[Duel Over — Winner: Jaden Yuki!]
"Even though I didn't really understand what just happened… it looks like Judai completely defeated Frodi?"
Okita stood there dumbfounded. As a Top 8 competitor in the Chaldea Duel Tournament, she still couldn't process the final moment—Jaden's counterattack unleashed through Speed Spellcasting.
"Was Jaden… always this strong?" Akasha said, troubled. "Even if he trained secretly all night after losing yesterday… this feels like he's become a completely different person."
With his golden sword shattered, leaving only the hilt in his hand, Frodi fully understood his defeat.
"Jaden… is this your path as a king? In the battle of heroes, I admit it—I have lost. But!!"
Raising the hilt high, immense energy surged through the World Tree and flowed into his grasp.
"This path of the Supreme King is a road of no return! Beyond that darkness, there is no hope—it is absolutely not a path you should walk, Jaden!"
"The defeated should quietly disappear!" Supreme King Jaden said coldly. "This world never had hope to begin with. Beyond endless despair lies only the right to rule through power."
"No—I may have lost, but I am still the King of the Sword!"
Re-gathering energy, the broken blade reforged itself into a radiant golden greatsword, extending into the sky as a blade of light.
"Now is not the time for your awakening, Supreme King! The hope growing within Jaden must not be crushed here. Since I was the one who awakened you, then I will wager everything to put you back to sleep!"
"King Frodi… what are you planning to do?!"
"—Vermilion Bird in motion, all demons submit! Heavenly Thunder Sovereign who governs the nine heavens—this is righteousness! Demon-Splitting Severance—Slash!!"
The sky-piercing golden blade came crashing down, cleaving the manifested Supreme King's Castle behind Jaden cleanly in two.
"Damn it!" For the first time since appearing, the otherwise expressionless and all-seeing Supreme King showed a flicker of emotion. "After using that much power… do you really think you'll walk away unharmed?"
"Of course not!" As if mirroring the collapse of the castle ahead, Frodi's golden winged armor began to disintegrate.
"This battle marks the end of the Sword Realm King. From the very beginning, I said only one hero would walk away in the end. And that hero… should be neither the Sword King nor the Supreme King!"
The barrier engraved with seven swords gradually faded. Under its final glow, the anti-king boundary—born for kings—met its end in a battle between kings.
…
"What… just happened?"
Inside the barrier, Jaden—his original consciousness restored—looked around in confusion at the sealed space bathed in light.
"You won, Jaden. Though there were some unexpected twists, you truly showed me a new possibility for heroes."
As his armor and mask slowly shattered and fell away, King Frodi dragged his battered body toward Jaden.
But Jaden, with no memory of the Supreme King's appearance, had no idea how he had won.
"You're saying I won, but I don't even…"
Yet despite the countless questions in his mind, the moment Jaden saw the half of King Frodi's face revealed beneath the broken mask—he froze completely.
"The Supreme King filled with darkness and despair is not the path you should walk. As per our wager, the loser entrusts their power to the victor."
Handing over the Masked HERO Deck, this was the final power King Frodi could pass on.
"This… this kind of thing really happens? I'm not dreaming, am I?" Jaden muttered blankly, staring at Frodi's face.
"Whether this is a dream or reality doesn't matter. What matters is the hero who looks toward the future—and the unwavering resolve you possess… From another dimension, the power of the Masked HEROes is now yours."
Placing the deck into Jaden's hands, Frodi smiled in satisfaction—and in the final instant, he faded away along with the seven-sword barrier.
As if something was calling to him, Jaden subconsciously flipped over the top card of the Masked HERO Deck.
It was Winged Kuriboh.
(***)
Upon the Throne—
"Even King Frodi… was defeated?" Within the World Tree, Harr showed a brief flash of surprise as he sensed Frodi's presence vanish completely.
"That's different from the level of the Dwarf Allied King," growled Naglfar. "Among the Nine Realm Kings, Frodi should be among the upper tier. And yet he lost in a one-on-one against a human?"
"Still, his defeat works in our favor," Harr said calmly. "With him around, he would only cause unnecessary trouble."
Frodi, who always opposed the violent invasion of the human world, had stood in direct opposition to Hal King's strategy.
Now that he was gone, none of the other kings would obstruct the other kings from launching a full-scale invasion of the human world.
"But the Supreme King, huh? Frodi may have been an incomprehensible idealist, but he's unexpectedly found us something interesting."
Tapping the armrest of his throne with a darkened fingertip, countdown-like energy digits slowly appeared before the three kings.
"Less than two hours until the next World Tree connection… It's time to prepare to personally descend onto the battlefield and deliver judgment upon these insignificant humans."
(***)
Domino City — Harbor
"They're just Shadow Servants, but they're surprisingly tough… hang in there, Master!"
After several turns of dueling, Mash, watching from the side, rubbed her hands nervously, quietly breaking into a cold sweat.
[Hoshino Chiyuki LP 3500]
[Magical Girl — Karna Illya ATK 4800]
[Magical Girl — Illya DEF 1000]
[Heroic Spirit — Fuuma Kotarou ATK 1200]
[Shadow Hoshino LP 8000]
[Shadow Servant — Gilgamesh, King of Heroes ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][EARTH][Warrior/Ritual/Effect][ATK 2800/DEF 2500]
The duelist who appeared in the form of Shadow Hoshino summoned Heroic Spirit monsters, all of which took the form of Shadow Servants.
Of course, while their appearance was that of Shadow Servants, the effects they possessed were no different from those of their original Heroic Spirit counterparts.
"Effect of Shadow Servant Gilgamesh—when this card is successfully Ritual Summoned, you can select any number of Equip Cards from your Deck and equip them to this card with their effects negated!"
With flawless execution—and even a voice identical to Hoshino's—though her emotional fluctuations were faint, Shadow Hoshino steadily pressured the battlefield using the power of Heroic Spirits.
"Additionally, this card gains 1000 ATK for each equipped card."
In one move, five Equip Spell Cards filled her Spell & Trap Zone. Countless treasures of the Shadow King materialized, all aimed at Hoshino's field.
[Shadow Servant — Gilgamesh ATK 5000]
Eve panicked. "5000 ATK?! That already surpasses Illya's Karna form!"
"It's not just about surpassing Karna," Mokuba corrected. "With 5000 ATK, if that attack lands directly on Fuuma Kotarou, Hoshino's Life Points will drop to zero."
"Entering the Battle Phase—I attack your Fuuma Kotarou with Gilgamesh!"
Just as Mokuba feared, Shadow Hoshino gave the command without hesitation. Countless Noble Phantasms rained down, targeting the weakest point on the opposing field.
["Here it comes, aibo! You can't tank this one again!"]
"I know that!" Hoshino flipped her set card, as mysterious particles spread across her entire field.
"—Quick-Play Spell activated: Synchro Emergency Deployment!"
[Synchro Emergency Deployment Effect: Can be activated during either player's Battle Phase. Perform a Synchro Summon using monsters you control, including a 'Heroic Spirit' Tuner monster.]
"A Synchro Summon?" Hoshino Alter sounded surprised, but also confused. "Isn't Synchro Summoning supposed to require a D-Wheel, aibo? In this situation, it shouldn't work…"
"It will work!" Hoshino declared confidently.
"If this deck exists at this point in time, then that means it can Synchro Summon! I tune Level 2 Heroic Spirit — Fuuma Kotarou with Level 4 Magical Girl — Illya—total Level 6!"
Particles from the Star Relic—the Star Chalice—spread across the battlefield, forming a Synchro Summoning ring that enveloped Kotarou and Illya, linking them together.
"—Gathered starlight, open the ritual of dreams! Extend into a path toward the future! Synchro Summon—take the stage, [Heroic Spirit — Prince of Lanling]!"
[Heroic Spirit — Prince of Lanling ★★★★★★ (Level 6)][WATER][Warrior/Synchro/Effect][ATK 2200/DEF 1800]
[1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters]
"My lord, the Prince of Lanling stands here—to bring you victory!"
Removing his mask, the Prince of Lanling—whose legendary beauty had elevated him to an EX-rank "Mystic Visage"—affected both allies and enemies on the battlefield the moment his true face was revealed.
"Effect of Heroic Spirit — Prince of Lanling! 'Entrance of the Prince of Lanling'—when this card is Synchro Summoned, you can add 1 Normal Spell Card that mentions 'Heroic Spirit' from your Deck to your hand."
With both elegance and presence, through the effect of his entrance, Hoshino added the Heroic Spirit Normal Spell Card The Place We Will Eventually Reach to her hand.