This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened.
In the Soul Room within the Millennium Puzzle, Dark Aisha handed over her Xyz cards to aid the Aisha who was currently dueling.
This kind of "help" had occurred before—during the Tag Duel against the Millennium Ring and Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, and again in the duel against Ren's Dark Mist.
However, this time felt different from all the others.
Rather than simply handing over cards, Dark Aisha extended her arm, and her Spirit Eyes began to glow with that special luminescent effect usually seen only when a brand-new monster card was being summoned.
"Aisha, what are you doing now?"
"Just giving her some Xyz cards isn't enough anymore. So I'll overlay my power with hers—to fuse our strengths together! Let her, who represents the side of despair, awaken the potential of hope even further!"
"Overlaying your powers? Can that even be done?"
"Of course it can! Because the two of us were one to begin with!"
Within the Millennium Puzzle's Soul Room, Aisha's Spirit Eyes shone brightly—and astonishingly, resonated with the Spirit Eyes on Aisha Carlos's arm in the outside world.
Fallen to the ground, Aisha's Spirit Eyes—once dimmed by her disadvantage—suddenly blazed with double the radiance.
"This feeling… could it be…"
Struggling to her feet, even Aisha herself was shocked by this sudden surge of summoning power.
"So a new power has awakened at a time like this! Then I'm not finished yet!"
"You're still getting back up, Carlos?"
Krista's [Stardust Chronicle Spark Dragon], empowered by [Digit Jamming], was practically untouchable in battle. She had even succeeded in destroying an Egyptian God.
Wiping her cheek, Aisha's clumsy attempt only smeared more soot across her face.
"You hit me once, so that just means we're even now, Krista!"
"But your Life Points are nearly gone, Carlos."
"Miles once said—as long as your Life Points haven't hit zero, they're just numbers that can change anytime!"
"Tch. Stop teaching her weird things, Miles."
Aisha's refusal to give up even when at one Life Point really was something she'd learned from Miles.
Having destroyed The Winged Dragon of Ra, Krista now slammed her remaining two cards into her back row.
"I Set two cards and end my turn!"
"Then it's my turn…"
Pressing her fingers against her Spirit Eyes and Deck, the overlaid brilliance doubled again as Aisha Carlos began her turn.
"My turn—draw!"
Aisha scanned her hand and activated a Spell Card.
"—Spell Card [White Elephant's Gift], activate!"
[Send 1 face-up non-Effect Monster you control to the Graveyard; draw 2 cards.]
"I send my [Crowned by the World Chalice] from the field to the Graveyard and draw two more cards from my Deck!"
The prayers of the Chalice Maiden turned into light, guiding her toward victory—two cards drawn in a flash.
"Here we go!" A long-awaited Poker Spell.
"—Spell Card [Joker's Straight], activate! I discard one card, Special Summon [Queen's Knight] from my Deck, then Normal Summon [King's Knight], and finally Special Summon [Jack's Knight]!"
[Queen's Knight] Level 4│LIGHT│Warrior│1500 ATK 1600 DEF
[King's Knight] Level 4│LIGHT│Warrior│1600 ATK 1400 DEF
[Jack's Knight] Level 5│LIGHT│Warrior│1900 ATK 1000 DEF
The trio of Poker Knights appeared in unison, three silver blades pointing straight at Krista.
"The Poker Knights?" Ren gasped. "Still, even if you fuse them into [Arcana Knight Joker], its 3800 Attack will still drop to 800 under [Digit Jamming]!"
Unaware of what had just happened inside the Soul Room of the Millennium Puzzle, Ren couldn't begin to guess what was about to unfold.
Even Miles, who knew that Dark Aisha had overlaid her power with Aisha's, didn't know what would happen next.
"Aisha, how powerful can the potential of hope become when you awaken it?"
"That depends on how powerful the other me wants to be!" Dark Aisha declared firmly. "Once our souls overlay, their light doubles—it can even surpass Accel Synchro!"
Good grief. First one surpasses the other, then the other surpasses back… what a nested miracle.
Regardless, Miles couldn't help being intrigued.
The last time Aisha and Ren dueled, Aisha had awakened the [Number 39: Utopia], her embodiment of hope from despair.
Now, in her duel with Krista, after overlaying her soul with her dark counterpart, who knew what new power awaited.
'This duel really was the right call!' Miles thought, feeling a sudden, fatherly pride.
Aisha needed more duels like this—ones that would push her into true extremes.
Only through such ordeals could both her spirit and her bond with her Divine Relic grow stronger.
Miles grinned with excitement. "You've got two Level 4 monsters, Aisha—time to go for it!"
On the field, Aisha's Spirit Eyes glowed with doubled radiance as she swept her arm and overlaid two cards to build a new Xyz network.
"I overlay my Level 4 [King's Knight] and Level 4 [Queen's Knight]!"
Krista's eyes narrowed. "You're fighting with an Xyz Summon? Is it [Number 39]?"
It was the same technique Miles had once shown in his final Turbo Duel against Demolish—the one-hit-kill tactic that turned [Number 39: Utopia] into [Number C39: Utopia Ray].
Albeit even if she summoned [Number 39: Utopia Ray], it couldn't weaken [Stardust Chronicle Spark Dragon]'s immunity. And with [Digit Jamming]'s field effect, its Attack would be capped under 1000 anyway.
"A brand-new battle begins right here!"
Lifting her arm high, Aisha released all her overlaid soul energy in one burst, her Spirit Eyes shining brighter than ever.
"Brand-new Number 39! Our overlapping emotions and united hearts will change the world! Grasp the shining road to victory ahead! Rank 4 Xyz Summon—[Number 39: Utopia Double]!"
[Number 39: Utopia Double] Rank 4│LIGHT│Warrior│0 ATK / 2500 DEF
Materials: 2 Level 4 monsters
Miles exclaimed, "Utopia Double? That's just perfect—a brand-new Hope Xyz that fits Aisha's straightforward style!"
Because her Spirit Eyes' summoning light had doubled in brilliance by merging with Dark Aisha's power from within the Soul Room, Aisha directly Xyz Summoned [Number 39: Utopia Double].
It was as if that doubled light had been inherited by the new form—[Number 39: Utopia Double] gleamed with a brilliance twice as bright as the original Utopia.
"Phew, it finally worked!"
Inside the Soul Room, after completing the summoning, Dark Aisha collapsed to the floor, gasping heavily as though she had completely overexerted herself.
Even drained, her smile remained satisfied. "Go, my other self. Show that Synchro Dragon what our Xyz-born Hope can do!"
Once the Xyz Summon was complete, Aisha flipped over a face-down Trap Card.
"Trap Card, activate—[Armory Call]!"
[Add 1 Equip Spell Card from your Deck to your hand, then you can equip it to an appropriate monster you control.]
Reaching into the rift of dimensions, Aisha pulled out a hidden Equip Spell Card.
"I equip [Reverse Breaker] to [Number 39: Utopia Double], and then I attack!"
At a moment no one expected, Aisha entered the Battle Phase. She declared an attack with the 0-ATK [Number 39: Utopia Double] against [Stardust Chronicle Spark Dragon].
Right when she declared the attack, the Equip Spell's effect activated.
[Can only be equipped to a monster whose name includes "Utopia." When the equipped monster declares an attack, you can target 1 Spell/Trap your opponent controls; destroy that target. Your opponent cannot activate Spells/Traps in response to this effect's activation.]
"When my monster declares an attack, [Reverse Breaker] activates—destroy your Continuous Spell [Digit Jamming]!—Hope Sword-Breaker Slash!'"
[Digit Jamming] destroyed.
With one swing of the Hope Sword, the restrictive field was shattered, giving Aisha a chance to surpass [Stardust Chronicle Spark Dragon] through battle.
Krista sent the destroyed card to the Graveyard and declared, "When [Digit Jamming] is sent to the Graveyard, its effect activates!"
[If this card is destroyed: All monsters on the field lose 1000 ATK and DEF for every 1000 they have, until the end of this turn.]
Not only did it reduce Attack during battle calculation, but it also triggered once upon being destroyed.
Krista continued, "Of course, I'll also activate [Stardust Chronicle Spark Dragon]'s effect! I'll banish [Formula Synchron] from my Graveyard to grant it absolute resistance!—Stardust Holy Wall!"
[Stardust Chronicle Spark Dragon, ATK: 3000]
[Jack's Knight, ATK: 1900 → 900]
[Utopia Double, ATK: 0]
Aisha grinned. "Sorry, Krista, but [Number 39: Utopia Double]'s Attack is already 0, so it can't be reduced any further!"
"What's there to be proud of, Ai-san!" Even in such tension, Ren couldn't suppress her urge to retort. "You're charging straight into it with a 0-ATK monster!"
To trigger [Reverse Breaker]'s effect and destroy [Digit Jamming], Aisha had indeed rammed her 0-ATK Utopia into Krista's 3000-ATK Stardust.
Now that [Digit Jamming] was gone, the battle between Utopia and Stardust still had to continue.
"Then let's continue this battle! The doubled emotions of our overlay—Hope's power that surpasses Stardust! [Number 39: Utopia Double], activate your effect!"
[Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card; add 1 'Double or Nothing!' from your Deck to your hand.]
"I detach [King's Knight] to add [Double or Nothing!] from my Deck to my hand!"
The radiant draw of hope filled the road ahead with brilliant light.
"And after that, I can Xyz Summon a new Utopia using [Utopia Double] as material!"
[After this card's effect resolves, you can use this card as material to Xyz Summon 1 'Utopia' monster from your Extra Deck, except 'Utopia Double.' The monster's ATK becomes doubled, but it cannot attack directly.]
"I overlay the original [Number 39: Utopia] on top of [Utopia Double] and Xyz Summon!"
The doubled light of her soul guided her to the very origin of hope, and its power was doubled as well.
"My battle begins here! White wings that carry hope—descend! [Number 39: Utopia]!"
[Number 39: Utopia, ATK: 2500 → 5000]
"Five thousand Attack?!" Krista gasped.
Through a Quick Effect Xyz Summon, the doubled power of hope had already surpassed even Accel Synchro Stardust.
"Utopia, attack [Stardust Chronicle Spark Dragon]!"
Aisha roared her battle cry, pointing to the shining card in her hand.
"But don't think it ends here! When an attack is declared, I activate Utopia's effect!"
[When a monster declares an attack: You can detach 1 material from this card; negate that attack.]
"I negate [Number 39: Utopia]'s own attack!"
"You negated your own attack?" Krista blinked. "Why?!"
"For this!" Aisha slammed her glowing card down. "—Quick-Play Spell [Double or Nothing!], activate!"
[When a monster's attack is negated: Target that monster; during this Battle Phase, it can make a second attack, and its ATK is doubled during damage calculation for that attack.]
By negating her own attack with Utopia's effect, she had fulfilled the activation condition for [Double or Nothing!].
"A double upon double! This is it—my Utopia's ultimate strike of shining hope!"
[Number 39: Utopia, ATK: 5000 → 10000]
"Hope Sword: Double Slash!!!"
The radiant Hope Blade expanded infinitely through the sky—so vast it pierced the heavens, reached into the cosmos, and split Stardust itself.
...
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