"What? I've been found?" A lively, clear girl's voice.
On the other side of the mind-room, Dark Aisha seemed to catch on to Miles's unusual thought pattern.
"Miles, who are you talking to? It's not me, is it?"
Too many Duel Spirits… the conversation was a mess!
Even with Miles's precision at controlling his thoughts, channels started to overlap. If he wasn't careful, this could spiral into a full-blown battlefield of spirits.
And really, could a battlefield of Duel Spirits still be called a battlefield? Surely no one would actually think to build a harem out of Duel Spirits… right?
To avoid such a tragic fate falling on himself, Miles tried to refine his focus as much as possible.
"You're the soul recorded in the ancient texts as the King of Light?"
Anyhow, the fact that another soul existed inside the Pyramid of Light left him disappointed. If it was already inhabited, that meant no chance of slipping in himself.
Or maybe… he could find a way to pull this squatter out and throw her away.
"King of Light?" The girl laughed brightly. "Hahaha, that thing? After thousands of years, it's long gone."
"Not the King of Light… then who are you?"
"I'm just a lost card spirit. Suddenly ended up in a strange world and had no idea what to do. I found a nice-looking place and snuck in."
A lost card spirit? Miles hadn't expected such a thing to exist in the Spirit Continent.
Regardless, her story did fit the description of a wandering soul—lost, confused, without direction.
"When I was broken, I thought my soul would break forever. But you… you're amazing! You restored the Pyramid of Light in a single afternoon. I admire you!"
"O-oh…"
He couldn't bring himself to admit he only restored it in hopes of getting an empty vessel for his own soul.
"So I've decided… I'm sticking with you from now on! After sleeping in the same place for centuries, I was bored stiff anyway!"
Her thought patterns were so erratic that even Miles had trouble keeping up.
She was just going to stick with him like that? If he kicked her out now, wouldn't that make him look cruel?
"What should I call you?"
"Just call me Astar."
"Astar? Alright. You can just call me Miles."
From head to toe, she radiated nonchalance—her personality, even her name.
Though since the Pyramid really did house another spirit, Miles had to clarify something else.
Why had the bells of the Old Dominators rung at the exact moment the Pyramid was restored?
"Astar, did you notice anything in the darkness?"
"Ha, Miles, are you joking?"
"Joking? So you didn't notice anything either?"
"No… I mean, the joke is asking when the malice is so obvious! Can't you feel it?"
"Malice?"
So it hadn't been a coincidence.
Astar continued, "It's the first time I've felt such immense, overwhelming malice. It's enough to make me nauseous. What kind of filthy, twisted hearts must they have to emit evil this strong?"
"The Old Dominators?"
If there were ever minds filthy and twisted enough, fanatical cultists were the prime suspects.
"Miles, let me say this: if you ignore this malice, innocent souls may be driven mad tonight."
That matched exactly what Lishia had said earlier—eldritch whispers drove people insane.
"Of course I won't ignore it!" Miles said firmly.
Whether the cultists came for Aisha's God Card or were drawn by the Pyramid's restoration, he wouldn't turn a blind eye. And he couldn't let innocent souls be sacrificed.
"Astar, can you tell where the malice is coming from?"
"Of course—I could even draw you a map!"
"No need for a map…"
Even if she drew one, he wouldn't be able to see it.
Regardless, by following her spoken directions, Miles could gradually approach the source.
Without further explanation, the others—Ren, Irena, and Arnold—understood Miles had received guidance from the Pyramid and followed promptly.
One side note: with Aisha already wearing the Millennium Puzzle around her neck, hanging a near-identical Pyramid of Light there looked far too conspicuous.
So, thinking quickly, Miles looped the pyramid's chain around Aisha's waist belt instead, turning it into a crystal waist ornament that suited a girl's look perfectly.
Aisha was baffled, "Miles-san actually knows fashion! Is this the maiden's heart of a hardcore straight guy?"
"It's just an accessory. Don't exaggerate. And who are you calling a hardcore straight guy?!"
"hehe, I meant it as a compliment."
Dark Aisha said, amused, "Not bad at all, Miles. Your taste has improved~"
Then, Astar shouted, "We're close, Miles! Follow me, follow me!"
'So noisy!'
Too many Duel Spirits, too loud! With three distinct voices overlapping in his head, Miles no longer knew who to answer. One slip and he might switch channels again.
Just a short walk left him drained.
This wouldn't do… he needed a solution. Albeit for now, the pressing matter was dealing with the Old Dominators.
Following Astar's guidance at a jog, the group arrived at a church.
However, not a town church—a long-abandoned one in the wilds.
Dense forest blocked the starlight, leaves rustling in the dark, shadows darting between the trees. The abandoned church radiated an eerie, suffocating dread.
"Why… do my legs feel so heavy?"
Though he hadn't run that hard, Miles felt his legs drag with unusual weight.
"Sorry, Miles-san. This is too scary… ten times worse than any horror story. My instincts are making me shrink back."
"We're almost there. Just a little more, hold on."
He slapped Aisha's thigh in frustration. A gust of chill wind through the dark forest lifted her skirt, brushing between her legs, and even Miles shivered inside.
"Damn… yeah, this is creepy."
In horror stories, characters who ignored warnings and walked into abandoned churches always died horribly.
If not for the fact that this world solved everything with duels, Miles would have already turned back.
...
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