Ultimate Flame Swordsman, ATK: 2800→3500.
"Attack Power 3500, already surpassing Master's Blue-Eyes White Dragon."
Ed nodded as well.
Although for the current Duelists, three thousand is actually not an unattainable value anymore, both he and Manjome can achieve attack power exceeding three thousand, "three thousand" remains a threshold for monster attack power. Summoning a Fusion Monster with an attack power of 3500 so easily and effortlessly is something even they find difficult to achieve.
Tenjo Hikari looked at the cards in his hand, pondered for a moment, then drew one: "Set one card, end turn."
"I've heard that Ultimate Flame Swordsman possesses the ability to destroy a monster during the opponent's turn when equipped," Professor Seraph was not in a hurry to draw cards, "In addition to this, you set a Trap Card.
Tenjo-san, although I've only taught you a few times, I know you well. All your Set Cards are never just for surviving this turn, but for victory, for Polymerization, so that Set Card might also be a card that restricts me, like Salamandra with Chain?"
Tenjo Hikari frowned: "Professor, do you have more to say to me?"
"Of course—" Seraph spread out his hands, "Even though you said you want this class to be my last lesson, I am still a professor at Duel Academy, and I hope you can learn something."
Tenjo Hikari was a bit surprised.
Unexpectedly, when it comes to dueling, Professor Seraph, who spoke of "killing all humanity," was not that crazy after all.
"So, Professor, why did you say those things—" Manjome asked from the side.
"Those words? Which words… oh, humans are wicked, right?" Seraph listened, shaking his head, "The answer is simple, Manjome-san, because it's an established fact."
"Wha—"
"The wickedness of humans, you all must have witnessed it, Akaba Leo, DD, don't you know them?"
"You actually know DD!?" Ed pursued the question from the side, "Do you know him?"
Seraph shook his head: "No, I don't know them, I'm just giving examples. You are... Ed Phoenix, right? Freshman? Why weren't you diligent before?"
Ed didn't answer.
"I heard from Professor Cronos that he was previously attacked by a Darklord user, who was a member of Akaba Leo's army, trying to unleash the Three Phantasm... Professor Seraph, are you one of them?" Manjome took a deep breath, considering another possibility.
"Obaro? I know he did attack acting Dean Cronos... However, I am completely different from him." Seraph raised his left hand, "He pursued power, received the Darklord's Blessing, and thus became an Apostle of the Angels.
Whereas I am different... I received [Apocalypse]."
Apocalypse?
Tenjo Hikari and the others listened with a look of disbelief.
"Ha, no need to doubt, it's Apocalypse. Just like the legends of St. Joan, I received the inspiration from the [Angels], received divine enlightenment..." Seraph gently bowed his head, then pointed at his own halo with a finger, "As you can see, this thing is a genuine halo."
Everyone's heart shook.
A real one?
"Before becoming a teacher at Duel Academy, I was a priest from a remote town." Seraph stroked his chin, closed his eyes, recounting his memories in a low voice, "Ever since childhood, I possessed unusual abilities, as a child I could see Spirits, and later received the blessing of Angels, capable of commanding Angels. In the town, I listened to the teachings of the priest, adhered to commandments and morality.
I believed that from birth, I possibly was meant to help God, spreading His mercy."
"Did something bad happen?" Ed imagined empathetically, "Perhaps the town was destroyed, the villagers killed?"
"Ha, what are you saying? If that were the case, wouldn't I have gone after the culprit long ago, how would I have the mindset to teach?"
Ed was momentarily stumped.
"One day, I taught a child." He seemed to be immersed in deep memories, unwilling to stop until he finished, "That child stole something from someone else, I caught him and urged him to return the items, then guided him not to pursue a path of theft anymore.
However, not long after, I discovered he had stolen again."
"And like that, once, twice, three times... As a priest, I persistently hoped to guide him on the right path. If he stole food, I would give him food; if he stole clothing, I would give him clothing. Yet, one day, I saw the truth."
The kindness on his face gradually faded, becoming serious: "I always thought he stole because of [Sin], because of [Bad Habits], because of [Education], until I found out all his actions were not for himself, but because he had a sick mother and a frail brother, and the reason their family suffered was their land was taken away by the church."
He looked at his own hands: "I investigated the underlying reasons, turns out it was a company that wanted to develop a cross-dimensional project, eyed that land, and the local church for profit caused multiple human disasters, eventually leading to tragedy."
"This..." Manjome and the others exchanged looks.
Sounded like a faith crisis?
"I really couldn't accept such things, and no matter how much I search through texts or everyday behaviors or doctrines, I couldn't find an answer, nor could I accept that the things I gave to that child might originally belong to him. My act of mercy might originally be malicious, hence the child hated me and disobeyed my words."