222: Full Moon Final

Chapter 222: Full Moon Finals

"Alright, it's probably getting dark in the Chess Domain soon."

Putting away his cards, Shi Li returned to the Chess Domain.

After waiting for a long time in an open area, the moonlight arrived as promised.

A beam of light fell in the distance, forming a single step.

Shi Li approached and stepped onto it.

Buzz—

The surrounding space vibrated slightly, and new steps emerged one after another.

Each step represented his past progress, leading directly to the sky.

"The steps are getting higher and higher; it takes a lot of time just to climb the stairs each time."

Shi Li grumbled, ascending step by step.

According to the intelligence records, tonight's process would be slightly different.

There would still be nine major stages, but the intervals between PVP would change.

Yesterday, there was one PVP in the three-stage and six-stage progress respectively.

Tonight, PVP would be allocated based on the number of remaining competitors.

It was said that sometimes when there were many competitors, there would even be one PVP in a single major stage.

As for tomorrow, the last day of the Ladder mode, there would be no more PVP.

Instead, it would be a day for the final winner to challenge alone.

This meant that tonight, all competitors would decide the last person standing.

"So from now on, I need to consider every step carefully."

"I've basically collected the basic deck for the Demon-Defeating Dark Hunter."

"Now I need to see what good cards I can get additionally."

First, in the initial options of each major stage, one naturally had to prioritize checking the Blessing.

"God of Wealth Arrives": +10% Moonlight Coins obtained from battles

"Decision Paralysis": Any option in this Ladder will add one "Moonlight Maniac": Max HP -100, gain 30 Charge and 2 Action Points each round

"I feel that 'Decision Paralysis' is the strongest. Any option includes the optional rewards after leveling up, the optional items in the shop, and even changing the three branches into four branches during the ladder climbing process."

"'God of Wealth Arrives' is also very good, but it's not as good as my previous Risk Protocol."

"These two Blessings are the type where the earlier you get them, the higher the returns, and the later, the lower the returns."

"It would have been great if I had gotten them at the very beginning."

"The last one seems to be the most suitable—"

However, Shi Li fell into a dilemma.

On the surface, there was no doubt that "Moonlight Maniac" was the most suitable.

Because the negative effect of "Max HP -100" was completely ineffective against the Withering Dragon's Characteristic.

But the problem was that 30 energy and 2 action points per round also had little meaning for it.

Moreover, recovering so much energy each round would greatly affect the use of Magic Siphon.

Because the Demon-Defeating Dark Hunter's Magic Siphon required its own energy to reach 0 before it could be used.

If he chose "Moonlight Maniac," then this card could only be effective in the first round at the beginning of the game.

So, after thinking about it, Shi Li still chose the second option, "Decision Paralysis."

However, what he didn't know was that this choice saved his life.

When the current major stage was completed, he entered the PVP segment.

"Hmm?"

This time, he actually found that he had two target options in front of him.

Two screens, one left and one right, displayed blurred outlines of different competitors.

"A Blessing that adds an option, it actually works here too?"

Because they were too blurry, he couldn't see the opponent's appearance, posture, or other external features on either side.

He could only vaguely sense some mysterious things like auras.

The person on the left gave Shi Li the feeling of bottomless darkness.

He always felt a sense of déjà vu, but couldn't pinpoint where he had seen it before.

Intuitively, there was a very dangerous feeling, making him want to avoid it.

The person on the right gave him a very powerful feeling.

However, just in terms of strength, its aura was far less intense than the one on the left.

More importantly, he didn't feel any danger.

So Shi Li made his choice, picking the one on the right.

The new opponent was indeed strong, even more powerful than the Moonlight Wizard from yesterday.

The opponent started with a rush, and the Demon-Defeating Dragon was almost instantly killed.

He could only say that it was fortunate to have Magic Immunity, otherwise it would have definitely been over.

"The one on the right is already this strong; if I had chosen the opponent on the left, I don't think I could have won."

Shi Li couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

After completing this PVP, a new major stage began again.

For the new stage, the first choice was naturally Blessing.

Unlike last time, this time, with the help of "Decision Paralysis," he had 4 options.

"Lifesteal Grimoire": Gain 1 Recovery for every 5 damage dealt

"Misfortune Pistol": Make the enemy randomly lose 1 hand card in the first round

"Unknown Treasure Box": The first time an Attack is used each round, randomly gain 1 Action card

"Substitute Amulet": Does not die when HP reaches 0, appears with 1 HP next round (effective only once per game)

"This time is good, all are good things."

"However, I don't need any Recovery ability at all, so 'Lifesteal Grimoire' is useless to me. If it were someone else, they would probably like this very much."

"'Misfortune Pistol' and 'Unknown Treasure Box' are actually very similar; one is for the enemy, and one is a self-buff."

However, "Unknown Treasure Box" is more powerful because it can be effective every round.

Precisely because it's random, it can create extra opportunities.

"But the most suitable for me, without a doubt, still has to be the 'Substitute Amulet.'"

Shi Li had actually encountered this Blessing before, and it was precisely because he encountered it that he felt the Withering Dragon might be a good choice. When he tried it, he found it was indeed very useful.

And the "Substitute Amulet" was simply the perfect Blessing for the Withering Dragon.

Whether it was yesterday's competitor or today's competitor.

They would have to pay a huge price to instantly kill a full-health Demon-Defeating Dragon in one round.

And such a price was often not so easy to gather.

Now with the "Substitute Amulet" in hand, even if the opponent instantly killed the Demon-Defeating Dragon once, it would revive with 1 HP next round, and then automatically return to full health.

If the opponent needed to pay a huge price to kill the Demon-Defeating Dragon, then he would need to pay such a price twice to win.

Could the Demon-Defeating Dragon not defeat the opponent in the time it took to be killed twice?

Shi Li didn't believe it.

He continued to climb the ladder, subsequently defeating one competitor after another.

The Demon-Defeating Dragon also leveled up to LV50, and its Characteristic reached 100 HP.

He had collected a pile of equipment cards, and the Execute threshold reached 150 points.

All basic cards were upgraded, and most of the Attack cards were upgraded to the maximum level of ☆☆☆.

However, he deliberately kept 3 ☆ Attack cards to prevent and trigger the opponent's trap cards and the like.

He also collected many action cards, but most of them were for self-preservation.

"My current setup, I should say, has already reached its peak, right?"

No matter what enemy I encounter, I probably won't fall behind.

So far, the strongest BOSS he had encountered could only deal just over a hundred HP in one round.

As for competitors, their output ability was often not as good as these powerful BOSSes; their advantage lay only in more varied tactics.

The problem was that with Magic Immunity, the Demon-Defeating Dragon was not afraid of the competitors' various tricks.

After completing the eighth major stage tonight, he welcomed a new competitor.

"No options this time—"

Looking at the gradually appearing figure in front of him, Shi Li's expression tightened slightly.

Before this, "Decision Paralysis" would always give him two opponents to choose from.

No options this time meant there was only one competitor left.

He had reached the finals among the competitors.

As the opponent's figure solidified, neither side spoke, but instead displayed their characters.

Shi Li couldn't clearly see the opponent's appearance but could clearly see their character.

It was a great angel with three pairs of black wings on its back, wearing armor and exuding a fierce aura.

Fel Angel

Wither, 666 / 666, 0 / 60, LV100

"Fel - Characteristic": Each time the Fel Angel deals damage, it reduces the target's energy cap by 3

"Battle Angel - Characteristic": The Fel Angel's basic attack repeats 2 times

Shi Li originally thought that with the help of Risk Protocol, getting the Demon-Defeating Dragon to LV50 was already very strong, but he didn't expect the opponent to be even more heaven-defying, actually bringing out an LV100 character.

Moreover, the opponent obviously understood the strategy and also fused two characters.

Both Characteristics were extremely abnormal.

One should know that the Demon-Defeating Dragon only had a 60-point energy cap; it would be directly cleared to zero after being hit 20 times.

This Characteristic came with a mandatory effect, not a negative effect with a number, so it couldn't be immune to Magic Immunity.

Without energy, the Demon-Defeating Dragon would lose the ability to use Wither.

As a result, it would also lose the ability to use other energy-consuming cards, and its output ability would definitely be greatly reduced.

If the opponent also had some Recovery cards, the Demon-Defeating Dragon's normal attacks might not even out-damage the opponent's Recovery.

And what was this basic attack repeating 2 times? One three-star basic Attack dealt 7 damage, so this thing could deal 14 damage with just one normal attack, which was a bit exaggerated.

This didn't even count the various normal attack bonuses from Blessings and equipment cards.

One should know that if accumulated, it was not difficult for a character to play four or five three-star Attack cards in one round.

Another point was who the opponent was; their character was also of the Wither System.

Didn't this mean that his Withering Initial was completely useless, as it only affected non-Wither System characters?

Just by looking at the character's card header, Shi Li knew that this opponent was not simple.

Moreover, he could feel that this person was the opponent he had previously avoided after obtaining "Decision Paralysis" for the first time, the one who gave him a strong sense of unease.

"You are Wang Defa."

The opponent's words at this moment made Shi Li realize that they were probably prepared.

"My name is Wang Defa, and I do not change it."

However, Shi Li did not intend to lose his momentum.

So both sides rolled the dice.

Strangely, he clearly saw that the dice roll result was for him to go first.

However, the dice that had stopped suddenly bounced and flipped, making the opponent go first.

He guessed that the opponent might have obtained some powerful luck Blessing or something similar.

Swish swish swish swish!

Immediately after, he saw the opponent draw a pile of hand cards.

This was absolutely not normal.

The normal process was 3 initial hand cards at the start, then drawing 2 more when it was his turn, making a total of 5.

But now, the opponent had at least 10 dense hand cards.

What awaited Shi Li next was a massive burst.

The advantage of the Wither System compared to other systems was evident at this moment.

While dealing damage, it could also Charge.

With energy, powerful energy-consuming hand cards could be used.

Charging during the current round of battle, only the Momentum System could also achieve this.

The Steadfast System, which received real-time Counterattacks, could also achieve it to a certain extent.

In any case, the opponent not only directly depleted the Demon-Defeating Dragon's HP but also accumulated 20 instances of damage, emptying its energy bar to 0/0.

"Vulnerable, huh?"

Just as the opponent ended his turn, he saw that the battle had not ended.

The turn came to Shi Li, and a golden light flashed over the Demon-Defeating Dragon.

Then, the 0/100 HP became 1/100, and with another jump, it became 100/100.

"Good thing I have the Substitute Amulet."

Shi Li breathed a sigh of relief; if it weren't for this Blessing, he would have been dead in just one encounter!

Now, without further ado, he quickly checked his starting 5 hand cards.

"Good luck."

When he saw the Demon-Defeating Dark Hunter's exclusive hand card, Magic Siphon, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Playing this card created an energy link, directly connecting the two characters.

The Demon-Defeating Dragon's energy also instantly changed from 0/0 to 20/60.

"Hmm?"

Clearly, the opponent did not expect this move.

Shi Li then drew and equipped another equipment card.

"Moonlight Armor": For every 20 damage taken, gain 5 Shield

With this card, his survivability would greatly increase.

Even if the opponent unleashed another burst like before, they wouldn't be able to instantly kill him.

He held onto the remaining 3 hand cards and did not play them.

"Futile struggle."

The opponent, however, remained unimpressed.

He didn't believe that Wang Defa could revive indefinitely.

Moreover, did he really think his strongest burst was just that one wave?

A new round arrived, and the first card he played was an action card.

"Roar!"

As the action card was played, he saw the Demon-Defeating Dragon suddenly move.

A normal attack struck.

Was it a pursuit/Counterattack type passive hand card?

"Echo - 10 Energy": When the opponent consumes action points, launch a 10-point attack

The key was that it not only hit him but also consumed his energy.

As a result, his character's skill consumed 10 energy, and then the opponent's Echo helped consume another 10 points.

He ran out of mana.

"Hmph."

This made him snort coldly.

He held back other hand cards for the time being.

Child's play. At worst, he would save cards for two or three rounds.

He would still be able to instantly kill him then.