Starting from the toe bitten by the Serpents of Secrets, the pitch-black color spread rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, Meowth's entire foot had turned inky black, and completely lost all control.
This kind of toxin was, without a doubt, a "Poison of Confusion."
For Meowth, who excelled at precise, delicate maneuvers, it was simply a fatal poison.
It knew that once one of its feet went out of control, it would not be long before it was cut down by the "Soul Undertaker," or else offered up as a sacrifice.
Of course it hoped for the latter—after all, that would mean its remaining warmth could be preserved, and the Magic Guide Spirit summoned with it as the sacrifice would surely carry its share forward and keep striving.
So before that moment came, since it could never escape the fate of leaving the field, there was no more need to keep bottling up the trump card it had deliberately held onto all this time.
Meowth's gaze turned cold. Its half-closed eyelids suddenly flew open, and its left-hand sword lanced out like lightning.
And just as it had anticipated, the "Soul Undertaker" immediately swung its scythe to parry.
In that very instant when blade clashed against sword, Meowth unleashed its Ultimate Move—Foul Play!
"Clang!"
In that instant, the "Soul Undertaker" felt the hand gripping its scythe suddenly go limp, while the force transmitted from that sword surged violently instead.
Meowth borrowed the momentum, redirecting force with force, and continued its straight thrust.
The sword tip carved sparks along the flat of the scythe blade, and with a single flick knocked it aside, then drove straight on, plunging fiercely into the "Soul Undertaker's" chest.
That chest of ghastly white bone was cleaved open by the sword tip, and the terrifying explosive force ground every bit of bone in that area into powder.
In that instant, the "Soul Undertaker" suffered a grievous wound!
"Soul Interment!"
This upheaval, taking place in such a brief span, made Tom Nixon's expression sink at once. With a slight urgency he issued a command to the "Soul Undertaker," which had only a sliver of health left.
Then the "Soul Undertaker," its body tipping backward, abruptly steadied itself, its two skeletal arms flinging wide open. From within its eyes it released a deep, dark green light, and a howl like the wailing of ghosts rose in the wind.
The magic power scattered about was drawn in by some mysterious force, condensing in midair into blurred soul-bodies.
The Bloodthirsty Serpentman and the Corpse Rot Slime!
These soul-bodies, bearing the outlines of those two Magic Guide Spirits, roared onto the stage as though reborn, hurtling toward Meowth amid the howling.
Meowth only had time to pull its sword free before the two Magic Guide Spirits' soul-bodies passed straight through it.
Its whole body stiffened, and it felt its body grow light, as if something had been carried away by those two soul-bodies.
Lowering its head again, it saw that the lower half of its body, which had just now been bitten once more by two "Serpents of Secrets," had already turned transparent.
And then its consciousness cut off in an instant. When it opened its eyes again, it had already returned into the Magic Guide Card.
Just as "Meowth" had hidden away "Foul Play" to use at a more crucial moment, this "Soul Undertaker" too had held its strongest Ultimate Move in reserve, meaning to use it against a more troublesome opponent.
Yet, seeing that Meowth needed only one more sword-thrust to send this "Soul Undertaker" back to the "Underworld," Tom Nixon was forced to give the command.
The "Soul Undertaker" then summoned the "souls" of those two Magic Guide Spirits, and launched an "ignore-defense" attack against Meowth.
After sending Meowth away, those two Magic Guide Spirit "souls" returned to their origin as well.
Near the blue side's summoning zone, all that remained was the near-dead "Soul Undertaker" and a few "Serpents of Secrets" that were gradually fading away.
...
It was under these circumstances that Black Gatomon, arriving hard on the heels of it all, reached out and seized the "Honedge" floating in midair!
It couldn't help grinning, twisting its wrist so the blade spun about, and in an instant delivered a horizontal slash!
"Shhrrk—"
The "Soul Undertaker's" fragile bony body was instantly cleaved open by the Honedge's blade, crumbling like rotten wood.
This five-star Magic Guide Spirit, summoned through a special ritual, lost its vitality then and there.
...
In that instant, everyone's attention was drawn over, whether they willed it or not.
On the commentary stand, Zach Wilson blurted out: "Magic power to zero! Even knowing that Tom Nixon possessed the 'Wail of the Twin Dead,' Dark Demon still ordered his Magic Guide Spirit to deliver the fatal blow to the 'Soul Undertaker'! If I remember correctly..."
"Wail of the Twin Dead!"
Tom Nixon's furious roar drowned out Zach Wilson's voice, and the "Secret Ritual Card" that had long been in a half-activated state triggered in an instant.
A wailing cry shot straight up into the sky, shrill and piercing.
At the spot where the "Soul Undertaker" had died, the collapsing magic power condensed in an instant, giving birth to a gray specter like a vengeful ghost.
That gray specter's body abruptly stretched out like a balloon pulled apart, and within its hollow eyes gusted bursts of ghastly wind.
Black Gatomon lifted its head only to find that overhead had already gone dim and gray.
But instead, a charming light flowed in its eyes, and the smile at the corner of its mouth was especially bewitching.
"Meow—"
...
"Just as I thought—it's the same type as Sara's Secret Ritual Card, 'Azban's Deathrattle'!"
Dark felt greatly reassured in his heart, and couldn't help revealing a smile similar to Black Gatomon's.
The deck lineup Tom Nixon had displayed so far bore an inexplicable resemblance to Sarah Swati's deck.
The Corpse Rot Slime's Ultimate Move—Feign Death.
The Deathrattle-type Secret Ritual Card—Wail of the Twin Dead.
Both could find their shadows within Sara's deck.
"Azban's Deathrattle" released the souls of the dead, using their "souls" as a medium to inflict agonizing torment upon the opponent.
In truth, it transformed the souls of the dead into vengeful ghosts that possessed the opponent to deal damage.
This "Wail of the Twin Dead" was, sure enough, the same.
In other words, one need only deal with the vengeful ghost transformed from the "Soul Undertaker."
It was not any sort of "instant-death" Deathrattle curse.
Tom Nixon had deliberately flipped this Secret Ritual Card face-up for all to see—apart from disrupting Dark's thinking, it was also meant to "intimidate"!
Because he himself knew perfectly well that this Secret Ritual Card was not truly any kind of "finishing blow."
What's more, after "Wail of the Twin Dead" was activated, it had a very awkward effect—even if the opponent's Undead Species died, it would also trigger this Secret Ritual Card.
That is to say.
If Dark summoned a "Drifloon," it too could trigger "Wail of the Twin Dead."
...
Now that his heart was at ease, Dark calmly flipped over the two Magic Guide Cards he had drawn on the fourth round.
[Wishful Die]
[Hawlucha]
And then he immediately set about summoning "Hawlucha."
Originally, after Meowth had been bitten by the "Serpents of Secrets," he had considered offering up Meowth as a sacrifice, along with the Trash Slime, to summon Miltank.
But he hadn't expected Meowth to be swept away in a single wave by that "Soul Undertaker."
With Meowth gone, the only three-star Magic Guide Spirit left on the field that could be used for sacrifice was "Shuckle."
But then he drew "Hawlucha" on the fourth round.
So he chose to keep "Shuckle" in reserve for the time being, and first summon "Hawlucha," planning to sacrifice it after it had performed its role appropriately.
...
Tom Nixon likewise obtained two new Magic Guide Cards.
But unlike Dark, he did not immediately summon; instead he focused more of his attention on the field.
After "Wail of the Twin Dead" was triggered, the gray specter like a vengeful ghost hurtled toward the Black Gatomon below amid the shrill shrieking.
Its body was like gray mist.
Almost in the blink of an eye, it lunged right up before Black Gatomon.
Just like the "Soul Interment" Ultimate Move, this gray specter also had the property of ignoring defense.
But "Black Gatomon" gave a cold laugh, then swung the "Honedge" and fanned it fiercely once—the sword-wind it kicked up scattered the approaching gray mist at once.
Then it slid backward, performing an extremely nimble backflip, dodging the gray specter's attack.
Though the vengeful ghost howled and ghastly winds gusted.
But as long as it had a physical form, one could dodge it.
"Black Gatomon" had been mentally prepared before delivering the finishing blow, so naturally there was no way it would be hit.
And that gray specter's duration was clearly not long—after this single clash it had already turned transparent.
Seeing this, Tom Nixon on the blue player's stand at once drew a deep breath and reached out to draw a card again—the fifth round had arrived!
...
"Hawlucha, attack!"
The instant the round switched, Dark had already summoned "Hawlucha."
"Hacha!"
After appearing on the field, Hawlucha proudly flexed its muscles, then immediately beat its wings to accelerate its flight, its target none other than the blue side's Magic Sphere!
Using a flying-type Magic Guide Spirit to chase down the Magic Sphere, thereby draining the opponent's mental energy, could be called a standard tactic in Magic Guide duels.
In his previous duel, Dark had used this tactic to great effect.
But Tom Nixon was clearly on his guard.
When Hawlucha came flying in at speed, he had already begun summoning a new Magic Guide Spirit.
His luck was good—among the four Magic Guide Cards drawn over these two rounds, two were Magic Guide Spirit Cards available for summoning.
"In the name of Tom Nixon, Magic Guide Summon—'Blood-Winged Lizardman'!"
[Card Name: Blood-Winged Lizardman]
[Type: Spirit Card]
[Level: ???]
[Race: Demi-human Species]
[Attribute: Dark-type]
[Magic: 1300]
[Attack: 1500]
[Defense: 1400]
[Ultimate Moves: Blood Fury, Bloodthirst]
Just like the "Blood-Winged Lion King," the "Blood-Winged Lizardman" was likewise one of the elite among three-star Magic Guide Spirits.
It bore blood-red wings on its back, its skin a deep crimson, with the head and tail of a lizard, its whole body covered in scales.
And it likewise possessed the Ultimate Move—"Blood Fury"!
But unlike the "Blood-Winged Lion King," the "Blood-Winged Lizardman" also possessed another Ultimate Move—"Bloodthirst"!
Tom Nixon's core Magic Guide Spirit—the "Bloodthirsty Serpentman"—also possessed this Ultimate Move.
A Magic Guide Spirit possessing the "Bloodthirst" Ultimate Move could, by driving its "bloodsucking fangs" into the opponent's blood vessels, absorb the opponent's blood or life force.
For Magic Guide Spirits, that meant absorbing magic power.
Strengthen oneself with "Blood Fury," replenish the expenditure with "Bloodthirst."
In his duel against Ma Li Bond, Tom Nixon had done exactly this.
...
Standing nearly two meters tall, its blood-red wings spread to seem even larger, the "Blood-Winged Lizardman" before the mere 0.8-meter-tall "Hawlucha" was like a hulking giant bullying the weak.
But "Hawlucha" alone never lost to anyone in sheer momentum.
And in fact the two sides' stat figures were not that far apart.
Though the "Blood-Winged Lizardman" was thick and burly.
"Hawlucha" was likewise small but tough and fierce.
The two three-star Magic Guide Spirits collided in the air over the blue-leaning half of the field, unfolding into a fierce melee.
"Blood-Winged Lizardman, Blood Fury!"
"Hawlucha, [Feather Dance]!"
The two duelists issued their commands in a split second.
The "Blood-Winged Lizardman" gave a furious roar, and from between its scales shot out a blood mist. In an instant it was shrouded in that blood mist, its muscles swelling as though turned to solid rock.
Its attack and defense had clearly risen.
As for Hawlucha, it launched countless feathers from its wings.
Those feathers entered the area around the "Blood-Winged Lizardman's" body and were instantly dyed red by the blood mist.
And the feathers stained with blood-color grew heavy as a result, drifting and scattering down, mixed together with the white feathers, making the "Blood-Winged Lizardman's" field of vision even worse.
"Hawlucha" then pressed its advantage, wheeling around the field in a circle, and using its wing as a blade, delivered a vicious slash at the creature's blood-red bat wings!
The "Blood-Winged Lizardman's" wing was wounded, and at once it lost its balance.
"Hawlucha" then abruptly accelerated, charging toward the blue side's Magic Sphere.
...
At this moment...
Tom Nixon's disadvantage was in fact already enormous.
Of the Magic Guide Spirits he had summoned one after another, only this single "Blood-Winged Lizardman" had not been cut down.
Yet Dark Demon's Magic Guide Spirits numbered three...no, four on the field!
Had the flight-capable "Honedge" not been struck by the "Putrid Curse," Tom Nixon's situation would have been even worse.
But for now, he still had a great deal of room to maneuver.
Before the magic power value of the Magic Sphere's Life Barrier hit zero, a duelist always had the possibility of a reversal.
With a grave expression, Tom Nixon took the single Magic Guide Card he had drawn on the fifth round into his hand, then suddenly swiped it and shouted: "In the name of Tom Nixon, Magic Guide Summon—'Dragon Blood Elixir'!"
...
The appearance of this single Magic Guide Card stirred the audience outside in an instant.
Pandora Dragon, who specialized in dragon-species Magic Guide Spirits, and the "Dark Night Baron" Noah Sharp, were both visibly astonished.
The dragon is a species that is, biologically, extremely aggressive.
A life mixed with dragon-species bloodline usually, upon being born, possesses very obvious dragon-species traits—such as dragon horns, dragon scales, dragon wings, dragon tail.
Only as the subsequent bloodline is continuously diluted do these dragon-species traits gradually fade.
The so-called "Dragon Blood Elixir" was a product built upon this very characteristic.
It used "dragon blood" to infect and transform a species' bloodline.
Manifested outwardly, this was a change of race or attribute!
The "Dragon Blood Elixir," depending on the source of the "dragon blood," varied in effect, but broadly they were all of this type.
...
After Tom Nixon activated the "Dragon Blood Elixir," a beam of flowing light shot out from the card's face, and in a flash struck the top of the "Blood-Winged Lizardman's" head, turning into a potion bottle loaded with glowing blood.
Tom Nixon's "Dragon Blood Elixir" could take effect on "blood-control" type Magic Guide Spirits, and its effect on serpents or lizards was especially pronounced.
Whether it was the earlier "Bloodthirsty Serpentman," or the present "Blood-Winged Lizardman," both were perfect recipients for his "Dragon Blood Elixir."
As the "Dragon Blood Elixir" shattered, dragon blood radiating a powerful aura poured down.
Most of the Dragon Blood Elixir seeped in from the top of the "Blood-Winged Lizardman's" head, and a small portion of it mixed into the blood mist, spreading across its whole body.
"Aaoo!"
The "Blood-Winged Lizardman," already in a "Blood Fury" state, had extremely active blood within its body, and almost immediately absorbed the effect of the "Dragon Blood Elixir."
The two scales atop its head were pushed apart as crimson dragon horns thrust out through the skin, like red jade.
The scales on its body surface were also rapidly strengthened.
Its build gradually changed.
The shoulder muscles bulged, its arms and lower limbs became extremely thick and powerful—rapidly "dragonizing"!
[Card Name: Blood-Winged Dragonman]
[Type: Spirit Card]
[Level: ???]
[Race: Demi-human Species]
[Attribute: Dragon-type]
[Magic: 1600]
[Attack: 1800]
[Defense: 1700]
[Ultimate Moves: Blood Fury, Bloodthirst, Dragon Breath]
Although the star rank had not changed, the "Blood-Winged Lizardman" had completely become the "Blood-Winged Dragonman."
The race was still Demi-human Species, but the attribute had changed from "Dark-type" to "Dragon-type."
Its magic power, attack, and defense had all risen by a full three hundred points.
In the Ultimate Moves column, the dragon species' customary Ultimate Move had been added—"Dragon Breath"!
The thoroughly reborn "Blood-Winged Dragonman," its eyes crimson, the veins at the corners of its eyes densely webbed, was extraordinarily ferocious—perhaps less than one-tenth of its reason remained.
But casting aside reason, unleashing instinct, and fighting in the most savage, most vicious manner—this was precisely Tom Nixon's fighting style.
...
"Roar!"
Another furious bellow.
The "Blood-Winged Dragonman" whipped around abruptly and spat out a mouthful of dragon breath.
The scorching blood-flame assailed from behind the "Hawlucha" that was attacking the blue side's Magic Sphere.
But its phenomenon while "dragonizing" had been so intense—how could Hawlucha possibly fail to notice?
In that brief interval, Hawlucha had already carved open a gash in the blue side's Magic Sphere's Life Barrier, and now, withdrawing after accomplishing its task, it was extremely swift.
But the feathers on its tail were still ignited by the dragon breath, and it grew rather bedraggled as it fled.
[Magic Power (Blue): 5900-4521]
"Blood-Winged Dragonman!"
Tom Nixon immediately gave a low, urgent reminder.
The Blood-Winged Dragonman spread its two wings, the blood mist surging across its whole body, and in an instant caught up to "Hawlucha." Its thick, long dragon claw shot out like lightning, and with one swipe tore Hawlucha's wing to shreds!
"Aah!"
Hawlucha gave a miserable shriek, and "plummeted" from the air.
Under the boost of "Blood Fury," the Blood-Winged Dragonman's attack surpassed at least two thousand—for Hawlucha, with 1200 defense and 1100 magic power, it was almost a guaranteed killing blow.
But in truth, that swipe had not landed solidly.
Looking at the clawful of feathers, the crimson-eyed "Blood-Winged Dragonman" froze for an instant.
But Hawlucha had genuinely "plummeted" down, as though gravely wounded.
This momentary stall bought Dark the final few seconds.
"One one-star Magic Guide Spirit, one three-star Magic Guide Spirit."
"With 'Trash Slime' and 'Hawlucha' as sacrifices, Sacrificial Summoning."
"Come forth, Miltank!"
Amid the stern, thunderous shout, dazzling white light burst forth from within Shuckle's shell, and the corner of the "plummeting" Hawlucha's mouth curled up as it, too, dissolved into light.
And the "Miltank" Magic Guide Card that Dark held high released an even more scorching white light.
The three beams of light interwove in the air, and driven by magic power, traced out an intricate Sacrificial Summoning array.
A pink little cow then materialized out of that vast Sacrificial Summoning array.
It landed in the red side's summoning zone, glanced up at the "Blood-Winged Dragonman," then looked at the Shuckle beside it and the red side's Magic Sphere behind it, and immediately understood.
Then Miltank turned around and gathered the red side's Magic Sphere into its embrace, giving two "moo-moo" calls.
Clearly a response to Dark's expectations.
"It's the fifth round now."
Dark glanced at the countdown on the panel and reached toward his deck.
The fifth round was about to end, but he did not draw a card.
Only with the situation stabilized at this moment could he draw a card with peace of mind.
Miltank's defense, while it could not be called "absolute defense," was also "solid as an iron fortress"—at the very least, that "Blood-Winged Dragonman" would find it very hard to break through.
But though his defensive construction was complete, it lacked anti-air combat power.
The "Honedge" still needed to be paired with a "Hero" to bring out its true power.
"Leomon or Gatomon!"
After calling the names of these two Magic Guide Spirits in his heart, Dark abruptly drew a card.
But it seemed the bond between him and his Magic Guide Spirits was still lacking.
[Magic Beast (Eevee)]
[Pride III]
The two Magic Guide Cards, appearing as a set, seemed to be forcefully proclaiming "Espeon's" desire to take the stage.
Dark placed these two Magic Guide Cards on the right side of his hand and waited a moment.
"Tick!"
The thirty-second countdown of the fifth round turned to 0, and the thirty-second countdown of the sixth round thereby began.
Without a split second's delay, Dark drew again.
[Pride II · Old]
[Pride II · New]
The appearance of the two old and new "Pride II" cards made Dark, in the midst of this tense and thrilling duel, unable to help letting out a laugh.
He then lifted his head.
Tom Nixon of course could not possibly let the "Blood-Winged Dragonman" sit idle.
And the Ultimate Move—"Blood Fury"—once switched on could not be switched off; the Blood-Winged Dragonman's magic power was rapidly draining away, so there was no time to be idle either.
The "Blood-Winged Dragonman," its fury surging because of Hawlucha's "escape," swiftly dove down from the air wrapped in a thick blood-red mist, completely ignoring the sword-wielding, delicately posed Black Gatomon and the Shuckle standing off to one side, and launched a rage-filled aerial strike at the "Miltank" that had been summoned with "Hawlucha" as one of its sacrifices.
But after Miltank sensed the "Blood-Winged Dragonman's" mad aura, it curled its body into a ball, and while clutching the Magic Sphere tightly, a metallic sheen radiated from its body, in an instant enveloping its whole body and forming an impregnable "metal ball."
Ultimate Move—Defense Curl!
In the "Defense Curl" state, Miltank's already-high 2000-point defense surged by 50%, reaching the terrifying realm of 3000 points.
And unlike ordinary Magic Guide Spirits with 3000-point defense, its was a 360° spherical defense with no blind spots!
Basically, it had no weak points.
So when the "Blood-Winged Dragonman," wrapped in fury, opened its huge maw, and right in front of Shuckle, bit down at Miltank with its sharp teeth, Shuckle wore an expression of utter unconcern.
"Clang!"
A crisp sound like the clashing of metal.
Cracks appeared on two of the "Blood-Winged Dragonman's" teeth.
It at once let out a miserable cry and reared its head back.
...
The appearance of this scene made Tom Nixon on the blue player's stand knit his brows deeply.
The continuous use of "Blood Fury" needed to be built upon the "Bloodthirst" effect being able to function.
But the "Blood-Winged Dragonman," from the time it activated "Blood Fury" until now, had not managed to bite into flesh and blood even once, so of course there was no way it could replenish any magic power.
If this went on, then even without Dark lifting a finger, this "Blood-Winged Dragonman" would wipe itself out.
And in the blue side's summoning zone, that sword-wielding black cat was committing an exceedingly despicable act.
Tom did not know whether it was something Dark Demon had instructed beforehand, or something Black Gatomon had decided to do on its own.
But Black Gatomon was, at this moment, most certainly guarding the blue side's summoning zone—that is, his summoning zone—and had not returned to the red side's summoning zone.
This near-"corpse-camping" behavior made it utterly impossible for him to summon a first-tier Magic Guide Spirit in his summoning zone—unless it was one that could fly through the air.
Otherwise, the instant a first-tier Magic Guide Spirit was summoned, it would likely face Gatomon's merciless slaughter.
"This is just too despicable!"
Looking at the newly drawn Magic Guide Card, Tom Nixon's brows furrowed even deeper.
...
And at this moment, on the ring-shaped strip.
Mike Owen, watching that black cat which had likewise evolved from a "DemiDevimon," couldn't help but recall the "Devimon."
Back then, in the Valentine's Day Street Duel, when he had shut himself inside the triple bronze gates, that "Devimon" had guarded up close in just this way, cutting down one by one every first-tier Magic Guide Spirit he summoned.
And now, this Magic Guide Spirit—essentially the very same one—was actually pulling this kind of stunt even in a formal duel match...
—You have to admit, it's pretty satisfying to watch!
"Sure enough, the essence of humanity is taking pleasure in others' misfortune."
Mike Owen self-reflected, then shot a glance at the gnashing, teeth-grinding Angus Jeffrey beside him, and grew even more delighted.
Building your own happiness upon another's suffering—that's what life's all about!
...
Life is impermanent.
A cat's life is impermanent too.
Bored out of its mind, Black Gatomon toyed with the "Holy Sword" in its hand. It could sense the "holy" aura hidden within the "Holy Sword"—an aura utterly antithetical to its own attribute.
But so what?
Wasn't it still being toyed with in the palm of its hand all the same?
Amid a sweet smile, Black Gatomon slashed three times through the air toward the direction of the red side's summoning zone, thoroughly satisfied.
...
Tom Nixon on the blue player's stand, meanwhile, went a shade darker in the face.
He was forced, in the intervals of the "Blood-Winged Dragonman's" attacks, to perform a preparatory summon.
He needed to waste a precious "Magic Guide Card" to lay out a platform in the air, and only then could he begin summoning.
Fortunately, though, his "Magic Guide Cards" were comprehensive enough.
So when the sixth round began, at the moment the "Blood-Winged Dragonman" nearly snapped its teeth, Tom Nixon activated a "Magic Card"!
In an instant...
A wisp of blood swam out from the card's face.
Following after that wisp of blood, more blood gushed forth.
It quickly became a great torrent like rivers and streams!
Tom Nixon used this Magic Card that could create pit-craters on the ground—"Blood Pool"—to forcibly trace out a magic array in the air, constructing a platform of congealed blood!
This use of the card beyond the Magic Guide Card's own limits made even the professors watching the duel marvel.
Especially the kindly-faced old professor who had brought Tom Nixon back from the slums—he stroked his long beard and nodded ceaselessly.
Clearly he was extremely satisfied with Tom Nixon's growth now.
This old professor would hold no bias toward this duel between students, but witnessing a student's outstanding growth, he could hardly help being delighted.
"Not bad, really not bad!"
...
And after successfully constructing a "blood platform" nearly level with the player's stand, Tom Nixon could at last begin summoning his next first-tier Magic Guide Spirit.
But at the same time, Dark had also successfully summoned [Magic Beast (Eevee)]...
The appearance of that little fox-shaped Magic Guide Spirit made Tom Nixon feel a wariness in an instant.
He stopped his chanting and abruptly shouted: "Blood-Winged Dragonman, switch targets!"
"Switch targets?"
The "Blood-Winged Dragonman," its reason drowned by blood and fury, forcefully turned its head to look all around.
Entering its eyes were the Shuckle with a hard shell to protect its feet, and the Little Eevee that Dark had deliberately summoned in the corner of the red side's summoning zone.
Eevee-chan quietly, furtively huddled in the corner, cautiously observing all around, doing its best to conceal its own presence.
"Bui..."
Six seconds...
It needed just a mere six seconds.
Then Eevee would be reborn, standing shoulder to shoulder with the sun!
But it was still noticed by the "Blood-Winged Dragonman."
The "Blood-Winged Dragonman" suddenly went wide-eyed—it had finally caught the scent of a "soft persimmon."
The instant it fixed on its target, it snapped its mouth open, preparing once more to spit out the extremely short-cooldown "Dragon Breath" and burn that little thing to charcoal.
"Bapzi!"
In this instant.
White light abruptly burst forth in Shuckle's eyes as it used its final Ultimate Move—[Power Trick]!
Protecting its family was its mission!
"Bapzi-bapzi!"
The "Blood-Winged Dragonman" had just spat out its dragon breath when it suddenly felt an immense force applied to its feet.
It was hoisted straight up by that suddenly-erupting immense force, and the dragon breath it had spat out at once lost its aim, drifting past over the top of Little Eevee's head.
And then, on Eevee-chan's forehead, the emblem of "Pride" abruptly surfaced!
A dark-golden radiance shone down, wrapping its whole body.
Within the light, its body grew slender and lithe, its fluffy tail stretching out into a slim cat's tail that forked at the tip, like a nekomata.
Its slender neck abruptly lifted, displaying an elegant and noble bearing.
Eevee gave a light leap.
When it sprang out from within the light, it had already evolved from "Eevee" into the incarnation of "Pride"—"Espeon"!
It was now only four in the afternoon; though the sunlight was on the wane, it was still very bright.
The red gem on Espeon's forehead flickered faintly, and its magic power grew once more.
"Di-li-bi-en!"
...
"It got summoned after all."
Tom Nixon's heart sank.
Once the "Espeon" capable of using "Confusion" appeared, his Magic Sphere would no longer be able to rest easy.
"I have to speed things up!"
He abruptly swung the Magic Guide Card in his hand with force.
Three seconds later, a brand-new Magic Guide Spirit appeared atop that "blood platform."
And Black Gatomon, provoked by this "blood platform," had already turned back around, rushing like the wind toward the "Blood-Winged Dragonman" still on the ground.
"Blood-Winged Dragonman, fight to the death!"
Tom Nixon roared out abruptly after the summon succeeded.
Under normal circumstances, he should have ordered the "Blood-Winged Dragonman" to take flight and dodge the pincer attack of the two four-star Magic Guide Spirits.
But he was Tom Nixon.
And in this crisis, the "Blood-Winged Dragonman" seemed to resonate with him—the blood mist across its whole body surged and boiled.
It abruptly stamped down, kicking away the Shuckle whose "Power Trick" effect had faded, then lunged like a raging fiend at the nearby "Espeon."
Espeon's gaze was proud, the gem on its forehead blazing with light, about to use Confusion.
But Dark's command arrived in an instant.
"Espeon, Future Sight!"
Without the slightest hesitation it switched skills, deploying "Future Sight."
And by the time it finished deploying it, the "Blood-Winged Dragonman" had already closed in.
But it was not the least bit flustered; "Confusion" activated in an instant, sweeping aside the dragon claw swinging in.
The "Blood-Winged Dragonman's" dragon claws hung down naturally, reaching to its knees, and swung about with plenty of killing power.
But Espeon was not a Magic Guide Spirit that would "slug it out" with it.
After using "Confusion" to sweep the "Blood-Winged Dragonman's" claw aside, Espeon immediately leapt to the side, and by the time it landed it had already turned around, dashing toward Black Gatomon.
The "Blood-Winged Dragonman" let out a wild, ferocious roar, twisting its body in an instant, and a thick dragon tail lashed out fiercely, the shadow of the tail-tip cast upon Espeon's body.
Yet Espeon, whose line of sight was not at all on the "Blood-Winged Dragonman," seemed to have eyes on the back of its head—the instant the dragon tail swept in, its four limbs sprang up and it leapt high into the air.
That wild, ferocious dragon tail swept past just beneath its feet.
It, meanwhile, landed lightly, continuing forward in an elegant posture.
That composure and ease—just like the blond youth on the red player's stand—couldn't help but arouse people's fondness.
The "Blood-Winged Dragonman" missed again, and at once strode forth in direct pursuit.
In the "Blood Fury" state, its speed was faster than Espeon's.
But the opposing Black Gatomon likewise came rushing over, and in an instant crossed paths with Espeon, swinging the "Holy Sword" to hack at the "Blood-Winged Dragonman."
It had quite the flavor of "a Hero slaying a dragon."
...
And so...
Espeon and Black Gatomon completed their strategic swap entirely.
Black Gatomon excitedly swung the "Holy Sword," locked in fierce combat with that savage, brutal, bloodthirsty dragonman.
And Espeon abruptly gathered "Confusion," firing it at the blue side's Magic Sphere in the air.
—The same old trick!
...
"I'm no Stewart."
But on the blue player's stand, Tom Nixon let out a cold laugh.
His next Magic Guide Summon had already been completed.
Atop that "blood platform," there now stood two Magic Guide Spirits.
And this time, he would use these two Magic Guide Spirits as sacrifices to perform a Sacrificial Summoning!
Unlike Stewart Fenn's level, Tom Nixon's Sacrificial Summoning technique, though not yet fast enough to reach the three-second limit, was not far off—he needed only five seconds to complete the Sacrificial Summoning!
Five seconds is in fact a very short span of time.
Even in a Magic Guide duel where every second counts, relying on two already successfully summoned three-star Magic Guide Spirits, it could easily be secured.
What's more, of these two three-star Magic Guide Spirits he had summoned, one was the defense-specialized "Death Guardian"!
[Card Name: Death Guardian]
[Type: Spirit Card]
[Level: ???]
[Race: Undead Species]
[Attribute: Shadow-type]
[Magic: 1000]
[Attack: 0]
[Defense: 1250]
[Ultimate Move: Death Guard]
This was an exceedingly peculiar Magic Guide Spirit.
Its entire body was nothing but a single leg-bone of some unknown creature.
But this leg-bone was as thick as a water barrel and about two meters tall, with no sole at its bottom, but a black gelatinous substance like tentacles.
Upon the ghastly-white leg-bone were carved exceedingly complex black patterns, making it look like the "totem poles" quite common among orc tribes.
But atop this very white-bone totem pole was the same black gelatinous substance as below, and within that gelatinous substance grew two eyes that stuck up like a snail's.
This was the "Death Guardian."
Its movement speed was basically 0, it had no attack ability whatsoever, its magic power was only 1000 points, and its defense was merely 1250 points—not even reaching 1500.
It even had only a single Ultimate Move.
But it was precisely this one and only Ultimate Move that granted the "Death Guardian" a powerful defensive capability.
When Espeon's Confusion charged up like an arrow, the "Death Guardian," at Tom Nixon's command, immediately deployed its one and only Ultimate Move—"Death Guard"!
Thereupon, with it at the center, layer upon layer of transparent barriers spread out in all directions, forming a vast barrier pieced together from countless polygons, blocking the "Confusion" outside.
The sole and only effect that "Death Guard" had was "halving damage"!
And it was the "Death Guardian's" passive skill—a no-cost, permanently-active Ultimate Move.
Its strength was measured by the standard of the "Death Guardian's" defense.
This meant that any attack with power not exceeding 2500 points was completely unable to inflict any damage on it.
And Espeon's "Confusion" was in fact an Ultimate Move of very low power—even with the boost of the sun's power, it could hardly exceed the critical threshold of "Death Guard."
Such a powerful, defense-specialized Magic Guide Spirit was simply a super guardian for protecting the Magic Sphere.
Were it Dark, he would most likely make full use of it, and not immediately sacrifice it.
Yet Tom Nixon felt not the slightest reluctance.
After the "Death Guardian" had only blocked a single Confusion attack, he used it as a sacrifice for the Sacrificial Summoning.
When the "Death Guardian" was sacrificed, even Dark couldn't help feeling a touch of surprise.
But that was after the round switched.
Amid the "Blood-Winged Dragonman's" miserable cries, the duel entered the seventh round.
...
"Battle Phase (7)" [30s]
...
Tom Nixon was still carrying out his final summon.
Dark, meanwhile, drew this round's two Magic Guide Cards from the top of his deck into his hand.
And then...
Tom Nixon successfully completed the Sacrificial Summoning technique.
The two three-star Magic Guide Spirits atop the "blood platform" turned into light.
As the enormous Sacrificial Summoning array unfolded in the air.
There was no longer a single Magic Guide Spirit on the field belonging to Tom Nixon.
Yet the corner of his mouth curved into a smile.
...
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