The crimson lightning totally overwhelmed Elina, and at the very second her Life Points dropped to zero and the Duel ended, her soul was swallowed by the darkness.
However, the strike from Titaniklad the Ash Dragon, with nearly 8000 Attack Points, did not stop there. The crimson lightning tore through the confines of the Shadow Zone, slicing through it like a blade, splitting the outer world—Alicia's dorm room—clean in half.
As the Shadow Barrier burst open, Alicia looked at what remained of her once warm and cozy bed, now split in two, and was left speechless and teary-eyed.
Alicia: (T▽T) "Yuui-san, my bed... my bed is gone! And my whole dorm room is wrecked, uwahhhhh...!"
Yuui: "Uh (一△一;)... sorry."
Although Yuui hadn't directly controlled the Ash Dragon, it was still one of his forms, so he felt at least partially responsible.
Still, this was ridiculously unlucky.
And that Shadow Zone—its quality was far too poor. Less than 8000 Attack Points, and it couldn't even withstand one hit. Definitely worth a one-star review.
"What was that!?"
"Did you all hear that dragon roar just now?"
"Wasn't that thunder?"
"Oh my god, is someone still Dueling this late at night!?"
"Where did that sound come from?"
"Seems like Room 302!"
"Who lives in 302?"
"I think it's that girl named Alicia!"
"The Nameless One!!"
"Why does that girl always attract so much attention? It's so annoying!"
"My roof!!"
"My floor's split open! What the hell happened!?"
Hearing the other girls shouting outside, especially those complaining about their ceiling and floor being sliced, left both Alicia and Yuui awkwardly silent.
They were definitely in trouble now.
Then suddenly, someone knocked on Alicia's door, and a familiar voice came from outside.
"Ali-san, are you still awake? Did you hear that sound just now!?"
It was Alice's voice. Alicia glanced at her now-ruined dorm room and at Elina lying motionless on the floor, not knowing what to say.
"Yuui-san... should I open the door?"
"No. Things are already messy enough. Let's not make it worse. That Ash Dragon attack definitely drew the Academy's attention. Let's just wait here… someone will come to investigate. Until then, let's avoid doing anything that draws more attention."
"O-okay..."
Alicia had barely voiced her uncertainty when a stern woman's voice suddenly rang out.
"Silence! All students, return to your dorms immediately. Report any room damage to the dorm warden. If there are any injuries or casualties, Instructor Hill will report them directly to me!"
"It's Instructor Morgan!"
"Hurry back! I heard Instructor Morgan has a nasty temper!"
"What do you think just happened?"
"Who knows? Probably just that Nameless One again!"
The voices gradually faded away. Finally, only Alice's concerned words remained: "I hope you're okay, Ali-san." Then came the sound of footsteps leaving.
Until...
Bang bang bang!
"Alicia, this is Instructor Morgan, first-year supervisor. If you're in there, please open the door."
The knock came again, along with that same stern voice. Alicia looked toward Yuui.
At his nod, she finally said, "Yes, I'm here, Instructor Morgan. I'll open the door right away."
When the door opened, a woman in a black teacher's uniform appeared. She wore half-rim glasses and had her dark hair tied into a high ponytail. Her beautiful yet stern face distinctly showed traces of fatigue from being woken in the middle of the night.
Facing the instructor's commanding presence, Alicia helplessly shrank her neck slightly.
Perhaps that air of authority was part of what made this woman the year supervisor.
Her presence alone was enough to silence most students. Ordinary ones likely wouldn't even dare speak loudly in front of her.
"Alicia," Morgan said in a firm tone, "may I enter your room? Don't worry, it's just for inspection. From outside the dorm building, the attack earlier appeared to have originated from your room.
"I need to verify whether that blast affected the dorm's structure, and I also need to understand what exactly happened here."
"Ah...!" Alicia stiffened briefly before glancing at Yuui beside her. After another nod from him, she swallowed and stepped aside. "Please come in, Instructor Morgan. I'll tell you everything I know."
Morgan entered the room.
The first thing that caught her eye was the black scorch mark running along the wall, as if something had sliced clean through it, still faintly glowing with heat.
Then she saw the unconscious third-year student lying on the floor—Elina Kreis.
Morgan's pupils contracted sharply. In an instant, she raised her hand and conjured both a soundproof and sight-blocking barrier before kneeling to inspect Elina's condition.
After confirming that Elina's soul had vanished and that her body bore visible damage, Morgan had a good idea of what had transpired.
Even so, she turned toward Alicia with a stern expression and said, "Alicia, I need you to tell me everything that happened in this room. Please don't hide anything."
Hearing those words, Alicia turned to Yuui once again for help.
There was no other way—knowing Alicia couldn't lie, Yuui took control of her body again and altered the account of what had happened a bit.
In summary, Alicia had been preparing for bed when Elina, a Shadow Duelist, suddenly attacked her.
Normally, Alicia wouldn't have stood a chance against her, but Elina underestimated her. Cornered in desperation, Alicia broke through her limits and ascended to the rank of Great Magician, turning the tables and defeating Elina.
Elina lost the Shadow Duel, and her soul was consumed by darkness.
As for why Elina had attacked Alicia, Yuui explained directly.
"She said she wanted the Spirit that can sense the Three Sacred Beasts. When I refused, she started the Shadow Duel."
After hearing Yuui's account and sensing Alicia's newly elevated magic—undoubtedly just at the threshold of a Great Magician—Instructor Morgan seemed inclined to believe him.
However, the mention of Elina being a Shadow Duelist startled Morgan.
And when Yuui added that Elina had apparently been serving the Shadow Duelist organization known as Despian, Morgan's shock turned into dread.
After all, that group was infamous across the world for a simple reason: its leader, a man named Albaz, had once destroyed three kingdoms and slaughtered countless humans and Spirits.
Knowing now that Elina was a member of Despian made Morgan's already grim expression turn even darker.
Elina was a third-year student… who knew how much information she might have leaked to Despian in those three years? If she had infiltrated the Academy, that meant the organization had its eyes on Saint Fusion Academy... and possibly more of its members hiding within.
As for how Yuui knew Elina was part of Despian? Simple—Elina had said so herself.
During their Duel, she had mentioned the word "Order." A Shadow Duelist speaking of an "Order" could only belong to that organization.
Finally, Morgan frowned deeply, gazing at Elina's lifeless body for a long moment before sighing. Turning to Alicia, she said, "Alicia, unless the Headmaster personally questions you, do not speak of this incident to anyone else. I will handle the matter myself.
"For now, you may leave. The Academy will take custody of your dorm room. You may only retrieve essential personal belongings—nothing connected to the incident."
Yuui nodded, then asked, "Um... Instructor Morgan, where should we sleep tonight?"
"Hmm..." Morgan thought for a second. "Why not stay with a friend for the night?"
"A friend?"
…
A few minutes later…
Alicia stood in front of Alice's dorm door. After wavering briefly, she knocked.
Moments later, the door opened. Alice stood there in a thin nightgown—its sheer fabric doing little to hide her impressively developed figure.
Her soft curves stretched the silk tight, her slender waist accentuated an elegant line, and her pale thighs radiated youthful vitality. Her glossy red lips looked as sweet as jelly.
The contrast of her white nightdress glowing in the warm room light against the dark hallway made Alice appear all the more alluring.
Alicia: (〃>皿<) "You're not allowed to look!!!"
Yuui: "Don't worry, I'm blind. Can't see a thing."
"Ali-san? Ali-san?"
Alice called her name several times before Alicia finally snapped out of her daze. However, seeing Alice's concerned expression only made her eyes drift once more to her friend's flawless figure.
"Why don't I have a body like that... We're the same age!"
"Ali-san, what are you mumbling about?"
"Ah, n-nothing!" Alicia forced a smile, scratching her short blonde hair awkwardly. "Um, Alice... can I stay in your room for the night? My dorm is... kind of off-limits right now."
Alice glanced at Alicia's closed-off dorm room, then at her friend's messy, disheveled appearance. Though she didn't know what had happened, she stepped aside with her usual bright smile.
"Alright, come in! Let's call this our first pajama party, then!"
"Pajama... party?" Alicia didn't understand what sleepwear had to do with a party, but before entering Alice's room—
Alicia: "Yuui-san, once I'm inside, you are NOT allowed to peek! (#`Д´)/"
Yuui: "Relax~! I told you, I'm blind. Go on in already."
Alicia: "Yuui-san, I suddenly don't want to go in anymore."
Yuui: "Don't be like that—we've got nowhere else to go. Tomorrow, you'll get your room back. Just bear with it for tonight."
Alicia: (;¬_¬) "Yuui-san... I get the feeling you want to go in there."
Yuui: (▽) "You're overthinking it. Go on, before you catch a cold."
"Alright..." Alicia muttered reluctantly as she stepped into Alice's room—and immediately heard Yuui's overly excited voice in her mind.
"Wooaaah!!"
"(>皿<) Yuui-san!!!"
...
If you want to support, please consider Patreon, and read advanced chapters! Your support keeps this series going!
[Patreon.com/RedZTL]