At the peak of the Main Magic Stone Leyline Tower, where a crimson spear that seemed to pierce through heaven and earth, a man stood, overlooking everything happening below.
Watching as the Earthbound Immortals, born from the grudge of the land, were defeated one after another.
Each time an Earthbound Immortal fell, the lingering will of the Duelist it once possessed turned into a beam of black light that streaked through the sky and gathered into the man's hand.
The spider—[Earthbound Immortal Uru].
The ape—[Earthbound Immortal Cusillu].
The lizard—[Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua].
The whale—[Earthbound Immortal Chacu Challhua].
The giant—[Earthbound Immortal Ccapac Apu].
All of them, one by one, were defeated before humanity's unyielding will to survive.
And yet, the man's expression stayed completely emotionless.
He continued to absorb the Earthbound Immortals' power and the obsessions bound to them without pause.
Like a god of higher order, he, without a word, observed all that was unfolding upon the land of Axet.
Finally, the man standing atop the Leyline Tower turned his gaze toward Miles and Krista, who were approaching on their D-Wheels.
More precisely, his eyes were fixed solely on Miles.
...
"You've finally arrived, Miles."
As the massive crimson tower drew nearer, growing larger in her sight, Krista couldn't help feeling nervous.
All of Axet's hope, everyone's faith… was placed entirely upon Stardust.
Albeit, could the power of two [Stardust Dragons] truly purify the destruction that had accumulated beneath the earth for fifty years?
The thought that failure might be possible made Krista's hands tremble on the handlebars.
"Relax, Krista," Miles said.
Unlike the usually composed and dependable Krista, who tended to grow anxious in critical moments, Miles was the opposite… the more serious the situation, the calmer he became.
Just as he always believed in a Duel, unstable emotions cloud judgment. Only by keeping a clear mind could one find the path to victory, even in hopeless circumstances.
"There are only two outcomes, really. If Stardust succeeds, we all celebrate. If it fails, we all get blown sky-high together."
Collective ascension… it almost sounded romantic.
Like some sort of Human Instrumentality Project (foggy comparison).
"How can you say something that terrifying so calmly, Miles... ugh, my stomach hurts already," Krista muttered.
Their casual exchange didn't slow the D-Wheels down in the slightest.
Before long, they reached the base of the crimson leyline tower.
Up close, they could feel just how dangerous the structure truly was.
The magic stone leyline emerged from deep underground, its base still connected to portions buried beneath the surface.
In truth, the tower above ground was only the visible tip of an enormous structure like the exposed crest of an iceberg.
Beneath it stretched an even larger network of magic stone veins spreading throughout the entire nation of Axet. Now stained a deep crimson of destruction, they pulsed like the nation's own arteries.
Arteries… yes, that was exactly what they were.
Before the magic stones went berserk, they had been the lifeblood that sustained Axet.
But now, the nation was being devoured by its own veins.
If those arteries spanning the land were to explode, the devastation would engulf not only Axet but also the neighboring small countries.
"Are we starting, Miles?"
Now close enough to sense it firsthand, Krista could tell that the leyline tower was nearing its limit.
The destructive energy within had grown so dark red that it wouldn't have been strange if it exploded the next second.
"Yeah. No time to waste." Miles nodded, taking out Stardust Dragon's card. "I'm counting on you, Stardust."
Stardust: "I can't do it, Miles."
Even before the purification began, the most crucial part—Stardust itself—was backing down.
Miles frowned. "You can't do it? We haven't even started yet! I didn't think you would be the coward here."
Stardust immediately retorted, "It's not that I won't… it's that I can't. You can't see it with human eyes, but I can. There's a dark seal covering this entire tower."
"A dark seal?"
"As long as that seal exists, starlight can't reach the leyline. Someone is blocking the purification!"
"Is that even possible?"
From the moment the magic stones went berserk and surfaced to the time they arrived, only about an hour had passed.
To place a dark seal over something so enormous… a tower that pierced heaven and earth, linked to the entire subterranean network of minerals… Even if Livorden's strongest Grand Magus, Fiona herself, were here, she would only shake her head.
This was already far beyond human capability.
Something non-human was interfering.
As that thought struck him, Miles abruptly looked up.
Both sides sensed each other's presence at once.
"At the top!"
"What's at the top, Miles?"
Miles had already detected the enemy—Krista hadn't yet realized what was happening.
And then, as if in response to Miles's arrival, a spiraling track suddenly materialized around the crimson tower, winding upward.
Creating such a massive track from nothing in an instant… Miles knew at once that this was no ordinary being.
Even so, what if it wasn't ordinary?
They had come this far. Even if the road ahead led straight to hell, they would charge forward without hesitation.
"Let's go, Krista!"
Their D-Wheels roared to life again, racing up the spiral track that hugged the leyline tower's side.
The climb was higher than they expected—in a flash, it felt as if they were riding into the clouds, standing atop the world of Axet itself.
"You arrived sooner than I expected. I can see it clearly… the unwavering resolve of one chosen by Stardust."
The man who had been waiting atop the tower finally spoke.
Miles followed the voice and looked toward him. "So you're the one blocking the purification. No—you're not even human, are you?"
Tall and imposing, his body was inscribed with countless intricate symbols. The instant Miles saw him, he knew… this being was no human.
"Demolish… that is my name," the man introduced himself.
"Demolish? The name of 'Destruction'?" Unlike Miles, who had already sensed his presence, Krista was taken aback by the sudden revelation.
"Bearer of the Millennium Puzzle," Demolish said calmly, "You are correct. I am not human. I am the god who slumbered beneath Axet's soil."
"A god that slept beneath the earth?" The description was all too familiar… combined with the markings all over the man's body, realization struck Miles. "You're an Earthbound Immortal!"
Not a Shadow Duelist using Earthbound Immortal cards… but the Earthbound Immortal itself.
At the end of the doomed future they fought to avert, what awaited them was the god of the Earthbound Immortals themselves.
"Then which one are you?" Miles pressed.
He had already defeated three Earthbound Immortals, and he could recall the others still remaining.
"I am all of them."
Every word, every movement of the man was devoid of emotion.
A conversation between god and man… it felt as one-sided as a human speaking to an ant.
"I am the embodiment of the Earth's will. The will of the Earthbound Immortals themselves. No single name or form can define me."
"So tell me, great god… why step forward yourself now, at the very end, to stop humanity?"
Miles asked, tone sharp with dry irony.
If this being was truly a god, then there was no doubt… it was the one who placed the dark seal upon the tower.
And judging by its presence, it was going to be trouble.
This was the first time Miles had ever faced a god.
"My actions represent the will of the earth. And the will of the earth declares that Axet must pay the price of destruction today. Only then will the resentment of fifty years be erased."
"Axet's destruction is the will of the earth?" Even speaking to a god, Krista felt suffocating pressure.
Demolish continued, "Humans overdraw power that was never meant to be yours, believing you can rule this world. Little do you know, with every act of excess, you plant another seed of ruin. And today, letting those seeds bloom into destruction… That is the will of the earth."
"Did the will of the earth also tell you that humanity's will saves itself?! Stardust!"
If this thing was clearly impossible to reason with, then there was no point trying.
"—Meteor Sonic Impact!"
Miles immediately Summoned [Stardust Dragon], blasting stardust light straight into Demolish's face at point-blank range.
"Eh!!" Krista yelped, shocked at Miles attacking a god mid-conversation.
"Let him feel Stardust's purification firsthand. No point wasting time arguing a hundred lines with him!"
Demolish could afford to wait for the magic stone leyline to detonate. Miles could not.
Even if that strike couldn't finish a god, it was still Miles's declaration of war.
Gods, buddhas, demons—whatever you call yourself. As long as you stand on this Spirit Continent, 'Duel' is the absolute law.
In the end, talk is cheap. You still have to fight.
What? Like nobody's running gods in their Deck?
"..."
The stardust particles scattered. As Miles expected, Demolish, the so-called aggregate will of the Earthbound Immortals, didn't just die from one hit of Stardust Dragon.
He only frowned, and for the first time, emotion touched his face.
Even a god would be displeased if an ant bit him.
Miles said, "If only one of us gets to live today, the will of the earth or the will of humanity, then let's settle it with a Duel. You went out of your way to lead us here. That was your goal too, wasn't it, Demolish?"
"Bearer of the Millennium Puzzle, Miles. You are a special existence. The light of salvation… the only force capable of opposing the will of the Earthbound Immortals. That is why I granted you this opportunity."
Accepting Miles's challenge, Demolish slowly raised his arm, inscribed with countless sigils.
In the next moment, the crimson energy of Axet's entire leyline network arced into the sky as a trail of red light.
Before their eyes, it forged a course across the heavens—an aerial track spanning all of Axet.
"These are the lines engraved into Axet's earth. Every line points to the same destination: annihilation. And from countless annihilations, the final battlefield of Axet's last Turbo Duel is formed."
"In the sky... A Turbo Duel in the sky? That's impossible!" Krista stared at the floating red trails. They weren't even roads—just naked paths of destruction.
"Oh? Impossible?"
With divine authority, Demolish summoned a mysterious D-Wheel, its sides unfolding into vast black wings like a vulture.
"This is the final Turbo Duel. If you cannot even enter this track of ruin, if you cannot even get there, then humanity's will amounts to nothing."
Riding that winged D-Wheel, Demolish sped into the burning red course that spanned the entire nation, leaving Miles and Krista on top of the leyline tower, stunned.
What kind of development is this?
Even Miles hadn't seen this coming.
He had agreed to Duel… still, not like this.
Demolish, the composite Earthbound Immortal, could reinforce his machine with divine power and take to the sky.
Miles and Krista, with human bodies and human D-Wheels? Not happening.
As Demolish rode farther and farther away, Miles felt like he was being toyed with.
Was that thing just... running?
Stardust: "We can't let him get away, Miles. If we don't break the seal on the leyline tower, the purification can't begin."
"Of course I know that, it's just—"
"Moshi moshi, can you hear me? My second client, you must be Miles, yeah?"
The voice of that bratty gremlin loli was so familiar to Miles that he froze—because it was coming... from his D-Wheel.
"Viel? That voice… is that you, Boss Viel?"
Looking closely, Miles noticed a tiny speaker installed next to the card slot where he kept his hand.
He'd originally assumed it was some built-in audio system and just ignored it.
Turns out, at the crucial moment, that little speaker was broadcasting Viel's voice.
"What even is this?" Miles tapped the speaker.
Krista sighed. "Another weird woman, you know, Miles. The list just keeps growing."
Viel's smug little voice came through again: "To prevent clients from running off with unpaid debt, I secretly installed an emergency tracking and comms unit. Never thought it'd actually come in handy."
"You secretly installed a tracking and listening device? You're just admitting that out loud?! You know illegal surveillance is a crime, right?!"
"Ehehe~ we can discuss that later."
Even just through the speaker, Miles could practically see Viel sticking her tongue out in that infuriating way (> ? <)
"That said, thanks to overhearing that little chat with the god, I get the situation now. About that track in the sky..."
Viel looked up at the Axet sky, now laced with crimson trails of annihilation, and smiled.
"If it's my masterpiece, I can get you onto that battlefield with the god—the final Turbo Duel stage."
"You can? This custom D-Wheel can actually do that?!" Miles was stunned.
He'd thought the main selling point of this bike was just its arrogant personality. He hadn't expected it to come with literal doomsday support systems.
"What do I do to take off, Boss Viel?!" Miles demanded.
"You'll need an external assist module. Chill a little; I think the courier should be arriving soon."
"Courier?"
Miles looked toward the sky in the direction of Viel's Witch Workshop.
Sure enough, a figure was already approaching at ridiculous speed.
Aisha: "Mr. Miles, that's… Rosaria, the Stately Fallen Angel!"
It was once Luca Slint's signature monster—the great angelic being with mismatched black and crimson wings.
And riding on that Fallen Angel's back… was Luca.
"That's the courier?"
As they drew closer, Miles could distinctly see not only Luca and Rosaria, but also the large equipment in its hands: something like a pair of transparent crystal wings.
That had to be the external assist module Viel mentioned.
Of all people, for his last-second lifesaver to be Luca… fate really was strange.
"Boss, I'm here," Luca reported over a headset link.
"Wrong line," Viel corrected. "At a time like this, you yell the line I taught you, then throw the module with everything you've got!"
"Mm!" Luca nodded hard in midair, then faced the top of the leyline tower where Miles waited and cried out at full volume, "Take it! This is my final ripple!"
Miles's eyes narrowed, 'Why does that gremlin Viel only ever teach Luca weird lines? Is this how you raise a daughter?!'
Jokes aside, Luca the courier did her job perfectly.
The crystal wing unit was hurled with perfect aim, guided in midair by Viel's remote control, streaking toward Miles.
Viel: "Go, Miles!"
"Go?"
"As in GO STRAIGHT UP! The crystal wing can only dock properly in midair!"
"Is this actually safe?!"
Whether it was or not—there was no time left.
Everything happened too fast for Miles to hesitate or think.
Driven by pure instinct, he twisted the throttle, accelerated hard, and in full view of a wide-eyed Krista, launched off the top of the leyline tower and shot into the sky.
Viel: "Limiter release, primary thrust control online, nav system green—docking mode start! D-Wheel Crystal Flight Wing System Ver2.0! GO!"
Miles: "Wait, why Ver2.0? Where's 1.0?!"
"1.0 exploded during testing."
"IS THIS ACTUALLY SAFE?!"
"Safe or not, you're past the point of no return! Final docking—!"
Under Viel's precise remote control, the crystal wing module locked onto Miles's D-Wheel in midair.
"COME ON!! Viel Custom D-Wheel: Crystal Wing Mode!"
Maybe it was just Viel's taste, but after that embarrassingly chuuni connection sequence, Miles really did feel the falling weight vanish.
In its place… stable flight, as if he were riding on solid ground in the middle of the sky.
Miles: "D-Did we survive..."
Krista: "I-It worked! Miles, your D-Wheel is actually flying!"
Viel: "That's all you get for special post-sale service. The rest is on you. I've already handed you the ticket to go punch a god in the face."
With Viel's help at the last possible moment, Miles finally gained the right to enter the god's battlefield.
At that moment, everyone below—those staring up at the burning red trails in the sky—noticed two streaks of light racing across the heavens, one black and one white.
"Is that... a D-Wheel?"
"They're riding D-Wheels in the sky?!"
"Don't tell me those two are about to start a Turbo Duel... in midair!"
The final Turbo Duel, the one that would decide whether the future was destruction or hope, unfolded in the endless sky.
"Turbo Duel! Acceleration!!!"
...
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