In the Graduation Duel, the Headmaster's once-in-a-century genius, undefeated even in the Spirit Sanctuary Inter-Academy Ranking War—Alester Crowley… actually lost.
In his final Duel before graduation, the invincible Alester tasted his first Academy defeat.
And his opponent—the one who beat him—was none other than his kouhai he had once utterly crushed: the Gray Witch, Irena.
Most importantly—
"What monster was that?"
"Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon?"
"That's insane!"
As expected, it caused an uproar. Not only because Alester was defeated, but because the Dragoon's overwhelming, bug-tier power left everyone stunned.
The sheer single-card power of Fusion Summoning was on full display. Dragoon singlehandedly crushed both Invoked Augoeides and Invoked Mechaba.
"You really are… the one who touched truth."
Alester cared nothing for his Life Points dropping to zero, not even for the fact of his defeat.
In his eyes, now was only the person who had reached the truth ahead of him.
He had approached Aisha Carlos before him, been the scoundrel before him, and now even reached the truth faster than him.
Ordinary people would feel bitter after such a loss—but Alester was never ordinary. To him, it felt like searching a thousand times, only to find what he sought when he turned back.
"I won, Alester-senpai!"
As Miles gathered up the Deck, the Dragoon at his side slowly faded away.
"According to the agreement—you're never to appear before Aisha again. No more stalking her like some creep!"
As Dragoon vanished, the departure of truth left a trace of loneliness in Alester's eyes.
When would he next meet another monster from beyond the Gate of Truth?
"…I understand. A bet's a bet."
He turned and left, surprisingly decisive. No one knew what he was thinking now.
Irena said, "We actually beat Alester-senpai… Miles, aren't you way too OP?"
If Irena herself had taken the stage instead of Miles, there would have been zero chance of victory.
She didn't even know Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon existed. Even with a Legendary Dragon card, she couldn't have created that one single card that could break through absolute despair.
And truthfully, if not for Miles, Alester might not have even shown up to the Graduation Duel.
And Miles? Just to avoid dating Irena, he actually printed Red Daddy into existence.
In every way, this Graduation Duel had been absurd. At last, it was over.
…
The next day, Fusion Academy's trending topics followed up immediately.
Hot Topic #1: The genius Alester-senpai loses to the Gray Witch, Irena.
At a Duel Academy, of course, such a Duel—and the spectacle of Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon—would become the hottest discussion.
But Hot Topic #2… its buzz rivaled even the Duel itself.
Hot Topic #2:
Alester and Irena Duel over Aisha Carlos's honor.
A hidden romance between the beautiful Irena and the beautiful Aisha Carlos.
Irena and Aisha, officially a couple.
The two have already advanced to physical intimacy.
Aisha shouted:
"(￣△￣) Why do the rumors keep getting more ridiculous?!"
Irena said, "Really? I think it's just right~"
No wonder the gossip spread so wildly—who doesn't love imagining cute girls being all lovey-dovey? Naturally, the fantasies went wild.
Ren added, "Anyway, we leave for Synchron Academy tomorrow. By the time we're back, no one will care about this anymore."
Fusion Academy rumors came fast and died fast. Even when the Wicked Eraser self-destructed, the very next day, the hot topic was overtaken by the Destiny Duel.
Two weeks from now, after they returned from Synchron Academy, nobody would still be talking about Irena and Aisha sharing a bed.
"ヽ(.>д<)ノ"
"So then…"
Ren had been glancing behind them as she spoke. At last, she caught it.
"Come out, you lurker!"
She spun and landed a surprise flying kick against a tree trunk, shaking down a rain of leaves—and a familiar figure.
"Alester-senpai?"
This time, the one hiding in the tree wasn't escaping with instant magic. Alester fell straight down.
Irena narrowed her eyes, "Senpai, you still haven't given up being a stalker creep?"
"Ugh…" Already with stalking PTSD, Aisha instinctively hid behind Ren and Irena.
Ren hugged Aisha like she was about to be eaten alive, as she said, "I thought he'd honor his promise. Guess the guards will have to handle this."
"Misunderstanding. Misunderstanding." Brushing off the leaves, Alester was unnervingly calm.
"Explain it to the guards then!"
"Let's hear him out first, Ren." Irena knew—with Alester's mastery of magic, if he'd wanted to run, there's no way Ren would've caught him with one kick.
"It's a misunderstanding. I'm not here to stalk Aisha Carlos. I heard you're heading to the Axet Republic tomorrow, so I came to give you some intel."
"Intel?"
Doubtfully, Irena accepted the card he offered. It looked like an advertisement.
[Glass Witch Workshop]
[We can fulfill all your needs (not just glass~)]
[(≧∇≦)]
And at the bottom, as a seal of authenticity, a chibi loli face was printed.
"Senpai, what is this?"
The bizarre card left Irena confused.
"If you're going to Duel at Synchron Academy, there's one thing you'll absolutely need. If you ever require it, go to this old acquaintance of mine."
"What's so necessary?" Ren leaned over, eyeing the card. "And why does this shop look so shady?"
"Cough. Shady or not, I guarantee the owner's skill 100%. Because what you'll definitely need for Dueling at Synchron Academy… is a D-Wheel."
"D-Wheel!"
Inside the Millennium Puzzle, Miles jolted with excitement.
"A Duel Runner!"
The dream of every card player—finally within reach.
...
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