"If you want to fight, come on! I'm not afraid of you, Imperial bastards!"
The red-haired boy, Ace, had already activated his Duel Disk. The raw fighting spirit radiating from him made it clear; he was ready to go all out.
Cook, the black-haired man, glared back with fire dancing in his eyes. Just as he was about to make his move, an overwhelming pressure surged from within Saint Fusion Academy's gates. At the same time, a calm yet chilling male voice rang out.
"Guests from afar should be treated with courtesy. If you wish to duel, you may do so later. There's no need to rush now, is there?"
That commanding voice carried the authority of a ruler. The students from both Starlink Academy and Imperial Academy turned toward the source.
Before their eyes stood a massive bat-like beastman clad in dark armor adorned with countless violet orbs and three pairs of wide demonic wings. Atop its head stood a man in a purple academy uniform, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and gazing down coldly upon them.
[Gladiator Beast Nerokius] Level 8│DARK│Winged Beast│2800 ATK
"Gladiator Beast Nerokius!" Arella instantly recognized the bat-like spirit. She glared at the man and snapped, "Regis Crowley! Are you threatening us?"
"Of course not."
Regis leapt down from Nerokius's head and landed firmly, his tone polite but sharp.
"I'm merely advising you. After all, you stand before Saint Fusion Academy's gates—on the soil of the Bredt Kingdom. I expect our guests to follow our academy's rules. You may duel if you wish, but not in front of the gates. If your battle damages the Academy's entrance, you won't be able to afford the consequences."
"Heh." Ace snorted mockingly. "What, is your gate so fragile it'll break from a little tap?" He raised his hand, clearly intent on testing it.
A white-haired girl beside him quickly intervened. "Ace! Don't say things like that about someone else's academy!"
Yet, the hot-blooded boy ignored her, stepping forward—only for a blinding flash of white light to erupt before he could touch the gate. Three bursts of magic—one of light, one of black lightning, and one of searing black flame—shot straight toward him.
Sensing the danger instantly, Ace shouted, "Red Dragon Archfiend!!"
"ROAR!!"
[Red Dragon Archfiend] Level 8│DARK│Dragon│3000 ATK
The demonic dragon appeared overhead, spewing hellfire to intercept the attacks—even so, that mighty flame wasn't enough. The barrage, though reduced in power, broke through Red Dragon Archfiend's assault and kept advancing.
Seeing this, Arella, vice president of Starlink Academy, couldn't sit still. She waved her hand and called, "Windwitch – Winter Bell, help Red Dragon Archfiend!!"
[Windwitch – Winter Bell] Level 7│WIND│Spellcaster│2400 ATK
A streak of icy-blue light burst from her, transforming into a strange, graceful spirit. Its upper body resembled a soaring swallow, its lower half a gleaming crystal blade, joined by a shattered silver bell at its center.
Windwitch – Winter Bell swung her blade in a flash of light, slicing apart the remaining attacks before they could reach Red Dragon Archfiend.
Ace's face turned red with frustration. Just as he was about to shout at Regis in anger, his white-haired childhood friend finally lost patience and smacked him hard on the head.
"Ow!!"
Ace crouched down, clutching his skull. The blow felt like it had cracked it open.
"I told you not to be so reckless! Why don't you ever listen!?" The white-haired girl scolded him angrily, then turned to Regis and bowed. "I apologize for his behavior. He's a bit hot-headed. As his friend, I'll take responsibility and apologize on his behalf."
"Apologizing for him, huh? Smart girl." Regis chuckled softly, then turned to Arella and Cook. "Well then, you two—do your students still intend to fight here? I'll remind you, what you just saw was only one percent of the gate's defensive array. If you really start something here, the gate will register you as enemies. I can't guarantee how many of you would survive that."
At his words, both groups of students glanced nervously at the massive doors, adorned with three imposing spirit statues.
After a brief silence, Cook, leader of the Imperial Academy delegation, retracted his Duel Disk and his spirit, then smirked. "Vice President Regis, those three spirit statues… are they the Bredt Kingdom's legendary guardians? Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Dark Magician, and Red-Eyes Black Dragon, correct?"
"Indeed."
Regis's eyes glimmered with pride as he looked toward the statues. "These three are the Guardian Spirits of the Bredt Kingdom—[Blue-Eyes White Dragon], [Dark Magician], and [Red-Eyes Black Dragon]. Each of them possesses power enough to challenge the gods themselves."
"Incredible." Cook nodded, admiring the gate. "For the statues to hold power rivaling the original spirits themselves… truly worthy of the first Great Sage, Lord Aleister, who founded this academy. To think even the gate's defensive array holds such might… we're honored to witness it firsthand."
Regis smiled a bit at the compliment. "Well then, since you've come such a long way, the Academy has prepared a fine lunch, and the Headmaster is awaiting your arrival. Please, come this way."
"Then we thank Saint Fusion Academy for its hospitality." Cook nodded, then turned to his group. "Everyone, follow the Saint Fusion Academy staff and don't fall behind!"
"Yes, President!!" ×14
With that, the Imperial Academy delegation followed Regis and his group into Saint Fusion Academy. The Starlink students, however, looked a bit uneasy. One turned to Arella and asked, "Vice President, what should we do?"
Arella's face flickered with hesitation, but she eventually sighed. "Follow them—and for now, don't cause trouble! If you want to fight the Imperial Academy, save it for later."
"Yes, Vice President!!" ×14
"Can't you people just call me President for once!?"
Up ahead, Alicia glanced back at the two visiting groups and sighed softly. "Something tells me the days ahead are going to be… complicated."
...
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