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

　Darke showed extra care for Spikelon because he could always see a bit of himself in the little lion.

　Fortunately, the little lion doesn't need to worry about his self being invaded; the soul erosion caused by the "Mind Demon" will at most change his soul race. And because his physical body remains unchanged, it will not affect his offspring.

　The corruption of the "Mind Demon" will also strengthen their mental power, grant them immunity to some mental spells, and make them much more magically gifted than ordinary orcs. In short, there are many benefits.

　Of course, from Spikelon's own perspective, he probably wouldn't want his soul race to be changed. But that's something he can only change if he has the corresponding strength.

　Seeing the lion cub grow up, Dak couldn't help but feel gratified.

　With the appearance of the lion prince Spyclaion and the moon elf girl Lolo Artemis, the atmosphere at the scene, which had just cooled down, rose again.

　Moon Elves are high-ranking elves who are born noble, making them very eye-catching.

　Spireon, on the other hand, was a former student of St. Marian Academy and the thirty-third son of "Lionheart." These two titles alone were enough to make him the center of attention.

　Although this duel is still a battle between orcs and elves, the highlights are different.

　If the grassland elves and rhinoceros beastmen are "commoners," then the moon elves and lion princes are the representatives of "nobility."

　As for the different grade levels... the lower grades naturally have their own exciting moments. The audience mainly watches the competition, whether it's a clash between strong teams or a battle between weaker opponents, each has its own unique appeal.

　It remains to be seen whether the "divine cause" that has gathered here will be satisfied.

　"Expand your domain!" "Expand your domain!"

　As Spikeion and Nono Artemis engaged in their duel, a bright light illuminated the high platform.

　A new round of duels has officially begun!

　Although Spikelon was an orc prince, he did not have any totems tattooed on his body.

　He did not master the power of totems, and his knowledge was mainly from St. Mary's Academy. His own strength was only slightly stronger than that of lionmen of the same age.

　Therefore, although he is a lion-man, he is a standard mage, and relatively speaking, he is very pure.

　On the other hand, Nono Artemis possesses additional healing spells, giving her considerable talent as a healer.

　However, Nono Artemis's physical abilities were quite average. Aside from being slightly faster at running, he had practically nothing else to offer.

　Comparing the basic abilities of both sides, they are evenly matched, with some being stronger and others weaker, and both primarily focused on magic.

　This makes their duels more traditional.

　Moreover, Spiclaon was not proficient in casting spells while moving, so he could not cast spells while moving at high speed like the older elves and orcs before him.

　Therefore, both sides started with a very ordinary magical spirit summoning. However, Spikelon summoned a lion mount covered in steel armor at the beginning.

　However, Nono Artemis summoned a square-shaped magical sprite, resembling a block of tofu.

　She jogged to the corner of the field, and the tofu-block-shaped magical sprite suddenly changed its form, sealing off that corner.

　The magical spirit's body was completely transparent, allowing the eye to see through it. Nono Artemis swallowed slightly and continued her summoning from the corner.

　Her magical spirit has an attack power of 0 and is a defense-specialized type. Not only does it possess extremely high defense, but it also has some damage reduction.

　Although it is only a three-star weapon, it can withstand attacks from six-star weapons.

　Furthermore, combined with the short-cooldown healing spells mastered by Nono Artemis, this defensive barrier can be made even more durable.

　If she can draw a magic card or equipment that matches this magical spirit, she can further enhance its defense, taking the "turtle shell tactic" to the extreme.

　While her defensive capabilities have their limits, she is only a second-year student. If facing an opponent of the same grade, she would be close to invincible, if not completely unbeatable.

　In this situation, she can relieve her tension and focus more on tactics and summoning options.

　Once she found her own rhythm, she felt pretty good about herself.

　However, Spikelon was no pushover either.

　Nono Artemis adopted a tortoise-shell tactic, allowing him to fully unleash his power. Therefore, he didn't hesitate to summon, summon, and then sacrifice another summon, until a six-star magical spirit was summoned beside him, launching a terrifying attack on Nono Artemis's defenses.

　However, the impact of the ultimate attack was absorbed by the tofu-like defensive barrier, and the magical spirit of Sparrow was bounced back, immediately gripping the ground and roaring angrily.

　Spireon walked calmly to the magical sprite's side, without any anxiety in his heart.

　There is no perfect defense in this world; as long as you observe, you can find weaknesses.

　And at the same time.

　Hiding behind the defensive wall, Nono Artemis summoned a jelly-like magical sprite.

　The magical sprite had wings and flew in the air, constantly splitting into smaller individuals.

　This is similar to Dark's "Greedy Slime," both being powerful techniques that can create a large number of sacrifices in a short period of time.

　After successfully retreating, quickly summon powerful magical spirits to attack.

　If there is only defense, then it will be breached sooner or later. Nonothemis was well aware of this.

　Therefore, although her deck is mainly defensive, it also has some strong offensive cards, but there are few of them, and they require a bit of luck to work with.

　And without a doubt, she was lucky today, with one powerful magic card among her initial five cards.

　It's a pity she didn't pierce the arrow; otherwise, shooting from behind the tortoise shell would have been a very good tactic.

　The duel between the lion prince and the moon elf gradually unfolds.

　Having just witnessed the performance of the grassland elves and the rhinoceros beastmen, the audience felt a sense of returning to the past when they watched the duel between the two again.

　But sometimes, after getting used to delicacies, it's good to have some cornbread to balance things out.

　Although they haven't gotten used to the food yet.

　……

　Spike is in deep trouble.

　On the viewing platform, several second-year contestants from St. Mary's Academy couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

　Anna and Angie were particularly active; the two little princesses knew they probably wouldn't get a spot in the main competition, so they paid extra attention to the exhibition matches.

　However, not being able to participate in the main competition is also a relief for them.

　It's not that they didn't want to win, it's just that they weren't qualified.

　This was not a crime committed in the course of war, and even the old king had nothing to say about it.

　It's a loss for them to not be able to participate in the main competition, so they can only make up for it with this exhibition match.

　"If it's Spike's, then there should be a way to deal with it."

　"While the Moon Elf's magical sprites possess extremely strong defensive capabilities, they are clearly biased towards physical attacks. They are much weaker in terms of magical defense, especially against intangible mental spells. On the other hand, Spike, despite his muscular physique, is exceptionally skilled in mental attacks... Oh, I was referring to his magical sprites."

　“Using mental attacks is indeed one option, but mages have stronger mental defenses than ordinary people, not to mention that the opponent is a moon elf. Whether Spike’s mental attacks will be effective depends on his own strength.”

　The second-year contestants were relatively familiar with Spike, and they were able to analyze his abilities and feasible strategies clearly in just a few words.

　And Spicerion himself seems to think so too.

　He has an extremely high affinity for mental magic, and when he uses it at full power, he can even enhance the mental attacks of magical spirits.

　However, Nonoathene's defenses are not very effective against mental attacks. Skillful use of mental attacks can directly penetrate that defense and strike Nonoathene directly.

　Of course, this method is not very effective against mages with strong mental resistance.

　However, Spikelon was very confident in this aspect only – all the hardships he had endured over the years had not been in vain.

　However, just when he finally had time to implement his plan, an unexpected event occurred.

　The magical spirits he summoned, amplified by his mental power, unleashed...

　It unleashed an extremely powerful mental attack, which successfully penetrated the tofu-like magical sprite and struck Nono Artemis directly.

　Nono Artemis took full damage from the mental attack and immediately lost consciousness, fainting.

　But she didn't collapse!

　It's hard for someone who wasn't there to describe the feeling.

　In short, Nonothemis closed her eyes for a fleeting moment and then immediately opened them again. But from that moment on, her entire demeanor changed dramatically.

　Spikelon could clearly sense that her mental fluctuations, which had become disordered due to the attack, instantly calmed down, as if she had never been attacked at all.

　Furthermore, Nono Artemis's spiritual power surged dramatically at that moment, acquiring an indescribable sacredness.

　Spyclaion felt that the person he was facing was no longer the original Nono Artemis, and the pressure on him increased sharply.

　He took the initiative to participate this time, determined to win.

　If he fails, although his Dao heart will not be shattered, he will certainly be depressed for a long time, and his reputation among his companions will be reduced, making his situation even worse.

　"We can't give her time!"

　The thought suddenly flashed through Spike's mind.

　He instinctively felt that if Nono Artemis were given even a little bit of time, victory in this battle would forever be out of his reach.

　Under this warning, Spikelon did not hesitate any longer and immediately activated the magic card he already possessed—"Blood Boil"!

　"Blood Boiling" was originally a special spell that only orc Sama or witch doctors could learn. It was a high-level spell used exclusively by orcs, which could cause orcs to passively go berserk.

　However, after being converted into a magic card, it became usable only against bird-beast species. Spectre directly used "Beast Blood Boil" on his strongest existing magic spirit, causing a surge of blood to rise in its eyes, instantly turning it into a berserk state.

　Its body deformed amidst the roar, magic poured out like water, rationality under intelligent logic completely disappeared, and it launched the most ferocious attack on the nearest target!

　At that moment, its attack power instantly surged to an unbelievable level at the cost of this, tearing the tofu-like magical elf apart with its bare claws and fiercely pouncing on the exquisite and adorable moon elf girl who looked like a porcelain doll.

　In that instant, Nonothemis suddenly looked up, her amber eyes widening instantly, and a sacred and solemn aura suddenly erupted.

　Spikeion's magical sprite was leaping into the air when it suddenly froze after the burst of that aura, unable to move even a single hair on its body.

　A look of surprise flashed across Spikelon's face; he never expected that his actions would be a step too late.

　This moon elf likely possesses a hidden power within him. With that power alone, his opponent could easily overwhelm him.

　His mental attack on the moon spirit only served to unleash her power. Victory in this duel was now completely out of his reach…

　Just as Spycreon was about to lose heart, Nono Artemis's eyes suddenly lost their luster, and the mysterious aura emanating from her body vanished as if it had been interrupted. The magical spirit she had been controlling regained its movement and pounced on her almost without hesitation.

　Spycreon was startled and instinctively reached out to grab the magical spirit's tail. But he couldn't hold on with his strength and was immediately dragged forward, tilting to one side.

　A sudden inspiration struck him, and he abruptly issued a command. The other magical spirit beside him immediately unleashed a pillar of fire at the magical spirit whose beast blood was boiling!

　At the same time, the Moon Elf's magical sprites finally reacted and took the initiative to fight back, temporarily blocking the magical sprite whose beastly blood was boiling.

　"boom--"

　The massive body of the magical spirit was sent flying by the side impact of the pillar of fire.

　The moon elf's magical sprite chased after it, which happened to attract its attention.

　"Whoosh—__"

　Just as the audience was completely bewildered by this sudden turn of events, the referee suddenly blew his whistle and shouted loudly.

　"The battle is over!"

　"Winner: Spikelon!" "Please cease your attack immediately!"

　Spycreon looked sharply toward where Nonothemis was and saw that she had completely lost her mind and collapsed.

　Spikelon quickly ran over to help her up, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

　They won... but it also seems like they didn't win.

　Suddenly, some slightly unsettling, ambiguous music filled the air. Sparrow suddenly realized what was happening, quickly placed Nono Artemis on the ground, and retreated a few steps to deal with the enraged magical spirit.

　As the duel ended, black light suddenly shone from both sides' "graveyards," and rays of light flowed into the duelists' bodies.

　Spyclaion immediately felt his minor injuries completely disappear. On the other side, Nonothemis also awoke from her daze.

　After dealing with the magical sprite, Spikeion didn't even glance at the moon sprite before quickly leaving the scene.

　But just as he was about to walk away, he was stopped by Judy.

　Spike, who wanted to escape the post-game interview, immediately wore a bitter expression.

　After the duel ended and both fighters left the arena, the post-match commentators began their analysis. However, neither the audience nor the fighters themselves were truly focused on the duel itself.

　Nono Artemis hurriedly ran back to the viewing platform, and as she listened to her companions recount the unexpected events that had occurred during her duel, she became increasingly flustered.

　Her companions offered words of comfort, saying it wasn't a big deal. Then, as the voice of "Elf Princess" Lucia Artemis reached her, Nono Artemis finally calmed down and apologized profusely to the princess.

　Lucia, of course, wouldn't blame her, and comforted her like a child. Meanwhile, Spikeon, completely stiff, was led onto the stage. He felt his victory was unfair and wanted to avoid the host's winner's interview. But Judy clearly saw through his thoughts, and then… asked without any mercy, "Spike, how does it feel to win?"

　Spike: "..."

　If it were an orc, they'd probably be cursing right now.