Beneath the throne—
"Even Hela was defeated?"
No longer able to sit calmly upon his throne like before, Harr wore an expression graver than ever.
"It seems I truly underestimated humanity. Hela ruled over the land of death for a thousand years and possessed absolute authority capable of erasing all living things. Yet even she was defeated by humans… Perhaps our battle plans need to be reconsidered."
"Is it really that hard to believe?"
No longer soaking within the boiling magma, Naglfar dragged his gigantic burning body forward as he replied.
"Maybe Hela simply got careless. After all, possessing authority over life and death can easily make one arrogant and complacent. Or is it because your old lover was defeated that you feel frustrated?"
"No. Based on what I know of Hela, even with the authority of Death, her resolve would never lose to any king's. If even she was defeated, then that proves that even in this world after the end of the Age of Gods, there still exists divine authority capable of rivaling the Queen of Death."
Planting his staff onto the ground, Harr—having withdrawn part of the power of the Shadow—continued:
"Within the World Tree, among the lower six realms, only you and I remain now. If we wish to avoid alerting the Supreme Kings of the upper three realms at the top of the World Tree, then we must proceed cautiously."
"Hahaha, the Supreme Kings of the upper three realms? Truly terrifying indeed."
Naglfar's enormous body let out a mocking laugh.
"Those old relics haven't shown themselves since the war ten thousand years ago. Whether they're dead or alive is still unknown."
Harr revealed a helpless expression. After ruling the World Tree together for so long, the Kings understood each other's personalities perfectly well. For example, even after hearing Harr's proposal to act carefully, Naglfar would never listen to him.
"I've tolerated this long enough. Tell me, why do you all act so cowardly and cautious when dealing with weak creatures like humans? Wouldn't it be enough to simply burn everything down with flames and incinerate all who resist?!"
"Since I can't stop you anyway, if you want to burn something, then start by burning down Duel Academy."
(***)
"Oh right, I heard Kaiba Corp removed the limit on the number of Xyz Summons. Could it be to counter the Shadows causing chaos around the world?" Bastion guessed.
However, nobody paid him any attention. Everyone's focus remained fixed on the mysterious beautiful girl sitting beside Zane.
"Shh, you hopelessly dense guy. This isn't the time to discuss something like that," Syrus warned.
"Not the time to discuss it?" Bastion twitched at the corner of his eye. "This is obviously the most important thing here."
"Um, excuse me?"
Unable to suppress his curiosity any longer, Atticus put on what he believed to be an exceptionally friendly and charming smile. Fully displaying the charisma of Duel Academy's heartthrob, he spoke to the petite girl.
The black-haired girl wore a pale gray outfit made of an indiscernible material that covered only the important parts of her body, leaving her slender white legs and stomach exposed. Combined with its slightly mechanical design, it was an extremely rare style within Duel Academy.
"..."
No response.
The girl continued staring expressionlessly at Zane, who still lay unconscious on the infirmary bed, completely ignoring Atticus's existence.
"That's a real blow to my confidence…"
Atticus slumped down in disappointment after being utterly ignored.
"Didn't I already tell you, big brother?" Alexis sighed helplessly with her hands on her hips. "No matter how much we tried talking to her earlier, this girl wouldn't respond at all."
"Looks like in this girl's eyes, there's only Zane."
Recovering instantly, Atticus brushed aside the hair over his forehead and sighed emotionally.
"Ah, youth truly is wonderful~"
"It's not wonderful at all! I defeated one of the Kings too, okay?! So where the hell is my youth?!"
After glancing to his left at Jaden being hugged by Blair, then to his right at Zane being attended by a mysterious beauty, Minazuki finally snapped.
"Damn it! If beautiful girls are being handed out as rewards, then hurry up and distribute them properly already!"
"But Minazuki, if you hadn't fought together with the Headmistress, there's no way you could've defeated Queen," Syrus mercilessly pointed out.
"Ugh, but a win is still a win!" Minazuki argued stubbornly. "Besides, the principal herself is already a beautiful girl, so it shouldn't matter if she gives that reward to me."
If such a reward really existed, rest assured—Hoshino absolutely would not give it to you.
"You guys are being way too rude!"
Blair puffed out her cheeks and complained unhappily.
"Why are you treating me like some reward for defeating a King? I've loved Jaden-sama from the very beginning, okay~"
"So this is the stench of romance, huh? I can't take it anymore. I'm leaving first."
Pinching her nose dramatically, Akasha made a disgusted expression and turned to leave the infirmary.
"Be careful…"
Just as Akasha stepped out the door, the strangely dressed girl—who had remained silent the entire time—suddenly spoke.
Unlike her cute and sweet appearance, her voice sounded somewhat androgynous, or perhaps more like the clear voice of a young boy.
"If your strength isn't enough, then you won't be able to protect anything. Maybe even the thing you treasure most could disappear forever before you even realize it."
"Was that girl talking to Akasha?" Minazuki asked curiously.
There was no answer.
After delivering that cryptic "warning," the girl returned to complete silence once more. Akasha paused for several seconds at the infirmary entrance before leaving without looking back.
Watching Akasha walk away alone, Alexis rubbed her forehead and sighed.
"I've got a bad feeling this is going to become troublesome… in more ways than one."
Tap~
Casually kicking a small stone along the roadside, Akasha sent the irregular pebble spinning rapidly into a nearby flowerbed under the force of her kick.
Because Crowler had announced class suspension that morning and ordered the students not to leave their dormitories, Duel Academy's plaza—which should have been lively and noisy during lunch break—felt unnaturally quiet.
"Damn it, it's just Jaden, so why's he acting so smug… I was worried about you all night too, you know? And now you suddenly come back acting like nothing happened—and you even gained a fangirl."
Even though she said that, the irritation inside Akasha wasn't actually caused mostly by Blair's sudden appearance.
Just as Akasha herself had said, Jaden—the guy obsessed with duels—probably didn't even understand what "liking someone" meant.
However, after Jaden's defeat and mysterious disappearance the previous night, Akasha had a dream that felt unbelievably real.
She dreamed of Jaden as a child, surrounded by some invisible darkness behind him.
She tried reaching out to grab him, but no matter what, she couldn't touch him. All she could do was watch helplessly as her familiar childhood friend fell away into the darkness with a sorrowful expression.
It was an expression she had never once seen on the boy's face before.
No matter what setbacks or hardships he faced, Jaden always managed to smile through them. So why… why would someone like him show such a sorrowful expression?
Whenever she thought about it, it felt as though something were tightly gripping Akasha's heart, causing a dull ache deep within her chest.
"If your strength isn't enough, then you can't protect anything… Jaden, Zane—even Minazuki—they all stepped forward to fight the Kings as representatives of humanity's unyielding will."
Just like the helplessness she felt in the dream, where she couldn't reach Jaden no matter how hard she tried, Akasha couldn't understand where those three found the courage to confront the Kings—beings whose dueling power far surpassed that of humans.
Especially Jaden.
He had been utterly crushed in the very first battle without the slightest chance to resist. Yet after disappearing for one night, he returned with that same optimistic smile and managed to turn the tables against Frodi.
"That was a duel where losing could've meant the destruction of not just the academy… but the entire world…"
Sitting on a bench in the academy plaza, Akasha stretched lazily and looked toward the school building ahead. The place where students normally attended classes was completely deserted due to the sudden suspension notice.
"Hoshino-nee once said that a student's duty is to study. Being able to attend classes normally like before and spend every day happily… honestly, I'd already be satisfied with that~"
If the Kings were defeated, then the academy would probably return to normal too.
Every day, they would watch Professor Crowler find new ways to make life difficult for Jaden and Minazuki during class.
And during Professor Banner's alchemy lessons, she and Alexis could hide behind their textbooks while secretly gossiping about Hoshino's embarrassing stories.
Then there was the fun school festival planned for next semester, along with the Red and Blue Dorm showdown that was originally supposed to wager an entire year's salary from Hoshino and Crowler.
"When I used to be a Rare Hunter, I never imagined academy life could be this enjoyable…"
Yet right before Akasha's eyes, the academy building in front of her suddenly burst into flames.
Without warning, blazing fire erupted from beneath the earth itself. Like a crimson dragon stretching toward the heavens, the inferno instantly engulfed the building and reduced it to ruins.
"H-Hey… you've gotta be kidding me…"
Akasha's pupils widened in disbelief.
The peaceful future she had imagined just moments ago shattered like a fragile dream bubble, bursting apart effortlessly.
"This is no joke—watch out, Akasha!"
A small red figure suddenly tackled her to the ground, barely helping her avoid the shockwave that swept across the entire academy plaza.
The abrupt turn of events, combined with the soft sensation pressing against her, left Akasha completely confused for a moment.
"Wait… does this mean I also get an academy-assigned beautiful girl? But I didn't defeat a King… Huh? Isn't this Uria?"
The Duel Spirit girl manifested from Uria, Lord of Searing Flames—Uria herself.
"I should be the one asking questions. Why are you sitting alone in the plaza, Akasha? Weren't students told not to leave the dorms today?"
Slowly getting off Akasha, Uria stared at the flames consuming the academy ahead of them.
"And this had to happen during our shift too… Doesn't this mean we're definitely taking the blame for it? Crap, I'm actually starting to look forward to Hoshino punishing me now. Hopefully it hurts a lot~"
Because of the enormous magical energy consumed from remaining materialized for so long, and after their continuous duels, even the Heroic Spirits Holmes and Waver—despite being entrusted by Hoshino to defend the academy—could not remain there indefinitely.
Thus, during the lunch break, while the attacks from the Shadows had temporarily ceased, the three Sacred Beast girls took turns standing guard over the academy.
"Thankfully, aside from you, there aren't any other students in the plaza," Uria said in relief. "Looks like banning students from going outside really was the right decision."
"Boring! This is unbearably boring!"
From within the flames of destruction came the thunderous roar of the King of the Flame Realm, echoing through the crimson-stained sky.
"That bastard Harr told me to burn down the academy first. But there's nobody here! Not a single human burned to death! What a waste!"
"So that's… a King?"
Even Uria—the masochistic Sacred Beast herself—couldn't hide the slight trembling in her voice.
Unlike the previous Kings, who all possessed humanoid appearances, the Flame King crawling from the inferno was more fittingly described as a giant beast.
Though not as massive as the Iron King's mechanized titan, the flames engulfing its body and its hideous, monstrous face inspired fear several times greater.
"But whatever! I'll just keep burning everything!"
The Flame King roared wildly.
"If I burn the entire academy to ashes, then humanity's rebels will finally kneel obediently before the absolute power of the Flame King!"
"That thing is the King?"
Uria lightly tugged at Akasha, who was still on the ground, and whispered nervously, "Let's run, Akasha. It doesn't seem to have noticed us yet."
"No."
Akasha shook her head while staring at the raging flames spreading endlessly before them.
"After causing this much destruction, someone's definitely going to come here sooner or later."
"And it said it plans to burn the whole academy down. Am I supposed to just run away by myself? In a situation like this… where would I even run to?"
"At least wait until Hoshino comes back," Uria suggested. "If Hoshino returns, then she should be able to—"
"I refuse!"
Supporting herself against the scorching ground with one arm, Akasha slowly stood up and firmly rejected the idea.
"Every single time, I keep waiting for Hoshino-nee to save the day. It was the same with Jaden. The same with Zane. I've just been using my dependence on her as an excuse for my own cowardice."
"But they… they were able to carry the academy's hopes and pride on their backs and stand up to fight on their own!"
Activating her Duel Disk, Akasha's golden hair became tinted crimson beneath the reflection of the flames ahead.
"This time, it's my turn. The academy I treasure has already been burned like this—I don't have any excuse left to run away anymore!"
"Hey, you ugly monster over there—listen up!"
"Oh? So there was still a human left after all?"
Thinking the academy was completely empty, the Flame King finally noticed the blonde girl standing amidst the sea of flames, pointing her Duel Disk directly at him.
Loading a brand-new deck into her Duel Disk, Akasha declared war.
"—Listen carefully! I am Kashar Hawkins! Here and now, in the name of the 'Hope' family, I swear I'll blast you—the hideous monster who destroyed this academy—into nothing but ashes!"