Magic Card Era: Infinite Deck Enhancement — Chapter 176

Chapter 176: Mimic Beast, Moving Trial Crystal

Wen Xiuyuan let out a heavy, quiet breath. “It is a pity such a unique Magic Card relies entirely on an original worldview. That barrier alone is enough to deter anyone from trying to replicate it.” For card makers obsessed with the craft, witnessing such an unfulfilled desire was pure torment.

Beyond the sheer complexity of his deck, there was a far more lethal deterrent. Luke had the Night Queen standing firmly behind him, an entity at the Undying Realm. As a supreme expert second only to those at the absolute pinnacle, anyone foolish enough to use force to steal Luke’s research would meet a brutally tragic end.

Yet, what Wen Xiuyuan, Cang Ao, and Shangguan Hong—all formidable Immortals in their own right—failed to realize was that the Night Queen was not his only shadow. Luke also held the terrifying backing of Celestine. Throughout the entire academy, only Principal Gu had ever caught a fleeting, accidental glimpse of her true terror.

“That may be true, but this is still my first time seeing Sistermon Blanc evolve into Sistermon Ciel,” Meng Ningdie murmured, a flicker of genuine astonishment dancing in her eyes. Her junior brother was a walking vault of secrets. “And that new Magic Card Spirit… is it another Dragon-type?”

She studied Guilmon with intense curiosity. “How does a creature with such a terrifying lineage look so naive?”

When not locked in combat, the red dinosaur-like creature looked entirely harmless, almost endearing. But Meng Ningdie was not foolish enough to drop her guard. Sistermon Blanc had already proven that appearances were wildly deceptive. The Magic Card Spirits forged by Luke defied all conventional logic.

If she did not know for an absolute fact that he hailed from the Ancient Kingdom’s Cang Capital, she would have sworn he was a pureblood from the Dragon Valley clan.

“Evolution? I have never seen a Magic Card operate on such a principle,” Zhan Tai Mingyue noted. Unlike the others, who had some prior exposure to Luke’s anomalies, she was witnessing the Sistermon evolution completely blind.

She knew Luke was the undisputed top scorer of the college entrance examination, but she had not bothered to track down the footage. Not that the official records were easy to acquire anyway.

Still, the sheer novelty of a Digimon Magic Card held her attention, especially given the heavy reactions from her peers. However, her own deck was strictly rooted in the Plant Race. The allure of Luke’s dragons and digital monsters was entirely academic to her. Instead, her gaze drifted toward Shangguan Mingyue, silently approving of the other girl’s choice in a Plant-themed deck.

Twenty minutes dissolved into the tense atmosphere of the arena.

“Three-Star Mimic Beasts,” someone muttered in the distance. “Starting at the exact same difficulty as the second stage of the entrance exams. But this is the Tianfu trial. The waves will only escalate, and we have to conserve our magic power for the inevitable clashes with other freshmen. This is a brutal test of tactical allocation.”

The moment the countdown hit zero, the air fractured. Guttural, chaotic snarls echoed from the shadows as a dozen Mimic Beasts clawed their way out of the distortion, instantly locking their hollow eyes onto Luke.

[Mimic Beast]

Quality: Rare

Level: Three-Star

Skills: Omitted

Description: A unique construct forged within the Trial Road. It possesses the raw, impulsive destructive power of a wild beast, driven solely by the instinct to annihilate everything in its line of sight. Yields no material drops upon defeat.

‘A construct mimicking a fierce beast? Fitting name,’ Luke thought, his expression remaining perfectly calm. “None of that matters. Guilmon, clear them out.”

He did not even bother signaling Mana. The Dark Magician Girl floated quietly by his side, her staff resting lightly against her shoulder. Though the pack of Mimic Beasts outnumbered them, their individual strength was a joke compared to the red dragon. It was the perfect warm-up.

“Roar!”

At Luke’s command, the endearing innocence vanished from Guilmon’s golden eyes. A primal, suffocating aura of draconic fury erupted from his small frame. Driven by raw combat instinct, the Digimon did not show a shred of hesitation. He lunged straight into the center of the pack, a crimson blur of violence.

“Woah!” Mana blinked, her lips parting in surprise. She had not expected the cute little creature to harbor such a vicious, bloodthirsty edge.

Pyro Sphere!

Blistering, high-density spheres of superheated flame tore through the air. The heat was suffocating, warping the very space around them. Every single blast found its mark with lethal precision. It was a one-sided slaughter. Not a single Three-Star Mimic Beast survived the impact of a single fireball; they were incinerated into fading data the moment the flames touched them.

‘According to his lore, Guilmon’s Pyro Sphere packs the destructive force of a Champion-level Digimon,’Luke mused, watching the massacre unfold with a dry, understated amusement.’The raw output is staggering.’In mere seconds, the dozen beasts were completely eradicated.’It is a shame these Three-Star constructs are so fragile. I cannot even test the upper limits of his firepower yet.’

With the threat neutralized, the ferocious predator vanished, replaced once more by the adorable red dinosaur. Guilmon trotted back to Luke, affectionately nudging his heavy snout against Luke’s palm, letting out a soft purr as he demanded his reward.

“Good boy,” Luke murmured, scratching the scales behind Guilmon’s ears. He shifted his attention to the Trial Crystal hovering nearby. The glowing numerals had ticked up from a base of 100 to 114.

“Fourteen points for fourteen kills. A Three-Star Mimic Beast is only worth a single point?” Luke narrowed his eyes slightly. “They are not making this easy.”

“Master, this crystal feels strange…” Mana leaned in, her curiosity piqued. She reached out, her slender, gloved fingers brushing against the faceted surface of the Trial Crystal. “Oh? It is freezing. And… I can pick it up?”

She lifted the heavy gem with ease, cradling it against her chest. Guilmon, seeing her holding something new, padded over and took a deep sniff. Realizing it smelled like cold stone and absolutely nothing like food, he snorted and lost all interest, plopping down onto the ground.

Luke’s eyes lit up with a sudden, sharp realization. ‘The Trial Crystal is not locked to the ground?’

A daring tactical theory formed in his mind.

“Mana,” Luke said, his voice dropping into a smooth, commanding register. “When the second wave spawns, I want you to take the Trial Crystal and fly as far outward as you can.”

“Understood.” She did not question the logic. The Dark Magician Girl simply offered a bright, trusting smile, her grip tightening on the glowing stone.

Half an hour bled away in utter silence. The first wave had been a mere ripple, failing to pose even a mild threat to the gathered freshmen. Soon, the heavy, oppressive shift in the atmosphere signaled the arrival of the second wave.

By then, Mana was already airborne, soaring high above the arena with the Trial Crystal secured in her arms, leaving only Guilmon standing guard by Luke’s side.

The second batch of Mimic Beasts materialized, snarling and thrashing, only to meet the exact same fate. They were hopelessly outmatched, reduced to ash by Guilmon’s relentless barrage of flames in a matter of seconds.

“Alright, Mana,” Luke projected his thoughts smoothly through their shared magical circuit, watching the last embers of the beasts fade into the wind. “You can come back now.”