The Emperor of the Empire was defeated. Miles had finally settled the score of that previous loss.
An ending that no one present could believe… Quaedes Soroya, hailed as the strongest Emperor in the history of the Varian Empire, had lost the duel.
And she had lost to a second-year student still enrolled in Duel Academy.
Of course, as the only 'living' Royal Knight of Livorden, this student could hardly be measured by ordinary standards.
Even so, the outcome still felt like a dream.
Even the people of Livorden, though they had planned before the banquet to use the power of the God Cards to stop Emperor Quaedes… when Quaedes revealed that unfathomable, exaggerated strength, many of them had secretly felt a trace of hesitation.
To stop the strongest Emperor through a duel… such a thought seemed unrealistic.
Yet that very "unrealistic" dream had been realized by Miles. Throwing out every chip he could use, holding nothing back, he smashed them all against Emperor Quaedes and seized victory at the very end.
The strongest.
Having defeated the strongest Emperor of the Spirit Continent, as a Duelist, he was now worthy of the title "strongest."
Standing in place, Miles stared at his fingers and gently clenched Aisha's fist.
At the start of this duel, what he had in mind was indeed only to avenge that arrow of defeat against Quaedes.
But when he truly claimed victory, it felt as though he had also fulfilled the goal he had pursued since long ago: his very first objective.
Emperor Quaedes was publicly acknowledged as the strongest Duelist on the Spirit Continent.
Then by defeating Quaedes, didn't that mean—
"Duel King…"
The original goal he had set when crossing into this world: to stand at the peak of the Spirit Continent and become the strongest Duelist: the Duel King.
Thinking of it that way, after defeating Quaedes, it seemed that the goal had already been achieved.
Yet before Miles could shift his thoughts and feel joy at completing his life's objective, what struck his body and soul first was an overwhelming sense of exhaustion.
It was as though the mental strength he used as a Duelist to summon monsters was being drained away.
The National Transmutation Array.
The grand magical formation that covered the entire imperial capital, just as Viel had said—so long as a duel took place, regardless of victory or defeat, it would absorb the Duelists' mental power.
Before Aisha, the two Duelists who had faced Quaedes—the Sword Saint and the Spear God—had both collapsed into unconsciousness from overexertion because of the array.
As for just how indiscriminate this sacrificial formation to the God of Destruction truly was—
Kneeling on one knee, Quaedes showed a pained expression.
Even the Emperor herself could not avoid the absorption of the National Transmutation Array.
Not to mention that Quaedes had already won two duels earlier—meaning she had been drained twice before.
The only reason she had not noticed anything abnormal was that the young Empress's reserves of mental power were simply terrifying.
If she had not lost to Miles in such an intense duel, with Quaedes's immense spiritual power, she might have been able to continue dueling several more rounds even within the array.
Miles looked seriously at the pained Quaedes before him. "No one would be ruthless enough to sacrifice even themselves, right?"
At least for now, events were unfolding exactly as Viel and Alester had predicted.
If Quaedes had known about the National Transmutation Array, she would never have arrogantly declared that she would accept challenges from everyone present; such a reckless move that harmed both enemy and ally alike.
There was only one reason she would do that.
Emperor Quaedes knew nothing.
"What exactly is going on, Mr. Miles?"
Aisha, who could likewise feel her soul's strength draining away, looked utterly confused.
"The process is complicated. Let me summarize it simply. From the very beginning, the one who planned to summon Numerounius tonight was never Emperor Quaedes."
After Miles had been captured for fear that Prince Zepha Soroya's plan would be exposed, he had not dared to directly question Quaedes about the summoning of Numerounius.
Instead, that had become his own blind spot.
Or perhaps, if one thought in reverse… even Miles falling into that blind spot had been deliberately planned by someone.
If so, then the one capable of such a plan—
Clap. Clap. Clap.
As if precisely timed to reveal the truth at this very moment, applause rang out inappropriately through the hall.
"Well done indeed, Aisha Carlos. No, I should say Aisha Carlos and Miles. You two did splendidly."
Applauding as he stepped out from the crowd, Prince Zepha Soroya approached with his ever-narrowed smiling eyes.
"Though I didn't have much hope at first, I didn't expect you to actually win. You truly stopped my willful, arrogant, self-centered, infuriating little sister who never once put her elder brother in her eyes."
As he described his sister, Zepha Soroya's handsome features gradually twisted under some complicated emotion.
"The greatest obstacle has disappeared just like that."
Walking up to Quaedes, who knelt on one knee from exhaustion, Zepha crouched down and lifted his younger sister's chin with his finger.
"It's that face. Every time I see that expression of yours that seems to look down on everyone, it irritates me beyond measure."
"Zepha, you…!"
"Heh. I remember now. You've always been like this, never even willing to call me 'elder brother.' But that's only natural. This is the Varian Empire, where strength is revered above all. And you… are stronger than anyone, Quaedes."
It looked like a simple quarrel between siblings; however, it was far more than that.
If one thought about it carefully, Zepha was the eldest son of the royal family in a nation that worshipped strength, yet he had a younger sister whose power crushed his own.
His childhood must have been utterly miserable.
Miles could even sense that Zepha's distorted expression in that moment was the result of years of accumulated resentment—unexpected, yet entirely understandable.
"Watch your tone when you speak to me, Zepha! Do you think I am powerless just because I am in this state?"
Quaedes's ice-blue eyes glared at her brother, whose personality and expression had fully warped.
Though it was a forced display of bravado, Quaedes still believed that even with only a sliver of strength remaining, it would be enough to deal with Zepha.
"How frightening, how frightening~ A cornered dog may still bite. With you, it's possible, I suppose."
Retracting his finger from her chin, Zepha stood once more.
"But Quaedes, your glory as the strongest ends today. From now on, I will be the strongest! I will use the power of the God of Destruction to trample you beneath my feet."
As Zepha spoke arrogantly, the National Transmutation Array covering the entire imperial capital began to tremble wildly.
"For your great body, I offer the souls of all Duelists! Descend here—ultimate Number card, No.1000!"
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