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

　The atmosphere in the arena eased slightly, and the dwarves and goblins immediately began to complain. They originally had no hierarchy, and they elected Babayevnedim as captain because he possessed considerable strength, was outgoing, and, contrary to his appearance, was very good at organizing.

　Now that the atmosphere has calmed down, they naturally started chatting and laughing. After all, there really was no hope of winning.

　“So, Babayev’s decision to play in the second round was quite forward-thinking,” a dwarf suddenly said, stroking his chin as he analyzed.

　Everyone readily agreed, saying, "Luckily, Babayev had the foresight to win a match. Otherwise, leaving with zero wins would have been a nightmare for the elders!"

　Babayevnedim quickly denied it, saying, "I didn't have such thoughts."

　To be cowardly before even fighting is a grave offense. I cannot bear such a responsibility!

　Sometimes, learning to face reality is also very important.

　After realizing they couldn't win the match, the students of the public magic academy changed their mindset. The next two contestants performed reasonably well, but as expected, they were no match for the [Saint Son] and the "Saintess."

　The "Holy Son" still wielded the "Pure White Holy Sword," cleaving a giant robot, a top-tier Earth Elite, in two.

　The "Saintess" showed no discernible strategy, simply overwhelming her opponent with her magical techniques.

　Today's final match in the quarterfinals has now concluded. Holy Mystic Academy VS Public Magic Academy.

　They ultimately won by a large margin of 5 to 1.

　To the unbiased audience, the match appeared to be a showcase for the contestants from the Holy Mystic Academy. Aside from "Soul Fighter" Glassie spraining her ankle and falling off the stage during her walk, the entrances of the other three "Knights of the Round Table," the "Holy Son," and the "Holy Daughter" were all highly successful.

　Although Joan of Arc, the "Saint," did not display any particularly outstanding characteristics, her true talent was revealed beneath her ordinariness. Joan of Arc still carried that "veil of mystery," full of enigmatic charm.

　During her interview with host Judy, she behaved in a rather conventional manner, revealing nothing.

　Meanwhile, after watching the duel, Dark and the others finally gained a certain understanding of the contestants from the Holy Mystic Academy.

　They will be facing off against this group of players tomorrow!

Chapter 1216 Darkdemon - Interlude (6k views, requesting monthly votes)

　Although today's matches have ended, the dueling venues located throughout the mainland have not closed.

　St. Mary's College offers visitors from all over the world specialties, souvenirs, and a variety of activities, including a large number of simulated duels for trial play.

　The "Academy Championship" is a crucial promotional opportunity. Whether the simulated duels can ride this wave and become a truly "national event" depends on this month.

　As the "Academy Championship" continues, the All-People Duel Club will continue to release character cards that highlight the characteristics of each player, as well as cards of the magical spirits they use in the competition. Of course, cards with higher rarity require the "Nitrogen Gold Draw" method to obtain.

　Quietly, the simulated duel project has become a huge money-making machine.

　Of course, while generating profits, it also made a significant contribution to enriching humanity's impoverished spiritual life.

　The shift from pursuing material satisfaction to pursuing spiritual satisfaction is an inevitable leap in the progress of our times.

　Only after this transformation process is completed will all sorts of new things emerge one after another.

　Even without the "resurrection of the gods," this era was already in the early stages of change.

　After the match, King Austin and Pope Sith quietly left the arena. However, Alvitt, Claire, and others remained inside, shopping and having fun.

　However, they didn't have much leisure time, and they left in a hurry after only an hour or two. By the time they left, their carriages were already filled with bags and packages.

　Although they could take those things from the warehouse at any time, the feeling of shopping outside was still different.

　They are enjoying a very special kind of "celebrity worship fun".

　Inside St. Marian College.

　Students, professors, and staff left the arena one after another after the match ended, and the entire open-air dueling hall quickly quieted down.

　Then, laughter and cheerful voices filled the canteen, the traveler's street, and everywhere else.

　For most people here, today is a joyous day.

　After all, the St. Mary's Academy team advanced smoothly in today's competition, albeit with some close calls.

　The lingering effects of a day's duel gradually dissipated as night fell.

　Dak and his group arrived at the canteen.

　The canteen's halfling chefs specially prepared special meals for the contestants, with delicious food being continuously placed on the table and then eaten by them.

　The winners feasted.

　Losers binge eat.

　The "bad habit" of not speaking at the dinner table had long been forgotten. The contestants, with all sorts of feelings, chattered away about things related to the competition.

　Meanwhile, the lower-grade contestants from St. Mary's Academy were already discussing how to deal with the contestants from the Holy Mystic Academy.

　According to the schedule, they will face the Holy Church Mystic Academy in the second round of matches tomorrow morning.

　Unlike today, by watching the duels of the Holy Mystic Academy, they have gained a considerable understanding of the Academy's contestants.

　This is of great help in tactical preparation.

　Of course, the other party has also gained a better understanding of them, and will likely develop targeted strategies.

　“Information flows out and out, but we have an advantage they don’t,” Dark said earnestly while savoring St. Mary’s Academy’s new specialty—glutinous rice dumplings.

　Emma always has the tenacity to get to the bottom of "what advantages she has".

　Dark smiled and said, "All six main contestants from the Holy Church Mystic Academy have already taken the stage, but we haven't yet."

　Emma sensed something was wrong and frowned.

　But Dark had already said, "We still have Emma."

　“Yes, we also have Emma,” Witt’s eyes lit up, and he immediately chimed in.

　Emma glared at him fiercely.

　“Among the students at the Holy Mystic Academy, the most difficult to deal with is probably Audrey Joan of Arc,” Sarah said with a smile, shaking her head as she looked at the second-year students.

　The two little princesses shook their heads with an expression of "it has nothing to do with me".

　Aurora looked up and said, "Audrey is a hidden talent, truly difficult to fathom. Although it's hard for outsiders to see through her, she should be the Holy Mystic Academy's strongest trump card."

　Finally, she added, "Senior Emma and she are quite close." Witt blurted out, "Then let Emma face her!" Emma's fork suddenly paused, as if she wanted to stab him right on the head! Dark suppressed a laugh and said, "In a six-on-six match, we don't necessarily have to face Audrey head-on. Theoretically, we only need to win four of the matches."

　Doron said, "Just like today."

　Dark nodded and said, "Just like today."

　Emma said, "The Holy Mystic Academy has two generals and four riders. Ideally, we should defeat all four riders outright."

　Dark said, "The students from the Holy Mystic Academy don't possess special abilities like the 'Aging Curse,' so there's no need to worry about their strong starting nine-star attack. And in pure magic combat, we won't be inferior."

　Witt interjected, "Speaking of which, I suddenly feel nostalgic for the duels of the past."

　Dark laughed and said, "If you could go back in time, would you be willing?" Witt chuckled and shook his head, "Of course... I wouldn't!"

　After all, he was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the new dueling rules.

　In past duels, nothing was ever like this.

　While Dark himself used the Holy Sword to cut people down, he rather missed traditional duels.

　After all, he's the kind of person who likes to sit on a cliff and observe all kinds of people – commonly known as a "fun person".

　Traditional duels, where players simply stand on the platform to set up their strategies, are undoubtedly much easier and have a more "card game" feel to them.

　This is still very important for Dak.

　However, these issues can be adjusted through the tournament rules, so it's not a major problem. Adapting to duels under every set of rules is a quality that duelists should possess.

　Dark, pondering the dueling styles of the four Knights of the Round Table, said, "Of those four Knights, the most difficult to deal with is actually 'Art Knight' Trinsnafeld. She can attack duelists directly, and she's very difficult to defend against."

　Emma said, "That's indeed a big problem. To fight against the 'Art Knight,' one must first have a strong physique capable of withstanding its sonic attacks, or use some underhanded tactics."

　Sarah said, "Among us, only Diana or Aurora could withstand that kind of attack."

　Diana frowned slightly and shook her head vigorously, saying, "I can't do it, I can't do it."

　The terrifying aspect of the "Art Knight" is that it can directly attack duelists, and the duelist's brain is also within its attack range.

　Diana was very confident in her physical condition. But she felt that her mind might not be able to handle it.

　Sarah turned to Aurora: "Since Diana is no good..."

　Aurora pondered for a moment and said, "I can't be sure either; we'll have to try it to know."

　In terms of physical constitution alone, Aurora, who has activated the bloodline of the Sun Giant, is actually stronger than Diana. Moreover, she can condense a fire crystal armor that seamlessly covers her entire body, and even her brain is protected by elemental spirits, which gives her the ability to resist sonic attacks.

　However, she cannot completely isolate her five senses, and the interference of sound waves still exists, which will greatly weaken her combat power.

　“Actually…” Rose said thoughtfully, “to deal with spells that use sound as a medium, wouldn’t it be possible to completely seal them off by simply using a ‘Silence Spell’?”

　As soon as she finished speaking, Dark and the others suddenly froze, then looked at each other and burst into laughter.

　The solution was so simple; they were just overthinking it. If sonic attacks were truly unsolvable, every mage would be researching and creating them.

　The "Silent Sage" Bachnacerus's "Silence Card" is the deadly nemesis of this type of spell.

　As long as sound is silenced, the sonic attacks of "Art Knight" Trinsnafeld will be rendered ineffective.

　The element of "surprise" played a significant role in her ability to fully utilize her skills in the duel with the dwarves.

　Once her opponent is prepared, the effectiveness of her sonic attacks will be reduced to the minimum.

　However, we cannot assume that the "Art Knight" only has sonic attacks as its special ability.

　After all, her title is "Knight of Art," not "Knight of Music."

　Music, dance, and even painting all belong to traditional art categories. Considering that the surprise attack with "music" is no longer effective, Trinsina is very likely to change her tactics.

　However, it is always necessary to prepare magic cards related to "silencing spells" in advance.

　The "Silence Spell," also known as the "Silence Card," is extremely difficult to craft.

　However, there are quite a few lower-level alternatives to the "silencing spell," the simplest of which is the "silencing potion."

　"Silence-Suppressing Potion" is a single-component drug that, when used on a target, can silence them or prevent them from hearing any sound.

　If Trinsna's attacks are not based on "vibration" but are spells that use sound as a medium, then many of these types of spells can be avoided by using a "silence potion" on oneself to temporarily prevent one from hearing sound.

　While this approach has significant drawbacks, it can be considered as one method in exceptional circumstances.

　Taking "Silence-Mute Potion" as an example, there are also quite a few cards of other types, such as smaller-scale silence-mute items and powdered potions that interfere with sound propagation.

　Moreover, many of these were things they had learned in class, and some even had finished cards in their dormitories.

　Once you have these magic cards, you need to consider how to add them to your deck.

　Since the competition format does not allow for the prediction of who the opponent will be, it is best for as many players as possible to prepare countermeasures in advance.

　Only after considering this aspect will it be time to consider how to deal with art forms such as "dance" and "painting".

　As the saying goes, "singing and dancing go hand in hand," and Dak tends to favor "dance."

　The performance style of "dance" is often linked to psychological attacks.

　Dac actually has a lot of experience in this area.

　Both "Bastimon" and "Golden Dancer" are very good at launching attacks in the form of "dance".

　Although dance is not as intangible as music, it is also not as easily controlled as music.

　To counter dance, one needs methods to defend against mental attacks. As for other art forms…

　When it comes to the word "painting," Dark immediately thinks of "TuTu Dog." If Trinsina's magical spirit possesses a "sketching" type ultimate move, then it would indeed be difficult to deal with.

　In addition, Trinsina may not necessarily use a deck based on a single art category.

　It's possible she'll use a deck that combines "song and dance".

　Inside the dining hall, Dak and his group chatted away. There were simply too many topics to discuss about Trinsina. Of the four Knights of the Round Table from the Holy Mystic Academy, she might not be the most outstanding, but she was definitely the most capable.

　They discussed Trinsina for over half an hour, and the discussion didn't end even after they left the cafeteria.

　After leaving the cafeteria, Dak led his men directly to his mathematics office to continue their discussions and preparations.

　Tonight, they need to discuss not only the match against the Holy Mystic Academy, but also their opponent in the next match, in order to prepare for the final.

　Although it's not certain that we can defeat the Holy Mystic Academy, it's better to be prepared, isn't it?

　"The first round of matches tomorrow morning is Ocean Magic Academy vs. War Totem Academy... In my opinion, there is almost no chance of defeating Totem Academy." Emma tapped the blackboard and said, "So if we can successfully defeat Holy Mystic Academy, we will face Ocean Magic Academy in the finals tomorrow afternoon. This will be a tough battle."

　"I don't know how the principal and the others got in touch with Sky City and the Sea Clan. The contestants from those two academies are just too difficult to deal with," Witt complained.

　Emma said, "The lower grades of the Sky Magic Academy have a fixed tactical routine, which is relatively easy to see through. But the sea creatures of the Ocean Magic Academy... they didn't use their full strength when they fought the Royal Academy this morning, and they may not be able to draw out their trump cards against the War Totem Academy tomorrow. They will be more troublesome than the Sky Magic Academy."