During Alester's Battle Phase, the five Spellcasters returned from another dimension, pushing the final clash to its peak.
Although the light car shattered Lightforce Sword, if Alester wanted to truly break through Miles's field and clinch victory with a direct attack this turn, he would have to deal with all five Spellcasters that had come back at once.
Miles declared effects in succession: "When Chronicle Magician is Special Summoned, Dark Magician on the field gains 2500 Attack and Defense!"
[Dark Magician, DEF: 2100 → 4600]
"And when Mystrick Hulder is Special Summoned, I discard the monster in my hand, Magician of Black Chaos, to add a Trap from my Graveyard to my hand. I retrieve the Return from the Different Dimension I just used!"
Because they were Special Summoned simultaneously, the two Spellcasters' effects also activated at the same time.
Alester murmured calmly, "Chain 2…"
Of course, there was another effect that activated at the same time—the Invoked Augoeides in the sky, which sensed the opponent's Special Summon and fired its destroying beam.
"When your monsters are Special Summoned, Invoked Augoeides can destroy one of them!"
The Augoeides tilted, locking its target: Dark Magician Girl on the field.
"(°△°) Huh?!"
Out of the five, it picked her. The blush on Dark Magician Girl's adorable cheeks deepened, all the more pinchable in her grievance.
Nonetheless, just as Miles had said—so long as he Special Summoned enough monsters, Augoeides's single-target destruction would be insignificant.
Even if Dark Magician Girl left, there were still four Spellcasters to handle this turn's battle.
"Chain 3—complete!" As three effects triggered together, Alester flicked one of the two remaining cards in his hand—a Quick-Play Spell—forward.
The card left his fingertips and became Mystical Wind Typhoon that blew toward Miles.
"—Quick-Play Spell, Mystical Wind Typhoon, activate!"
[Can only be activated at Chain Link 3 or higher. Target 1 Spell/Trap on the field; destroy it.]
"Only usable at Chain Link 3—who even runs that?" Miles was taken aback.
He could have run the higher-rarity, more convenient Mystical Space Typhoon, yet Alester chose the D-rarity, budget cyclone substitute—Mystical Wind Typhoon.
"Otherwise, how could I have baited you?"
Freed from his berserk state, Alester's cool-headed line of play was actually harder to handle.
He had indeed tricked Miles.
If he'd had an ordinary Mystical Space Typhoon, he would have already fired it to blow away Miles's set card. However, this one could only be used at Chain Link 3—triggered at the worst possible moment, after Miles had activated Return from the Different Dimension.
"The card I'm destroying with Mystical Wind Typhoon is your Continuous Trap—Eternal Soul!"
A powerful gale shattered the stone slab engraved with Dark Magician's original image behind Miles.
Irena said, "So he found the weak point… We really can't fool Alester-senpai."
Eternal Soul was powerful enough to endlessly revive Dark Magician and grant him immunity to the opponent's effects, but such power carried a severe risk.
[If this face-up card leaves the field: Destroy all monsters you control.]
Once Eternal Soul was destroyed, your own monsters would all be destroyed as well.
That was why Miles said Alester had picked the worst moment to fire Mystical Wind Typhoon.
If Eternal Soul was destroyed now, then all the monsters Special Summoned by Return from the Different Dimension would also be wiped out by its drawback.
Alester shouted: "Your struggle has been admirable, and this Duel has been fun. But this time it really ends!"
The Dark Magician slab shattered—and with it, the Millennium radiance swept across Miles's entire field in an instant.
Ren, tense, yelled: "If every monster on the field dies now, Miles will lose!"
Aisha, even more anxious, said: "I-I don't want that creepy senpai stalking me again… Don't lose, Mr. Miles!"
"Of course not!" Miles roared. "We've fought this far—how could it end here?!"
Bathed in the all-destroying light, even with the witch hat already tattered, Miles—wearing Irena's body—pressed it down firmly. It wasn't time to take it off yet.
"If we're going to be crushed by our own slab, that'd be the real disgrace! Black Magician!!"
From the deck's core, the ace that bore the remnants of the Millennium glow—Dark Magician—leapt gallantly from the light.
"Eternal Soul was destroyed, yet Dark Magician wasn't?!"
Even Alester's eyes showed a hint of surprise.
"This is my last Trap!"
One hand on the witch hat, Miles flipped his final set card.
"—Trap Card, Black Illusion!"
[Your opponent draws 1 card. 1 'Dark Magician' you control cannot be destroyed by battle this turn, and is unaffected by all other card effects except this card.]
A personal support Trap for the ace—Dark Magician—granting a full turn of perfect protection.
Unaffected by other cards, he wasn't destroyed by Eternal Soul, and he wouldn't be banished again by Return from the Different Dimension's drawback at the end of the turn.
"In Defense Position and not destroyable by battle—Augoeides with 5000 Attack still can't break through. End this pointless fight, Alester-senpai!"
"To spend every resource just to protect a single Dark Magician… such tenacity. I've never met a Duelist like you."
"I'll take that as praise."
"It is praise. I don't dislike the stubborn ones. And according to Black Illusion, I draw 1 card!"
The bonus draw entered Alester's hand—he glanced at it and couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahahaha, so this is fate at the end of a Duel. Not a shred of chance left."
He had drawn a second Invocation.
Normally, drawing a searchable Spell like Invocation would be a sack-draw—albeit in this endgame, the card's very type was what mattered.
Right now, Miles's known hand contained a now-useless Return from the Different Dimension.
Why useless? Eternal Soul's wipe had sent the Spellcasters to the Graveyard; there were no monsters left banished.
With only a lone Dark Magician on board, Miles needed his next draw to create a possibility—either a Spell or a Monster.
Regardless, even a godly top-deck wouldn't help.
Alester's remaining two cards were a Monster—Ghost Reaper & Winter Cherries—and a Spell—Invocation.
Whatever Miles drew, Invoked Mechaba would negate and banish it.
Any Special Summon would be destroyed by Augoeides; any effect activated would be negated by the light card. A seamless, suffocating lock.
"Checkmate. Turn end!"
"So it's finally come to this?"
As his turn began, Miles pressed his fingertips to the Spirit Eyes Deck.
"Don't forget our agreement," Alester reminded him. "If you lose, don't go near Aisha Carlos again!"
From below, Aisha shouted back, "I never agreed to that!"
"It's fine, Aisha!"
Resolve blazed in those pale blue eyes as Miles, controlling Irena's body, faced Alester.
"An agreement is an agreement. So I expect you to keep yours too, Alester!"
"You…?" Reading something other than defeat in Miles's gaze, Alester was startled. "In this situation, you still intend to win?!"
Whatever Miles drew, Invoked Mechaba would stop it—victory should be impossible.
"I'm betting everything on this draw! A draw even Invoked Mechaba can't stop! If I can't protect the ones who matter, what kind of Duelist would I be?!"
If a guardian spirit can't protect their host, what kind of guardian spirit are they?!
"Mr. Miles…"
"Watch closely, Aisha. I will not lose!"
"My turn—draw!!"
In that last draw against a perfect lock, a gale swept the arena. It blew away the tattered witch hat from Miles's head.
The hat flew free; Irena's gray hair streamed in the wind.
The hat drifted down… right above Aisha.
"Got it!"
With a light hop, Aisha caught it and pressed it firmly onto her own head.
"I've been watching! Go, Mr. Miles—I believe in you! You'll win for sure!"
"With this card, I'll take the final victory!"
A card Invoked Mechaba couldn't stop—the winning line Miles had prepared before the Duel.
"I'm ready—my secret weapon will shock everyone."
"Fusion at the very limit! —The Eye of Timaeus!"
Miles's final draw.
A nameless dragon on a blank card.
Neither Monster, nor Spell, nor Trap.
Which meant the type-based negation of Invoked Mechaba couldn't stop it.
Alester, shocked: "That card!"
The Legendary Dragon cards were tradable cards Aisha had gotten from the Headmaster, so she could lend them to anyone she wished—even Irena in this Duel.
"Anyway, even if Invoked Mechaba can't stop a Legendary Dragon, the instant it Special Summons, Augoeides will destroy the monster!"
"Do you know why I spent everything to protect Dark Magician? Because he's the ACE!"
Miles hurled the Legendary Dragon card skyward.
"As the Deck's core ace, he bears the hope of the entire Deck and wins from infinite possibility—that's what an ace means!"
With a roar, Timaeus soared, and Dark Magician underwent the ultimate Fusion.
"Use The Eye of Timaeus to awaken the card's potential—evolve Dark Magician to his strongest form!"
Even those who don't know Yu-Gi-Oh! have heard of his name—the card that once shook the world.
"Daddy's here!"
"Legendary Dragon Fusion Summon!"
"—Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon!"
The darling of countless Duelists—and their nightmare as well: Red Daddy!
...
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