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

　He continued his research until 3 a.m., and successfully crafted the "Ultimate Technique: Misty Field"!

　Despite the many flaws in this "Special Move: Misty Terrain", it is still a huge breakthrough.

　After completing the alchemy, Dark practiced the "Netherworld God Technique" for half an hour before falling asleep.

　After sleeping for only four hours, he woke up before eight o'clock and continued his research to perfect the "Special Move: Misty Terrain".

　By noon, he had directly crafted the first "Ultimate Skill: Misty Field" that was almost identical in effect to the original ultimate skill!

　Such rapid success greatly excited Darko.

　He couldn't wait to continue his research and transform "Special Move: Misty Field" into "Elysium Magic Card: Misty Field".

　But a notification from the Duel Club via the Sorting Card reminded him that the quarterfinals of the "Gold Cup" main tournament would begin this afternoon!

　Although Darko's focus has long since shifted away from the "Golden Cup," he wouldn't simply forfeit the competition.

　Participating in just one or two matches wouldn't take too much time. In fact, he was really looking forward to facing Winnie or Pandora.

　The quarterfinals of the "Golden Cup" will be held over three weeks.

　In the first week, players are randomly matched and battle it out in pairs. The winners and losers will enter the winners' bracket and losers' bracket, respectively.

　Then, the four players in the loser's bracket will compete in the evening session for the loser's bracket elimination round. The two players who lose consecutively will be eliminated.

　In the second week, the four winners in the winners' bracket will compete in pairs. The winners will advance, while the losers will fall into the losers' bracket and compete against the two players waiting in the losers' bracket, eliminating two more players.

　In the third week, there will be the winners' bracket final and the losers' bracket final. The players who lose in the winners' bracket final will fight against the winners in the losers' bracket final. The losers will be eliminated, and the winners will advance to the grand final to fight against the winners of the winners' bracket in the final battle to determine the "Golden Cup" champion!

　But with no hope of winning the "Golden Cup" championship, Dark only hoped to meet Pandora today—or at the very least, Winnie.

　This is completely different from his initial idea of ​​avoiding Pandora.

　Set aside any utilitarian motives and enjoy the purest form of duel.

　He packed up his experimental materials, changed his coat, and went out for lunch. After lunch, the "Golden Cup" quarterfinals began.

Chapter 902 The Golden Cup Quarterfinals Begin! (4k)

　Friday, April 10th. 1 PM.

　As the quarterfinals of the "Golden Cup" are about to begin.

　Audiences from all over the world had already arrived, and the various regional duel venues were quickly filled to capacity.

　Prince Charles, who always tries to appear as a "leisurely person" in front of others, is sitting in his reserved seat today, idly waiting for the duel to begin.

　But people as idle as him are ultimately a minority; neither Alvitt nor Claire were present today.

　Prince Charles squinted at the group of spectators carrying various flags and banners not far away, a faint sense of annoyance flashing through his mind.

　There's nothing he can do right now, and the best strategy is to do nothing. But that's obviously impossible.

　No matter how decadent one may appear on the surface, one must not neglect any of the tasks that need to be done behind the scenes.

　At the very least, intelligence gathering cannot be neglected. "What on earth are they doing?"

　Charles looked away, tilted his head back, and gazed at the boundless sky, his expression somewhat dazed.

　St. Marian Academy, Open-air Duel Arena.

　Students eagerly anticipating the upcoming exciting duel flocked to the arena, which quickly became bustling with activity.

　Edwin Clarissa sat with Mike Irwin among the members of the Society for the Study of Aristocratic History, but a faint sense of helplessness was evident on her face.

　This time, he failed to successfully invite "The Holy Son" Evan Pearson.

　Because that kid from the Doron family beat me to it!

　As the saying goes, "being near the water tower, one gets the moon first," and Doron extended an invitation to Evan Pearson to watch the game together early on.

　Evan Pearson had no reason to refuse, so he readily agreed.

　So, sitting in the circular stands, he now held two flags in his hands, one reading "Go, Dark Dimon! Go!" and the other "Dark Dimon, you will win! You will win!"

　His face was rather unpleasant, clearly showing his reluctance, but that couldn't stop Doron's enthusiasm.

　Sitting next to him was Tommy Smith, wearing a headband that read "Dark Dimon, Victory!", who also looked utterly dejected.

　But who told him to skip his perfectly good weekend and insist on coming to follow His Highness the Holy Son? Now, after a full week at this academy, both Evan Pearson and Tommy Smith are well aware that all the second-year boys in the academy are huge fans of Dark Dimon.

　If you show resistance at this point, you can forget about "fitting in." While enduring humiliation, Evan Pearson couldn't help but want to launch his "challenge plan" ahead of schedule.

　"Tonight it is!"

　"After tonight's matches, I'll challenge Elijah Sheridan, the first of the top sixteen eliminated from the 'Golden Cup'!"

　"Then came Matthew Bilbohm, Marshall Hoantt... all the way up to sixteen men, including Dark Dimon!"

　He gritted his teeth.

　Dark was unaware that Evan Pearson was also "cheering" him on. After leaving the Fantastic Beasts Club, he went straight to the players' lounge in the open-air arena.

　Not long after, the remaining eight players for the "Golden Cup" were all in place.

　Dark met up with Pandora and listened to the staff explain the process of today's competition.

　Although today's match marks the beginning of a double-elimination format, it's not the "opening ceremony" yet, so there's no prelude to the main event.

　However, according to the procedure, the eight contestants who have advanced to the top eight will have to go up to the host's stage once more, where the host will quickly introduce their identities before the draw will begin.

　The eight contestants will draw lots in turn, with contestant number one dueling with contestant number two, contestant number three dueling with contestant number four, and so on, to determine the specific competition schedule.

　By the time the staff finished explaining the competition schedule, it was already 1:30 PM. Dak hadn't even had a chance to have an in-depth conversation with Pandora before the competition had already started.

　Looking out the window from the players' lounge, the entire dueling arena was no different from the opening day last week, and the host, Judy, was also standing on the high platform in the air, calmly and elegantly enlivening the atmosphere.

　The staff quickly came over and told them to go to the "backstage area" not far from the stage.

　By the time they moved to the backstage area, the atmosphere had become extremely lively.

　"Today is the day of the duel! The quarterfinals of the 'Golden Cup'... officially begin! Let us invite the eight contestants to the stage!"

　Senior Judy, microphone in hand, announced excitedly. Afterwards, Dark and the others, guided by staff, stood on the rising platform and ascended the floating stage.

　The eight contestants who made it to the quarterfinals of the "Golden Cup" lined up in a row. Senior Judy introduced each of the eight contestants in just a few sentences, starting with the first one on the right.

　In this way, even new viewers have gained a preliminary impression of these eight contestants.

　The eight contestants are:

　Luke Becky, the "Dragon Slayer," from the sixth-year Fools' Academy. Torrey Wadsworth, the "Thunder Blade," from the fifth-year Noble Academy.

　Pandora Dragon, the "Silver Dragon Girl" from the fifth-year Magic Academy

　Taylor Spencer, the "Iron Warrior" from the fifth-year Knight Academy. Winnie Skadi, the "Daughter of Winter" from the fourth-year Magic Academy. Mars Carey, the "Battle Spirit" from the fourth-year Knight Academy. Philomena Bach, the "Foresight" from the fourth-year Fools' Academy.

　Dark Dimon, the "Star Child" from the second-year aristocratic academy.

　The appearance of these eight contestants, ranging from sixth grade to second grade, excited the entire audience, who became increasingly impatient.

　Supporters of each contestant chanted their names with all their might, as if trying to overwhelm the other supporters with their voices.

　On the ring track, Dorron, along with Evan Pearson, cheered for Dark, completely ignoring Evan Pearson's embarrassed expression.

　Once the atmosphere was sufficiently built up, Judy, as if performing magic, suddenly waved her hand and conjured a box full of number plates on the stage.

　Then she excitedly announced, "Now, let's proceed with the draw! As is customary, the first winner from last week's competition—'Thunderblade' Torre Wordsworth—will draw the lots."

　"It's finally time for the lottery."

　Dark stood at the far left of the line, his eyes lighting up. Although he had considered meeting Pandora as soon as possible, the fact was that none of the eight finalists in the "Golden Cup" were to be underestimated. No matter which one he drew, he would have to be cautious in the upcoming duel.

　Amidst cheers from the audience, Torrey Wadsworth walked up to the lottery box, reached in without hesitation, and pulled out a palm-sized number.

　"Let's see what number Torrey Wordsworth drew," Judy pointed, and the number plate in Torrey Wordsworth's hand was magnified in the projection.

　"It's number six! It seems Torrey Wadsworth is in luck; it's a very auspicious number. Torrey Wadsworth's opponent will be number five!"

　Torrey Wadsworth put away his number and stepped back.

　Immediately afterward, the dark horse of the fourth-year Knight Academy—Mars Carey—strode to the front. He paused in front of the lottery box, then reached in and drew—[Number Eight]!

　Then, Dak Dimon quickly stepped forward.

　Mars Carey is indeed a dark horse with outstanding potential, but Dark is not interested in him.

　"Hopefully it's not 'Number Seven'."

　Thinking this, he reached into the lottery box, randomly picked a number, and drew it out.

　"It's 'Number One'!"

　Before he could even check, Senior Judy loudly announced, "Dark Dimon has drawn 'Number One'! He will appear in the first duel after the draw!"

　Instantly, a deafening roar of cheers erupted from the stands outside the stadium, showcasing its immense popularity.

　Dak squinted and stepped back. Drawing "number one" was unexpected.

　Being the first to step up in a match like this definitely puts extra pressure on you.

　Moreover, in today's competition, there was only fifteen minutes of preparation time before the first match.

　However, it should be a quick and decisive battle.

　If he can win the first match directly, then he doesn't need to watch the remaining matches and can go straight back to his dormitory to continue his research on "Paradise? Mist Field".

　"There are five contestants left. Who will draw number two?"

　Dark looked ahead, and following him was the only sixth-year student in the quarterfinals—"Dragon Slayer" Luke Becky.

　Luke Becky has been a well-established star for a long time and is a favorite to win this year's "Golden Cup".

　As he stepped out of the queue, cheers immediately erupted again from the audience, which had just quieted down.

　He grinned and strode over to the lottery box. The numbers drawn so far were "number one," "number six," and "number eight." As long as they didn't draw "number three" or "number four," a group of contestants would be decided.

　Luke Becky reached into the box and suddenly whispered, "Number two, number two!"

　Clearly, the one he most wanted to draw was "number two"!

　It's not because "Number Two" is the opposite of "Number One" who is a second-year student; it's just that I want to defeat him badly!

　"Number Two, Number Two..."

　Luke Becky abruptly pulled out his number plate and held it high. The plate clearly read "Two"! "Good!"

　He suddenly clenched his fist and couldn't help but let out a low shout.

　His undisguised excitement caused some people who noticed him to frown.

　"It's 'Number Two'! Luke Becky has drawn number two! Excellent, the first group of contestants has finally appeared!"

　Judy, the senior student, announced loudly.

　"Today's first duel will be between Dark Dimon from the second-year Noble Academy and Luke Becky from the sixth-year Fool's Academy!"

　"Second year vs. sixth year! This is undoubtedly the most lopsided duel between students of different grades in this Golden Cup main tournament."

　"But I believe that age doesn't determine everything. Dark Dimon and Luke Becky will definitely put on a spectacular duel for us!"

　"Now, let's invite the next contestant to come up and draw lots."

　"It's a sixth-grade contestant..."

　"On the ring road," Evan Pearson couldn't help but ask, "Is that Luke Becky any good? Can Dark Dimon handle him?"

　Doron patted Evan Pearson on the shoulder and said, "That's the 'Dragon Slayer'! Of course he's incredibly powerful. But don't worry, Dark will always find a way. Just cheer us on! We'll overwhelm everyone with our volume! Let the whole arena be filled with our support!"

　Evan Pearson: "Uh..."

　"what a pity."

　Dark's eyes narrowed involuntarily.

　When Luke Becky returned from the front desk, he glanced very clearly in his direction, his eyes practically brimming with excitement.

　Considering his excitement when he drew number "two," Dark couldn't help but wonder if he had some deep-seated grudge against this sixth-year senior.

　But it doesn't matter; whether there's hatred or not, the true test will be in the duel. Dark didn't mind; he was only disappointed that he hadn't drawn Pandora.

　Philomena Bach, the vice president of the "Astrology Society," who came forward next, drew number five.

　Pandora Dragon, the "Silver Dragon Girl," drew number three. Winnie Skadi, the "Daughter of Winter," drew number four. Tyler Spencer, a fifth-year student in the "Sports Club," drew the final number, number seven.

　Judy waved her hand, and today's match schedule appeared on the projection above everyone's heads.