The light of the Majestic Star shimmered, piercing the fading darkness of the Turbo Duel track—illuminating a new road ahead.
At the end of that path stood the towering red structure—the colossal magitek spire that connected earth and sky.
"Even [Majestic Star Dragon] is guiding us there?" Krista's violet-blue eyes shone with conviction. "Father's theory was right all along, Miles. That's the way to save everything!"
"Save everything, huh..."
But Miles wasn't looking toward the path illuminated by the Savior's light. His gaze turned instead to the fallen Shadow Duelist.
This time, the Shadow Duelist did not vanish as before. Accepting his defeat, he stood quietly as his body became wreathed in purple flame—the fire of a burning soul.
To "save everything"… it seemed that phrase did not include the souls of the dead from an older age.
"Go on, Miles. I lost my name long ago—I'm already a dead man. I need no pity."
"I'm not pitying you," Miles replied plainly. "I'm waiting for your card."
He meant the Duel reward—the spoils for victory in this Shadow Game.
Miles had seen the Shadow Duelist's Deck firsthand—fifty years of refinement had filled it with powerful, versatile cards worth taking. Choosing one would have taken him a while.
The burning Duelist suddenly laughed—a deep, booming laugh that echoed through the flames.
"Hahaha! You truly are amusing, Miles. Perhaps the one capable of saving this world… is someone just like you!"
Through the fire, he drew a card from his Deck and hurled it precisely into Miles's hand.
"Darkness and hatred don't suit you. If you mean to shape the future—take this!"
[Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning]
The legendary Envoy of the Beginning—symbol of the light within chaos. The card's surface was still warm, marked by the fading flame of the Duelist's soul.
"Go now. I'm not giving way—this road, you've carved it yourselves."
"Miles, we have to hurry!" Krista called out urgently.
She could sense the other three directions had erupted into Duels of their own. Clearly, the ones hindering their approach to the leyline were not limited to a single Shadow Duelist.
If the leyline suppression failed, the country's destruction would arrive ahead of schedule.
Every second mattered now.
"Yeah."
Miles pocketed [Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning] without another word. Everything he needed to say had already been conveyed: through his Duel, through [Majestic Star Dragon].
He had no desire, nor duty, to witness another doomed ending.
"We're off," he said, waving back lightly. "We won't meet again."
The D-Wheels roared to life once more, speeding toward the magitek leyline tower where the Stardust's purification awaited.
Behind them, surrounded by the consuming fire, the Shadow Duelist could barely make out the twin points of starlight racing into the distance.
"Won't meet again, huh… The end of a fifty-year journey. What a long, bitter road."
In his final moment, he pulled out one last card—[Earthbound Immortal Uru].
"The magitek stones and this nation still remain… does that mean your obsession is fulfilled?" a voice echoed from within the card.
The power of the Earthbound Gods was never simple resurrection. They granted the dead a chance to fulfill their regrets—at the cost of their souls.
If one's obsession burned strong enough, even time itself could be defied.
"It ends here. My obsession… was never to destroy this country."
If his goal had been mere destruction, he wouldn't have gone so far as to stall fate with endless Duels.
Even though his village's history had been erased, he never truly sought revenge—because the origin of hatred was within himself.
He looked up toward the towering red spire.
"Demolish… If we'd never unearthed the magitek stone fifty years ago… would the tragedy have never happened?"
It had been he and his friend, so long ago, who dug up the stone that offered infinite energy—and unleashed the curse that followed.
"Fifty years crawling back from hell… was worse than hell itself. Maybe this was my penance all along."
As the fire consumed him, the Shadow Duelist—who had long forgotten even his name—finally found release.
"The final choice… I leave to you, Demolish."
Meanwhile, in the burning Nazca-lined track to the north, another Duel raged.
A massive whale-like Earthbound Immortal pursued Nidhogg's D-Wheel relentlessly underground. Yet Nidhogg, his Rune Eye shining, didn't look back once—he kept his focus ahead.
Then he saw it—the same Savior's light breaking through the clouds.
"That light… So it's the light of salvation."
A small smile crossed his face. If the light of the Savior truly existed, then the chance to purify the magitek stones… and save Axet… was real.
"Then I'll show this false god what a true god looks like!"
Raising his hand, Nidhogg began his own godly Synchro Summon.
"I Normal Summon the Level 4 Tuner, [Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts]!"
A massive golden steed materialized, its form drawn from Norse legend.
"I tune my Level 4 [Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts] with my Level 3 [Tanngrisnir of the Nordic Beasts] and Level 3 [Tanngnjostr of the Nordic Beasts]!"
The golden horse and twin goats of Thor's chariot soared into a blinding light of Synchro energy—the divine light of the gods.
4★ + 3★ + 3★ = 10★!
"When the gate of the stars opens, the ancient war god raises his hammer! Let the thunder that shakes the world roar forth! Synchro Summon! Descend—[Thor, Lord of the Aesir]!"
The skies roared. Lightning split the heavens as the divine beast took form.
[Thor, Lord of the Aesir] Level 10│DIVINE│Beast│3500 ATK│2800 DEF
[Tuner + 2 or more non-Tuner monsters]
Thor's colossal figure towered above the battlefield, Mjolnir in hand.
Unlike other Divine-Beast monsters that required drawing them by chance, the Polar Gods could be called forth freely through Synchro Summon—a grace no other gods possessed.
"Now, [Thor, Lord of the Aesir]—activate your effect, 'Effect Absorption'!"
[Once per turn: You can negate the effects of 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; this card gains that monster's effects.]
The same power as [Majestic Star Dragon]—the perfect counter to an Earthbound God.
The earth rumbled as the whale-shaped Earthbound Immortal was trapped within a cage of divine thunder.
"Having absorbed the Earthbound's power, [Thor] can now attack directly! And now I play—[Speed Spell - Accel Energy]!"
[Speed Spell - Accel Energy, Effect: Activate if you have 2 or more Speed Counters. Until the end of this turn, 1 monster you control gains 200 ATK for each Speed Counter you have.]
[Nidhogg, SPC: 5]
"With five Speed Counters—[Thor, Lord of the Aesir] gains 1000 Attack!"
[Thor, Lord of the Aesir, ATK: 3500 → 4500]
The god of thunder raised Mjolnir high—his power now rivaling the [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]. With the Earthbound's ability absorbed, this direct attack would end it.
"Behold—the true might of a god beyond false idols! [Thor, Lord of the Aesir]—Divine Hammer!"
Mjolnir descended like divine judgment, shattering the enemy D-Wheel and the Shadow Duelist alike.
"Aaaaaaahhhh!"
"Become light!"
[Shadow Duelist, LP: 4000 → 0]
From the north of Axet, the light of the Polar Gods rose skyward—answering the Savior's radiance shining in the south.
Two pillars of light—one faith.
A Duelist never gives up.
Even in a destined end of ruin, they carve out their own path to life.
"Only by surviving this crisis can I face you again, Carlos!"
Sliding his shades back on, Nidhogg smiled coolly as he sped off on his D-Wheel toward the leyline tower, while his god of thunder was roaring beside him.
...
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