"First like this, then like this..."
Teacher Dade Temple sat at the lectern, holding a cat in one hand and casually pouring colorful liquids from test tubes into beakers on the desk with the other.
Anyone with a little bit of knowledge could tell how amateurish these actions were.
Bang!
The experiment once again ended in failure with an explosion.
The students, however, were already used to it and were not surprised. Covered in soot like a blackened pig head, even his glasses were sliding down. Yet, he still smiled and said, "Oh dear, another failure, how unfortunate.
Alchemy and all that, after all, the ancient saying about extracting gold from stone seems unreliable..."
Yugen watched Teacher Dade Temple's usual antics, but he wasn't surprised. The teacher's classroom experiment demonstrations had almost never succeeded, with a failure rate of 99%. But if one listened carefully, they would find that his lectures were not without substance.
Sometimes, whether by accident or design, he would let slip a word or two involving quite advanced alchemy, beyond the existing textbooks. However, there were already only a sparse few who attended his class, and even fewer who paid attention, so few noticed.
The bell signaled the end of the class.
Judai stretched lazily as he got up, "That was a good nap. Time to eat, time to eat..."
As the top skipping class representative of the Academy, Judai would not normally attend such an unpopular class. However, Teacher Dade Temple was their Red Dormitory leader, so skipping his class might make things difficult in the dormitory. Despite having no interest in alchemy, Judai still had to attend every class.
Even though he just slept through them.
"Oh right, Judai," the teacher said with a smile, "the Principal wants you to drop by his office after class."
Judai paused, "Huh?"
Before Teacher Dade Temple could finish, Chazz was already standing up from the back row, laughing loudly with his head thrown back.
"What a brief encounter, Judai!" Chazz laughed, "But it seems like your days at Duel Academy are over..."
Then Teacher Dade Temple leisurely added, "Oh Chazz, you should go too."
Chazz's laughter abruptly stopped.
"What!?"
"Also Asuka Tenjouin, Mitsuzawa Earth, and Fujiki Yugen... If anyone missed it, please pass the message along." Teacher Dade Temple calmly stroked the cat.
"The Principal is waiting for you in the office."
The others looked at each other, confused and unsure. But Yugen already had an understanding in his heart.
Although there were some changes in the world line compared to the original, it seemed we finally reached this point.
A moment later, at the Principal's office.
"...Three Phantom Demons?"
Judai repeated the term curiously.
For the few present, especially the freshmen, it was a completely unfamiliar term.
"Yes, three cards passed down from ancient times," Principal Jiaodao said, standing with his hands behind his back in front of everyone.
"This school's original location was chosen to be established upon the seals of these three cards. The Three Phantom Demons lie dormant in the deepest part of this island.
It's rumored that when the Phantom Demon cards see the light of day again, the world will be shrouded in chaos and darkness.
The darkness that once corrupted people will be unleashed, and the world will ultimately be destroyed and return to the void."
Principal Jiaodao said solemnly, lowering his voice.
"The legend speaks of these cards possessing such a power, they are very ominous."
Everyone's expression changed upon hearing this.
World destruction...
It sounded unbelievable at first, but in the strange world they lived in, it didn't seem impossible. Just recently in the Duel City finals, they witnessed a power that could destroy the world, everyone saw it firsthand...
With these thoughts, their gazes began to turn towards Yugen.
Naturally, everyone thought of the Supreme Illusion God, the Winged Divine Dragon of Ra, that he had summoned in the finals.
In fact, originally this semester, with Yugen's outstanding performance, he should have been promoted to Obelisk-Blue, but he declined.
Yugen thought that anyway, he already enjoyed treatment beyond that of a Blue Dormitory student in the Academy. Moving dormitories would be troublesome, and he was quite satisfied with his current environment. Most importantly, he felt that the Yellow Dormitory was most compatible with him, so he chose to stay out of his own will.
It's said that upon hearing his decision, the small invisible Huashan Dormitory Leader of the Yellow Dormitory was moved to tears...
"Oh, what amazing cards!" Only Judai was excited, "I really wish I could see them."
Principal Jiaodao said, "And now, someone who seeks to challenge and break the seals on these cards has appeared. Known as the 'Seven-Star,' these Dark Duelists each possess formidable abilities.
There are seven stone gates beneath this island that maintain the seals of the Three Phantom Demons, which require seven keys to open.
And those keys are right here."
Principal Jiaodao placed a small black box on the table.
"I hope you all can protect these keys."
They all exchanged glances.
"Protect?" Mitsuzawa asked curiously, "But when you say protect, how..."
"Of course, by dueling," Principal Jiaodao said, "The keys can only be taken through dueling, which is part of the legendary agreement.
I was hesitant at first, unsure whether to involve young people like you in such a dangerous battle. But last night, Ryo told me that the Seven-Star has already arrived, and even if I don't give you the keys, they have already attacked the students..."
Everyone looked in surprise towards Marufuji Ryo.
Ryo nodded calmly, "It's true. They were a very strong opponent; I nearly lost."
Even Caesar said that...
Their expressions grew even more grave.
"So, I think perhaps even if I don't follow the agreement and give the keys to the watching warriors, the Seven-Star might launch indiscriminate attacks against anyone on the island. There is no room for hesitation.
You are the Academy's strongest duelists, I hope you can protect these keys... of course, it's not mandatory. If anyone feels they don't want to be involved in such battles, you can leave on your own, there's no issue."
Mitsuzawa pondered for a moment, then said, "However... if that's the case, why not give all the keys to the strongest person for safekeeping?"
He glanced at Yugen.
After all, we have a Duel King among us.
Perhaps just that aura is enough to scare off opponents...
"Well, that's also an option. But I think, as long as one key is missing, the seal can't be undone. So it makes more sense for the keys to be kept separately..." Principal Jiaodao said, touching his shiny bald head, "Of course, if you all have different opinions..."
"Isn't it interesting? Let's do it this way!"
Judai said cheerfully, already picking a key from the box.
Following Yugen around, he rarely got any cards, which frustrated him.
But the Seven-Star has a total of seven, right?
No matter how strong Yugen is, can he really take them all?