Blake’s worst fear was confirmed: the old man had been walking slowly by choice, and now he demonstrated his true speed. The spouting magma appeared to cease whenever Wilfred approached, leaving Blake with no way to capitalize on the hazardous environment.
Blake made a bold decision. He leaped off his Pyrestalker’s saddle, landing on the battlefield. He ordered his Pyrestalker to attack Wilfred Regis and set its tactics to aggressive mode.
With aggressive tactics enabled, the Pyrestalker would relentlessly attack, disregarding its own safety. Although it risked being defeated, Blake could always summon the monster again when necessary. He couldn’t afford to hold back in this crucial battle.
Blake sprinted toward one of the fault lines and drew another card from his deck.
This time, it was his turn to grin.
He had drawn Scorch Dragon’s Fury.
Blake played the card and continued sprinting toward the fault line. As the magma began to recede back into the earth, he reached the edge of the rift and leaped, praying that his Scorch Dragon would heed his command.
The sound of beating wings filled his ears just moments before the magnificent, scaled body of the Scorch Dragon emerged beneath him. Blake managed to land perfectly in the saddle and grasped the reins. He yanked them back, urging the dragon to soar into the air and evade the surging magma plumes below.
As they ascended, Blake felt a surge of relief and exhilaration.
The crowd roared all around him, people standing up in surprise.
“Are you seeing this, folks? Are you seeing this?” shouted the announcer. “Did Blake Thornwood, the Monster Maestro, just summon a literal dragon to the battlefield? This duel just keeps getting wilder!”
The Scorch Dragon climbed higher. Below them, the battlefield appeared as a chaotic mosaic of lava-filled fault lines, scattered debris, and the fierce ongoing clash between Blake’s Pyrestalker, the Minotaur Crusher, and Wilfred’s Flame Bastion.
As the wind whipped through Blake’s hair, he couldn’t help but feel a mix of awe and fear while perched atop the mighty dragon.
Blake surveyed the battlefield, considering his options. The dragon’s breath could potentially break through Wilfred’s defenses, but timing would be crucial. They would need to strike at the perfect moment to catch him off guard and penetrate the inferno that shielded him.
Blake patted the dragon’s neck reassuringly, sensing the beast’s eagerness to engage in battle. He leaned in close, whispering his plan into the dragon’s ear. The Scorch Dragon snorted a small puff of smoke in agreement.
Blake’s mind raced as he issued the orders to his Crusher Minotaur and Scorch Dragon. He needed to create a diversion while simultaneously disabling Wilfred Regis’s defenses. He watched as the Crusher Minotaur lumbered toward Regis, attempting to draw his attention away from the incoming aerial assault.
Meanwhile, the Scorch Dragon began firing concentrated beams of energy down at Wilfred’s surroundings. The dragon’s powerful flames seared through the air with an audible crackling sound.
Blake watched the dragon’s fiery onslaught with keen interest, noticing the beams’ ability to melt parts of the magma-filled fault lines. An idea began to take shape in his mind – a strategy that could potentially neutralize Wilfred’s defenses while keeping his other monsters safe from harm.
Blake directed his Scorch Dragon to focus on burning a path through the magma fissures for the Crusher Minotaur and Pyrestalker to maneuver through without getting caught in the deadly magma. Time was of the essence, and the Scorch Dragon worked diligently, its flames melting through the volatile landscape.
As the dragon continued its fiery task, the Crusher Minotaur took advantage of the newly created path, sidestepping the encroaching magma and evading Wilfred’s Flame Bastion fire column.
The Minotaur’s movements were still swift, but Blake could see that it had been hurt. Black scorch marks appeared on its legs and chest.
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Blake held his breath, watching his plan unfold.
The Crusher Minotaur was closing in on Wilfred, who seemed momentarily distracted by the unexpected change in the battlefield. The Scorch Dragon continued to rain down its powerful beams, while the Pyrestalker kept up its aggressive assault on the Flame Bastion.
Wilfred had drawn another card and played it, but it looked like it was just a flame sword. The weapon might’ve been dangerous if Wilfred could get within melee range of Blake, but he couldn’t reach Blake.
“And would you look at that,” the announcer said. “Now a lot of people are saying that there has to be something going on with Blake Thornwood. Somehow he can summon monsters while nobody else can! Has he just been lucky in the cards that he’s received? Or has Blake got access to some kind of advantage that everybody else only wishes they could tap into?”
The cacophony of cheers and jeers from the audience echoed through the air. Spectators could sense that there was something different about Blake, even if they couldn’t quite put their finger on it.
As the crowd’s excitement grew, so did the sense of unease within Blake.
If the people suspected something, then so did Clay Atlas.
The thought of Clay Atlas discovering his secret sent a shiver down Blake’s spine. He’d assumed that Clay knew something, because Chelsea Otto had cornered him and accused him of having some kind of secret advantage. But he’d hoped to have kept it secret for a while longer.
As he continued to maneuver through the intense battle with Wilfred Regis, Blake tried to push aside his concerns about the future. For now, he needed to focus on defeating his opponent and making his way closer to rescuing his loved ones.
The announcer continued, “Now this strategy that Blake Thornwood is employing here is incredibly unique and unprecedented. It appears as though his new dragon monster has breath that’s just as hot as the magma that Wilfred Regis can summon through his Magma Fields card! It looks like Blake is melting a path for his massive minotaur creature to safely traverse through these fault lines. It’s genius, If you ask me!”
As the Crusher Minotaur followed the path that Blake had created, his next card became ready to be drawn. It was his Stone Slasher Golem.
Blake played the card immediately, and the golem appeared not far from the Crusher Minotaur. Blake ordered both the Crusher Minotaur and the Stone Slasher Golem to attack Wilfred Regis in a coordinated pincer movement.
Blake observed his monsters circle around Wilfred Regis, positioning themselves at opposite ends. With his Crusher Minotaur and Stone Slasher Golem harassing him from both sides, Blake saw his chance.
He told Scorch Dragon to fire. An intense beam of fiery energy illuminated the battlefield and slammed into Wilfred’s shield.
It deflected off and straight into Stone Slasher Golem.
The golem took the full impact of the death ray, its chest melting as it crumbled to the ground.
Blake was stunned.
“And would you look at that!” the announcer enthused. “It looks like Wilfred also had an elemental redirect effect! It’s an extremely rare card that not many people have access to, but when it’s played it can redirect an attack fueled by magical power to another hostile target, or back at the caster! It is a bit of a gamble though, because it needs a defensive ability like Stone Shield, Shale Skin, or Flame Bastion in order for it to work!”
Blake sent his Crusher Minotaur in to attack Wilfred. If this Elemental Redirect ability needed the Flame Bastion effect to work, then there was no other option but to nullify the Flame Bastion.
Blake’s minotaur monster was pretty tough and should be able to take at least a few seconds of punishment before it went up in flames, and he hoped that that was all that would be needed.
The Crusher Minotaur pounded away at Wilfred with its massive stone hammer. Despite the fire burning all over its body, the monster pressed on, determined to take down its opponent.
The Flame Bastion wavered. With each blow from its hammer, the minotaur chipped away at Wilfred’s defenses, until finally, with one final strike, the Flame Bastion began to falter.
A gasp spread through the crowd.
“Did you see that, folks? I don’t think I’ve ever seen Wilfred’s defense fail like this before, and wait, what’s the minotaur going to do now?”
Now was the time to end this.
With the Flame Bastion broken, Blake circled around above Wilfred Regis on the back of his Scorch Dragon and commanded the beast to fire its death rays down at the old man.
When the death ray slammed into the back of Wilfred, it threw him toward the minotaur, who had his weapon ready. The minotaur smashed Wilfred like he was a golf ball on a driving range.
The impact echoed throughout the entire arena.
Wilfred flew.
The barrier around the arena caught him before he could take off to the stars.
The Crusher Minotaur stood tall and proud, like a champion of the arena, as the dust and debris from the impact settled around it.
With Wilfred out of the arena, Blake was declared winner of the fight.
“This is unbelievable!” the announcer said. “A second night of fights in a row, and Blake Thornwood has once again upset the status quo of competitive dueling here in New Meridia!”
Blake received 2,500 credits as a victory bonus, as well as 8,000 credits from his wager, minus the cut of the City Lord. He also received the card that Wilfred had wagered, which was a Level 1 Flame Sword card.
The crowd continued to roar around him.
Blake stepped onto the arena floor, basking in the glory of his triumph. He had defeated Wilfred Regis and cemented his new reputation as a powerful duelist.
The Scorch Dragon he rode in on let out a mighty roar, adding to the chaos of the cheering crowd. Blake lifted his arms high in the air.
As he looked out into the sea of people, Blake couldn’t help but think about his parents and Harry. He wished more than anything that they could be here to see this moment, to see him at the height of his power.