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

　Although almost no one had heard of this name, the few people who did were all slightly taken aback.

　“Shut up, Dulles!” Zoe said quickly. “That bullet can change direction!”

　Astaroth's Dark Dagger has a guaranteed hit property.

　The bullets fired by Astaroth's "Golden Salmon" are imbued with hellfire, allowing it to catch up even if the target escapes to the very edge of hell.

　While the latter statement is somewhat exaggerated, Astaroth's bullets do indeed possess tracking capabilities when they do not lose their target.

　The first bullet that pierced through Dulles's hallucination found its target again before it could register "lost target." Zoe had timed the release of Dulles from the "death space" so precisely that the bullet didn't disappear; instead, it made a 360-degree turn and chased after Dulles again.

　Then, the next bullet, which flew over Dulles's head, also suddenly changed direction and continued to track him.

　These two bullets lost a lot of speed and their power was slightly reduced when they made a sharp turn.

　But it has absolutely nothing to do with it.

　"Astaroth" has a third bullet.

　"Golden Salmon" is a machine gun; its firing rate is not one shot per second.

　The Astaroth resumed its firing rate the moment it spotted Dulles.

　Dulles was met with a barrage of hellfire bullets fired at full speed! Three seconds.

　Enough to turn him into a beehive.

　The reason he didn't turn into a hornet's nest was entirely due to the "Astaroth's" superb control.

　Astamon, the entity responsible for all of this, gave a cold laugh and slung the Golden Salmon machine gun over its shoulder.

　Hidden strength and name.

　"The battle is over."

　Dark stepped out of the "Death Rune" barrier and waved his hand to disperse the fairy mist.

　At the other end of the venue.

　Dulles's "Terror Ghost" was pinned to the ground by the "Antilo Beast," its hands locked and its back pressed against the ground by the knee, unable to move at all.

　Judging from the results.

　This duel was a one-sided crushing defeat.

　Of course, upon closer examination, one can also discover the hidden drama within. Dak looked at Dulles, his gaze shifting slightly.

　He also heard Dulles's question.

　However, the aura of the dead was too strong in the arena, and Dulles's ring was hidden very well, so he did not sense anything unusual.

　Even so, it can already be confirmed.

　Beside Dulles, or within him, resides a person named "Zoe." "Who is Zoe?"

　Knowing full well that "if you don't understand, ask," Dak asked directly. Dulles's stiff face, covered in lividity, grew even uglier. "Let's talk about it downstairs."

　Fearing that Dark would ask more questions, he quickly recalled his magical spirit, then withdrew the duel field, and walked towards the elevator platform.

　The lividity on his face and body gradually faded after he left the dueling ring. However, an extremely strong aura of the dead... and the stench of corpses still lingered around him!

　Dark paused for a moment, then said to the magical spirits, "Come back, all of you." He then put the magical spirits back into the card and went down the elevator on the other side.

　In Dulles's mind, Zoe was still wailing.

　It would sometimes howl about why it lost, and sometimes curse Dulles for being incompetent. Its mouth was full of those powerful and invincible magic cards that Dulles hadn't even used yet, saying that as long as it summoned a certain magic spirit, it could block Astaroth's bullets, turn the tide of battle, and crush those nine-star magic spirits...

　Dulles was also affected, and his regret deepened. It wasn't that he couldn't accept failure, but rather that he couldn't accept a failure that had yielded absolutely nothing.

　"One more duel! One more duel! Dulles, challenge him to another duel!"

　Zoe's voice pounded and screamed in his head. Dulles's face grew increasingly grim, though the lividity masked it all.

　The cheers and applause of the audience had become a distant memory.

　Darko quickly entered the players' tunnel and walked back to the players' lounge from there.

　He encountered Ergani, who was walking out of the doorway, and Whitney, the sand scorpion.

　This sand scorpion insect person is tall and graceful, with brownish-black skin, deep-set features, bright eyes, and hair combed into thick braids that hang down naturally.

　She looked extremely confident and greeted Dak in a very friendly manner when she came out.

　Dark responded briefly before looking at Ergani. Then he whispered, "Be gentle."

　Ergane curled her nose, deliberately tilted her head back, and walked past him.

　"Pfft." Dark couldn't help but laugh.

　Then I got a back elbow strike. But it was so light it felt like a massage.

　Ergane deliberately quickened her pace, walking away with a "papapa" sound. Dark turned around, put her hands behind her back, and closed the half-closed door. He didn't go in, but waited.

　After waiting for about two minutes, Dulles finally appeared around the corner. Seeing that the lividity on Dulles's face had faded considerably, he said with slight relief, "Your lividity... is it alright now?"

　“It’s alright, it’ll completely disappear in half an hour.” Dulles pointed to the door. “Why don’t you go in?”

　Seeing that he was asking a question he already knew the answer to, Dak said, "I'll wait for you."

　Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, Dulles sighed and said, "Give me some privacy, brother."

　“Okay.” Darke then turned and opened the door, entering the players’ lounge. Dulles stood outside, stunned, completely unprepared for Darke’s decisiveness. He had lingered outside for a while, trying to come up with a lie, but hadn’t managed to concoct one.

　He instinctively reached for the doorknob.

　Zoe then said, "Dulles, you don't really want to go in, do you?"

Chapter 1548 The Radiant Serpent, The True War of the Gods (1/2)

　Chapter 1548 The Radiant Serpent, The True War of Gods (8k)

　In the player lounge.

　Dak returned to his seat, exchanged a few pleasantries with the students, and then sat down next to Professor Harvey.

　He whispered, "Professor, do you know Zoe?"

　Professor Harvey was also deep in thought. "I have some recollection, but you know I'm getting old, and my memories from my youth are often unclear. However, based on what you said before, he should know me... Hmm, let me think about it some more." Dark didn't urge him; he could roughly guess that Zoe was a necromancer.

　The "teacher" Dulles was referring to was most likely him.

　However, Dark had no prejudice against "necromancers" and naturally wouldn't have any other thoughts about Dulles and Zoe because of it.

　In his memories as a duelist, Dulles was just one of many opponents. Dulles might have many trump cards he hadn't used, or he might be hiding some special secret, potentially becoming an extremely formidable opponent in the future. But those weren't things he needed to consider now.

　After all, the World Cup qualifiers are a single-elimination tournament, so even if a loss is caused by a momentary mistake, it is still a loss.

　Since Dulles has already left the stage... let him leave quietly!

　Dark then turned his attention to the playing field.

　What follows is the first stage performance of the "Goddess of Wisdom".

　If the preliminary rounds were Ergan's first time participating in a duel, then the qualifying rounds were her first time standing on the dueling stage.

　Prior to today, she was virtually unknown within St. Marian Academy.

　Her role as a teaching assistant didn't garner her much attention. But once she officially stepped onto the dueling stage, she became the center of attention.

　"Are they students from St. Marian Academy again?"

　Whitney stepped onto the dueling stage, looked up at Ergane opposite her, and couldn't help but sigh.

　St. Marian Academy truly lives up to its reputation as a holy land of magic. Even students can gain a foothold on this world stage where powerful magicians from all over the continent gather.

　Whitney doesn't belong to the Orc Kingdom, and therefore lacks intelligence. But she will still try to find out what's available on the market.

　Among the academies that participated in the Academy Championship in this World Cup, only St. Mary's Academy had the most students who qualified from the preliminary rounds and went the furthest in the qualifiers.

　Just now, a student demonstrated his ability to summon three nine-star magical spirits in a single turn on the dueling stage.

　Her current opponent was even ranked higher than the student from before in the preliminary rounds.

　What kind of talent do these students, who are so young, need to reach their current level?

　Whitney shook her head slightly, clearing her mind of distractions.

　She knew she had to give it her all, otherwise she might end up like Dulles in the previous match, unable to even use her signature moves and leaving the field in disappointment.

　After all, even if you have a "God Card," you still need to be able to summon it.

　As the final duel of the day, the appearance of Ergane and Whitney attracted considerable attention.

　After both fighters stepped onto the dueling platform, the audience gave their final enthusiastic support.

　The battle then unfolds, with both players summoning "Life Cards," placing them in their decks, automatically shuffling the decks, and then entering the "Battle Phase."

　Ergani remained silent as always, and after three seconds of casting a spell, she summoned her first magical spirit.

　That was a snake, a dazzling snake as if cast in ceramic!

　This snake, which is about two meters long from head to tail, is called the "Serpent of Wisdom" and is a familiar that Ergani summoned from her "Professor Card".

　Unlike most familiars that are only one-star, Ergane's "Serpent of Wisdom" has a full three stars.

　But in the end, it's only three stars.

　"His-"

　After the "Serpent of Wisdom" was summoned, it climbed onto her shoulder and touched her face.

　Ergani raised her hand and pushed it away with some annoyance.

　At that moment, yellow sand appeared on the opposite field, and a strong wind howled, its roar like a dragon circling in the air.

　A magical elf with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a scorpion appeared and disappeared amidst the swirling yellow sand.

　That was clearly not the kind of aura a three-star magical spirit could possess, or even a six-star or seven-star one.

　At least nine stars!

　Whitney actually summoned a nine-star magical spirit at the very start of this duel!

　Such special summons, which occur without any prior warning, are always difficult to explain.

　Nobody knows how she did it.

　Even Dark Dimon's nine-star magical spirit is clearly an enhanced and upgraded version of a three-star spirit.

　But Whitney was different. The commentators fell silent. But they seemed to have gotten used to it.

　There are too many inexplicable events on the stage of this World Cup. However, the situation on the field is clearer than ever at this moment. After all, with nine stars against three stars, the advantage is obvious.

　Moreover, the "King of the Sands" summoned by Whitney comes with a field buff. The sandstorm rushes forward amidst howling winds and will soon cover the entire field, turning it into the yellow sand desert that Whitney is most familiar with.

　"King of the Sands, Dig Scorpion Tail!" Whitney commanded without hesitation.

　The "King of the Yellow Sands" raised its scorpion tail and then suddenly pierced the ground. In an instant, a surge of energy erupted from the ground where its tail had pierced, like an invisible tail sweeping across the earth and emerging in a flash, already at Ergani's feet.

　The scorpion tail, as thick as condensed yellow sand, emerged from beneath her feet and, accompanied by a howling wind, stabbed towards Ergani.

　But in that instant.

　The eyes of the "Serpent of Wisdom" suddenly burst forth with a seven-colored light, and a colorful barrier with a ceramic-like texture instantly opened up.

　"boom!"

　The sand scorpion's tail shot into the sky, and the exploding yellow sand fell like rain. But it was all blocked by a seven-colored barrier and could not be shaken at all. Whitney couldn't help but frown.

　The ultimate attack unleashed by "The Serpent of Wisdom" is clearly an absolute defense similar to "Guard".

　Although described as "absolute," there is actually a limit to what can be tolerated.

　Theoretically, it's impossible for a three-star magic spirit to withstand the overwhelming power of her nine-star "King of the Sands" attack!

　However, the "Serpent of Wisdom" not only blocked it, but the glowing barrier remained stable and seemed capable of holding out for quite some time.

　"As expected of the second-ranked contestant among the students of St. Mary's Academy."

　Whitney suddenly commanded: "King of the Yellow Sands, Split Armor Yellow Wind!"

　The "King of Yellow Sands" suddenly crouched down, its blade-like feet plunging deep into the ground. Then, its steel-hard deck was cleaved in two, and deep yellow sand poured out wildly from the crack, spreading outwards in all directions.

　Whitney immediately activated her second magic card – [Yellow Sand Iron Coffin]! Her eyes glowed, and she raised her hand, pointing sharply in Ergan's direction.

　In an instant, the yellow sand that filled the area swept wildly in the direction of the wind, transforming into an unprecedentedly huge arrow.