Shudder…!
Inside the soul room of the Millennium Puzzle, both Aishas shivered at the same time.
"Mr. Miles, I..."
"What is it?"
"(.﹏ .) As a woman, my instincts are telling me I'm in danger!"
"You even have instincts like that?"
From Miles's perspective, what people called "a woman's intuition" was a high-level skill possessed only by clever, calculating, capable women.
Someone like Aisha Carlos: simple, pure, and easily swayed… she was still far from mastering such an ability.
Riding alongside him, Krista noticed the subtle shift in Miles's expression and cautiously asked,
"Miles, were you just talking with Carlos inside the Millennium Puzzle?"
"And how did you know that?"
"A woman's intuition."
"..."
'So annoying!'
…
"The ultimate secret of Fusion is to use your opponent's monster as Fusion Material!"
In the east, before the towering Main Magic Stone Leyline Tower, the holy mark glowing with divine light on Ecclesia's forehead shone brightly as she faced the enormous lizard-shaped Earthbound Immortal ahead and activated her own effect.
"I Tribute [Dogmatika Ecclesia, the Saint Vessel] on my field to Special Summon [Fallen of Albaz] from my Deck!"
Holy light shifted from pure white to deep shadow, and the dark youth descended in the name of the Saint, wielding the ultimate power of Fusion capable of even consuming the strength of an Earthbound Immortal.
"Then, I activate [Fallen of Albaz]'s effect! When this card is Special Summoned, I can discard 1 card, and use monsters from either side of the field, including itself, as Fusion Material to conduct a Fusion Summon!"
Light similar yet distinct from [Super Polymerization] burst forth from the sacred sigil on Ecclesia's forehead—the overwhelming force of ultimate Fusion engulfed the entire Nazca Lines battlefield where the lizard rested.
"Well damn, Lishia, you were hiding quite the trick!"
In the tag duel, Irena, standing beside her, was nearly blinded by the brilliance of that holy mark.
A Fusion that could use the opponent's monsters as materials—now Irena understood why Miles specifically chose first-year Lishia to fill the last exchange-student slot.
Even in a Turbo Duel, [Fallen of Albaz]'s effect allowed for unrestrained Fusion.
To fuse an opponent's Xyz or Synchro Monster… return all to Fusion!
Was this not the very scene Vice Principal Raiden had hoped to witness before their departure?
"After activating the effect, I fuse my [Fallen of Albaz] with your [Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua]!"
"Nani!? You're fusing with a god!?" the Shadow Duelist shouted in disbelief.
The lizard Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua, like the Wicked Eraser Ecclesia, once fought in the mountain duel, had an effect that activated upon destruction, destroying all cards on the field.
To avoid triggering that death effect, preventing both her monsters and Irena's [Dark Magician] from being wiped out together…
Just fuse the god away!
"Using the 2800 Attack Earthbound Immortal as Fusion Material—Ultimate Fusion Summon! Roar, [Titaniklad the Ash Dragon]!"
[Titaniklad the Ash Dragon] Level 8│DARK│Dragon│2500 ATK
[Fallen of Albaz] + 1 monster with 2500 or higher Attack
Drawing upon the power of the Earthbound Immortal, the ash-gray dragon burst forth from the blazing ground, its armor gleaming red with branded energy.
Ecclesia raised her hand and declared, "[Titaniklad the Ash Dragon]'s effect! This card gains Attack equal to the total original Levels of the Fusion Materials used for its Summon × 100!"
With [Fallen of Albaz] being Level 4 and the Earthbound Immortal Level 10, the total Level was 14.
"Titaniklad's Attack increases by 1400!"
[Titaniklad the Ash Dragon, ATK: 2500 → 3900]
With Titaniklad at 3900 Attack and the Dark Magician at 2500, it was enough to seize victory within the single turn the Earthbound Immortal was forced off the field.
"Direct attack, Titaniklad! 'Roar of the Branded Wrath'!"
[Shadow Duelist, LP: 4000 → 100]
A surge of crimson energy exploded, leaving the Shadow Duelist hanging on with just 100 Life Points—barely alive.
"And then, senpai Irena's [Dark Magician] will attack directly—this is our win!"
As the spell's power gathered rapidly into the magician's staff, ready to strike—
"Heh heh heh, brats, you were careless at the end!"
The Shadow Duelist slowly revealed his set card.
"Trap Card, [Damage Gate], activate!"
[When you take Battle Damage, you can Special Summon 1 monster from your Graveyard whose Attack is less than or equal to the damage you took.]
"That 3900 damage just now will be transformed into the Earthbound Immortal's hatred! I revive [Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua] from the Graveyard!"
[Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua, ATK: 2800]
Within the burning Nazca Lines, the massive lizard raised its head once more.
"And because the Field Spell [Earthbound Geoglyph] is on the field, Earthbound Immortals cannot be targeted for attacks!"
The Dark Magician's offensive came to a halt.
It was indeed Ecclesia's oversight… had she attacked first with Dark Magician, the 2500 Battle Damage wouldn't have been enough for the Shadow Duelist to revive an Earthbound Immortal with 2800 Attack.
"I'm sorry, senpai," Ecclesia cried, "Uwahhh... I'm such an idiot!"
She had gone through all the trouble of fusing away the Earthbound Immortal with [Fallen of Albaz], only to let it be revived due to her mistake.
In that instant, Ecclesia felt she had betrayed Irena's trust.
Their opponent still clung to 100 Life Points… and if the Earthbound Immortal survived, their next turn's counterattack would wipe them out instead.
"You did amazing already, Lishia. Better than I expected! No wonder you were the one he recommended."
Displaying the composure of a reliable senpai, Irena smiled and placed the duel's final outcome upon her own shoulders.
"Leave the rest to me!"
"Senpai?"
Power surged as Irena flipped her set card, releasing a spiral of black magical energy into the sky.
"Quick-Play Spell, [Secrets of Dark Magic], activate!"
[Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster that lists "Dark Magician" or "Dark Magician Girl" as material, using monsters from your hand or field.]
"You provided a key monster, Lishia—[Titaniklad the Ash Dragon] being a Dragon-type is crucial!"
Using [Secrets of Dark Magic], Irena began her Fusion Summon: a fusion involving [Dark Magician] as material.
"I fuse the [Dark Magician] on my field with [Titaniklad the Ash Dragon]! Witness the ultimate Dark Magic Fusion!"
It was the same ultimate form of Dark Magician Miles had helped Irena summon once before in her duel against the genius summoner Alester.
However, this time, it was Irena's own hand calling it forth!
"O blazing blade of the supreme magus, burn the heavens themselves! Fusion Summon—[Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon]!"
[Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon] Level 8│DARK│Spellcaster│3000 ATK
[Dark Magician] + [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] or 1 Dragon Effect Monster
A form that required the Red-Eyes Black Dragon or any Dragon Effect Monster as material—the ultimate manifestation of Dark Magic power. After her duel with Alester, Irena had finally mastered it herself.
"This is the trump card Miles left us—the ultimate Fusion that can even annihilate gods!"
Without needing to enter the Battle Phase, the [Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon] could destroy the Earthbound Immortal outright.
"I activate [Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon]'s effect!"
[Once per turn: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; destroy it, and inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's original ATK. This effect can be used up to the number of Normal Monsters used as Fusion Material for this card.]
Carrying the will of the Normal Monster [Dark Magician], the blazing blade of destruction descended upon the colossal lizard.
"—Dragon Soul Flame Slash!!"
The searing strike split sky and earth apart—the divine being born of malice and resentment was cleaved in two, purified as it burned away within crimson fire.
[Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua] destroyed.
Once again obliterated upon revival—and this time, for good.
"Aaaaaaaaahhh!"
[Shadow Duelist, LP: 100 → 0]
Inflicting damage equal to the Earthbound Immortal's Attack, the Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon's infernal blaze consumed both the Shadow Duelist and the lizard god together.
"Senpai, you're amazing! So reliable! You're so cool! I could totally marry you!"
Having perfectly made up for her mistake and using that opportunity to summon the ultimate finisher, Ecclesia unleashed a storm of praise upon Irena.
"Heh, you can keep praising me. I am a flawless beauty after all... wait, now's not the time for that."
Her self-satisfied grin broke into seriousness.
"Lishia, the leyline purification is up to you. Buy Aisha and the others as much time as you can!"
"Got it! Leave it to me!"
The holy mark on Ecclesia's forehead shone again, her saintly soul power holding back the final collapse of the crimson leyline tower.
…
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
Leon Gate, carrying the entire weight of XYZ Academy alone, faced the final remaining Earthbound Immortal: the monkey.
Though this Earthbound Immortal had once been defeated by Miles and Ren, it still stood tall before Leon's D-Wheel now.
Racing at full speed, Leon said sternly, "A god that can't be targeted for attacks due to a Field Spell… if that's your only advantage..."
Even with an Xyz Monster boasting 3200 Attack on his field, Leon couldn't break through.
"There's no need to! The duel is already over!"
Though the field seemed to favor the Earthbound Immortal, Leon's calm, confident demeanor contrasted sharply with the Shadow Duelist's grim expression—making it clear who was truly cornered.
On Leon's field stood a 3200-Attack Xyz Monster:
[Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo] Rank 8│DARK│Machine│3200 ATK / 2300 DEF
[3 Level 8 Monsters]
"The destiny of battle lies within my right hand—this turn marks the lion's triumphant roar! Bellow with pride, Leo!"
He didn't even need to attack the god—[Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo] was one of the few monsters capable of a special victory condition.
[Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card. If you have detached all Xyz Materials from this card only by this effect, you win the Duel.]
After three turns, only one Xyz Material remained beneath it.
If he couldn't defeat the god through battle, he would win through destiny instead.
"A lion's path to victory is never limited to one! I detach the final Xyz Material from [Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo]!"
Bathed in the radiant light of destiny, the lion seated upon its throne raised its kingly sword high.
In just three turns, he had forced a god into utter despair—this was Leon Gate of XYZ Academy's way of dueling.
"Roar, Lion of Fate—Leo Final Judgment!"
The earth-shaking roar of the lion king echoed throughout Axet, declaring Leon Gate's victory in this Shadow Turbo Duel.
…
Across the endangered land of Axet…
In the south, [Majestic Star Dragon] shone with the light of salvation.
In the north, [Thor, Lord of the Aesir] struck divine thunder.
In the east, [Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon] cleaved the darkness asunder.
In the west, [Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo] roared its triumphant cry.
From the four directions, the duels against the Earthbound Immortals waged by each Academy's top duelists each carved out their own path toward survival.
Hope and resolve radiated outward from these united yet scattered duelists… a defiance against fate itself never witnessed in the timeline of destruction.
...
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