Blake strode confidently toward the arena, feeling as though he had multiple secret weapons tucked away in his pocket. As he walked, he realized that his growing collection of cards now warranted the configuration of his dueling loadouts. The dueling interface offered three distinct loadouts, allowing him to select ten cards per loadout in his preferred order for use in battle.
As a Rank 3 Challenger, he could only hold 8 cards total at one time, so he wouldn’t need to worry about hitting the maximum for some time.
Blake had to carefully consider his options and strategically plan his loadouts. Balancing powerful cards with those that required less anima was crucial to ensure he had the necessary resources to dominate his opponents in the arena.
As a Level 3 challenger, Blake had access to 8 anima each day, in addition to the energy he could recover from his Monster Summoner’s Lair. Therefore, even if he had 15 different cards bound to him, he wouldn’t be able to utilize all of those cards in a single day.
Out of the 15 total cards a person could possess at any given time at Rank 5, a deck designated for formal battling could contain a maximum of 10 cards.
No matter the circumstances, a choice always had to be made regarding which cards to bring into a battle.
Once he was maximum rank, the five extra cards Blake could use as collateral for duels or as material for combining monsters using monster synthesis.
Each loadout allowed Blake to assign priority numbers to the cards within it. The card marked as priority one would always be included when the corresponding loadout was activated, essentially allowing each challenger to rank their cards according to their importance.
When engaged in a duel against another challenger, both competitors were restricted by the maximum number of cards their opponent had access to. For instance, if Blake accepted a duel from someone who only possessed three cards, he would only be permitted to draw on the top three priority cards in his currently selected loadout.
The ability to switch loadouts was restricted once a battle had commenced, and as he made his way to face Wilfred Regis, Blake was making last-minute adjustments to his deck.
He placed his Radiant Colossus at the bottom of his priority list for cards to be drawn during the battle. If the Radiant Colossus were to be drawn and its presence revealed during the fight, Clay Atlas might make a move to steal it.
Blake placed his new Scorch Dragon on the top spot in his list of cards to be used in battle. He was adamant about including the Scorch Dragon in his deck. Flight combined with ranged attack would counter many of the defensive tactics he had encountered thus far.
He put Minotaur Crusher as his second highest priority, followed by his Pyrestalker, his Berserker Wolf, then his Stone Slasher Golem.
He’d keep his extra Stone Fists card to put up as collateral, and put his Radiant Colossus as his sixth priority, hoping that Wilfred Regis wouldn’t have six cards in total to use during battle.
On the way to the arena, Blake approached the same bookie who’d taken his long shot bet from the night before. He was pleasantly surprised to see that his odds against Wilfred had improved significantly compared to his first fight.
“Hey, what are the odds for Blake Thornwood winning against Wilfred Regis tonight?” Blake asked the bookie, donning a hat and sunglasses to conceal his identity.
“Blake Thornwood’s odds are at 4 to 1,” the bookie replied, looking at his screen. “Seems like people are starting to believe in him. He has made quite a stir so far.”
Feeling confident, Blake decided to bet.
“Put 2,000 credits on Blake Thornwood winning this fight,” he said, hoping the sum wouldn’t attract too much attention.
The bookie nodded and entered the bet. If he recognized Blake beneath his disguise, he gave no indication of it. With his wager placed, Blake left the counter, pleased with the shift in public opinion.
Maybe the people of New Meridia would welcome a change in how things were run after all, especially if Blake was involved.
He kept a low profile as he headed across toward the western arena entrance, slipping in through the same door he had for the last duel.
He quickly undressed and donned his battle suit, which was basically just his earth and flame motif trench coat over the top of his everyday black t-shirt and long black pants.
The lady who had helped him with his costume last time around wasn’t here, and he wondered whether she was no longer required for his fights now that he had his signature look. Or maybe there was something else going on in the city that required her attention.
Blake had no idea, but the timer countdown to his next duel was almost zero so he brushed the thought aside.
Anticipation and excitement welled up inside Blake as he entered the tunnel leading to the arena.
With every step he took toward the closed gate, he felt responsibility weigh heavier on his shoulders.
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As he stood behind the closed gate, waiting for everything to start, Blake’s thoughts were a whirlwind of emotions. There was fear, of course, but also determination and resolve.
He couldn’t afford to fail.
The lives of his loved ones depended on his success in the arena.
His heart pounded as the noise from the excited crowd filtered through the closed gate. Blake took a deep breath, steadying himself, and focused on channeling his energy into the upcoming duels.
No matter how fierce the competition or how challenging the battles, Blake vowed to keep fighting until he had liberated his family and friend from the depths of Clay Atlas’s dungeons.
The gate began to rise, revealing the illuminated path that led to the Challenger’s platform. Without hesitation, Blake dashed out into the arena.
As he stepped onto the platform, he took in the vast rectangular battlefield that was healing rapidly from the aftermath of the previous match.
An immense crack in the earth stretched laterally across the battlefield. As Blake watched, it seemed to close in on itself, the ground seamlessly knitting back together as though the fissure had never existed.
Simultaneously, the jagged, rocky spikes that had erupted from the arena floor began to sink back into the ground with a low, grinding sound.
The voice of the announcer boomed all throughout the arena as Blake rushed out into the spotlights.
“Here we have the second fight of our brand new superstar, the man that the fans are calling the Monster Maestro, Blake Thornwood!”
The crowd went absolutely wild, and Blake grinned. He already had a nickname.
“Blake made quite a splash in his very first fight yesterday, and we know for a fact that there are many fans who have just discovered Blake in the last 24 hours! For those of you who are here to see the Monster Maestro fight, raise your hands and make some noise!”
To Blake’s surprise, hundreds if not thousands of people raised their hands and their voices to show their support for him in this fight against Wilfred Regis. The sound of their cheers was almost overwhelming.
“And that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly what we are talking about. Now I know some of you are here for the new challenger, but now I want to hear everyone make some noise for the popular yet unassuming grace of Wilfred Regis, the stoic guardian with the impenetrable defense!”
Blake had been shocked at the amount of people that had cheered for him, but the volume of Wilfred’s supporters made the entire arena shake.
The moment the announcer kicked off the fight, both Blake and Wilfred drew cards.
Blake was surprised and a little disappointed to draw Fire Claws first. He had no choice but to summon the Pyrestalker immediately though. Without it, he’d have no defense.
Wilfred’s little mustache twitched up with his smile, which the announcer seemed to pick up on.
“Everybody knows that Wilfred is not one to show emotion on the battlefield, but if he has cracked a smile already, then that’s bad news for Blake Thornwood! I wonder what card Wilfred drew to inspire such a reaction?”
A massive wall of flame erupted around Wilfred in a circular barrier. Blake recognized this defensive ability as a variation on the Flame Shield card. Perhaps even an advanced version.
The announcer confirmed Blake’s fears.
“Oh, this is unbelievable!” the announcer said. “Wilfred has managed to draw his signature ability, the evolved Flame Bastion card, which makes it all but impossible for his enemies to penetrate his defenses! Bad news for Blake Thornwood, who seems to have summoned a basic monster called a Pyrestalker.”
Wilfred advanced toward Blake with a determined stride, seeking to simply force him out of the ring by walking into him with his Flame Bastion active.
Blake needed to stay quick on his feet, evading Wilfred until he could draw a more powerful card to counter the attack. Blake commanded Pyrestalker to his side and leaped on its saddle, commanding the creature to maintain distance to Wilfred.
The battlefield remained unaltered by any environment cards at this stage of the duel, allowing Wilfred a direct line of sight and a clear path to pursue Blake. It seemed that the Flame Bastion card limited the user’s movement speed to a brisk walking pace.
However, Blake remained cautious. Wilfred could be faking it.
To avoid being caught off guard, Blake maintained a safe distance from Wilfred and always had enough room to maneuver around him without being cornered at the edge of the arena.
Blake continued to evade Wilfred’s advances, counting down the seconds until the card draw timer hit zero.
When it finally did, he drew his next card and grinned with satisfaction as the Boulder Crusher card appeared. Blake played it, summoning his mighty Crusher Minotaur onto the battlefield.
With a thunderous roar, the Crusher Minotaur materialized on the battlefield, gripping its colossal two-handed hammer. Its presence commanded attention, and its sheer strength sent tremors through the ground as it stomped into position. It wasn’t as big as his Radiant Colossus, but it was about the same height as Wilfred’s Flame Bastion effect.
In response, Wilfred drew and played his own next card, his grin broadening even further as if he’d drawn an ace.
The crowd held its breath, waiting to see what Wilfred would unleash to counter Blake’s Crusher Minotaur.
“Oh no,” the announcer said. “It’s been theorized that Wilfred could win a match in less than three minutes if he got the right combination of cards to start things off. If he’s broken out into a grin like that, I think that can only mean one thing… That Blake Thornwood is in trouble!”
Wilfred played his second card, and the entire battlefield began to shift unnervingly beneath Blake and his monsters.
The ground rumbled ominously, causing them to struggle to maintain their footing.
Suddenly, the earth cracked open, as if a volatile volcano was awakening beneath their very feet.
Thick, searing lines of molten magma erupted from the widening fissures, blanketing the battlefield in a deadly maze of scorching hazards. Torrents of super-heated lava spewed from the cracks, making it nearly impossible to navigate the terrain with any semblance of control.
No matter where Blake and his Pyrestalker dashed to, or which direction his Crusher Minotaur charged in, they were at risk of being engulfed by the wrath of the erupting fault lines.
Wilfred appeared unfazed by the chaos that engulfed the battlefield, as he continued his unwavering march toward Blake. The steady and terrifying determination in his advance opened up a cold pit in Blake’s stomach.
That 2,000 credits had been most of the remainder of his money. He didn’t want to lose this as well as his Stone Fists card he’d had to put up as collateral for this fight.
Blake had to carefully time his jumps over the gushing fault lines, leaping only after the fiery eruptions of magma had temporarily subsided. Yet, despite his best efforts, some of the scorching splatters struck his Pyrestalker.
Although Blake’s monster was of the fire element, wasn’t completely immune to molten rock. Each sizzling impact weakened the Pyrestalker further, forcing Blake to become even more cautious in his attempts to evade Wilfred’s pursuit.
Blake and his monsters struggled to keep up with Wilfred’s pace. With each path cut off by a fissure and each wound wearing down on his monsters, Wilfred began to slowly close in on them.
Twenty feet away from Blake, Wilfred suddenly broke into a sprint.