On the arena floor.
Future Jura stared blankly at the blonde girl who had a bump on her head and kept bowing and apologizing to the purple-robed mage.
From the dark magic just now, he could clearly sense powerful magic emanating from her. But what was with this lack of tension?
"Though I should probably greet Mr. Chase's card companions," Future Jura said, stepping forward as his magic power surged, "please don't forget—this match does have a time limit."
"You don't need to remind me! Watch yourself, bald old man!" Dark Magician Girl took a deep breath, her pink robes shimmering with light.
Bald... old... man...
Future Jura's mouth twitched. It felt like two arrows had struck his knee.
But the next moment, that faint sadness was replaced by wariness and seriousness.
Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl transformed into two streaks of light, charging straight toward him!
"Rock Iron Wall!"
A wall of stone, hard as iron, materialized instantly, blocking the Dark Magician duo's path—a counter designed to use their own momentum against them.
However, Dark Magician, shrouded in purple light, merely made an elegant sidestep, bypassing the wall and appearing to Jura's right.
At the same time, Dark Magician Girl followed closely behind, barely managing to cut off the left flank.
"So fast—"
Jura was startled. The familiar flight magic made him instinctively think of a certain man.
Catching a glimpse of the magic circles forming at the tips of Dark Magician's and Dark Magician Girl's staves, he dared not hesitate. He stamped his foot and pressed his palms together.
A terrifying surge of power erupted, and the ground let out a tremendous roar.
It was "Rumbling Mt. Fuji"—the technique that had scored an astonishing 8544 on the MPF (Magic Power Finder)!
"Dark Magic!"
"Super Magic Wave Cannon!"
The moment the three spells collided, a massive pillar of energy shot skyward. Flames burst in all directions, unleashing a shockwave that swept across the entire arena!
Before the pillar of light had even dissipated, Future Jura retreated from the center of the explosion, his robe torn.
The instant he landed, however, his pupils contracted sharply: a card magic circle was slowly spinning beneath his feet!
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.
The ground shattered inch by inch. Amidst the falling rubble, a massive black silhouette with sharp, piercing eyes slowly drew two giant rock swords from its shoulders.
"Rock magic like mine? No—it's another card!"
Jura reacted swiftly. In the instant the twin swords came crashing down, he waved his hand, and several flexible stone pillars emerged from the ground, wrapping around Rock Giant Soldier like giant vines, firmly locking it in place.
Without even pressing the advantage, Jura stepped on a magic circle and turned to charge straight at Chase.
With his extensive battle experience, he knew that getting tangled up with summons would only put him on the defensive. To win this match, he had to target the summoner directly.
Due to their fighting style and magic, Holder-Type mages typically didn't have high personal combat capabilities.
This was common knowledge in the magical world.
One clean hit, and the scales of victory will tip in my favor!
With that thought, Jura clenched his right fist and accelerated, his eyes fixed on the rapidly approaching Chase.
Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl on the flank noticed his intent but made no move to intercept. Instead, they put away their staves and stood there smiling.
Just as they expected, before Jura could close the distance, Chase's pre-set Trap Card activated silently.
HUM!
Golden light wove into a hexagram shape, as if a pause button had been pressed. Jura's charging form came to an abrupt halt, frozen in place by Hexagram Curse.
"Besides reflection and destruction, there really are protective cards, huh..." Jura glanced at the hexagram around his waist and smiled calmly. "Unfortunately, this distance is more than enough!"
"Rock Iron Fist!"
A massive stone fist, clad in steel-hard armor, erupted from a yellow magic circle before him!
The fist hadn't even arrived, but the raging wind pressure reached him first, whipping at Chase's carefully styled hair and pant legs.
"The weakness of Holder-Type mages is indeed the mage themselves. But sorry, Jura—that's not a weak point for me. It's a strength!"
Chase stood motionless in the gale. His right arm, hanging naturally at his side, shimmered with a flowing light, revealing the silhouette of a dark golden right arm.
The chains clanked. Under Jura's incredulous gaze, Chase shifted his stance, cracking the ground beneath him to gain sufficient leverage.
Then, the massive Right Arm of the Forbidden One opened its five fingers and grabbed the oncoming Rock Iron Fist directly.
THUD!
A dull impact echoed. After a powerful shockwave dispersed, the bronze right palm held the Rock Iron Fist firmly in place—unable to advance an inch!
"How is this possible?! You caught it bare-handed?!" Cold sweat beaded on Jura's forehead.
The resistance coming from the opposite side was like punching a mountain—immovable.
No—my Rock Iron Fist could shatter a mountain with ease!
Is this the kind of physical strength a Card Mage should have?!
In his shock, Jura suddenly noticed the sky had darkened.
Looking up, he saw a deep, pitch-black mist that had appeared out of nowhere, blanketing the entire arena!
Chase chuckled softly. His free hand slid out a card: "Magic Card: Chaos-Dark Magic Ritual, activate!"
WHOOSH!
Black magical flames burned, and two ancient altars materialized.
Understanding the signal, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl transformed into two streaks of light and merged into the altars.
The next second, a pure beam of energy shot into the black mist above. Amidst lightning and thunder, a golden pupil slowly opened, and Dark Magician of Chaos descended with commanding presence.
A chilling, oppressive aura blanketed the entire arena!
To give the shortsighted audience a proper shock, Chase had deliberately gone all out on the spectacle.
Dark Magician of Chaos spun his long staff, drawing the vast mist into the magical gem at its tip, constantly condensing and compressing it there.
Black arcs of lightning danced wildly as a dense magic cannon took shape.
Jura's pupils contracted—he could see the immense power of this attack.
There was no way to dodge. He erupted with magic power, forcibly breaking free from Hexagram Curse, and slammed his palms together with a loud cry: "Rock Mountain!"
Within the expanded magic circle, a stone titan with palms pressed together—boasting supreme defensive power—manifested.
At the same time, Dark Magician of Chaos completed his spell and raised his staff toward the ground: "Destruction Incantation — Death Ultimate Curse!"
The pitch-black energy sphere streaked down, trailing black lightning. The moment it struck the Rock Mountain, the area fell into an extremely brief, dead silence.
And then—KABOOM!!!
Lightning exploded, iron-like stone flew in all directions, and a black mushroom cloud slowly rose, belching tongues of fire!
Even just from the overflow shockwave, the outer walls of the arena crumbled into countless web-like fissures!
Against such power, any ordinary person would have been killed or seriously injured. Fortunately, a dark golden barrier that had appeared just in time isolated the shockwave, redirecting it high into the sky where it exploded with a deafening roar.
The audience was utterly petrified. Some of the more timid ones clung to the people beside them out of pure survival instinct.
After realizing they were safe, some didn't even get a chance to feel relieved before they received a hard slap to the face—and were stuck to the wall, impossible to pry off. They had grabbed female spectators.
When the smoke finally cleared, and the shaken audience looked back at the arena, their breaths caught in their throats.
***
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