Chapter 167: Your Life is Like a Candle in the Wind
Shuckle's shadow was suddenly pinned to the ground!
"Squish-squish!"
A strange sensation, never before felt, spread from the shadow throughout its entire body.
Shuckle, whose intelligence level already exceeded 3.0, visibly showed panic and struggled fiercely.
But wave-like ripples appeared on the surface of its tentacles, while its entire outline was completely pinned, unable to move.
"Pinned!"
Sara, on the blue contestant stage, couldn't help but reveal a slight smile.
Anyone who had watched the duel between Dark and Doron could understand the value of this [Shuckle] card.
In Dark's deck, it undoubtedly held a core position!
Sara was dueling at the time, but after the match, she learned relevant information from her supporters.
Gathering intelligence on competitors—this was a perfectly natural thing for someone aiming to win the championship.
Sara had done very well in this regard.
After careful analysis, she believed that [Shuckle]'s value was not only in its individual card strength, but also because it was Dark's
only three-star Magic Guide Spirit currently summoned!
Three stars + one star = four stars
To summon the previously appeared four-star Magic Guide Spirit—[Gatomon], [Shuckle]'s presence was very
crucial.
In other words.
As long as [Shuckle] was completely locked down, most of Dark's deck would be rendered useless!
And [Sphinx Cat] was a Magic Guide Spirit card specifically for "locking down."
Its Finishing Move, [Shadow Stomp], could completely pin down a Magic Guide Spirit!
Whether it was moving, recalling, or even sacrificing, any action that would change its coordinates would be forbidden!
Of course.
As a two-star Magic Guide Spirit card, [Sphinx Cat]'s flaws were also very obvious.
While maintaining "Shadow Stomp," it had to continuously inject magic power and could not move.
The stronger the pinned prey struggled, the more magic power was consumed.
And [Sphinx Cat]'s Magic Power value was only 600.
Therefore.
Before [Sphinx Cat]'s magic power ran out, or before it was forced to lift its foot, a quick victory was necessary!
Sara calculated the magic power consumption rate, judging that she had less than two rounds left.
But duelists raced against time, and two rounds were already enough!
She glanced at the [Trash Slime] summoned by Dark, and the curve of her lips couldn't help but curl higher.
"This should be a one-star Magic Guide Spirit. Paired with the three-star Shuckle, is he trying to quick-summon a four-star card?"
"As expected, he hasn't realized that Shuckle has been locked down by me!"
"Magic Guide Summon!"
Blue team's summon zone.
Another Magic Guide Spirit belonging to Sara was summoned!
A distinctly contoured face, elegantly sculpted physique, and nimble, powerful limbs.
It was indeed a black hound with golden-yellow patterns!
[Card Name: Anubis Hound]
[Type: Spirit Card]
[Level: ★★]
[Race: Phantom Beast]
[Attribute: Dark]
[Magic Power: 900]
[Attack: 900]
[Defense: 900]
[Finishing Move: Shadow Hunt]
Similar to the Sphinx Cat, Anubis Hounds, due to their elegant posture and habit of lurking in shadows,
were often mistakenly thought to be pets of the god of death.
But in reality, they were merely a canine species named as such by humans.
They were generally friendly, intelligent, vigilant, and loyal, excellent at hunting rabbits.
They were favored by both hunters and assassins.
Lurk in shadows, hunt death!
As the aura of death enveloped [Trash Slime], Dark's Sacrifice Summoning spell was already halfway through.
"Using [Trash Slime] and [Shuckle] as offerings, Sacrifice Summon—[Gatomon]!"
The Trash Slime, wriggling on the ground like a puddle of water.
Shuckle, whose shadow was pinned by the Sphinx Cat.
Both Magic Guide Spirits emitted white light under the effect of the Sacrifice Summoning spell.
Streaks of light converged between the two.
Trash Slime's body was instantly drawn into threads.
Shuckle's body outline also showed clear signs of being stretched forward.
But the Sphinx Cat's golden eyes suddenly burst forth with brilliant golden light, suppressing its body that was about to turn into light!
"What's this?"
Dark's Sacrifice Summoning spell came to an abrupt halt.
He couldn't help but show a slight change in expression.
Accustomed to the simple tactics of junior mages, he had never expected someone to possess the technique to prevent sacrifice!
"Why did Dark's Sacrifice Summoning spell stop?"
Outside the arena, Doron, who had originally expected [Gatomon] to appear again and was looking at Heidi with a mocking expression, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
The thick-braided girl sneered with her arms crossed, "This is Swati, the pride of our Magic House!"
Tension and cheer.
Two different atmospheres quickly spread between the two academies.
"This isn't good!"
Lurk in shadows, hunt death!
The first-year students of the Noble House could more or less discern some key points of this duel and couldn't help but worry.
Meanwhile, most of the students from the Knight House and Fool's House were completely bewildered.
"What just happened?"
Robert asked, a confused look on his face.
The changes in the arena were beyond his scope of knowledge.
Virt guessed with slight hesitation, "Perhaps that black cat did something? Dark's Sacrifice Summon failed."
Robert looked astonished, "Can Sacrifice Summoning spells actually be stopped? Is Dark's situation quite dire?"
Virt appeared rather solemn, "That's right. Not only did he waste time casting the Sacrifice Summoning spell, but also,
that slime doesn't look like it can counter Swati's hound. Once the slime, which is one of the offerings,
is destroyed, it will be difficult for him to get a second chance to sacrifice."
Robert's expression paled slightly, "Is Swati from the Magic House really that formidable?"
In reality, Dark's Trash Slime was even weaker than everyone imagined!
The Trash Slime, with 0 Attack and 0 Defense, possessed a Finishing Move that was merely the auxiliary digestion skill [Enhanced Stomach Acid].
Facing the extremely fast and fierce hound, the Trash Slime, whose movement speed was incomparably slower than Shuckle's, simply had no
ability to resist.
The Anubis Hound's shadow suddenly stretched extremely long. Its body swiftly struck along the shadow, and its sharp
claws instantly tore through Trash Slime's body!
"Tick-tock!"
The beginning of the second round passed in that moment.
Dark suppressed his inner tension, calmly adding two new Magic Guide cards from the top of his deck to his hand.
In his half of the field, Shuckle was controlled, Trash Slime was torn apart, and there was no Magic Guide Spirit left to stop the Anubis
Hound.
The Magic Orb floating in mid-air was like a young lady exposed to a pervert, no longer safe at all.
"Anubis Hound, tear it apart!"
Sara Swati's jubilant voice had already sounded.
"Woof!"
The Anubis Hound responded to the command, crouching low as if hunting. Its sharp fangs protruded from its bared lips,
with saliva dripping from its mouth.
With [Shadow Hunt] currently on cooldown, it pushed off with its hind legs, leaping from stillness into motion.
The transmission of muscle power was clearly visible.
The Anubis Hound sped past the red team's Magic Orb, its raised sharp claws leaving three
scratch marks on the Life Barrier!
The Magic Orb's HP plummeted.
[1000→108]
Outside the arena.
The atmosphere in the Noble House was strained to the extreme.
Doron and a few others looked even more nervous than Dark himself.
Sara Swati, with just two two-star Magic Guide Spirits, had actually pushed Dark to the brink!
The Anubis Hound's agile form landed lightly, its amber eyes turning towards the heavily damaged Magic Orb behind it,
then slowly turned around.
Sara Swati still drew two new Magic Guide cards from the top of her deck.
But she didn't look at them. Instead, she declared with high spirits, "It's over, Demon. Your life
is like a candle in the wind!"
No sooner had she spoken.
The Anubis Hound, having adjusted its breath, had already launched its second attack on the red Magic Orb!
"Whoosh!"
The Magic Orb suddenly split into two.
The Anubis Hound's high-leaping figure passed through its middle, then abruptly landed.
It spun around wildly, howling, "Woof! Awooooo~~!"
"Futile resistance is meaningless, Anubis Hound!"
Sara, standing on the contestant stage, clearly perceived the changes in the arena.
A cute spirit, like a fox, suddenly appeared. As the Anubis Hound pounced, it kicked the Magic Orb away with its hind legs,
and at the same time, it bounced away by leveraging the force, thus creating the illusion of splitting into two.
And the red Magic Orb's HP plummeted to near zero with that kick.
[108→13]
Eevee, having landed again, let out a fierce growl towards the Anubis Hound.
Sara remembered this small Magic Guide Spirit should be Dark's Phantom Beast, a one-star spirit with 100 Magic Attack and Magic Defense.
Just a Phantom Beast alone couldn't hinder the two-star Anubis Hound, but in a previous duel,
Dark seemed to have used some kind of magic card to enhance it.
In the instant her thoughts raced.
Sara drew a Magic Guide Spirit card from her new hand.
Meanwhile, the Anubis Hound, having received its command, directly pounced on Eevee this time!
The flying red Magic Orb bounced upwards after contacting the buffer field at the edge of the arena, gradually losing
momentum and hovering in the air!
For Sara, this was both bad news and good news.
The bad aspect was that the Anubis Hound couldn't leap that high, and [Shadow
Hunt], which could support it in attacking high up, was still on cooldown.
The good aspect was that the opponent's Magic Guide Spirit also couldn't reach the Magic Orb.
And the Magic Guide Spirit she was about to summon was a Bennu Bird!
That was also a Phantom Beast, serving as her initial Magic Guide Spirit.
An off-white "heron" with a long beak and a double-feathered crown.
As long as she summoned [Phantom Beast: Bennu Bird], the situation on the field would no longer matter to her.
The Life Barrier, with only 13 Magic Power remaining, couldn't withstand any single attack from the Bennu Bird!
[Card Name: Phantom Beast (Bennu Bird)]
[Type: Spirit Card]
[Level: ★]
[Race: Undead]
[Attribute: Dark]
[Magic Power: 100]
[Attack: 100]
[Defense: 100]
[Finishing Move: Soul Enticement]
Dark's summoning speed was unprecedentedly fast.
He felt that in this urgent battle rhythm, he seemed to have broken through some 4-second summoning bottleneck!
Two new Magic Guide cards.
One was his initial Magic Guide Spirit—[Phantom Beast: Eevee].
The other was [Pride II]!
Although the Magic Orb's Life Barrier had become so faint as to be invisible.
But the charm of dueling lay in its infinite possibilities.
Not until the very last moment.
was the outcome truly known!
He was in a peculiar state.
Clearly nervous yet very calm.
Clearly calm yet very excited.
Dopamine was rapidly secreting in his brain.
No previous duel had ever made him feel this way.
The summon activation for [Pride II] was completed in an extremely short time.
Eevee-chan responded to its master's expectations, bathed in dark golden radiance, and ascended from one-star to two-star.
Although its three-stat attributes were still lower than the Anubis Hound's, the difference was very limited.
Facing the Anubis Hound pouncing directly, it dodged with even more agile movements, then swung its claws
in a counterattack, all in one smooth motion.
The difference in their intelligence levels was tangibly demonstrated in the close-quarters combat.
Eevee's reaction speed and fluidity of movement were both higher than the Anubis Hound's.
The confidence and composure it displayed while sidestepping possessed a master-like demeanor.
"It's possible!"
Dark's voice clearly rang out.
Shuckle, pinned by [Shadow Stomp], stopped struggling, and a psychic glow lit up in its eyes.
"It's possible!"
You wouldn't know without trying.
The Sphinx Cat's [Shadow Stomp] surprisingly could not prevent the release of such skills.
"Chirp—"
A crisp bird cry suddenly came from the sky.
The Bennu Bird, like a heron, was summoned.
Dark's heart suddenly fluttered.
But quicker to react than him was Eevee, who was grappling with the Anubis Hound!
It didn't even need him to give orders.
Eevee-chan had already raised its head, and a sharp dark golden glow burst forth from its proud eyes!
That aura, emanating from an extremely high vantage, made the Bennu Bird in the air involuntarily turn its head.
As soon as their gazes met.
The Bennu Bird's mind was overwhelmed by that pride, and an immense sense of defeat caused it to lose its desire to attack.
The entire bird was filled with sorrow.
"Bennu Bird!"
Sara's roar, imperceptibly, gained a hint of urgency.
It was as if, from the moment she uttered certain words, some things had started to go awry.
Outside the arena, sudden exclamations arose.
Sara sharply turned her head, revealing a trace of surprise once more.
It was the Anubis Hound, seizing the gap when Eevee looked up to use [Round Gaze] from the side, biting
Eevee's neck!
However, just as the joy arose.
Sara was astonished to find that Eevee, which had just been trading blows evenly with the Anubis Hound, suddenly became
extremely "imposing."
It seemed the aura boosted when releasing [Round Gaze] still lingered—no, it was a genuine attribute crush!
The Anubis Hound's sharp teeth, clamped onto Eevee's neck, felt as if they were biting into steel plate; they simply couldn't bite down! If Eevee's skin were truly physically hard, its teeth would probably have shattered!
Eevee allowed the Anubis Hound to bite its neck, turning its head slightly, lowering its gaze, with a hint of
condescending disdain in its eyes.
"Meow-howl!"
(Mongrel!)
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