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

　But the red-faced man then said in a calm tone, "The God will not force anyone. If anyone is unwilling, they may withdraw immediately. Once the ceremony begins, withdrawal will not be permitted. However, those who withdraw in advance will have their divine power withdrawn."

　All extraneous sounds at the scene vanished instantly, leaving only complete silence.

　The red-faced man slowly said, "Your power was bestowed by the God. If you disobey the God's command, you may take it back."

　"Then what's the point of becoming a true god?" someone suddenly asked.

　The red-faced man said, "Upon ascending to the position of a true god, divine power transforms from the illusory into the real, and completely belongs to oneself."

　Another person asked, "Who knows if what you're saying is true or false?" The red-faced man calmly replied, "You can believe it or not."

　After he finished speaking, he said no more. The atmosphere at the scene was oppressive and heavy.

　But the "divine ritual" mentioned by the red-faced man had already begun to be set up. The "guards" who had been standing against the wall—those wearing the same masks and carrying lanterns—slightly swayed their lanterns, the flickering light reflecting off the rock face, the shadows glowing with a blood-red light, both divine and demonic. A mysterious and eerie aura gradually spread with each sway of the lanterns.

　Suddenly, a chanting sound arose from the darkness.

　The chanting sounded both sacred and malevolent, both close at hand and far away.

　The deep blue on the ground gradually intensified, turning into a deep black.

　The black crystal at the zenith emitted a black mist, dimming the bright light.

　The once bright and spacious "Dark Crystal Cave" gradually became as dark as the passageway.

　A faint divine aura gradually emerged and became noticeably stronger.

　The dark crystal pillars standing in all directions emitted a faint light from within.

　Especially the four tallest and thickest dark crystal rock pillars.

　Those of Dark and the others in the middle immediately felt a sense of being surrounded by terror.

　Daklu frowned slightly, noticing that the others were gradually quieting down. But the stillness was setting in motion, and their inner emotions were becoming increasingly agitated. Greed, fear, anger, panic, desire... all sorts of thoughts swirled within them, yet not one of them erupted in anger.

　The red-faced man's threat to "withdraw his divine power" seemed to strike a nerve with everyone, and no one chose to withdraw until the ceremony began.

　Sudden.

　Four dark crystal pillars shone brightly, forming a line between adjacent pillars to create a field.

　The venue was surrounded by light curtains on all four sides, with the ground in the center slightly glowing. After confirming that no one had left, the red-faced man ordered the distribution of number plates.

　When Dak saw Charlie pull out a 5 from the hidden box, he casually reached in, pulled out a card, flipped it face up, and got a 6.

　"5 and 6"

　Dak smirked, feigning wariness as he looked at Charlie, then abruptly took a step back.

　If the schedule is determined by the order of the numbers, then players number five and six would be opponents.

　Charlie was clearly looking at him too, and almost simultaneously took a step back, chuckling.

　Unexpectedly, the two had just become "intimate" and were forced to become enemies. What a cruel twist of fate! Dak did not believe a word the red-faced man said.

　He ventured deep into this place, intending to investigate the truth and confirm the identity of the "God," the person behind the scenes, before considering the "conspiracy" and the "gains and losses."

　But so far, the "god" has not revealed his identity at all. Darke cannot even be sure whether he is there or not.

　However, the "divine ritual" did indeed pique his interest. There were exactly thirty-two people.

　It clearly mimics the format of the World Cup finals. A mysterious ritual claims to make one a god. A special point in time lies between the qualifiers and the finals. Everything about it is shrouded in mystery.

　Traces everywhere.

　Dak already had a slight guess in his mind, so he decided to go with the flow, participate in the ceremony, and see how it would go and whether the "God" would appear.

　on the other hand.

　He had just re-established contact with Lara outside the barrier.

　Although Laura was isolated by the barrier, they had a backup plan.

　Dark's card pack contained a magic card that originally belonged to Laura. Based on the inseparable connection between the magic card and the mage, Laura used a mental magic derived from "Spiritual Connection" to successfully establish a connection with him.

　The two can now bypass the barrier and communicate using "telepathy".

　Dark recounted everything that had happened in his mind and instructed Laura to provide support from the outside.

　Once danger is detected, the barrier is forcibly broken.

　……

　After all thirty-two number plates were dealt, the red-faced man pointed and drew lines in the air, outlining the detailed race schedule.

　Dark looked up and, sure enough, it was a match between odd and even numbers. The first round of trials was a single-elimination format.

　The red-masked man called out numbers directly, and numbers one and two entered the area, creating a tense atmosphere.

　Redface, who was also acting as the referee, was about to speak when Number One and Number Two suddenly rushed towards their opponents and summoned them at the same time.

　He frowned slightly, quickly called a halt, and then ordered the two to engage in duel.

　Number One and Number Two fell silent.

　The red-faced man clearly did not mention "magical duel" in his previous remarks.

　It took them a long time to make up their minds to fight to the death, and they were prepared to do whatever it took.

　Therefore, he decided to "strike first" as soon as he entered the arena. Little did he expect it to be a magic duel!

　Once the duel begins, the rules governing the use of magic cards will be restricted, and previously planned battle strategies must be changed.

　Therefore, after setting up the duel arena, they spent a full three minutes brainstorming before placing their decks into the duel disk.

　Furthermore, both sides activated their "Life Cards" when the duel began.

　After all, it's better to use it than not, as the life shield from the "Life Card" is quite considerable.

　However, Number One used a third-tier (8000 HP) life card.

　Number Two, however, used the fourth tier of 16000 "Life Cards"!

　Number One wanted to "appeal," but the red-faced man remained silent.

　Thus, the duel unfolded under these extremely unfair circumstances.

Chapter 1577 Dark Demon's Dark Duel (4k)

　The duel between Number One and Number Two, as in the example, continued under the spotlight.

　After a moment's thought, Dak realized that the reason the red-faced man asked them to open the duel domain was to connect with the divine ritual, so that the duel between Number One and Number Two could also take the form of a ritual, thereby unfolding the "divine ritual" mentioned by the red-faced man.

　This shows that the red-faced man was not entirely bluffing; at least it can be confirmed that he was indeed performing some kind of ritual.

　But what this ritual ultimately points to remains a mystery.

　The only thing that can be confirmed now is that this ceremony is indeed mimicking the World Cup schedule.

　Moreover, he was very clear that the World Cup schedule was designed to recreate the "sacrifice and resurrection of the saints," thereby awakening the "god" Hermes.

　Could the red-faced man's imitation of this competition schedule also be an attempt to awaken or resurrect some deity?

　Darkus frowned slightly at this point. The resurrection of gods was no easy feat.

　And today is Easter Sunday.

　If the "god" represented by the red-faced man wants to awaken or resurrect a god through a similar ritual, he only needs to wait one more day, on Easter, and the success rate will be greatly increased.

　Moreover, Easter is the start of the World Cup, and everyone's attention is drawn to the World Cup, allowing them to act more discreetly and avoid being discovered.

　—If we've already waited until this point, why not wait one more day? Darke simply couldn't understand this.

　The best time to perform the ritual of calling the gods is actually from midnight to sunrise on Easter Sunday.

　On Easter Eve, various ritualistic acts such as singing hymns, praying, and giving blessings can be used to make preparations in advance, increasing the probability of success for the subsequent rituals.

　However, due to scheduling constraints, Principal Arte adjusted the timing of the ceremony, moving it from daytime to nighttime, but still within Easter Sunday.

　However, the ritual of summoning the gods is originally meant to awaken the essence of resurrection. Even if the ritual is downgraded due to time adjustments, it can still achieve its purpose, so it is basically harmless.

　Various contradictions have increased doubts.

　Although Dark's focus was not very clear, it was still on the duel between Number One and Number Two.

　He saw that Number One and Number Two summoned magic cards the moment the duel entered the battle phase, and simultaneously moved at high speed toward their opponents.

　The players who can participate in the World Cup are generally quite skilled in magic. Moreover, both of them have refined their "Life Cards" to the third and fourth tiers respectively, which is proof of their high level of skill.

　Taking Thompson as an example, after being implanted with "black eyes," his physique and magic power were greatly enhanced. Especially his physique, which almost turned him from a lean man into a muscular man.

　Therefore, Dark estimated that Number One and Number Two would also be physically strong. Once they collided, it would be a simultaneous battle between magic and physical strength! Thus, although they possessed "Vivre Cards," their duel would be more akin to the Academy Championship.

　After a brief observation, Dark determined that Number One and Number Two were roughly equal in physical strength, and the levels of their respective card decks were also similar. However, Number One possessed superior combat skills, while Number Two had a higher level of magical ability.

　The second character's magical ability was also accurately reflected in his "Life Card" with 16000 HP.

　In close combat, a life shield that can mitigate more damage will naturally provide a greater advantage.

　Both sides had their strengths, making the duel quite exciting. However, it wouldn't be accurate to say that the duel was of a particularly high level.

　Number Two, relying on its superior magical abilities and thicker life shield, preemptively shattered Number One's life shield, reducing its 8000 health points to zero.

　But just as he subconsciously thought "the battle is over," Number One suddenly seized the opportunity and launched a series of attacks on him, constantly shattering his life shield and relentlessly punching his head, making it impossible for him to concentrate, let alone control the magical spirits or summon magical cards.

　At this point in the duel, Number One clearly got angry and beat Number Two's head repeatedly, knocking off his mask, leaving him with a bloody nose and a bruised and swollen face, before snapping his neck with a "crack"!

　That moment.

　The moment Number Two fell to the ground dead, Number One suddenly spread his arms wide, knelt down and laughed wildly, his face beneath the mask contorted and twisted.

　The "black eyeballs" can erode Thompson's will and reduce his rationality.

　Although it is unknown what was implanted in Number One's body, it should have a similar effect.

　Dark glanced to the side and sensed an unusual aura growing around him.

　Number One's madness seems to have had some negative effects on the rational will of the others as well.

　—The ceremony gradually became more formal.

　Because of the Duel Zone, Number Two did not actually die, but was reborn in his own "graveyard".

　But just as Number Two was about to attack Number One, the red-faced man suddenly spoke, announcing the end of the battle.

　Number one wins, number two is eliminated.

　Number One can take one item from Number Two's hand. "Take one item"

　Number One grinned broadly and strode towards Number Two. Undoubtedly, he wanted to take Number Two's "God Card"! That way, he could possess two "God Cards" and become even more powerful.

　But when Number Two saw him approaching, he suddenly turned around and tried to run away.

　He had finally received the "divine blessing" and gained great power; how could he possibly be willing to give it up?

　However, as soon as he took a step, his eyes suddenly went black, enveloped in a dark light, making him unable to move as if frozen in place.

　He was terrified and struggled frantically, but to no avail.

　All he could do was scream, "This is not fair," "I haven't summoned the god yet," "I am stronger than him," and a series of filthy curses.

　However, his curses and roars seemed to go unheard. Number One snatched his card pack, pulled out the "God Card," and laughed maniacally.

　The eyes of everyone else watching were also on Number One.

　More precisely, it was on the "God Card" in Number One's hand. Even though Dark was some distance away from them, he could feel their fervor and hear their faint panting hidden beneath their masks.

　Greedy people can never see those who have failed or fallen into depravity.

　"Next one."

　The red-faced man announced in a deep voice that no repairs had been made to the damaged area. Number Three and Number Four then entered the arena.

　With the examples set by Number One and Number Two, the actions of Number Three and Number Four were clearly more organized and cautious.

　They hadn't completely lost their rationality; they knew that if they wanted to take away the other's "God Card," they had to be careful and go all out.

　Dak identified their masks and discovered that Number Three and Number Four were people who had been recorded in those dozen or so documents.

　Number three's name is Billy. He was originally an ordinary mage who graduated from the city's magic academy. Because he encountered setbacks everywhere after graduation, he wanted to participate in the World Cup to seek opportunities.

　However, he had only been in the preliminary rounds for a short time when he lost nine matches in a row, leaving him with only one red dot representing his lifeline, meaning he was almost immediately eliminated.

　But starting from that last red dot, his dueling style underwent a dramatic change. He began using a dark-type deck and then kept winning, almost advancing to the preliminary rounds.

　Number four's name is Dick, and he's a wandering magician. He temporarily became a full-time mage after hearing about the World Cup.