[Celebrate: The signature move of the mood-makers—a celebration for happy moments, a purely spectator-class Ultimate Move with no actual effect whatsoever.]
...
The appearance of the "Celebrate" Ultimate Move was truly beyond expectation.
This was true both for Dark himself and for everyone else.
But since things had already come to this, all Dark could do was put on an air of "everything is going exactly as planned," once again showcasing his identity as part of the planning committee.
Under his guidance, the atmosphere inside the dueling arena managed to remain unchanged despite this unexpected accident.
In fact, the spectators… seemed even more hyped?
Dark turned his head slightly and looked across the way.
On the blue side's player platform, Tom Nixon wore an ugly expression—though his expression had never been particularly pleasant to begin with.
To this day Dark still didn't know why the man had insisted on taunting him with gestures before the match had even begun, but that was no longer important.
It was just a pity that he hadn't been able to bring a smile to the man's face during this duel.
But the Magic Guide Spirits out in the field seemed to be smiling quite happily?
Whether it was Espeon, who had triggered the "Wishful Die," or Gatomon and Black Gatomon slowly making their way back to the red side's summoning zone, or Leomon gradually breaking free from its madness—all of them lifted their heads to gaze up at the fireworks in the sky, unable to keep gentle smiles from spreading across their faces.
Whatever this festival atmosphere was, they couldn't feel it.
But the joy of victory—that they felt with perfect clarity.
...
"This means the championship's won, right?"
In the front row of the spectator seats, the Valkyrie grabbed Eldest Princess Eliza's arm, unable to hold back her question.
Of course she knew the championship had been won—she just wanted to hear it said aloud from someone else's mouth.
"Won, it's won."
The Eldest Princess hurriedly responded; her arm was already beginning to hurt.
Yet her gaze remained fixed on the Gatomon in the dueling field, unable to look away.
If the appearance of Leomon had surprised her, then the appearance of Gatomon had left her utterly aghast.
A Gatomon wielding the "Honedge," both a "Hero" and of the "Light attribute"—it truly made one's thoughts wander in strange directions.
Especially when she had seen Gatomon slay the "Dragon Witch" in a single sword stroke, she couldn't help but wonder: could that Hero's heir within St. Marian's Academy really be more orthodox than this Gatomon?
On the other side, the First Prince clearly felt the same way.
His expression was none too pleasant. Just then he glanced at the fireworks blooming in the sky, then abruptly rose to his feet, and without so much as a word to the confidants at his side, turned and walked toward the exit of the arena.
Since Dark Demon had already claimed the championship, there should be no more matches involving him after this.
And since there were no more matches of his to watch, there was no need to keep watching at all.
Charles only wanted to return to his residence as quickly as possible and confer at length with the Archbishop.
...
Meanwhile, in the Free City, within a private box of the dueling branch hall.
Cynthia, Principal of St. Marian's Academy, kept smiling all the while.
From where she stood, the more people who possessed Hero Aptitude, the better, naturally.
The future would always belong to the young.
City Lord Montielfali, on the other hand, let out a faint sigh, but as she watched that golden-haired boy on the player platform offering his blessings to the entire audience, she grew ever more uncertain in her decision.
Beside her, Aurora tilted her head slightly upward, the dazzling fireworks reflected in eyes as bright as the sun.
What she pondered, what she envisioned, what she would do.
...
The St. Marian Open-air Dueling Arena.
As the fireworks faded away, someone leaned back against the wall, unable to suppress a sigh.
In the end, she still hadn't managed to seize the moment and take it.
What a pity...
At least she had placed bets on both of those two.
If her bets failed again the next time as well, then she would simply have to step in herself.
It would be difficult, yes, a bit difficult—but it could always be managed.
...
The cheers of the first-year students lasted the longest.
Before the Dueling Festival had begun, no one would ever have imagined that the final victor of this bracket would turn out to be a first-year.
But now the dust had settled. Whether it was because the true powerhouses among the third-years had yet to take the stage, or because it had all been too casual an affair, the lower-grade division of the Easter Dueling Festival had already produced its winner.
"And so, allow me to read it out one final time."
"The champion of St. Marian's Academy's First Easter Dueling Festival, first-through-third-year division, the final victor is—first-year, Noble House, Dark Demon!"
Accompanying Zach Wilson's shout, the gradually quieting arena was once again filled with the applause of a sea of people.
Amid the applause, Dark Demon took his Magic Guide Cards in hand, presenting them one by one to the field below, recalling each Magic Guide Spirit back into its card.
Then he singled out only Leomon's Magic Guide Card, his brow knitting slightly.
The "Blood Moon Werewolf's" "Parasitic Demon Seed" had not yet released its hold on Leomon.
Even though Leomon had immediately entered a dormant state upon returning to its card, the roots on its face still remained, and the muscles of its face would twitch from time to time.
"Perhaps I should go and find Sister Carian."
Dark mused for a moment, tucking this one Magic Guide Card alone into his sleeve, then stepped down from the player platform.
"Please proceed this way."
A staff member stationed at the edge of the stairs pointed toward the stage.
Dark drew a deep breath, turned, and started forward, his pace quickening without his noticing.
And on the other side.
Tom Nixon had already left the platform as well.
As if to avoid coming face to face with Dark, he chose a different route, walking alone into the player corridor on his side and heading toward a certain agreed-upon location.
He was very much on edge.
...
Before long.
Dark once again ascended the stage.
The host, Judy, congratulated him the moment he arrived, but seeming to notice something off about his expression, Judy immediately abandoned any thought of pleasantries and got straight to the point.
She smiled. "By this point in the Dueling Festival, there surely isn't a single person left who doesn't know your name, is there? Student Dark Demon."
Dark nodded slightly, letting his expression relax. "Senior Judy, then wasn't that precisely why you went out of your way to say my name once again?"
Judy pressed the microphone to her lips and chuckled softly. "In that case, may I call you Student Dark?"
"Of course you may." Dark nodded. "And might I ask your surname, Senior?"
But Judy pursed her lips instead. "Student Dark, it seems you aren't as happy about winning the finals as one might imagine?"
Dark immediately shook his head. "No, I'm absolutely thrilled."
Judy feigned surprise. "Is that so? Then may I, on behalf of the audience… mm, on behalf of your future fans, ask you a few questions?"
Dark of course wanted to say no, but this was, after all, the interview of the final champion, and he had to give the academy at least a little face.
He nodded then and there. "Is it three questions?"
Judy said mischievously, "You mustn't do what you did last time."
Dark replied, "Then let's be quick about it. I'm sure the audience is far more eager for the upcoming senior division finals."
Judy laughed. "I couldn't say which one they're more eager for. Well then, Student Dark, what is your assessment of this duel itself?"
Dark thought it over carefully and said, "In this duel, my performance really wasn't very good at all. My lack of dueling experience, along with problems in my deck construction, made it difficult for me to grasp the full situation."
Judy's gaze flickered, a trace of surprise crossing her at Dark actually answering so formally.
She had originally assumed Dark would brush her off the way he had in the last interview.
This prompted her to say at once, "Modesty is a virtue, but there's no need for you to be so humble, Student Dark. Your deck composition is extraordinarily unique—you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in the entire academy capable of imitating or replicating it.
As for your lack of dueling experience… your performance in this duel far exceeded the level a first-year student ought to have."
Dark shook his head. "That's not quite how it is. I just got a little lucky with my draws, that's all."
After all, nearly half the cards in his deck were useless.
As the core, the "Major Sin III" numbered only three.
The first-tier Magic Guide Spirit Cards he could summon numbered only ten, and adding the Honedge that made just eleven.
Of those, four were one-star Magic Guide Spirit Cards with no life-saving abilities whatsoever.
To use a deck padded out purely to reach the count of forty.
For there to have been not a single dead hand across ten consecutive rounds of drawing was already a miracle.
And that was across three matches, with no dead hands in any of them!
By all rights, it was entirely possible that he could have opened with five dead cards and been instantly wiped out on the very first round.
It truly was essential to have faith in one's own deck.
At this thought, Dark couldn't help but give a slight smile.
Judy, however, said, "Luck may be an indispensable factor in Magic Guide dueling, but it is absolutely never the decisive one. Is admitting that you're strong really so difficult?"
Dark was taken aback, and couldn't help but study this senior a little more closely.
Judy's features could only be described as exquisite; her impeccably applied makeup made her utterly charming, and her temperament fell somewhere between grand elegance and delicate playfulness—like a ragdoll cat that might suddenly reveal a mischievous side.
He perked up a little and said with a bright smile, "Well, since Senior insists, then I'll admit that I'm strong."
The moment these words were out, applause erupted throughout the seats below.
People hold respect for the humble, but the ones they truly worship are those who are confident enough, bold enough.
Without the bearing of one who commands and directs at will, how could one inspire worship?
The audience was left with an even deeper impression of this golden-haired boy from the first-year Noble House.
A look of satisfaction crossed Judy's face, and she continued, "Then, let's begin the second question. How would you assess your opponent in this duel?"
At this question, Dark frowned slightly.
If Judy's first question had been a fairly normal one, then this second question was somewhat inappropriate.
To have a champion who had just won the final victory assess the runner-up who had suffered a bitter elimination?
The nerve of you to even ask!
But when his gaze turned toward her, Judy quietly winked, and with her back to the audience, revealed a trace of an impishly wicked smile.
In truth, the reason for asking this question was, on one hand, to ignite the atmosphere, and on the other, a bit of teasing directed at Dark's earlier interview—a small, petty revenge.
The wife of the famous dueling master Swiss Lu Xun once said: "A woman's cunning is made from the tip of a needle."
But Dark, having seen the meaning in her eyes, merely unknit his brow and said with a smile, "How shall I put it. Actually, when I first made it through the qualifiers, I initially assumed my opponent in the finals would be Senior Winnie Skadi, but the one who actually stood across from me was Senior Tom Nixon..."
Walking through the player corridor, Tom Nixon instinctively halted his steps.
The sounds from the stage passed through the wall and reached his ears.
But just as he was about to listen closely, someone stepped out from the corner ahead.
"Lady Lia Goethe."
Tom Nixon couldn't help but speak.
But as "Lia Goethe" walked toward him, she raised her index finger and said softly, "Don't you want to hear how he assesses you?"
"I need a first-year's assessment?" Tom Nixon scoffed on the surface, but he had clearly pricked up his ears.
...
Dark Demon spoke into the microphone. "Being able to defeat Senior Winnie Skadi and successfully advance to the finals naturally speaks to certain unique strengths. Senior Tom Nixon's deck has very strong synergy—it gives the impression that no matter what kind of hand he draws, he can always form combinations.
This is something my own deck is especially lacking. On the road ahead, I should take this as a goal to learn from. But Senior Tom Nixon's deck also has a very obvious flaw."
"What flaw is that?" Judy asked instinctively, then added, "If it's not convenient to say, we can skip over it..."
"It's not exactly something inconvenient to say." Dark's expression turned serious. "It's very simple—his deck's strength isn't enough."
Judy couldn't help but be startled. "Not strong enough?"
Dark said again, "Yes, simply not strong enough. So if we should have the chance to meet again on the dueling stage next time, I sincerely hope Senior can forge an even more powerful trump card."
Judy said in astonishment, "But his Magic Guide Spirit is already six-star—and a six-star Magic Guide Spirit capable of reaching seven-star attributes at that! Among the third-years, that's already quite dazzling."
Dark shook his head. "Attributes are, in the end, only one link. The Ultimate Move is the true core of a Magic Guide Spirit. Senior, is there a next question?"
Judy hurriedly said, "Of course there is."
Dark nodded. "Please, go ahead."
Judy then pretended to ponder before asking, "What are you looking forward to regarding the final champion's reward? I mean, have you thought about what you might crack open from the final Easter egg?"
Dark smiled. "I certainly have thought about it, and I'm very much looking forward to it."
...
In the player corridor.
After hearing Dark's assessment of him, Tom Nixon was somewhat surprised.
He had originally thought Dark would bring up his "hunting" gesture before the match and his deliberate flaunting of his Magic Guide Card during the duel, but Dark had done nothing of the sort, and had merely straightforwardly assessed his deck.
However...
He said hesitantly, "Is my deck's strength really not enough?"
But before him, "Lia Goethe" shook her head. "No, he wasn't telling the truth."
Tom Nixon lifted his head and asked in confusion, "How so?"
"Lia Goethe" revealed a faint smile. "Because you have an even greater flaw."
Tom Nixon frowned in an instant, but then he suddenly drew in a sharp breath, forcing himself to calm down.
Before this woman, he had no right to be angry.
"Lia Goethe's" voice drifted out leisurely, "Well then, have you given any thought to my proposal?"
Tom Nixon said, "But I failed."
"Lia Goethe" laughed. "It's fine. We can switch to a different condition."
Tom Nixon asked, "What condition?"
Lia Goethe said, "Virt Gold—you should know him..."
...
The course of events had long since strayed beyond its tracks.
Everyone was walking down an entirely different path.
...
After answering Judy's three questions, Dark Demon paid his respects to the audience and withdrew from the stage.
Next would come the final match of this Easter Dueling Festival—the senior division finals!
Dark looked forward to this duel, which was certain to be spectacular, just as much as anyone. But what he needed to do now was not find a seat and settle in to watch in peace.
While he had been up on the player platform, he had spotted the professors within the ring-shaped strip.
"As I recall, Professor Silf should be sitting over there… I wonder if Sister Carian gave herself a little vacation?"
Dark kept moving forward along the rear area of the ring-shaped strip, his gaze sweeping over one back after another.
Next, he would still have to wait for this senior division final to end before he could receive his award together with the final victor, so he couldn't leave the dueling arena for the time being.
If he wanted to clear Leomon's abnormal condition as soon as possible, the best method was to go find a professor.
Even if Sister Carian wasn't over here, Professor Silf should have a way.
Without his even realizing it, his relationship with Professor Silf seemed to have improved as well.
...
Just as the "Dark Night Baron," Noah Sharp, and that sixth-year student climbed the stairs of the player platform together, Dark finally found Professor Silf.
Then, to his great surprise, he discovered that Professor Medea Bartholomew was actually right at Professor Silf's side as well?
"Did she tie Professor Medea to her side specifically to stop her from stirring up trouble during Easter?"
Dark couldn't help but grin, unable to hold back his laughter.
Professor Medea Bartholomew was clearly already a woman well past marriageable age, yet before Professor Silf she was like a child caught red-handed after some mischief.
The dignified Silver Moon Witch, the Diviner of the Starry Eyes—she truly had not a shred of dignity left.
He made his way over through the corridor.
Before he had even drawn near, Professor Silf turned her head, clearly having sensed that thread of "Blessing of the Wind Spirit."
Dark sometimes thought that, in Professor Silf's eyes, that thread of "Blessing of the Wind Spirit" was perhaps not so different from a GPS signal transmitter.
If one day he truly found himself in peril, Professor Silf might still be able to locate him quickly by sensing it.
"Professor."
Dark quickened his pace and circled around to face Professor Silf directly.
There were quite a few professors in the vicinity—both Professor Kazel and Professor Lily were present—but unfortunately, Sister Carian was not.
Dark greeted the professors he was acquainted with, then bent down and said a few words to Professor Silf.
Professor Silf's expression turned serious. "Your Magic Guide Spirit is different from the ordinary sort; it really is necessary to have Sister Carian examine it. But if it's merely a matter of clearing the abnormal state left behind by the 'Parasitic Demon Seed,' I can do it in her stead."
Dark thought for a moment and said, "Let's clear the abnormal state first. I'll pay Sister Carian a visit afterward."
Professor Silf nodded. "Summon the 'Leomon.'"
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