Sofia and Everelle both drew their next cards when a sudden burst of mana washed over them and the entire arena, in lasted for only a second before it was gone.
Sofia grabbed her staff by reflex and looked in Everelle’s direction, but she couldn’t see the Sunless woman, “Did you feel that? Is something going on outside?”
“Oh, first time since you got here? This is what happens when someone finishes the trial. It was a pretty decent one, S tier heart maybe.”
Someone finished? Saria? Alith? Ihuarah? Cinthia? Can’t be Asty, right?
“How can you tell?”
“What, the heart? You can tell by strength of the wave. The SSS ones are enough to make me dizzy. Good that they’re pretty rare.”
“How rare exactly?”
“Nice try Sofia but that’s confidential information. Now get back to the duel, ay? We need to finish that fast, if possible. I have, uh, other stuff to attend to.”
“Alright.” Weird.
The card choice this time is pretty easy. The question is who do I send?
I think it’s time.
Sofia sent Pareth into the arena. His opponent appeared on the other side: a single Sunless drone.
Oh.
[Orb power 6 - 200 Mana - lv. 200 Sunless Drone]
“Uh. Looks like I miscalculated this one a bit. Let me just play this [Icy Arena] and this [Deadline] cards.”
Sofia ignored the prompt with the effect of the cards to watch the fight wich just started in the actively changing arena. As the floor froze beneath his feet, Pareth lunged forward and slammed the drone with a huge light mace. The drone died with a wet squelsh.
Everelle health points went down to six while Sofia’s went down to seven.
[Deadline - Both duelists lose one health point. The other duelist’s deadline card will be played twice if used.]
“Hey, Everelle, we only have one each of those [Deadline] cards?”
“That’s right. Most cards only appear once except the Nulls and Showdown.”
“Could you not have told me that earlier?”
“Hey, is this hell difficulty or what?”
Well… I discarded my [Deadline] card so… At least no more worrying about that.
Sofia drew her next card, it was the [Icy Arena]. She instantly discarded it, her current three cards were already good anyway. Her bigger worry was to decide what to send, and for some reason, she was having a hard time focusing on the battle. She tried to concentrate and forced herself to think things through. Everelle only had her two highest cost summons left for her first rotation, while Sofia had orbs 2 and 4 left. If she picked wrong and her weaker summon ended up against Everelle’s best one, the poor Skeleton would just suffer the same fate as the drone from the previous round. The other way around, she would have the weaker summon in both rounds but still have a fighting chance.
Orb 2 : 2 Card draws - 100 000 Mana Capacity
I’m counting on you.
Sofia threw her next orb. The tall skeleton Mimic appeared on her side of the arena. She hurriedly identified the group of Sunless creatures appearing on the other side.
Crap.
[Orb power 2 - 100 000 Mana - lv. 299 Sunless Triplet Witches]
So my poor Solar mage is up next against Everelle’s strongest summon… Just focus, Sofia. This can be won.
“You stole my Mimic!” Everelle accused, her eye-necklace shaking.
“Sorry about that but I don’t think I can return it.”
Everelle grumbled, “You can keep it but you better treat it well.”
“Will do.”
The fight started, already, the shortest of the three Sunless homunculus dessed with pointy hats raised a hand and threw a massive fireball at the skeleton. The Mimic dashed to the right, collapsing into its chest form, it slid on the icy ground of the arena. Sofia followed the mana movements of the three small Sunless witches. A burst of magic from the tallest one traveled along the ground to reach the Mimic.
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Jump!
The Mimic Skeleton’s long legs unfolded and it jumped to the upper limit of the Arena, narrowly avoiding a tall ice spike emerging from the ground. The third Sunless prepared another Spell. Already in the air, the Mimic had no way to dodge.
I have to use it already…
“I play the skill card [Heath Death]!”
Sorry Mimic, at least you’ll refill my mana if you don’t make it.
The witch’s spell resolved, and a ball of lightning shot from the Sunless to the falling Mimic. The spell hit the Mimic directly, and exploded on contact, shaving off half of the Mimic skeleton’s health.
It’s not over!
The skeleton landed back on the ground and dashed forward, with no spells to avoid, it closed the distance in an instant, and a flying kick sent the fire-using Sunless flying to the border of the arena. Since the ten seconds weren’t up yet, the arena’s border were still hard magical walls. The Sunless splattered against the barrier and died.
“Friny, no!”
Sofia instantly felt terrible. She had flashbacks to her little incident with the jungle temple.
“Gotcha!”
As the skeleton landed, an ice spike impaled the Mimic from below. It tried to jump away, but too late.
[Duelists Sofia and Bookie have no fighters left in the Arena.]
[Dungeon Master Everelle wins the fifth round.]
Sofia and Bookie were both speechless. Sofia because Everelle had just played her with the simplest of tricks, and Bookie because his skeleton had been killed in two hits.
“You good, Sofia? Didn’t expect this one to work, honestly,” Everelle said, sounding worried and surprised. She waved a hand, and a small Sunless homunculus popped out from inside of her ‘sleeve’, or what looked like it. “Welcome back Friny. Good work out there.” The homunculus rubbed its head against Everelle’s arm like a puppy.
“I-... You know what, well played. That was a bit of a low blow, but well played.”
“I expected more such shenanigans from you, being honest, considering what I’ve read. But you look a bit out of it.”
“It’s probably nothing… Six health points each, let’s get to it.”
“If you say so. Next round’s already decided, but let’s draw our cards.”
Sofia drew her two cards; it took a second for her to register what she was reading.
What… It’s like my thoughts are slowing down… Mr. Scribe? Is there an issue?
Hello?
There were no alerts from the system and no signs from the scribe trying to communicate.
Is it because of that hit on the head from the boulder trap? I was feeling fine until now…
“Actually, I take that back, I’m feeling a bit strange.”
Bookie looked up to Sofia, pulling on her robe, “Are you alright, Sofia? Do you want me to take over?”
“We can do that. Maybe just take a moment to sit down. Or do you want us to call off the duel now?”
“No, I- Let’s keep going… You take the lead Bookie, here, the cards and the orbs.”
“Don’t worry Sofia, leave it me!”
Why do I suddenly feel so sick?
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Ah! Ah! How do I do this?! I can’t use the cards…
Bookie stared at the cards; he looked back at Sofia, who had taken out a bone chair and was sitting with her eyes closed and a hand on her forehead. She looked sick, he had never seen her like this, and it was making him panick.
I need to follow Sofia’s plan even without the skill cards!
He grabbed the last orb and the next round began. On Sofia and Bookie’s side, the fighter was the elven ‘Solar Solar mage’ skeleton, who they had almost never used, while on Everelle’s side, the creature who appeared was a big drake-shaped Sunless, reminding bookie of the lesser stone drake from the first trial.
“I hoped the reveal would be a bit more grandiose, but witness, my white-eyed black Sunless!”
Bookie tilted his skull, “Aren’t all the Sunless like this?”
“Well… Only the ones with higher intellect actually have an eye, but- Ah. Wait, how was that not censored? Sorry Bookie, I shouldn’t say more. Are you ready?”
“Yes!”
Before the battle could start, another wave of mana like the previous one washed over the arena.
“Someone won the trial again?” Bookie asked Everelle.
“It… Seems so? I’ve never seen two of those happen so fast one after the other before… I’ll check things on my end while the round goes, alright? Let’s keept it going.”
The battle started in the arena, the Solar mage skeleton instantly covering himself in a [Solar Barrier]. The Sunless drake raised a single Dark lance.
Use [Solar Flare] and dive to the right!
A bright explosion of light blinded Bookie, and he heard the crash of the Dark lance hitting the arena’s barrier.
I survived!
The light of the explosion died down, and three dark lances impaled the skeleton from three different directions. The Sunless drake had not even moved from its original position.
No!
[Duelist Bookie has no fighter left in the Arena.]
[Dungeon Master Everelle wins the sixth round.]
Bookie’s Health points went down by one, he turned around.
“Sorry, Sofia, I couldn-”
The playing cards fell from Bookie’s hands.
“S- Sofia?” he asked with a trembling voice.
He was alone on the duelist tower. There were no signs of Sofia or her bone chair. His book form which Sofia had been holding on her lap was left open on the floor.
From the other side, Everelle asked a question, “Sofia? Are you alright Bookie? Who is Sofia? Was that the name of your mage skeleton? Well, I get it, I also like to give names to my cuties, right Friny?”
“Wh-... What?”
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