Soon, Croix's expression turned somewhat sorrowful again as he looked at Dekan and asked, "Do you know there's a tier 3 spell card called 'Pain Nullification'?"
"Yeah," Dekan replied calmly, wearing a faint smile.
"Then how do you plan to defeat him? You’ll need to rely on your pain archetype deck in order to defeat opponents higher tiers than you!”
"Hmph, how about this, if I can openly defeat Flatta in a duel, you won't hesitate anymore and admit that you're a member of our Team Beautiful Mind, deal?"
"..."
After a moment of silence, Croix nodded heavily, "Alright, I promise you. But you better win!"
"Don't worry."
Dekan waved his hand confidently, a smug smile on his face.
He turned to Cornelia, who was standing beside him, and asked, "Cornelia, we’re having a welcoming party and celebration tonight. What would you like to eat?"
"Grilled!"
"Grilled meat, it is."
Seeing Dekan's self-assured look, Croix couldn't help but smile wryly.
Cornelia: "Treat!"
Dekan: "Cornelia says she's treating tonight."
"Thank you... By the way, I had a doubt earlier. How do you understand what Cornelia means?"
Croix finally couldn't resist asking.
Dekan: "It's quite simple actually. Look into her eyes and you’d naturally understand."
Croix: "???"
And here I thought you guys had a team voice chat and didn't invite me in.
By now, many of the students who had gathered to watch the commotion had dispersed.
However, some students were still witnessing the historic moment when the three giants from Team Beautiful Heart met.
Claire suddenly walked up to Croix.
"Are you an idiot? Are you just going to let Flatta bully you?"
She glared at Croix with some anger.
"What he said is true... I've committed irreparable mistakes. I've let your sister down, and I've let you down."
As soon as he saw her, Croix seemed to deflate.
"You've let us down, but you haven't let him down! I just can't stand how you play the role of the perpetrator and the victim, feeling remorseful for your actions all the time. You deserve to be timid for the rest of your life!"
Claire seemed quite upset, and she briskly left the classroom.
Croix seemed to have grown used to her scolding and didn't say a word in response. Instead, he awkwardly smiled at Dekan and Cornelia after Claire left.
"I’m sorry that you had to witness that."
"...What's your relationship with her?" Dekan asked.
"It's terrible. When she was younger, she didn't dislike me as much, but ever since her sister got seriously injured, she's hated me to the core."
"...Is there a possibility that she both hates and loves you?"
"What are you joking about?"
Croix widened his eyes, and his voice got louder.
"Next time, try forcefully pinning her to the wall and see her reaction?"
"Then she'll never forgive me for the rest of her life!"
"Forget it, figure it out on your own."
Dekan patted Croix on the shoulder and decided not to say more.
Some things were always clearer to observers than to those directly involved.
Watching a game without words was also a form of enjoyment.
...
The news of Flatta's upcoming duel with Dekan quickly spread throughout the academy.
Before the agreed-upon time of two o'clock, the Phantom Arena was already bustling as if it were hosting a grand celebration.
The main structure of the arena resembled a coliseum, with a transparent barrier at the top sealing it off.
The venue was divided into various zones, but the most prominent was the "Artificial Shadow World Activation Device" placed in the center.
The walls of the circular outer perimeter and the dividing zones were adorned with large projection screens that displayed the conditions and data from the artificial shadow world.
Good seats in the audience section had already been occupied by students who arrived early.
Whether they were fans, spectators, or just curious, everyone wanted to witness the spectacle.
After all, many people had guessed that, in this duel, Dekan would likely be targeted with counter cards.
And as a card maker, Dekan didn't have enough time to create new cards specifically to counter Flatta.
In theory, Flatta, an elite tier 5 mage, had the upper hand.
But for some reason, everyone had a feeling that Dekan might have some tricks up his sleeve.
Moreover, if Dekan did win, Flatta would undoubtedly end up in a miserable state.
This was the risk one took when betting against the devil.
Even many teachers had shown up, especially the faculty and medical staff from the College of Alchemy.
In theory, the Artificial Shadow World Phantom Valley was absolutely safe.
But last time, Dekan had Professor Arnold carried out on a stretcher.
It indicated that there might still be some unknown safety hazards.
Croix and Cornelia sat in the audience section.
Even Teacher Cat had come to join the excitement and took a seat next to Croix.
"Speaking of which, this guy is only at tier 3. Can he win against Flatta, meow?"
"I don't know, but I bet on Flatta to win."
"...Shouldn't you bet on Dekan to win, meow?"
"My luck hardly ever wins."
"I suddenly realized you seem to be a curse-type too, meow. No wonder that guy has taken a liking to you!"
...
The Artificial Shadow World was now ready for duel mode and had its parameters set by the arena's technicians.
The default setting had no time limit and, to ensure fairness, no external communication could be established with the inside of the Shadow World during the match.
They only needed Dekan and Flatta to enter through the Void Gate.
Both of them stood at the entrance, seemingly waiting for each other.
"What's the matter, scared?" Flatta sneered.
Dekan didn't respond to him; instead, he spoke to one of the technicians for a moment.
Shortly after, the technician brought a document and a pen.
Dekan quickly signed it.
"Let's sign a life and death contract first."
After signing, Dekan handed the "Artificial Shadow World Activation Device Usage Disclaimer and Risk Acknowledgement Form" to Flatta.
"...Is this necessary?" A strong sense of unease welled up within Flatta.
For him, signing this thing was all harm and no benefit.
"According to the rules of the Phantom Valley duel mode, it's necessary. Many students have skipped this step and that is an improper procedure," Dekan explained.
Dekan then produced a "Artificial Shadow World Activation Device User Manual" and flipped to a certain page before handing it to Flatta.
Flatta's mouth twitched.
Who the heck has the time to flip through this book!
Although he was very reluctant to sign it, he asked a technician nearby, and the response confirmed that Dekan wasn't bluffing.
Generally, both sides skipped this step because they approached the duel with a friendly mindset.
However, if one of the duelists requested the signing, it had to be done according to the regulations.
"Phew, what a mind game."
Flatta, although uneasy, quickly realized that Dekan was trying to mess with his mindset before the match.
As long as he completely nullified his pain perception, there was no danger in the Artificial Shadow World.
Even if he encountered real danger during the duel, he could choose to surrender and exit the Shadow World voluntarily.
Flatta decisively signed the document and handed it to the technician.
"All right, can we start the duel now?" Flatta asked.
"Sure thing, let's go and have an enjoyable duel," Dekan replied with a smile as he walked into the Void Gate.
