The principal personally led Hikaru and Professor Crowler, following the Fusion Club students to the top floor. Upon seeing Leo Akaba, he greeted him warmly.
Faced with his direct superior, Leo Akaba remained expressionless, but inwardly, he was far from calm.
'Crowler? That old fossil…'
Outwardly, his face was unreadable, but inside, emotions churned.
Having his own "grand plan," he had accepted the Duel Academy chairman's invitation, becoming a professor and proceeding exactly as planned. To him, it was effortless.
After all, Duel Academy's students were easy to deceive. The professors were engrossed in their own dueling philosophies, and Principal Sheppard, famously kind, was easily swayed by his teachers.
In a place like this, executing his plan was as easy as flipping his hand.
But he never expected this!
His eyes narrowed as he studied the ridiculous-looking old man, sweating nervously and wiping his forehead.
Vellian Crowler. Stingy, picky, petty, vain, cowardly, obsessed with appearances.
Akaba had never considered him worth his attention.
A so-called legendary duelist? Was this really all he amounted to?
From what Akaba had heard, during the entrance exams, Crowler's student had lost to a mere Yellow Dorm freshman while using his own deck. And yet, this man dared to be mentioned in the same breath as him?
'So it was all just a façade!'
Not only had Crowler arranged for his "disciple" to stir up trouble in the Fusion Club, but the moment he realized Akaba intended to move against that disciple, he had rushed here himself.
'Hmph. A legendary duelist indeed. However, it won't be that easy!'
Akaba pondered briefly, a new idea forming.
Originally, his plan was simple, throw Hikaru into that chaotic dimension, leave him there for two or three days, and then send someone to "rescue" him. By then, Hikaru would have been unconscious for at least half a year, his influence in the Fusion Club gone.
But now that Crowler had involved the principal and come in person, he must be using this as an opportunity to investigate the Fusion Club's secrets!
'Like hell, I'll let you get away with that!'
Akaba slowly turned his gaze toward Hikaru.
Hikaru, background unknown, parents untraceable. He had used a haphazard fusion deck in the entrance exams, achieving only average results. Yet now, he had suddenly become the academy's first-year representative.
'Someone had to be backing him.'
Akaba scrutinized him before speaking insincerely, "Amagi, congratulations on winning the exchange match. The Fusion Club is proud of you."
'Roughly 175 centimeters, not particularly tall, but among first-years, he was on the taller side. Handsome, his looks were in an entirely different league. Maybe that was part of Crowler's scheme, choosing a good-looking disciple so no one would associate them.'
His attire was plain, with little thought put into it. The only striking detail was the accessory around his neck.
A seemingly opaque card case? About half a centimeter thick, with what looked like a sealed card inside.
He couldn't see what card it was.
At first glance, the boy seemed unremarkable, but the more Akaba looked, the stranger he felt.
'I almost fell for your trick!'
With a plan forming, Akaba turned to the nearby Fusion Club instructor. The instructor nodded and then addressed Hikaru and Crowler.
"Amagi, Professor Crowler, please come this way. We'll begin the teleportation now."
"Y-Yes…" Crowler was visibly nervous. Timid and averse to trouble, he had never actually used a dimensional gate before, despite holding authority second only to the principal. Now, about to be teleported, his legs trembled, throwing off his steps.
This only made Akaba even warier, 'what a deep act! Just to maintain his disguise in front of so many students, he was willing to go this far?'
Hikaru, on the other hand, remained calm.
He had already prepared for the worst-case scenario.
If Leo Akaba truly abandoned all shame, he might throw him into another dimension without hesitation. Who knew how many years it would take to return?
That's why he had asked the principal if he could bring a professor along. According to the principal, professors had access to a device that let them teleport back instantly. No matter what Akaba schemed, there would be a way to return.
But now that he was here, it seemed there was nothing to worry about. Though Akaba was clearly against him, he wouldn't act in front of the principal. Instead, he put on a professional demeanor.
He even went as far as to compliment him.
Someone unaware might actually think Leo Akaba was just a strict but well-meaning professor.
The Fusion Club's dimensional gate was far newer than the one in Red Dorm. Or rather, they weren't even from the same technological era.
As a brilliant scientist with extraordinary research capabilities, Leo Akaba improved KaibaCorp's dimensional gate technology, earning a special gift from the company. Naturally, this machine was far superior to Red Dorm's outdated model.
Not only could it teleport to precise locations, but its shielding was stronger, keeping portals open longer and more stable. Additionally, energy generated from duels wouldn't dissipate as easily, making negotiations with interdimensional spirits much smoother.
The supervising instructor took the North Academy card from Hikaru and inserted it into the machine's control panel.
The dimensional gate spun rapidly, a swirling purple vortex forming, revealing a vague image.
The machine could only display a rough silhouette, a pitch-black figure, likely a surviving spirit from that dimension, but even this was leagues ahead of Red Dorm's outdated tech.
A monster in a wizard's hat, holding a staff, draped in a large robe, with flames surrounding it. Likely a Spellcaster-type.
"Mmm, it matches North Academy's description," the principal noted.
"Then, please." The instructor gestured toward them.
Hikaru took a deep breath and stepped forward. Seeing this, Crowler quickly mustered his courage and moved to stand directly before the portal.
Under the glow of purple light, the two became transparent, slowly departing from this dimension.
Leo Akaba's lips curled into a smirk.
'Got you, Crowler!'
'You never expected I had already planted a "card" inside the dimensional gate, did you?'
'Even if I couldn't modify the teleportation coordinates as planned, as long as I release the "darkness" I obtained from that dimension into this one, it will be enough to hinder Hikaru!'