Chapter 167 Your life is like the candle flame in the wind
***edited by x10***
Shuckle's shadow was suddenly nailed to the ground!
"Shuckle Shuckle!"
A strange feeling that it had never felt before spread over its whole body from its shadow.
Shuckle, whose intelligence level exceeded 3.0, clearly panicked and began to struggle hard.
Although the surface of its soft body under the shell showed ripples like water waves, its overall outline was completely fixed and unable to move!
...
"Got you!"
Sara on the blue player's stage couldn't help smiling.
Anyone who had seen the duel between Dark and Doron could understand the value of this [Shuckle].
It must be a core card in Dark's deck!
Although Sara could not spectate Dark’s duel as she was in a duel at that time, she found out the relevant information from her fans after the match.
It was a very natural thing for anyone whose goal was to win the championship to gather intelligence on their competitors.
Sara did this very well.
After careful analysis, she believed that the value of [Shuckle] was not only limited to its card strength, but also the fact that it was the only 3-star magical spirit that Dark had taken out so far!
3-star + 1-star = 4-star.
In order to summon the 4-star magical spirit [Gatomon] that appeared before, the presence of [Shuckle] was very important.
In other words.
As long as [Shuckle] was completely locked, most of Dark's deck would be crippled directly!
And [Sphynx Cat] was a special magical spirit card for "locking".
Its ultimate [Shadow Tag] could completely pin down a magical spirit!
Whether it was moving, recalling, or even sacrificing, any act to change its position would be prohibited!
Of course.
As a 2-star magical spirit card, the flaws of [Sphynx Cat] were also very obvious.
If it wanted to maintain the effect of "Shadow Tag", it must continuously inject magic energy and must not move.
Moreover, the harder the locked prey struggled, the more magic energy it would need to use.
However, the magic energy value of [Sphynx Cat] was only 600.
So.
The battle must end quickly before [Sphynx Cat]'s magic energy was exhausted, or before it was forced to lift its feet!
Sara calculated the consumption rate of [Sphynx Cat]'s magic energy and judged that she had less than two rounds left.
But duelers always raced against time, so two rounds were more than enough!
As she glanced at the [Trash Slime] summoned by Dark, she couldn't help smiling proudly.
"This should be a 1-star magical spirit. He definitely wants to summon a 4-star card by sacrificing this magical spirit and the 3-star Shuckle."
"Sure enough, he still hasn't realized that Shuckle has been locked by me!"
"Magic summoning!"
In the blue contestant's summoning area.
Another magical spirit belonging to Sara was summoned!
The magical spirit had a distinctive face, shapely figure, and robust and powerful limbs.
It was a black hound covered with a golden pattern!
...
[Card name: Anubis]
[Type: spirit card]
[Level: ✪✪]
[Races: Bird & Beast-type]
[Attributes: Shadow]
[Magic Energy: 900]
[Attack: 900]
[Defense: 900]
[Ultimate: Shadow Hunt]
...
Similar to Sphynx Cat, Anubis was often mistaken as the pet of the God of Death due to its elegant appearance and habit of lurking in the shadows.
But in reality, it was just a dog breed named by humans this way.
They were generally friendly, intelligent, vigilant, and loyal, making them good rabbit hunters.
Having the ability to lurk in the shadows and hunt prey to death made them favored by hunters as well as by assassins.
...
When the breath of death enveloped [Trash Slime], Dark's sacrifice summoning was already halfway through.
"With [Trash Slime] and [Shuckle] as sacrifices, sacrifice summoning—[Gatomon]!"
The two magical spirits, Trash Slime who was wriggling on the ground like a puddle of water, and Shuckle whose shadow was being stepped on by Sphynx Cat, emitted white light under the effect of sacrifice summoning.
Threads of light converged between the two.
Trash Slime's body was pulled into light in an instant.
Shuckle's body contours also showed obvious signs of stretching.
But Sphynx Cat's golden pupils suddenly shone with golden light, suppressing its soon-to-be-lit body!
"This is?"
Dark's sacrifice summoning came to an abrupt end.
His face changed slightly.
Accustomed to the simple tactics of the little magisters, he had no idea that someone would have the card to prevent sacrifice summoning!
...
"Why did Dark stop the sacrifice summoning?" Doron exclaimed uncontrollably outside the arena.
Thinking that [Gatomon] was about to appear again, he was originally looking at Heidi with a mocking expression, but then his expression also changed.
The girl with thick braids crossed her arms before her chest and sneered: "This is Swati, the pride of our Magister House!"
Anxiousness and joy.
Two different atmospheres quickly spread between the two houses.
"Not good!"
The first-year students at Noble House could also more or less understand what happened in the duel and couldn't help worrying.
The students at Knight House and Fool House were mostly confused.
"What just happened?" Robert asked with a puzzled face.
The changes in the arena were beyond his understanding.
White guessed hesitantly: "Maybe that black cat did something? Dark's sacrifice summoning failed."
Robert looked surprised: "Can sacrifice summoning even be interrupted? Doesn’t that mean that Dark is in a very bad situation now?"
White looked rather solemn: "That's right. Not only did he waste his time on the sacrifice summoning, but that slime doesn’t look like a magical spirit that can compete with Swati’s hound. Once the slime is eliminated, it will be very difficult for Dark to have a second chance to perform the sacrifice summoning."
Robert's expression turned pale: "It turns out that Swati of Magister House is also very strong."
...
Actually, Dark's Trash Slime was weaker than everyone thought!
Trash Slime, which had 0 stat in both attack and defense, only had the ultimate [Strengthened Gastric Acid] for assisting digestion.
Facing the extremely fast and ferocious hound, Trash Slime, whose movement speed was not better than Shuckle's, didn't have the ability to fight back at all.
The shadow of Anubis suddenly stretched along the ground. Its body rushed along the shadow, arriving before Trash Slime and ripping apart Trash Slime's body with its sharp claws in an instant!
...
"Tick!"
The second round began at that moment.
Dark suppressed his nervousness and calmly added two new magic cards to his hand from the top of the deck.
In the summoning area of the arena that belonged to him, Shuckle was controlled, Trash Slime was torn apart, and there was no longer any other magical spirit that could stop Anubis.
The Magic Ball floating in the air was like a little girl exposed to a pervert; there was no trace of safety at all.
"Anubis, tear it apart!"
The excited voice of Sara Swati has already sounded.
"Woof!"
In response to the command, Anubis lowered its body like a hunter, its sharp fangs protruding from its grinning lips, and the corners of its mouth were dripping with saliva.
While [Shadow Hunt] entered CD, it exerted force with its hind limbs, jumped up, and set to motion.
The transmission of muscle power was clearly visible.
Anubis galloped past the Red Magic Ball, leaving three deep marks on the life barrier with its sharp claws!
Magic Ball's Health Points took a nosedive.
[1000→108]
...
Outside the arena
The atmosphere at Noble House was strained to the utmost.
A few students, like Doron, even seemed more nervous than Dark himself.
Sara Swati actually pushed Dark to a dead end with just two two-star magical spirits!
...
Anubis's vigorous body landed lightly. Its amber eyes turned to the Magic Ball that was crippled behind it as it slowly turned around.
Sara Swati still drew two new magic cards from the top of her deck.
Without looking at the new cards, Sara made a remark with a high momentum: "It's over, Demon. Your life is like a candle flame in the wind!"
The moment her voice fell, Anubis, who had adjusted its breath, launched its second attack on the Red Magic Ball!
"Woosh!"
The Magic Ball suddenly seemed to split in two.
Anubis leaped through the two, and fell to the ground, missing its attack.
It turned around abruptly and snarled.
"There is no point in the futile struggle! Anubis!"
Sara standing on the player platform clearly captured the changes in the summoning area.
A cute magical spirit like a fox suddenly appeared when Anubis attacked the magic ball. It kicked the Magic Ball flying with its hind feet, and bounced away with its own strength simultaneously, which caused the illusion of the magic ball being divided into two.
But the Health Points of the Red Magic Ball also dropped again due to the kick.
[108→13]
Eevee growled at Anubis as it landed.
Sara remembered that this petite magical spirit should be Dark's Phantom Magic Beast, a one-star spirit with a magic attack and defense of 100.
Just a Phantom Magic Beast wouldn’t be able to hold back the 2-star Anubis, but Dark seemed to have buffed it with some kind of magic spell card during a previous duel.
Sara thought and drew a magical spirit card from her hand.
Anubis, on the other hand, followed Sara’s command and went straight at Eevee!
The red Magic Ball that flew out bounced up after touching the buffer zone on the edge of the summoning area. It gradually lost its kinetic energy, and eventually hovered in the air!
This was both bad news and good news for Sara.
It was bad news because Anubis couldn't jump very high, and the [Shadow Hunt] that could support it to jump up high was still in cooldown.
The good news was that her opponent's magical spirit couldn't touch the Magic Ball either, but the magical spirit she was about to summon was a Bennu Bird!
Bennu Bird was her Phantom Magic Beast, and it was also her first magical spirit.
It was a grey-white "heron" with a long beak and a double-feathered crest.
As long as [Phantom Magic Beast: Bennu Bird] was summoned, she would not have to worry about the situation in the summoning area.
With only 13 points of magic energy left, the life barrier could not withstand even a scratch from Bennu Bird!
...
[Card name: Phantom Magic Beast (Bennu Bird)]
[Type: spirit card]
[Level: ✪]
[Race: Undead-type]
[Attribute: Shadow]
[Magic Energy: 100]
[Attack: 100]
[Defense:100]
[Ultimate: Soul Guidance]
… A few seconds ago...
Dark's summoning was faster than ever.
He felt that he seemed to have broken through the bottleneck of 4-second summoning in this urgent moment!
Two new magic cards he had drawn were his initial magical spirit——[Phantom Magic Beast: Eevee] and [Pride Ⅱ].
Although his Magic Ball's life barrier was reduced so thin that it was almost invisible, the charm of a duel was its infinite possibilities.
Victor would still be unknown until the last minute!
...
He was in a wonderful state.
Nervous yet calm.
Calm yet excited.
His brain was rapidly secreting dopamine.
No duel had ever made him feel this way before.
[Pride II]'s summon was completed in a very short time.
Eevee-chan responded to its master's expectation, bathed in the dark golden brilliance, and was transformed from one star to two stars.
Although its stats were still lower than Anubis, the gap was very close.
Facing Anubis who was attacking from the front, it evaded with dexterous movements and counterattacked with its claws, all in one go.
The difference in intelligence level between the two sides was actually manifested in the close confrontation.
Eevee's reflexes and movements were more smooth than Anubis's.
The confidence and calmness it had when dodging sideways resembled a grand master's demeanor.
"Shuckle!"
Dark's voice came out clearly.
Shuckle, who was pinned by [Shadow Tag], stopped struggling, its eyes lit up with psychic power.
"There is still a chance!"
But he wouldn’t know unless he tried it.
Sphynx Cat's [Shadow Tag] actually did not prevent the release of such skills.
"Screech-"
Suddenly there was a crisp bird screeching in the sky.
The heron-like Bennu Bird was summoned.
Dark's heart skipped a beat, and he was stunned for a moment.
But Eevee who was fighting Anubis reacted!
There was no need for him to give orders at all.
Eevee-chan already raised its head high, and a cold dark golden brilliance bloomed in its proud eyes!
The imposing aura of a higher being made Bennu Bird in the air turn its head uncontrollably.
Once the eyes of both sides met, Bennu Bird's mind was overwhelmed by that imposing aura and the strong sense of inferiority made it lose the desire to attack.
It completely lost the fighting spirit.
"Bennu!"
Sara's shout had a hint of urgency. It was as if since she made that remark, everything started to get very strange.
Suddenly, there were bursts of exclamations from outside the arena.
Sara turned her head sharply and her eyes met with another surprise.
It turned out that Anubis had seized the opportunity and bit Eevee's neck when Eevee raised its head to use [Baby-Doll Eyes]!
However, before a sense of joy could arise within her, Sara was shocked to find that Eevee, who had been fighting back and forth with Anubis, suddenly became extremely "tall".
It was as if the imposing aura Eevee had when using the [Baby-Doll Eyes] was too strong- no that was no right. It actually became much stronger than Anubis!
Anubis’ sharp teeth actually couldn’t pierce through Eevee's neck no matter how hard it tried.
If it wasn't for the fact that Eevee's skin wasn't hard, its teeth would have been broken!
Eevee let Anubis continue to bite its neck as it slowly turned its head, its gaze falling on Anubis had a hint of condescending contempt.
"Vee!" (Garbage!)
