The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　He stepped forward, replaced the magic ball with one full of magic power, activated the life barrier, and then inspected the card table on the players' platform.

　After the inspection was completed, the two contestants met in the middle, shook hands, and exchanged greetings, creating a very ceremonial atmosphere.

　“Don’t forget the bet,” Elurly Clarissa said softly as she released her grip.

　Dark replied with a serious expression, "I'm already thinking about which magic card to choose from your deck."

　Eluri suddenly looked up, her smile as bright as the sun: "Very good, this is what a duel should be! If you want to win, then show me!"

　She then took a half step back and turned around abruptly, with a graceful and decisive air.

　Dark glanced at her back, then composed himself and turned to walk toward the blue team's platform.

　This time, he was still on the blue team, while Eluri was on the red team.

　Both contestants took to the stage, and the cheers from their respective fans were evenly matched.

　Of all the senior duelists Dark has faced so far, the Fairy Princess is definitely the most troublesome.

　Or rather, she was the first duelist Dark had ever encountered who could be called "top-tier in the academy."

　Ranking fourteenth in the points competition is enough to prove her strength, and she must be a match for the opponents Dark had previously faced.

　The hands are completely different.

　"Trust your magic cards."

　Darke composed himself for a moment, then placed the reconstructed deck into the card slots on the table and activated the shuffle.

　The projection went up into the air, displaying the words "Preparation Phase".

　The two exchanged a glance and then quietly awaited the start of the duel.

　A bet made in private is naturally something that can't be brought up in public.

　But to outsiders, this duel was also a crucial match in determining the spots for the main tournament of the Gold Cup.

　Fans from all sides naturally hope that their favorite contestants can step onto a bigger stage and engage in more intense battles.

　Show your true self, and ultimately lift the trophy and win the championship!

　[Preparation Phase] [30 seconds]

　"The battle begins!"

　The moment the match began, the momentum of both players changed abruptly, drawing their cards from the top of their decks at lightning speed.

　Play five magic cards and add them to your hand.

　Darke glanced down and saw his hand.

　Cursed Cage: Impmon

　【Fantasy Beasts: Ditto】

　【Paradise IV? Month】

　【Paradise IV】

　Fire-breathing Dragon

　"Two Tier 1 Magical Spirit Cards, one Tier 3 Magical Spirit Card, and two Great Sin Cards."

　"One [Paradise IV? Month], one (Paradise IV)"

　【Elysium IV? Moon】 and 【Elysium IV】 are not the same card. Therefore, Dark included a total of three in the deck.

　Zhang [Paradise IV ● Moon] was also drawn in the first round.

　But the [Paradise IV] that was drawn at the same time was undoubtedly a surprise among surprises.

　How to summon a nine-star magical spirit in the fastest way

　Naturally, we should use the complete [Elysium IV]!

　However, while Dark obtained [Elysium IV], he did not obtain a Digimon that could evolve into a nine-star Magical Spirit.

　Both [Cursed Cage: Impmon] and [Magical Beast: Ditto] only evolve into eight-star Magical Spirits.

　Therefore, at this moment, Dak must make a choice!

　Did they use [Elysium IV] immediately to evolve an eight-star magical spirit and dominate the battle, or...?

　Is it better to first use [Elysium IV? Moon] to get through one round, and then gamble on getting [Garbumon: Magic Beast] in the second round, or...

　Other Digimon

　Alternatively, as a compromise, first evolve [Elysium IV? Moon] into a single Magical Spirit, and then see if the situation improves.

　However, this would require four consecutive summons, taking at least 21 seconds, and there's also the possibility of being targeted midway through, preventing a successful summon.

　Moreover, being one step behind means being behind at every step; losing the initiative means losing the rhythm.

　He had watched Eluri Clarissa's matches; Eluri Clarissa's tactical system was extremely sharp. Not only did she possess the means to forcefully summon high-star magical Pokémon in the initial round, but she also had a knack for various transformations, maximizing the unpredictability of the Fairy type and giving her opponents no chance to breathe during the duel.

　Most of the matches she lost were due to her opponents' brute force and overwhelming her.

　For example, at last year's Easter Duel Festival, she lost to the then fifth-grader, the "Dragon Slayer."

　Luke Becky's tactical system was broken by brute force, resulting in his unfortunate defeat.

　In comparison, Dark's skill at this point is actually somewhat lacking.

　But that gap cannot be bridged on the spot.

　So, is it Devimon or Ditto?

　As the 30-second countdown was about to end, Dark skipped the question "Use [Elysium IV]?"

　The question has escalated to "Which magical spirit should I use [Elysium IV] on?"

　【Fantasy Beast: Ditto】 Flexible and versatile, starts at three stars, and has relatively high stats, so you don't need to worry too much about being overpowered.

　Targeting flash sales.

　Moreover, after its star rating is upgraded to eight stars, it also has 3350 points of magic power.

　The weakness is that even after upgrading to eight stars, its effectiveness depends on whether the opponent can summon a magical spirit worth copying.

　Otherwise, the single [Ditto] is not competitive among eight-star monsters.

　Conversely, CursedCage: Impiemon evolves into CursedCage: LadyDevimon, which, even at higher levels...

　It can maintain strong competitiveness even among one-star and nine-star magical spirits.

　On the contrary, its physical form is far too fragile. If Eluri Clarissa were to summon an instant-cast ranged spell at the start, it would be instantly killed.

　This will indeed be a problem most of the time.

　But with the current hand, it's not that crucial.

　After [Cursed Cage: Impmon] is gone, just summon [Dittomon] instead!

　In any case, the summoning rhythm of both sides is exactly the same; it's just a normal pairing.

　Dark simply didn't believe that Eluri Clarissa could summon magic cards twice in a row to counter her!

　"In the name of Dark Demon, I summon [Cursed Cage: Impmon]!"

　[Battle Phase] The moment it begins, Dark casts a normal summoning spell.

　Just three seconds later, Impmon materialized in the sky above the blue team's summoning zone.

　It suddenly opened its eyes and saw that it was the only one in the entire arena, along with a magical spirit directly opposite it.

　His face lit up with ecstatic joy!

　"Here it comes, it's finally here! The great little Devimon has finally arrived at its own stage! Please welcome Devimon to ascend the throne!"

　The little devil mumbled incomprehensible words.

　In the red team's summoning zone, Eluri Clarissa surprisingly chose to start with a Magical Spirit.

　This is actually a kind of consideration.

　Because Dark's decks so far have clearly lacked spell cards—this is a common problem for second-year and even third-year students!

　Second-year students begin learning [magical language], and third-year students only begin specialized instruction in the crafting of [magic cards].

　Therefore, second and third year students usually don't have particularly high proficiency in [magic cards].

　Of course, there are always exceptions.

　Like Winnie Skadi, her mastery of ice-type [magic cards] was already quite high by her third year.

　A level that students can hardly match.

　However, this phenomenon has not yet occurred with Dark Dimon, who specializes in [Magical Spirit Cards].

　Therefore, Eluri Clarissa confidently summoned a very weak magical spirit, [Wishbone], in the first round!

　Card Name: Wishing Man

　[Type: Spirit Card]

　[Level: co0]

　[Race: Fairy]

　[Attribute: Fairy]

　【Magic Power: 900】

　[Attack: 300]

　[Defense: 600]

　[Ultimate Skill: Fairy Wish, Fairy Wish]

　【Wishing Old Man】is a magical spirit that looks like a little old man.

　It was no more than two feet tall, with a round head and eyes, nose, and mouth that looked as if they were painted on its head, and a long neck.

　The lower part is like a roly-poly toy, without feet, and can only move by jumping.

　With his arms hanging at his sides, he was quite agile.

　As a three-star magical spirit, Wishful Thinking's stats are pitifully low, but it possesses three ultimate moves.

　Oh, three identical ultimate moves, why not just call it (Three Wishes)?

　The Wishing Man, according to legend, lives deep in the misty mountains; whoever finds him can grant their wish.

　The three wishes are a type of magical spirit with maximum rarity.

　Of course, the wishes it can fulfill are very limited.

　Moreover, it's impossible to "create something from nothing".

　However, in magical duels, this can be used to perform a variety of maneuvers.

　The Wishing Man, upon being manifested, leaned forward, raised his hands, and formed three long incense sticks. He then inserted the three incense sticks one by one into the void.

　Those three long incense sticks were lit at the same time!

　"My first wish is for the immortals to disappear into the mist."

　Eluri Clarissa smiled and uttered her first wish. One of the three long incense sticks visibly accelerated its burning, burning all the way to the end. Then, after both contestants completed their second wish...

　Before the next summoning, the incense smoke suddenly expanded, turning into pink smoke that enveloped a small portion of the red team's territory.

　[Wishing Old Man] and the magic ball behind him suddenly disappeared.

　This disappearance is not simply "invisibility".

　Eluri Clarissa conducted extensive testing on the Wishing Witch's abilities. She had a detailed understanding of the wishes that its Fairy Wish could grant, and how quickly those wishes were fulfilled.

　This [Fairy Traces Hidden in the Mist] should be a wish that fits the [Wishing Elder] best and can be fulfilled the fastest.

　Almost immediately after she completed her second summoning, she uttered her second wish: "Second wish, summon a fairy."

　Come.'

　The time required to realize this wish is relatively long.

　The "Wishing Elder" needs to pray to the long incense sticks, and only after the second incense stick has slowly burned out can his wish be granted.

　Since it takes a long time, the [Fairy Trail in the Mist] is needed as a prelude.