Seeking out someone for a one-on-one in the middle of a qualifier battle royale—should one say this was truly Ma Li's style?
Dark Demon lightly tapped the Magic Guide Card of [Curse Cage: DemiDevimon], and the DemiDevimon, which had regressed now that the effect of "Pride III" had vanished, returned into the Magic Guide Card.
This irritating Demon Species had at last disappeared from everyone's sight.
But just when they assumed the sword in Devimon's hand was about to time out as well, it suddenly began to move.
The single eye at the center of the cross-guard quietly opened, and the ribbon poking out from the pommel gradually lengthened, its tip splitting into fingers like a hand.
It did not visibly display the traits of a Magic Guide Spirit; it merely flew swiftly before Dark Demon and hovered in midair.
Dark did not reach out to grasp it, nor did he equip it onto Leomon.
The attack power boosted by weapons such as blades and swords could basically only be brought to bear by relying on the weapon itself.
Even if Leomon equipped the "Honedge," if it still attacked with its fists, its attack would not be raised on that account.
Now that Ma Li had openly issued the invitation, there was of course no reason for Dark not to accept the challenge.
"Leomon, are you interested?"
Leomon stared gravely at that tiger-man, and after a long moment turned its head to look at Dark.
Dark then said, "Frenzied War Tiger. Five-star Magic Guide Spirit, Fighting-type, with the fixed Ultimate Move 'Frenzied Tiger Fist.'"
As for its magic, attack, and defense...
The magic, attack, and defense of Magic Guide Spirits sharing the same name actually varied, and could not be pinned down rigidly.
But that "Frenzied War Tiger's" magic, attack, and defense should not be lower than "Leomon's."
Both sides were Animal species, Fighting-type Magic Guide Spirits, and this was moreover a contest of lion against tiger—on the surface the stats were evenly matched.
But which was truly the stronger, that could only be known after the battle.
Leomon stretched out its limbs, fighting spirit gradually welling up in its eyes, and gave Dark a heavy nod.
"Then let's fight!"
...
Both sides hit it off at once.
Ma Li casually tapped away the buffing-type spells on the "Frenzied War Tiger's" body, letting it face Leomon in its most basic state.
"Roar!"
Receiving its command, the Frenzied War Tiger abruptly roared aloud.
A kingly pressure erupted with it.
Leomon shuddered sharply, and assumed a stance toward the Frenzied War Tiger resembling Wing Chun—this was something it had learned from Hawlucha.
The moment this movement appeared, it gave people a deeply professional impression.
Ma Li's interest grew even keener, and she immediately barked, "Frenzied War Tiger, Frenzied Tiger Fist!"
The Frenzied War Tiger leaned its upper body forward and pounced ferociously, tiger-claws touching the ground, its four limbs racing along like lightning, swift beyond the reach of one's ears.
Although the Frenzied War Tiger's intelligence level was only 2.0—that of a normal Magic Guide Spirit—Ma Li had all along treated it as a sparring partner, and even a pig, trained long enough, would develop combat instincts, let alone a Magic Guide Spirit.
Moreover, between her and this Frenzied War Tiger, a faint mental tether had already formed—this was a sign of a "bond" taking shape.
Mere seconds later, the Frenzied War Tiger had already rushed before Leomon. Its four limbs flexed, its frame leapt up, its back arched like a bridge, and the power of its whole body gathered from below toward the top; its tiger-claws abruptly clenched into a fist that smashed down savagely from above onto Leomon's head.
The Frenzied War Tiger's movements were so fast, its actions so nimble, that it did not in the least resemble a stiff Magic Guide Spirit.
Facing the first great foe since its birth, Leomon instantly stepped back, opening up some distance.
Then, when the Frenzied War Tiger's fist hammered into empty air, it extremely steadily aimed a punch straight at its head.
This punch was forceful and heavy, carrying the bearing of an overlord.
At the critical instant the Frenzied War Tiger twisted aside to dodge, but it was still struck in the left shoulder by the punch.
It had pounced from above, its frame unsteady, and on landing it ate this punch again, instantly tumbling sideways and crying out wretchedly.
But just as Leomon had slackened somewhat, the Frenzied War Tiger, which had rolled away some distance, suddenly flipped back to its feet, and as its hind legs pushed off the ground, it abruptly burst out with tremendous speed, a tiger-claw raking viciously at Leomon's flank.
Leomon could not dodge in time and took the claw head-on, mana immediately spilling out.
Yet it did not so much as furrow its brow; its enormous fist came down from above and slammed savagely into the back of the Frenzied War Tiger's head, hammering it flat onto the ground by sheer force.
The Frenzied War Tiger let out a muffled grunt at this, but its two claws braced against the ground in time, and the part of its body below the waist swung as if of its own consciousness—its tiger-tail, like a steel whip, lashed fiercely at Leomon.
Leomon was quick of eye and hand; its left hand darted out and seized the tail, then its right hand joined in, and with both hands working together it actually gripped the tiger-tail and swung it forcefully, dragging the prone Frenzied War Tiger up off the ground, whirling it through the air in a fierce circle, and smashing it down onto the ground.
"POOM!"
One could plainly see that the Frenzied War Tiger, smashed to the ground, struck its chin directly against the earth, its face instantly contorting.
Even Dark had not anticipated that Leomon could gain such an advantage in this single exchange.
But having gained the advantage, Leomon did not press the victory; instead, with great composure, it waited for the Frenzied War Tiger to recover.
It stood with its hands behind its back, its bearing fully on display.
...
At this moment, two Magic Guide Spirits abruptly shrieked past overhead, but neither so much as glanced down at them.
The contestants still locked in fierce battle were evidently uninterested in the duel between the two of them.
Moreover, both Dark and Ma Li were favored contenders for the top eight, and since these two wished to play at one-on-one within the battle royale, most people were happy to see it happen.
And in fact the contestants were quite interested in their duel; while commanding their respective Magic Guide Spirits in battle, they would still glance over this way from time to time.
...
In the span of just two breaths, the Frenzied War Tiger had already stood back up.
Under Ma Li's command it rallied its forces and built up its momentum.
When the momentum had been built to its peak, it abruptly strode forward.
One step, two steps, three steps, each step heavier than the last.
As the third step was taken, its whole body once more vaulted upward, and with a sudden tiger's roar, its two claws clenched into fists that struck out like lightning.
This time, however, it had used its Ultimate Move—"Frenzied Tiger Fist"!
Leomon's gaze grew grave as it tried to parry, but that "Frenzied Tiger Fist" placed its emphasis on the word "frenzied"; the fists swung out like a violent storm, utterly without any trace to follow.
Leomon could only cross its two arms to block.
The Frenzied War Tiger's punching speed grew faster and faster, until it actually pummeled Leomon's arms swollen and puffy.
"Roar!"
After a full half-minute of punching, the Frenzied War Tiger gave a violent bellow and threw out a final punch that gathered the momentum of its entire body.
As that punch was thrown, it seemed as if a giant tiger pounced for prey behind it, surging forward together with its long arm.
Leomon was actually sent flying backward by this single punch.
"Sink your center of gravity."
After being knocked flying back several meters, Leomon stepped back with one foot, sank its center of gravity, dragged along half a meter, and at last planted its feet firmly on the ground.
It gasped for breath in great gulps, the forearms of both hands trembling without cease, having expended a great deal of stamina.
"How about that?"
The corner of Ma Li's mouth curled slightly; she was quite satisfied with her own battle pet's performance.
To be able to train a Magic Guide Spirit of intelligence 2.0 to such a degree, she was indeed proud enough.
But after her pride came a slight regret.
With the "bond" not yet formed, the Frenzied War Tiger still lacked some autonomous awareness, and was far from having as much potential as Dark's Leomon.
Facing Ma Li's provocation, Dark merely mused, "Leomon, have you learned it?"
Leomon nodded slightly, its two hands gradually limbering up.
Then it slowly walked toward the Frenzied War Tiger, and as it drew near, its frame suddenly quickened.
One step, two steps, three steps, each step heavier than the last.
By the third step, its momentum had already surged high, with not a trace remaining of the decline from being beaten back earlier.
The lion's roar bursting from its throat was steady and restrained.
Its right arm drew back slightly, and as the final step came down, it instantly recalled in its mind the stance Hawlucha took when striking the wooden training dummy, fused it with this Frenzied War Tiger's "Frenzied Tiger Fist," and threw out a Lion Fist that belonged to itself!
The trajectory of its punch could be traced, but the force of the fist was heavier, and the speed faster.
A memory that seemed to have been rooted deep in its mind since birth quietly surfaced.
This made its punches faster and stronger, and also more flexible and varied.
That Frenzied War Tiger went from initially parrying with composure, to barely managing to block, to finally collapsing utterly—all in the span of just half a minute.
And the radiance between Leomon's brows grew ever brighter; at the end it suddenly let out a violent bellow, and actually blurted out: "Beast King Fist!"
In that instant, a lion-shaped energy wave was released from its right fist, in a single moment piercing through the Frenzied War Tiger's defense and blasting it flying backward.
Unlike when Leomon had been knocked flying, the Frenzied War Tiger's frame nearly disintegrated.
Its mana was clearly running dry; it seemed that a single gust of wind would be enough to scatter it into motes of light.
And Leomon, having blasted out the "Beast King Fist," had its entire momentum climb to its peak, the kingly aura it had somewhat lacked growing ever richer.
It stood there maintaining its punching posture, the lion's mane streaming back, immersed in the lingering resonance of that single punch.
...
Applause abruptly thundered up.
...
"You win."
Ma Li, with a hint of envy, raised her Magic Guide Card and recalled the Frenzied War Tiger from the air back into the card.
Then she lifted her hand and gave a thumbs-up toward Dark and Leomon.
"Very nice."
"Thank you."
Dark nodded slightly and turned his head to look at Leomon.
The contest with Ma Li did not really count as a true duel; that Frenzied War Tiger had clearly still had an Ultimate Move it never used.
But having gone through this debut battle, Leomon had clearly made a leap in growth.
From here on, it should be able to throw itself into combat even better.
Dark reached out and produced two "Energy Potions," summoned them and tossed them to Leomon.
After taking the two bottles of Energy Potion, Leomon swiftly recovered to full condition.
Only then did Dark look back at the big screen.
But he saw that he—originally ranked sixth—and Ma Li, ranked seventh, had both already dropped out of the top eight.
"There's still time."
He was not anxious; reaching out, he grasped the "Honedge," then murmured "Weaponize," and tossed the "Honedge," which had closed its eye once more, to Leomon.
Leomon raised its hand and caught the "Honedge," its gaze cast into the battlefield.
The qualifier battle royale was still raging fiercely.
Next would be its home turf.
...
Dark had observed this qualifier battle royale for a full twenty minutes, and had long since noticed that the third-year seniors all held themselves in check, not excessively summoning overly strong Magic Guide Spirits, and seldom using those sinister ritual cards and Spell Cards.
The highest-star Magic Guide Spirits to appear so far were just a few six-star Magic Guide Spirits, all still within the scope of the second tier.
And the five-star "Leomon" was already able to hold a place of its own among them.
What's more, it was even equipped with the "Holy Sword"!
A Hero and a Holy Sword were natural-born partners.
Leomon had never trained with the sword; its talent, too, was based on the existence of the "Beast King Fist" and leaned toward bare-handed combat.
But when holding the "Honedge," it moved as though the sword were an extension of its arm, as if something were guiding it...
All right—it was precisely that "as if."
The "Honedge," after all, was the weaponized form of a Magic Guide Spirit; it possessed consciousness.
And this consciousness was clearer and wiser than the consciousness this Holy Sword had possessed before it was refined.
When Leomon charged into the battlefield holding the "Honedge," it was not at all breaking in alone, but rather the two advancing and retreating as one.
Ordinary five-star Magic Guide Spirits could not last beyond the second sword-stroke before Leomon, whose attack power had reached 3800.
Not to mention there were also quite a few four-star Magic Guide Spirits on the field.
With extremely high intelligence, Leomon carried out Dark's commands, roaming the edges as much as possible and reaping the lives of four-star Magic Guide Spirits.
Unnecessary conflicts, it avoided entirely.
When Devimon had carried out this command, it was like a flying thief.
But when Leomon carried out this command, it was like a sword-wielding knight-errant.
Once it began to work, Dark Demon's points once more started to climb steadily.
But Dark had not staked his chance of advancing entirely on Leomon.
For although Leomon was very strong, it was not as nimble as Devimon.
It could neither fly nor use "Teleportation" to switch battlefields.
Once caught in an encirclement, it would very likely be done for.
Therefore, off the field, Dark had already begun to prepare to summon a third Magic Guide Spirit—"Magic Beast: Ditto."
Using a "Lust III" to raise Magic Beast: Ditto to four-star, then having it "Transform" into Senior Winnie's "Frost Maiden."
After that, just one move—"Blizzard Tornado"—would be enough to lock his ranking down.
In short, the current objective was to advance.
Although the third-year seniors seemed more inclined to savor the duel, to savor victory, Dark had come this time with a purpose.
He wanted to obtain that "Gate Card" belonging to the victor.
Through proper channels.
And not by the back door.
...
The course of the entire match did not go as smoothly as he had imagined.
The third minute from the end of the match.
Leomon had only just pulled Dark's ranking back up to eighth place when a formidable enemy appeared before it.
The shadow beneath its feet abruptly split open into a mouth, then rose up from the ground and let out a jeering laugh at it.
In that instant, Leomon, who had little experience of this sort, showed a look of alarm and instinctively retreated backward.
But that shadow extended out from beneath its very feet.
No matter how it moved, the shadow would follow close behind it.
"Heh heh heh——"
The shadow's jeering laughter grew ever more ferocious.
This made Leomon think of its "Watcher Alliance"—"Drifloon."
Of course, the little Drifloon was always slipping out of the Magic Guide Card against the rules, wandering into other people's dreams to spread terror all about.
So its true "Watcher Alliance" consisted only of "Meowth."
And the moment it thought of Drifloon, the fear in Leomon's heart inexplicably vanished.
It halted its retreating steps, raised the "Holy Sword" in its hand, and with a composed expression thrust a sword-stroke at that shadow grinning up at it.
"Thud."
Before the sword-tip made contact, the shadow was utterly unrestrained.
After the sword-tip made contact, it suddenly let out a wretched scream, struggling desperately like a pigeon flung into a frying pan of oil.
The shadow's outline contorted wildly as a result.
Leomon's expression grew ever more composed.
It poured mana into the "Honedge."
With a systematic training method for perceiving and controlling mana now in place, Dark's Magic Guide Spirits had basically all mastered the method of channeling mana.
Leomon had learned it quite well.
In that instant.
The "Honedge" blazed with light!
...
"Aaah——"
An incomparably shrill scream abruptly issued from within Leomon's shadow.
Under the light of the "Holy Sword," this Magic Guide Spirit that had bored into the shadow could no longer hold on, and fled out of Leomon's shadow as though scorched by fire.
That black figure darted out swiftly and revealed its true form at a position some five or six meters from Leomon.
It was actually a Ghost-type Magic Guide Spirit with a blurred humanoid shape.
At this point, whether the teachers and students within the circular zone or the tens of thousands of spectators in the stands, all had their attention drawn by the intense light and the piercing scream that had suddenly flared up over here.
Even the contestants on the field could not help but watch.
And that commentator in the commentary booth—Zach Wilson—had at last found yet another focal point for his commentary.
In fact, he had also given guiding commentary during Dark and Ma Li's one-on-one.
But after that he had shifted his focus onto other contestants.
Now pulling it back once more onto Leomon, Wilson suddenly realized he had still missed a great deal!
"That sword..."
A sword able to force a Ghost-type Magic Guide Spirit with the "Shadow Lurk" ability out of the shadow would, at the first instant, make people think of "that one."
But before it was confirmed, Wilson did not dare speak carelessly.
In fact, there were quite a few weapons with similar abilities; many Magic Tools within the Holy Church possessed sacred effects.
Still, this did not stop him from hyping up that sword a bit.
"No, wait. Wasn't this sword equipped on Devimon's body all along before?"
Wilson's tone hitched, and he suddenly discovered a key point.
"Can anyone tell me why a Dark-attribute Demon Species could equip a sword so clearly possessing sacred properties?"
Similar doubts spread like germs.
The students, professors, and spectators with a basic understanding of the relevant knowledge all suddenly grew abuzz.
So much so that the sound of their discussion nearly caught up with the cheers of the rest of the spectators.
And those paying attention to the battle on Leomon's side grew ever more numerous.
But many people, in truth, only half-understood.
They then relied on their own imaginings to construct frameworks of their own, and within their own frameworks made conjectures about things they did not actually understand.
So very few people were able to discuss anything truly useful.
At extremely close range.
Virt Gold, after more clearly sensing the aura of that "Holy Sword," had his doubts surge abruptly.
He had never truly seen a physical "Holy Sword," but had only ever created a "Holy Sword" using the "Holy Sword Spell," and so he could not confirm his own conjecture.
But this thread of doubt still took deep root.
Toward the "Holy Sword" itself, he harbored no covetousness.
But if that lion-type Magic Guide Spirit was using a genuine "Holy Sword," then could it be that it too possessed the qualifications of a Hero?
Impossible, surely?
How could a Magic Guide Spirit possibly possess the qualifications of a Hero?
And the earlier Demon Species had used this sword too.
A Demon Species, no matter what, could not possibly be a Hero!
Virt Gold slapped his forehead hard, trying to slap apart this unrealistic notion.
...
"It's a Hero! What a truly heartwarming aura."
Alvit lightly stretched her shoulders, her tone breezy.
Although she had sensed something the moment Leomon was first summoned, it was only when it truly activated the "Honedge's" "sacred" property that she finally confirmed it.
Magic Guide Spirits possessing the qualifications of a Hero were, in fact, not unique cases.
It was just that ordinary people could not possibly know it.
After all, within the classification of Magic Guide Spirits, there existed "Human Species" and "Demi-human Species."
There had once been more than one great Magic Guide Master who attempted to reproduce historical figures by means of Magic Guide Spirits.
Such reproduction could of course only reproduce an empty shell, but if it truly succeeded, even an empty shell would cause an enormous sensation.
Later...
As the research of those great Magic Guide Masters was exposed to the light of day, more Magic Guide Masters united to ban it, classifying it as a "forbidden art."
After all, the vast majority of Magic Guide Masters would not wish to be so desecrated even after their own deaths.
But even so.
Occasionally, historical figures would still be refined through the normal Magic Guide transmutation process.
Such situations were unavoidable.
If the impact was not great, the Magic Guide Masters would turn a blind eye.
As for whether someone was still conducting similar experiments in secret, that fell under matters impossible to verify.
But it was recorded that the Holy Church had once eradicated several heretical sects that attempted to transmute "gods" by similar methods.
No one knew whether it was true.
Nor did anyone know whether a "god" could truly be transmuted.
But in theory, even if it succeeded, the transmuted "god" could only be an empty shell.
No one knew what kind of thing might happen then.
Would the empty shell of a "god" without a soul become a host-ground for evil and malevolent things?
...
After hearing the word "Hero" with her own ears from Alvit's mouth, Claire once again failed to control the expression on her face.
After a long moment, she suddenly frowned and said, "A Hero, a Holy Sword—could this be a bad omen?"
Alvit glanced at her and said calmly, "What is meant to come will always come. I just didn't expect that my little treasure would gain the possibility of being a Hero candidate in this way."
From a certain moment, the sound of their conversation was completely buried within the sound of the wind.
Even the two little princesses right beside them were unable to hear the two of them speak.
...
Within the dueling arena.
After driving that Ghost-type Magic Guide Spirit out of its own shadow, Leomon cautiously raised its sword.
And that blurred humanoid Ghost-type Magic Guide Spirit was gradually recovering from its violent trembling.
The two sides, separated by a distance of five or six meters, fell into a standoff.
But Dark's gaze swept directly past that Ghost-type Magic Guide Spirit, looking toward a third-year senior directly opposite.
That senior, evidently the owner of this Magic Guide Spirit, wore his flaxen hair parted in the middle, the ends draped over his shoulders; the color of his eyes was a deep, profound black, his features soft and gloomy, his skin fair but not smooth.
Dark's impression of him was not deep; perhaps they had had some contact within the tower of the Noble House, but there wasn't much memory of it.
Yet the look the other party cast over this way did not seem to be without purpose.
"Could he be from the Noble History Research Society?"
Dark instinctively recalled the scene in the waiting room before the match began.
But he then noticed that the Noble History Research Society's Senior Mike Owen was over on another side, commanding a Magic Guide Spirit in a fierce fight with someone.
In his information, Mike Owen was still that society core figure able to represent the Noble History Research Society in issuing an invitation to him.
Since Mike Owen had made no move, the possibility of this being the Noble History Research Society was rather slim.
But if it had nothing to do with the Noble History Research Society, why was this gloomy-looking senior glaring at him like this?
Dark could not help touching his own handsome face, and suddenly a shiver ran through him.
He couldn't tell whether the senior opposite had sensed something, but the other suddenly slanted his gaze away.
His line of sight, however, immediately turned toward the battle of the Magic Guide Spirits.
"Shadow Ghost, Dark Night Assault!"
The unhesitating command made that Magic Guide Spirit named "Shadow Ghost" forcibly endure its aversion to the "Holy Sword" and unleash an Ultimate Move toward Leomon.
[Card Name: Shadow Ghost]
[Type: Spirit Card]
[Level: ?????]
[Species: Undead Species]
[Attribute: Ghost-type / Dark-type]
[Mana: 2500]
[Attack: 2100]
[Defense: 1400]
[Ultimate Moves: Shadow Lurk, Dark Night Assault, Shadow Kill]
The battle's curtain rose in an instant.
That humanoid body of the "Shadow Ghost" abruptly spread open, transforming into a pitch-black curtain that flew and swooped toward Leomon's direction amid the screaming.
In the blink of an eye, the sky above Leomon's head was shrouded by an enormous "night curtain."
The light dimmed in an instant.
Black lines hung down from within the night curtain, dense and packed, gloomy and terrifying.
One line touched Leomon's shoulder, and it immediately felt its mana being drained away.
But the moment it made a move, the "night curtain" overhead abruptly descended, the entire "night curtain" wrapping around it, as if to devour every living creature within the shrouded area!
Leomon's expression turned solemn; it bent its knees slightly to gather strength, and the "Honedge" in its hand, owing to the infusion of mana, released an ever more intense sacred light.
At that moment...
The "night curtain" that the "Shadow Ghost" had become shrouded down.
But Leomon held the "Holy Sword" in a reverse grip and leapt up like a soaring dragon; the "Holy Sword," radiating sacred light, swept upward from below, unleashing a sword force like a violent storm.
The "sacred" property of the "Honedge" took effect, increasing its restraint against Dark-attribute by a full 50%.
Leomon's sword, as though slicing through tofu, cut that "night curtain" open into countless rifts!
The light of the rising sun leaked out through the gaps, and as the darkness was dispelled, those black lines melted at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Clang!" The instant Leomon landed, its knees bent slightly, dispersing the force.
The sword had already returned to its sheath.
The "night curtain" that the "Shadow Ghost" had become lagged for an instant, then abruptly exploded.
After this, there was not a trace of darkness left overhead.
...
[Points +1]
...
Dark felt Leomon's condition through the Magic Guide Card, but his gaze remained fixed all along on that gloomy-faced third-year senior.
But he saw that, after his own Magic Guide Spirit had been slain, the senior was not angry but instead laughed, the corner of his mouth curling into an arc, and opened his mouth to say something.
The shouts of the spectators and the commentator drowned out the sound.
But that senior's expression and the shape of his lips made Dark instantly alert.
He immediately, by means of channeling mana into the Magic Guide Card, gave Leomon a warning.
The next moment, Leomon's shadow moved once again.
...
____
Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 40 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on (P). with 50 advanced chapters available on (P)
👻 Join the crew by searching Leanzin on (P). You know the spot! 😉