"Mhm! So I'm… a woman who gets in the way?"
Unable to intervene once the Spirit Eyes locked the duel in place, Ren withdrew with a crestfallen look.
"Ren, that's on you this time."
Irena continued trying to treat Kevin. Even if the effect was minimal, at least the bleeding from his torn wounds slowed.
Even as she persisted with healing magic, she still found time to instruct Ren as a senior.
"I don't think Miles meant it that way on purpose. Either way, this duel isn't something we should step into."
"Why, Irena‑senpai?"
"Because it concerns the dignity of a dear friend—this is a battle Miles has to resolve with his own hands. And it's a duel between gods."
Without a God Card, stepping into a Shadow Game between gods would, at best, hold him back—and the true damage unleashed by God Cards could even cost one's life.
"Mr. Miles… may I say something?"
"Mm?"
"Smash him!"
"Mm!"
[Miles, LP: 4000]
[Hros, LP: 4000]
"Duel—!"
In the abyss‑shrouded street, the cultist's Shadow Game began, and Hros's Spirit Eyes flashed first.
"Gahahahaha. I'll begin—draw!"
With a warped grin, Hros drew from the Spirit Eyes' Deck and scanned his opening six cards.
"I Normal Summon in Defense Position—Phantom Skyblaster!"
[Phantom Skyblaster] Level 4│DARK│Fiend/Effect│1100 ATK / 800 DEF
A fiend with cannons on its back spread devilish wings in the Shadow Game and descended onto Hros's field.
Upon landing, the lone Fiend—Phantom Skyblaster—seemed to split like mitosis into two.
"On the successful Summon of [Phantom Skyblaster], its effect activates."
[When this card is Normal or Flip Summoned: Special Summon a number of "Skyblaster Tokens" (Fiend/DARK/Level 4/ATK 500/DEF 500) up to the number of monsters you control.]
"[Phantom Skyblaster] counts itself. Since I control 1 monster, I Special Summon 1 [Skyblaster Token] in Defense Position."
[Skyblaster Token, 500 DEF]
After setting up two monsters on his first turn, Hros slammed three cards into his back row.
"I Set three cards. Turn end."
Turn passed. The Shadow Duel's second turn belonged to Miles.
"My turn, draw!"
Scanning his six‑card opener, a normal person would have been blinded by rage—however, in moments like this, Miles only grew calmer.
Rage that must crush the opponent's will—that was what took the reins.
"I Normal Summon in Attack Position—[King's Knight]!"
[King's Knight] Level 4│LIGHT│Warrior/Effect│1600 ATK / 1400 DEF
Clad in golden armor—the KING of playing cards—King's Knight appeared, summoned first for once.
Proper poker‑knight sequencing would be to Summon [Queen's Knight], then [King's Knight], to trigger the Special Summon of [Jack's Knight] from the Deck.
Anyhow, this time, Miles had no intention of leisurely assembling the trio.
He would go all‑in on turn one!
He slammed a Spell to the ground.
"Straight to a full assault—Arcana! Spell Card [Face Card Fusion], activate!"
[Fusion Summon 1 LIGHT Warrior Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using monsters from your hand or field as material. If you control "Queen's Knight", "Jack's Knight", or "King's Knight", you can also use up to 1 monster from your Deck as material.]
"With [King's Knight] on my field, Face Card Fusion lets me use 1 monster from my Deck as Fusion Material!"
Three beams of Arcana light shot forth—from the field, the hand, and the Deck—converging into a single point in the heavens.
"I fuse [King's Knight] on the field, [Jack's Knight] from my hand, and [Queen's Knight] from the Deck! Ascend to the highest seat of the Arcana—Fusion Summon [Arcana Knight Joker]!"
[Arcana Knight Joker] Level 9│LIGHT│Warrior/Fusion/Effect│3800 ATK / 2500 DEF
The strongest Arcana knight, clad in black armor, descended in Miles's first turn, blades dancing within the darkness of the Shadow Game.
"Cut down his monsters—Arcana Knight Joker!"
Declaring the Battle Phase on his going‑second turn, Miles's opening blitz—combined with the Quick‑Play [De‑Fusion] still in hand—could replicate Kaima's Blue‑Eyes OTK lines with a poker‑knight twist.
"—Arcana Cross Slash!"
Overlapping blades of light carved through the dark, hurtling at [Phantom Skyblaster].
If this blow landed, Miles would immediately chain [De‑Fusion] to unleash the trio's follow‑up attacks.
"—Trap Card, [Hallowed Life Barrier], activate!"
Albeit Hros had come prepared.
[Hallowed Life Barrier – Trap: Discard 1 card; this turn, your monsters cannot be destroyed by battle, and all damage you take becomes 0.]
At the cost of 1 card, a barrier rose to block Arcana Knight's cross‑slash.
With his Trap active, his monsters couldn't be destroyed and he'd take no damage—shutting the door on an OTK.
"Fusion, fusion—gahahahaha! Is that all?"
Sneering from behind the barrier, Hros laughed wildly.
"So those six cards were your entire salvo." Miles murmured.
"I Set 3 cards. Turn end!"
Having spent three to Fuse, Miles then Set three more at the end of his turn.
Six cards, going second—an all‑in from the start.
"Oh?"
Perhaps cowed by that shove, Hros's grin faded as he lost Hallowed Life Barrier's protection.
"A swift battle, then? I told you—I won't let you interfere with the rite. The abyss falls tonight. You either stay or die here. My turn—draw!"
At the start of his Main Phase, Hros announced [Phantom Skyblaster]'s effect.
[During your Standby Phase: Inflict 300 damage to your opponent for each "Skyblaster" monster you control. Monsters you control cannot declare an attack the turn you activate this effect.]
"I control [Phantom Skyblaster] and a [Skyblaster Token]—2 'Skyblaster' monsters. You take 2 × 300 = 600 damage!"
The cannons roared twice in the darkness, blasting into Aisha's slender frame.
[Miles, LP: 4000 → 3400]
After the volley, Hros glanced at his draw and slapped down a card.
"Spell Card [Pot of Greed], activate. I draw 2 more."
With a second‑turn Greed, his hand rose from 2 to 3, with two unknown Sets behind.
"Gahahaha—now this is interesting. I Normal Summon in Attack Position—[Fusion Devourer]!"
[Fusion Devourer] Level 4│DARK│Fiend/Effect│1400 ATK / 1200 DEF
If there's a monster that shreds sanity on sight, [Fusion Devourer] is one of them—countless heads writhing from a single gaping maw.
"Battle!"
The moment it hit the field, Hros charged it at Arcana Knight Joker.
The attack gap was obvious—however, the target was a Fusion Monster.
Hros smirked. "When [Fusion Devourer] battles a Fusion Monster, that monster's ATK becomes 0!"
Tailor‑made to slay Fusion Monsters—even Blue‑Eyes Ultimate would fall to it.
"Crap—what a dirty card!" Ren tensed up for Miles.
If her HEROes ran into it, whether Masked or Elemental, it'd be a nightmare.
"I activate a Set card!"
As the gaping maw lunged, Miles flipped a card he'd Set last turn.
"—Quick‑Play Spell [De‑Fusion]! I de‑fuse [Arcana Knight Joker] on my field!"
The supreme Arcana Knight split into three—three blades embedding in the ground as the trio emerged.
[King's Knight, 1600 ATK]
[Queen's Knight, 1500 ATK]
[Jack's Knight, 1900 ATK]
Even if it devours Fusions, [Fusion Devourer] has only 1400 ATK—lower than even Queen's Knight.
"If you thought anti‑Fusion tech would beat me, you targeted the wrong guy."
The Old Dominators might counter any Fusion user at Fusion Academy—nonetheless, not Miles, who bore three Summon methods.
"Gahahaha—so you de‑fused. Then fall into true terror!"
His laugh twisted further. Fingers like dead twigs pried up a Set card.
In an instant, the night street became a real abyss—the door of hell's fear cracking open, pouring into the world.
"—Continuous Trap [Call of the Haunted], activate!"
[Target 1 monster in your GY; Special Summon it in Attack Position. When this card leaves the field, destroy that monster. When that monster is destroyed, destroy this card.]
A Trap Card that can revive a monster from the Graveyard in Attack Position.
Nevertheless, after two turns of battle, Hros of the Old Dominators had not lost a single monster.
Whatever lurked in his Graveyard could only be something he had deliberately discarded.
The card he'd thrown away as the cost for [Hallowed Life Barrier].
"The Wicked God of Fear shall descend now!"
From his Graveyard, he pulled the only Monster Card—and sure enough, it was the Wicked God he had revealed for an instant before the duel began.
"Bring forth the ultimate terror from the abyss to this land—Special Summon! [The Wicked Dreadroot]!"
[The Wicked Dreadroot] Level 10│DIVINE│Divine-Beast/Effect│4000 ATK / 4000 DEF
From the yawning gates of hell's abyss, a colossal body emerged—towering over every building on the street.
With grotesquely long arms, its frame clad in pallid bone, the Wicked God of Fear had arrived not through three Tributes, but by Special Summon—its Attack and Defense set at 4000.
"A Wicked God? How terrifying!"
Nova clung to Ren, trembling uncontrollably with primal fear.
And she was hardly alone. The moment the Dreadroot descended, the waves of terror it radiated pierced straight into every Duelist's soul.
Even Irena, still casting healing spells on Kevin, shook as her hand gripped her wand.
The god's power burst through the abyssal barrier cloaking the street. Its skeletal form loomed over the city center, spreading fear across the entire town.
"Tremble, cower, weep! All of it becomes fuel for KAMI's power!"
Only Hros, enraptured by his god, stood unfazed—his madness merging with the terror.
"Before [The Wicked Dreadroot], all monsters will be swallowed in fear! This is its effect!"
[While this card is in the Monster Zone: halve the ATK and DEF of all monsters on the field, except this card.]
Aisha gasped. "Even the Court of Cards—Duel Monsters themselves can feel fear?"
Under Dreadroot's aura, the Poker Knights faltered, their Attack and Defense halved.
Against a god with 4000 Attack that cut its foes in half, you would need over 8000 Attack to overcome it.
"Too late for regrets. Now you'll die at the hands of [The Wicked Dreadroot]!"
In the Battle Phase, its massive form raised a bone-clad fist. Just one blow would shatter the Poker Knights and crush Miles's Life Points.
And in a Shadow Game where battle damage was real, a direct strike from a Wicked God would obliterate both body and soul.
"Die—'Dreadroot Smash!!'"
The god's fist, tearing open the very dimension, crashed down on Queen's Knight.
"A Wicked God of fear from the abyss, is it? Then—"
With the attack descending, Miles's eyes fixed on the broken form of Kevin Seth.
"I'll use that card now, Kevin! As my rival, I wish you could open your eyes to see this—the divine wrath that cuts through all fear!"
Miles flipped a Set card.
In that instant, divine lightning, fire, and fury fell upon the battlefield.
The heavens shifted, thunderclouds roared—special effects fit for a god's entrance. A true Egyptian God rose above the Wicked God.
"Quick-Play Spell [Thunderspeed Summon], activate!"
The golden glow of an A-rank Spell shone—the very card Miles had forged after his fated duel with Kevin today.
Practical Test reward: 400 Skill Credits.
Kevin, the "boss," had accumulated his treasure chest for half a year—its contents even greater than before.
One duel, one A-rank Spell.
With just an hour between duels, Miles had rushed to craft it.
That anticipation after battle became the chance for his God to descend at godspeed—in his opponent's turn.
[During the Main Phase or Battle Phase: Normal Summon 1 Level 10 monster. If you control "Queen's Knight", "King's Knight", and "Jack's Knight", apply this effect instead.
Add 1 Level 10 non-DARK monster with ? ATK from your Deck to your hand, then, you can Normal Summon 1 Level 10 monster.]
"With all three Poker Knights on my field, [Thunderspeed Summon] lets me add a Level 10 monster with ? ATK from my Deck to my hand!"
He drew forth a card wreathed in divine flame—fire surged outward, forming a column that roared into the sky, meeting the thunderclouds above.
"I add [The Winged Dragon of Ra]! Then, I Tribute my three Knights to Normal Summon it!"
Within the godfire, the three Knights—long known as 'Tribute Soldiers'—fulfilled their true role, bringing forth a god.
"Spirit sings, primal force rules all! Its life, its soul, even its bones! When sky and earth meet, the sun shall shine, banishing darkness! Descend—The Winged Dragon of Ra!"
[The Winged Dragon of Ra] Level 10│DIVINE│Divine-Beast/Effect│? ATK / ? DEF
Opposite the Wicked God stood its counterpart, an Egyptian God. Burning wings spread as the true sun illuminated the night sky, driving out fear.
Let there be light!
Miles declared: "The Winged Dragon of Ra's Attack equals the total Attack of its Tributes! Combine the power of the three Knights—Ra, shine!"
1500 + 1600 + 1900 = 5000!
[The Winged Dragon of Ra, ATK: ? → 5000]
"Ra… a god on par with ours?!"
Hros looked up in awe as the blazing sun faced the black sun atop the tower—two supreme divinities clashing from afar.
"I won't let you interrupt my god's descent. Even Ra must bow to [The Wicked Dreadroot], which halves all other monsters' strength!"
God Cards are unaffected by monsters of lower rank—but Dreadroot, like Ra, was Level 10.
"Even Ra must fall into the abyss of fear. With its Attack halved, Dreadroot still stands stronger!"
[Ra, ATK: 5000 → 2500]
"Then what about this!" Miles raised his arm, shouting, "The Winged Dragon of Ra—effect, activate!"
[During either player's turn: Pay Life Points until you have 1 left; this card gains ATK and DEF equal to the amount paid.]
[Miles, LP: 3400 → 1]
"Burn your soul to the limit! The wrath of the Sun God is the same fury I'll use to crush you now, Hros!"
By sacrificing all his Life Points, Miles linked his soul with the divine, once again entering the godlike state he had reached in the final duel of the capital.
In the Shadow Game, his burning form wreathed in Ra's flames, Aisha's short white hair shimmered into radiant gold, like the Winged Dragon itself.
The Poker Knights' combined strength, plus Miles's sacrificed Life Points, sent Ra's Attack surging to 5000 + 3399 = 8399.
By rule, the Wicked Dreadroot's halving aura applied last, after all boosts. Even so, Ra's blazing sun still stood at 8399 ÷ 2 = 4200 Attack! (Rounded up.)
It surpassed the 4000 Attack of [The Wicked Dreadroot].
"The Wicked Dreadroot… surpassed?!" Hros's eyes shook with disbelief. "I end this Battle Phase!"
In Main Phase 2, he glanced at the two cards left in his hand.
"You gave everything to outmatch the Wicked God. Then I, too, must wager it all!"
One of the Old Dominators' highest leaders, High Prelate Hros, split his very soul in half under his god's command.
"With all my soul as tribute—Spell Card [Double Summon]!"
[This turn you can conduct 2 Normal Summons.]
Gaining an extra summon, Hros's twisted face grinned as he raised his final card.
"That card?" Irena's eyes widened. She had not expected this.
"I Tribute [Fusion Devourer], [Phantom Skyblaster], and a [Skyblaster Token] to Normal Summon a second [The Wicked Dreadroot]!"
Two Wicked Gods in one duel.
Miles knew: Wicked Gods weren't unique. So long as zealots sacrificed their souls, they could wield their power.
Although two in a single duel—that was a first.
If the cost was unchanged, Hros's soul had been torn into two pieces.
He was dancing on the brink of self-destruction.
[The Wicked Dreadroot, 4000 ATK]
The second bone-clad giant emerged. Its overlapping aura of terror doubled the suppression—halving again, reducing foes to a quarter.
[While this card is in the Monster Zone: halve the ATK and DEF of all other monsters.]
The Wicked Gods themselves, sharing the same name, remained unaffected.
[Ra, ATK: 4200 → 2100]
Two massive arms reached skyward as if to pull the sun itself from the heavens. The scene was grotesque.
Everyone in the city watching broke into cold sweat. If that sun vanished, darkness would swallow everything.
"My turn ends!"
Twisted in body and mind, Hros was no longer in control—just a vessel for the gods of terror.
With Ra about to be seized by both Dreadroots, Ren, Nova, and Irena turned to Miles.
"Miles!"
"Don't lose!"
"Go, Miles!"
"Light will not fade to fear!" Miles drew. "Just as my fury to crush you won't vanish with your self-destruction!"
He didn't need the draw. From turn one, the puzzle for victory was already set. As Ra was about to be dragged down, Miles flipped his last Set card.
"Gods ignore monsters of lower rank! Then let this blazing sun evolve beyond twin terrors! Quick-Play Spell [Star Changer]—activate!"
[Choose 1 face-up monster; increase or decrease its Level by 1.]
Originally, Miles had teched this card to adjust Synchro levels for [Stardust Dragon].
Anyhow, now, under dual Wicked Gods, it became the key to Ra's evolution.
"I raise Ra's Level by 1!"
[Ra, Level 10 → Level 11]
That single star changed everything.
"Soar to the skies—Ra!"
Ra's blazing fire spread from wings to body, breaking through the twin abysses.
The 11-star Winged Dragon shed the hands of terror and rose, trailing the path of the sun.
"With Level 11, Ra is beyond the reach of the 10-star Dreadroots. Its Attack restores to full!"
[Ra, ATK: 2100 → 8399]
With divine authority crushing both Wicked Gods, Ra's flames took the form of a phoenix.
"Ra's Attack—8399!"
Even as his soul tore, one last flicker of sanity let Hros gaze up at the mightiest god. He had once scoffed at Yogg-Toth's schemes to seal Ra.
Regardless, now, faced with Ra's true power, he realized he was the fool. No ordinary god could oppose a higher god.
"No, it's not foolishness. Hros—there's only one reason you lost!"
Miles thrust his arm downward, guiding Ra's strike.
"You lost because you angered me!"
"—God Blaze Cannon!!!"
With 8399 Attack, Ra unleashed a blazing blast that ripped through heaven and earth, annihilating the Wicked Gods.
"Guuaaahhhhhh!"
[Hros, LP: 4000 → 0]
The God's wrath, lethal in the Shadow Game, burned Hros's body to ash.
His scream faded as his soul was consumed. Just as Miles had vowed—
"I'll wipe you out until nothing remains, Hros!"
...
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