Chapter 662: “Request for Subscription” Endless Fleece, Inexhaustible Gods
Professor Shylph indeed did not show excessive surprise.
She glanced at Dark Demon with slight approval before saying, “The ‘Underworld Fire’ you mentioned, we actually already have some information. The specific situation is roughly in line with your deductions.”
Dark Demon blinked, suddenly understanding.
The reason why the “Underworld Fire” had been leaked was not only due to the influence of the Church of the Saints but also because of Didi Maxwell’s interference.
On the day of the “Execution Ritual,” the professors were present as well. After the incident, they quickly left; they could not have failed to investigate the subsequent effects.
Therefore, it wasn’t strange that Professor Shylph knew about this beforehand.
Dark asked, “Then is there any countermeasure?”
Professor Shylph shook her head and said, “There were too many people involved back then, and many had special identities, making it difficult to investigate. Moreover, those possessed by the ‘Underworld Fire’ are actually victims, so we can’t arrest them. Thus, solving this matter is very difficult.”
However, she then smiled, “Fortunately, not long after, the Duke’s Mansion took action, which greatly eased our burden. Although we don’t know what kind of existence the consciousness that sneaked in from the Underworld is, if it wants to be reborn, it needs a significant amount of ‘Underworld Fire.'”
By collecting and sealing as much ‘Underworld Fire’ as possible, we can reduce its chances of rebirth.
Even if it manages to force a rebirth, lacking enough ‘Underworld Fire,’ its strength upon revival will be extremely limited. At that point, all we need to do is catch it before it regains its full power…”
She didn’t finish her sentence, but Dark understood completely.
The same matter, when heard from Senior Sister Patricia Boline versus Professor Shylph, evokes two entirely different feelings.
This shows that in this world where divine authority still exists, the Magus at the forefront of the tide can rationally view the existence of gods.
The stronger the Magus, the more their reverence for deities fades.
…
After leaving Professor Shylph’s office, Dark felt much lighter.
Just now, Professor Shylph had imparted a terrifying idea in her office.
How to defeat a god?
First, capture one!
…
For a Magus, as long as they have sufficiently rare materials, they can refine powerful Mana Spirits.
So-called ‘God Cards’ are originally refined based on materials derived from gods.
If one can capture a god, they can obtain a large amount of godly materials.
Then, they can capture even more gods!
…
Setting aside the halo created by history and legends, so-called ‘gods’ are merely powerful life forms.
Even if their form transcends dimensions and cannot truly be killed,
killing them in the current world and returning them to chaos is still possible.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t be the phenomenon of “Ragnarok.”
In other words, since “Ragnarok” has happened more than once, why not again?
Isn’t Eudora Envy’s prophecy like this?
…
When the “Reawakening of the Gods” occurs, if humans want to maintain sovereignty, there is essentially only one path left.
It’s just another war, larger and longer than the war against demons.
The only consideration is how many people will sacrifice themselves during this process?
As for whether ultimate victory can be achieved?
That is not within the scope of consideration.
Dark originally thought Saint Maryann Academy maintained absolute neutrality, but Professor Shylph clearly showed a distinct stance.
Between humans and gods, they undoubtedly chose the side of humans.
On his way back to the dormitory, Dark suddenly had an idea—perhaps this is the true meaning of Saint Maryann Academy’s existence?
Humans, the final ark!
Only now, this ship meant to continue the flame has added heavy firepower.
As for the demons,
Dark has always believed that perhaps in Saint Maryann Academy’s eyes, demons also fall under the category of ‘humans.’
But later, when the war reached an irreversible stage, Saint Maryann Academy was forced to make a binary choice, eventually choosing the current ‘humans.’
The soon-to-be-revived ‘gods’ are true ‘outsiders.’
Dark couldn’t help recalling the passage from “Ancient Chapters”: They existed at least five eras ago, they came from the stars, they walked through the abyss, they were once great, they once ruled over all realms…
They have been forgotten by history, they are the old rulers buried in ancient dust!
…
“They came from the stars?”
Dark Demon couldn’t help narrowing his eyes.
“The seven deadly sins demon gods also came from the stars?”
“Perhaps.”
“No wonder.”
…
Dark crossed the bridge, entered the tower, passed through the common room, and ascended to the third floor, entering room 301.
“Mew—”
Holding the ever-present Grass Cat Plant dragging a small flower pot, Dark sat down at his desk, deep in thought.
Unbeknownst to him, the sun had set, the moon rose above the treetops, and night fell.
Suddenly coming to his senses, Dark realized he had wasted the entire afternoon. He couldn’t help but feel regret and immediately began yesterday’s unfinished research.
In today’s duel with Patricia Boline, he truly experienced the overwhelming strength of the three-star Mana Spirit: Eevee.
Now with just two cards having such effects, imagine if he had three?
With three three-star Mana Spirits: Eevee, not only would the probability of drawing increase, but he could summon any three required Mana Spirits from his deck.
More importantly, after using “Relay,” the three-star Mana Spirit: Eevee would simply return to his hand and could be summoned again.
These three three-star Mana Spirits: Eevee, regardless of which deck they were placed in, could solidify the deck into a formidable unit!
Aside from this, he also felt the limitations of other low-star Mana Spirits.
For example, “Piplup,” “Illusionary Worm,” “Wrestler Eagle”… even “Mana Book” has lost its significance in this level of Mana Duel.
Teacher Huhu is still reliable, but if not summoned at the start, its effect is very limited.
Once the opponent’s ace is a third-tier Mana Spirit exceeding six stars, Huhu’s tricks become less effective.
Moreover, some four-star Mana Spirits share this limitation.
Eevee is somewhat okay, possessing the “Charm Body,” making it a powerful weapon against opponents.
But the “Big Milk Jar” has already fallen out of favor.
Four-star Mana Spirits that cannot be summoned specifically require a combination of one three-star and one one-star card, or two two-star cards, to be sacrificed.
With Eevee and Ditto being progressively strengthened to three stars, the supply of four-star sacrifices is decreasing.
It’s possible that by the end of a duel, the required sacrifices won’t be met.
Using “Trash Slime” might work, but “Gluttony III” only has one copy and needs to be used wisely.
Additionally, the one-star “Fruit Grub” is clearly lagging behind the current duel pace.
Perhaps when Dark researches their “Directed Formulation” and fully masters “Secondary Formulation,” they can return to the stage.
—But this is essentially a process every Magus must go through.
Continuously eliminating early-stage Mana Cards, updating and strengthening the deck, is necessary to stay ahead in Mana Duels.
However, Dark’s Mana Spirits still have the potential to rise again!
…
Furthermore, Dark discovered that the deficiency of high-star Mana Cards in his deck was becoming increasingly apparent.
Although he had plenty of sacrificial materials, he lacked high-level Mana Cards, severely limiting the overall strength of his lineup.
“According to the rules of Sacrificial Summon, the best star ratings for Mana Cards in a Mana Duel deck are three-star, six-star, and nine-star.”
“After refining the third three-star Mana Spirit: Eevee, I’ll take a break and consider refining some high-level Mana Cards.”
Dark gradually developed a new plan.
And on Sunday morning, after defeating a third-year senior matched by the Dueling Club, he went to Traveler’s Street, meeting Eve and Claire again.
This time, they didn’t chat much. Claire briefly explained and then got busy.
Alvaraite didn’t seem overly surprised by the intelligence Dark provided.
In fact, they had already started artificial experiments with “Underworld Fire” without his knowledge!
The Duke’s Mansion made a breakthrough discovery: “Underworld Fire” can not only possess humans but also animals and magical beasts!
Moreover, depending on the possession target, the “Dueling Ritual” projects change.
Not all duels between “Underworld Fire” holders are primarily Mana Duels—this only accounts for a small portion.
Most “Underworld Fire” holders use their own specialties or passions as the duel project.
For instance, a tailor might compete in tailoring skills, while a lawyer might engage in debates.
A transformed beastman could even compete in “eating contests” after the ritual!
Upon winning, the beastman’s digestion improves, while the opponent suffers indigestion…
Regardless of the fate of the opponent, the beastman’s digestive capacity increases dramatically with each victory.
No matter how much food is consumed, it never fills up, and the body grows disproportionately due to uncontrolled gluttony, surpassing racial limits, which is terrifying.
Their insatiable desire for food thus continuously rises, almost turning them into beasts focused solely on eating.
The forces dispatched by the Duke’s Mansion saved the beastman, but only his life, not his size…
Since Dark started school two months ago, the Duke’s Mansion has collected over a hundred “Underworld Fires.”
These fires are not sealed in containers; in fact, “Underworld Fire” is extremely hard to seal.
They actually retrieve “Underworld Fire” through duels, storing it within human bodies.
They maintain necessary vigilance, ensuring no more than two “Underworld Fires” per person.
Later, after thoroughly analyzing the effects of “Underworld Fire,” the Duke’s Mansion developed a peculiar method of utilizing it.
The Scorpion Palace Maids and Lion Palace Maids fought fiercely to gain more “Underworld Fire.”
After hearing this, Dark was utterly speechless.
While he was still searching for the third student with “Underworld Fire,” the Duke’s Mansion was already in turmoil.
Chris and Trina experimented with transferring “Underworld Fire” to magical beasts through the ritual—yes, to magical beasts!
Magical beasts are bundles of combat desire.
Their “Dueling Ritual” is nothing but continuous battles!
Each duel allows the victor to draw power from the loser, be it mana, stamina, or strength.
Over several duels, magical beasts grow stronger.
The maids control this strength.
When a magical beast reaches a certain power level, a maid holding “Underworld Fire” initiates a “Dueling Ritual” against it.
The maid’s ritual naturally focuses on her specialty.
These rituals can involve cooking, crafting, anything except direct combat, where the magical beast has no chance.
The maid easily wins.
But after winning, due to the nature of the ritual, the maid cannot absorb the immense power brought by the “Underworld Fire.”
However, if another maid with “Underworld Fire” challenges her?
Naturally, the victorious battle maid can perfectly absorb the immense power brought by the “Underworld Fire”!
After this process, the battle maid’s “Underworld Fire” remains in a fused state of three.
As for how to suppress the battle maid’s “dueling desire”?
Apparently, the Duke’s Mansion has experts in this area.
…
In short, the battle maids of the Duke’s Mansion ruthlessly exploited “Underworld Fire,” achieving unprecedented growth in power!
Some battle maids who were lacking in mana talent gained enormous mana, allowing them to equip previously unusable “Armed Cards.”
The entire Duke’s Mansion was swept up in a fervent craze for “Underworld Fire.”
Surely, the “Underworld God” who snuck in from the Underworld and hasn’t truly awakened wouldn’t have imagined that his “Underworld Fire” would have such妙用吧？
