Chapter 59: 059 Win quickly without dragging_1
Qin Shi submitted his card deck and, as expected, chose two cards.
With multiple cards in play, there’s such a card selection mode.
For example, if Qin Shi had the first move and the opportunity to ban a card, he would select his first card. Then, Wen Jiang would choose, and after she made her choice, he would select his second card.
This seemingly put Qin Shi at a disadvantage, but in reality, it was a dead end for Wen Jiang.
Even if Qin Shi initially chose an offensive card, and Wen Jiang picked one that could barely counter it, Qin Shi could immediately tailor his second choice to counter Wen Jiang’s selection.
This showed that single-card battles indeed had their limitations.
When he opted for a dual-card battle, a wave of shock went through the audience.
Some people unfamiliar with Qin Shi only knew him as the Aurora Association’s B-Level newcomer this year. Those like Noah, who could discern the intricacies, merely squinted and sneered at Qin Shi.
The fans watching the livestream exploded.
[Holy crap, one card against two, how is Wen Jiang supposed to fight?]
[Damn, isn’t Qin Shi a newbie as well? The Aurora Association has good luck this year; from S Rank to B Rank, all are monster rookies, awesome.]
[Wen Jiang is so unlucky to encounter such a strong player so early on.]
[Hahaha, serves her right! Spewing big words right from the start, didn’t she claim she was going to be number one? Thought she was invincible in solo battles? Didn’t think others would use two cards, did she?]
An Fuxue was especially nervous.
After Qin Shi finished choosing, he once again smiled at Wen Jiang.
Wen Jiang raised an eyebrow and then said to the judges, "I’ll also choose dual cards."
The judges, of course, agreed to Wen Jiang’s request and prompted Qin Shi to select his card first.
Qin Shi was somewhat surprised.
He looked at Wen Jiang. The young woman stood at the Spirit Card Master’s position, her smile serene, clearly indicating she wasn’t acting impulsively.
The crowd below was surprised.
Jiang Zilin whispered, She knows how to use dual cards too?
Strange, why do Spirit Card Masters using dual cards seem to be popping up everywhere this year?
Fan Qiming was also shocked. He clenched his fists and murmured, She’s definitely only using dual cards because Qin Shi chose them; she’s just trying to show off. I want to see if her proficiency is even close to Qin Shi’s.
Using dual cards didn’t hinder Qin Shi’s proficiency in the slightest. If Wen Jiang truly chose dual cards just to compete, she might struggle to control both and run into problems.
An Fuxue, however, seemed pleasantly surprised. She turned to her assistant and asked, "Dual cards? Wen Jiang knows how to use dual cards as well?"
The assistant was even more bewildered. "I don’t know."
Ding Ruijie and the coaching staff watching the livestream were also stunned. Ding Ruijie blurted out, "No way! She can use dual cards too?"
"No wonder it was so easy for her to beat the Armored Bear with just a Wolf Leopard card," one of the other coaches remarked. The rest nodded repeatedly. "It seems that even among B-Level Spirit Card Masters, the gap between individuals can be huge."
Ding Ruijie grew somewhat worried. "Now, it’s a battle of proficiency."
Qin Shi quickly regained his composure. He had considered this possibility, so he wasn’t overly surprised. However, his judgment aligned with Fan Qiming’s: Wen Jiang had likely chosen dual cards out of pride.
Qin Shi remained confident in his own strength. He made his first move, selecting his offensive card.
[Gun Spirit]
The Gun Spirit manifested as a stationary, high-speed machine gun. Unlike standard machine guns, it had eight barrels, allowing it to unleash a dense hail of bullets in mere seconds.
Its 360-degree firing capability made it an absolute group-attack card, its combat power sweeping through B-Level. It couldn’t be ranked A-Level because A-Level battles were typically clashes of mystical powers, rendering such firearm-based cards largely ineffective. However, at B-Level, where most Card Spirits had notably weaker defenses, its damage output was off the charts.
Moreover, all five of Wen Jiang’s cards were humanoid.
Wen Jiang quickly selected the [Rabbit Demon] card. As expected, her action was swift.
Her rapid action made it seem as if she hadn’t considered any counter to the Gun Spirit card at all—as if she would have chosen the Rabbit Demon regardless of Qin Shi’s pick.
Qin Shi pursed his lips and selected his second card—a Defense Card.
[Bell of Suppression]
The Bell of Suppression’s Card Spirit was a bell capable of protecting other Card Spirits.
An absolute Defense Card, it belonged to the support category and was a rare pure-defense card even among support types.
One group-attack card and one defensive card—his choices were clearly targeting Wen Jiang.
Wen Jiang finally faced a situation that made her pause and think for a couple of extra seconds. However, she didn’t hesitate for long before selecting the [Bamboo Demon].
Qin Shi’s mouth twitched.
He knew how ridiculously powerful the Bamboo Demon card was and had even anticipated Wen Jiang would choose it.
If she uses the Bamboo Demon to copy the Bell of Suppression’s skills, she can protect her own Card Spirits too.
"Exactly!" An Fuxue’s eyes lit up. "She hasn’t used it yet; I’d almost forgotten she had the Bamboo Demon Card in her deck!"
The Bamboo Demon Card was a recently popular B-Rank Card, notorious for its outrageous power. It could copy another card’s skills on a one-to-one basis, even mimicking its form. Its ability to turn invisible in human form and then copy skills in its Bamboo Demon form was enough to make any opponent from Mount Flower who faced it feel sick.
In current B-Level team matches, players who used this card had almost never lost.
With the cards selected, the match began!
The audience sat upright, eagerly anticipating a battle for the ages.
Qin Shi knew Wen Jiang would most likely use the Bamboo Demon to copy the Bell of Suppression. As the match began, he immediately deployed the Gun Spirit. Almost simultaneously, he saw the Rabbit Demon transform into a giant, red-eyed rabbit and charge toward his Gun Spirit.
Qin Shi’s pupils contracted. How could it be so fast?
Transforming and activating a Card Spirit took time. The Gun Spirit had just set up, its bullets not yet fired, when a series of terrifying whooshing sounds tore through the air. The red-eyed rabbit was already upon him! Qin Shi, befitting his status as a core player, reacted instantly, deploying the Bell of Suppression as a shield.
DANG—
The resonant clang of the bell echoed across the arena. The Gun Spirit, shielded behind it, was unscathed.
The red-eyed rabbit snarled, its paws flailing against the bell. The impact clearly pained it.
Cold sweat trickled down Qin Shi’s face. He even noticed the Bamboo Demon slowly materializing.
The Bamboo Demon needed to be within a certain range to copy a card’s skills. In its invisible human form, it was likely approaching the Bell of Suppression. Without hesitation, Qin Shi swiftly repositioned the Bell of Suppression. The Gun Spirit, now fully set up, opened fire. A 360-degree barrage of bullets rained down, the terrifying TAT-TAT-TAT sound filling the arena.
But at that exact moment, the Bamboo Demon revealed itself. A flash of vibrant green bamboo, and then an identical red-eyed rabbit materialized. Qin Shi’s expression darkened.
He instantly recalled the Bell of Suppression to the Gun Spirit’s position, but he was a step too late. Both the Bamboo Demon (now a second rabbit) and the original Rabbit Demon burst into action. His Gun Spirit managed to evade the attack from the Bamboo Demon’s copied form, but the dense hail of bullets couldn’t stop the original Rabbit Demon’s assault. Enduring the gunfire, just as it was about to dematerialize, it slashed the Gun Spirit in two with one swipe.
THUD—
That was the sound of Fan Qiming’s heart stopping in the stands.