The smoke did not disperse after 'Shadow Play Ninja' burrowed in; on the contrary, it grew thicker and spread with astonishing speed, in a blink covering half of the blue side's area.
Both Sylveon and Shuckle were enveloped by this smoke, losing their vision.
"Mii!"
Sylveon, without the slightest hesitation, dashed off toward where the red side's area had been in its memory.
"Babazi babazi..."
But Shuckle could only retract into its shell, pitifully waiting for the smoke to clear.
With nowhere left to flee, it could only rely on its defense of up to 2200 to tough it out.
Yet after it pulled itself into its shell, it heard no movement at all.
After drilling into the smoke, that 'Shadow Play Ninja' had immediately submerged into the shadows, then sped through the shadows the smoke created at high speed, catching up to Sylveon!
It hid quietly within Sylveon's shadow, revealing a sly little snicker.
...
Meanwhile.
Neither contestant had stopped their movements.
Dark had already set about summoning 'Drifloon'; with 'Shadow Play Ninja' having its attention drawn away by the Magic Sphere, he seized exactly this chance to summon it.
On the other side, Stuart Fawn naturally couldn't stop either.
After all, of the five Magic Guide Spirits currently on the field, only one belonged to him.
He had to find a way to summon more and stronger Magic Guide Spirits in order to secure control of the situation.
And so the two sides drew open the curtain on yet another round of summoning.
On the tenth second of the fifth round, Dark — having delayed his summon because of his focus on 'Shadow Play Ninja' — only now, at this point in time, brought 'Drifloon' forth.
Although 'Drifloon' is a Ghost-type Magic Guide Spirit, its appearance is extremely cute, leaving people unable to resist the urge to hug it close.
The blue side's summoning zone was shrouded in smoke; Dark naturally couldn't summon within the smoke, so he chose the spot directly above the blue summoning zone.
Thus, after materializing within the summoning light, Drifloon floated not far in front of the contestant's platform.
Drifloon strained its eyes wide open, gazing curiously at its surroundings.
The moment it discovered its master was right behind it, it wanted to turn back for a hug (づ◡‿◡)づ.
But the invisible protective shield guarding the contestant's platform blocked it on the outside.
Dark, feeling grateful for the existence of this shield, took advantage of the gap to issue a command: "Espeon, attack the Magic Sphere!"
Then he immediately began summoning 'Lust III · Moon.'
"Dilibion!"
Espeon, which had originally intended to help Sylveon, immediately raised its head toward the red side's Magic Sphere, the red light on the gem on its forehead welling up once more — 'Confusion' activated!
Although the skill 'Confusion' has no cooldown, it continuously drains magic power.
And the greater the output and the finer the control, the more magic power it consumes.
Espeon had been using 'Confusion' without pause; even with solar replenishment, it had long since been running at a deficit, its magic power stretched thin.
Its base magic value of up to 2000 points had already dropped to around 1000 points.
This meant it was actually extremely fragile right now.
But the master's command was absolute!
Vast Confusion gathered once again, charging toward the red side's Magic Sphere in the sky like an arrow.
Stuart Fawn, who had just completed a summon, instantly changed expression, hurriedly breaking off his second summon of the round to keep controlling the Magic Sphere.
But Confusion's first attack was hard to dodge and struck the Magic Sphere all the same.
[Magic Power: 5070-4065]
The Life Barrier's magic value dropped another notch.
That Magic Sphere was also blasted away.
Stuart Fawn hurriedly released magic to grab hold of the Magic Sphere, controlling it with all his might to move it away from Espeon.
Although, due to insufficient magic power, Espeon actually could no longer unleash a proper Confusion attack, Stuart Fawn had no way of knowing that...
Bluffed, he thereby delayed his own summon.
But the Magic Guide Card he had successfully summoned earlier had already taken effect.
A wisp of pitch-black light, like a ghost, drilled out of that Magic Guide Card and in a blink shot into the Shadow Den on the ground.
Unknown changes rapidly took place within that Shadow Den.
...
Stuart Fawn's deck had originally been built with 'shadow' as its core element.
Once the 'Shadow Den' was constructed, the summoning methods available to him became extremely numerous.
...
On the other side...
When Sylveon, dragging the blue side's Magic Sphere, came fleeing out of the smoke, it abruptly discovered that its own shadow was actually laughing!
Sylveon was so startled by this terrifying scene that its hair stood on end; instinctively it opened its mouth, and a fine, scattered radiance like moonlight spilled out, condensing into a blazing orb of light within its mouth!
[Moon Power: Borrow the power of the moon to attack the opponent. If under moonlight, the power doubles!]
Then, with a shriek, it spat the orb of light at its own shadow.
But its shadow suddenly twisted and warped, actually evading the orb's frontal attack.
The somewhat disheveled 'Shadow Play Ninja' drilled half its body out of that shadow, the kunai held in its hand slashing forward in an attempt to cut openSylveon's neck!
"Mii!"
Sylveon let out a shriek, and one of the ribbons coiled around the blue Magic Sphere immediately detached, lashing at 'Shadow Play Ninja' like a whip.
However, 'Shadow Play Ninja' was quick of eye and quick of hand; with a backhand slash of its kunai, it severed the ribbon.
But this single exchange gave Sylveon the time to retreat.
It abruptly sprang backward, opening up distance from 'Shadow Play Ninja.'
The Meowth coming to its aid instantly slipped between the two Magic Guide Spirits, its outstretched claw deftly brushing across 'Shadow Play Ninja''s body before darting away the instant it made contact.
In that instant.
Before 'Shadow Play Ninja' could even react, the wings on its back suddenly melted, reverting to a puddle of ink, then gathered toward a certain direction as if being sucked away, vanishing without a trace.
"Meow!"
Meowth's cry was brimming with delight.
The vanished ink had already appeared in its palm.
It was, strikingly, a kind of 'item'!
[Thief: Light-fingered and quick, it steals an item while attacking, but cannot steal when already holding an item of its own.]
As long as it's an item, it can't escape Meowth's thievery.
But no sooner had it shown its joy than it suddenly knitted its brow.
Because the puddle of ink in its hand clearly carried an 'equip restriction' — it couldn't equip the thing on itself.
Meowth's eyes rolled, glancing toward the 'Drifblim' in the air.
Yes...
Dark's 'Drifloon' had already evolved into 'Drifblim' under the effect of 'Lust III · Moon.'
Although, owing to the side effect of 'Lust III · Moon,' 'Drifblim' was pressing itself hard against the protective barrier of the contestant's platform, squashing its whole face into a flat pancake shape that looked rather comical.
But Meowth had always felt it was quite reliable.
"Meow meow meow!"
Meowth let out two forceful cries.
But Drifblim, as one would expect, paid it no mind at all.
"Aoo!"
A terrifying roar suddenly came crashing in.
Meowth whipped its head around.
It was the 'Shadow Play Ninja' whose 'item' Meowth had stolen — it had actually drilled completely out of Sylveon's shadow, and without even sparing a glance at the nearby blue Magic Sphere, it pounced furiously at Meowth.
Meowth only had time to fling the 'item' in its hand away before being instantly pinned down by 'Shadow Play Ninja.'
From 'Shadow Play Ninja''s palm sprayed a thin gauze that turned into a great net, covering the gray cat fast.
Meowth's prized agility was instantly lost.
'Shadow Play Ninja' shot a glance at the 'ink item' that had been flung back out, a kunai spinning at its fingertip; then, with a sudden forceful thrust, it pierced clean through Meowth's body!
...
After all, 'Shadow Play Ninja' is a five-star Magic Guide Spirit with a base attack power as high as 2300 points, while Meowth's defense was only 900 points, and its base 1500 magic value had been considerably drained by using its ultimate move three times — so it was slain on the spot by this wrath-laden strike.
It can only be said that good and evil are always repaid in the end; it's not that retribution never comes, only that its time had not yet arrived.
Meowth had committed in succession the three great evils of 'coin-scattering,' 'Foul Play,' and 'thievery' — and its time had finally come.
...
"Yao-mii—"
But atop Meowth's grave, the 'Drifblim,' restored to clear-headedness by the effect of 'Pride I,' let out an exceedingly cheerful cry.
It abruptly stretched out a ribbon-like tentacle and snatched up that ink item in one grab.
Then, with just a light squeeze, it successfully activated it!
The ink, whose control rights had been transferred thanks to the ultimate move 'Thief,' was actually equipped by Drifblim onto itself, spreading open behind it into a pair of pitch-black wings.
Dark Demon's brow twitched; immediately snatching up 'Drifblim''s Magic Guide Card, he found that 'Drifblim''s magic and defense had each increased by a full three hundred!
[Card Name: Drifblim]
[Type: Spirit Card]
[Level: ?????]
[Race: Undead Species]
[Attribute: Ghost-type]
[Magic: 2700] +300;
[Attack: 2500]
[Defense: 1600] +300;
[Ultimate Moves: Fear Gem, Share Pain, Shared Fate, Nightmare Space.]
Undoubtedly, that ink was clearly an equipment-type item capable of granting Ghost-type Magic Guide Spirits an additional flight ability.
The 'Shadow Play Ninja' equipped with these 'Ghost Wings' had been like a tiger given wings, able to command the battlefield.
"But now, it's mine!"
Dark lifted his head to look across the field.
On the red side's contestant platform, Stuart Fawn was wearing himself out coping, still controlling the Magic Sphere to dodge Espeon's 'Confusion' attack.
"Drifblim."
"Yao-mii."
"Attack!"
"Yao-mii!"
After these two exchanges, the 'Ghost Wings' behind Drifblim abruptly spread open, making the already-not-slow creature even swifter.
It instantly flew toward the red side's Magic Sphere like the wind.
And at this very moment, the round switched once more.
"Tick-tock."
The countdown of the sixth round began.
But neither contestant — nor even the commentators and audience — had any spare attention to pay to this round's card draw.
In the sky...
The 'Drifblim' equipped with 'Ghost Wings' launched its pursuit of the red side's Magic Sphere.
On the ground...
The 'Shadow Play Ninja,' having painfully lost its 'Ghost Wings,' resolved itself after the bitter lesson and turned to lunge at the blue Magic Sphere that Sylveon was dragging.
And on the other side.
Espeon's magic power had sunk to freezing point, forcing it to halt its 'Confusion' output.
It stood where it was, gasping desperately, the gem on its forehead already robbed of its luster.
At the same time.
One pitch-black, long-horned giant ant after another came drilling out of the Shadow Den!
...
Zach Wilson on the commentary stage was delivering an emergency commentary on this: "It would seem Stuart Fawn's 'Shadow Ant Eggs' have successfully hatched within the 'Shadow Den.' Normally, the number of 'Shadow Ants' a single 'Shadow Ant Egg' can hatch is proportional to the number of 'Shadow Dens.' With six 'Shadow Dens,' there should be eighteen 'Shadow Ants' successfully hatched."
...
Pitch-black giant ants over a meter in length crawled out of the 'Shadow Dens'; only the three 'Shadow Ants' nearest to Espeon advanced toward it.
The remaining fifteen 'Shadow Ants,' drilling out from the other five 'Shadow Dens,' surrounded 'Sylveon'!
Sylveon had already exhausted its moves and was helpless against 'Shadow Play Ninja.'
With these fifteen 'Shadow Ants' added on, it sank even deeper into a hopeless predicament.
"Mii!"
It suddenly let out a sharp, urgent cry, and the ribbon coiled around the blue Magic Sphere was severed.
'Shadow Play Ninja' turned once more, charging up a strike at the Magic Sphere.
"Shoo!"
A flash of black light shot past.
The kunai's blade opened a long, narrow gash across the Life Barrier.
[Magic Power (Blue): 8000-5991]
Watching the Magic Sphere's magic power plummet, the originally rather timid Sylveon's eyes instantly went red, and it mustered its courage to ram in fiercely.
But 'Shadow Play Ninja' abruptly stretched out a hand and clamped its palm onto Sylveon's head, leaving it unable to advance an inch.
With no ultimate moves available at the moment, the gap in the two Magic Guide Spirits' three stats became the chief factor deciding the outcome.
After clamping onto Sylveon's head, 'Shadow Play Ninja' did not deal it a vicious blow, but instead raised its kunai and went on stabbing at the Magic Sphere.
...
Up in the sky.
The red side's Magic Sphere moved far slower than the Drifblim equipped with 'Ghost Wings.'
Although Stuart Fawn put every ounce of effort into stirring up his magic power, the very nature of the Magic Sphere dictated its speed limit, and in the end it couldn't escape Drifblim's charged strike.
[Magic Power (Red): 4065-1667]
Against the full value of 8000 points, the red Magic Sphere — with only 1667 magic points left — could well be said to have fallen into a critically endangered state.
Stuart Fawn's temples broke out in sweat, his eyes reddening, his fingers nearly clenched white.
From commanding 'Shadow Play Ninja' to attack the blue Magic Sphere until now was less than a minute, yet his state of mind had completely reversed.
"One more strike — just one more strike, and it'll be beyond saving!"
Stuart Fawn had no time to ponder how the 'Ghost Wings' had been wrested away, nor time to ponder how Dark had summoned so powerful a five-star Magic Guide Spirit as 'Drifblim' in such a short span.
Cold sweat streaming, he desperately sought a chance to 'scrape by alive.'
Continuing to rely on magic power to dodge with the Magic Sphere was absolutely doomed to fail.
Should he struggle on a while longer, gamble it all on the outcome, and see whose Magic Sphere's magic value hit zero first?
The blue Magic Sphere's magic value still had nearly six thousand points left!
And Dark Demon couldn't possibly stand by and let 'Shadow Play Ninja' keep attacking the blue Magic Sphere.
No...
Dark Demon had already begun to act!
Out of the corner of his eye, Stuart Fawn had already seen that blue Magic Sphere lift off again, drawn up by magic power.
And the 'Shadow Play Ninja,' stripped of its 'Ghost Wings,' could now only launch attacks by hurling kunai — which was simply too foolish!
"Shadow Play Ninja, attack the purple ghost!"
Driven by necessity.
Stuart Fawn could only change his command.
'Shadow Play Ninja''s gaze flashed; it instantly checked the hand that was about to fling out, aiming the kunai in its grip at the purple ghost — Drifblim!
As for Stuart Fawn himself, he strained with all his might to drag the red Magic Sphere toward the ground.
In truth, the ground was his home turf.
As long as he pulled the red Magic Sphere back down to the ground, and any one Magic Guide Spirit dragged it into a 'Shadow Den,' he'd have room to maneuver once more.
And the full eighteen 'Shadow Ants' on the ground were a full eighteen sacrifices!
These special Magic Guide Spirits — possessing two-star strength yet marked as one-star — could be offered up to summon any second-tier, or even third-tier, Magic Guide Spirit!
Even his same-grade peers had no idea that Stuart Fawn held a seven-star Magic Guide Spirit card.
Although that seven-star Magic Guide Spirit card was nothing remarkable among others of its star rank, it was, after all, third-tier, holding class suppression over the first and second tiers.
This was the source of Stuart Fawn's confidence.
Even though he had not yet drawn that very Magic Guide Spirit card.
But a duelist does not give up until the very last moment.
...
"BOOM!"
The kunai hurled by 'Shadow Play Ninja' burst apart in midair, driving back the swiftly charging Drifblim.
The red side's Magic Sphere was caught by the explosion's shockwave, its magic dropping further, but it also plunged to the ground at a faster speed.
[Magic Power (Red): 1667-998]
This unexpected windfall sent wild joy across Stuart Fawn's face, and he hastily issued a command.
One of the 'Shadow Ants,' upon receiving the order, immediately turned and dashed back to a 'Shadow Den.'
The red Magic Sphere fallen to the ground, under Stuart Fawn's control, drifted to a position above that 'Shadow Den.'
All it needed was for the 'Shadow Ant' to return, and it could be dragged down into the 'Shadow Den.'
But the grin Stuart Fawn had just cracked open suddenly froze.
He jerked his head up to look across the field.
Dark was looking at him, smiling.
And then that red Magic Sphere, propelled by a surge of magic power, began to rise upward!
It was Dark who, after shifting his own Magic Sphere to a safe altitude, had freed his hands to apply magic power to the red Magic Sphere.
This magic tug-of-war between Magic Spheres played out in nearly every senior-year duel.
Dark crooked his finger, pouring in still more magic power.
Flames of fury surged in Stuart Fawn's eyes; he slapped down hard, pressing down with his magic power.
That red Magic Sphere trembled ceaselessly under the two men's magical domination.
What shocked and enraged Stuart Fawn was that this first-year student's magic power was faintly displaying the strength to overpower his own.
In his shock and fury, he bit down hard and roared: "Shadow Play Ninja!"
'Shadow Play Ninja' yanked Sylveon up and flung it away, then, as if hugging the ground, instantly tore upward, closing in on that red Magic Sphere like the wind.
At this critical juncture, it didn't relapse into its playful habit.
"Tick-tock!"
The sixth round ended in the blink of an eye.
The two sides entered the seventh round without even drawing a card.
But by now they had clearly entered a tug-of-war over the duel's outcome; the tens of thousands of spectators on-site all held their breath and stared, eyes locked onto that red Magic Sphere.
The eighteen 'Shadow Ants' present, ready to serve as sacrifices, had no chance to put their use to work.
Stuart Fawn clearly held second-tier Magic Guide Spirit cards in hand, yet had not the slightest gap in which to perform the 'Sacrificial Summoning.'
The situation had, unknowingly, grown this fraught.
And after the seventh round began.
Both contestants still didn't draw any cards.
Stuart Fawn poured all his mind and energy into controlling the Magic Sphere.
As long as he held on until 'Shadow Play Ninja' arrived to press a hand directly onto the Magic Sphere, his 'magic remote control' could never overcome 'Shadow Play Ninja''s strength.
By then, he could have 'Shadow Play Ninja' place the Magic Sphere into the 'Shadow Den,' winning himself a chance to catch his breath.
...
But Stuart Fawn had 'Shadow Play Ninja,' and Dark Demon likewise had 'Drifblim.'
It didn't even need Dark's command — Drifblim had already sprung into action.
It dove down from on high, swooping at that red Magic Sphere like a falcon.
With only 998 magic points remaining, a single strike could shatter it completely!
If it could smoothly seize victory in this duel, it believed it would surely earn even more affection!
Meanwhile.
The smoke in the blue side's summoning zone had dispersed; 'Shuckle''s vision was restored, and it poked its head out of its shell.
It rolled its bean-sized little eyes, watching with darting glances the fierce struggle unfolding in the red side's area, unable to help itching to give it a go.
But its painfully slow crawling speed made it utterly unable to reach the battlefield.
'Drifblim' was just so inconsiderate — it actually wouldn't even open up a 'Nightmare Space' for this here Shuckle!
"Babazi babazi."
Shuckle was a little dejected.
...
No one noticed the lonely little Shuckle.
...
By the time Drifblim came swooping down, a sharp glint flickered in 'Shadow Play Ninja''s eyes, and three kunai were already clamped between the fingers of its right hand.
In the midst of its ground-hugging sprint, in the nick of time it flung these three kunai upward.
The kunai separated in midair, and the thin gauze attached to the tails of the three kunai was drawn out, spreading into a net.
This net-like gauze formed of shadow energy gradually became a great net, surging up from below to abruptly cover Drifblim.
"Yao-mii!"
Drifblim had no time to veer aside and instantly let out a startled cry.
But amid its alarm it did not shrink back; instead it kept charging forward, attempting to crash into the red Magic Sphere together with that shadow net.
But what caught it utterly off guard was that the three kunai serving as anchor points suddenly burst apart, and the resulting force, wrapping up the shadow net, forcibly held it in the air!
'Shadow Play Ninja' let out a light breath, its five fingers twitching swiftly as if working a puppet, and the shadow net abruptly drew tight, ensnaring Drifblim's whole body!
Panic showed in Drifblim's eyes.
By its 'ghost' nature, it should have been able to slip out of the net with ease.
But after equipping the 'Ghost Wings,' it had instead lost its 'phasing' ability.
This made it look just like a little bird caught in a net bag, exceptionally pitiful.
Yet in the end it was no little bird.
"Tear it open."
Dark couldn't help reminding it.
Only then did Drifblim come to its senses, gathering its strength to rip that shadow net open.
It had possessed this ability all along, but its overly high intelligence had thrown it into panic.
...
But the moment Dark opened his mouth to speak, it was as if his focus had sprung a leak — his magical control dropped at once, handing Stuart Fawn an opening to exploit.
And 'Shadow Play Ninja' had at last swept over as well, seizing hold of the Magic Sphere.
...
"It would seem contestant Stuart Fawn has successfully bought himself a new lease on life."
Zach Wilson on the commentary stage quipped wryly.
But the situation that, in his eyes, was about to ease was still pressing forward at a frantic, intense pace.
Angus Jeffrey, in the ring-shaped strip.
Diana, Rose, and the others, likewise in the ring-shaped strip.
Alvit, up in the audience seats.
Aurora, within her private box.
...
Different people were all tightening their nerves, each for reasons of their own.
...
The situation on the field had not eased in the slightest.
"Drifblim, Fear Gem!"
Dark Demon's voice carried an unmistakable upward lilt.
Though Drifblim was somewhat reluctant, it nonetheless obeyed the command and released the magic power it had gathered night after night from dreams.
The three red gems embedded upon its body thereupon released a gem-bright, glittering light of magic power!
That radiance was utterly resplendent.
It held a dreamlike, ethereal beauty.
But hidden beneath that beauty lay a lethal killing intent!
The few 'Shadow Ants' touched by the magic light almost seemed to melt, dissolving on the spot into points of magic light.
'Shadow Play Ninja' sensed the danger and instinctively swept the Magic Sphere in its hand behind its back — only to be caught in that magic light in an instant.
In that moment, its mind was suddenly seized by an extreme, ultimate terror.
Unlike ordinary Magic Guide Spirits.
This 'Shadow Play Ninja' of Stuart Fawn's clearly possessed intelligence surpassing that of common Magic Guide Spirits.
And it was precisely because of this that it could feel, all the more keenly, the terror harbored within that light of magic power.
Its magic value dropped rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye!
Ever since being summoned, 'Shadow Play Ninja' had ceaselessly used the ultimate move 'Shadow Play,' so its magic was in fact already half spent.
Caught now in this magic light, its mere thousand remaining magic points simply could not hold out, and it was visibly already scraping bottom.
At this moment, Stuart Fawn the duelist finally summoned forth another Magic Guide Card.
From the instant 'Shadow Play Ninja' took over the Magic Sphere until now, in the span of mere seconds, Stuart Fawn knew full well he had no time for a 'Sacrificial Summoning,' so what he employed was the Normal Summoning.
"In the name of Stuart Fawn, Magic Guide Summon — 'Protective Mirror'!"
In an instant...
An oval mirror of light appeared before 'Shadow Play Ninja,' blocking the radiant glare of 'Fear Gem''s magic light.
But this enchantment, able to serve a 'protective' role at the critical moment, held out for only a few seconds before abruptly shattering.
Yet it was within those mere few seconds.
The 'Shadow Play Ninja,' left with only a sliver of health, successfully drilled into the 'Shadow Den' at its feet, completing a shadow escape.
Stuart Fawn let out a sudden sigh of relief, his taut nerves instantly slackening.
However, the magic light released by Fear Gem had not stopped.
Drifblim, its face full of pained reluctance, kept performing the ultimate move with the momentum of draining every last bit of its stored magic power, controlling the magic light to condense a little and pour it into the 'Shadow Den' that 'Shadow Play Ninja' had fled into.
"Aaah!"
A despairing scream of agony came from the mouth of the 'Shadow Den.'
The shadow net still clinging to Drifblim's body suddenly dissolved into fine, scattered points of light.
Beneath the 'Shadow Den,' there was no more sound.
With 'Shadow Play Ninja' gone, the red Magic Sphere it had carried into the 'Shadow Den' was squeezed back out by the 'Shadow Den.'
The red Magic Sphere, appearing before the audience once more, had its Life Barrier shattered completely.
[Magic Power (Red): 998-0]
...
"Tick-tock."
The round countdown displayed in the sky restarted after striking zero.
But this high-intensity duel, which had not granted a single moment to breathe, had reached its conclusion.
From the sixth round onward, both sides had been utterly unable to spare the energy to draw or even glance at cards; from the contest waged between sky and ground, to the magical confrontation between the contestants, to the rescues and the offense-and-defense of the Magic Guide Spirits — it had been so intense as to leave one unable to breathe.
Red side contestant Stuart Fawn ultimately failed to drag the situation into the next stage; after blue side contestant Dark Demon seized his opening, he pressed the attack relentlessly and crushed him dead in a single wave.
The atmosphere inside the duel arena, after a brief stillness, abruptly erupted.
Spectators from all corners of the world instantly boiled over like water brought to a rolling boil; countless voices of discussion blended into the excited cheers, surging and heaving up and down like an ocean tide.
The spectators seeing Dark Demon for the first time today could never in their wildest dreams have imagined that a first-year student would actually defeat one of the standouts among the third-years in an official duel!
Many spectators — even those who had greatly favored the contestant Stuart Fawn — simply couldn't conceive that he would actually lose.
Some who had wagered their money on Stuart Fawn wore faces of utter disbelief: "He's just gone, like that? Doesn't Fawn still have loads of Magic Guide Cards? What on earth happened to him?"
...
"What on earth happened to him?"
The face of the president of the Noble History Research Society — Angus Jeffrey — was nearly contorted.
Taking advantage of the rolling waves of sound, he roared at Mike Owen beside him.
But all Mike Owen wanted to tell him was: "Your spit (ˉ3ˉ) is spraying onto my face."
...
"The duel is over; the one who has ultimately claimed victory is the first-year of the Noble House — Dark Demon!"
Zach Wilson couldn't help letting out an exhilarated shout.
And on the red side's contestant platform, Stuart Fawn — who only snapped back to his senses the very moment Wilson's voice rang out — suddenly realized that he had truly lost!
Even though he still had cards in hand, even though he had already prepared sacrifices enough to summon a whole host of high-star Magic Guide Spirits, even though he still held a seven-star Magic Guide Spirit as his final trump card.
Yet he had lost, just like that!
It had been merely the under-ten-seconds needed to perform a 'Sacrificial Summoning,' and yet he simply couldn't squeeze it out.
The great gulp of air suddenly sucked into his throat made him choke violently, followed by an unceasing fit of coughing.
"If — if only I could compress the casting time of the 'Sacrificial Summoning' down to the three-second limit..."
Certain powerhouses among the senior years could perform the 'Sacrificial Summoning' in just the three-second limit, exactly as if performing the 'Normal Summoning.'
But that was in fact the result of talent and diligence in equal measure.
Stuart Fawn could be called a hardworking genius, and his luck wasn't bad either, but his magic talent honestly couldn't be counted among the very top tier.
And so his progress had been slow in mastering the 'Sacrificial Summoning,' which was far more profound than the 'Normal Summoning.'
"Senior Fawn, are you all right?"
Dark Demon's voice, gentle as a spring breeze, drifted into his ears, bringing Stuart Fawn's train of thought to an abrupt halt.
A strange expression flickered across his face; he coughed hard twice before he managed to quell the itch in his throat.
Then he raised his head a little and said in a low voice: "I lost."
____
Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on (P). with 50 advanced chapters available on (P)
👻 Join the crew by searching Leanzin on (P). You know the spot! 😉