In that instant, Dark still thought the "Shadow Ghost" had not died.
But the increase in points indirectly refuted this conjecture.
"He has two "Shadow Ghosts"?"
The moment this thought arose, Leomon's shadow had already spread out in all directions.
It completely lost the shape of a shadow, turning into a pool of pitch-black darkness.
Leomon suddenly felt the ground beneath it give way, and both of its feet had already sunk into the swamp of shadow.
Twisted arms drilled out one after another from within the shadow, firmly grasping its ankles and rendering it unable to move.
Leomon's gaze flashed; without the slightest hesitation it drew its sword from the sheath and stabbed once more toward the ground.
But before the sword-tip touched the ground, that gloomy-faced third-year senior blurted out two words: "Shadow Kill!"
As another "Shadow Ghost," among the three Ultimate Moves this "Shadow Ghost" possessed, one was its innate Ultimate Move "Shadow Lurk," one was the just-used "Dark Night Assault," and the last was that same "Shadow Kill"!
The swamp of shadow beneath Leomon's feet suddenly churned violently, like boiling water, bubbling up pitch-black bubbles one after another.
As the bubbles burst, countless blades formed of shadow shot up into the sky, hanging frozen in the air for a moment—dense and packed, surrounding Leomon on every side!
"Leomon! Swords Dance!"
Almost simultaneously, Dark's shout rang out.
"Roar!"
Leomon abruptly let out a mighty roar, a barely perceptible tint of blood welling up in the depths of its eyes.
Then, gripping the sword in both hands, one knee slightly bent, it raised once more that stroke aimed at the ground, and then stabbed down fiercely.
In that instant, an endless current of air emerged around its body, coiling about it and spinning ever faster!
Countless shadow blades came flying in at that very moment.
The effect of "Swords Dance" formed a storm that shielded its whole body, actually scattering the great mass of shadow blades in an instant.
Only a few shadow blades broke into the storm's range, but they too were swiftly weakened by the ceaselessly gusting airflow, leaving merely thin streaks of wounds upon Leomon's body.
Feeling the slight stinging pain across its body, Leomon abruptly poured in mana.
That "Honedge" once more erupted with a sacred, snow-white light.
"Boom!"
The entire shadow swamp of "Dark Night Assault" was swiftly dispelled by the ring of light blooming outward from the sword-tip, and Leomon's shadow returned to normal in a single instant.
And that second "Shadow Ghost," too, fled out amid a wretched scream.
Leomon's feet were squeezed back out of the ground as the shadow swamp vanished.
It moved swift and fierce; like a heavy tank it chased after the "Shadow Ghost," wielding that "Honedge" in a reverse grip like a dagger in the manner of handling "Shishiōmaru," and sprinted at high speed.
By the time that "Shadow Ghost" recovered its true form amid its trembling, Leomon's towering frame had already appeared before it.
Immediately after—a reverse-grip slash!
Then another slash!
"Combo Slash"!
Empowered by "Swords Dance," the second slash pierced straight through empty air—because that "Shadow Ghost" had already been instantly slain by the first stroke!
...
[Points +1]
...
The two points gained in succession made Dark's ranking somewhat more stable.
With only the last two or three minutes of the qualifier battle royale remaining, the contestants still holding on were all far from weak, and slaying their Magic Guide Spirits was no longer an easy matter.
For these two "Shadow Ghosts" that had delivered themselves right to his door, Dark expressed his deep gratitude.
And this time, with the "Points +1," Dark finally noticed that the points of the second-ranked third-year Noble House student—Stuart Fawn—had dropped by one again.
The perfectly synchronized change made Dark instantly realize that the gloomy-faced senior was none other than Stuart Fawn!
"So, who is he?"
Stuart Fawn was the son of a meritorious baron, possessing no manor or fief; because his father had achieved military merit, he had been granted the honor and the title of baron, but it was not hereditary.
Therefore, if Stuart Fawn wished to become a noble, he would have to rely on his own efforts.
Under normal circumstances, there were no more than two ways to become a noble.
Buy or sell.
Purchase with resources.
Or sell oneself.
In fact, as a third-year student with outstanding grades, Stuart Fawn would naturally become a full-fledged Magic Guide Master of transcendent status after graduation, and whether or not he became a noble would not be a necessary criterion for crossing class lines.
But his father, who had lost his ability to work because of the war and was now jobless at home, hoped he could become a noble.
So after entering St. Marian's Academy, he had done everything he could—relying on his grades—to join the Noble History Research Society, which had extremely high requirements for its members' family background.
Even so, the consequence of straining with all his might to barely squeeze into a circle that wasn't his own was being marginalized.
Within the Noble History Research Society, he belonged to the very bottom rung.
In order to change this state of affairs.
With his own qualification already secure, Stuart Fawn made his move against Dark Demon!
By ordinary logic, his move was not actually abrupt.
After all, Leomon had been "rampaging" for quite a long while.
As a competitor in the same arena, giving a "cocky" junior a good lesson was nothing problematic.
The problem lay in the fact that his gaze was too sharp.
So just target the Magic Guide Spirit, then—what are you staring at the contestant for?
But Stuart Fawn hadn't done it on purpose either.
As a student who had always been striving to cross class lines.
Stuart Fawn valued class from the bottom of his heart.
He actually could hardly tolerate a first-year mixing into the ranks of the third-years.
Yes, he had a sort of "class purity obsession" in this regard.
As the saying goes, the more one lacks something, the more one values it.
Stuart, from the bottom of his heart, did not want Dark Demon to qualify in this preliminary.
But he was no fool either.
After his two "Shadow Ghosts" had run into a wall one after the other, he ultimately restrained his impulse to keep committing combat strength.
Provoking the son of a duke was simply far too unwise.
In truth, victory and defeat are commonplace, and on the dueling field one does not ask about birth.
A pity that there is always someone who pays special attention to such off-field matters when his conscience is uneasy.
...
But Dark had no idea who he was at all, nor any interest whatsoever in his circumstances.
Had he not glared at Dark, Dark wouldn't even have bothered to pay him any mind.
That glare of his, on the contrary, left an impression on Dark.
...
The match proceeded as usual.
Zach Wilson's commentary grew ever more impassioned.
Just now, when Leomon battled the two "Shadow Beasts," he had been full of vivid feeling and bursting with passion, performing quite well.
This made him feel he'd found his groove, and that he would surely perform even better in the main matches to come.
A minute or so later, when he once again turned his attention to Dark, he "excitedly" said: "With less than a minute left until the end of the qualifier battle royale, let's take a look at the current rankings."
"In first place, still rock-solid and immovable, is Winnie Skadi; in second place... Tom Nixon!"
"At this final moment, contestant Nixon of the third-year Fool's House has actually come from behind to surpass Stuart Fawn.
It seems the defeat of his two "Shadow Ghosts" affected him enormously. And as for contestant Dark Demon, who slew those two Shadow Ghosts..."
"As the only first-year who might possibly qualify in this preliminary, contestant Dark Demon has actually climbed another spot, taking seventh place!"
"It seems his qualification is already a foregone conclusion."
"Who would have thought that in a qualifier battle royale with third-year students taking part, a first-year could fight his way out. Dark Demon truly lives up to being the top student of the first-year Noble House, the Winner of the Crimson Star!"
"Let's look at the other contestants once more."
"Fourth place... Mike Owen!"
"Mike Owen of the third-year Noble House, with his steady, methodical style, has successfully secured fourth place."
"Next, in fifth place, is Paul Dulles of the Knight House! "Glory Knight" Paul Dulles, who smoothly passed the knight examination last year to become a Glory Knight—contestant Dulles has advanced into the top five!"
"Sixth place... Elsie Kevin, second-year!"
"Although many of the third-year powerhouses did not take part in this Easter Dueling Festival, contestant Kevin's ability to stand out from among the third-years already proves his strength. He truly lives up to being a top student among the second-years, a star of tomorrow worth looking forward to."
"And finally, eighth place... third-year Knight House Harrison... no, it's Noble House Ma Li Bond!"
"Second-year Noble House contestant Ma Li Bond has overtaken contestant Harris Barker by a single point. In the final thirty-second countdown, let's see whether contestant Harris Barker can complete a comeback and reclaim his qualifying spot?"
"Oh no! Contestant Harris Barker's "Delta Wyvern" has actually been carried off by a single Skyrocket Cannon from contestant Ma Li Bond's "Martial Turtle.""
"No more suspense—eighth place, second-year Noble House, Ma Li Bond!"
"Surprisingly, the second-years actually have two contestants who qualified as well. Let us give all the qualifying contestants a warm round of applause!"
"Clap, clap, clap——!"
...
The qualifier battle royale finally settled into dust amid earth-shaking applause.
Dark qualified solidly in seventh place.
Next would come the qualifier battle royale for the fourth- to sixth-years.
For every student and spectator alike, this would be an even more stunning visual feast.
The first- to third-year qualifier battle royale, though splendid, had after all been somewhat restrained.
But the fourth- to sixth-year qualifier battle royale, however restrained, couldn't be held back by much.
The appearance of every third-tier Magic Guide Spirit could send the spectators into a frenzy.
What's more, many people had come for the "Skyvault White Dragon" on the promotional posters.
For the fanatical fans, just being able to lay eyes on the "Skyvault White Dragon" in person was already worth the price of admission.
Of course, they did not know that the owner of the "Skyvault White Dragon" had not taken part in this qualifier battle royale.
...
Pandora Dragon sat quietly in the very last row of the ring zone, less than ten meters from the Valkyrie in the front row of the spectator seats.
In her arms she held not only that chubby Chinchilla Grass but also her familiar, which had already awakened intelligence—the "Young Wyvern."
The Young Wyvern, not the least bit slimmer than the Chinchilla Grass, would stick out its stubby hands whenever it was idle, poking at the Chinchilla Grass's cheeks over and over and making it cry "mimi" without end.
Dark Demon's victory was within her expectations; what was beyond expectation was how "far too easy" it had been.
Using only two of his main forces to successfully break into the top eight was astonishing.
"The key point likely lies in that sword..."
"When did he ever transmute an equipment card of such strength?"
"It seems that if I keep slacking off, even I might end up being caught up to by him."
Pandora separated the two little creatures that had nearly come to blows, gazing at the blue sky and white clouds overhead in a cheerful mood.
This school year, she always felt that her luck had truly been extraordinarily good.
It seemed that ever since she met Dark, many things had been slowly changing.
Especially the period after Christmas—it was the most fortunate stretch of time in her life.
That had changed her destiny, filling her with hope for the future.
...
The Free City.
City Lord Montielfali was unconsciously stuffing snacks into her mouth, yet her gaze remained fixed all along on the about-to-leave Dark—no, on his Magic Guide Spirit, Leomon.
As a comrade-in-arms of the Valkyrie, the "Sun Warrior" Suna Montielfali had of course worked alongside Hero Bright Gold.
She had even come into contact with quite a few "Hero candidates."
People who possessed the "qualifications of a Hero" gave off a very different impression.
According to the Holy Church's explanation.
The "Saint," in order to protect humanity, once divided into three.
After these three differentiated embryos grew into adults.
One of them became the peerless Hero.
Another became the all-knowing Sage.
And the last became the supremely noble Emperor.
And all the "Heroes" thereafter were descendants of that very first "Hero," the legitimate "Sons of God."
So in every era the Holy Church would recruit Heroes, lending support to those who possessed the "qualifications of a Hero."
With the changing of the ages, the bloodline of the "Hero" gradually dispersed, even falling dormant within the body.
In theory, those possessing the "qualifications of a Hero" should have grown ever more numerous, but because an additional stage of "awakening" lay in between.
It instead gave the impression that the actual number was shrinking, thereby remaining steady within a certain range.
Among the common folk, sayings such as "Since ancient times, whenever a Hero appears, it is the time when humanity needs him" have always circulated.
But in fact, the truth is that whenever a great many people possessing the "qualifications of a Hero" awaken, that is the omen of an impending catastrophe.
Relative to the vast human population, those possessing the "qualifications of a Hero" are many, but those who awaken the bloodline to become "Hero candidates" are few, and a true "Hero" is but one!
"That lion-type Magic Guide Spirit possesses the qualifications of a Hero." City Lord Montielfali finally mused.
She had at last accepted her own judgment: "Lion-folk belong to the Demi-human Species, and in the broad sense are one of humanity's kindred races too, so it's no surprise for a Hero to emerge among them. In fact, my husband was a Demi-human Species who possessed the qualifications of a Hero."
Aurora seemed to have only learned of this just now; she looked up in surprise: "Father was a Hero candidate?"
City Lord Montielfali revealed a rare, serene smile: "That wasn't quite it—he never accepted the Holy Church's investiture. But he could wield a Holy Sword."
Aurora blinked, and said bashfully: "So then, do I also have the possibility of becoming a Hero?"
City Lord Montielfali couldn't help but laugh: "The way you are, not in a lifetime. In truth, most Hero bloodlines have already grown very thin; only after gaining the recognition of countless Holy Swords can one draw on those Holy Swords to make up the bloodline and become a true Hero.
At St. Marian's Academy there is a child of Bright Gold's; his Hero bloodline should be the most pure and rich, and he is the most likely to become a Hero."
Aurora thought it over, then said hesitantly: "So then, the process of becoming a Hero is actually just a process of collecting Holy Swords?"
City Lord Montielfali did not refute it: "If you want to put it that way, it's true enough."
Aurora: "How boring that is..."
City Lord Montielfali said solemnly: "It is meaningful."
She then turned to look at Principal Cynthia and asked: "Cynthia, what do you think?"
Cynthia, however, was leisurely savoring a cake; she stuck out her tongue and licked away the white smudge at the corner of her mouth, saying: "Dark Demon—he has great courage, and he is very kind."
City Lord Montielfali: "I'm asking you, what do you make of that Magic Guide Spirit?"
Cynthia then said: "As is the master, so is the Magic Guide Spirit."
"Gah!"
City Lord Montielfali's brow instantly furrowed.
Had her daughter not been at her side, she would have pounced on her by now.
But in the end she sighed and did not press further.
Cynthia never gave a direct response to such matters—this was probably due to her duty as "Principal."
St. Marian's Academy, in principle, should not have involved itself in worldly strife.
But in the struggle between the Demon race and humanity, it had clearly displayed a bias.
There was no telling what kind of price Cynthia herself, as "Principal," had paid for this.
People are always singing the praises of the heroes lifted up to the heavens, yet they do not know that in places unknown to all, there are more heroes silently giving of themselves.
...
St. Marian Open-air Dueling Arena.
When the countdown of the qualifier battle royale ended, Dark gave a faint smile and recalled the somewhat fatigued Leomon into the Magic Guide Card.
Then he beckoned, and that "Honedge" came to his side.
He hung the "Honedge" at his waist for a moment, took a couple of steps, smiled, and recalled it too into the Magic Guide Card.
In the end, the final ploy of summoning "Magic Beast: Ditto" was not carried out.
He had already qualified smoothly.
The moment the match ended, Diana came skipping over with light, bouncy steps.
She had originally been rather dejected, but who could blame her when someone beside her was on a "negative score" while she was on a "positive score"?
Put side by side for comparison, how could she not be pleased?
So a happy person is always good at discovering happiness.
"Dark, you really are the impressive one."
Diana looked up at the handsome profile of the golden-haired youth, her fingers a little itchy.
But the instant she brushed against Dark's cuff, she shrank back as if electrocuted.
Dark smiled: "How many points did you get?"
Diana said, rolling her eyes: "Ten points—a two-digit number!"
Yes—not only positive, but two digits at that!
Dark tapped her on the forehead and said with a smile: "Not bad. Come on, let's go find Rose. For the upper-years' battle royale coming up, I want to watch from the spectator seats."
Diana nodded: "Mm."
Then the two of them strode toward the contestants' passage, turned at the fork, and entered the ring zone.
And the intimate manner of the two walking together also fell into the eyes of those with ulterior motives.
...
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