"To kill the creator of Duel Cards… now that is a sin not just anyone can bear," Aleister murmured. "No matter what your other half has done, you have brought great kindness to this world—one could even say a monumental kindness.
"Because of that, fate favors you. Whoever kills you will suffer the backlash of this world's power of destiny.
"A backlash from the world's fate… even I cannot guarantee I would survive it. And if I were to die, the chaos that would follow is beyond imagination."
"As for Aluber, your other half… he has been acknowledged by the world as part of you. And because of that, he, too, is protected by this world's fate. Even though the number of people who have died because of him is too great to count, the world still favors him simply because he is your other half.
"Thus, those capable of killing him do not dare to, and those not capable cannot even find where he is.
"And because of this, his sins have accumulated to this very day… yet these sins are counted on your head as well."
"T-That… that's way too unfair!"
After listening to everything Aleister said, Alicia blurted out instinctively, "Yuui-san didn't even get anything good...he was sealed away, and after the seal is undone, he still has to bear someone else's sins. That's just bullying!"
"...Yes, it is bullying," Aleister said slowly after a brief silence. "So, to prevent you from continuing to suffer such injustice—Albaz Yuui, are you willing to defeat your other half and reclaim the power that once belonged to you?"
"So that is why you've been helping me?" Yuui looked at Aleister calmly.
"Yes. That is the reason I am helping you," Aleister said, gazing into the distance. "Only if you defeat your other half will the backlash of fate fall upon no one else."
"Then why do you trust me?" Yuui continued, "Before Alicia and I enrolled, we shouldn't have met at all."
"There are many reasons I trust you. One is that you are the creator of Duel Cards. Another is that I investigated your backgrounds and found that in the past eight years, neither of you has done anything evil. And..."
Aleister flicked his hand. A flash of light appeared, revealing a card—Odd-Eyes Dragon.
"This child has always wanted to go to you. That is one of the reasons."
Seeing the card in Aleister's hand, Yuui felt inexplicably uncomfortable. He had the strange feeling that he was being manipulated.
Aleister continued, "Anyhow, the most important reason is none of these. You will understand the reason I believe in you at some point in the future."
Yuui's brows knitted. If there was one thing he hated besides being manipulated, it was people speaking in riddles.
And when he looked at Aleister's face—that handsome old face with an almost taunting smile—it seemed to be saying: Hit me. Go on, hit me. Dare you? Dare you?
'Shoot, why am I getting irritated for no reason!?'
Seeing Yuui's expression, Aleister's smile somehow became even more delighted.
But after noticing Alicia's strange gaze, he coughed a few times and shifted the topic.
"Ahem. Now let's talk about what I want from you."
The moment he said this, both Yuui and Alicia became serious.
Any gift comes with a corresponding price. There is no such thing as a free lunch—both of them understood this well.
So after Aleister brought up this topic, both felt nervous.
"Before I tell you what I want, let me first give you a promise," Aleister said suddenly. His abrupt shift caught both Yuui and Alicia off guard.
They exchanged glances. Finally, Yuui spoke. "What promise?"
Aleister extended three fingers.
"I will give you three tasks. Until you complete them, I will provide resources and connections to help you grow stronger, and I will protect you—shielding you from outside pressure.
"In return, you will help me accomplish these three things. How about it?"
"With your strength, connections, and resources, you actually need us to do something for you?" Yuui raised a brow. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Let's hear it first."
"Quite cautious, aren't you?" Aleister chuckled and raised one finger.
"The first task is the one I just mentioned—I want you to someday defeat Aluber and destroy the organization known as 'Despian.'"
"Fine. And even if you didn't say it, I would do it anyway," Yuui said with arms crossed. "One of my goals in becoming stronger is to defeat him, reclaim my power, and clear my name."
"Good. Then the second task." Aleister took out the Odd-Eyes Dragon card again. "I want you to gather the Four Heavenly Dragons."
"The Four Heavenly Dragons?" Yuui repeated. "I want to know—did these dragons appear in this world from the beginning?"
"Even you, a being from thousands of years ago, don't know. How could I possibly know?" Aleister shook his head. "All I know is that they suddenly appeared in this world, and each possesses a very special power.
"So I want to see what will happen if the Four Heavenly Dragons are brought together."
Yuui was silent for a moment, carefully recalling the ARCV anime he had watched in his previous life. Then he answered with uncertainty,
"...Nothing good. As far as I know, when those four dragons gather, nothing good ever happens."
"Then let's try it first," Aleister said casually with a wave of his hand. "If something really goes wrong, I can suppress it."
Seeing how confident Aleister looked, Yuui felt urged to ask again, "Since you're so confident, why don't you gather the Four Heavenly Dragons yourself? With your strength, connections, and resources, shouldn't finding four dragons be easy?"
"I would like to," Aleister said as he glanced at the Odd-Eyes Dragon on the desk.
He gave a helpless smile. "But it seems the Four Heavenly Dragons do not like me. Even after decades of searching, I only managed to find this Odd-Eyes Dragon.
"And even this Odd-Eyes Dragon refuses to become my spirit. I've found more than a hundred potential masters for it over the years, yet it chose none of them.
"However, on the day you arrived at the Academy, it suddenly awakened from its slumber. That is why I want to ask for your help—to entrust you with gathering the Four Heavenly Dragons."
Yuui stared at the dragon card on the desk. Honestly, his first instinct was that Aleister was lying. This old fox was clearly trying to hand the Odd-Eyes Dragon to them—or more precisely, to him.
But why? Why was Aleister being so good to them? Was it really just for the reasons he'd given earlier?
Yuui did not believe it. And even if others didn't know, he certainly knew what the Four Heavenly Dragons represented.
They were the summoning materials for Supreme King Z-ARC—the dragon that ruled over the four summoning dimensions, embodying Pendulum, Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz, capable of rivaling gods… perhaps even surpassing ordinary gods.
How could someone casually hand over such an important spirit?
"You're so paranoid… maybe go see a doctor if you have time," Aleister said suddenly, looking at Yuui.
Yuui froze, then looked instinctively at Aleister and Alicia. Alicia's face was filled with worry.
"Yuui-san, a-are you alright?"
"Ah… I'm fine," Yuui smiled lightly and shook his head.
Aleister continued, "I know giving you such a powerful spirit will make you suspicious of me.
"However, you're the only one I can rely on for this. So no matter how much you doubt me, I still hope you'll take Odd-Eyes Dragon. As for the other three dragons, I'm in no rush."
Yuui scowled, falling silent in thought. Aleister and Alicia both watched him without a word.
A full minute passed before Yuui sighed and looked at Alicia. "Take it. No matter what happens, I'm here."
"Yes, Yuui-san!" Alicia nodded firmly, then bowed slightly to Aleister. "Thank you for giving us such a powerful spirit. Thank you, Headmaster!"
She reached out to pick up the card on the desk—but Aleister chuckled.
"Don't get too excited yet, little girl. Whether you can lift it is the question."
Alicia froze. But her hand was already resting on the Odd-Eyes Dragon card.
She tried to lift it—and froze again. The card felt impossibly heavy, as if it weighed a thousand pounds.
"A card shouldn't be this heavy… right?"
She grabbed it with both hands, trying with all her strength to lift it, but no matter how she strained, she couldn't budge it.
Seeing this, Yuui glared at Aleister. "Are you toying with us?"
"No, I don't have the time for that," Aleister replied calmly. Watching Alicia struggle with the card, he said in a low voice, "As expected, the one this card has chosen is not your contractor.
"It is you—Albaz Yuui."
...
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