"..."
The duel between the two continued within the dark barrier.
Outside the darkness, the others could only see Jaden and Tania facing off; they couldn't hear a word being said.
Tania looked at Jaden and shook her head with a light chuckle.
"The Supreme King... I never imagined you would actually be the Supreme King."
"But looking at you now, you seem quite different from the rumors."
"Rumors are just rumors, after all," Jaden said, flipping over the Dark Calling in his hand. "If you still can't make up your mind, find your answer in this duel."
"I activate the Spell Card, Dark Calling!"
"I banish Evil HERO Adusted Gold and Destiny HERO - Malicious from my Graveyard!"
"I summon, Evil HERO Malicious Bane!"
Claws gleamed coldly in the darkness as a demon clad in black bone armor descended onto Jaden's field with a sneer.
[Evil HERO Malicious Bane]
[Level: 8]
[Fiend-Type]
[ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000]
"This card can only be summoned through a Dark Fusion of an Evil HERO and a monster of Level 5 or higher. However, according to the effect of Dark Calling, I can banish the materials from my hand or Graveyard to Fusion Summon this card from the Extra Deck as if using Dark Fusion."
"This dark power..." Tania murmured under her breath. "This is truly the style of the Supreme King."
"I activate the effect of Evil HERO Malicious Bane!"
Jaden looked at the monsters on Tania's field: Amazoness Princess, Amazoness Swordswoman, Amazoness Queen, and Amazoness Blowpiper.
"All monsters with ATK equal to or lower than this card's are destroyed!"
"And for every card destroyed, Malicious Bane's ATK increases by 200 points permanently!"
"What..." Tania gasped in shock.
A pitch-black aura of death instantly surged toward Tania. The powerful impact sent her reeling backward as her monsters shattered one by one amidst miserable screams.
Meanwhile, Malicious Bane fed on the despair of these spirits as they broke. Its entire body was bathed in a blood-red light.
[Evil HERO Malicious Bane]
[ATK: 3000 -> 3800]
So... so powerful.
Is this... the Supreme King?
Tania fell to one knee. The terrifying pressure was so immense that she couldn't even lift her head before the youth. The aura of the Supreme King, his coldness... it was all too much.
If such an existence were to return to the Duel Spirit World... if he were to trigger the same disaster from thousands of years ago... who in the Duel Spirit World could possibly stop him?
"I..."
Tania could feel her heart completely surrendering before the Supreme King. The pride of the Amazoness clan was utterly crushed by this horrific aura. Her fighting spirit had vanished.
She lowered her Duel Disk, her fist pressed firmly against the ground.
"Will you... let history repeat itself?" Tania asked, struggling to look up as she suppressed her fear.
"I will not follow the old path."
"Whether it is the old path of the Supreme King, or the old path of Jaden Yuki."
Jaden's voice was deep and steady.
"I see..."
Tania's hand trembled as she reached out and pressed the surrender button on her Duel Disk.
"It seems that now, I can only choose to believe in you."
[Tania has forfeited.]
[Duel Over... Jaden wins!]
The darkness dissipated. The Shadow Item on Tania's right hand shattered at that moment. She hung her head; the pride that once defined the Amazoness clan had vanished in an instant.
"I am willing to lead the Amazoness clan to follow the Supreme King..."
"However, if the Supreme King's performance proves disappointing, my clan will not follow an incompetent ruler." Tania looked up, staring at Jaden with the last of her stubbornness.
"Naturally," Jaden replied calmly as he took off his Duel Disk.
"..."
Seeing this, Tania had no more questions. She lowered her head, and her body began to change.
Under everyone's shocked gazes, she transformed into a white tiger and gave the group a deep, meaningful look.
"A tiger... The person I liked turned out to be a tiger?" Bastion looked at the white tiger in a daze.
"Doesn't that just prove she's a 'foxy' woman?" Chazz smiled and patted Bastion on the shoulder. "Tigresses might be fierce, but they're all good girls."
"..." Bastion glared at Chazz before looking back at Tania with reluctance.
The gate to the Duel Spirit World appeared in the arena. Tania walked up to the gate and turned to look at Bastion in the distance.
"Goodbye, Bastion."
"Tania..."
Bastion watched longingly as Tania stepped through the gate and vanished into the light.
"Hey, Bastion, she said 'goodbye.' That means you'll have a chance to see her again in the future," Chazz said, nudging him with a sly grin.
Will we meet again?
Bastion's mouth hung open slightly, as if he were still savoring Tania's parting words.
...
[Congratulations to the host for defeating one of the Shadow Riders: Amazoness Queen Tania.]
[Unlocked Deck: Amazoness Deck.]
[Host, please check your rewards.]
The voice echoed in Jaden's ears. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the Amazoness monster cards in his hand. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
After all that work and the effort of using the Evil HEROs, he had finally successfully recruited the Amazoness clan. In this way, when the "Other World Arc" opens in the future, his military strength will rise to another level.
As for the Shadow Riders worth noting, only one remained.
Jaden tucked away his deck and turned his gaze toward Professor Banner, who was standing inconspicuously in the crowd holding Pharaoh.
"..."
Professor Banner seemed to notice Jaden's gaze. He froze for a moment, and a sharp glint flickered in his squinted eyes.
"Well, since it's all over, I'll be heading back now, meow~~"
Holding Pharaoh, Professor Banner spoke with a smile. Without looking back, he began walking toward the Academy.
"Seriously, he hides in the back during duels, but he's the first one to leave," Chazz said, looking at Banner with annoyance. "Is that guy really a teacher? He doesn't act like a role model at all."
"Well, don't say that..." Alexis waved her hand with a wry smile and turned to look at Jaden.
She noticed that Jaden's eyes were still fixed on Banner. His gaze seemed to hold a hint of dangerous light.
"...Jaden?"
Alexis was stunned. An ominous premonition rose in her heart.
...
That night.
Slifer Red Dorm.
"Hasn't Professor Banner arrived yet?"
"I'm so hungry I can't take it anymore!"
In the cafeteria, students were impatiently banging on the tables, staring at the closed kitchen door. Normally, dinner would have been served by now, but Professor Banner was nowhere to be seen today.
A few impatient students walked into the kitchen. However, they came out with strange expressions.
"Professor Banner... isn't in there."
"Not there?"
The students began to sense that something was wrong. After searching all over Duel Academy, a terrifying thought appeared in every student's mind.
Professor Banner was gone!
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