As Youyu was dueling with the Necromancer.
Perhaps thanks to the academy's robust security system, the blackout lasted only two minutes.
In those short two minutes, the academy's infirmary turned into chaos.
Because Judai was missing.
This sent the fans on site into a panic, feeling bewildered—how could Judai just vanish in those short two minutes when so many enthusiastic fans were crowded at the room's entrance? Could he have grown wings and flown away?
Well, of course, he has legs and can run, but logically, someone should have noticed.
The fans and his crew dispersed quickly, some calling out for Judai, some referring to him as senior, while others called him big brother; the group grew as passing students joined.
Initially, Ed and Manjome, who were ready to fight, were startled when a group of passing students informed them about Judai's disappearance. Both were equally shocked and, in an unspoken agreement, temporarily set aside their personal grievances, joining the search party for Judai.
At that moment, Ed felt as if he heard a whisper near his ear, as if someone was speaking in his mind.
Ed froze for a moment, quickly collected himself, and took out his "Destiny Hero Plasma."
"Plasma... are you trying to tell me something?"
Ed frowned, listening intently for a moment, only feeling the spirit's faint voice echoing in his ears.
Like telepathy.
"I see... over there, huh?"
Following Plasma's guidance, his gaze swiftly turned towards the dense forest outside the school building.
Although he was puzzled about how Judai could have moved that far in just two minutes, he trusted the spirit, didn't question further, and immediately hurried in that direction.
Ed wasn't the only one who noticed something strange; Manjome also received hints from his spirits.
"Big brother! Manjome, big brother!" Ojama Yellow was jumping around by his ear.
"Stop pestering me!" Manjome said irritably, "I'm busy right now!"
"Big brother, but over by the woods... there's something strange there! There's an eerie aura, maybe something extraordinary..."
"You're driving me crazy; I don't have time to deal with that!"
Ojama Black popped out too: "But the timing of that strange sensation is quite coincidental. It might... it might be related to Judai..."
"I told you I don't have time... huh? You said it's related to him?"
Manjome immediately changed his mind.
...
Judai blinked in confusion.
He hadn't quite grasped what had happened. The lights in the room suddenly went out with a snap, and then he felt dizzy, the surroundings spinning until a piercing cold wind made him shiver and regain his senses.
That's when Judai realized he had somehow ended up in the woods behind the academy, facing the academy's abandoned dormitory.
"Huh? How did I get here?" Judai asked with a bewildered look.
Oh boy, this place is a no-entry zone for the academy, right? Wasn't it said that unauthorized entry results in immediate expulsion?
Hmm...
... Well, that's not the main issue. Anyway, with Youyu-sensei covering him, he probably won't get expelled...
But wasn't he just in the infirmary? How did he suddenly come here?
Driven by some mysterious impulse, he pushed open the dust-covered ruined door and once again entered this forbidden area.
Judai noticed a black bat flapping its wings and landing on a pillar outside the door, its scarlet, eerie eyes staring coldly at him.
For a moment, he even felt as if the bat was grinning at him.
Judai shook his head, dismissing the thought.
That would be too ridiculous; how could a bat smile?
Walking into the dilapidated dormitory, each step he took made the floor emit a low, mournful creak, endlessly groaning. The teeth-gritting sound echoed in the dark space, sounding like sobs.
Judai walked through the main entrance, turned a corner, and was immediately confronted with a scene that would frighten nine out of ten people—
—A pale girl stood at the end of a dim and narrow corridor.
She was breathtakingly beautiful, even someone as dense as Judai instinctively felt that her face was as adorable as a porcelain doll, so flawless it seemed impossible to find any fault.
However, her skin was too pale, like a spotless white paper. Unlike the pristine alabaster of a girl, it was the pallor one expected only from the dead, which paradoxically enhanced her bizarrely appealing morbidity on such a beautiful girl.
If it were an ordinary person, they would likely be scared stiff. This was known as a haunted dormitory where students had disappeared, combined with the eerie, dark environment, the cold wind blowing through, and the building's weeping-like creaks in the wind. Encountering such a corpse-like beautiful girl here, even the firmest atheist couldn't stay indifferent.
To remain unfazed in this situation, one would either need to be as absurdly thick-skinned as Judai or be the type who believes "even ghosts are fine as long as they're attractive."
It could be simple density, or perhaps the mentality that "even a ghost is fine as long as she plays cards." Judai, not only boldly approached but even initiated conversation: "Are you a student at this school?"
As he got closer, he saw that the girl's eyes were a very rare red, as vividly red as freshly spilled blood—stunning, but with an empty gaze.
Below her right eye was a pitiful tear streak, as if she had just been crying.
Judai was even more surprised to find that the slender arm peeking from her left sleeve was covered in unnatural cracks, like dried, withered wood on the ghastly pale skin.
He was astonished: "Your body..."
The girl remained expressionless, silent as if she were a cold machine.
Judai stared into her beautiful yet empty red eyes, and the instant their gazes locked, he felt as if he was being magnetically pulled in and couldn't look away.
Judai began to realize something was wrong.
He started wondering why he had just naturally walked straight into this dormitory.
And it seemed like ever since he came in here, he couldn't hear Yubel or any of his other spirit companions.
A strong pain hit his chest like a heavy blow, making him feel suffocated. He felt himself becoming violent and impulsive, staring at the vulnerable, pitiful girl before him, inexplicably wanting to corner her fiercely and force her into a duel.
I must duel immediately!
He pushed himself to look away, avoid meeting the girl's bizarre eyes, but found he couldn't.
Until a sleeping beast broke free from its cage, regaining its freedom.
He briefly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, his pupils had transformed into a dangerous golden color.
Like a never-dying golden flame.