"┌(.Д.)┐ The one lighting up is... the Pyramid of Light!"
Staring at the abnormally dazzling Pyramid of Light at her waist, Aisha realized that Miles had finally succeeded.
After separating from the interior space of the Obelisk Tower, the Millennium Puzzle on Miles' chest vanished as well.
After all, the true Millennium Puzzle was currently still hanging on Aisha Carlos' chest, and it was impossible for two identical Millennium Puzzles to exist in the world at the same time.
So this was also the first time Miles had successfully used the Pyramid of Light as a medium.
With his soul reinforced by the conceptual steel body of the ZEUS, Miles appeared for the first time on the Spirit Continent of this other world as a complete, fully manifested guardian spirit entity.
"I've graduated, Camille!"
Because this was Miles' first success, his soul state might not yet be fully stable, but the independent state Camille had previously described—like one's soul leaving the body—must be exactly this feeling.
"Miles?"
Standing on the shoulder of Obelisk the Tormentor, even Kaima was astonished that Miles existed independently, detached from Aisha's body.
Of course, among everyone present, the most shocked—mouth hanging widest open and eyes staring the roundest—was Ren, who was seeing Miles' true form for the first time.
"That's Miles… is that really Miles?!"
Ren kept asking for confirmation. The pure-hearted girl gazed up at the handsome boy standing atop the thunder mecha in the sky, descending like a savior, and without realizing it, her cheeks flushed red.
Aisha was just as excited, nodding heavily. "It really is Mr. Miles, just like before!"
Not long ago, because of the Krista incident, Aisha had also seen Miles' true form for the first time in the Soul Room, and had even claimed that the real Miles was exactly the same as she had imagined.
Irena, looking up at the sky, finally broke into a relieved smile. "Long time no see. It really brings back memories. And as always, you're just as reliable, Miles!"
"Wait… wait! Hold on!"
Ren immediately hopped up and interrupted.
"Aisha is one thing, but Irena-senpai, why… when did you ever see Miles?!"
"Heehee." Irena adjusted the witch's hat on her head and put on a deliberately mysterious air. "I'm not telling you. That's a secret just between us~"
If one were to count properly, Irena was actually the very first person to have seen Miles' soul form.
Because of the chaos caused back then by the Millennium Ring, by a twist of fate, Irena had seen Miles while she was in an unconscious state.
"We did it. Senpais, we finally brought back Obelisk the Tormentor, and the Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder."
The weakened Dogmatika Ecclesia, the Saint Vessel, had only her radiant smile left unchanged.
The two colossal beings before them, capable of causing heaven-and-earth-devastating changes with a mere raise of the hand, were precisely the reward for her perseverance to the very end.
"It actually… wiped them out in a single blow…"
Riding the masquerade dragon of Despia, Aluber—who had urgently retreated into the air to evade danger—stared down at the ground in disbelief.
At the instant Obelisk the Tormentor and AA-ZEUS descended, it was like a nuclear explosion. With just one strike, they crushed the entire force of Despia.
An instant kill with absolutely no room for resistance. A one-sided, overwhelming suppression that spoke of the insurmountable dimensional gap between colossal existence and utter insignificance.
"Arnold!"
Using the thunder-forged steel body of ZEUS, Miles intercepted Aluber in the sky.
"A fallen kouhai ought to apologize to his senpai, don't you think, Arnold?"
"Curse it! Don't call me that name!"
The possessing dark personality showed an intense aversion to Miles, addressing him by the name of his other self.
Just like when he saw the sleeping Obelisk truly awakened by someone other than the Tower Warden, the emotions in his heart were indescribably complex.
"This round of gambling, the Order Church and Despia lost," Miles emphasized. "The one who won the bet was Ecclesia!"
Just as the High Prelate of Dogmatika, the Dramaturge of Despia, had said before.
As the Saint of the Order Church, Ecclesia would rather trust outsiders and hand the key to the Obelisk Tower to Miles than seek help from within.
In truth, this was a desperate gamble Ecclesia made after seeing through the complete corruption and inner darkness of the Order faction.
She gambled that the legendary Obelisk the Tormentor would respond to the legend of a true Duelist.
Now that the High Prelate had been defeated and killed by Miles inside the Obelisk Tower, and the entire cultist force of Despia had been crushed by the God Card and ZEUS in a blink, all of this was the best possible outcome that Ecclesia had fought for through her trust in Miles and the others.
"Now you're the only one left, Arnold! As a senpai, it's also my responsibility to bring a kouhai who's strayed onto the wrong path back to the right one!"
Standing atop Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder, Miles spread his Duel Disk in the sky and pointed it at Aluber.
"I told you! Don't call me that name!"
He roared back in fury, but at this moment, with the world's rules recognizing Miles' Duel, Aluber was no longer allowed to refuse.
"Here, Miles. I'm giving it back to you."
Leaping down from the shoulder of the God Card and switching mounts to Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Kaima flung the God Card into Miles' hands.
"Go teach that faith-twisted brat a lesson!"
The smoothness of her movements, the flair of her posture, and the steadiness of her words made it impossible to believe that Kaima Seth had, just moments ago, been a cute, innocent little girl who was extremely easy to fool.
"Leave it to me!"
Catching the card at his fingertips, sliding it into the Deck, loading the Duel Disk—Miles' motions flowed together seamlessly in one breath.
"You actually got your hands on Obelisk the Tormentor!"
Aluber's obsession with Obelisk also stemmed in part from his other personality, Arnold—the Tower Warden boy's longing for Obelisk.
Having always dreamed of obtaining the power of a God Card, Arnold had, upon first seeing Miles and Aisha use The Winged Dragon of Ra at Fusion Academy, followed them without hesitation and became their underling.
And now, after being seized and twisted by the dark personality, he was forced to stand in opposition to the very dream he once held.
"Miles-senpai, please!"
Having wagered everything and held firm to her belief until the final moment, Ecclesia cried out her wish.
"Avenge me. Defeat the personality that mocks the light and deceives the darkness… and save Arnold!"
"As a senpai, isn't that only natural?"
Standing atop ZEUS, Miles and Aluber, riding the masquerade dragon, began their Duel in the sky.
"Duel!"
The Duel began, with Miles taking the first turn.
"Spell Card [One for One], activate!"
[One for One Spell Card Effect: You can activate this card by sending 1 monster from your hand to the Graveyard. Special Summon 1 Level 1 monster from your hand or Deck.]
Taking the initiative with a Spell, Miles selected a card from his hand to discard and completed the Special Summon of a Level 1 monster in midair.
"I Special Summon [Mokey Mokey] in Defense Position! Then I Normal Summon another [Mokey Mokey], also in Defense Position!"
[Mokey Mokey Defense: 100] ×2
Two tofu-like blocks with bewildered expressions -_-? flapped the tiny wing-like ears on their backs at the same time and floated onto Miles' field on the very first turn.
Only then did Aisha realize that even though Miles was currently in the special state of an independently manifested guardian spirit, he was still using her Deck.
"(ノ?▽｀)ノ? Just as I thought… Mr. Miles and I really are a match made in heaven!"
The two Mokey Mokeys in the sky were the proof!
"I Set two cards and end my turn! Your move, Arnold… you dark personality that mocks the light!"
After setting his cards, Miles still held the last card in his hand.
He had ended his turn immediately after summoning just two Mokey Mokeys, not even performing a Rank 1 Xyz Summon.
Miles' unconventional opening left everyone momentarily unable to understand his intentions.
But in Aluber's eyes, what stood before him were nothing more than utterly powerless fodder monsters.
"How ridiculous and laughable. Someone like you actually managed to obtain the legendary giant god soldier. I can't accept it!"
"Whether you can accept it or not, this is the fate destined for you!" Miles' momentum surged as he provoked, "The giant god soldier will descend! And you will lose to me this turn!"
"You say I'll lose this turn! Hahaha—hahahaha!"
Behind Aluber's mask, his expression twitched wildly. This was probably even more laughable than Despia's own comedy.
It was his turn, and facing two tofu blocks with absolutely no combat power, the possibility of him losing was undoubtedly zero.
"Don't spout those fantasies that wouldn't even dare be staged in a play! My turn, draw!"
After drawing a card and glancing over it, Aluber's expression shifted theatrically once again.
"The one who's truly going to lose this turn is you! I Normal Summon in Attack Position—[Aluber the Jester of Despia]!"
[Aluber the Jester of Despia] Level 4│DARK│Fairy│1800 ATK
The classic act of summoning himself. As Aluber's Duel Spirit materialized in the sky, it began chanting as its effect activated.
[This card can only be activated when it is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned successfully. Add 1 "Branded" Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand.]
"I add the Field Spell [Despia, Theater of the Branded] from my Deck to my hand—and activate it!"
The magnificent, grand Branded Theater manifested and floated in the sky of the Duel, casting everything in a scene of despair.
"Next, I activate the effect of the Field Spell! Let the performance of despair begin!"
[Send Fusion Material monsters from your hand or field to the Graveyard, whose total Levels equal 8 or higher, then Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck.]
Using the Field Spell to replace Polymerization, Aluber sent two dark materials from his hand to the Graveyard.
"Using [Dramaturge of Despia] and [Ad Libitum of Despia] as Fusion Materials, I Fusion Summon—[Despian Quaeritis]!"
[Despian Quaeritis] Level 8│LIGHT│Fiend│2500 ATK
Before Fusion, they were DARK Attribute yet Fairy-type. After Fusion, it was LIGHT Attribute yet Fiend-type.
The Despia Fusion Deck, filled with contradictions and darkness, unfolded freely in Aluber's hands.
"When [Dramaturge of Despia] is used as Fusion Material, I can Special Summon this card!"
[Dramaturge of Despia, ATK: 3000]
"Finally, I activate the Spell Card [Monster Reborn], reviving the other Fusion Material in the Graveyard—[Ad Libitum of Despia]!"
[Ad Libitum of Despia, ATK: 1500]
On his first turn going second, Aluber had already assembled four monsters on the field that represented Despia's theatrical performance.
"Hahahaha! No matter how you look at it now, the one who'll be defeated this turn is you! At the very end, I'll activate [Ad Libitum of Despia]'s effect once more!"
[You can only activate this during your Main Phase. All monsters on the field gain ATK equal to their own Level ×100 until the end of your opponent's turn.]
With razor-sharp dark claws, it granted an increase in Attack to all monsters on the field.
[Ad Libitum of Despia, ATK: 1500 → 2300]
[Dramaturge of Despia, ATK: 3000 → 3800]
[Despian Quaeritis, ATK: 2500 → 3300]
[Aluber the Jester of Despia, ATK: 1800 → 2200]
"This frenzied offensive that embodies despair, can your field of trash mobs possibly withstand it?!"
Seizing the opportunity of Miles having only fodder monsters on his field, Aluber firmly resolved to claim victory on his first turn going second, and declared his move into the Battle Phase.
"Cut down the opponent's fodder monsters—Ad Libitum of Despia, attack!"
The sharp, fist-blade slashed out dark red light, looking more than capable of effortlessly slicing the utterly powerless tofu block into pieces.
"It's already over, Arnold—no, Aluber!"
Flipping over his face-down backrow card, Miles alone knew that the moment Despia declared its attack, this Duel had already ended.
And the way it would end would match his prediction to the letter.
"—Trap Card [Absolute End] activated!"
[Can only be activated during your opponent's turn. All attacks by your opponent's monsters this turn become direct attacks against the player.]
"This turn, all of your attacks are converted into direct attacks against me!"
"Have you lost your mind?" Aluber said in disbelief.
Even with two Mokey Mokeys blocking the field, Miles couldn't have stopped Despia's offensive this turn—yet he actually activated [Absolute End] and chose to throw the game.
"This is the fate destined for both of us!"
At the instant [Ad Libitum of Despia]'s monster attack was converted into a direct attack, the card in Miles's Graveyard—the monster discarded at the start of the Duel by the Spell Card [One for One]—leapt out.
"I banish [Clear Kuriboh] from my Graveyard to activate its effect!"
[When your opponent declares a direct attack, you can activate this effect by banishing this card from your Graveyard. Draw 1 card from your Deck. If the card you draw is a monster, you can Special Summon that monster. Then, the attack target is changed to that monster.]
The chain combo between the Trap Card [Absolute End] and the monster [Clear Kuriboh] forced him to take the direct attack while staking everything on the next draw.
Aluber couldn't help but sneer. "Entrusting your hope of barely surviving to the next unknown draw, this is what you call destined fate? There's nothing destined about it!"
"It's extremely destined. I dare say that in a long life, there has never been a moment when fate was clearer than it is right now!"
With a flick of his fingers, Miles turned over the final card still held in his hand and displayed it to Aluber across from him.
"This is?"
The expression beneath the mask changed abruptly.
The card Miles deliberately showed to Aluber was the embodiment of destiny—[Obelisk the Tormentor].
"Someone like you actually drew the giant god soldier in your opening hand? But so what? Even if you're holding the god from the start, what can you possibly do with it?!"
"What I can do is win this Duel on this turn! Because I said it—the giant god soldier will descend, and you will lose to me this turn!"
Miles flipped over his final face-down card, forming a further elevated chain that blossomed from the draw effect of [Clear Kuriboh].
"—Trap Card [Jar of Generosity] activated!"
[Choose 1 card in your hand and return it to the top or bottom of your Deck.]
Choose 1 card from your hand to return to the top or bottom of the Deck—
And at this moment, the only card left in Miles's hand had already been shown to Aluber.
"I return [Obelisk the Tormentor] from my hand to the top of my Deck. Then, [Clear Kuriboh]'s effect resolves—when I take direct damage, I draw the top card of my Deck!"
More destined than a destined draw.
What monster would Miles draw next? What monster would be Special Summoned by the next effect?
Everyone could already see it.
"There has never been a moment when fate was clearer than it is right now."
"Oooooooh!"
Imitating Kaiba's pose, Miles stood atop ZEUS and slammed his palm down onto the steel body beneath him.
At the same time, mirroring Miles's signature ground-slam draw pose, the massive mechanical hand of Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder also came crashing down upon the ground below.
The land beneath trembled violently from ZEUS's strike. As thunderclouds churned and the heavens and earth changed, it was the unmistakable sign of the Egyptian God Cards' descent—the wrath of the gods.
"Draw!"
"Special Summon! Obelisk the Tormentor!"
[Obelisk the Tormentor] Level 10│DIVINE│Divine-Beast│4000 ATK
During Aluber's turn, riding upon Despia's attack, Miles's chained summoning tactic brought the giant god soldier down in an instant.
"Impossible… Obelisk the Tormentor!"
Staggering backward under Obelisk's overwhelming presence, Aluber's possessed body began to tremble instinctively.
That fear came from the dark personality… and at the same time, it was also the excitement Arnold felt when facing his dream.
"Your darkness ends here, Aluber!"
Forcing himself to keep up his bravado, Aluber retorted, "Even if… even if you Special Summon a monster during my turn, it still…"
"This isn't a monster at all!"
Before Aluber could finish his rebuttal, Miles cut him off directly.
"It's not a Monster, but a GOD!"
[You can activate this effect by Tributing 2 other monsters you control. Destroy all monsters your opponent controls with ATK less than or equal to this card's ATK, then this card can make 1 direct attack against your opponent. This effect can be activated during your opponent's turn.]
"Obelisk the Tormentor's effect, activate! I Tribute the 2 monsters on my field—Soul Energy MAX!"
This too was a fate long since decided. The reason Miles had summoned two Mokey Mokeys on the very first turn, instead of performing a Rank 1 Xyz Summon, was precisely for this moment.
"Using the two [Mokey Mokey]s as the cost for [Obelisk the Tormentor]'s effect, I draw out infinite power! Destroy all monsters on your field and deal you battle damage from Obelisk's direct attack—4000 points!"
Obelisk's fists, imbued with divine will, burst forth with light. As the most destructive of the Egyptian God Cards, Obelisk needed only a single strike to completely overturn the battle.
"God Hand Impact!!!"
[Ad Libitum of Despia] destroyed!
[Dramaturge of Despia] destroyed!
[Despian Quaeritis] destroyed!
[Aluber the Jester of Despia] destroyed!
In an instant, Despia's monsters were absolutely wiped out. Before the infinite destructive force of Obelisk the Tormentor, even the Branded Theater—hovering in the sky as an active Field Spell—shattered and collapsed.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
[Aluber, LP: 4000 → 0]
Blasted from the sky and sent crashing down, Aluber didn't even survive through his own turn before being defeated by the giant god soldier's ultimate destructive power.
"This is the new power Miles has obtained! Obelisk the Tormentor!"
This instant-kill scene left Aisha and the others, watching from the sidelines, downright stunned.
"He's practically invincible, Mr. Miles!"
...
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