With the Duel concluded, Hikaru packed away his cards and Duel Disk, walking toward Gloria. Gloria instinctively took a small step back, feeling an odd tension. Nonetheless, realizing something, she reached for Kaiki the Unity Star on her Duel Disk and handed it to Hikaru.
"You were amazing, Amaki Hikaru," she said with a smile.
"It was thanks to you that we took care of Augusta." Hikaru accepted the card, not taking full credit.
Although Augusta had dodged Gloria's traps and evolved into a new form, that form lacked piercing damage. In a way, they had shut down Augusta's effect via teamwork.
Elsewhere, Augusta tilted her head back, stepping through the dense forest and basking in the light.
It had been a long time since she so passionately desired victory!
She shook her head. "Thank you, old man."
"Hohoho, it's fine. I needed the exercise." The Mathematician had thoroughly enjoyed spectating.
Augusta turned back to look at Hikaru and laughed heartily, satisfied.
This human warrior had performed exceptionally well. She was delighted today.
The next steps were simple.
She stamped a Ten-Star and Four-Star mark on Gloria and Bastion's badges. Since Hikaru already had a Four-Star mark, she only gave him a Ten-Star stamp.
Afterward, she shot Bastion a cold snort.
Their camp's fiercest tiger was about to be whisked away by that bastard Bastion. Of course, she was displeased.
However…
'Heh, a diplomat, was it?'
Today's Duel had ignited her fighting spirit in a long-forgotten way. She was thrilled.
Maybe interacting with humans wasn't so meaningless after all.
And yes, per the agreement, all students present for the test would receive a Four-Star mark.
"Wah!!"
"Hahaha—No more archery cleanup rounds!"
"Bastion, we adore you!"
"Well done, Hikaru, Bastion! And that Taylor sister, too."
To most students, the Taylor sisters were an afterthought, yet Gloria didn't mind.
For her, the badge didn't matter. Having a great Duel did.
"That was awesome, sis!" Grace cheered, draping her arms over her sister's shoulders, laughing and nuzzling her cheek.
"Grace!"
Augusta turned to the Taylor sisters, noting their use of Amazoness cards.
Being called "old hag" had rubbed her the wrong way, though she genuinely liked Gloria's spirit.
Despite Augusta's deck being the "upgraded" version, Gloria had still dared to clash with her blade and Duel Disk—that kind of "courage" resonated deeply with Amazoness values.
Among the Amazoness tribe, two core virtues were revered and used to judge human candidates:
[Courage] and [Wisdom].
They also represented the two core Amazoness deck types.
Often, courage equated to strength, but not always. Daring to raise your weapon against a superior warrior—that courage was something she admired.
"Human sisters."
The two turned to look at her.
"Gloria, was it? This Tag Duel, you won through courage and wisdom. But that was only one test. So—this is for you." She handed the sisters a green card.
Amazoness Secret Arts.
"Quick-Play Fusion, huh? Heh, not bad." Gloria took the card and glanced at Hikaru.
She wanted to use it to fight him again!
Of course…
Her ambition didn't stop there!
She wanted Amazoness Augusta!
When that day came, she would Duel Hikaru again!
"And you, human warrior." Augusta gave Hikaru a long look, then glanced at Winda standing beside him.
"A warrior who seeks Fusion, huh..." Augusta looked around. The War Chief, understanding the signal, stepped forward, leading a fearsome beast.
It was a fusion of lion and tiger… far more ferocious than a normal beast, its presence awe-inspiring.
"Ah! It's Pet Liger! So cute!" Grace immediately recognized her ace monster and squealed with joy.
The silver-haired girl had a unique taste.
The tiger nodded toward Augusta, then brushed against Hikaru's hand, closing its eyes. After a moment, a card floated in front of him.
Hikaru examined it and smiled.
'Not bad.'
Amazoness cards weren't especially rare here, so the materials to summon Pet Liger were easy to find or trade for.
More importantly…
This was the original anime version.
The OCG version protected other Amazoness monsters by preventing attacks on them.
That said, this one… its effect negated all attacks targeting non-itself monsters while it was on the field.
Not only did it expand the defense scope, but it could even bait enemies into wasting an attack.
It was field-worthy… Hikaru could pair it with Winda. With 2200 ATK, Winda wouldn't be destroyed by effects or battle as long as Pet Liger was there.
You'd have to go through the taunting pet first!
"Much appreciated, Your Eminence," Hikaru said, reaching to pet the tiger's head. The massive beast snorted, then bashfully bolted off.
"Looks like Gwendolyn got a little shy," Augusta muttered as she watched it run.
'Gwendolyn?'
Hikaru raised a brow.
'No way…'
He glanced over at Tania, chatting with Bastion.
Come to think of it, Tania's real form was a tiger too...
"Hahaha, don't worry. Gwendolyn is a pure Beast-type Spirit, not like Tania. Hahaha—" Augusta laughed heartily. "Anyway, feel free to explore. I still have a lot to discuss with your friend."
Having handed Hikaru the card, Augusta turned her attention fully to Bastion.
Sure, Bastion had passed her test with wisdom… despite that, it didn't mean she'd just hand over her girls without a fight.
Duty was duty. Human-Spirit relations were negotiable by Duel.
But feelings? That was a whole other matter!
Hikaru watched Augusta march off, her aura blazing.
He figured this might be his cue to say goodbye to Bastion… This indeed wasn't going to be settled in a day or two.