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

　After saying that, he pointed to Diana on the notebook and said, "Right now, Diana Gretbay is the one we need to be careful of. Lanmayate, are you confident?"

　Lanmayat McCa nodded without hesitation, "Obviously." Evan Pearson said, "That's good. As long as we can suppress Diana, our chances of winning will be much greater. Diana isn't like Aurora from before. Although she possesses divine power like Lanmayat, her application of magical techniques is relatively lacking. Her Transformation Charm can transform her into a 'Demon Bear,' and with another Magical Spirit Card, she can ultimately transform into a 'Bear Fairy.' In short, it's mostly a pure accumulation of power. And in terms of sheer strength, she should be inferior to Aurora. However, she seems to be very skilled in martial arts, just like Lanmayat."

　As he spoke, Evan Pearson couldn't help but look up at Lanmayat McCain and ask, "Is it really going to work?"

　Lanmayate immediately glared back.

　"Art Knight" Trinsnafeld said, "Since Lanmayate said that, he must have some confidence. But it's not like we can just choose who to face. They've already won two games in a row, and without considering having their captain play early, it's hard to predict who they'll field in the third game. Honestly, I personally think those three are all about the same level, just with their own strengths."

　“Not too far off,” Evan Pearson nodded. “But they should also realize that we desperately need a win. Normally, we would field Lanmayate. If they have an offensive mindset, there's a very high chance they'll field Diana. What do you think?”

　They urgently need to discuss this.

　They didn't finally arrive at a result until the very end of the countermeasures period.

　Meanwhile, on the contestants' stage at St. Marian Academy.

　After welcoming Aurora's triumphant return, Dark and his team quickly decided that Sara would face the enemy in the third round.

　The reason for this decision was simply because Diana was deemed incapable of dealing with "Art Knight" Trinsnafield. Therefore, the plan was to postpone her appearance and let Sarah or Emma take the field first.

　They also considered that the Holy Church Mystic Academy might field "Radiant Knight" Lanmayate Maca in the third match.

　However, the Holy Church Mystic Academy made changes to the selection of participants in the second round, indicating that the other side was not prepared to follow the usual procedure.

　Therefore, we decided not to use conventional reasoning.

　"Radiant Knights," "Holy War Knights," and "Art Knights." They generally believe that the Holy Mystic Academy is most likely to send "Art Knights."

　Therefore, the final decision was to send Saraswati.

　[11.5/23]

　[Bounty countdown, last day, please vote with monthly tickets!! *bang bang bang* orz!]

Chapter 1223 Further words are useless, let's duel! (5.5k)

　[Art Knight] Trinsina Field is not necessarily the strongest of the remaining three Knights of the Round Table in terms of raw power.

　However, in the eyes of Dark and the others, they were definitely the most difficult opponents to deal with. Therefore, in their eyes alone, both the "Radiant Knight" and the "Art Knight" were likely to be key targets for the Holy Mystic Academy to score points. Even the "Holy War Knight" wielding the Holy Sword was not an easy opponent to contend with.

　If the Holy Mystic Academy wants to increase its chances of winning the third duel, it would be better to send out the "Art Knight" instead of the "Radiant Knight".

　So, in order to deal with the "Art Knight", the students of St. Marian Academy discussed it and sent out Sarah Swati, who had the best adaptability.

　Sarah herself did not object to this arrangement.

　She generally doesn't have any psychological burden.

　With the team already secured two victories, losing this third duel wouldn't be a major issue. Besides, exchanging for the "Art Knight" would also serve a purpose.

　After all, her current deck strength is indeed a bit low. No matter how many variations there are, without the ability to defeat the opponent head-on, she will still struggle in high-level magical duels.

　Dancing on the edge of a cliff all the time isn't a good thing.

　Her top priority right now is to improve her deck's strength as quickly as possible. But that's something to think about after today's match.

　Now, let's do our best to contribute to the team.

　Sarah calmed herself and waited quietly for the announcement of the countermeasures.

　……

　The two captains returned to the strategy table. Dark placed Sara's player card into the slot and then looked at the other side.

　After a slight hesitation, Evan Pearson finally placed the player card in the slot.

　Immediately afterwards, the projections of both players appeared.

　On the St. Marian Academy side, it was undoubtedly Sarah Swati. But on the Holy Mystic Academy side, the figure of "Holy War Knight" Hadris Whit appeared!

　Hadley Whit, with silver hair and black eyes, is handsome and slightly short, belonging to the petite and beautiful boy type.

　However, his position among the twelve Knights of the Round Table is "all-rounder," and he possesses the talent of a hero, making him a candidate for hero who wields the Holy Sword.

　If you put him next to Witt Gold, he gives off a "black and white hero" vibe.

　Among the lower-grade contestants at the Holy Mystic Academy, the reason he wasn't ranked ahead of "Radiant Knight" was simply because his holy sword, unlike those of Witt and Evan Pearson, didn't possess extremely high attribute bonuses.

　His holy sword is named "Praise of Light and Fire," and like its other name "Fireworks Holy Sword," its greatest function is to create fireworks... it is the so-called holy sword for banquets.

　Of course, even if it's a sacred sword used at a banquet, it's still a sacred sword, not an ordinary weapon that can be used to cheat.

　Furthermore, the "Holy Sword Knight of Light and Fire," forged from this holy sword, is a nine-star magical spirit that can be specially summoned with just one light-attribute and one fire-attribute magical spirit.

　Basically, once Hadris acquires the "Holy Sword Knight of Light and Fire," he can immediately summon it and dominate the battlefield.

　"It's actually a 'Holy Knight'?"

　Sarah frowned upon seeing the projected image on the other side. "Holy Knight" Hadris was arguably the opponent she least wanted to face.

　Besides his steady and unhurried personality being quite annoying, it's also because his "Holy Sword Knight of Light and Fire" possesses extremely strong purification abilities.

　During the duel against the Public Magic Academy, Hadris used the "Holy Sword Knight of Light and Fire" to purify the hidden secret ritual of "Giant Axe" Dave.

　This special purification ability poses a great threat to Sara, who is skilled in using arcane cards.

　“I’ve run into my worst opponent.” Sarah smiled wryly and stood up from her seat. Emma glanced at her and said, “Do your best.” Sarah rolled her eyes at her and quickly walked away.

　"The other side sent Sara Swati. How's she doing, Hadris? Shouldn't she be alright?"

　On the contestant's platform at the Holy Mystic Academy, Evan Pearson asked. The "Holy War Knight," already standing beside the strategy platform, calmly replied, "Over seventy percent."

　Evan Pearson nodded slightly and returned to his seat. Seventy percent, at least ninety percent, of Hadley's chances. This third game should be a sure win.

　—We must take it down!

　After returning to his seat, Evan Pearson and his companions whispered among themselves, all expressing great confidence in "Holy Knight" Hadris.

　As they said before, Sara's core tactic was actually "The Pact of House and Death," and Hadris's "Paladin of Light and Fire" could just purify the effects of the rite.

　Moreover, he possesses more than just this one method to neutralize the mystical ritual. The "omnipotence" of the "Holy War Knight" is no joke.

　Hadris can also adjust his deck to better counter Sara's tactics.

　In contrast, while Sarah is also very adaptable, her style is relatively fixed and she is far less versatile than Hadris.

　The comparison of strength between the two sides is actually quite obvious.

　However, once they actually take to the field, it will depend on how well both players perform.

　As Sara and Hadris entered the field, cheers erupted from the audience.

　The third-year students of the Magic Academy began cheering loudly for Sarah.

　Sara waved in that direction, then calmed herself, preparing for the duel. There are strategies for winning and strategies for losing. After summoning her Duel Domain, Sara began making final adjustments to her deck.

　When facing a "Holy Knight" wielding a "Holy Sword", the most important thing is to withstand the "Holy Sword's" offensive in the early stages before you can plan for the late game.

　This situation is actually somewhat similar to dueling with the contestants from the Sky Magic Academy.

　First and foremost, one must ensure their own survival in order to find an opportunity.

　Her deck isn't strong enough to pose a threat to "Knight of Light and Fire". However, if she bypasses "Knight of Light and Fire" and attacks the duelist directly, she will be met with resistance from "Holy Sword".

　Hadris, the "Holy Knight," is also quite powerful. Even though the "Fireworks Holy Sword" cannot provide direct attribute bonuses, it is still a "Holy Sword."

　Sarah had no doubt that the holy sword held some unknown power. In short, winning this duel would be extremely difficult.

　Sarah was completely focused on finding a way to break the deadlock. It wasn't until the "Preparation Phase 1" was about to end that she put her deck into the card slot and the deck was automatically shuffled.

　She then took a deep breath, clearing her mind of the jumbled thoughts, and focused her attention on waiting for the duel to begin.

　On the other side, Hadris stood upright, appearing quite composed, the composure of a strong person.

　"Preparation Phase 2" "30s" Both players draw cards simultaneously.

　Once the 30-second countdown ended, the duel officially entered the "battle phase".

　And so the battle began!

　Sarah quickly drew a magic card and summoned a monster.

　"In the name of Saraswati, I summon the Ancient Jar!"

　The "Ancient Pot" is both a powerful tool for setting up the early stages of the game and a guarantee for the survival of duelists.

　Starting with an "antique teapot" is conservative, but understandable.

　Moreover, among the three-star magical spirits, "Ancient Pot" has an exceptionally high level of defense.

　Of course, its attack power is 0, making it a defense-specialized type. The "Ancient Pot" that materialized in the summoning light is nearly as tall as a person, with gold and jewels overflowing from its spout, radiating an alluring glow.

　Sarah stood behind the "Ancient Jar" and quickly glanced at the opposite side after the summoning ended.

　As expected, Hadris Whit, the "Holy Knight," summoned the "Fireworks Holy Sword" at the start of her turn!

　Having witnessed these brave candidates repeatedly start with "Holy Sword Curse," Sarah strongly suspected that they hadn't shuffled the cards at all.

　But as soon as she peeked out, she saw Hadris pointing the "Fireworks Sword" in her direction.

　Sarah was startled and quickly shrank back.

　Then Hadris whispered, "Bloom forth, a splendid celebration of light and fire!"

　Flames and white light intertwined brilliantly, and rays of light and fire shot out from the tip of the "Fireworks Holy Sword" in an instant.

　Despite being 120 meters apart, the ray struck the target in an instant (ancient pot).

　"BOOM!"

　The "Ancient Pot" teleported away in that instant, and the "stand-in" left behind exploded.

　Sarah moved quickly, cursing under her breath.

　Hadlis clearly did not unleash such a ranged attack during his duel with "Giant Axe" Dave.

　If her reaction had been any slower, she probably would have been dead in that one exchange.

　But this "ancient pot" is no longer safe.

　Although the "Fireworks Holy Sword" ray is not particularly powerful, it is enough to break through the defenses of this "Ancient Pot".

　Once the "Substitute" enters the CD, the protective effect of the "Ancient Pot" becomes extremely limited.

　Sarah quickly drew a Magic Card from the Duel Disk and summoned it.

　This time, it's a sacrificial summons!

　Offering the "Ancient Pot" and its treasures as sacrifices, we summon the six-star magical spirit, "Kuchiki Mermaid"!

　"The Mermaid of the Dead" and "The Kraken Colossus" are works from the same series.

　However, the "Kraken Colossus" is a stone sculpture, while the "Deadwood Mermaid" is a wood sculpture.

　After Sarah sacrificed herself to summon "Kuchiki Mermaid," she immediately commanded her, "Kuchiki Mermaid, use 'Song of the Deep Sea'!"

　Mermaids have not always been a symbol of beauty; in many legends of the past, they have also represented the "curse of the deep sea."

　Sarah's "Dead Wood Mermaid" is of the "curse" type.

　Its overall appearance is a huge wooden carving that has been soaked and turned somewhat black. Sitting cross-legged on the rocky base is a mermaid with sharp teeth and claws. Her appearance is not ugly, but it is definitely not beautiful either.

　As Sarah gave the command, a dark red light gradually illuminated the outline of the "Rotten Wood Mermaid".

　Then it suddenly opened its eyes and, in the form of a wooden sculpture, opened its mouth and sang "Song of the Deep Sea".

　It was a melodious song, but also a chilling curse.

　Sarah had once considered using this "rotten wood mermaid" to counter the "Art Knight's" sonic attacks, but now it seems that the opportunity has been lost.

　Hiding behind the wooden carving, she drew her third magic card from her hand, preparing to continue summoning.

　After the "Song of the Deep Sea" was sung, blood flowed out in concentric circles from beneath the base of the "Rotten Wood Mermaid," and the song spread throughout the entire venue, reaching Hadris's ears without any obstruction!

　Without prior preparation, come

　Attacks launched from sound are indeed difficult to defend against.

　Hadris had just completed his second summoning when he was cursed by the "Song of the Deep Sea".

　His eyes suddenly became empty, and his limbs moved extremely slowly, as if his soul had left his body and was about to be lured and swallowed by the deep sea.

　Under these circumstances, Hadris's "Fireworks Holy Sword" completely lost its meaning.

　But the magical spirit he had just summoned—the "Sacred Toad"—suddenly opened its mouth wide at Hadris, and thrust out a thick, long tongue, which rolled up Hadris's entire body and then loosened it. A large amount of transparent mucus stained Hadris's body, washing away—or rather, covering—his abnormal condition with its own special abnormality.