As the closing words of the summoning incantation rang out, the light of summoning lit up before both contestants almost simultaneously.
The limit of Normal Summoning was three seconds, and clearly both of them could already reach that limit under normal conditions.
This time, Mike Owen didn't clown around; his opening summon was, astonishingly, a rare Human Species Magic Guide Spirit.
The Human Species that appeared in the red side's summoning zone, kneeling on one knee, was a spearman clad in full armor!
For Magic Guide Spirits of this sort, the focus generally lay in the strength of their armor.
If the armor was special, it would usually be presented in the form of a passive Ultimate Move in the Ultimate Move column.
But if it were merely ordinary armor—armor that didn't even measure up to the body's own defense—then it wouldn't be recorded.
The armor on Mike Owen's Human Species Magic Guide Spirit gave off a gloomy black glow—clearly something special.
[Card Name: Shadowkeep Guard]
[Type: Spirit Card]
[Level: ???]
[Race: Human Species]
[Attribute: Normal-type]
[Mana: 1100]
[Attack: 1400]
[Defense: 1400]
[Ultimate Move: Shadowkeep Armor, Shadowkeep Spear]
[Shadowkeep Armor: Defense +300]
[Shadowkeep Spear: Attack +300]
...
The "Shadowkeep" series of Magic Guide Cards had their core materials sourced basically from deep within the dungeons of St. Marian, and they were exceedingly difficult to obtain.
Among the upper-year students, there were no small number of duelists who used this series of Magic Guide Cards.
Mike Owen could just barely count as one of the standouts among them.
His opening summon, the "Shadowkeep Guard," with its innate "Shadowkeep Armor" and "Shadowkeep Spear," had both mana and defense surpassing the peak values attainable by first-tier Magic Guide Spirits.
In a straight auto-attack exchange, it basically had few rivals within the first tier.
When Mike Owen summoned the "Shadowkeep Guard," Zach Wilson, the commentator for this duel, began to explain it to the audience—though of course he wouldn't reveal any relevant information at the moment the "Shadowkeep Guard's" Ultimate Moves were displayed.
So being a commentator was a skilled craft too: he couldn't reveal too much information and interfere with the duel, yet he also had to give the spectators a necessary understanding of common Magic Guide Cards.
Dark had heard something of the "Shadowkeep" series of Magic Guide Cards, but he didn't know much.
Yet with a set plan already in place, he merely spared a glance at that "Shadowkeep Guard," then commanded the just-materialized DemiDevimon: "Fly, DemiDevimon!"
DemiDevimon, its expression solemn, took off immediately upon entering the field.
Its flight speed wasn't fast, but that "Shadowkeep Guard," once summoned, didn't launch an offensive either; instead it planted its spear upright and stood guard before the red side's Magic Sphere.
After only the three-second cooldown of Normal Summoning, both contestants immediately began their second summon.
Dark, without any doubt, used "Pride III"; a dazzling black-gold radiance began to shine within the "Pride III" Magic Guide Card.
He held "Pride III" high, but his gaze was fixed tightly on Senior Owen across from him.
Mike Owen held a new Magic Guide Card between two fingers, standing it vertically before the midline of his eyes; his gaze was unusually sharp, completely different from his usual giggling, easygoing self.
The two's lines of sight touched in midair, clashing in the middle as if electrified.
Almost simultaneously, the two abruptly shouted.
—"Swipe card, evolve!"
—"Armament, transform!"
In an instant.
The "Pride III" in Dark's hand and the "armament card" in Owen's hand erupted with a powerful radiance at the same time!
Bathed in the radiance of "Pride III," DemiDevimon's skull pattern between its brows swiftly vanished, and the crimson emblem of "Pride" lit up in its place.
The black-gold light enveloped it, causing its body to break apart and recombine within the glow—evolution!
"Roar!"
With a savage, all-disdaining aura, the fallen-angel-type Digimon with its blood-red eyes made its roaring entrance.
Its decayed, tattered bat wings spread wide in fury.
The black garb clinging tightly to its skin displayed every powerful muscle on its body in full.
Its freely extending long arms hung naturally at its sides, and around its huge, sharp demonic claws coiled the dark power that symbolized death.
To be able to make its appearance as the first Magic Guide Spirit before such a vast crowd of spectators—the excitement in Devimon's heart was beyond words.
It looked down condescendingly at the "Shadowkeep Guard" across from it, its Death Claws already itching to act.
But on the opposite side.
The "Shadowkeep Guard," its full armor wreathed in black light, was silent, but it raised its head slightly, and the blackness seeping out from the gaps in its helmet exuded an extremely gloomy aura.
A liquid metal sphere descended from the sky and hovered before the "Shadowkeep Guard's" chest; as it spun round and round, threads like spider silk shot out and coiled around the "Shadowkeep Guard's" armor.
The instant the metal threads touched the armor, they melded into it, dyeing the originally pitch-black Shadowkeep-standard armor a bright silvery color.
Only a moment later.
The entire suit of armor had completed its transformation.
Even that pitch-black spear had turned into a silver spear.
That "Shadowkeep Guard" brandished the silver spear and pointed it skyward—it had actually transformed into something like a silver metal man.
...
"It's Liquid Armament!"
Up on the commentator's platform, Wilson's eyes flashed with excitement as he abruptly raised his voice.
Mike Owen's application of "armament cards" was outstanding among the third-years, and this "Liquid Armament" was even more of an original approach—by converting the original armor into a liquid-metal armament, it reduced the armament's demand on mana.
The "Shadowkeep Guard," born with its own special armor, was precisely the perfect vessel for this kind of armament.
And the "Shadowkeep Guard" that had completed its "Armament Transformation" now carried an utterly different aura.
The spectators present were clearly delighted by this "transformation" scene, their cheers surging wave upon wave.
...
Watching the "Shadowkeep Guard" complete its transformation, Dark couldn't help recalling Mike Owen's "Armament Transformation" in the Valentine's Day Street Duel, and his interest grew all the keener.
His eyes narrowed, and he chuckled softly under his breath: "Devimon, Teleportation!"
The moment his words began, Devimon, as if knowing in advance, instantly vanished from where it stood.
Amid a chorus of startled cries, Devimon appeared directly behind the "Shadowkeep Guard."
The corners of its mouth split open in a savage grin, and its raised hands suddenly swelled—"Death Claw"!
"Fall back and defend!"
Mike Owen's voice rang out in response—though raised in volume, it was still steady enough.
And that "Shadowkeep Guard," transformed into a silver metal man, suddenly twisted its waist, the silver spear swinging out in a huge arc and sweeping ferociously toward its back!
Between the "Death Claw" and the "silver spear," the red side's Magic Sphere hovered in the air.
Mike Owen had anticipated this; he brought his index and middle fingers together, and as mana flowed, he jabbed sharply upward, exerting an upward force on the red side's Magic Sphere.
Suddenly subjected to that force, it shot upward like a rocket.
Red light flashed in Devimon's eyes; seeing the Magic Sphere escape from before it, the already-launched "Death Claw" continued forward without hesitation—one claw seizing fiercely at the head of that silver spear, the other clutching at the "Shadowkeep Guard's" right shoulder.
Everything happened in a flash of lightning and a spark of flint.
Amid an enormous din.
The "Shadowkeep Guard's" silver spear was firmly seized by Devimon, and its right shoulder was violently torn apart.
A muffled roar of fury came from within its helmet; silver light blazed from the hands gripping the spear, and the metal surface of the spear's shaft squirmed like water before suddenly bursting out in a violent spray!
Caught off guard, Devimon got the liquid metal sprayed all over its face on the spot.
The metal stuck to its face and, as if conscious, clung together—turning into a metal mask pressed tight against its skin!
The metal mask, covering its eyes, nostrils, and mouth entirely, clamped down hard on Devimon's face.
Devimon's vision went pitch-black; its mouth and nose were blocked so it couldn't breathe—it was extremely uncomfortable.
When had it ever suffered such humiliation? It was about to go berserk on the spot.
But the next moment, its master's voice rang out crystal-clear beside its ears.
"Ten Thousand Deaths Claw."
That steady tone instantly calmed Devimon, blinded and suffocating as it was.
Without hesitation, it followed Dark's words and unleashed "Ten Thousand Deaths Claw" straight ahead!
Dense dark power gathered at its chest, forming a spinning vortex of energy.
One "Death Claw" after another burst out from that vortex, surging toward the "Shadowkeep Guard" like a swarm of snakes.
The "Shadowkeep Guard" wanted to dodge, but its silver spear was still firmly gripped by Devimon.
As it pulled at the spear, its movement inevitably lagged.
"Drop the spear!"
Even though Mike Owen's furious shout rang out at this very moment.
The multiple "Death Claws" had already slammed into its spine.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
Several bursting sounds erupted in succession.
The "Shadowkeep Guard's" spine was completely ripped open.
Even the defense further boosted after the transformation couldn't block the critical strikes of the multiple "Death Claws."
Its mana value of merely 1100 points was almost instantly emptied.
"Bang!"
The "Shadowkeep Guard" burst apart completely.
Points of mana light scattered in the air.
The spectators' shouts abruptly stalled.
Mike Owen's expression was more serious than ever before.
"Tick."
The sound of the turn countdown switching rang out softly.
Both contestants reached out to draw cards almost on instinct.
The instant the two Magic Guide Cards came into his hand, a sharp light flashed in Mike Owen's eyes; he immediately drew out one of the Magic Guide Cards and raised it high.
"In the name of Mike Owen, Magic Guide Summon—'Suspended Sword'!"
As the Normal Summoning completed.
A great wind suddenly whipped up high in the air, condensing into a giant sword in the sky.
Dark had already witnessed the power of this "Suspended Sword."
But Mike Owen, by not summoning a Magic Guide Spirit at this moment and instead directly using this Spell Card, was probably certain that the now-blinded Devimon couldn't launch an attack on his Magic Sphere in a short time.
Otherwise, in the gap during summoning, even if the red side's Magic Sphere had already flown high into the air, it still wouldn't escape Devimon's "Razor Wing."
His judgment was undoubtedly correct.
Not only could Devimon not aim, but the suffocation after its mouth and nose were blocked also kept it from moving cleanly.
It raised a hand, trying to claw off the metal mask.
But the mask formed of liquid metal had already taken root entirely on its face; unless it tore off its whole face, there was no way at all to remove it.
And the pain of ripping off its facial skin...
Magic Guide Spirits had a relatively weak sensitivity to sensations like pain, but that didn't mean they were willing to endure suffering.
Devimon fell into hesitation.
At this moment, what it needed most was still guidance.
Dark did not betray its trust.
When it needed guidance, a voice rang out beside its ear through the connection of the Magic Guide Card.
"Straight ahead, fly straight."
So Devimon, forcibly enduring the suffocation, spread its tattered demonic wings.
Its flight speed was still extremely fast.
By the time the gale stirred up by Mike Owen's "Suspended Sword" swept across the field, it had already flown back into the blue side's summoning zone.
"Stop."
Where the order was given, it was obeyed without fail.
Devimon stopped immediately.
The 30-second turn countdown above the field ticked steadily.
The voice that no longer sounded in its ear made it realize something.
Its face, covered by the metal mask, trembled slightly, and then it abruptly turned around, crossing its arms into an X-shape held up before it.
Almost simultaneously, the howling gale had already come surging in.
The "Suspended Sword," its blade wreathed in violent air currents, under Mike Owen's control, suddenly fell from above as if to cleave the entire field apart!
"Boom!"
The ferocious wind blade tore at Devimon's skin.
But the "Suspended Sword" slashing down head-on was parried by the arms wreathed in dark power.
The blue side's Magic Sphere, protected behind Devimon, was only affected by a touch of wind force and swayed slightly.
Mike Owen's "Suspended Sword" had an astonishing momentum, but Devimon was an all-around warrior with 2000 each in mana, attack, and defense.
Although its mana was somewhat reduced as a result, it forcibly withstood the killing blow of this giant sword.
After swinging this one stroke, the mana stored in the "Suspended Sword" was exhausted, leaving only a faint afterimage drifting.
Devimon's cheek, outside the metal mask, managed to twitch once—it was smiling.
At this moment.
It knew very well that it had perfectly fulfilled its master's expectations.
And it knew equally well.
That its own time was almost up...
"With 'Devimon' as the sacrifice, Sacrificial Summoning—'Gatomon'!"
But why was the Magic Guide Spirit summoned with it as the sacrifice actually that hateful stinky cat?
How infuriating!
（>皿<）
In its fury, Devimon—its mana value still above 50%—turned into light on the spot.
The light shooting rapidly upward merged with the white light emitted from Gatomon's Magic Guide Card, forming a mysterious, intricate Sacrificial Summoning array.
Inheriting Devimon's "dying will," the embodiment of pride and light—Gatomon—made its grand entrance!
...
Gatomon, emerging from the Sacrificial Summoning array, raised its head slightly, as if seeing DemiDevimon's soul gradually ascending to the heavens, drifting off toward poetry and distant horizons.
Without the slightest trace of sentimentality, it moved its hands, slowly warming up.
In Dark's hand, there were still four Magic Guide Cards at this moment.
[Pride I]
[Meowth]
[Blink Spell]
[Honedge]
...
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