"Take this, Krista!"
Bathed in the divine fire's glow, her hair gleaming gold, Aisha declared her Battle Phase amidst the raging flames.
"Ra's attack!"
The colossal, semi-mechanical dragon gathered searing energy in its maw—its divine fire aimed to annihilate Krista's [Celestial Wolf Lord, Blue Sirius] in a single strike.
The once-proud triple-headed wolf that had howled triumphantly upon its Synchro Summon now shrank back before the towering God, each head trembling, too afraid even to look up.
"—God Blaze Cannon!"
The divine blast tore through the entire slum district.
From afar, the wall of flames that swept across the ground looked as though it split the whole city in two.
"Trap Card, activate!"
Taking Ra's attack head-on would mean instant defeat.
Krista could never have imagined that her duel with Aisha Carlos would drive her into a corner in the very first turn.
"Trap Card—[Impenetrable Attack]!"
Fortunately, the set card she'd prepared was [Impenetrable Attack]. Had it been [Negate Attack], which couldn't affect God Cards, she'd have been finished.
[During the Battle Phase, choose one of the following effects to activate. ● Choose 1 monster on the field; it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn. ● This turn, all battle damage you take becomes 0.]
Faced with two options, protecting her monster or protecting herself, there was no time for uncertainty.
Krista decisively shouted, "I activate [Impenetrable Attack]'s effect to make all battle damage I take this turn 0!"
In a duel, your own life mattered more than your monster's.
The overwhelming divine blaze incinerated [Celestial Wolf Lord, Blue Sirius] to black ash.
Though Krista nullified the damage with [Impenetrable Attack], God Cards were unlike any other.
Even without the darkness of a Shadow Game, the heat wave and shock force from the divine attack struck her like a tidal wave of golden fire, sending her slender body flying through the air.
Just like when Miles would knock people flying with his Mokey Mokey Punch, the physical impact of a monster's materialization in a duel partly depended on the duelist's own mental fortitude.
Aisha's first-turn 'God Blaze Cannon' carried more than just battle intent—it was charged with emotion.
After rolling several times across the ground, Krista came to a stop, lying motionless in the dirt like a fallen commander.
Ren gasped, "She didn't actually pass out, did she?!"
If Krista lost consciousness even without taking damage, that would mean Aisha's control over Ra's manifestation was terrifyingly strong.
Angry Mokey Mokey… perhaps not just 3000 Attack, but ten times that.
Viel, acting as the self-appointed referee, skipped over to Krista's side and began a mock countdown. "Hey, Krista Shia, you still alive? If you don't get up in ten seconds, it's a loss~ Ten, nine, eight…"
"I'm fine… I'm still alive!"
Krista's voice was strained, but under Viel's teasing countdown, she managed to get back on her feet.
"Yikes, she looks awful," Ren muttered.
After just one turn, Krista looked a total mess—ashes on her face, her uniform singed at the edges by divine fire. It was truly pitiful.
The ace of Synchron Academy, getting beaten down in an alley.
"Women fighting really is terrifying," Miles sighed from the heart.
Returning to the spectator's area, Viel praised with a smirk, "Still standing after taking a God's attack? Impressive, Flowing Quasar."
"I have… my own resolve too." Covered in soot, Krista clenched her teeth. "Did you think I was just here to play around, Carlos? Sorry, but my resolve to inherit the Millennium Puzzle won't falter… even before a God!"
Standing once more, Krista activated her fallen Synchro's effect.
"When [Celestial Wolf Lord, Blue Sirius] is destroyed, I can target 1 monster my opponent controls and reduce its Attack by 2400! Howl, spirit of the Wolf King!"
The three wolf souls leapt forth, lunging toward the sun god soaring above.
But before they could even reach Ra, the scorching solar heat surrounding the divine beast vaporized them instantly.
Aisha declared, "The Winged Dragon of Ra is unaffected by effects from monsters of a lower Level. A Level 6 monster like [Celestial Wolf Lord, Blue Sirius] can't touch a God."
The Egyptian Gods' universal resistances—unaffected by monsters Level 9 or lower, immune to Trap Cards, and unaffected by Spells not activated that turn.
With 6800 Attack, Ra's blazing first-turn arrival had effectively sealed off all of Krista's options.
"Krista! My determination not to be separated from Miles is every bit as strong as yours!"
Ending her Battle Phase, Aisha held her cards tightly. "If I become stronger, Miles will never have to leave my side! That's why I'll become stronger! Stronger than anyone!"
"Ai-san… stronger than anyone?"
For some reason, upon hearing Aisha's bold 'main heroine' declaration, Ren felt she might actually pull it off.
Ever since Ren's fusion with her future self, her feelings toward Aisha had changed slightly. She was still her childhood friend and dearest companion—but something else had grown, something more complicated.
"I Set two cards and end my turn!"
Aisha placed two cards face-down and ended her turn. On her field now stood the 6800-attack Ra and [Crowned by the World Chalice] in Defense Position (DEF 2100).
"My turn! Draw!"
Soot-covered but unbroken, Krista drew, facing the burning sun god above.
Just as she'd said—her will to stand beside Miles would not waver, not even before a God.
"You keep bringing up Miles…it's seriously annoying! Carlos, you're only good at dueling because you've spent more time around him. I may not have known him as long, but I've learned too!"
Miles: "I swear, I never taught her to summon a God on turn one."
Krista pointed her card straight at Aisha.
"With this duel, I'll prove that the strength of a soul's bond has nothing to do with time! I'll defeat a God using what I learned from you, Miles!"
Miles: "Oh, come on, Krista, not you too?"
Ren: "Miles, let's be real… you're a walking disaster."
Women fighting… yet somehow both sides were using Miles's battle strategies? Was this even a duel anymore, or a contest of affection?
"Spell Card—[Graceful Charity], activate! Draw three cards, then discard two!"
Since this wasn't a Turbo Duel, she couldn't use the Speed Spell version [Speed Spell - Angel Baton], so she simply played the original classic.
After filtering her hand and filling the Graveyard, Krista played another Spell Card.
"Spell Card—[Necroid Synchro], activate!"
[Banish 1 Tuner and up to 2 non-Tuner monsters from your Graveyard; Special Summon 1 'Stardust' Synchro Monster from your Extra Deck whose Level equals the total Levels of the banished monsters, treating it as a Synchro Summon. Its effects are negated.]
A Stardust-exclusive revival Synchro card—using Graveyard monsters as material for a Synchro Summon.
In Krista's Graveyard were the destroyed Level 6 [Celestial Wolf Lord, Blue Sirius] and the recently discarded Level 2 Tuner [Satellite Synchron].
"I banish my Level 6 and Level 2 monsters to perform a Necro Synchro Summon!"
2★ + 6★ = 8★!
The light of an 8-star Synchro—symbol of Stardust's indomitable will—erupted from the Graveyard as particles of starlight shot into the sky.
"A flash that splits the starry sea! Let your soul's pulse roar through the world! Synchro Summon—[Stardust Spark Dragon]!"
[Stardust Spark Dragon] Level 8│LIGHT│Dragon / Synchro / Effect│2500 ATK / 2000 DEF
Krista's signature Stardust monster soared from the Synchro light and shone majestically before them all.
Yet even the dragon that had saved her and Miles countless times—the very embodiment of the Stardust's will—could not so much as flicker before the might of the Winged Dragon of Ra.
In every sense, the gap between them was insurmountable.
"You can't win like that, Krista," Viel taunted from the sidelines. "If you can't beat Ra, you'll be stuck with Aisha forever~"
"I know that! I know [Stardust Spark Dragon] alone can't win! That's why I'll surpass it… with Accel Synchro!"
"Accel Synchro, now?!" Miles exclaimed.
Krista's dirt-smeared face glowed with starlight as she cast her card forward, purified by Stardust's brilliance.
"I'll surpass a God… with the same Accel Synchro you used, Miles!"
...
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