!
…
“It seems Jimmy Abbott is using the Invisible series… or rather, the Stealth series.”
“Vanishing form and hiding in the shadows, truly unpredictable.”
“The long tube in the rat person’s hand could very well be a highly accurate, long-range weapon.”
Dark’s thinking was quick, and he immediately grasped the intention of the rat person Mana Spirit.
He immediately said, “Lion Beast, be alert!”
Almost immediately, a white beam suddenly shot out.
“Lion Beast” reacted swiftly, swatting down a white pellet from the air!
This white pellet, originally aimed at something else, was blocked by “Lion Beast,” preventing the Blue Side Mana Guidance Ball from being hit.
After the first attack failed, Jimmy immediately ordered the Mana Spirit to change positions and look for another opportunity to attack.
[Card Name: Hidden Mouse Shooter]
[Type: Elemental Card]
[Level: ???]
[Race: Sub-human]
[Attribute: General]
[Mana: 1400]
[Attack: 1200]
[Defense: 300]
[Ultimate Skills: Invisibility Cloak, Missile Shot]
A Purple Card with two ultimate skills!
“Hidden Mouse Shooter” is a core card in Jimmy Abbott’s deck.
Its ultimate skill “Invisibility Cloak” allows it to stay hidden without being touched.
And its ultimate skill “Missile Shot” allows it to shoot white pellets at distant targets.
Each missile requires Mana consumption.
If it hits, it can deal 500 to 1000 points of damage (not counting defense).
This means that if “Hidden Mouse Shooter” has a high enough hit rate, it can destroy the opponent’s Mana Guidance Ball’s Life Barrier effortlessly!
…
“Is this the surprise?”
Dark composed himself, placing his hand above his deck, ready to draw a card.
The thirty-second countdown passed in an instant.
To break the deadlock, hope rested on the next two Mana Cards!
For an invisible enemy, the simplest method besides directly revealing them is to use a wide-range ultimate skill to physically reveal their position.
If the next Mana Card drawn has a wide-range ultimate skill, it would be relatively easy to locate and destroy the Red Side Mana Guidance Ball, thus ending the duel!
“Tick-tock!”
The sound of the round switch echoed in his ears.
Dark immediately drew a card.
Two Mana Spirit Cards were now in his hand!
[Illusionary Fox Beast]
[Mana Nightmare Demon]
“Illusionary Fox Beast” and “Mana Nightmare Demon” are both Three-Star Mana Spirits and can evolve using “Bliss III.”
But Dark only had one “Bliss III Moon.”
This meant he had to choose between them.
…
“Illusionary Fox Beast” gains the ability to control flames across the entire field after evolving into “Nine-Tailed Fox Beast.”
“Mana Nightmare Demon” lacks a wide-range ultimate skill after evolving into “Mana Nightmare Demon,” but it can deploy “Nightmare Space,” determining opponents’ coordinates through spreading purple fog.
Of course, since “Nightmare Space” involves spatial control,
once deployed, “Mana Nightmare Demon” can determine the positions of all targets within range without needing the fog.
The concept of “invisibility” has no meaning before it.
Unless Jimmy promptly raises the Mana Guidance Ball to a height unreachable by “Nightmare Space”!
But that wouldn’t be easy.
Dark thought for a moment and chose the more reliable “Mana Nightmare Demon.”
And immediately summoned it.
“In the name of Dark Demon, Mana Summoning — ‘Mana Nightmare Demon!'”
Accompanied by a childlike laugh, the small “Mana Nightmare Demon” materialized from the summon light.
Like “Lion Beast,” it curiously looked at the empty field.
Then a white pellet suddenly shot towards it!
“Illusionary Fox!”
“Mana Nightmare Demon’s” body blurred in an instant, allowing the white pellet to pass through its abdomen.
But because this pellet was a
The force gathered, yet it still received damage.
The “Mana Spirit” that was ambushed immediately flushed with anger, glaring fiercely towards the source from where the white projectile was launched.
Jimmy’s “Hidden Mouse Shooter” followed the tactic of “hit and run,” bolting away immediately.
But the “Mana Spirit’s” “Telekinesis” had already reached!
Though “Telekinesis” was not powerful and could only move objects with psychic power, skillfully manipulating it could also be used to locate enemies!
Unexpectedly for Dark, as soon as the “Mana Spirit’s” psychic ability covered over, “Hidden Mouse Shooter” revealed itself due to external contact.
“Lion Beast!”
Dark’s eyes lit up, issuing the command without hesitation.
Upon hearing the call, “Lion Beast” exerted its strength, instantly bursting forth from its position!
…
“Not good!”
On the red side competitor platform, Jimmy’s expression fluctuated.
But he was in the middle of summoning a new Mana Spirit, unable to stop—stopping wouldn’t help either!
As his second Mana Spirit materialized within the red summoning zone, “Hidden Mouse Shooter” was enveloped by the Lion Beast’s pressure.
“Beast King Fist!”
A resounding roar echoed.
The Lion Beast’s massive fist struck “Hidden Mouse Shooter” in front of it.
In reality, it didn’t use the “Beast King Fist” ultimate skill.
Just one ordinary punch from the Lion Beast instantly killed the weakly defended “Hidden Mouse Shooter”!
Then the Lion Beast spun on its foot and leaped again, directly heading towards the red summoning zone!
“Fog Cat, use ‘Fog Concealment’!”
Jimmy’s face changed dramatically, shouting urgently.
The gray-furred, slender “Fog Cat” immediately exhaled fog.
As the fog rapidly spread, its body became faintly visible.
Yet before it could fully conceal itself, “Lion Beast” pounced in!
[Card Name: Fog Cat]
[Type: Elemental Card]
[Level: ???]
[Race: Avian-beast Kin]
[Attribute: Fairy Type]
[Mana: 1400]
[Attack: 1300]
[Defense: 500]
[Ultimate Skills: Fog Concealment, Fog Shuriken]
Like the purple card with two ultimate skills, “Fog Cat” and “Hidden Mouse Shooter” had similar ultimate skill configurations, one for concealment and the other for ranged attack.
However, in terms of stats, “Fog Cat” surpassed “Hidden Mouse Shooter.”
Yet this slight difference was meaningless before “Lion Beast”!
Without hesitation, “Lion Beast” charged into the fog, using the true “Beast King Fist” this time!
“Beast King Fist!”
With a roar-like啸声, the energy wave shaped like a lion dispersed the entire cloud of gray fog, killing the “Fog Cat” hiding within!
…
The situation on the field was completely one-sided.
After “Lion Beast” consecutively killed “Hidden Mouse Shooter” and “Fog Cat,” it stood squarely in the center of the red summoning zone, looking up at Jimmy Abbott on the competitor platform as if asking, “Anything else?”
…
Jimmy’s expression rapidly changed, his gaze constantly scanning his hand cards.
Yet, his carefully prepared Mana Cards were so pale under the absolute power.
He clenched his teeth slightly, preparing to summon a magic spell card—”Fog Spell.”
“Fog Spell” wasn’t a high-level spell, but it could create thick fog on the battlefield, allowing Mana Spirits without concealment abilities to hide within.
If Dark unexpectedly carried a Mana Card capable of breaking concealment.
He planned to use this “Fog Spell” to counter it.
For now…
He simply wanted to increase the difficulty for Dark to find the Mana Guidance Ball!
However, Dark wasn’t planning to drag things out.
“In the name of Dark Demon, Mana Summoning—’Bliss III Moon’!”
With the pink light falling, “Mana Spirit” let out a joyful cry.
Immediately after, it evolved into “Mana Nightmare Demon” within the “Bliss” light.
Looking at the floating “Mana Nightmare Demon,” Dark said calmly, “Mana Nightmare Demon, deploy ‘Nightmare Space,’ covering the entire field.”
…
“Yomimi—”
Hearing Dark’s order, “Mana Nightmare Demon” called out in a playful manner, then suddenly extended its tentacles like arms, using its ultimate skill—”Nightmare Space”!
Its eyes emitted an eerie pink glow, and dense purple smoke burst out from below, spreading rapidly in all directions.
In an instant, the purple smoke covered the entire blue half-field and continued to spread towards the red region.
Although the purple smoke visually only covered the ground below the knees, once “Nightmare Space” fully deployed, it could reach higher than its width and length.
In fact, it would form a cube of equal dimensions.
But constrained by the field shape, it had to adjust the shape of “Nightmare Space.”
In short…
Under this vast spatial coverage, the red Mana Guidance Ball had nowhere to hide!
…
“In the name of Dark Demon, Mana Summoning—’Demon Fox Beast’!”
Dark left no room for Jimmy.
Before commanding “Mana Nightmare Demon” to attack the red Mana Guidance Ball, he summoned “Demon Fox Beast.”
Now,
Among his three Mana Spirits, two were positioned in the opponent’s and his own summoning zones, one guarding the opponent’s Mana Spirit and the other protecting his Mana Guidance Ball.
The “Mana Nightmare Demon” that was free silently vanished into “Nightmare Space.”
Jimmy Abbott hadn’t even realized his Mana Guidance Ball had been discovered.
The “Mana Nightmare Demon” concealed in “Nightmare Space” seized his Mana Guidance Ball!
…
The commentator, who had just asked the audience how Dark Demon would handle Jimmy Abbott’s invisibility, found himself realizing there was no need to address it anymore…
Since the red Mana Guidance Ball was already targeted by “Mana Nightmare Demon,” it couldn’t escape.
“Mana Nightmare Demon” raised its tentacle-turned claws and slapped the red Mana Guidance Ball twice.
With those two slaps, the Life Barrier shattered!
[4000 – 0]
…
“Beeep—”
The referee blew the whistle instantly, declaring the victor.
“The battle is over.”
“Victor: Dark Demon!”
…
A moment later, the commentator’s exclamation echoed, guiding the audience to cheer.
“Even though this duel lasted only two rounds, these two rounds showcased the long-term efforts both contestants put in.”
“The two contestants employed various tactics on the battlefield; Jimmy Abbott’s invisibility tactic was impressive, but Dark Demon’s effortless resolution clearly showed his superiority.”
“The expansive purple fog couldn’t hide Dark Demon’s brilliance.”
“Now, let’s shout the victor’s name!”
…
“Dark Dark! Demon Demon!”
The applause from the spectators outside the arena intensified.
Especially the fans who came specifically for Dark, their hands swelling from clapping.
Dark smiled politely in that direction and waved.
Those fans grew even more excited.
…
While celebrating the victory here, Jimmy Abbott quietly gathered his Mana Cards on the other side.
Compared to Dark, Jimmy’s Mana Cards—especially his Mana Spirit Cards—were notably weaker.
Therefore, upon learning his opponent was Dark, he immediately devised a strategy to avoid direct confrontation.
But this strategy proved ineffective.
Dark’s Mana Spirits possessed too many abilities to resolve the battlefield.
“Huff…”
Jimmy exhaled deeply, turning to leave the stage.
Though this duel was brief, he had indeed given his best effort.
The substantial gap in hard power made the outcome predictable.
But he wouldn’t stop there.
The deeper one delved into Mana Technology, the harder it became.
Dark’s progress would eventually slow down.
And he would gradually catch up through accumulated effort, widening the gap in suspense when their disparity narrowed enough.
“That day will come!”
His eyes shone with determination.
…
Dark suddenly turned his head to look at Jimmy Abbott’s back, pondering for a moment.
Then he put away his organized Mana Cards and descended from the competitor platform.
Today’s duel differed from what he had anticipated.
The deck he had built barely saw any action.
It failed to prove its worth.
“Tomorrow! Tomorrow’s duel with Emma should offer more opportunities. It’s been such a long time since our last duel…”
Thinking this, Dark quickened his pace, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
