That day, under the sky of the Axet Republic, shrouded in despair, a darkness even deeper than despair itself descended.
However, the one who felt this deeper despair was not humanity—it was the self-proclaimed god, Demolish.
"A black... sun?"
Entwined with Miles's soul, summoned while locked at 0 Life Points through [Relay Soul], [The Wicked Avatar] truly resembled a jet-black sun suspended in the sky.
The oppressive might radiating from it surpassed that of any Earthbound Immortal—no, even if all of them were combined, they could not rival the ultimate Wicked God.
For as soon as [The Wicked Avatar] appeared, Demolish, the embodiment of all Earthbound Immortals, realized exactly what this sight represented.
This was a true god.
Just a moment ago, Leon Gate had been outraged by Miles's apparent act of "suicide"—but now, faced with the strongest Wicked God descending above, he was left speechless.
"He summoned... a sphere with [Relay Soul]?"
What kind of monster could it be… so powerful that Miles would stake the outcome of this entire duel on a single card?
"[The Wicked Avatar]?" Nidhogg, wielder of the Polar Gods, trembled so hard his fingertips shook—within that tremor, even fear mingled. "So you, too, possess a DIVINE monster!"
Everyone reacted differently to the Wicked God born from the abyss above them.
Albeit those from Fusion Academy who had seen this card's dreadful power before already knew how this would end.
"He's won!" Ren couldn't hold back her excitement and shouted aloud.
"He's... already won?" Korys was startled by Ren's reaction and asked curiously, "Ren, what kind of power does that monster have?"
Ren gave her only two words in reply.
"Invincible."
An unbeatable brawler. Back then, even Miles had been forced to defeat the Old Dominator Pope—who wielded this very Wicked God—by reflecting its damage through Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste.
A dead Duelist, an undying god.
Even after its master was destroyed, the Wicked God had remained on the field; that alone proved its overwhelming strength.
Now, Miles had bound this duel's fate—and his very soul—to [The Wicked Avatar].
The rule had changed: to defeat the Duelist, one must first destroy the god.
"Then try and beat me, Demolish!"
Miles raised his hand toward the black sun, declaring the effect of [The Wicked Avatar].
"[The Wicked Avatar]'s Attack will always be equal to the highest Attack or Defense among all monsters on the field, plus 1 point."
A simple, brutal effect—in essence, no matter what stands before it, the Wicked God is always the strongest.
The black sun began to twist, its form morphing into that of the highest-ATK monster on the field: the giant Earthbound Immortal.
[The Wicked Avatar, ATK: 3001]
A fully obsidian version of the Earthbound Immortal.
Though the Earthbound Immortals were already creatures of darkness, the Wicked God's imitation was even darker; its characteristic blue markings now turned completely black.
"Strike down the Earth's grudge incarnate! Attack, O ultimate Wicked God!"
Because it had been Special Summoned during the Battle Phase via [Relay Soul], [The Wicked Avatar] could still attack this turn.
A demonstration of absolute might—an attack of divine intimidation.
"Impossible!" Demolish pointed toward his Earthbound Immortal. "As long as a Field Spell exists, Earthbound Immortals cannot be chosen as attack targets!"
"You think the mere effect of an Earthbound Immortal can restrain the mightiest Wicked God? You've overstepped your bounds!"
A false god—resentment born from the will of the earth. A true god—the master descending from the endless abyss.
"[The Wicked Avatar] is unaffected by other card effects! Your Earthbound's untargetable effect cannot stop it!"
The clash of two colossal giants in the sky—this sight rivaled the wars of the gods in the legends of Ragnarok.
And naturally, the outcome was clear.
No one could ever defeat the ultimate Wicked God in direct battle, not even an Earthbound Immortal.
"—Abyssal Earthbound Fist!"
[Earthbound Immortal Ccapac Apu] destroyed.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!"
[Demolish, LP: 1101 → 1100]
The Wicked God's fist crushed the Earthbound Immortal giant. Though the damage was only 1 point, the effect of that clash was far greater.
A collision of divinity—the difference in godly rank amplified infinitely by the Wicked God's absolute dominance.
Demolish's vulture-shaped D-Wheel was sent flying through the air, spinning ten full rotations before finally stabilizing.
With that single punch, Demolish finally understood what he was facing.
A god whose Attack is forever higher than yours, immune to all card effects.
"He... won."
At that moment, everyone in Axet reached the same conclusion.
Even an Earthbound Immortal capable of direct attacks had been rendered helpless by Miles's strategy: binding himself to [The Wicked Avatar] through [Relay Soul].
"So [The Wicked Avatar] is really that powerful..."
The students from the other two academies fell silent, their feelings complicated as they finally grasped the card's full potential.
Miles's near-perfect strategy had pulled the duel from the pit of despair to the peak of hope in an instant.
Yet for those from other academies, the thought of facing such a card in future matches brought only dread.
If they ever had to duel against the ultimate Wicked God... there was simply no way to win.
And in Miles's hands, whose skill far surpassed the Old Dominator Pope's, the Wicked God's invincibility shone even more brightly.
The combination with [Relay Soul] erased its sole weakness: the Duelist himself.
If it had any flaw, it was that a Special Summoned [The Wicked Avatar] lacked the two-turn Spell and Trap lockdown it would have gained from a Normal Summon.
"This power... it's too dangerous, Miles..."
While duelists from Synchron and XYZ Academies fretted over how they could possibly lose with dignity if they ever faced such a card, Krista alone knew the truth.
Miles would never willingly use such a dangerous card in a normal duel.
The binding of his soul through [Relay Soul] was only the surface truth. In this duel, the second he invoked the Wicked God, both souls were staked upon a Contract Duel.
And Miles's goal was simple: to weld the scales of fate shut in his favor.
"The scales!"
Krista suddenly turned to the Millennium Scale affixed to the side of her D-Wheel.
The Millennium Item that measured good and evil began to tilt wildly.
The golden plate holding "Evil" dropped sharply to the left.
The reason was obvious… Miles, wielder of the Millennium Puzzle, had bound his soul to the ultimate evil god.
"Just one card... and it's enough to break the balance of good and evil itself. Miles, can using this power really change the fate of destruction?"
As if answering Krista's worry, the crimson Main Magic Stone Leyline Tower suddenly began to quake violently.
It was the precursor to the leyline's explosion—Miles was running out of time.
"I have to remind you, Miles—this is a timed duel!"
From the Crystal Wing D-Wheel's comm system, Viel's voice rang sharper and more anxious than usual.
"Even with [Relay Soul] and [The Wicked Avatar] forming an unbeatable combo, that only means you can't lose the duel! Don't forget what truly matters!"
The duel's loss condition was simple: if [The Wicked Avatar] left the field, Miles would lose.
But in reality, his true defeat would come if he failed to purify the magic stones with Stardust's power before time ran out, causing all of Axet to explode.
"I haven't forgotten, Boss Viel."
Miles looked down at the last card in his hand.
"Whether it's destruction or survival—our future's outcome all rests on this one card! With it, I'll surpass even the Ultimate Synchro!"
No matter how dire the situation, how close the ticking clock, Miles's focus remained unwavering.
To win a duel, the most important rule was not to lose.
It might sound like a tautology, but in this Turbo Duel where he'd been hanging on with 1 Life Point since Turn 2, it was the absolute truth.
And with the Wicked God's bloodlock on his side, Miles had fulfilled that condition perfectly.
Now, he could strike with everything he had left.
Even with just one card!
"I Set one card and end my turn!"
With a solemn motion, Miles set his final card, ending the turn of the Wicked God's descent.
"You...!"
Only after Miles declared the end of his turn did Demolish finally recover from the divine suppression—the shock of being crushed by the strongest Wicked God.
"You summoned a god from the abyss... and intend to end this Turbo Duel that way? Do you really think you can change the destined outcome of destruction?"
It was no exaggeration—within the crimson Turbo Duel track, [The Wicked Avatar]'s dark power surpassed even Demolish, the god of destruction who embodied the will of the earth.
He couldn't win. No one knew it better than Demolish himself… he could not defeat the ultimate Wicked God.
"I can't win, but that doesn't mean I'll lose!"
With both sharing the same resolve of 'not to lose,' Demolish's rage resonated with the will of the earth as he faced the god from the abyss.
Explosions of red light flared more frequently across Axet's surface.
Ordinary people continued to be caught in the magic stone detonations… their screams growing louder, not quieter, as time pushed ever closer to the end.
"The Wicked God's descent may keep you from losing this duel. Regardless, it cannot change the destined destruction! My turn—draw!"
[Demolish, SPC: 7 → 8]
[Miles, SPC: 7 → 8]
As their D-Wheels swapped positions in the speeding circuit, Demolish glanced at the card he drew.
A Speed Spell Card.
The same Speed Spell that had eluded him ever since Miles was left at 1 Life Point—drawn now, precisely after Miles had locked his LP at zero.
Normally, that would be a blood-pressure-raising miracle draw.
Even so, as a god, Demolish understood—it was the manifestation of earth's will colliding with humanity's. Every draw was guided by the Duelist's strength.
In other words, the Speed Spell that couldn't end the duel represented the will of the dying earth, granting him one final chance to fight.
"Speed Spell - [Synchro Draw], activate! You can activate this card when you have 7 or more Speed Counters. Send 1 Level 6 or higher Synchro Monster you control to the Graveyard; draw 3 cards, then send 1 card from your hand to the Graveyard!"
A higher version of [Speed Spell - Angel Baton], its draw-3-send-1 effect rivaled [Graceful Charity]. By offering his [Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth] as tribute, Demolish gained an additional draw opportunity.
And since [Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth], the highest-ATK monster, left the field, [The Wicked Avatar]'s form shifted again—becoming a jet-black [Stardust Spark Dragon].
"Draw! Draw! Draw!"
In the racing Speed World, Demolish drew three new cards.
Among them—two Earthbound Immortals: the lizard and the monkey. And the third, the card he needed most.
A card embodying the deepest resentment of the dying earth.
He would use all his Earthbound Gods to bring about the final end.
Demolish discarded the monkey's Earthbound card and flipped his only set card.
"Face-down Trap, activate—[Rainbow Life]! By discarding one card, all damage I take this turn becomes Life Point gain!"
"Rainbow Life?"
Activating the defensive Trap [Rainbow Life] during his own turn, Demolish discarded his last card—the lizard Earthbound Immortal—as cost.
Every move he made was to prepare for one final spell.
"Spell Card, [Soul Charge], activate!"
Not a Speed Spell, but a Normal Spell; one that, under [Speed World 2], inflicted 2000 damage upon activation.
With only 1100 LP, that would have been an instant defeat.
That's why Demolish had activated [Rainbow Life] first.
Under the blessing of Rainbow Life, even the damage from [Speed World 2] would reverse into healing.
[Demolish, LP: 1100 → 3100]
[Special Summon any number of monsters from your Graveyard in Attack Position. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase this turn. You take 500 damage for each monster Special Summoned by this effect.]
"Rise from the earth, the grudges that sleep within! Return to me—the fallen Earthbound Immortals!"
Five consecutive Soul Charge summons—each one reigniting a new Nazca Line across the Turbo Duel track in the sky.
A giant, a spider, a whale, a lizard, and a monkey.
Five burning Nazca glyphs layered together, representing the five strongest Earthbound Immortals from his Graveyard.
[Earthbound Immortal Ccapac Apu, ATK: 3000]
[Earthbound Immortal Uru, ATK: 3000]
[Earthbound Immortal Chacu Challhua, ATK: 2900]
[Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua, ATK: 2800]
[Earthbound Immortal Cusillu, ATK: 2800]
The five Earthbound Immortals descended simultaneously—the accumulated hatred of the earth detonating like a supernova. The overlapping waves of fury shook the world to its core.
Their summoning accelerated the very approach of destruction.
"Even if I cannot win, the will of the earth will not lose!"
Though all were in Attack Position, each Earthbound Immortal had the same effect—none could be targeted for attacks.
If Miles tried to defeat them one by one with [The Wicked Avatar], the inevitable outcome would be the same… the destruction of everyone in a cataclysmic explosion.
No one could tell exactly how much time remained before the final countdown ended.
Albeit judging from the earth's violent tremors, the rising heat, and the cries of despair, the explosion could come in the next turn.
Demolish roared: "Since I used [Soul Charge] to Special Summon five monsters, I take 2500 damage and through [Rainbow Life], I recover instead!"
[Demolish, LP: 3100 → 5600]
This was Demolish's final field before the end—five Earthbound Immortals forming a wall of despair, and 5600 remaining Life Points.
"Let's see if your Wicked God can break through this, Miles!"
On the crimson track, their D-Wheels raced side by side toward the end.
Riding across the collapsing earth, Miles knew… this might be his final turn.
In that moment, his heart felt as calm as when he'd first entered the world of acceleration, the Clear Mind.
No—beyond that speed.
Across Axet's burning sky, the fear of annihilation and the collective prayers for survival pushed Miles toward a higher plane of acceleration.
"What the Wicked God cannot do, humanity will!"
Even if it was something a god could not achieve, Miles vowed to reach the limit beyond limits with human resolve.
With the final Ultimate Synchro Summon, he would gather every ounce of hope left in existence!
...
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