Chapter 68: The First Clash Between Dark and Virt
"Hey! Think you can keep up?"
The difference in their abilities had been obvious from the start of their run. Dark pulled ahead without a hint of panic, occasionally glancing back to see Virt struggling, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
But Virt wasn't a complete idiot.
Realizing the gap in their physical speed, he finally remembered his stag!
A moment later, Virt had clambered onto the stag's back, enduring the strain on his legs as it galloped forward. His sharp eyes, magnified by the insect-like compound lenses, seemed to bore into the back of the figure running ahead.
Yet, just as Virt was closing the distance, Dark abruptly turned a corner and vanished from sight.
From the moment Virt mounted his stag, Dark knew the chase was as good as over.
Maintaining a magical familiar like the stag constantly drained mana. However, the Hero's son possessed more than enough mana to sustain the pursuit for the entire night.
While sharp turns and clever maneuvering might buy him some time, it would be nearly impossible to completely shake Virt off.
In that case, it was time to turn the tables.
At the eight-second mark, a trash slime materialized in Dark's hand.
Taking another turn to break line of sight, Eevee started running alongside him.
At the next fork in the road, the mark of pride appeared on Eevee's forehead.
Its speed surged dramatically, and it shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
Meanwhile, Virt Gold finally spotted Dark's back again. He poured mana into the stag, and a flower card appeared in his hand.
[Forbidden Love]!
The distance between them rapidly closed.
Just as a smirk began to form on Virt's lips, thinking he was about to catch up, the figure ahead suddenly snatched off his tall top hat and flung it backward!
The black hat spun through the air, hurtling toward Virt at high speed, propelled by the stag's momentum.
Virt had no time to react, but the stag abruptly skidded to a halt and swerved sharply to the right, narrowly avoiding the incoming hat.
However, a glob of green, slimy substance followed immediately behind the hat and splattered onto Virt's face.
The moment his vision went black, a wave of panic washed over Virt.
Everything had happened so fast.
He barely caught a glimpse of a small, nimble shadow flitting through the air before his beloved stag let out a pitiful cry and was instantly obliterated, offering no resistance.
Then, the green slime on his face vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
Virt tumbled to the ground.
Fortunately, the stag had come to a complete stop by the time he was blinded, otherwise the fall might have left him half-dead from the impact.
Around the corner, Dark flicked his wrist, and two streaks of light returned to the magic card tucked between his fingers.
A simple skirmish.
"I hope I didn't reveal too much," Dark thought, glancing at the Hero's son, who was now rubbing his bruised backside.
Dark emerged from another fork in the road, picked up the black top hat from the ground, dusted it off, and placed it back on his head with practiced elegance.
Without another thought for Virt, he quickly made his way back to the small shrine.
Since the "cult" members had already left, and Virt, the unpredictable element, had been dealt with, it would be a waste not to seize this opportunity to investigate the shrine further. After all, it was a gift from Professor Cazel.
Dark had no real interest in the cult's goals or motives.
He was there solely for the origin of the "flower cards."
And now, it was clear.
The goddess statue inside the shrine was the source of the flower cards!
As Dark stepped inside, the previously extinguished torches reignited, illuminating every corner of the hall.
He summoned DemiDevimon and had it fly around the shrine to ensure no one was hiding.
Meanwhile, he approached the statue, carefully examining the goddess who initially projected an aura of "holiness."
Her hands were clasped in front of her chest, her eyes were closed, and her head was slightly bowed, resembling a pure maiden in prayer.
The soft glow emanating from her was soothing.
Unlike Virt, who had been easily captivated by the statue, Dark observed it carefully and concluded that it likely represented a virgin goddess.
"Is the power of the flower cards derived from this? Was [Lust] weakened because it was purified by this sacred power?"
To test his theory, Dark took out [Lust I].
The moment he infused a trace of mana into it, both [Lust I] and the statue erupted with an intense light!
Dark quickly shut his eyes, but in the darkness, he saw a fleeting [Lust +1].
This immediately put him on alert, and he cut off the mana flow to [Lust I].
"Damn it! They share the same origin!"
Dark's expression shifted dramatically.
Beneath the statue's holy exterior lay a concentration of [Lust] far greater than what he currently possessed.
The reason [Lust] could be weakened by the flower cards wasn't due to purification it was being absorbed!
At this moment, through [Lust I] as a conduit, the [Lust] accumulated within the statue was pouring into his body!
It was like water flowing downhill, seeking equilibrium.
Fortunately, [Lust I] was just that [Lust I]. As a conduit, it was too small and fragile, so the influx was only at the level of [Lust +].
But the connection had been established, and even after cutting off the mana, it couldn't be severed.
In this critical moment, Dark took out [Pride I].
Six seconds later, DemiDevimon's eyes changed.
Without hesitation, Dark tossed [Lust I] into the air.
DemiDevimon, who had long held a grudge against the card, immediately flapped its wings and fired three shark-headed syringes in a triangular formation, shattering the pink card into pieces.
"Hahahaha!"
DemiDevimon's maniacal laughter echoed through the shrine.
"I am DemiDevimon, a being of innate nobility! How dare a mere magic card provoke me?"
"If any other lowly cards dare to challenge me, they'll meet the same fate as this one utter destruction!"
"Ohohohohoho!"
"Phew."
With the destruction of [Lust I], the connection between Dark and the statue was finally severed.
He let out a small sigh of relief, but his gaze toward the statue grew even more serious.
"Why would something like this be in St. Marianne's secret chamber?"
"Professor Cazel must have known about this. What was he thinking?"
"Could he have wanted me to destroy this thing?"
"And who exactly does this statue represent?"
Questions flooded Dark's mind one after another.
As he twirled [Pride I] in his hand, he fell into deep thought.
Then, a perfectly natural idea surfaced.
"Could I use this goddess statue to create a higher-tier [Lust] series?"
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 30 advanced chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/Leanzin