The duel had ended, yet Aster did not appear disheartened or anguished. Instead, he wore a rare, gentle smile.
However, that smile quickly faded.
"You truly are impressive, President Amaki. A brand-new Flame Swordsman born from fire and fusion—radiant as the sun itself."
After the duel, Aster shook hands with Amaki Hikaru.
There had never been any animosity between them, nor much interaction before. Yet whether it was their first encounter or during Hikaru's later duels with interdimensional beings and members of the Fusion Army, Aster had always quietly watched as a member of the Fusion Club. He deeply admired Hikaru's unwavering belief in fusion.
Aster had long wanted to duel Hikaru, to sharpen his own skills from another angle. But he never imagined it would be under these circumstances. Ideally, he had hoped for a more formal and fitting stage—like the pro league.
Yes, to him, Hikaru was exactly the kind of duelist made for the professional circuit.
Still, fate had intervened. Through a twist of destiny, Aster ended up dueling Hikaru.
Perhaps this really was the perfect moment.
After the duel, Aster didn't linger.
On one hand, he wanted to examine the cards his father had left him. On the other, he was thinking about Sartorius.
Now that his mind was clear, the Light of Destruction could no longer cloud his thoughts. He quickly realized the strangeness of what had occurred.
Back then, during the duel with D.D., that voice of Sartorius...
And the voice he heard later from Sartorius...
Though both had guided him, in hindsight, the voices were not the same.
One was gentle. One was violent. One persuaded. The other seduced.
'Could it be?'
He recalled his own previous state.
Though he was never fully controlled by the Light of Ruin, he did feel urges of self-destruction. So what of Sartorius, who had been under its influence since childhood, and more deeply than anyone?
It was likely—Sartorius had completely fractured into two minds!
And he'd never noticed!
He had to prepare for what came next...
"Aster."
Just as he was leaving, deep in thought, Hikaru called out to him. He stopped and looked back.
"If you're facing trouble, you don't have to face it alone," said Hikaru.
He feared Aster might try to challenge Sartorius on his own and vanish without warning—and he wouldn't even know.
Aster was stunned, then gradually calmed. He gave a small nod and responded to Hikaru.
"...Thanks for your concern, President."
Then he smiled, turned, and walked away.
He wasn't alone.
Sartorius. His father. They had always been with him. His lack of friends was simply because he hadn't wanted to accept others.
Although now, the clock of his life had begun to tick. The hands were turning forward. Even if they returned to the same point, in truth, he had already moved ahead.
Seeing Aster walk away, Hikaru said nothing more.
After all, Aster Phoenix was someone with a strong mind and his own decisions.
After Aster left, Hikaru turned back to the members of the Society of Light.
They stood emotionless, clearly brainwashed to the extreme.
Silver Meteor and Princess Rose approached. Silver Meteor, hands behind his back, first congratulated Hikaru on his victory and praised his dueling.
Though he, too, was brainwashed, his dueling skills remained. After watching Hikaru's duel with Aster, he realized he couldn't compare and admired them both greatly.
But… his life now belonged to Lord Sartorius and to destiny, so all he could do was admire.
"Then, as promised, Amaki Hikaru, this card is the gift we prepared."
As Silver Meteor spoke, several members in white uniforms respectfully presented a small box to Hikaru.
"Inside are cards and an address we acquired from the Fusion Army. I believe you'll find them quite to your liking."
Hikaru raised an eyebrow, took the box, and opened it.
It was a box large enough to hold two rows of mooncakes, lined with white ornaments. Inside were two cards. One showed a sky filled with stars—obviously coordinates to a dimension. Beneath it read: "Frightfur Sanctuary."
'Whoa.'
The Frightfur dimension.
Hikaru's eyes lit up.
He had searched every Fusion Army base, rummaging through boxes, but never found a trace of Frightfur. Within their ranks, it was a top secret location.
In this case, the Society of Light and its "guidance" had been more effective.
As for the other card...
Hikaru's brow furrowed.
D/D/D Oracle King d'Arc.
'DDD??'
Where had this come from?
Hikaru was stunned.
"This card was obtained by Lord Sartorius from Leo Akaba."
"What?" Hikaru looked up in shock, questioning Silver Meteor.
"Huh?"
"That card belonged to Leo Akaba?"
"Um..."
Several onlooking students looked visibly disturbed.
By now, they had come to fully trust Hikaru's purity and dedication. They no longer suspected him of being with the Fusion Army.
That said, seeing a card from Leo Akaba being handed to someone else… it was hard not to feel uneasy.
What was the Society of Light really up to?
Meanwhile, Celina kept looking up curiously.
Father's card…
Just what kind of Deck did he use?
Hikaru stared at the Dark version of St. Joan in his hand—that is, D/D/D Oracle King d'Arc—with a frown.
How had this even come into being?
Of all cards, this one shouldn't exist here.
"One year ago, Lord Sartorius met Leo Akaba in another dimension. In exchange for cards, Leo proposed an alliance between the Society of Light and the Fusion Army," Silver Meteor said, hands still behind his back.
Many students hearing this grew visibly hostile toward the Society of Light. Even those rescued by them began to worry.
"However—"
Silver Meteor quickly changed tone. "Lord Sartorius immediately saw through Leo Akaba's malicious intent. He was not a kind and upright teacher. Though he recommended Aster to the Fusion Army, he was guided by [Destiny] to let Aster meet the Fusion Club's President."
Hikaru bit his lip to keep from laughing aloud.
What a load of nonsense.
He still remembered—Aster had joined the Fusion Club only because he happened to duel Syrus, the representative of the opposing side. It was purely by chance.
Hikaru hadn't seen it back then, but after talking more, he had learned the truth.
Still, even if Silver Meteor was spouting lies, perhaps it was just because Sartorius told him to.
He might not know the real situation at all.
And actually, there was some useful information in what he said.
So Aster really had been recommended by Sartorius to be the Fusion Army's commander!
The Fusion Army with Aster at the helm would have been vastly different.
After all, Aster was a hero favored by destiny.
If Aster had been there, the Blitzkrieg on Shinson might never have happened—or not so soon, or so badly.
As payment, Leo Akaba must have given Sartorius quite a bit.
Cards were likely just the start. Leo's real strength was in technology!
...
If we can reach and maintain top 50 this week, I'll post 15 bonus chapters.
Bonus @200 PS
Read upto chapter 377 @patreon.com/Keepsmiling818