"Bang——"
As the Life Barrier of the Magic Sphere abruptly shattered, the whole arena erupted.
Zach Wilson snatched up the microphone and cried out with fervor, "It's a pity, but the victor of this duel is still the third-year Fool's House student—Tom Nixon!"
...
"Lost after all."
Ma Li Bond wiped the sweat from her temple and tilted her head slightly toward the sky.
The sun was at its fullest, tinting her eyes a faint yellow.
"That felt good!"
She'd lost, but the sheer exhilaration of this duel still gave her a rush of pleasure.
It seemed this year's Easter would leave her with a few good memories after all.
...
On the other side...
Having finally won, Tom Nixon let out a slight breath of relief, then unconsciously turned his head to look toward the Castle.
His opponent had been unexpectedly troublesome, which had sharpened him considerably.
It had also raised his guard.
The overly abundant teaching resources of St. Marian's Academy meant the students were improving every single moment—one absolutely could not let one's guard down just because an opponent was in a lower grade.
After defeating Winnie Skadi, he had indeed grown a bit too confident.
But fortunately he'd woken up early; steadying his mindset now was not too late.
The finals ahead still held one more threshold to cross.
At that thought, Tom Nixon slowly drew his gaze back from the direction of the Castle and turned it toward the competitors' passage, baring a mouthful of white teeth at his finals opponent.
The Easter Duel Festival.
The model surprise eggs.
The gate cards...
All of these things seemed to have been planned by that first-year student.
According to that first-year's plan, so long as he kept winning all the way through, he'd not only reap popularity but also naturally obtain a gate card as one of the victor's rewards.
His idea was clearly a lovely one.
Only, sadly...
"Thanks for the gate card!"
...
As the second round of the lower-grade group officially concluded, the two competitors of the upper-grade group walked out from the competitors' passage.
The atmosphere between the "Dark Night Baron" Noah Sharp and the "Dragon-Slaying Warrior" Luke Bechi suddenly turned tense as drawn swords.
The two clearly weren't meeting for the first time; some busybodies had even dubbed this bout the "Battle of Destiny" and used it to stir up the crowd.
Of course, this "Battle of Destiny" between the two had already played out many times—so many that their fans had nearly gone numb to it...
After the two left, Ma Li Bond and Tom Nixon returned to the passage entrance one after another.
Ma Li arrived first, waved at Dark, said "good luck," and continued on toward the depths of the passage.
Then Tom Nixon entered the passage and stood against the wall directly across from Dark.
Dark had meant to ask about the reason for his earlier hand gesture, but seeing Tom close his eyes to meditate the moment he came in, wearing a keep-away expression, he couldn't be bothered to ask.
When the second bout of the upper-grade group's second round began, the atmosphere in the competitors' passage was none too pleasant.
But as the duel unfolded, both of them gradually got drawn in and stopped paying attention to each other.
The duel's result ended with the "Dark Night Baron" rallying against the odds and cutting the "Dragon-Slaying Warrior" down from his horse.
The upper-grade commentator's excited roar.
The audience's cheers, as fervent as ever.
And after the "Dark Night Baron" took the stage, during host Judy's interview, the enormous reaction sparked by his mockery of the "Dragon-Slaying Warrior."
The atmosphere of the entire venue was thereby lifted to a critical peak.
And it was precisely at this moment that the lower-grade finals of this Easter Duel Festival officially got underway!
...
Having finished his interview, the "Dark Night Baron" came down from the stage and left straight away.
Dark Demon and Tom Nixon, who brushed past him, then promptly stepped onto the stage.
"Now let's once again get acquainted with the two finalists of this Easter Duel Festival's lower-grade group..."
Judy led Dark and Tom to the center of the stage and introduced them once more.
Probably because both of their earlier duels had been spectacular enough, the audience's response was quite good.
Seizing the fervent mood, Judy pulled Tom Nixon to her side and asked loudly, "Student Nixon, how about it—won't you give your fans some response? Tell me loud and clear, do you have the confidence to win the title?"
Thrown off by this sudden burst of passion, Tom looked utterly at a loss as he gripped the microphone, then forced out a single sentence: "Of course."
All in all, pretty awkward.
Dark was watching in amusement when he suddenly saw Senior Judy turn her head, and instantly his expression went grave, as if facing a formidable foe.
Sure enough, having gotten Tom's answer, Judy immediately pulled Dark over as well and said loudly, "Then, Student Demon, what about you?"
Dark gave a dry cough, looked at the densely packed heads in the audience seats, and could only force back his embarrassment to reply, "I'll do my best."
Dark himself wasn't one for showing off, and he wouldn't easily overstate things.
But the implication was already perfectly clear.
The straightforward answers of the two finalists got the audiences supporting each of them fired up.
Judy quit while she was ahead and immediately turned, saying, "For Student Dark Demon to have fought his way out of the preliminaries as a first-year is already extraordinarily impressive. Afterward, facing two third-year students, he won each in turn and pushed his way into the finals—his strength cannot be measured by grade level alone!
And Student Tom Nixon, who likewise reached the finals—since he could defeat the hot favorite, Student Winnie Skadi, he too must possess dueling skill surpassing the ordinary third-year.
In the finals to come, will Student Tom Nixon stand unshaken and defend the dignity of the third-years, or will Student Dark Demon topple his senior and become the biggest dark horse of this Easter Duel Festival? Let us wait and see!"
...
Amid the excited roars of the audience.
Dark and Tom walked down from the stage, heading respectively to the red and blue competitor platforms.
Dark had won first, so he was red.
Tom had won later, so he was blue.
Since entering the main tournament, Dark had been on the blue competitor platform for two consecutive bouts; this time he could finally admire the scenery from a different spot, which put him in a decent mood.
As he ascended the platform, the cheers outside grew even louder.
But because it was all so chaotic, he actually couldn't make out whether the audience was cheering for him or for Tom. Or rather… they might simply be making noise.
Yeah, the latter was probably the more likely.
After all, he was a newcomer, without much popularity.
Tom Nixon's popularity didn't seem too great either.
The reason people were so enthusiastic was probably purely their anticipation for a spectacular final, rather than support for the two people actually competing in it.
But that was only the present situation.
As for the future...
What ought to come would always come.
Dark swept his gaze across the audience seats, then turned back, pressed his hand to the card table, and channeled magic into it.
"Start up."
...
Meanwhile, on the blue competitor platform, Tom Nixon fell somewhat silent as he faced the unexpectedly enthusiastic audience.
He didn't actually get many chances to stand on a stage like this.
This Easter Duel Festival, because its nature leaned toward entertainment, its schedule was fairly short, and it was split into upper and lower groups, was what gave him this kind of opportunity.
Of course, his own sufficiently formidable strength was also an important factor.
In the second semester of his third year, he had indeed improved a great deal.
But now, facing the support of so many spectators, his heart suddenly held something he himself couldn't quite understand.
As he turned around.
Tom Nixon raised both hands, thrust his fingers into his thick bangs, and shoved them back forcefully, revealing a smooth, clean forehead.
Then his eyes narrowed, and he pressed down on the card table, inputting magic.
"The hour of the hunt has come!"
...
"Is it finally about to begin?"
In a private box of the St. Marian Duel Branch Hall in the Free City.
City Lord Montielfali took a sip of tea and leaned back lazily and casually against her chair.
From watching the matches this morning until now, City Lord Montielfali no longer doubted the degree of Dark Demon's excellence.
It was only that Dark's Magic Guide Spirits had brought her too many surprises, so much so that she instead had a worry unrelated to whether Dark was excellent.
And she'd also carefully noticed that her own daughter's mood seemed a bit unsteady too.
But Aurora was thinking of something quite different from her.
Dark Demon's excessive excellence had suddenly left this young girl—who had long since prepared for "raising a good-for-nothing"—without a goal.
And on the other side, Principal Cynthia, savoring the delicious pastries, was taking a keen interest in the changes in this mother and daughter.
...
"Eliza, do you think Dark will win?"
In the audience seats of the St. Marian Duel Branch Hall in the Kingdom Capital.
Having temporarily thrown those extraneous concerns to the back of her mind, Alvit grew tense once more.
She certainly hoped her son would win without suspense, just like every duel before.
But this time, Dark's opponent was slightly different from the usual—Tom Nixon had displayed far too much in his duel against Ma Li Bond.
It made her feel worried.
Eldest Princess Eliza glanced at the Valkyrie standing as reliable as a mountain upon the battlefield, and couldn't help knitting her brows. "Lady Duchess, I actually think this doesn't really matter..."
Alvit immediately denied it, "No, this matters very much."
The Eldest Princess opened her mouth, then, knowing that however she argued it would be useless, simply gave up trying to reason.
Like First Prince Charles, she hadn't come for the Duel Festival; she simply wanted to confirm the so-called "Hero" and "Holy Sword."
This was tied to their future strategic deployments.
...
"His name's Tom Nixon, isn't it? He looks like promising material."
First Prince Charles, meanwhile, had suddenly begun observing Tom with great interest.
He tilted his head slightly and said to the confidant at his side, "Well? Do you think he can force out those two Magic Guide Spirits with heroic aptitude?"
His confidant sighed inwardly and said with earnest gravity, "Your Highness, I think that only depends on whether Dark Demon can draw them… but so long as he draws them, there's no way he wouldn't use them, is there?"
The First Prince stroked his chin and said, "I've thought it over carefully. Based on your description, I may have seen that white cat several months ago."
Confidant: "Hm?"
The First Prince lowered his voice, "If it's the one with Hero Aptitude, then the severity of this matter may be even greater than expected. Perhaps you should prepare in advance—we'll need to make a trip to the Holy See tonight."
...
Compared with the outside spectators who came with ulterior motives, the first-year students were far more pure.
Located within the ring-shaped strip.
Not only were Diana and Rose cheering with all their might, but a cheer squad led by Doron and the others had already been established.
Dark had defeated third-year seniors time and again, which made these classmates of the same grade feel proud too, and they were all rather excited.
But hearts differ from one another, and of course there were those who didn't wish for Dark to keep winning.
For instance, Angus Jeffrey, president of the Noble History Research Society, was gnashing his teeth as he cheered for Tom.
At this moment, he too was simply acting on his own likes and dislikes.
The atmosphere of a duel competition easily makes people expose their true nature.
...
After Dark Demon started up the card table on his competitor platform, he gazed off toward Tom Nixon across the way and suddenly spoke, "You really want to win?"
Hearing this, Tom Nixon couldn't help narrowing his eyes.
But he still gave a response, "What do you think?"
Dark observed him carefully and confirmed, "Looks like you really do want to win."
Tom shrugged and said in an odd tone, "And then? Supposing I really do want to win, will you concede on the spot?"
Dark smiled faintly, "What do you think?"
Tom gave a light snort, "In that case, what's the point of asking these questions?"
Dark shook his head, "I just want to know how much resolve you have."
Tom suddenly laughed, "Since you're so eager to know, then I'll tell you—my resolve is one hundred percent!"
Dark gave a slight nod, "What a coincidence."
"Would both competitors please place their decks into the card slots for automatic shuffling!"
The referee's voice suddenly rang out, cutting off their exchange.
Dark placed his already-adjusted deck into the card slot and waited for the card table to shuffle automatically.
Tom, on the blue competitor platform, did the same.
The commentator Zach Wilson, who had just yielded the speaking time to the two competitors, now smiled into his microphone, "It seems the atmosphere between the two duelists is excellent. We may be in for the most spectacular duel of the day. In any case, as one of the spectators, I can hardly wait—can you?"
He turned the microphone toward the audience seats like a concert singer—but it seemed not many spectators gave him face.
Zach Wilson gave a slightly awkward cough, quickly skipped past that, and continued, "As everyone knows, both champions of this Easter Duel Festival's two groups will receive an enormous Easter surprise egg prepared by the academy. Besides the few publicly announced rewards, there are even more surprises hidden within.
Just like the souvenir eggs sold on site, until it's opened you never know what's hidden inside.
I wonder if you ladies and gentlemen have tried your luck?
I hear a Skyvault White Dragon model has already been drawn. As if by fate, the first to draw it turned out to be its very own master."
The news Zach Wilson revealed to divert his awkwardness finally stirred up a reaction from the audience—and an inexplicably intense one at that.
But this seemed to have little to do with the duel at hand?
"Beep——"
The referee's whistle finally pulled the audience's attention back to the dueling field.
This duel had, at last, entered the preparation phase.
"Preparation Phase" [30s]
Above the dueling field appeared a countdown that made people can't help but curl their toes.
The audience, in an instant, grew tense.
The two competitors on their platforms, by contrast, became incomparably calm.
On the red competitor platform.
Dark had already pressed his hand above his shuffled deck before the countdown even appeared.
And when the whistle sounded and the countdown appeared, he immediately drew five cards with extreme speed and fanned them out in his left hand.
His mind instantly shifted into dueling mode.
[Honedge (Weapon Form)]
[Meowth]
[Silence Potion]
[Lust III]
[Trash Slime]
"Opening hand: 'Honedge'!"
The instant he saw the first Magic Guide Card, the corner of Dark's mouth couldn't help curling.
Because "Honedge" is a second-tier Magic Guide Spirit, he would convert it into its weapon form and seal it away before each match, so as to summon it more conveniently.
And the weapon-form "Honedge" only needs to "spiritualize" to revert to its true body; the time consumed in between is entirely negligible.
Of course, the most important part is that it requires no sacrifice.
Every one of Dark's Magic Guide Spirits could be said to have its own use, and if one were sacrificed before it could serve its purpose, he'd always feel it a waste.
In any case.
Obtaining "Honedge" signaled that the first piece of the victory puzzle was in hand.
Without hesitation, Dark drew this card straight out of his hand.
Tom Nixon was not an opponent against whom one could "hold something back."
If he could crush him in one wave within the opening few turns, then he must do so without hesitation!
As for the remaining four Magic Guide Cards.
"Meowth" could be summoned after summoning "Honedge."
"Trash Slime" had no environment for summoning.
The other two could wait and see.
...
In fact, there weren't many decisions to be made within these thirty seconds; Dark had almost immediately decided.
After drawing out "Honedge," he even had time to look up and observe Tom Nixon.
Tom Nixon clearly sensed his gaze, for barely half a second later he immediately raised his head, then split his mouth into a grin at Dark, the curve of his lips gradually widening.
...
[3s]
[2s]
[1s]
[0s]
"Battle Phase" [30s]
...
"In the name of Dark Demon, Magic Guide Summon!"
"In the name of Tom Nixon, Magic Guide Summon!"
Where the two's gazes collided, it was as if lightning flashed.
At the very instant the "Battle Phase" began, they raised the Magic Guide Cards in their hands almost simultaneously, then summoned in a flash.
In that instant.
The two Magic Guide Cards released brilliant light at the same time.
The surge of magic welled up along with it.
The white light shooting out from the faces of the Magic Guide Cards instantly shone upon the summoning zones of both red and blue sides.
Two Magic Guide Spirits rapidly materialized within the light at the same time.
The audience's eyes fell onto the field accordingly.
At once, someone exclaimed in alarm, "Why is it this Magic Guide Card?"
...
On the very first turn of the opening, Dark Demon summoned a sword into his own summoning zone!
Although this sword had displayed extremely powerful might in the earlier duels, it was, after all, just a sword.
More of the spectators thought that the one manipulating it to chase down the Magic Sphere had been that white cat.
A small portion of spectators thought it might be a magic sword that could be manipulated with magic.
Only a very tiny portion of spectators discovered that it was actually a Magic Guide Spirit.
But even so, no one would have imagined that it was not only a Magic Guide Spirit, but also a second-tier "golden" Magic Guide Spirit!
The might of "Honedge" had not been shown much during this Duel Festival.
But with the appearance of "Honedge," First Prince Charles's confidant immediately informed him, "It's this sword—our people analyzed the traits of the Holy Sword from this very sword!"
"The Holy Sword? So it's finally here." The First Prince immediately perked up, his full attention fixed on "Honedge."
Then he questioned, "Even if it's the Holy Sword, what's the use of summoning a Holy Sword out of thin air?"
"This..." his confidant was about to answer when the situation on the field changed in an instant.
...
Within the blue summoning zone.
The Magic Guide Spirit Tom Nixon summoned on his opening was finally revealed.
It was a Magic Guide Spirit that had already appeared in the previous duel against Ma Li Bond.
So the audience was not unfamiliar with it.
And Dark immediately recognized it too.
But after recognizing it, his heart instead sank.
Because this Magic Guide Spirit's strength was extremely high, completely different from the common-type three-star pinnacle like the "Troll"—it should belong to a Magic Guide Spirit unique to Tom Nixon.
Or rather, extremely rare, so rare that even the records scarcely mentioned it.
...
"What misfortune."
After completing his first summon, Tom Nixon squeezed out a single sentence, his face wearing a mocking sneer.
He was clearly brimming with confidence in this Magic Guide Spirit of his.
...
The Magic Guide Spirit that appeared in the blue summoning zone was, strikingly, a humanoid venomous serpent!
That venomous serpent's body was as thick as a bowl's mouth, with four limbs; standing upright it was roughly one and a half meters, but adding the tail dragging along the ground, its length should exceed two meters.
Its body was covered in snake scales, extremely dense, and the edge of each scale bore a color like blood, making its body's coloring look exceedingly vivid.
Its four limbs also resembled a snake's body; the legs were fairly stout and powerful, while the arms were slender, supple, and able to bend at will.
The claws on its limbs were bird talons like those of a hawk or falcon, the nails very long, like blades.
It stood there, body leaning forward, its eyes narrow and long, its snake tongue flicking lightly, two pairs of extremely prominent fangs in its mouth, giving off an exceedingly sinister and venomous impression.
[Card Name: Bloodthirsty Serpentman]
[Type: Spirit Card]
[Level: ???]
[Race: Demon Species]
[Attribute: Dark-type]
[Magic: 1100]
[Attack: 1700]
[Defense: 800]
[Ultimate Moves: Bloodthirst, Frenzied Blood Serpent Venom]
Though a Demon Species, it was not of the Shadow type.
This "Bloodthirsty Serpentman's" attribute was purely Dark-type, countering Ghost-type and Psychic-type, while being countered by Insect-type, Fighting-type, and Fairy-type.
But in the duel against the Fighting-specialized Ma Li Bond, this "Bloodthirsty Serpentman" had completely ignored this attribute counter, revealing an absolute evil!
It was precisely because he had witnessed its formidability that Dark held it in wary regard.
In its duel against Ma Li Bond, this "Bloodthirsty Serpentman" had persisted ever since being summoned.
And it continuously drained blood to grow stronger, until in the end it even attained the strength of a third-tier Magic Guide Spirit!
Against this sort of continuously strengthening Magic Guide Spirit, one must strangle it in the cradle before it grew.
Fortunately, the fleshless Honedge was precisely the bane of this kind of Magic Guide Spirit.
Dark made up his mind, immediately channeled magic into the "Honedge" Magic Guide Card, and called out, "Honedge, spiritualize!"
At this point, it no longer mattered whether he was exposed or not.
A sufficiently powerful Magic Guide Card need not fear being targeted.
Under the injection of vast magic, "Honedge (Weapon Form)" immediately began transforming toward "Honedge (Spirit Form)."
And only after he'd said it outright did the commentator Zach Wilson exclaim in shock, "Unbelievable—this mysterious sword is actually a Magic Guide Spirit!"
His exclamation was perhaps a bit exaggerated, but it was a true portrayal of what was in the audience's hearts.
"Clang!"
During the "spiritualization" process, Honedge suddenly opened the single eye upon its guard, and the ribbon at the end of its hilt instantly swelled, forming a ribbon-hand with fingers.
Then it abruptly pulled itself out from its sheath and shot out like lightning!
[Card Name: Honedge]
[Type: Spirit Card]
[Level: ????]
[Race: Undead Species]
[Attribute: Steel-type/Ghost-type]
[Magic: 1500]
[Attack: 2200]
[Defense: 1800]
[Ultimate Moves: Weaponize, Chain Slash, Swords Dance, Holy Sword]
Requiring no Magic Guide Spirit to wield it, this four-star Magic Guide Spirit possessed an ultra-high attack power fully two hundred points above the top four-star figures—enough to slay any three-star Magic Guide Spirit!
And that "Bloodthirsty Serpentman," though it likewise possessed an ultra-high attack power fully two hundred points above the top three-star figures, was, after all, only a three-star.
The attack power of the two differed by a full five hundred points!
Once they clashed, the result was entirely foreseeable.
But just as Honedge streaked across the field like lightning, Tom Nixon cried out loudly, "Meet the challenge!"
And then, being a Magic Guide Master, he immediately set about summoning his second Magic Guide Card.
Three seconds of summoning time.
Tom Nixon believed his "Bloodthirsty Serpentman" could definitely hold out through these three seconds!
...
At the same time.
Dark, without hesitation, began summoning "Meowth."
But even as he summoned, his gaze remained fixed tightly on the field.
The collision between Honedge and the "Bloodthirsty Serpentman" occurred in that very instant.
Facing the unstoppable steel sword, the "Bloodthirsty Serpentman," like a grandmaster of martial arts, thrust out its right hand like a snake, fast as lightning.
Its arm coiled around the incoming blade at unimaginable speed, spinning several loops around it, then seized the hilt of Honedge in one grasp!
At that moment, the tip of Honedge had already pressed against its chest, yet it was forcibly held fast by the serpent.
But just as everyone thought the "Bloodthirsty Serpentman" had actually "seized the sword" through this bizarre method, a burst of holy light suddenly erupted from Honedge's body.
The holy trait that originally required an individual with "Hero Aptitude" to wield the sword in order to trigger was, instead, activated autonomously by Honedge itself.
In just an instant, the "Bloodthirsty Serpentman" bathed in that holy light went utterly limp.
So much so that its arm, coiled like a snake spiraling around Honedge's blade, suddenly burst apart into a bloody mist in an instant!
Then, "Honedge" abruptly stabbed into the chest of the "Bloodthirsty Serpentman"!
"Clang!"
Amid the sound Honedge emitted, the "Bloodthirsty Serpentman"—with a mere 800 defense, thin-skinned and light on blood—was pierced clean through the chest, its magic instantly plummeting to 0 points.
But just as it was about to dissolve into points of magic light, Tom Nixon had already successfully activated his second Magic Guide Card.
"Return from the netherworld, Bloodthirsty Serpentman!"
Enveloped in pitch-black light, the originally Demon Species "Bloodthirsty Serpentman" was, astonishingly, transformed into an "Undead Species."
Its closed, narrow serpent pupils snapped open, and amid a flash of blood-light it let out a terrifying roar.
Then its body, wrapped in the black light, rapidly swelled—its snake torso, originally as thick as a bowl's mouth, became as thick as a bucket.
The densely packed blood-patterned scales upon its body were all forced apart by the swelling torso, appearing unusually sparse.
That stout left arm, likewise grown knotted with muscle, abruptly seized the hilt of Honedge and forcibly wrenched it out from within its body!
As for the "Bloodthirsty Serpentman's" right arm, it had not grown back.
...
This transformation of the "Bloodthirsty Serpentman," which hadn't even appeared in the previous match, sent a shiver of horror through the audience.
Turning dead life into zombies was originally the infamous method of necromancers, feared and detested among the common folk.
However, in wartime, human necromancers were a vital presence for the human legions in countering the demon race's necromantic magic, and quite a few earned great merits.
Many necromancers who survived the war would take the enormous wealth exchanged for their merits and live in seclusion in remote territories likewise obtained with those merits.
Within the terrifying castles of those remote, gloomy places, perhaps an aged necromancer dwelt in seclusion.
But idle talk aside.
The "Spell Card" Tom Nixon used to turn the "Bloodthirsty Serpentman" into a zombie could be called a divine card in Magic Guide Spirit duels.
On the surface, it had even accomplished a certain degree of strengthening for the "Bloodthirsty Serpentman."
Dark had utterly failed to anticipate this move of his. Having just successfully summoned "Meowth," his expression turned grave, and he issued the next command to Honedge, "Honedge, Swords Dance!"
Among Honedge's Ultimate Moves, "Chain Slash" and "Swords Dance" share an overlapping cooldown between the weapon form and spirit form, and the cooldown is extremely long.
This meant that once "Honedge" used "Swords Dance" at this moment, it was basically impossible for it to use "Swords Dance" again in this duel.
But given the current situation, he had to be decisive!
Under the command, Honedge—its hilt gripped by the "Bloodthirsty Serpentman"—abruptly spun its blade.
Then strands of sword-wind rose up, and a fast, fierce airflow suddenly burst forth, breaking open the "Bloodthirsty Serpentman's" left hand.
Freed from its bonds, Honedge immediately soared into the sky.
Its ribbon grasped the sheath, dancing ceaselessly, its momentum rising with it.
What this displayed was the airflow coiling around the blade growing ever more surging.
This obvious strengthening move instantly turned Tom Nixon's expression grave, and he immediately shouted, "Bloodthirsty Serpentman, Wrap!"
"Wrap."
An Ultimate Move that wasn't even in the "Bloodthirsty Serpentman's" move list.
But the "Bloodthirsty Serpentman" clearly grasped it—relying on its surging height and elongated left arm, it abruptly leapt into the air, attempting to grab at Honedge with its arm, and, in the moment Honedge swung out its slash, to coil around it just as before!
For a "sword" that needed acceleration to unleash its power, this was an excellent countermeasure.
But Honedge was not a mindless sword.
It instantly moved its blade, rose higher once more, and then its "Swords Dance" grew even more intense!
____
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