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

　Blindly trusting one's intuition often leads to unforeseen traps. Diana suddenly swung her head, forcefully twisting her body in mid-air, switching her right-hand spear to her left-hand spear, and thrusting it backward with the butt of the spear as the tip.

　The air currents swirled, and beams of energy shot out.

　Diana dodged the "ghost's" second attack, and with her left-hand spear, she killed the last remaining remnant of the "ghost" in a completely illogical way!

　The omnipresent malice in the air vanished without a trace in that instant.

　Diana flapped her wings and hovered in the air, observing her surroundings with extreme vigilance, finally confirming that the "ghost" had completely disappeared.

　Her overly excited emotions gradually subsided, and she heard the joyful sounds of "God's Cause" in her ears.

　But she didn't let her guard down completely, because the duel wasn't over. Turning in mid-air, Diana's gaze swept across the room almost instantly, spotting Sammy Tommy in the corner. Then, she slowly raised "Wrath of the Bear" towards Sammy Tommy!

　"The duel is not over yet!"

　When the killing intent was locked on, Sammy Tommy finally remembered that they were still in the midst of a duel.

　His expression changed, and he quickly drew a card.

　But he had just finished summoning it when the giant spear, carrying immense wind force, crossed the field and flew towards him.

　The grass-type elemental creature that materialized in front of him was instantly killed by a single shot. He stumbled to the side, looking somewhat disheveled.

　But after turning over, he stood up again, the three-second cooldown was over, and he continued to summon.

　At this point, the opponent has no more throwable weapons, giving him the opportunity to rebuild his territory.

　"In the name of Sammy Tommy, a magical summoning—[Plant Regeneration]!"

　This is a magic card specifically for plants, which can grant a temporary regeneration to dead plants.

　This type of magic card is effective not only on the plants themselves, but also on the magical spirits of the plant species.

　However, that could not possibly be used on the nine-star plant species, "King of the Forest," and even if it could regenerate, the offspring would be "Child of the Forest."

　Sammy Tommy's regeneration is that of the tree spirit revived during the "Forest Frenzy".

　Although those tree spirits cannot be sacrificed, their resurrection comes at a low cost, and they can regenerate a large number at once, which can temporarily hold off the enemy...

　"boom!"

　A giant bear with wings descended from the sky and crushed several tree spirits that had just gotten up with one foot.

　Diana slammed her hand down on the ground without hesitation.

　The last thing Sammy Tommy saw in this duel was a dark shadow looming down from above—a giant bear paw!

　"boom!"

　"Wow—"

　"The battle is over!"

　"Winner: Diana Gretby!" The referee's voice seemed even more excited than the player's.

　Diana sat down, shaking her head. All she could hear was a constant buzzing in her ears, a truly annoying cacophony.

　[14k, bounty settled.]

　June is over. I might take a day off tomorrow, or I might not. There's a lot of stuff that needs to be done at the end of the month.

Chapter 1196 It's You, the Second Hero (4k)

　【cemetery】.

　The fear of turning into a little pancake still lingered in Sammy Tommy's mind. But thankfully, the pain hadn't truly taken hold; the feeling of death remained merely at the level of fear.

　Sammy Tommy instinctively turned his head to look for Diana, just in time to see her transform back into her original form from her "Fairy Bear" form, sitting there...slapping her forehead.

　For some reason, a very absurd feeling suddenly rose in Sammy Tommy's heart, indescribable and inexplicable, and then, bitterness welled up.

　"How could we have lost?"

　Despite all the planning, I never expected that I would be less skilled than others.

　The first contestant from St. Marian Academy was a dark elf, whose formidable strength was understandable. But the second contestant, clearly human, was even more monstrous than a monster.

　Sammy Tommy thought carefully and finally found a reason that could convince himself.

　"The giant bear with fairy wings that was created by the Advanced Transfiguration Charm doesn't look like a creature that an ordinary Transfiguration Charm could conjure."

　His misconception that Diana had used a "Higher Transfiguration Charm" is understandable.

　But how exactly did a third-year student master the "Advanced Transfiguration Charm"?

　Sammy Tommy could only attribute the reason to the educational level of St. Mary's College.

　Perhaps this is the true value of a sacred place for education!

　The duel ended, and the entire arena erupted in cheers.

　The duel was incredibly exciting, especially the scene of the giant bear brutally beating the giant tree, which was particularly thrilling for the viewers.

　Those viewers who had seen Diana's duels in the past completely overturned their superficial understanding of her at this moment.

　In traditional duels where the duelist stands on the platform to observe, she is completely unable to unleash even a fraction of her abilities.

　These new dueling rules are practically made for her!

　Diana Gretel is simply the "version's chosen one"! Her "Armed Cards" and "Transformation Charms," ​​which were difficult to utilize in traditional duels, have become powerful weapons in the new dueling rules.

　While previous players had also used "armor cards," none had had the impact that Diana had on them.

　Viscount Gretel, in the audience of the royal capital, roared excitedly. This time, Lady Camilla simply watched with pride and did not try to stop her husband.

　“That’s wonderful, Diana.”

　Arvit looked at it from left to right and became more and more satisfied.

　But she didn't realize that Claire Kate, the "Sage of the Beasts" behind her, was also harboring some thoughts.

　A unique mage who can transform into a "demon bear" using the "Transformation Charm".

　This is definitely a rare species!

　Inside the same private room, the old king frowned slightly. While the Giant Bear family was loyal, they seemed to be getting a little too close to the Valkyrie lately. Should he do something about it?

　The capable are always the object of others' attention.

　Diana's abilities in this duel were enough to bring her into the sights of various factions, making her a highly sought-after target.

　However, she herself is currently annoyed by the constant buzzing sound drilling into her ears.

　Too much!

　There are too many "divine causes"!

　There are so many that it's annoying!

　Diana slapped her forehead hard, and it took her a long time to put her hand down. The sound finally stopped, and she felt refreshed. The sense of accomplishment from winning the duel finally welled up inside her.

　"Win! Win!"

　She jumped up from the ground, intending to run towards the contestants' platform.

　The host, Judy, appeared just in time, stopped her, and then brought her onto the stage.

　The contestants from St. Mary's College are on stage.

　Dark watched as Diana stepped onto the stage and breathed a slight sigh of relief. The victory in this duel was truly exhilarating.

　Diana's performance far exceeded expectations, especially her marksmanship when she finally killed the "Demon God," something he could never learn.

　But when the "demon god" was mentioned, he couldn't help but frown.

　The formation of that "demon" was quite strange. He had specifically observed Sami Tommy at the time, only to find that Sami Tommy himself was also astonished.

　If that wasn't acting, then the appearance of the "demon god" was also unexpected.

　"That was just a simple accident." "But can an accident be so coincidental?" "Or is it because of 'divine intervention'?"

　Dark shook his head. "Divine Cause" shouldn't be something like that. "Perhaps that magic card contains something that even Sammy Tommy himself doesn't know."

　That situation does occur, though.

　There are many elements involved in creating magic cards, and some magic cards are indeed not fully understood even by the magic master himself.

　However, after the match, some reminders need to be given to Sammy Tommy. Because that "demon" clearly has the ability to erode the soul and even seize consciousness; it seems to have an independent self.

　If not careful, Sami Tommy himself could be harmed by that magic card.

　The contestants from Sky Magic Academy are on stage.

　Disney, Nehm, Tess, and others were asking the same question.

　Sammy Tommy was completely baffled, having no idea why the "King of the Forest" had undergone such a change.

　Tess shook her head and said, "That 'demon' looked strange, but fortunately it didn't cause any irreparable damage. Keep it safe for now, and deal with it after the competition."

　Disney also said, "The game is still the most important thing. It's now one to one, and we've lost our advantage. We need to think carefully about which players to send next."

　“It’s all my fault,” Sammy Tommy said with shame. “No, it’s because they were too strong,” Disney said. “I knew from the beginning that Dark’s henchmen wouldn’t be weak, but I didn’t expect them to be this strong. Losing to an opponent like that isn’t shameful.”

　Seeing Disney's honest expression, Sammy Tommy felt even more guilty. But the duel was over, the result was in, and he couldn't change it. He could only silently cheer his teammates on, hoping they could win.

　When Sammy and Tommy fell silent, Disney's voice grew even louder.

　His previous plans were not wrong in principle, but he made a mistake in not accurately assessing the strength of his opponent.

　If Tess had been sent instead of Sami in the second duel, they might have had a better chance of winning.

　Now that one of the core three is missing, only he and Tess remain as reliable scorers.

　But after winning one round, will St. Marian Academy resort to a different strategy, or will they stick to their style and continue sending out powerful characters?

　Disney looked at his companions, asking for their opinions, and everyone began to speak. This time, their discussion was much more serious.

　Clearly, everyone here felt the pressure after the second duel.

　A few minutes later, Diana, who was dazed by Judy's praise, staggered off the stage, and the post-match debriefing began.

　The post-match recap of this duel was highly anticipated, and the audience watched with rapt attention. It was like watching a monster movie in a theater, with cheers rising in waves.

　When Diana returned to the contestant's stand, she was greeted with a barrage of praise, which made her extremely happy.

　After a long pause, as if suddenly remembering something, she asked, "Who will play in our next match?"

　Dark smiled slightly and nodded toward Witt beside him.

　"Wrong," Diana asked, puzzled. "Wasn't it said that we should wait until that Jade Clan member went on stage before letting Viter go on?"

　Dark smiled and said, "We won't wait any longer." Strategy is all about being quick-witted and adaptable.

　When your opponent thinks you'll make a move, you don't; when your opponent thinks you won't, you make a move anyway. That's tactics.

　As for what would happen if Werther really met Tess—wouldn't that be perfect, eliminating a formidable enemy!

　Faced with Diana's questioning, Vitgold smiled somewhat awkwardly. After watching the entire duel between Diana and Sammy Tommy, he suddenly felt... unworthy of being the "secret weapon"... well, not suddenly, he had felt unworthy before.

　This way, he actually felt much more at ease.

　Of course, once he's on the field, he will still give it his all, aiming for victory.

　"One should press on with one's might, but the momentum will wane on the second attempt and be exhausted on the third."

　Disney, recalling something Dark had said sometime ago and considering his companions' opinions, finally said, "That's right, absolutely. They won't be complacent after winning one match, and they'll definitely send out their best horses again for the third. Within St. Marian Academy, the one who is clearly stronger than that Diana is undoubtedly the Hero's Son—Virtold!"

　Disney has always been a person who dares to make judgments, and his voice naturally carries a persuasive quality.

　The students of Sky Magic Academy unanimously agreed.

　Tess of the "Jade Clan" also said with a serious expression: "To secure their victory, they have sent the Son of the Warrior. If we cannot come up with a countermeasure, they will win two matches, and in the fourth match, their captain will personally take to the field, resulting in three consecutive wins. The competition will then be completely under their control! We are doomed to lose!"

　"Hey!" Disney exclaimed hastily. "You don't trust me at all?" Tess ignored Disney's grumbling and continued, "I'll play this match. If we're lucky enough to win, Disney will play in the next one. If they don't win two matches, the chances of them keeping their captain in the back line will increase. That way, Disney will have a chance to win. Then, for the last two matches, we'll forgo the duel with their captain and focus on the other match. That's when our overall strength will be tested! Our Sky City's overall strength won't be lacking!"

　Disney opened his mouth, but ultimately did not refute it on the spot. His idea was to save it for the next event.

　Who knows, things might be different next time, right?

　The debriefing ended quickly, leaving the audience clearly wanting more. They were even more eager for the third duel that followed.

　The game then entered a period of strategic maneuvering.

　Both players held a final discussion about who to send out next. After confirming everything was in order, Dark placed Wittgold's player into the slot on the strategy table shortly after the strategy time began.

　Across from them, Disney saw that Dark had already put down his player card, and exchanged glances with his companions. After receiving confirmation, he also got up and walked towards the strategy table.