The magic cards I made are absolutely flawless!

"Alright alright……"

Alice pouted and muttered to herself.

Everyone seemed to have great confidence in Dekan, except for Chloeux, who was slightly worried.

"Dekan, how can I help you this time?"

"Kroix asked."

In previous head-on battles where they defeated powerful enemies, Chloeux and Dekan were usually paired together.

This time, only Dekan was left. He didn't know if Dekan would have a hard time facing an eighth-tier enemy.

On the other hand, this competition will use the Artificial Shadow World Launcher 2.0, which has addressed many issues of the original version.

The [Demon Seal] will also be ineffective, making it impossible to use this method to turn living people into summons and bring them into the duel, or to enter the Shadow World in summon form to participate in the duel.

"Don't worry, there are a few troublesome opponents in this competition. We just need to study them thoroughly."

Dekan spoke with a solemn expression as he flipped through the documents.

"That's good……"

However, Chloeux suddenly widened her eyes.

Because he noticed that the information in Dekan's hands was not mainly about the combat characteristics of the powerful enemies.

And what about the life experiences and hobbies of these opponents!

Chloeux's lips twitched involuntarily.

He understood instantly.

The Battle of Dekan.

It may have already started...

……

A week later.

Because the group arrived in the Kingdom of Philowen at a moderate time, they were able to catch the opening ceremony of the Hero Festival the very next day.

The qualifying rounds for the main event began a few days later.

Its time is for various performances and entertainment programs.

And the three members of the idol group did indeed take advantage of this opportunity, and their popularity skyrocketed.

At the request of the organizers, they began to add more performances and attend a series of events.

Therefore, only Alice and the members of the Beautiful Minds team had enough free time to enjoy the trip, while the idol group's holiday turned into overtime work.

The round of 16 knockout stage will begin tomorrow.

Dekan will also be making his debut.

Battle against Putira, a seventh-tier summoner from the northern kingdom of Tayate.

Each contestant is almost the strongest among those who meet the age limit in their kingdom.

Therefore, although Putila is a seventh-tier being, he is far beyond the reach of ordinary seventh-tier beings.

Even after a counter-relationship emerges, it might be able to put up a fight against a weaker Tier 8 opponent.

……

Inside a classic and dignified mansion.

Although it was already dark outside and there was no light in the windows of the second-floor rooms, the lights were still on in the first-floor living room.

This is a large residence arranged by the Kingdom Federation for the Norton Kingdom's delegation.

There were enough rooms left over after the Beautiful Minds team and the idol group had settled in.

The idol group was very tired and went to rest early.

Only Cat Teacher and Mia Alice remained in the living room, chatting.

However, the three giants of a beautiful mind are gone.

"Are those three up to no good, meow?"

When Teacher Cat thought of the three bullies who used to camp out the Resurrection Cult in Norton's capital, he felt that the shadow of evil was about to reappear in the Kingdom of Philowen.

"Be confident and change the question into a declarative sentence."

Mier said calmly.

"Dekan really dares, meow?!"

Teacher Cat knew that Dekan was definitely up to something.

After all, Dekan's opponent tomorrow is very strong. He can fight, but he will definitely reveal his hand.

Therefore, it is naturally more advantageous for Dekan to play one less game.

But Teacher Cat thought that Dekan wouldn't dare to openly resort to underhanded tactics this time.

The competition rules clearly state that anyone who intentionally injures an opponent or obstructs their normal participation in the competition will be disqualified once the investigation is completed.

With the level of security in the capital, any attempt to act would be quickly detected and locked by the city's defensive barriers.

Therefore, it is almost impossible to force your teammates to solo kill a level 7 expert before the match.

Mir shook his head.

“Dekan would never do something so foolish. Even if the bishop of the Church of Resurrection came, he couldn’t launch a direct attack on the enemy without leaving a trace within the town’s barrier.”

However, Alice seemed to trust Dekan quite a bit.

She thought Dekan was invincible and there was nothing to worry about!

In the lead-up to the Heroes' Festival, Dekan has dominated the headlines in terms of both popularity and controversy.

Even though the knockout stage matchups have already been announced.

No one dares to predict the outcome of the match in Dekan's half of the bracket.

This guy is really not good at one-on-one combat.

But what he might do is truly unpredictable.

A saying even began to circulate: "You can never beat Dekan with the usual methods."

"Have you heard the legend circulating in the capital lately? After the Hero Festival, you might encounter a mysterious merchant on the streets late at night! He has all sorts of amazing epic cards! If you're lucky enough, you can buy some dream-like cards from him!"

Seeing that Mir and the cat teacher had stopped discussing Dekan, Alice began to recount her experiences.

"So Dekan and the others must have gone to capture the mysterious merchant, meow..."

Teacher Cat thought about it and it made a lot of sense.

After all, every epic card is very special.

It has a price but no market.

Buying a powerful epic card that suits your playstyle is everyone's dream, and it might significantly strengthen your character before the tournament even begins.

……

the next day.

Round of 16 (elimination round).

And so, as the sun set, the main event of the Heroes' Festival was finally about to begin.

Luxurious lights illuminated the venue, and magical runes appeared on the platform of Philovian's largest central arena.

The protective barrier unfolded into a cubic shape, like a special effect that seemed to cover the entire capital city without regard to energy costs, giving the capital city a dreamlike appearance centered on the arena, and the cheers rose accordingly.

"Today we will have four matches to determine the first four players to secure a spot in the quarterfinals..."

"And today's opening match will be between the fifth-tier priest Dekan and the seventh-tier summoner Putira! I'm sure they'll bring you a spectacular showdown!"

With the audience's awe-inspiring opening, the host and commentator began to work hard to hype up the atmosphere.

Today's first match will start with the popular player, Dekan.

Dekan was already standing next to the entrance to the Shadow World Launcher in the center of the arena.

Whether they were fans of black, white, fun, or random players, everyone cheered for him with all their might in this atmosphere.

however.

I waited for several minutes.

Dekan's opponent, Putira, has not yet appeared.

Discussions gradually began to circulate in the venue.

The host could only try to engage in awkward small talk.

After waiting a while longer, the host's somewhat embarrassed voice finally came from the venue.

"Ahem, we just received news that Mr. Dekan's opponent, Mr. Putira from the Kingdom of Tayate, is currently under investigation for allegedly engaging in large-scale illegal smuggling last night and will be temporarily unable to attend the match. Therefore, we can congratulate Mr. Dekan in advance on advancing to the quarterfinals!"

"..."

The audience was silent.

They didn't expect the opening match.

It was over in a second.

in the audience.

The cat teacher suddenly turned around and looked at Cornelia and Chloeux.

Both of them looked away, feeling a little guilty.

It instantly understood what those three people had been doing last night.

Based on its understanding of Dekan.

Capture the mysterious businessman?

What a load of rubbish! The mysterious businessman!