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

　The jewel around the neck of the "Treasure Toad" vanished in a flash of light, and his sword was imbued with an even stronger holy light.

　That is the light that dispels impurities!

　He reversed the "Fireworks Holy Sword" and plunged it into the ground. The holy light then spread forward instantly along the tip of the sword.

　With the blessing of the "Path of Holy War", the holy light shot out like an arrow close to the ground, piercing and separating the waves of the "Abyss Curse".

　"go with!"

　Upon hearing the command, the "Knight of Light and Fire" abruptly drew his sword. His sword was exactly the same as Hadris's "Fireworks Holy Sword." In fact, it was the "Fireworks Holy Sword"!

　"Exquisite Splendor!"

　Following Hadris's orders.

　The "Knight of Light and Fire" unleashed the special attack of his holy sword.

　From that holy sword, colorful flowers of light and fire burst forth, blooming in all directions.

　"Exquisite Splendor" is not a purely defensive skill.

　Those dazzling, colorful flowers can not only dazzle and disorient opponents, but also annihilate them in the light.

　Amidst a sea of ​​fiery flowers!

　The "Radiant Splendor" unleashed by the "Holy Sword Knight of Light and Fire" was clearly more aggressive than Hadris's.

　It raised its holy sword and suddenly accelerated.

　He charged toward the "Colossus Clark" like a firework! Dark tentacles emerged from the shadows, but before they could wrap around its ankles, they were shredded by the petals of light and fire.

　Hadris parted the waves of "Abyss Curse." Octopus tentacles emerging from the dark waves were cleaved open by the Holy Sword. The "Knight of Light and Fire" instantly closed in on the "Kraken Colossus" and then unleashed a sword strike.

　"boom!"

　The dark green protective shield released by the Kraken Colossus was also shattered by the holy sword.

　The enormous octopus statue was directly exposed to the sharpness of the holy sword.

　"Spectral Domination!"

　Sara used her final, deadly move. But as expected, it had no effect whatsoever.

　The "Knight of Light and Fire" embodies elegance and etiquette, much like a knight in a ceremonial guard.

　It severed the tentacles of the Kraken Colossus one by one, and finally beheaded it with a single strike.

　Sarah took a deep breath, her expression calming down. Success and failure are inevitable; one must not lose heart.

　She chose to admit defeat.

　[13/25]

Chapter 1226 The God of Responsibility and the God of Responsibility (4k)

　The final moment.

　Sarah did not activate "The Demon of the Lost Treasure".

　On one hand, the "Knight of the Holy Sword of Light and Fire" had already closed in. Even if the secret ritual were activated on the spot, it would be too late.

　On the other hand, Sarah had already determined that this nine-star magical spirit must have a deadly skill to remove the secret ritual. Activating "Demon of the Lost Treasure" at this time would only lead to it falling into its mouth, and would have no other meaning.

　Finally, even if they successfully summoned the Seven Star Demons, they were no match for the "Knight of Light and Holy Sword".

　This nine-star magical spirit's strength far exceeded expectations. It didn't even have a chance to shine in its duel with "Giant Axe" Dave! "The Holy Sword Knight of Light and Fire," as Hadris Whit's only nine-star ace, is the key to his secure place among the "Twelve Knights of the Round Table."

　In his duels with other duelists, he basically ended the matches with the "Knight of the Holy Sword of Light and Fire".

　The "Holy Sword Knight of Light and Fire" is immune to both transformation-type special moves and can purify secret rituals.

　Without a magical spirit capable of directly confronting it, it would be almost impossible to defeat Hadris.

　Sarah realized this at the last minute and made the clean and decisive choice to give up.

　As the referee declared the battle over, both fighters left the dueling area. Sarah then turned and left the arena.

　During this duel, she felt the limitations of her deck. But in a normal situation, this wouldn't really be considered a "limitation".

　After all, she is only a third-year student and is still in the "learning" stage. It is not yet time for her to focus on improving the strength of her deck.

　If we're being honest, it's actually this opponent who's far more unusual than we thought. But that's the kind of wave that comes with the changing times.

　To board the ship of the new era, one must possess abilities far surpassing those of others. Sarah realized once again that she was far from being good enough.

　"I need to figure out a way to cram for the next two weeks." She stepped directly onto the lift platform and returned to the contestant's platform.

　"Thanks for your hard work."

　Dak greeted them at the front of the stage.

　"Yes, yes, it's especially hard work."

　Sarah glanced at him and blurted out a complaint.

　Dak smiled and ushered her to her seat.

　Immediately afterwards, the lower-grade students of St. Mary's Academy began discussing who would be the next duel opponent.

　Although the defeat in this duel was expected, Sarah's excessive efforts revealed all the secrets of "Holy Knight" Hadris Whit.

　[Holy Knight] Hadris is indeed stronger than expected. This means they should also raise their overall evaluation of the remaining contestants from the Holy Mystic Academy.

　The reason for this situation is simply that the lower grades of the public magic academy are indeed a bit weak in overall strength, and they are simply unable to force out the full strength of the Holy Mystic Academy.

　This phenomenon is also evident in the Ocean Magic Academy. Generally, given the opportunity, contestants will hold back to some extent.

　The first two rounds of competition between upper and lower grade groups are not the whole picture. The final round, which is a competition for all grade levels, is also very important.

　If the players' strengths are fully exposed in the first two rounds, they will be easily targeted in the third round.

　Players with advantages in deck, tactics, and style will definitely seek out opponents they can counter in order to gain points.

　The colleges that score higher in the first two rounds of the competition are more likely to be targeted.

　There are many factors that determine the outcome of a magic duel, and not all fighters can withstand scrutiny.

　Based on the format of this year's "Academy Championship," it's entirely possible for a player who leads by a large margin in the first two rounds to suffer a crushing defeat in the final round.

　Of course, the purpose of the exchange and learning during the competition is to accelerate the students' growth.

　If the contestants can identify their weaknesses during this period and then address them, the possibility of them emerging as dark horses in the third round is not low.

　When Sarah sat back down, she already had the idea of ​​getting her revenge later.

　This game isn't over yet!

　Hadris Whit, the "Knight of the Holy War," appeared on the stage with a sunny smile. His handsome appearance and demeanor attracted many fans, and his calm and unassuming personality also made him easy to like. He might soon become a hot celebrity.

　"Fortunately, I did not disgrace my life."

　After the interview, Hadris returned to the arena of the Holy Church Mystic Academy and said with a big smile.

　Although the duel was not easy, he managed to win it. For him, this duel was a sure thing, both "sure to win" and "certain to win".

　Now, after three duels, with two losses and one win, it's not so unacceptable anymore.

　Moreover, judging from the current situation, the pace of the game is under control, and theoretically, the situation should be stable and improving.

　In fact, this is all thanks to the Sky Magic Academy, which forced the Saint Marian Academy's contestants to show their true strength.

　They have a clearer understanding of the strength of the players from St. Mary's Academy, which allows them to make better plans.

　Hadlis's return was welcomed by his companions. A sense of teamwork was gradually forming among them. Evan Pearson clapped his hands and said, "This duel Hadlis won was crucial. The initial setup is complete; now it's time to catch up. St. Marian Academy still has three players, including Dark. It's possible that after losing one match, they might let Dark go first to secure a three-win streak."

　“Evan is right,” “Art Knight” Trinsnafield nodded. “That possibility isn’t low. But similarly, we don’t necessarily have to save Audrey for last. Our goal for this match is a 3-3 tie, winning in the deciding game. Now that we’ve already won one game, we only need two more to secure a decisive final game. Also, I personally think St. Marian Academy will be aiming for a 4-2 victory. With their advantage, they will definitely want to end the match early. So, they also want to win two of the next three duels. In summary, it’s about Darkdemon winning one game, and then either Diana or Emma winning the other.”

　“Diana and Emma…” Lanmayate Maca, the “Radiant Knight,” pondered. “If Emma Metis is only at the level of Saraswati, they’ll probably bet on Diana. And given Diana’s style, she certainly wouldn’t want to encounter Trinsina. Of course, she’s no match for the Saintess either. So, Diana’s target is me.”

　At this point, Lanmayate couldn't help but laugh.

　After laughing for a while, she suddenly said with a serious expression, "So, Trinsina, is there a way for me to face off against Diana?"

　"Lanmayate... we finally won a game, and you're already like this..." Trinsina was speechless.

　But Lanmayate immediately laughed and said, "I was just joking."

　"It better be a joke..." Trinsina said, rubbing her forehead. "The fourth duel is crucial. I mean, let the Saintess go directly into the arena to secure the victory. What do you all think?"

　Evan Pearson frowned. "In that case, isn't the chance of Audrey encountering Dark very high?"

　Trinsina said, "This is just speculation. Personally, I think if they want to get four wins, they still need to let Dark play last. That way, their Diana and Emma only need to win one more game... Even if they lose because Audrey played earlier, they won't lose out."

　Evan Pearson said, "Didn't they consider the possibility that Diana and Emma would both lose?"

　Trinsina shook her head and said, "That's St. Marian Academy!"

　If even the contestants from St. Mary's Academy don't dare to be confident, then which academy's contestants would dare to be confident?

　“In their eyes, there is no image of losing all three wars,” Trinsina said again.

　Evan Pearson was somewhat persuaded, but he couldn't actually make all the decisions; this time, he needed to consult Audrey Joan herself.

　Audrey asked directly, "Is it a bad thing for us to face Darkdemon?"

　As soon as she finished speaking, everyone in the Holy Church Mystic Ritual Academy was taken aback and began to think quickly.

　After a moment, Trinsina said, "If you win, that would certainly be a good thing."

　Audrey shook her head and said, "What if we lose?"

　"We've lost," Trinsina frowned in thought. "If we lose, we have to win the remaining two games."

　"Don't you have confidence?" Audrey asked.

　Trinsina hesitated before replying, "Yes, there are some."

　Audrey turned and said, “Your goal is three wins, then a decisive final match. The final match will definitely be between me and Darkdemon. If I'm not his match, we'll still lose. Similarly, even if you both win all six of your duels, I still need to defeat Darkdemon to secure the final victory. Even if Darkdemon and I don't face each other, the final result will only be a one-for-one exchange, going from one win and two losses to two wins and three losses. Finally, the remaining one of you will have to fight for the final match, and that will depend on my head-to-head record with Darkdemon. So, in reality, there's no possibility that we can win without Darkdemon and me facing each other.”

　“Wait!” Trinsina interrupted Audrey, saying seriously, “But we can try to get you another chance to duel.”

　Audrey shook her head slightly and said, "Losing once is losing twice. I can't afford to lose."

　"So, what are your thoughts, Holy Maiden?" Lanmayate asked, arms crossed.

　Audrey looked at her and said seriously, "There's no point in fighting other people. Only by defeating Darkdemon will we have a chance of winning."

　“Wait a minute,” Trinsina said. “But what if you win, and Lanmayate and I both lose, or you only win one round?”

　Audrey casually remarked, "If you can win once, you can win twice." Trinsina exhaled and said, "I think I understand. In that case... we'll show our cards."

　Countermeasures time.

　St. Marian College is conducting a similar analysis.

　They raised their assessment of the remaining two Knights of the Round Table's strength and found that the situation in the last three rounds was not ideal.

　"Assuming both captains are the last to enter the game, then there are only two possibilities for the fourth and fifth matches."

　"The first one is Diana vs. Lanmayat, and Emma vs. Trinsina." "The second one is Diana vs. Trinsina, and Emma vs. Lanmayat." "Considering that Diana is not good at dealing with opponents like Trinsina, and Emma probably can't handle opponents with too much individual strength, the first one might actually be more advantageous for us."

　“If we happen to be matched against the first type of opponent, then it will be a matter of each player relying on their own abilities,” Dark said after a brief analysis. “Of course, if necessary, I can also go on stage earlier.”

　Emma frowned slightly and said, "The upcoming matches are basically unpredictable. Their Joan of Arc might even come on earlier. To win 4-2, it would be best if Dark faced Audrey Joan of Arc and won that match. Then Diana and I would win the next match. But if Dark can't win, we can only aim for third place, and even that's not guaranteed. However, if we manage to win, Dark can learn from the experience and potentially win back Audrey in the second round. The question is, can Diana and I win even one match?"

　"Can't we just win every time?" Diana muttered.

　Emma continued, "While in my opinion, having Dark face Audrey isn't a bad thing, it could potentially lead to a two-loss, four-win situation. To be on the safe side, it would be better to have Dark avoid Audrey and secure three wins first. But that's not something we can control. So, my conclusion is to play it by ear. There are advantages to avoiding her, and there are also ways to handle it. We can't always rely entirely on Dark."

　Dark: "So how do we avoid it?" Emma glanced at him and shook her head. "They're eager to win and won't leave Audrey until the end. The most likely scenario is that they'll see the result of the fourth match first, and then decide who plays in the fifth. If they lose the fourth match, they won't avoid it. If they win, they will."

　Dark nodded and said, "In that case, I'll secure three wins in the fourth game. The fifth and sixth games are up to you."

　Regardless of who the opponent is, winning three games first will ensure a decisive final game, effectively reducing the pressure on Emma and Diana.

　Even if Emma and Diana can't win, they will try their best to force Audrey to reveal her trump card.

　If he can see through Audrey's hand, he will be more confident in the decisive game.

　This was the decision made by Dark.

　Emma and the others naturally had no reason to object.

　There is one minute left before the countermeasures expire.

　"The Holy Son" Evan Pearson took to the countermeasures platform ahead of schedule.