"Well then, I shall leave you here."
Outside the Obelisk Blue dormitory, the silhouette of a massive pink dragon slowly dissipated. Finally, it condensed into the form of a young woman with pink hair tied in braided pigtails, dressed in a nurse's uniform.
"Yeah, thanks."
Jaden Yuki nodded slightly. Being able to rush back from the other side of the island in such a short time was entirely thanks to the help of the new Dragonmaid deck he had received as a system reward.
"Then I shall head back now, Master."
Looking at Jaden's profile, the pink dragon girl's cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke with a smile.
"..."
Master... what kind of title is that?
Jaden shook his head helplessly as the girl transformed into a card and returned to his deck.
"Hmph, you certainly are popular, Jaden."
Yubel's figure appeared beside Jaden, arms crossed as she spoke with a cold sneer. Her tone was so thick with dissatisfaction it practically smelled of vinegar.
"..." Jaden felt even more helpless.
His group of Duel Spirits really loved to pick fights with each other. Yubel in particular was starting to act more and more like her original self from the source material.
However, Yubel seemed to know Jaden's temperament. She didn't continue her sarcasm and instead took the initiative to change the subject. "How is the stability of the Link Summoning?"
"That? It feels alright. At least for a short while, there shouldn't be any more problems." Jaden cooperated with the change of pace.
Link Summoning was very important to Jaden. This brand-new summoning method could not only greatly enhance the strength of a Fusion deck, but it also served as a catalyst to lead into even newer methods.
Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum.
These were all new summoning methods that Jaden needed to master eventually. But... before that.
"The Shadow Riders..." Jaden walked into his room, closed the door, and sat down in front of his computer.
Upon opening it, he found that Chancellor Sheppard had already sent him the surveillance footage of the Duel Academy from the days he was away. He opened the latest replay and saw the duel between Dr. Vellian Crowler and Camula.
It was clear that Professor Crowler had held a significant advantage for a time. An Ancient Gear deck didn't face much pressure when up against Camula's Vampire deck. However, Camula seemed to have thoroughly researched Crowler's deck beforehand. At the critical moment involving Heavy Storm, Camula turned the tables and completely crushed the Professor.
"Even if I am defeated by a Shadow Duel, the darkness can never triumph over the light!"
"This belief I hold so firmly... must never be shaken."
"Please, promise me..."
Finally, following Crowler's highlight speech, Camula's Vampire Genesis destroyed Crowler's Ancient Gear Golem. The battle ended almost exactly as it had in the original story.
"As expected, she used bats to spy on everyone's decks..." Jaden murmured under his breath.
While he was certain she was using the same Vampire deck from the original series, Jaden couldn't be sure if she had some unexpected hidden trump cards in her hand.
"A Shadow Duel against the Shadow Riders must be foolproof."
Taking his deck out of the card case, Jaden spread all his cards across the desk.
"The HERO deck has been used in public too many times. Even enemies will be wary of it. As for my other decks, their completeness is far from reaching the level of the HERO deck... Dragonmaids, huh?"
Looking at the dragon girls before him, Jaden rubbed his chin and began to think.
"For the optimal build, I'm still missing a few cards. Hieratic Seal of the Heavenly Spheres? This card, though it belongs to the Hieratic series, is a great boost for a Dragonmaid deck. It's going to cost some Duel Points."
"Furthermore, can the stability of Link Summoning hold out through a whole duel?"
Jaden thought for a moment and decided to exchange for it anyway.
"Are there only single copies of these cards that possess Duel Spirits? Having them be one of a kind is a real pain."
Jaden looked at the Dragonmaid cards, hesitated for a moment, and then added hand traps like Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion, and Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit to his backrow.
"Sigh, I can't even run three copies of my core cards. This is painful."
Though he complained, as the Supreme King, he wasn't going to let a "pile" deck easily brick his hand.
Yubel stood to the side, silently watching Jaden organize the deck. Although she really wanted Jaden to use her power, she knew in her heart that every Duelist had their own optimal solution for their deck. Especially someone as proud as Jaden; he naturally wouldn't like others nitpicking his construction.
Just as Yubel prepared to return to his consciousness space, Jaden suddenly pulled her card from another deck box.
"Hmm?" Yubel blinked, looking at Jaden with surprise.
Jaden never used to put her in the main deck he used for battle...
"Yubel. This time, I might need to use your power." Jaden looked at the card in his hand and silently placed it at the very top of his deck.
Thump.
Use your power...
For a Duel Spirit like Yubel, being needed was the ultimate fulfillment of her existence. Moreover... it was giving her power to her beloved Jaden.
Yubel's heart gradually calmed. As she looked at Jaden, the trace of madness deep in her eyes vanished, replaced by a gentle warmth.
"Ah... use my power to your heart's content, Jaden. For you, I would give everything..."
Inside the consciousness space.
Within the vast sea of spirit stood a magnificent court villa. The pink-haired dragon girl pushed open the villa doors, and the several young women inside immediately looked over at her.
These girls were all unique in appearance and color. What was most striking was that their bodies all retained thick traces of the dragon race.
"Did you meet the legendary Supreme King?" A dignified black-haired woman sitting at a tea table asked unhurriedly while holding a cup of coffee.
"Yes, I saw him," the Nurse Dragonmaid replied with a beaming smile. "He's even more handsome than I imagined."
"Is that so..."
The House Dragonmaid set down her coffee and revealed an elegant smile.
"From now on, we are the Supreme King's subordinates. I truly want to see what the Duel Spirit World will become in the future under his influence."
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