"That person just now was amazing! He actually summoned Red-Eyes Black Dragon… the spirit that once saved the kingdom, a being that only exists in legend!" Alicia said in awe as she watched Autrys's departing figure.
"Yeah, he really is incredible," Yuui replied, his eyes also fixed on Autrys's back, a rare look of surprise in his gaze.
As a spirit, Yuui's vision differed from that of ordinary people—he could see a person's magical power.
In his eyes, the terrifying magic surging within Autrys, a boy the same age as Alicia, was like a towering mountain.
In all of Yuui's memories, he had never seen someone so young possess such immense magic. Even Alicia, a girl of remarkable talent, was slightly inferior to Autrys.
"The Third Prince, huh?" Yuui narrowed his eyes. "Seems the royal family of this Bredt Kingdom really does live up to its reputation."
After Autrys and Carl left, most of the remaining examinees only managed to summon Level 3 or Level 4 spirits. A few summoned Level 5s, and only one managed a Level 6—the eldest daughter of a marquis family.
Of course, not everyone succeeded. A small number of examinees failed to summon a spirit above Level 3 and, as a result, didn't pass the Summoning Test. Those students were politely escorted out of the academy by the instructors overseeing the Book of Summoning tablets.
Still, compared to Terry, those examinees were better off. Though disappointed, they didn't blame their spirits for their failure; instead, they accepted their own lack of strength.
That alone made them far superior to Terry.
As time passed, more than an hour later, Alicia finally stood at the front of the line—it was her turn for the Summoning Test.
"The last examinee, Alicia—please step forward!"
Instructor White Evans called out from the platform. Alicia's body trembled a little, her heartbeat quickening.
Sensing her tension, Yuui took her hand.
"Don't worry. I'll be with you."
Alicia glanced at Yuui and nodded firmly. White noticed this exchange, though he couldn't see any spirit or creature beside her, which piqued his curiosity even more.
Under the watchful eyes of the instructors and the few remaining students hoping to see her fail, Alicia stepped onto the summoning platform.
Before her stood a towering gray-white stone tablet, over ten meters high, covered in thousands of hieroglyphs—each brimming with mysterious power, each representing a Duel Monster Spirit.
White stepped forward and gently instructed, "Place your hand on the tablet and pour your magic into it. At the same time, recall in your mind all the knowledge you have about the spirit you wish to summon.
"The Book of Summoning will resonate with the spirit you recall, transmitting your call across time and space to the one you seek.
"However, if the spirit does not wish to answer your call, the Book will instead help you summon a random one.
"Also, if your magical power isn't strong enough to summon a spirit above Level 3, the Book won't be able to call forth your desired one; that said, it will still summon a random spirit according to your power level.
"Now, are you ready for your Summoning Test, Alicia?"
Taking a deep breath, Alicia nodded solemnly.
"Good. Then begin. I'll be looking forward to seeing what you can do." White stepped back, giving her space.
Alicia gazed at the Book of Summoning—the divine relic said to have been left behind by Star-Creating God Sophia—and slowly placed her hand on its surface. The tablet's icy chill made her shiver, but Yuui's hand in hers gave her the courage to continue.
She closed her eyes, and Yuui's voice echoed in her mind.
"Do you remember which spirit we're summoning?"
"Of course I do!"
"Good. For now, we don't need to summon anything else—just that one. So recall the story I told you about that spirit.
"And if you think the chances of success aren't great, maybe try remembering the gossip I mentioned about it before."
"(-ω-;) Yuui-san, let's not. What if the spirit gets embarrassed and refuses to come?"
"Uh... fine, fine. We'll play it safe this time. Next time, though, maybe we can try summoning Absolute Zero. I even looked into how he evolved from Ice Edge to Absolute Zero! The process, the reason—tch tch tch..."
"(｡●ω●) Yuui-san, could you please be serious for once?"
"...Alright, alright."
Alicia sighed inwardly. Yuui was perfect in almost every way… except when it came to gossip. The moment that topic came up, his usual cool demeanor vanished completely.
"Alicia, aren't you going to start?" White called out when she still hadn't moved.
Startled, Alicia quickly nodded. "R-right! I'll start now!"
She focused her mind, recalling the stories Yuui had once told her—and then the memory of that particular hero surfaced.
The next moment, Alicia began channeling her magic into the tablet and shouted loudly:
"O divine blessing, O Book of Summoning that carries the memory of the stars! Bring forth the wind hero clad in high-tech armor, with turbine wings upon his back! Come to my side as my friend and fight alongside me—Spirit Summon!!"
"Hm? 'A wind hero clad in high-tech armor and turbine wings?'"
White tried to recall any spirit that fit that description. Given the word "hero," it was clear she meant a monster from the HERO archetype—one of the most well-documented series of Duel Monster Spirits in the world.
The HERO series, however, was generally considered weak. Even the Fusion Monsters formed from multiple HEROes were of limited power.
Because of this, HERO cards were widely available and inexpensive—the kind of cards most commoner students could easily afford.
That also meant their lore was well known. In fact, several examinees before Alicia had also tried summoning HERO-type spirits. Even the weakest, Elemental HERO Avian, was Level 3—enough to pass the Summoning Test.
Despite that, because HERO monsters were so common, White knew that the only wind-related HEROes were Elemental HERO Avian and its fusion with Elemental HERO Burstinatrix—Elemental HERO Flame Wingman.
So what was this 'wind hero clad in high-tech armor and turbine wings' she mentioned?
Could this girl actually know of a HERO spirit that even a top instructor of Saint Fusion Academy didn't?
As soon as Alicia spoke her summoning words, the Grand Magic Array that covered the entire Summoning Plaza flared to life. On the Book of Summoning's stone tablet, one hieroglyph in the center began to glow.
A turquoise whirlwind erupted from the tablet, accompanied by the sound of turbines spinning within the storm.
Then, under the astonished gazes of White Evans and the other examiners, a brand-new hero emerged from the stone—a warrior clad in blue and white high-tech armor, turbine wings spread wide upon his back.
"What spirit is that? I've never seen it before!"
"He looks so cool!"
"That Nameless One actually summoned such a stylish spirit! Who would've thought?"
"Hmph, what's the big deal? For all we know, that spirit isn't even Level 3!"
Many of the examinees who had been waiting to mock Alicia cried out in shock upon seeing Elemental HERO Stratos appear. Yet some still refused to accept it, convinced that the spirit she summoned couldn't be above Level 3.
Human malice can be strange—born from envy or the belief that those from lesser ranks deserve disdain simply because they lack status or power.
Perhaps that, too, is one of humanity's flaws.
Meanwhile, Instructor White stared blankly at the new hero soaring through the sky. "So this is the 'wind hero clad in high-tech armor and turbine wings'... I didn't expect there to be another Duel Monster in the HERO series. Still, this spirit doesn't seem all that powerful."
As a top instructor of Saint Fusion Academy, White might not have recognized the monster's name, but his keen eye could instantly gauge a spirit's strength. This one, while impressive, appeared to be among the stronger Level 4s—not quite in the range of a Level 5 or 6 spirit.
If that were the case, then even if it was new, it likely wouldn't be too surprising.
Alicia, however, was flushed with joy as she looked at the Elemental HERO Stratos hovering before her.
Once Stratos understood what had happened, he realized who had summoned him. Descending softly, he knelt before her and placed a hand over his chest.
"Thank you for saving me, Miss Alicia. I shall become your wings and carry you through every hardship and storm!"
Seeing his respectful gesture, Alicia hurriedly helped him up.
"No need to be so formal, Stratos. Just call me Alicia. Let's fight together as partners, okay?"
Looking into her pure smile, Stratos felt that his new master was someone truly kindhearted… he had found a good one indeed.
"Understood, Miss Alicia. I will be your most loyal ally!"
With that, Stratos turned into a card and fell into Alicia's hand.
Yuui, standing nearby, didn't reveal himself to Stratos this time. There were too many people around, and his own existence was best kept secret for now.
Instructor White walked over, glancing at the information displayed on Stratos's card—and froze.
[Elemental HERO Stratos] Level 4│WIND│Warrior│1800 ATK / 300 DEF
[When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can activate 1 of these effects.
• Destroy Spells/Traps on the field up to the number of other "HERO" monsters you control.
• Add 1 "HERO" monster from your Deck to your hand.]
"Now this… is a remarkable HERO Monster!"
White immediately recognized its strength. Both effects were far superior to those of ordinary Elemental HEROes. Especially the second effect—that alone made this card a staple for any HERO Deck.
"To think such a powerful HERO existed," White said, now more intrigued than ever by the girl before him.
Alicia then asked, "Instructor White, what is my score for the Summoning Test?"
After thinking for a moment, White began writing on her score sheet as he spoke. "Normally, summoning a Level 3 spirit earns between 60 and 70 points. Level 4 spirits get 70 to 80, and only Level 7 or higher spirits achieve full marks.
"Your spirit, Elemental HERO Stratos, has the strength of an upper-mid Level 4 Duel Monster Spirit, but its combat power rivals that of a Level 5 monster. And considering it's a completely new monster—I'll give you 85 points."
He handed her the score sheet with a smile. "I look forward to your performance tomorrow, Alicia. Take these points to the Academy's Card Shop to exchange for the cards you need. They even carry the HERO series there.
"Also, remember—tomorrow's Duel Test will be tougher, so make sure you prepare well tonight."
Alicia took the score sheet and bowed happily. "Thank you very much, Instructor White!"
The girl then dashed off toward the Academy's Card Shop—the same direction many examinees had gone before her.
Behind her, White watched with a smile and murmured as he glanced at the seven gemstones on his wrist, "Alicia… what an interesting young lady."
Elsewhere, farther from the Summoning Plaza, Autrys Bredt and Carl Owens were also watching Alicia's departing figure.
Carl glanced sideways at Autrys, puzzled as to why His Highness had waited here just to watch a Nameless One summon her spirit.
Granted, the new spirit she summoned was surprising… still, surely not enough to warrant the Third Prince's personal attention.
Only after Alicia disappeared completely into the Academy's buildings did Autrys finally speak. "Let's go, Carl. It's time we left."
"Yes, Your Highness Autrys."
...
PS (Author's Note): After checking the HERO lore, it turns out that Stratos and Absolute Zero belong to a different HERO universe from Flame Wingman and Neos—two parallel worlds of heroes I hadn't realized before.
...
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