After the strangely shaped key made contact with the obelisk tower, a pure white light swallowed their vision entirely.
It felt as though their consciousness had slipped free of their bodies, drifting through the radiance.
Miles had always wondered… since the obelisk tower wasn't really a "tower" but more like a monolithic stone stele, how was anyone supposed to enter it? And how could it possibly contain both the God Card and the god-slaying weapon?
Now it seemed the tower's true function leaned more toward a medium for transporting consciousness.
Once the key touched the inscriptions carved into the tower, their consciousness entered the interior space of the obelisk tower.
And that so‑called interior "space" resembled the Millennium Puzzle's soul room far more than any physically real space.
He couldn't be mistaken!
What convinced Miles was the body he found himself in upon opening his eyes inside the tower's mysterious space.
It wasn't Aisha's flat-chested body, but his own—his real body.
It seemed that by touching the tower with the key, Miles's true consciousness had entered the tower, while Aisha's body remained outside.
What he didn't know was how time flowed between the two spaces.
From Ecclesia's condition, she wouldn't last long. No matter what, he had to act fast.
His first task was to observe the surroundings.
Inside the sealed chamber—small, enclosed—it resembled the underground royal tombs he had once seen in movies.
An empty corridor connected two doors, the only two paths in this sealed space.
"Anyway, let's walk around first."
The initial room didn't look like it housed either a god-slaying weapon or a God Card.
Anyhow, Miles faintly felt he was forgetting something.
He wasn't supposed to be here alone.
"Right… Kaima?"
His financial backer had suddenly vanished.
Logically, both of them had pressed the key together, so Kaima's consciousness should also be inside.
Yet they hadn't appeared in the same room.
And now that Miles was in his real body, Kaima likely wouldn't recognize him at a glance.
Well, whatever. He'd just start by checking his surroundings.
Nothing about the plan changed.
Just as Miles was debating whether to head forward or backward—and even considered flipping a button to decide—a startled voice came from the half‑open stone door ahead.
"What is going on here!?"
It sounded like Kaima's voice.
But on closer listening… no, something was off.
Kaima Seth's voice, despite often using a masculine tone, was undeniably a mature, magnetic oneesan voice, while this startled cry wasn't that at all.
To be precise… it was way too young.
Like a little girl's scream.
Be it Kaima or not, at least Miles finally had a clear direction to go among his two choices.
Pushing open the half‑open stone door—he had to admit, even in a purely mental form, his own body had far more strength than Aisha's.
If he were using Aisha's body right now, he wouldn't even need to push the door; he could just squeeze through the gap.
He stepped inside. The first thing he saw was Kaima's distinctive silver‑white coat.
That sight alone let Miles breathe a little easier.
"You okay, Kaima? I thought I heard you yelling—"
Abruptly, the moment Miles focused his eyes, he froze. The words died in his throat.
Was this… Kaima Seth?
Probably.
But…
"Why are you so tiny!?"
Kaima, now a complete little loli, had shrunk by half… her height only reaching Miles's waist.
Her once resolute eyes were now clear and childlike, her cheeks softer and more adorable than her usual oneesan form.
Her clothes had shrunk with her, so nothing about the outfit looked strange.
Albeit the strangest thing of all… Kaima now looked about the same age as Princess Nova.
"Who are you!?"
Even in a child's body, her thoughts remained intact. From her youthful yet still commanding tone, Miles could tell.
"It's me, Kaima."
As Miles expected, Kaima—in her loli form—was still easy to identify; Meanwhile, Miles, in his original body, was nothing like the appearance she was used to.
"That tone of voice…? No way… Miles, is that you?"
Even trying to sound mature, she couldn't hide the instant sparkle of excitement in her eyes. In that tiny body, she was unbearably cute.
"Yeah, it's me—pffft~"
Normally, Miles didn't laugh. Unless he absolutely couldn't hold it in.
"Miles, you…!" The bright sparkle in Loli-Kaima's eyes at once chilled into icy coldness. "What's with that stupid little snort-laugh just now!?"
"N-nothing. I just thought of something funny."
"You were making fun of me, weren't you!?"
"…I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize! You're supposed to deny it!"
The tiny loli stomped her foot in frustration—only making her cuteness skyrocket.
"Don't get mad over something like that, Kaima. Right now, we need to understand the situation. Do you have any idea why you turned into this?"
Kaima shook her head.
"I was already like this the moment I opened my eyes. Anyway, Miles… you're not in Aisha's body either. Where'd you get that new body from?"
"Don't make it sound like I go around stealing people's bodies at random!"
At last, Miles could stand tall and proudly introduce himself.
"This is my own body!"
"Huh, your real body?"
The little loli looked up—way up. The massive height difference made Miles feel even more imposing from her perspective.
"Hmph. Not bad."
The faint blush on her soft, childish cheeks fully exposed Kaima's tsundere nature.
"I guess you're… passably handsome."
Perhaps the form truly influenced the mind—Loli-Kaima felt far less aloof and unreachable than her usual self.
In this form, in this strange situation, it was easier for her to express herself.
"We still don't know what's going on, but first let's get out of here."
After a careful look around, the room contained nothing except Loli-Kaima. The only exit was the stone door Miles had pushed open.
Which meant their correct path lay through the door at the end of the opposite corridor.
If this place were an RPG, then this room would be the treasure room rewarded for exploration.
And the treasure inside… was Loli-Kaima.
"Pffft~"
He couldn't hold it in.
"Miles, why are you laughing again!?"
"…I'm sorry."
"Stop apologizing so fast!!"
[Miles opened the treasure chest in the secret room.]
[Miles obtained: One tsundere little loli who uses a Blue-Eyes Deck.]
Feeling a strange sense of satisfaction, Miles turned toward the exit—
—but the only exit, the stone door he had pushed open earlier, suddenly slammed shut behind him.
A thunderous boom echoed. The room became a sealed chamber.
And within that sealed space, a crimson shadow formed out of nowhere, gathering before them.
"I will not allow you to take the god-slaying weapon!"
"That voice—!"
The crimson shape condensed into none other than the High Prelate of the Order Church.
His mask remained shattered from Ren's earlier kick, leaving him looking utterly disheveled.
Miles had no idea what had happened outside after he entered the obelisk tower—so the High Prelate had chased them in alone.
"Good thing I prepared a safeguard. That ignorant Saint! She'd sooner trust outsiders than her own faith!"
"Look at your twisted, disgusting face. Who would trust you?"
Even as a loli, Kaima's insults hit perfectly where it hurt. In fact, her tiny form only made the mockery harsher.
"Talk while you still can. Inside the obelisk tower—I can unleash my true power. This is where your lives end!"
The crimson shadow surged again, wrapping around the High Prelate. His holy white robes darkened red, and his shattered mask repaired itself.
[Dramaturge of Despia]
"Behold the form granted by the power of ancient civilization! Prepare to face judgment born of faith!"
From beneath the robe, the Spirit Eye on the Dramaturge's arm lit up in blood-red.
"A Duel? You must have a death wish!"
Miles and Loli-Kaima spoke in perfect unison.
With their confidence in dueling, neither would ever back down because of some mutated High Prelate.
Regardless, ideals were one thing—reality was another.
Miles instinctively reached toward his thigh, intending to open the deck box.
However, he didn't feel Aisha's soft, smooth thigh—because he wasn't in Aisha's body.
He was in his own.
"Right… I don't have a Deck."
His Spirit Eye still glowed—but no deck loaded into place.
He couldn't duel with only the God Cards in his pocket—they weren't even forty cards.
And Kaima's problem was even stranger.
"Where's my Spirit Eye!?"
Her tiny arm was quite bare—no Spirit Eye at all.
She pulled her Blue-Eyes Deck from her pocket… but had nowhere to load it.
"Hahahahahaha!" The Dramaturge threw his head back in manic laughter. "I thought you two would at least struggle a little, but you can't even start a Duel!? All my preparations were wasted!"
He kept laughing.
"This guy is getting more obnoxious by the second…"
Miles and Loli-Kaima exchanged a meaningful glance.
"I have a Spirit Eye… but no Deck!"
"I have a Deck… but no Spirit Eye!"
"Then, if we combine the two of us, don't we have everything!?"
Since this entire space was shaped by consciousness—even something like loli transformation had happened—then exchanging the Spirit Eye and Deck shouldn't be difficult.
The two reached out toward each other.
Kaima: "Give me your Spirit Eye!"
Miles: "Give me your Deck!"
Degree of coordination: 0
...
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