"Kaima Seth, thank goodness she came too!"
Looking up at the sky, Miles felt a wave of relief, thinking for a moment that Luca was about to chicken out and flee.
The interception duel unfolding midair had both duelists riding their respective flying monsters, using the sky itself as their battlefield.
The arrival was clearly hostile—just the Blue-Eyes White Dragon beneath Kaima was enough for Luca to understand that this woman, uniformed or not, was no ordinary student of Fusion Academy.
So unlike the complacency she showed when facing Irena, Luca, who won the first turn, had to deploy her full strength from the very start.
"—I activate the Spell Card Graceful Charity!"
[Draw 3 cards, then discard 2 cards.]
For Luca, who ran a Fairy-type deck, having a Graceful Charity seemed reasonable... no, it wasn't reasonable at all. This banned card, even outside of Fairy decks, was absurdly powerful.
After drawing three and discarding two, Luca's mount—Rosaria, the Stately Fallen Angel—reacted.
"I banish Queen Angel of Roses from my hand and Fallen Angel of Roses from the Graveyard to Special Summon—Rosaria, the Stately Fallen Angel!"
[Rosaria, the Stately Fallen Angel] Level 8│EARTH│Plant│2900 ATK
[This card cannot be Normal Summoned. It can only be Special Summoned by banishing 1 Level 7 or higher Plant monster each from your hand and Graveyard.]
The towering angel, with black and red wings spread on either side, entered the fray as Luca's steed from the very first turn.
"2900 Attack Points?"
Kaima, standing tall with arms crossed on her Blue-Eyes White Dragon, remained unmoved in her pride.
"If you intend to challenge me, you'd better bring out something stronger."
With an angelic face contorting into a wry smile, Luca understood that even Rosaria wouldn't be enough to stop this woman.
Still, she hadn't given up. At least Graceful Charity had drawn her another setup for a different strategy.
"I'm not done yet. I Normal Summon—Warrior of Zera in Attack Position!"
[Warrior of Zera] Level 4│EARTH│Warrior│1600 ATK
Floating in the sky, this Level 4 Normal Warrior monster might not compare to the great angel beside it, but it looked perfectly at home in the heavens.
"Then I activate the Continuous Spell—The Sanctum of Parshath!"
[This card's name becomes "The Sanctuary in the Sky" while on the field or in the Graveyard.]
Though only a Continuous Spell, its activation changed the entire atmosphere as if a Field Spell had been played. The environment transformed into a grand sanctuary.
"Hm?"
This sudden shift in terrain finally made Kaima's expression a little more serious.
Luca pointed to Warrior of Zera within the sanctuary, another card in her hand glowing with angelic light.
"When Sanctuary in the Sky is present, Warrior of Zera can evolve. I tribute Warrior of Zera to Special Summon—Archlord Zerato!"
[Archlord Zerato Level 8│LIGHT│Fairy│2800 ATK / 2300 DEF]
[This card cannot be Normal Summoned. It can only be Special Summoned by tributing a face-up Warrior of Zera while The Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field.]
With wings spread wide, the warrior became an archangel, ascending to the apex of the holy domain.
"The Sanctum of Parshath boosts Fairy monsters by 300 Attack and Defense. So Archlord Zerato now has 3100 Attack!"
[Archlord Zerato, ATK: 2800 → 3100]
As everyone knows, Blue-Eyes White Dragon has 3000 Attack.
This 100-point edge, granted by the Continuous Spell, was crucial.
Unfortunately, Rosaria is a Plant-type, so she didn't benefit from the bonus.
"I end my turn!"
Having established her strongest board for a first turn, Luca finally relaxed slightly under the pressure, sweating from tension.
Staring at the arrogant Kaima across from her, she thought, "Go ahead, summon your Blue-Eyes. Next turn, Archlord Zerato will destroy all your monsters!"
Zerato had an effect: by discarding 1 LIGHT monster during her turn, she could destroy all opponent monsters.
Even if Kaima summoned three Blue-Eyes, Zerato could wipe the board.
"Hmph."
Kaima let out her signature twirling scoff and glanced at her opening hand.
"So this is all you've got? My turn. Draw!"
With slender fingers, she drew her card like fate (or glue) itself was guiding her—another Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
Her third Blue-Eyes.
"—I activate the Spell Card Polymerization!"
"Polymerization?!"
Watching from the ground, Miles had a bad feeling. Or rather, a bad feeling for Luca.
There was a legendary Blue-Eyes tactic: if the bond between duelist and dragon was deep enough, the opening hand would always include the full set.
Three Blue-Eyes and a Fusion Spell.
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Three-monster Fusion!"
She threw down all three Blue-Eyes as Fusion Materials.
In that instant, a magnificent triple-headed white dragon soared, symbolizing the pinnacle of Fusion Academy's battle strength.
No thunderclouds like the arrival of a God Card, no apocalyptic signs.
Even so, the Fusion of three Blue-Eyes could shake the skies and tremble the earth.
"Powerful! Invincible! Supreme! Witness the most perfect and ultimate dragon in history—transcending time and space, descend now!"
"—Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
[Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon Level 12│LIGHT│Dragon / Fusion / Effect│4500 ATK / 3800 DEF]
["Blue-Eyes White Dragon" + "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" + "Blue-Eyes White Dragon"]
The ultimate fusion of three Blue-Eyes descended as the sovereign of the skies.
Now Kaima stood not on a single dragon, but on the central head of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, silver coat fluttering majestically in the wind.
"3100 Attack? Don't insult me."
Kaima, atop the dragon's head, looked down with disdain at Luca within her sanctuary.
What looked like a grand, holy domain moments ago now seemed minuscule in comparison.
"A 4500 ATK Fusion Monster?! That's even stronger than Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder!"
Luca's delicate face twitched involuntarily.
Why did it always come to this?
Every Duelist she faced at Fusion Academy was some kind of monster.
Raising her arm skyward, Kaima commanded her ultimate dragon to unleash its strongest strike.
"Crush her, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
All three dragon heads opened their jaws, channeling their combined power into the ultimate white beam.
"This is the force that surpasses all monsters!—Ultimate Burst Stream!"
The blast swallowed Archlord Zerato in an instant.
The power gap was overwhelming; there wasn't even time for a token resistance.
[Luca Slint, LP: 4000 → 2600]
"What the hell are these monsters?! How are there still such powerful duelists in Fusion Academy after third-year students graduate?!"
The duels she'd fought here made Luca start doubting everything she had heard about the academy.
Wasn't Fusion Academy supposedly a long-time third-place school?
A school that barely valued dueling, with only two duel classes a week?
So why couldn't she win at all?
"This farce ends here, Luca Slint!"
After the blast, Kaima raised another card high.
In the next instant, the Ultimate Dragon was engulfed in light as she activated a card effect.
"—Quick-Play Spell De-Fusion! I de-fuse Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon to Special Summon the 3 original Blue-Eyes White Dragons!"
"ROAR!!"
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon, ATK: 3000] ×3
"Wait, wait, wait! Isn't that overkill?! That's five glued-together cards!"
Even as Luca's opponent, Miles couldn't help but feel a flicker of sympathy.
A first-turn Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, followed by a De-Fusion.
Even Miles himself wouldn't survive this combo.
Kaima swung her arm again, commanding the three dragons.
"Since they were Special Summoned during the Battle Phase, the three Blue-Eyes can still attack. You're done for, Luca Slint!"
Kaima's cold gaze held no trace of mercy.
Only the resolve of someone who would not forgive the one who hurt her friend.
"Time to pay your dues!—Triple Burst Stream of Destruction!"
The blinding white beams detonated in the sky, shattering Rosaria, Luca's remaining Life Points, and her naive illusions.
[Luca Slint, LP: 2600 → 2500 → 0]
The airborne interception duel ended with Luca getting OTKed in a single turn.
Thus, Luca Slint completed her illustrious 0% win rate at Fusion Academy.
As her Rosaria was destroyed, her petite body plummeted from the sky.
But just before she could splatter, one Blue-Eyes flapped its wings and caught her by the collar with its claws.
"Killing you here isn't my goal. No matter how atrocious your crimes, this continent and this nation have proper courts to judge you."
Kaima, standing atop the dragon, and Luca, dangling from its claw, descended together.
"Thanks for being here, Kaima Seth!"
If it weren't for her, the Millennium Ring and Luca would've escaped again. Miles' gratitude was only natural.
"Huh? Irena, what was that?"
However, the moment Miles used Irena's body to thank her—using Kaima's full name no less—Kaima looked confused.
Seeing the danger, Aisha immediately jumped in to change the subject.
"Kaima-senpai, what do you plan to do with Luca?"
Glancing at the still-dangling Luca, Kaima thought for a moment and said:
"Involved in a Shadow Duel with solid evidence—she'll be handed over to the nation's highest Order Council. The result? Her noble status and duelist license will be revoked. Then a few decades behind bars."
"Decades?! Wait, I'm still a young maiden! That's too cruel!"
Luca's pale blue eyes were filled with regret.
"Tell it to the old geezers on the Order Council," Kaima said coldly.
He had now seen deaths from card games and arrests over them. Things unthinkable back in Miles' old world were indisputable truths here in the Spirit Continent.
Once again, Miles grasped how different societal rules could be.
In his previous world, if he had gone to the cops and said, "I just fought a Shadow Duel. Quick, arrest that Dark Duelist!"
They'd have called him crazy.
Still, letting Luca face justice was good.
Regardless, right now, Miles had to retrieve the Millennium Ring on her chest.
After all, the Order Council surely wouldn't try the spirit inside it.
To stop it from causing more trouble and to honor his promise to the Pharaoh, Miles reached out to take the golden ring—
Suddenly, the moment he did, the Millennium Ring shattered into black ash and scattered into the wind.
The scene was identical to when a fake Ring had disintegrated after a Shadow Duel defeat.
"What the hell just happened?!"
To everyone's surprise, the most shocked was Luca herself.
"No way... this can't be real! That other me would never betray me!"
If there was a word for utter despair, Luca's hollow eyes showed it… As if her entire reason for living had just crumbled.
...
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