"—The ultimate Fusion, Quintet Magician!"
[Quintet Magician] Level 12│DARK│Spellcaster│4500 ATK / 4500 DEF
[5 Spellcaster monsters]
[This card cannot be Tributed, cannot be used as Fusion Material, and cannot be destroyed by card effects while in the Monster Zone.]
Bathed in the radiance of five golden arrays, the Spellcaster acknowledged in every chronicle of the Spirit Continent as the strongest of its kind appeared—Quintet Magician.
A Level 12 Fusion that required five Spellcasters as material, boasting power rivaling even the mighty Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.
The last time Quintet Magician had appeared was during the Fusion Academy Festival, when Irena, possessing Ren, had overdrawn her mana to play her ultimate trump card.
But now, in the Graduation Duel, with Miles as her host, Irena had perfectly reproduced the strongest form of Quintet Magician.
Yes—the strongest form of Quintet Magician required five different Spellcasters with no duplicate names as material.
When that condition was met, its ultimate effect could be activated.
Surrounded by radiant circles, Miles declared:
"When five different Spellcasters are fused, Quintet Magician's arrival destroys all cards on the opponent's field! Forbidden Curse—Extinction of the Five Arrays!"
The mana cost was immense. As Miles invoked its effect, he could feel Irena's slender body nearly drained of every drop of mana.
No wonder history recorded that only the greatest Grand Magi, those who touched the threshold of magical truth, could summon Quintet Magician.
An ordinary body could never withstand such strain. Only Irena, the youngest witch in history, could barely endure it.
Though the cost was steep, the destructive force was undeniable.
The five golden arrays burst outward, detonating across Alester's field with no escape.
With one Forbidden Curse, FIRE and WIND Invoked monsters were obliterated. The Field Spell Magical Meltdown and the unknown face-down card also vanished. Alester's field was laid bare.
"Chain to Quintet Magician's effect, Invoked Raidjin, activate!"
In the instant before destruction, Raidjin unleashed its Quick Effect, flipping Quintet Magician face-down.
"With storm and thunder, I'll shroud the ultimate mage! Change Quintet Magician to face-down Defense Position!"
Yet, even flipping it face-down could not cancel Quintet's nuke. The arrays detonated, their shockwave blasting Alester across the ground.
Both Duelists, masters of magic, now looked ragged and battered.
[Invoked Raidjin destroyed]
[Invoked Purgatrio destroyed]
[Magical Meltdown destroyed]
[Set card destroyed]
With Magical Meltdown destroyed, the red glow faded from Alester's eyes, his frenzy loosening.
"Hahaha…!"
Rising from the ground, Alester's laughter had returned to something more human, even bright.
"Quintet Magician… to think you'd even bring out that monster. Impressive. Very impressive. It's been ages since I fought such a blood-pumping Duel!"
"Alester…senpai?"
"I still disagree with your methods, but as a Duelist, I acknowledge your strength!"
To be acknowledged by Fusion Academy's once-in-a-century genius—whether or not Miles himself was pleased, the surrounding students all looked at him with admiration.
And truthfully, Miles felt much the same.
Recognition went both ways. Having fought to the limit, Miles too had to admit Alester's power.
Though he would never condone Alester's stalking of Aisha, as a Duelist, he was undeniably a worthy opponent.
"However," Alester added, "there's one thing you must admit—my skill is still greater!"
Turning back to the Duel, Alester's empty field suddenly glowed with a light akin to Fusion, yet different.
"What?" Miles's eyes widened.
Even with Quintet set face-down, Alester's field had been entirely destroyed.
"Do you want to know what that destroyed Set card was?"
Drawing it from the Graveyard, Alester smirked.
"Quintet Magician's effect destroyed my face-down card—Waking the Dragon."
[If this Set card is destroyed by your opponent's effect and sent to the Graveyard or banished: Special Summon 1 monster from your Deck or Extra Deck.]
Unlike most Traps, which wait for the player to flip them, this one truly was a 'trap'—it only activated when the opponent destroyed it.
And when they did, the punishment was severe.
"With Waking the Dragon destroyed, I can Special Summon 1 monster from my Extra Deck!"
Skipping the Fusion process entirely, the glow rising from Alester's field was from this card.
What should have been a faint light now swelled, greedily absorbing mana from every corner of the Academy.
"I've long wanted to try this—what happens when I refine the Academy's mana itself?!"
"Refining… the Academy's mana?!"
If anyone else had said it, people would have laughed it off. But from Alester, the words sent a shiver.
The Summoning Arrays in every classroom, the great grade-level circle left by the Grand Sage, the Magic Directories in the library—all flowed with mana into the Graduation Duel Arena.
All because Miles had triggered Waking the Dragon.
"This guy… he's serious?" Miles muttered.
He had thought destroying Magical Meltdown would calm Alester. Albeit, in truth, Alester himself was even madder than his berserk state.
That was why he was called both genius and madman—Alester Crowley.
"Come forth, summoned beast born of the Academy's mana—advance to the gate of truth! Special Summon—Invoked Augoeides!"
[Invoked Augoeides] Level 8│LIGHT│Fairy│2000 ATK / 2800 DEF
Shaped like the Academy's very buildings, combined with Alester's visage, the eerie giant floated in the sky.
"Heh… it worked. My greatest Summoning!"
To Alester, that bizarre form was sacred, nearer than ever to his truth.
Miles dragged his focus back to the Duel. "So you really did summon Augoeides through Waking the Dragon… This is bad!"
Irena: "What's bad? That monster has only 2000 Attack. It can't beat Quintet Magician. Even in Defense, Quintet has 4500!"
"Not Defense," Miles corrected. "Face-down Defense."
The difference was everything. Face-up, Quintet Magician was immune to destruction. Face-down, it lost all protection.
In Yu-Gi-Oh!'s rules, no matter your resistances, if you're face-down, you're treated as a nameless, ordinary monster.
Looking back, Alester's choice to summon the WIND Invoked had been premeditated.
Raising his hand, Alester commanded Augoeides.
[Once per turn: If this card is Special Summoned, or if your opponent Special Summons a monster: Target 1 monster your opponent controls; destroy it.]
"Since Invoked Augoeides was Special Summoned, I can destroy 1 of your monsters. Destroy the face-down Quintet Magician!"
Locked on, the mana-born colossus gathered its strike, the power of the entire Academy raining down to obliterate Miles once more.
When the light faded, Irena's witch robe and hat were left in tatters—the destructive power of Invoked Augoeides needed no further proof.
Irena muttered, "Even Quintet Magician wasn't enough? Alester-senpai… are you even more terrifying than before?"
Now Miles held only two cards. One was the Ritual Monster [Dark Magician of Chaos], impossible to summon without a Ritual Spell. The other was a Trap Card.
Having lost Quintet Magician, formed from five Spellcasters, Miles couldn't even enter his Battle Phase this turn.
"What a troublesome opponent, Alester-senpai."
If the Wicked God – Avatar's difficulty was that it was nearly unbeatable as a single monster… then Alester's difficulty lay in never knowing what monster he would throw out next to beat you down.
"I Set one card. Turn end."
Now Miles had two face-downs on the field, one Ritual Monster in hand he couldn't use yet, and the Eternal Soul slab standing behind him.
"My turn—draw!"
Alester, no longer in berserk frenzy, drew and operated like he was reciting an incantation.
"Once per turn: Shuffle Invocation from the Graveyard into the Deck, and add the banished Aleister the Invoker to my hand!"
This endless recycle loop—Miles felt like he had it engraved into his DNA by now.
"Normal Summon Aleister, search Invocation! Then open it—the gate of the LIGHT plane!"
At the final, decisive moment, Alester chose the LIGHT Attribute Invocation that Miles had feared most.
Banishing Aleister and the LIGHT Attribute Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit from the Graveyard, a silver-white war chariot charged from the radiant gate.
"—Fusion Summon! Invoked Mechaba!"
[Invoked Mechaba] Level 9│LIGHT│Machine│2500 ATK / 2100 DEF
["Aleister the Invoker" + 1 LIGHT monster]
This LIGHT Attribute trump card, though not as massive as Augoeides, ranked even higher at Level 9. Proof of how vital the "light car" Invoked Mechaba was to the archetype.
[Once per turn, when a monster effect, Spell, or Trap is activated: Discard 1 card of the same type; negate and banish it.]
Now Alester held one Monster, one Spell, and one Trap—covering all three. With Mechaba, he could suppress anything Miles tried.
"And next, Augoeides's effect—banish a Fusion Monster from my Graveyard to gain its Attack until the end of your opponent's turn!"
With the highest-Attack EARTH Invoked banished, Augoeides surged by 3000 points.
[Invoked Augoeides, ATK: 2000 → 5000]
Beyond Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, rivaling even Dystopia the Despondent. And the boost would last until the end of Miles's turn.
"No matter what you Special Summon, it'll be destroyed. No matter what you activate, it'll be negated. Suppression complete! This Duel ends now!"
As Alester declared, his two blazing LIGHT Invokeds seemed to close off every path for Irena.
If Miles activated an effect, Mechaba would negate and banish it. If he Special Summoned a monster, Augoeides would destroy it.
Irena whispered, "Miles…"
"What is it?"
"If we lose this Duel… then go on a date with me."
"Don't throw conditions at me now—I won't lose!"
"Battle—!"
Alester declared Battle Phase. Augoeides, at 5000 Attack, leaned forward, locking onto Miles.
"Let's see which face-down will save your life!"
With Mechaba's threefold suppression ready, whichever card Miles flipped, Alester could negate it without hesitation.
"Direct attack—Ultimate Plane Bombardment of Augoeides!"
"Too bad—it's none of them!"
A golden sword split the battlefield—not from the set cards, but from the blind spot of Alester's gaze.
"Trap in my Graveyard, Spiritual Swords of Revealing Light, activate!"
[Banish this card from your Graveyard during your opponent's turn; this turn, your opponent's monsters cannot attack directly.]
Where did that Trap come from? Last turn, Miles had discarded a Trap to recover Pot of Greed. That Trap was Spiritual Swords of Revealing Light.
"Break the sword, Mechaba! I discard the Trap 'Omega Summon' to negate Spiritual Swords of Revealing Light's effect!"
The charging light-car shredded the golden blade, nullifying Miles's attempt.
Miles smiled: "As expected. Since your win condition depends on a direct attack, of course you had to negate it."
"What?"
The same words Alester once used against Miles when he baited out a negate with Drowning Mirror Force. Now, Miles returned them in full.
Baiting a negate—classic.
"Alester-senpai, you said no matter what I Special Summon, Augoeides will destroy it, right?"
The floating Invoked Augoeides could target and destroy a monster every time one was Special Summoned.
"But what if… I Special Summon more than one at once?"
Even Augoeides could only destroy one.
"So now—I'll Special Summon everything! Trap Card, activate: Return from the Different Dimension!"
[Return from the Different Dimension — Trap Effect: Pay half your LP; Special Summon as many of your banished monsters as possible. During the End Phase, banish them again.]
[Irena, LP: 1100 → 550]
The five Spellcasters banished for Quintet's Fusion tore through the rift, returning together to Miles's side and filling all five Zones.
"Special Summon! Mystrick Hulder! Apprentice Illusion Magician! Chronicle Magician! Dark Magician Girl! Dark Magician!"
Five versus two—the final battlefield was set.
...
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