After a full morning of theory classes, the students had a simple lunch and a short break. In the afternoon, only one class remained—the Duel Class.
Upon hearing this, Ace was ecstatic. After yesterday's frustration with the Imperial students, he'd been dying to let off some steam in a duel.
So, when the Duel Class began, Ace immediately picked up his Duel Disk and strode toward Nash.
Abruptly, before he could speak, Nash addressed Professor White directly: "Professor White, who is the strongest duelist in this class?"
His question stunned everyone in Class E. Then, all eyes turned toward Alicia, who was secretly snacking on a newly bought bar of chocolate.
Alicia blinked in confusion at everyone's gaze. "Um… does anyone want some?" she asked, awkwardly holding up the chocolate.
"Hahaha!" Professor White couldn't help but laugh at her innocent reaction. Then he turned to Nash with a grin. "I suppose I don't need to answer your question anymore, do I, Nash?"
"So you're the strongest in your class!" Ace's eyes lit up as he looked at Alicia. He loved dueling strong opponents—only through battling them could he grow stronger. That was why he always sought out stronger duelists to challenge; it was how he'd gotten this far.
And to discover that the girl who had acknowledged his dream yesterday was actually Class E's top duelist? Ace raised his Duel Disk with excitement and called out, "Hey, Alicia! Would you duel me? I want to see how strong you really are and whether my Red Dragon Archfiend will have fun!"
At that, Nash scowled. "I was the one who asked for her first," he said coldly. "If there's a duel, I go first."
"No way!" Ace smirked, his eyes burning with challenge. "Good prey goes to whoever grabs it first. Or better yet… how about you and I duel for it?"
Provoked again and again, even Nash's calm demeanor snapped. Blue light flashed in his eyes as the white Duel Bracelet on his wrist transformed into a long, blade-shaped Duel Disk.
"Since you're so eager to die, I'll make you my appetizer. Don't disappoint me."
"Fine by me!" Ace grinned as his own Duel Disk activated. This was how he wanted it anyway—beat Nash first, then face the blonde girl afterward.
"Or," Alicia suddenly spoke up, "why don't you both come at once? I'm curious to see what kind of power an Axel Republic Signer and a Chaos Empire duelist with a Number card can show. Since you both want to duel me, let's just do it together!"
The classroom fell silent. Even Professor White looked at Alicia in shock, his jaw about to drop.
Her once-gentle eyes now gleamed with curiosity and confidence, like someone who'd found an exciting new challenge.
Chuck stepped forward from the crowd, whispering nervously, "Class Rep, they're both transfer students… one's a Signer from the Axel Republic! Are you really going to take on both of them alone? Maybe I should help you—at least you'll have backup."
Yuui, now in control of Alicia's body, gave Chuck a confident smile. "Thanks for the offer, Chuck. Nonetheless, it's my duty as Class Representative to show our new classmates just how strong our Saint Fusion Academy really is. Don't worry. It's just two opponents. They might be transfer students, but they're still first-years. They can't be stronger than me."
Chuck stared at her, stunned. He'd never seen Alicia this confident before. When they'd dueled in the past, he'd felt her quiet determination; however, this was something else entirely.
Her boldness lit a fire in Class E's spirits as well.
That's right. Even if they were transfer students, so what?
This was Saint Fusion Academy! Since they had come here, even if they were dragons or tigers, they would have to bow down.
And truthfully, many of Class E's students believed Alicia could do it.
Her record spoke for itself: defeating Kexi Arce and Emily Valentine from Class 2 on the day she enrolled, standing face-to-face with the Three Sacred Beasts without collapsing, then defeating every member of Class E, and most recently, defeating Class B's leader Lily Hilt.
Some even whispered she'd beaten a third-year once, though that story was covered up due to the other student's background.
Most importantly, Alicia was a Great Magician-level duelist. For first-years who were mostly Magicians, her sheer magic power alone could sustain a one-versus-two battle.
Still, while Class E had confidence, Ace and Nash were far less convinced.
When Yuui, through Alicia, declared a two-on-one duel, both boys frowned. Ace, who had grown to like her, spoke first, annoyed. "Class Rep Alicia, we'll duel after I've beaten this Imperial guy. Even if you're strong, there's no way you can handle both of us at once."
"Fighting one by one sounds boring." Yuui unfolded Alicia's Duel Bracelet, which transformed into a bronze Duel Disk, and smiled. "Come on, both of you. I want to see whether the students of Starlink and Imperial Academy are really as strong as people say."
"You…!"
Any hint of affection Ace had for her vanished. He was confident, yet never reckless—he always respected his opponents.
To him, Alicia's challenge was the embodiment of pure arrogance.
Nash stepped forward, his tone sharp as ice. "Fine. Since you insist, let's make it a free-for-all. Whoever's still standing at the end wins."
"Good," Ace nodded. "Then it's settled. Whoever's left on the field at the end is the victor. How about it, Class Rep Alicia?"
"Of course," Yuui smirked and looked to Professor White. "Professor!"
White sighed. "Just don't go overboard."
He couldn't stop her anyway. Though he trusted Alicia's strength, both Ace and Nash were verified prodigies—one a Signer with a legendary Duel Dragon, the other likely possessing a Chaos Empire Number card. Alicia, as a Nameless One, likely knew little of either system and could easily be at a disadvantage.
Regardless, as her instructor, he would respect her choice—and believe in her victory.
Following White's direction, Class E spread out around the Duel platform. Chuck clenched his fists as he watched Alicia stand tall, ready to face two opponents at once.
Nearby, the students of Class A, whose schedule also included Duel Class, noticed the commotion. Curious, they gathered to watch.
When they realized Alicia planned to duel both transfer students alone, some laughed at her overconfidence, while others looked on with eager anticipation.
Among them, Carl Owens' brows furrowed deeply. "She's overreaching herself. One-on-one, she might stand a chance… but a loss here won't just hurt her reputation, it'll damage the Academy's too."
Autrys said nothing. He merely watched Alicia silently, recognizing once again the same overwhelming confidence he'd seen when they first met—the kind that made it seem nothing in the world could stop her.
He wanted to see just how she would win this time.
Elsewhere, Alice's eyes sparkled with delight as she watched Alicia. To her, it was like seeing a fascinating new toy.
Within her, Diabellze and Diabellstar also watched the blonde girl. Diabellstar murmured, "This feeling… that expression… it's so familiar."
Diabellze nodded slowly, equally perplexed. Though neither had met Alicia before, both felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.
Alice, however, only smiled, her lips curling into a charming grin. "Ali-san," she whispered, "what kind of surprise will you give me this time?"
Meanwhile, in Class A, one of the transfer students from Starlink Academy—Ace's childhood friend—watched without a word.
The white-haired girl, Lilith Haila, frowned a bit as she saw Ace preparing to team up with an Imperial duelist against the unfamiliar blonde.
Though she didn't know the details, she believed in Ace.
After all, he was Ace.
...
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