Konoha: Naruto will win no matter what choice he makes! Chapter 167

Character name suggestions:

– 壶壶: Huhu

– 萨拉: Salar

– 达克: Dark

– 多隆: Doron

– 海蒂: Heidi

– 斯瓦蒂: Swati

– 罗伯特: Robert

– 维特: Victor

– 迪蒙: Dimon

Huhu’s shadow was suddenly nailed to the ground!

“Squish, squish!”

An unfamiliar sensation, never felt before, spread from its shadow throughout its entire body.

Huhu, whose intelligence level had surpassed 3.0, clearly showed signs of panic, struggling with all its might.

But wave-like ripples appeared on the surface of its tentacles, and its overall outline was completely pinned down, unable to move!

…

“Pinned it!”

Salar, on the Blue Team’s contestant stage, couldn’t help but reveal a slight smile.

Anyone who had watched the duel between Dark and Doron would understand the value of this [Huhu].

It must hold a core position in Dark’s deck!

Salar was in a duel at the time, but after the match, she learned relevant information from her supporters.

Gathering intelligence on competitors—this was a perfectly normal thing for someone aiming for the championship.

Salar did very well in this regard.

After careful analysis, she believed that the value of [Huhu] was not only in its individual card strength but also in the fact that it was the only three-star magic spirit Dark had currently brought out!

Three-star + One-star = Four-star

To summon the previously appeared four-star magic spirit—[Dielu Beast]—the presence of [Huhu] was crucial.

In other words.

As long as [Huhu] was completely locked down, Dark’s deck would be largely crippled!

And [Sphinx Cat] was a magic spirit card specifically for “locking down.”

Its ultimate skill [Shadow Stomp] could completely pin down a magic spirit!

Whether it was moving, recalling, or even sacrificing, any action that would change its coordinates would be prohibited!

Of course.

As a two-star magic spirit card, the flaws of [Sphinx Cat] were also very obvious.

When maintaining “Shadow Stomp,” it had to continuously inject magic power and could not move.

The stronger the struggling of the pinned prey, the more magic power was consumed.

And [Sphinx Cat]’s magic power value was only 600.

So.

Before [Sphinx Cat]’s magic power ran out, or before it was forced to lift its paw, a quick battle was necessary!

Salar calculated the magic consumption rate and judged that she had less than two rounds left.

But duelists raced against time, and two rounds were already enough!

She glanced at the [Trash Slime] Dark had summoned, and the curve of her lips couldn’t help but rise a little higher.

“This must be a one-star magic spirit, paired with the three-star Huhu, trying for a quick summon of a four-star card?”

“Indeed, he still hasn’t realized that Huhu has been locked down by me!”

“Magic Summon!”

Blue Team’s summon zone.

Another magic spirit belonging to Salar was summoned!

A distinct outline of a face, a graceful body, strong and agile limbs.

It was clearly a black hound with golden yellow markings!

…

[Card Name: Anubis Hound]

[Type: Spirit Card]

[Level: ✪✪]

[Race: Avian Beast]

[Attribute: Dark]

[Magic: 900]

[Attack: 900]

[Defense: 900]

[Ultimate Skill: Shadow Hunt]

…

Similar to the Sphinx Cat, the Anubis Hound was often mistaken for the pet of the god of death due to its elegant posture and habit of lurking in the shadows.

But in reality, they were just a breed of dog named so by humans.

They were usually friendly, intelligent, vigilant, and loyal, excellent at hunting rabbits.

They were loved by hunters and favored by assassins.

Lurking in shadows, hunting death!

…

As the aura of death enveloped [Trash Slime], Dark’s sacrifice summon was already halfway through.

“Sacrificing [Trash Slime] and [Huhu], sacrifice summon—[Dielu Beast]!”

Trash Slime, wriggling on the ground like a puddle of water.

Huhu, whose shadow was stomped by the Sphinx Cat.

Both magic spirits emitted white light under the effect of the sacrifice summon.

Strands of light converged between the two.

Trash Slime’s body was instantly pulled into threads.

Huhu’s body outline also showed obvious signs of stretching forward.

But the Sphinx Cat’s golden eyes suddenly burst into golden light, suppressing its body that was about to turn into light!

“This is?”

Dark’s sacrifice summon came to an abrupt halt.

He couldn’t help but slightly change his expression.

Accustomed to the simple tactics of junior mages, he had never expected anyone to possess the technique to prevent a sacrifice!

…

“Why did Dark’s sacrifice summon interrupt?”

Outside the field, Doron, who had originally thought [Dielu Beast] was about to appear again and was watching Heidi with a mocking expression, couldn’t help but exclaim.

The coarse-braided girl crossed her arms and sneered, “This is Swati, the pride of our Magic Academy!”

Tension and joy.

Two different atmospheres rapidly spread between the two academies.

“This isn’t good!”

The first-year students of the Noble Academy could more or less see the crucial points of this duel and couldn’t help but worry.

Most of the students from the Knight Academy and the Fool’s Academy were completely bewildered.

“What just happened?”

Robert asked with a confused expression.

The changes in the field were beyond his scope of knowledge.

Victor hesitated slightly, guessing, “Perhaps that black cat did something? Dark’s sacrifice summon failed.”

Robert looked astonished, “Sacrifice summon can actually be stopped? Isn’t Dark in a very bad situation then?”

Victor looked rather grave, “That’s right. Not only did he waste the time to cast the sacrifice summon, but that slime doesn’t seem capable of fighting Swati’s hound. Once the slime, as one of the sacrifices, is eliminated, he will hardly have a second chance to sacrifice.”

Robert’s expression turned slightly pale, “Is Swati from the Magic Academy also that powerful?”

…

In reality, Dark’s Trash Slime was even weaker than everyone imagined!

With 0 attack and defense, Trash Slime’s ultimate skill was merely [Enhanced Stomach Acid] for auxiliary digestion.

Facing the extremely fast and ferocious hound, Trash Slime, whose movement speed was no less than Huhu’s, had no ability to resist whatsoever.

Only the Anubis Hound’s shadow suddenly stretched extremely long, its body rapidly approaching along the shadow, and its sharp claws instantly tore through Trash Slime’s body!

…

“Tick-tock!”

The beginning of the second round passed in that interval.

Dark suppressed his nervousness, calmly drawing two new magic cards from the top of his deck into his hand.

In his half of the field, Huhu was controlled, Trash Slime was torn apart, and there were no magic spirits left to stop the Anubis Hound.

The magic orb floating in mid-air was like a young lady exposed to a pervert, with no safety whatsoever.

“Anubis Hound, tear it apart!”

Salar Swati’s high-pitched voice had already sounded.

“Woof!”

The Anubis Hound responded to the command, crouching low as if hunting, its sharp fangs exposed from its bared lips, saliva dripping from the corners of its mouth.

With [Shadow Hunt] on cooldown, it pushed off with its hind legs, leaping from stillness to motion.

The transmission of muscle power was clearly visible.

The Anubis Hound sped past the Red Team’s magic orb, its raised claws leaving three scratches on the life barrier!

The magic orb’s HP plummeted.

[ 1000→ 108]

…

Outside the field.

The atmosphere in the Noble Academy was tense to the extreme.

A few individuals, including Doron, seemed even more nervous than Dark himself.

Salar Swati had actually pushed Dark to the brink with only two two-star magic spirits!

…

The Anubis Hound’s agile figure landed lightly, its amber eyes turning to the severely damaged magic orb behind it, then slowly turning around.

Salar Swati still drew two new magic cards from the top of her deck.

But she didn’t look at them, instead declaring with high spirits, “It’s over, Dimon. Your life is like a flickering candle in the wind!”

No sooner had she spoken.

The Anubis Hound, having adjusted its breath, launched a second attack on the Red Team’s magic orb!

“Whoosh!”

The magic orb suddenly split into two.

The Anubis Hound’s high-flying figure passed through the middle, suddenly landing.

It abruptly turned around and barked, “Woof! Awooooo!”

“Futile resistance is meaningless, Anubis Hound!”

Salar, standing on the contestant stage, clearly caught the changes in the field.

A cute spirit like a fox suddenly appeared. When the Anubis Hound pounced, it kicked the magic orb with its hind legs, simultaneously using the force to bounce away, thus creating the illusion of splitting into two.

And the Red Team’s magic orb’s HP also dropped to freezing point with that kick.

[ 108→ 13]

The Eevee that had landed again suddenly let out a low growl towards the Anubis Hound.

Salar remembered that this small magic spirit should be Dark’s phantom beast, a one-star spirit with 100 magic attack and defense.

Just a phantom beast couldn’t obstruct the two-star Anubis Hound, but in a previous duel, Dark seemed to have used some magic card to strengthen it.

In the instant her thoughts raced.

Salar drew a magic spirit card from her new hand.

And the Anubis Hound, accepting the command, this time directly pounced on Eevee!

The flying Red Team’s magic orb, upon contact with the buffer field at the edge of the arena, bounced upward, gradually losing momentum, and suspended in mid-air!

This was both bad news and good news for Salar.

The bad part was that the Anubis Hound couldn’t leap that high, and [Shadow Hunt], which could support its high-altitude pounce, was still on cooldown.

The good part was that the opponent’s magic spirit also couldn’t reach the magic orb.

And the magic spirit she was about to summon was a Bennu Bird!

That was also her initial phantom beast.

A grey-white “heron” with a long beak and a double-feathered crown.

As long as she summoned [Phantom Beast: Bennu Bird], the situation on the field would no longer matter to her.

The life barrier with only 13 magic points remaining couldn’t withstand any attack from the Bennu Bird!

…

[Card Name: Phantom Beast (Bennu Bird)]

[Type: Spirit Card]

[Level: ✪]

[Race: Undead]

[Attribute: Dark]

[Magic: 100]

[Attack: 100]

[Defense: 100]

[Ultimate Skill: Soul’s Guidance]

…

Dark’s summoning speed was unprecedentedly fast.

He felt that in this intense battle rhythm, he seemed to have broken through some 4-second summoning bottleneck!

Two new magic cards.

One was his initial magic spirit—[Phantom Beast: Eevee].

The other was [Pride II]!

Although the magic orb’s life barrier was so faint it was almost invisible.

But the charm of dueling lay in its infinite possibilities.

Until the very last moment.

Victory remained uncertain!

…

He was in a peculiar state.

Nervous yet calm.

Calm yet excited.

Dopamine was rapidly secreting in his brain.

No previous duel had ever given him such a feeling.

The summon of [Pride II] was completed in a very short time.

Eevee-chan responded to her master’s expectations, bathed in dark golden light, advancing from one-star to two-star.

Although her three-stat attributes were still lower than the Anubis Hound’s, the gap was very limited.

Facing the Anubis Hound pouncing head-on, she dodged with more agile movements, then counterattacked with a swing of her claw, all in one fluid motion.

The difference in intelligence levels between the two was clearly reflected in their close-range engagement.

Eevee’s reaction speed and fluidity of movement were both higher than the Anubis Hound’s.

The confidence and composure when dodging sideways even had a master’s demeanor.

“Huhu!”

Dark’s voice clearly sounded.

Huhu, pinned by [Shadow Stomp], stopped struggling, and the light of psychic power lit up in its eyes.

“It works!”

You wouldn’t know unless you tried.

The Sphinx Cat’s [Shadow Stomp] actually couldn’t prevent the release of such skills.

“Beep—”

A crisp bird cry suddenly came from the sky.

The Bennu Bird, like a heron, was summoned.

Dark’s heart suddenly tightened.

But reacting even faster than him was Eevee, who was tangled with the Anubis Hound!

He didn’t even need to give orders.

Eevee-chan had already raised her head, and in her proud eyes, a fierce dark golden light burst forth!

That aura, from an extremely high place, made the Bennu Bird in the air involuntarily turn its head.

As soon as their gazes met.

The Bennu Bird’s mind was overwhelmed by that arrogance, and a great sense of defeat made it lose its desire to attack.

The entire bird was filled with despondency.

“Bennu!”

Salar’s shout unconsciously held a hint of urgency.

It was as if from the moment she uttered a certain sentence, something had begun to go wrong.

Outside the field, gasps of surprise suddenly erupted.

Salar abruptly turned her head, revealing a hint of pleasant surprise again.

It was the Anubis Hound, seizing the moment when Eevee looked up to use [Cute Charm], pouncing from the side and biting Eevee’s neck!

However, just as the joy began.

Salar was astonished to find that Eevee, who had just been going back and forth with the Anubis Hound, suddenly became extremely “tall.”

It seemed that the momentum gained from releasing [Cute Charm] still lingered—no, it was a real attribute碾压!

The Anubis Hound’s sharp teeth, biting Eevee’s neck, were as if biting on a steel plate, unable to bite through no matter what!

If Eevee’s skin weren’t actually soft, its teeth would probably break!

Eevee allowed the Anubis Hound to bite its neck, turning its head, lowering its gaze, with a hint of condescending disdain in its eyes.

“Bu-yi!”

(Mongrel!)

…

…

[Two chapters in one, 4000 words]