"Congratulations, you are the second person in all these years to pass the trial."
Inside the hall, a young woman in a pale blue shrine maiden's outfit held a silver scepter, bowing gracefully before Hikaru.
Tierra leaned close, whispering, "That… she's not a spirit. She's human."
Hikaru blinked. 'A human?'
The shrine maiden straightened, smiled faintly, and gestured for him to follow. As she walked, the strange aura that had filled the Spirit Hall began to fade. The light that once caged them dissolved, allowing Tierra to finally see beyond the Duel field.
"Miss Miko," Hikaru began, "what exactly was that earlier? That… trial with Kaiba Man."
The maiden's steps echoed gently across the marble floor. "That was the Trial of True Light," she said.
All around them, spirit attendants and spectral dragons peeked out from behind pillars, some cautious, others curious. Hikaru raised a hand in greeting, and a few bowed in return.
"Our Dimension," she continued, "is a realm dedicated to the Legendary Dragon, Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The Spirit Hall chooses worthy souls from countless worlds to inherit the power of Light. I was chosen among them."
Her tone softened. "Ten years ago, a certain man entered this Dimension by his own will. He wasn't summoned here; he broke through on his own. He wielded Blue-Eyes as if born to it, no, as if Blue-Eyes itself existed for him.
He mastered Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon almost instantly and subdued every dragon spirit that resisted him. His presence was absolute."
She stopped and smiled faintly at the memory. "At that time, I was only a child. I watched him duel, radiant as a god of dragons. I never imagined I would one day witness that same man… defeated."
"So it really was Mr. Kaiba, Seto Kaiba from ten years ago?" Hikaru asked quietly.
"That's right." The miko nodded.
Ahead, several spirits pushed open a massive gate. Beyond it stood a towering stone monolith reaching toward the sky, its surface carved with the divine image of a dragon spreading its wings.
Hikaru's eyes widened. "That's… the Blue-Eyes White Dragon tablet!"
The miko turned toward it reverently. "Before the Tablet of True Light, every Duelist must undergo a trial to prove their worth."
Hikaru nodded slowly. In his travels through Dimensions, he'd learned that each realm had its own laws: some demanded duels, others oaths, and some, like the Hall of Light, required tests of the soul.
"Here," she continued, "the Light itself summons Duelists who can resonate with its purity. But any being, human or spirit, who cannot, must face the trial."
Her expression darkened slightly. "Originally, the trial was overseen by our own Duelists. But ten years ago, that man, Seto Kaiba, defeated all of them and claimed the final authority."
"The 'final authority'?" Hikaru echoed.
"Yes. The right to add entries to the Dimension's laws."
She pointed to a smaller stone slab beside the main tablet, its surface glowing with faint inscriptions.
"At first, he carved the rule: 'Only I may wield Blue-Eyes.' But after we reminded him that this Dimension was home to countless dragon spirits, he revised it to:
'Only those acknowledged by me may possess Blue-Eyes.'"
Hikaru's eyes widened slightly. "I see… So under your world's law, whenever someone enters this Dimension, they're automatically forced to face the Kaiba Man from ten years ago."
"That's right."
As she spoke, several armored attendants stepped forward, pushing ornate boxes carved with draconic motifs.
"You are a traveler between Dimensions," the shrine maiden said softly. "In other realms, you may have found companions through your own resonance. But in this realm, you must understand, the cards will not always appear as you imagine."
She gestured gracefully, placing the boxes before the towering Tablet of True Light.
"So that means…" Hikaru pointed at the boxes. "We're waiting for the tablet to materialize the cards?"
"That's correct," she replied. "Close your eyes, focus your thoughts and spirit, and project them into this box. The True Light will answer, granting you the cards that match your heart's result."
Hikaru nodded and did as told. He rested his palm against the box. Instantly, a soft purple glow shimmered around him.
The shrine maiden's eyes widened slightly at the sight. Tierra, watching from behind, leaned forward, clearly bored but curious to see what would happen next.
Thanks to long months of training, and Tierra's spiritual tuning, Hikaru's adaptability had already reached eight stars, a level near the peak attainable by ordinary humans.
Soon, he felt his consciousness drift into a pure white void. A gentle voice, warm and distant, seemed to whisper questions to him.
He answered twice, expressing his resolve.
Then;
"I understand. But… I promised him I wouldn't give Blue-Eyes White Dragon to anyone else."
The voice echoed faintly as the vision shattered, and Hikaru opened his eyes.
The entire tablet before him was glowing now. The engraved Blue-Eyes White Dragon began to radiate a soft white light. Beams cascaded down like sunlight through an old window, scattering across the chamber.
The light pooled into the box before him. Slowly, cards began to materialize within.
"It seems the Light has given its answer."
The shrine maiden solemnly lifted the box, held it high over her head, then bowed deeply, offering the cards with reverence.
"So many?" Tierra gasped.
She had followed Hikaru through many Dimensions. Other than the special haul with Frightfur and the joint experiment with Magical Scientist, this was the first time she'd seen the spirits themselves provide so many cards at once.
Hikaru bowed in return, then gently took the stack. The shrine maiden straightened with quiet grace.
He looked down, and blinked.
There wasn't a single copy of Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
Of course, "no Blue-Eyes White Dragon" here meant no Normal Monster version.
Instead, there were three Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon, which count as "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" while on the field or in the Graveyard. Alongside them were Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon and Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon.
In addition, the box contained three Ultimate Fusion, three Burst Stream of Destruction, and one True Light.
Even though he rarely used Spells and couldn't set Traps, this gift was far from stingy. It was, after all, the Dimension of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, a realm of myth, even among spirits.
Still, without an actual Blue-Eyes White Dragon, how was he supposed to reveal one to Special Summon an Alternative White Dragon from his hand?
And Future Fusion couldn't even send the three Alternatives from the Deck to the GY to summon Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon or Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon, since Alternative only counts as Blue-Eyes on the field or in the GY.
He exhaled softly. "Even so," he murmured, "this is far more than I expected."
Originally, he had only hoped for one Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon, to use for alchemical analysis and dimensional fusion testing.
He tapped his chin, thinking aloud.
"Looks like I'll need to find myself a Five-Headed Dragon next…"
...
Bonus @400 Ps