"Hey."
Dark found Senior Ma Li in the contestants' passage and took the initiative to greet her.
Of the four junior-division contestants who had advanced to the second round, only Senior Ma Li was someone he could actually exchange a few words with.
Ma Li Bond tossed her head, pulling her hair straight back, and said, "Good luck to us—we both advanced."
Dark walked over with a smile. "Good luck indeed."
Ma Li then turned toward the stage. "Come on. I hope I don't run into you next. Right now I'm starting to think I might not be your match."
Dark said, "Senior is still the impressive one."
"You little brat." Ma Li couldn't help laughing. "No wonder even classmate Dragon gets along with you. Such a sweet mouth."
Dark looked at this senior who was only a year older than him yet carried herself like a seasoned veteran, and gave a helpless smile.
Once all eight advancing contestants had gathered, they walked toward the stage together.
On the stage, a senior student from Noble House was giving a violin performance.
When they reached the backstage area, Senior Judy raised her hand and pressed down gently, signaling them not to make noise.
That senior student's violin performance was excellent, drawing everyone in before they even realized it.
A few minutes later, he finished his performance, and only then did Judy walk onto the stage holding a microphone.
"Please welcome the eight advancing contestants to the stage!"
After that, Dark and the others came out one after another.
This time, coming onstage didn't require any sort of interview. Judy merely had the staff bring out two long tables again.
On each table sat four Easter eggs. The eight contestants needed to crack open the eggs at the same time and take out the new number plates inside.
The number plates would then determine all the matchups that followed.
Originally these matchup arrangements could all have been done backstage, but, sure enough, doing it this way gave the audience a greater sense of participation.
"Junior division over here, senior division over there."
Judy separated the eight contestants in order.
Dark ended up standing first at the left-hand table.
To his right, in order, stood Ma Li Bond, Stuart Fawn, and Tom Nixon.
Once all eight contestants were in position, Judy said with a smile, "Don't forget to pick up your hammers. When I count to three, crack them together."
"And here I am playing red-light-green-light..."
Dark picked up the little hammer, suddenly feeling as though he were playing a game alongside a bunch of kindergarteners...
He shook his head, casting off that absurd feeling, and as Judy's countdown ended, he struck down hard.
"Crack!" x8;
All eight Easter eggs were smashed at once.
The spectators held their breath as though they themselves were taking part.
"Boom boom boom!"
All eight Easter eggs simultaneously shot out brilliant fireworks, forming four red and four blue different numbers in the air that lingered for a long while.
"Weren't they supposed to be number plates?"
The contestants grumbled inwardly, but they still instinctively tilted their heads up to memorize their numbers.
"Number 2?"
Dark glanced at the glowing crimson 2 above his head, then couldn't help turning to look at the numbers of the contestants beside him.
Ma Li Bond's number was 4.
Stuart Fawn's number was 1.
Tom Nixon's number was 3.
According to the bracket ordering, Number 1 vs Number 2, Number 3 vs Number 4, and then the winners of the two pairs would face off in the final.
"So that means my next opponent is him?"
Following the number 1, Dark couldn't help looking at Stuart Fawn, who stood one position away from him.
This third-year Noble House senior had soft, effeminate features, hair parted in the middle, brown locks draped over his shoulders, eyes a deep, dark black, and skin that was fair but slightly coarse.
Just as he turned to look, Stuart Fawn happened to turn and look over as well.
The instant their gazes collided, the corner of Stuart Fawn's mouth couldn't help curling slightly upward, revealing a faintly cruel smile.
Then he split his lips and mouthed silently, "Got you."
...
At the ring-shaped strip...
The president of the Noble History Research Society—Angus Jeffrey—revealed an almost identical smile at nearly the same moment.
He arched his hands, propped up his chin, and in a gloomy tone murmured, "Owen, who do you think will win between those two?"
Mike Owen was truly at a loss. He had voluntarily seated himself in a corner of the back row, never expecting that Jeffrey, for some unknown reason, would summon him to his side again.
After calling him over, Jeffrey then said nothing and just left him hanging there, which made it all the more awkward for him.
He never expected that at this moment Jeffrey would suddenly pose such a question.
He had no choice but to analyze, "Dark Demon's deck strength is very high, and his Magic Guide Spirits have an extremely high intelligence level—that's what makes him unique. But his fighting style is very direct, and it's lacking when it comes to chaining.
If you don't understand him well enough, you might find him very hard to deal with. But Stuart's deck...
Hmm, how should I put it—he's probably the one least afraid of this sort of deck that relies purely on Magic Guide Spirits. So I think Stuart's win rate would be higher."
Jeffrey said in surprise, "You're so certain Stuart will win? Dark Demon just defeated you, after all."
Mike Owen revealed a bitter smile. "It was beyond expectation."
Jeffrey said in sudden realization, "Oh, and here I thought you'd gone all out."
Mike Owen then said helplessly, "It was something beyond expectation while going all out."
Jeffrey gave a cold snort and looked at him no more.
...
Meanwhile, in the spectator area.
Alvit, who had been bored to tears for quite a while, finally perked up again.
Her purpose in coming here was twofold: one was to see what these "model Easter eggs" actually were, and the other was to draw a prize and see if she could hit it big with some luck.
As it turned out, her luck was good—sure enough, she got to see her own little treasure again.
But the intervals between matches were simply too long. It had already been over two and a half hours since Dark's last match.
A full two and a half hours without seeing Dark gradually dampened her spirits.
"Finally I get to see him again!" Alvit was excited for a moment, then suddenly grew dejected again.
"But once this match ends, who knows when the next time will be? Why hasn't summer vacation come yet?"
Ever since her little treasure was recruited by St. Marian's, the Kingdom's Valkyrie had become somewhat anxious about gains and losses.
...
Free City.
City Lord Montielfali and Aurora, too, gradually focused their attention because Dark Demon had reappeared on the arena stage.
Although the thoughts in their hearts each differed.
Yet both mother and daughter wanted to understand him more.
...
As for Diana and Rose at the ring-shaped strip, they were somewhat worried.
Stuart Fawn had been very eye-catching in both the qualifier battle royale and the first round of the main tournament.
As first-years, merely watching from the sidelines, the two of them could feel that gap as wide as a natural chasm.
It was hard to imagine—how could anyone possibly defeat an opponent of such overwhelming strength?
"Don't worry. Didn't Dark already defeat a third-year senior? That Owpie or whatever." Seeing that Rose looked a bit tense, Diana comforted her.
"It's Owen!" Rose couldn't help raising her eyes toward the sky and said, "I always feel like that Senior Owen wasn't using his full strength, just like when we ran into him on Valentine's Day. He seemed to be deliberately slacking off?"
Diana blinked and asked in confusion, "Is that so? But I thought he was being pretty serious?"
Hearing the two of them finish, Pandora chimed in, "Mike Owen—his true strength isn't that simple."
Rose immediately said, "See, Senior definitely knows more than we do. Senior Owen probably has some other purpose. But this Senior Stuart Fawn—he gives off a somewhat unpleasant feeling."
Poor Mike Owen—he really had been going all out, yet hardly anyone believed it.
Diana stuffed a piece of milk candy into her mouth and gave it a "smack": "If you say so, then so be it. Anyway, I hope Dark can just keep winning."
Rose said, "I hope so too."
Pandora said, "Then let's cheer him on."
Rose grew worried again. "What a pity I forgot to bring that sign over."
...
A maiden's worries are like clouds in the sky—gathering and dispersing at a word.
Dark Demon had no idea that his every move was tugging at the hearts of so many people.
After learning of the bracket, he shook hands with Stuart Fawn on the stage, fully observing pre-match etiquette.
Then the two of them stepped down from the stage, each heading to their respective contestant platform.
Red side: Stuart Fawn;
Blue side: Dark Demon;
It was still the blue-side contestant platform.
As Dark climbed the steps once more, he again waved in Alvit's direction, hoping to receive a response once more.
He had discovered that ever since recovering his memories of his past life, he had grown even more attached to the idea of "family."
But while observing Alvit's reaction, his brow twitched—he suddenly noticed that at the very back of the spectator seats, a group of extremely conspicuous people had walked in.
"First Prince Charles? Why is he here?"
...
Having rushed over right after finishing his speech, the First Prince walked into the spectator area with a thoroughly gloomy expression.
Although the front-row seats were all taken, he was, after all, one of this nation's heirs, and he had no shortage of means to make people yield their seats.
So after entering the branch hall, he went straight to the front row, only a few seats away from Alvit.
Their gazes thus made contact, but it passed in a flash.
Alvit lowered the hand she had just raised, and the expression on her face gradually turned serious.
"They've gotten wind of it this quickly?" Alvit said in a low voice.
Claire had also seen the First Prince and his group, and said, "Since even he has shown up, Eliza should be arriving soon too."
Alvit couldn't help frowning. "This is hardly a good sign."
Claire comforted her, "It's not necessarily a bad thing."
Alvit shook her head. "Some things, once they stick to you, you can't shake off. The next part may end up being hard on you."
Claire smiled faintly. "Why so formal with me?"
Anna and Angie beside them perfectly played the role of "clueless little princesses," clinging close and saying, "Is big sister coming too?"
Just as they finished playing, Angie suddenly looked up. "Tsk! She really did come!"
Anna lowered her head and said softly, "I suddenly have an ominous premonition."
Angie's expression changed slightly too. She glanced left and right and hesitated, "It can't be that bad, can it?"
Before long, Eldest Princess Eliza, dressed in casual clothes, arrived at this front row and squeezed Anna and Angie into the same seat.
And Eldest Princess Eliza then commandeered the spot between Alvit and Claire!
The twin little princesses wore faces full of resentment.
...
"What are you looking at?"
On the contestant platform, Dark suddenly heard Stuart Fawn's voice come from across the way.
He turned back, channeled magic power, and activated the gaming table.
Once the amplifier had finished starting up, he opened his mouth and said, "My eyes gaze directly upon the future."
"Huh?" Stuart Fawn had not at all expected Dark to answer this way.
It took him a good while before he hesitantly said, "A prophet?"
Dark blinked, then couldn't help laughing. "Don't you think talking like this sounds very profound?"
"Dammit!"
Stuart Fawn realized he'd been played, but the expression on his face remained gloomy. "A clever mouth won't help you win. A first-year is always just a first-year. I'm not like Mike Owen—I won't take it easy on you just because you're young. Next, I'll let you understand the true gap between a first-year and a third-year."
Dark nodded and said earnestly, "I'm really looking forward to it."
The duel with Senior Owen really hadn't been satisfying enough.
Having watched so many duels between senior students from the sidelines, he too wanted a fierce, drawn-out battle exceeding eighteen rounds.
He just didn't know whether that Senior Stuart Fawn across from him would be up to it.
...
"Both contestants, please enter the preparation phase immediately!"
The referee's whistle suddenly sounded.
Only then did Dark take his deck out of his card pack and place it neatly into the gaming table's card slot.
The gaming table registered it and immediately began shuffling automatically.
Across from him, Stuart Fawn also placed his deck into the slot with a solemn face.
The "shuffling" of both decks was projected into the air by magic guide projection.
And at this moment, the First Prince and Eldest Princess, who had just sat down not long ago, both cast their gazes outward.
The exchange between the two contestants over the amplifier spread throughout the hall.
Both the First Prince and the Eldest Princess were very sensitive to that line Dark had said while "showing off."
The Eldest Princess even hesitated, "Lord Duke, could it be that Dark not only has Hero Aptitude, but also the talent of a prophet?"
Alvit blinked, but Claire couldn't help rolling her eyes, saying speechlessly, "Where did you hear that he has Hero Aptitude?"
Eliza was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help closing her mouth to think.
Yet after pondering for a while, she still said, "He can summon the Holy Sword."
One who can summon the Holy Sword is, of course, a Hero!
Eliza felt the answer she'd analyzed from the intelligence she'd obtained had no problems.
Alvit and Claire exchanged a glance.
The two of them quickly realized that, because they both clearly knew it was Dark's two Magic Guide Spirits that possessed "Hero Aptitude," they had subconsciously overlooked this basic piece of logic.
One must understand that even Alvit, though able to use part of the Holy Sword, could not achieve "summoning the Holy Sword."
When she used the "Holy Sword Spell"—that is, the "Phantom Soldier Spell"—what she summoned was a "spear"!
Dark's operation of summoning the "Holy Sword" through a Magic Guide Card really could easily lead people to misunderstand.
If the rumors spread and distorted, it might end up causing some problems that should never have arisen.
Once Alvit had thought it through, she said gently, "Eliza, your own two eyes will even deceive you, let alone intelligence relayed by others. You should learn to rely on your own thinking to analyze the truth. Now, watch this duel through to the end."
Eliza had no choice but to bite her lip and say, "Fine."
...
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