The final fate of both body and soul was obliteration—the price of defeat in a Shadow Game, the price of summoning two Wicked Gods at once, and the price of taking Ra's divine flames head-on. The threefold burden was too much to bear.
What remained after Miles's furious fire reduced him to ash was the end of the cultist Hros.
"An ending like this, only now does it count as 'beautiful,' Hros."
It was half of Kevin's vengeance avenged; at least, Miles had already collected the debt of grievous wounds on his behalf.
Ra's flames incinerated everything. The only thing left unburned was the card of [The Wicked Dreadroot].
Still carrying a trace of heat, the card drifted from the flames and fell into Miles's hand.
The Wicked Dreadroot felt no different from The Wicked Eraser.
To wield the Wicked Gods in a duel, one had to pay the price with one's soul.
Win, and you take your opponent's soul. Lose, and you forfeit your own.
Rather than a double-edged sword, it was closer to a death pact.
Yet beneath the Wicked God card that drifted into Miles's hand lay another tradable card.
Besides the single card from victory in a Shadow Game, when a Duelist perished, a card representing their dueling career would also be left behind.
And the card that represented Hros's dueling life was—
The Continuous Trap Card [Call of the Haunted].
"How fitting for you, this card." Miles sneered quietly, though he still collected it all the same.
As the Shadow Game dispersed, the abyssal barrier sealing the streets also vanished.
With Hros, the obstacle in the path eliminated, the next target was the Pope of the Old Dominators—the cult leader who held an almost invincible Wicked God, the culprit who had defeated Kevin.
"Roooar—!"
Almost at the same moment this Shadow Game dissolved, the roar of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon shook the night sky.
"The duel's already begun, huh? Which means I didn't make it in time."
The effect of that black sphere was far too bizarre. Intending to stop Kaima's duel, Miles had hurried to finish off Hros.
But unexpectedly, Kaima's pace was just as fast. The moment Miles finished here, her duel was already underway.
The cathedral bell tower was the tallest building in the entire Academy town. A duel fought there could be clearly seen just by looking up—like a live broadcast to the entire town.
In the night sky, the shining wings of the Blue-Eyes spread brilliant white light as it faced off against the black sphere that had been hanging overhead all this time.
Then the next moment, a transformation stunned everyone. The black sphere, like a pitch-dark sun, began writhing and reshaping, sprouting wings and draconic claws from within.
Aisha yelled, "What is that?!"
The final form of the black sphere's change was also a Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
Or, more precisely, a Blue-Eyes White Dragon entirely black in color.
Though its form had changed, its core stayed that same pitch-black sun.
Immediately after, the original Blue-Eyes and the transformed black Blue-Eyes clashed in the sky with a volley of 'Burst Stream of Destruction'—and it was the original Blue-Eyes that fell in defeat.
Seeing Kaima crushed, Miles ground his teeth. "As expected… with that Wicked God's effect, there's no way Kaima can win."
Even if he couldn't make it in time to stop the duel, he couldn't just sit idly by.
For the second time, Miles drew the Stardust Dragon card, whose first attempt at flight Hros had stopped.
"I'm counting on you, Stardust."
Now that he knew Stardust's true form, rather than calling her "Astar," it felt more natural to simply call her "Stardust."
"Looks like that's impossible, Miles."
Stardust's cautious voice echoed in his mind.
"Malice is gathering. If you leave now, won't that be dangerous?"
"Malice? Don't tell me more cultists!"
Before he could finish speaking, several cultists bearing the same Old Dominators crest on their chests stepped into the street where the abyssal barrier had just dispersed.
They looked as if they had been waiting outside all along, and the Spirit Eyes on their arms glowed ominous black.
"If you leave now, won't Kevin be in danger?"
Other than Miles, the strongest fighter was Irena, but she was currently occupied.
If Miles left, the only ones left to duel would be Ren and Nova.
And in the face of cultists, Nova—already reduced to tears in fear—could hardly be counted as fighting strength.
"I can fight too!"
With resolve shining in her heart, the little princess Nova wiped away her tears and raised her glowing Spirit Eyes high.
"Nova?"
"Even if you're my knight, Miles, I can't always rely on you. Kaima's in danger, right? Then I have to fight too."
With the strength of Nova's deck, if she had the determination, ordinary cultists might really not be able to overcome her.
"And me too, Miles. To guard those I must protect—that's my duel!" Ren said, nose stinging, standing at his side. "And I'm not some useless woman…"
"Sorry, Ren. Maybe I went too far with my words back then. You're not useless at all."
Miles realized that his earlier outburst, driven by anger, had spilled out things he usually kept to himself, and now he felt guilty toward Ren, who always openly expressed her affection for him.
"It's fine, Miles. I didn't mind, really. I only almost thought… maybe you hated me."
'...If you really didn't mind, then why the choked sobs from holding back tears?'
But no. Even if Nova and Ren stood ready to duel, faced with so many cultists, Miles still couldn't rest easy leaving them.
"I caught the scent of a rat, so I came to look. Didn't expect things to be this bad, though."
From the far side of the street came a familiar voice, drawing everyone's eyes in relief.
"That's… Miss Erin?"
Erin Rockefeller—the homeroom teacher of Aisha's year, one of the three duel instructors at Fusion Academy, alongside Professor Field.
Cigarette dangling from her lips, Miss Erin all but ignored the surrounding cultists as she strode up to Miles and the others, then noticed Kevin's gravely wounded, unconscious state.
Exhaling a plume of smoke, Miss Erin pointed the glowing tip of her cigarette toward the cultists.
"They did this?"
"Ugh! That stench of booze—Miss Erin! Are you sure you're okay like this, teacher?"
Compared to Irena's flavored drinks, the reek of real alcohol mixed with secondhand smoke made Ren's scalp prickle.
"Even after work, am I still supposed to be restrained? Please. After a long day, a drink at the tavern is my last utopia."
Miss Erin's well-known habits: smoking, drinking… and yes, her long brown hair was curled beautifully.
Aside from the smoking and drinking, she truly was a good teacher.
In any case, now, Erin Rockefeller tossed away her half-smoked cigarette and crushed it underfoot.
In its place, the Spirit Eyes on her arm blazed brilliantly.
"A duel, huh? I alone am more than enough to take all of you!"
"What did you say?"
The cultists exchanged looks. To them, this was nothing but blatant provocation.
"You think you can fight us all and walk away alive?"
"Don't get the wrong idea."
As the light of card spirit materialization flashed, a blonde girl wielding a short staff appeared at Erin's side.
Then came the Fusion magic emblematic of Fusion Academy—though even more advanced, her deck's exclusive Fusion: [Shaddoll Fusion]!
In a single instant, the Fusion completed. Countless puppet strings of razor-sharp steel wire filled the cultists' surroundings, binding them immobile.
[El Shaddoll Construct]
"The ones who won't be leaving are you. You dare lay a hand on my students? You'd better start praying to your god now!"
Miles couldn't help but admire, "Such a powerful monster… so this is Miss Erin's Fusion?"
The strength of the Shaddolls, like the Albaz that Ecclesia had used earlier in the mountain, held a solid place among top-tier decks.
As expected, anyone capable of being a Fusion Academy instructor was no simple figure.
Even if she usually acted laid-back, notorious for her bad habits, and still unmarried at nearly thirty, Miss Erin's strength was not to be underestimated.
"Aisha Carlos."
Having restrained all the cultists singlehandedly, Miss Erin's gaze turned to the battle between the Blue-Eyes and the black sphere above.
"Right now, you have something you must do. Don't worry about Kevin and the others—leave this place to me."
It was indeed reassuring. With a powerhouse like Miss Erin wielding a Shaddoll deck stepping in, Miles had no worries about these cultist small fry stirring up any further trouble.
The real threat remained the Old Dominators' leader—that black sphere with no visible weakness.
If they couldn't find a way to destroy the last Wicked God, then just as Hros had said, the entire town would be dragged into the abyss by the pitch-black sun.
"Ren, Nova, stay here and assist Miss Erin. I'll go over there alone."
The battlefield of gods was no place for ordinary people. After watching Ra and The Wicked Dreadroot clash, even Ren understood this.
In her current state, she would only drag Miles down if she went.
"Fly, Stardust Dragon!"
For the third time, Miles drew Stardust Dragon's card—and at last succeeded in summoning his new steed, replacing Mokey Mokey as his personal mount.
"Miles!"
Watching his back astride Stardust Dragon, Ren suddenly felt a wave of unease and couldn't help but call out.
"Hm?"
"Can you win, Miles?"
"..."
After a brief silence, Miles gave only one word.
"Yes."
And with that, he spurred Stardust toward the pitch-black sun hanging in the sky.
'...Sorry, Ren. Just this once, I lied.'
...
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