SWNOVELXO Chapter 51: DSMW [51]
"The Attack Points... They're equal now!"
A clash between [First of the Dragons] and [Dark Magician] erupted in the skies above the rear mountain. The sheer impact of the dragon and mage colliding illuminated the entire night sky.
Such a massive, eye-catching surge of power naturally caught the attention of the academy's students.
Even though it was already curfew at Fusion Academy's dorms, the students, sensing the disturbance outside, couldn't help but poke their heads out from their dorm windows in curiosity.
"What is that? Such a huge dragon!"
"I've never seen a dragon like that before!"
The first thing everyone noticed was [First of the Dragons] soaring in the sky, its colossal frame rivaling a mountain.
"What kind of monster could fight against such a massive dragon?"
Due to the distance, and with [Dark Magician] being human-sized, the students could only see the overwhelming dragon unleashing a mighty roar, clashing against the dark magical energy exploding in the air.
"Could it be... is this duel between Aisha and Miles?"
Irene, having secretly snuck back into the dorm while evading the dorm supervisor, anxiously gazed toward the distant battle.
She had never seen [First of the Dragons] before, so she couldn't tell whether it was Aisha's monster or one summoned by the mysterious opponent.
Regardless of which side commanded the dragon, the fact that one could control such a massive and mysterious monster—or even stand against it—was proof that both sides possessed terrifying strength.
This duel was even more intense than the previous Shadow Game.
"Ah, look! The dragon's gone!"
"Did the duel end?"
Just as everyone was expecting an even grander and more spectacular battle following the colossal dragon...
The clash ended. Both monsters, having identical Attack Points, annihilated each other.
The restless sky, now free from the horrifying energy, gradually returned to calm.
[First of the Dragons] destroyed.
[Dark Magician] destroyed.
The Pharaoh's ace monster and Miles's strongest monster at present wiped each other out in a single strike. Both Duelists were once again left with completely empty fields.
For a monster like [First of the Dragons]—an absolute menace at the Fusion Academy freshman level—to not even last a full turn against the Pharaoh spoke volumes.
"I activate the effect of the Equip Spell [Magic Formula]. When this card is sent to the Graveyard, I gain 1000 Life Points."
[Pharaoh, LP: 2800 → 3800]
"Even with an incomplete Deck, you managed to take down my strongest servant, [Dark Magician], with you. Miles, you've fully demonstrated your strength to me."
Miles's use of a D-rank Trap Card combined with a bunch of fodder monsters to force a trade with [Dark Magician] earned him the Pharaoh's high praise.
"In this world's restrictive rules, using limited resources to think deeply about how to strengthen your Deck and achieving victories you shouldn't have been able to grasp... To rationally pursue victory—this is your gift, Miles."
Aisha said, "Miles-san, it seems... You just got praised by the strongest Pharaoh."
"But... I can't really bring myself to feel happy about it."
Forcing a strained smile, Aisha's adorable, lovely cheeks somehow appeared comical when paired with the twitching corners of Miles's mouth.
Even receiving the Pharaoh's recognition, Miles couldn't smile under the current circumstances.
"I didn't expect the gap to be this huge."
Though it seemed like a mutual destruction, the Pharaoh used this opportunity to recover nearly back to full Life Points. Not to mention, his Tribute Summon earlier activated [Precious Cards from Beyond], drawing two extra cards.
In stark contrast, Miles was now left with only one card in hand: [White Duston]. Zero Attack, 1000 Defense. Without any combo pieces, it contributed absolutely nothing in battle.
His remaining 4000 Life Points were as fragile as a flickering candle in the wind.
From Aisha's funny expression, the Pharaoh could easily read what was on Miles's mind.
"A power born from an overwhelming talent can lead to confusion when placed in an unfamiliar world. That confusion makes one overly obsessed with victory and strength itself. Even I couldn't avoid this once."
Recalling his past, the Pharaoh—once the spirit behind Yugi Muto—had nearly sacrificed everything for victory, even disregarding Seto Kaiba's life.
"A powerful soul is like a blade sharp enough to cut through anything. But a sheath is what tempers that blade's danger, stabilizing great power. The existence of a partner—your host—is just as important."
Aisha exclaimed, "As the host's partner... You mean me? I'm that important to Miles-san... so important!"
Striking right at her heart, the Pharaoh's words made Aisha happier than any compliment could.
"Hehe, hehe~ Turns out I'm that important to Miles-san... You're too kind, too kind~"
As if hearing Aisha's soul voice resonating inside the Millennium Puzzle, the Pharaoh smiled softly.
"Yuna, the light of humanity within you is very similar to my Partner. If you can harness that power, you can change the direction of your Deck's summoning—and even help restore this world's disrupted balance of Light and Darkness."
"I can change my Deck? You mean... I won't be stuck only summoning low-level Normal Monsters anymore?"
"That's something you and Miles will have to discover together. For now, what you need is to fight together—not rely solely on Miles to fight."
With that, the Pharaoh flipped the face-down card he had set at the very start of the duel.
"—Continuous Trap Activate: Court of Cards!"
[Once per turn, if you control no monsters other than "Queen's Knight", "King's Knight", or "Jack's Knight", you can Special Summon one of them from your hand or Graveyard.
"Revive onto my field—Jack's Knight!"
[Jack's Knight] ATK: 1900
A Trap-triggered Special Summon mid-Battle Phase. With an empty field, the Pharaoh brought back Jack's Knight, the strongest in Attack among the royal trio.
"Direct attack!—Knight's Sword Slash!"
[Miles & Aisha, LP: 4000 → 2100]
A streak of silver light carved through the night, slicing across Aisha's frail chest as a sharp, cold pain shot through Miles.
Just like the Pharaoh's words earlier—it woke him up.
"The sword needs a sheath to restrain it... You mean I need to fight together with Aisha?"
When Miles snapped back from the icy pain of that sword, he realized he was now back inside the Millennium Puzzle in spirit form.
And standing on the Duel Field at this moment... was Aisha Yuna Carlos herself.
...
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