"Trinity Accel Synchro Summon—[Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon]!"
[Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon, ATK: 4000]
The power of Stardust evolved once more into a constellation. Surrounded by shimmering green orbs of light, [Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon] radiated a majestic brilliance no less grand than [Shooting Quasar Dragon].
"Do you see it, Miles? This is my Trinity Accel—[Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon]! Sifr—Divine!"
She made sure to emphasize the full name proudly.
"Stardust Sifr also represents the unbreakable bond of fate between us!"
Through the Limit Over Accel Synchro that Miles had achieved, Krista, who now stood as the embodiment of Stardust, had reached the ultimate twelve-star Synchro threshold herself.
Aisha stared blankly at the sky. "It's different from Miles's 'Overlimit Accel'… a Trinity Accel Synchro…"
Krista declared firmly, "Only by gaining true strength can a Duelist grasp their destiny, Carlos!"
"But my [Number 39: Utopia] still has higher Attack! Doubled, its Attack is 5000!"
"It's 4500, actually," Krista corrected.
[Utopia], originally 5000 ATK, had its power reduced by 500 when [Quickdraw Synchron] was used as Synchro Material.
And for Krista, that 500 points made all the difference.
"With Trinity Accel Synchro, I'll gather the prayers of every star! Synchro Summoning is the art of focusing scattered strength into one point!"
Bathed in divine Stardust radiance, Krista's Spirit Eyes gleamed with golden light as she flipped her final Set card.
Everything now hinged on this attack from [Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon]!
"Let the prayers of gathered Synchros explode within the divine Stardust!—Trap Card activate, [Synchro Strike]!"
[Target 1 Synchro Summoned monster you control; it gains ATK equal to the number of monsters used for its Synchro Summon × 500.]
"Since [Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon] was Trinity Accel Synchro Summoned using three monsters, its Attack increases by 1500!"
[Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon, ATK: 4000 → 5500]
The immense dragon released its full Accel energy, its power soaring to a decisive level.
That critical boost—and Utopia's earlier reduction—reversed the balance entirely.
[Number 39: Utopia, ATK: 4500]
[Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon, ATK: 5500]
[Aisha Carlos, LP: 1000]
"This 1000-point gap—this is where the starlight guides us, Carlos!"
With her dragon's boosted power perfectly matching Aisha's remaining Life Points, Krista aimed for a decisive strike.
At the moment [Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon] declared its attack, Miles could feel an identical roar echoing from within his [Shooting Quasar Dragon] card.
"This wave… Stardust's resonance! Don't tell me… Viel, you planned this…"
"That's right, Krista." Watching the Triangular Accel light fill the sky, Viel's face lit with a satisfied smile. "Only you can save yourself!"
Krista raised her arm, shouting with conviction: "Attack, [Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon]! Battle target—[Number 39: Utopia]!"
"I won't let you break through!" Aisha gestured sharply, detaching Utopia's final Xyz Material.
"I detach my last material, [Number 39: Utopia Double], and activate Utopia's effect—negate [Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon]'s attack! Deploy the Light Shield!"
Summoning the last of its energy, Utopia swung its sword, forming a brilliant barrier of light.
"Hmph, just as I expected—you couldn't resist activating Utopia's effect! Then watch closely, Carlos! This is the difference between us—and the suppressive power of the Trinity Accel Synchro! [Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon], activate your effect!"
[Once per turn, when your opponent activates a monster effect (Quick Effect): You can negate that effect, and if you do, destroy 1 card on the field.]
"Negate [Number 39: Utopia]'s activated effect, Sifr!—Celestial Domain of Divinity!"
The light barrier shattered instantly under a storm of starlight. Utopia's final defense could not stop Sifr's assault.
"And after that, Sifr can destroy one card on your field!"
With its secondary destruction effect, Krista could target not just Utopia—but any other card Aisha controlled.
For in the face of Trinity Accel, Utopia no longer posed a threat.
"I'll destroy the card you just Set last turn!"
Krista pointed decisively at one of Aisha's face-downs. One was from her first turn, unused; the other was freshly Set.
Clearly, the newer one posed greater danger.
Starlight rained down, obliterating Aisha's final Set card in a burst of divine radiance.
Aisha shielded her face as waves of cosmic energy blew past her—albeit, from the card that destroyed, a renewed surge of wind rose in defiance.
"If that card was destroyed, then I still have a chance!"
In the next instant, a massive whirlwind erupted from the destroyed card, colliding head-on with the Stardust storm.
"What?!" Krista's eyes flew open as the supposedly destroyed Trap began to retaliate.
"The card you destroyed was the Trap [Wild Tornado]!" Aisha declared.
It was the same Trap Miles had once used in Turbo Duels—a replacement for [Mystical Space Typhoon].
Beyond destroying Spells and Traps, [Wild Tornado] carried another effect.
[If this Set card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard: Target 1 face-up card on the field; destroy that target.]
"Since my Set [Wild Tornado] was destroyed, I can target and destroy one card on the field!"
Krista had only one card remaining—her newly summoned [Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon].
At such a critical moment, this unexpected counterattack was Aisha's last stand.
"Wrong choice, huh." Krista frowned slightly.
But the raging wind Aisha had summoned could not alter the outcome.
"You won't destroy it, Carlos! That's also [Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon]'s effect!—Divine Protection!"
[Once per turn, cards you control cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects.]
With Sifr's fieldwide protection, every card Krista controlled—including Sifr itself—was shielded from destruction once per turn.
It was essentially a full-field version of [Stardust Spark Dragon]'s protective barrier.
"Since [Wild Tornado] can't destroy Sifr, that means the battle continues—and this attack ends it!"
Gathering the will of the stars, the constellations, and the universe itself, [Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon] unleashed its ultimate blast upon Utopia and Aisha.
"Celestial Burst—Divine Stardust Impact!"
This was no longer just a strike spanning the streets of Axet—the full-force eruption of the Trinity Accel Synchro created a towering pillar of starlight that drew every gaze upon it.
Taking the blast of the stars head-on, [Number 39: Utopia] shattered into fragments, and Aisha herself was flung backward, crashing into the ground with enough force to lose consciousness.
"I've won, Carlos. We fought for our own destinies. I had no reason to hold back."
Hold back? Not even close. Krista Shia, the ace of Synchron Academy's third year, had been pushed to her limits. Facing Aisha, who fought without relying on Miles's spirit power, she'd been driven into a true struggle—and forced to awaken her own Trinity Accel Synchro.
As a mere "vessel," Aisha had battled to a level that left Krista awestruck.
"Little Ai…" Ren's expression softened. She could tell Aisha had already gone far beyond her limits.
The difference in their power was undeniable. Krista had surpassed her boundaries; it was natural that Aisha couldn't win easily.
Even losing here would've been no shame.
Miles, however, spoke in a low voice. "It's not over yet. Aisha… hasn't lost."
"What are you talking about, Miles?" asked Ren.
"Look closer, Ren."
Miles's eyes were sharp… he'd seen it. Amid the blast of the stars, Aisha's trembling fingers still gripped a card.
"Kuri, kuri~!"
A soft, cheerful chime sounded. A fluffy little Kuriboh emerged from her hand.
In the face of certain defeat, Aisha had blocked the final blow with [Kuriboh].
You can always trust your "kuri-kuri" in times of despair.
[Aisha Carlos, LP: 1000]
"She's… still standing? That's impossible!"
Krista, who had nearly exhausted her deck, felt a chill… Aisha's endurance bordered on the supernatural.
Ren's voice wavered with concern. "But even if her Life Points remain… Little Ai is already—"
After taking the full force of Stardust's might and even the Trinity Accel Synchro, Aisha had fallen completely unconscious.
"Ren, I need to ask you something."
"Miles?"
The Millennium Puzzle on Ren's chest glowed.
Miles made his request—and Ren didn't hesitate to accept. Their bodies and souls switched.
"Aisha!"
The effect was instant. Even though the voice came from Ren's body, the tone was unmistakably Miles's, calling to her through the haze.
"Wake up, Aisha, or you'll be late again."
It was etched into her very DNA—every morning, Aisha only woke up when Miles said those same words, saving her from being late for class.
Her lips twitched. "That voice… Miles? Is it morning already?"
"It's not morning! If you don't get up now, you'll lose!"
"Lose…?" This time, Aisha's voice carried life again.
"Miles? Miles…" Krista blinked, realizing what was happening—the soul exchange. "You switched with Ren? Why are you waking her up?"
"Because this Duel isn't over, Krista."
"You still want her to keep fighting? In this state?" Krista shook her head in disbelief, torn between denial and awe. "You really want Aisha Carlos to keep going, Miles?"
"Oh? You can hear that too?" Viel teased, a knowing grin curling on her lips.
The sound of a certain girl's heart breaking.
"I… haven't lost yet."
Using the last of her strength, Aisha staggered to her feet. Her trembling legs couldn't stop her from standing tall again.
Her belief—unchanged from start to finish.
"If there's no future with Miles, I don't need it!"
For the first time, Aisha spoke without honorifics.
"My turn now, Krista."
Not only did she rise again—she even mirrored Miles's secret technique, the one that forcibly ended an opponent's turn.
With only one card remaining—[Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon]—even Krista couldn't make another move.
"My turn—draw!"
No radiance. No swirling Stardust.
A plain draw for her final turn.
Yet this unremarkable draw was the card she'd been waiting for since the very beginning.
"I'll use this card… to create the future! A future where Miles is by my side! I Normal Summon—[Mokey Mokey Adrift]!"
[Mokey Mokey Adrift] Level 1│LIGHT│Fairy│ATK 300 / DEF 100
Aisha's final card—her destined draw—answered her resolve.
And it perfectly combined with the Trap Card she had set since the start of the Duel.
"—Trap Card [The League of Uniform Nomenclature], activate! Because [Mokey Mokey Adrift] is treated as 'Mokey Mokey,' I can Special Summon three more from my Deck!"
Only [Mokey Mokey Adrift] could synchronize so perfectly with [The League of Uniform Nomenclature], bringing forth three identical allies at once.
[Mokey Mokey, ATK: 300] ×3
Facing [Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon], Aisha Carlos's final lineup stood: four Mokey Mokeys strong.
-Д-? -_-? -_-? -_-?
Counting Aisha herself, there were now five Mokey Mokeys on the field.
"This is the Summon that creates the future!"
The dimmed glow of Aisha's Spirit Eyes began to shimmer once more.
And that faint light connected… to something vast, a boundless possibility.
"I'm going for it, Miles! And this time… It's the future's Number Zero!"