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

　It was shattered.

　Since she has taken such a risky tactic, even resorting to this method of attack, she must have run out of options.

　Although the duel was somewhat tortuous, victory did not slip through his fingers.

　He admitted that his opponent was very strong, but unfortunately, she was only a fifth-grader. If she had another year to grow and develop, he might be able to catch up, but not now.

　Right now, at this very moment, victory belongs to him!

　His right hand gripped tightly, and with a burst of power, he shoved the golden stone spear into the "Mirror of Phases".

　A glimmer of blue light suddenly burst forth at that moment.

　Nathaniel David's pupils contracted to their maximum size in that instant, and his boiling thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

　— "Spear of the Goddess of Ice"! The spears did not collide.

　Winnie's "Spear of the Frost Goddess" pierced through the gaps in the gold fragments and shot straight at Nathaniel David's forehead.

　Nathaniel David's golden stone spear pierced back from a slightly lower position, and he also felt the spear tip pierce his flesh.

　But the sensation vanished without a trace in an instant. It wasn't that Winnie dodged the golden spear's attack.

　Rather, it was Nathaniel David's consciousness that was completely severed at that moment. He had already withstood a large number of magical attacks in this duel, and even the strongest ice resistance could not withstand this continuous onslaught.

　He was already covered in wounds, his internal injuries severe, but he was outwardly putting on a brave face. Winnie's final attack was the straw that broke the camel's back. His thoughts were cut off, and everything went black.

　When I opened my eyes again, I was already in a "cemetery".

　But the moment his consciousness returned, he suddenly turned around and found himself in another "cemetery" area, where he saw Winiscatti getting up.

　"Who's winning"

　This sudden thought echoed in his mind.

　"Wow—"

　The referee's whistle blew across the field.

　Winnie turned to look at Nathaniel David, a bright and dazzling smile finally appearing on her face.

　"The battle is over!"

　"Winner: Winnie the Curty!"

　……

　Replay the final scene.

　Winnie pushed the "Spear of the Ice Goddess" into the "Mirror of Phases," and at the same time, a golden stone spear pierced through from the other side of the "Mirror of Phases."

　But she decisively used her outstretched right hand to grab the tip of the golden stone spear. Even though this action didn't affect the spear's trajectory, the reaction force caused her body to momentarily deflect, avoiding a fatal blow.

　Then, after breaking through all defenses, the ground debris that came crashing down head-on completely engulfed its body.

　The ultimate attack unleashed by the "Golden Mammoth Clan" after combining with the "Golden Mammoth"—"Golden Collapse"—is indeed powerful.

　She ultimately couldn't withstand the relentless onslaught of "Golden Collapse" and was reborn after dying in the "Graveyard" area.

　But her final act of avoiding the golden stone spear bought her some time, allowing her to die after Nathaniel David.

　Whether it's a second or half a second, the one who dies last wins!

　Winnie had just confirmed her victory when countless voices suddenly flooded her mind, causing her to momentarily lose her composure.

　That—a moment later, she suddenly realized that it was the voice of "God's Cause".

　A quantity far exceeding the combined amount of "divine cause" gained from her victories in the previous two duels was rapidly converging upon her.

　Her eyes immediately lit up with ecstatic joy. This was the best gift after such a hard-won victory.

　In this duel, she seemed to have the upper hand for most of the time, but in reality, a slight mistake could have led to her death.

　Nathaniel David's raw strength is theoretically superior to hers. Therefore, this duel can be considered an upset by the underdog.

　"God's Influence" praised her performance and gave her high recognition. This was her greatest gain from this duel.

　Winnie waited until the sounds stopped before starting to organize her deck. She didn't look at Nathaniel David again.

　Unless they meet again in the third round of the standings next week, she will not have any further contact with Nathaniel David.

　Even if she had won today's duel, she would only win more easily next time they met.

　"Nathaniel David actually lost!"

　On the Sky Magic Academy's stage, Tiffany Neham suddenly frowned, clearly finding the outcome of this duel utterly unbelievable.

　The "Golden Mammoth Clan" has been the overlord of the continent since ancient times. In today's terms, they are a high-ranking demon clan, and even among the top high-ranking demon clans.

　Although Nathaniel David is still in the growth stage, his bloodline power has already been displayed. Coupled with his already considerable magical skill, he is theoretically far beyond the reach of a junior mage at this stage.

　But Winiscrat even suppressed him so much that he almost couldn't use "Accelerate Summon".

　Finally, after much effort, he summoned the "Golden Mammoth" and, despite the "Golden Collapse," managed to kill Nathaniel David first.

　Don't say things like "the same trick won't work again." Intelligence and luck are both part of strength.

　To be able to do this is no ordinary feat.

　“Wineskadi, a fifth-year student at the Magic Academy… which means that if there is another Academy Championship next year, she will also participate.”

　"By then, how much will she have grown? Will she be able to compare to Pandora and Dracon?"

　Tiffany wasn't particularly angry about Nathaniel David's defeat. She turned and said, "Out of three duels, we only won the second one, and that was against Marskeri again. If this continues, we might end up losing 1-5. So cheer up and let's win another round!"

　The remaining contestants regained their composure and finally recovered from Nathaniel David's defeat.

　The fact that Nathaniel David was suddenly defeated, and by the opposing fifth-grade students, was quite a blow to morale.

　Aside from Tiffany, the only other contestants in the Sky Magic Academy are from the Bronze Clan and the Rainbow Crane Clan.

　The long-lived "Bronze Clan" has a deep understanding of barriers and can use their magical spirits to create special barriers.

　The long-lived members of the "Rainbow Crane Clan" possess a unique ability: they can use their rainbow-colored feathers to remove some magical effects, making them, in common parlance, "mages' nemesis."

　In addition to their own abilities, they can use "Aging Curse" and "Accelerated Summoning," making them difficult opponents for ordinary duelists.

　But the contestants from St. Mary's Academy are also extraordinary.

　"The remaining contestants from St. Marian Academy are Gina Grant, Eluri Clarissa, and Pandora Drogon."

　"Based on this order of appearance, Pandora is very likely to be the last to enter the arena. If I can win the next match, I will enter the fifth duel, take three points first, and advance to the tiebreaker."

　"Although I still need to win against Pandora Doragon in the tiebreaker, winning just one game is easier than winning two in a row."

　"In conclusion, this is the best way to achieve victory now, but only if we can win the next game."

　"In the next duel, St. Marian Academy will most likely follow the previous lineup and send out Gina Grant."

　"Jimmy, Ashley, which of you will go?"

　After Tiffany finished speaking slowly, she looked seriously at the contestants from the "Bronze Clan" and the "Rainbow Crane Clan".

　"Steel-type is super effective against Fairy-type. Let Jimmy face 'Fairy Princess.' I'll take over next time. If I lose, I can still rely on Jimmy."

　Before Jimmy could give his opinion, Ashley Wilhelmina of the "Rainbow Crane Clan" spoke up to confirm.

　Tiffany nodded slightly and said, "Then it's settled."

　"Well done."

　After the interview, Winnie returned to the contestant's stand, where Pandora gave her a rare compliment.

　Winnie waved her hand and sat down in her seat, her right hand instinctively reaching for the books placed beside her.

　The contestant next to her handed her a book and said, "Aren't you going to rest?"

　Winnie said, "Reading is a form of relaxation."

　Her nerves relaxed, and a look of fatigue appeared on her face. The duel was much more tiring than expected, but fortunately, she had won. Seeing that she was in relatively good spirits, Pandora turned around and said, "Then the next duel will be Gina's."

　Gina Grant smiled and nodded: "No problem."

　The fourth duel began amidst applause from the audience.

　St. Marian Academy sent Gina Grant, while Sky Magic Academy sent Ashley Wilhelmina. Ashley Wilhelmina is a long-lived member of the Rainbow Crane race. However, before she spread her wings, only her hair color retained her alien features—a dazzling, rainbow-like color.

　Therefore, her appearance when she stepped onto the dueling stage was quite dazzling. Ashley Wilhelmina's deck primarily used Flying-type cards, with Fairy-type cards as a secondary focus, and she excelled at board clearing. She was also able to handle Gina Grant's "Tarot" deck very well.

　Both teams took to the stage one after another, and both looked friendly. The overall atmosphere was completely different from the previous match from the very beginning.

　There wasn't much of a tense atmosphere between the two, and there wasn't much drama after the duel started.

　In short, it's a back-and-forth game where you make a move and I clear the field, then you make another move and I clear the field again; the key feature is its "turn-based" system.

　This back-and-forth struggle ultimately comes down to a comparison of "foundation"—whoever has a deeper deck foundation has a greater chance of winning.

　If you observe this duel carefully, you can learn some useful techniques from it.

　But the calm demeanor of both duelists only heightened the tension among the spectators and the fighters themselves.

　The sense of urgency grew stronger as the battle progressed. The contestants from the Sky Magic Academy couldn't help but feel tense. The outcome of this duel was extremely important to them.

　If we lose, we must win both of our last two matches to qualify for a tiebreaker.

　However, St. Marian Academy still had Pandora and Drogon yet to take the field. Even Tiffany Neham only possessed a fearless fighting spirit, but lacked the confidence to win.

　Moreover, even if one were to win by chance, another match would be held in the tiebreaker. There is no "theoretical victory" in magical duels; the winner can only be determined through actual combat.

　Winning one game doesn't mean you can win every game.

　Most instances of subordinates overthrowing superiors are feats that can only be accomplished under specific conditions.

　Tiffany Neham believes she is no match for Pandora in terms of raw skill, but has a chance of winning.

　But once she wins a round, her hand will be exposed, making it incredibly difficult to win another round.

　Therefore, she hoped that Ashley Wilhelmina would win the duel, and then... proceed as planned.

　However, it backfired.

　The duel continued until

　Later, Gina Grant remained composed, while Ashley Wilhelmina appeared embarrassed.

　She had already used her "Aging Curse," and the magical spirit summoned by "Accelerated Summoning" had been defeated by the opponent.

　Although Gina's magical spirit, which she used to defeat her own magical spirit, has also been defeated, this means that her natural advantage is being depleted.

　"Accelerated Summoning" requires "Time Magic Spirit" as one of the offerings, and without the "Aging Curse" as a prelude, it is not actually a very useful summoning spell.

　Ashley's collection of "Time Magic Spirits" was limited, and the magic spirits that could be summoned from the past were not particularly outstanding in terms of strength.

　The consequence of obsessing over "Time Magic Spirit" is that the original system of the deck is partially destroyed.

　Therefore, everything has its advantages and disadvantages.

　When her "Aging Curse" and "Accelerated Summoning" fail to help her gain an advantage, the resulting drawbacks become apparent.

　Therefore, in the end, Gina Grant gained the upper hand and maintained it until the end of the match.

　Gina Grant won this battle without any major incident. Sky Magic Academy's Plan A failed.

　Back at the contestant's stand.

　Ashley Wilhelmina stuck out her tongue in apology, then obediently returned to her seat, awaiting the captain's judgment.

　But the captain won't blame her; he'll only blame himself for not being strong enough. "So, in the end, it still comes down to me."

　Jimmy Child of the Bronze Clan chuckled as he spoke. Things had come to this; Sky Magic Academy was now cornered, and they had to win the final two duels.

　But winning two games requires winning one game first.

　Jimmy has no chance against Pandora, so Tiffany has to face her instead.

　He himself, on the other hand, was trying to find a way to get a point from Eluri Clarissa.

　“Then I’ll leave it to you, Jimmy,” Tiffany said with a smile.

　If Jimmy fails to defeat Eluri, Sky Magic Academy will be eliminated early.

　Being eliminated early is not important; what is important is that it would render her duel with Pandora meaningless.

　Wouldn't that reduce a lot of interest?

　Tiffany's desire to duel with St. Marian Academy is less about fighting and more about challenging her former idol.

　That's right, her former idol was Pandora and Dragon. Now, of course, only Darkrai remains. After all, the new generation replaces the old, and new faces constantly emerge. A preference for novelty is a common human trait.