"Transformation? Is that something humans can even do?"
"It's just that, um… that…"
Tongue-tied and stammering, it was clear that for a twelve-year-old child, what Nova had seen had far exceeded the limits of her understanding.
Even the head maid had never taught her anything like this.
"Calm down first, Nova. Tell me where Lishia went."
"Lishia, she… went to the back mountain."
"The back mountain?"
Aisha clearly remembered that since the Shadow Duelist Hunter incident last semester, the back mountain had already been sealed by Miss Fiona.
Of course, even if Miss Fiona was at the level of a Grand Magus, a powerful Duelist could still force their way through the seal.
The seal itself was more of a warning to students to stay away from the academy's back mountain area.
"Why run to the back mountain at a time like this? I have a bad feeling about this!"
Exhaustion washed over Aisha, and her plan to return to the dorm to rest was obviously ruined.
There was no way Aisha could just watch Lishia head to the back mountain for no reason and stay in the dorm sleeping. Her heart wasn't that big.
"Nova, wait here. I'll bring Lishia back!"
"Mm, Aisha, I'm counting on you. Please come back safely."
"Don't worry, Nova. I'm a Royal Knight, after all!"
According to Nova's description, Lishia had left half an hour before Aisha returned. That was about the time Miles was dueling the Church of the Old Dominators.
"Why would Lishia go to the back mountain at that time?"
"Aisha! If you run, you'll never catch up."
"Mr. Miles?"
"Fly!"
"...Fly?"
"Soar, Stardust Dragon!"
Materializing Stardust Dragon and taking off from the academy dorm, the dragon shone with brilliant stardust. It was unmistakably the same monster that had just battled the Wicked God, immediately recognized by the surrounding students.
"Ahhhhh—! Slow down, slow down! I get dragon-sick!"
Wrapped in starlight, carrying Aisha at full speed toward the back mountain, Stardust Dragon traced a dazzling tail across the night sky.
Miles said, "I can see it already."
From the sky, looking toward the back mountain, amid the dark mass was an area shrouded in an even deeper darkness.
"It's a Duel, Mr. Miles!"
"It has to be Lishia."
Someone was dueling in the sealed back mountain. To say it had nothing to do with Lishia—no one would believe that.
And what surprised Miles even more was that, even from the sky, he could clearly see the monster towering in the back mountain.
Wriggling with a massive, elongated body in the abyss, The Wicked Eraser.
"Another Wicked God? When will this end? As expected, this Duel is connected to the Old Dominators."
If what possessed Lishia, as Camille had said, was the Saint of the Order,
Then, in the western region, where the Order and the Church of the Old Dominators opposed each other, it made perfect sense for the Old Dominators to lure Lishia out to Duel.
Guiding Stardust Dragon to land beside the Duel in the back mountain, the obvious starlight naturally drew the attention of the two Duelists.
"Oh? Tonight is lively indeed. How many lost souls will gather here?"
The Old Dominator Duelist commanding the Wicked God no longer had the deceivingly handsome appearance of Yog-Tos; the twisted face of a fanatic was laid bare.
"Ugh…"
Standing opposite the Old Dominator Duelist, Lishia hadn't transformed as dramatically as Nova had claimed.
To Aisha and Miles, it simply looked like Lishia had taken off her thick glasses and let her flaxen braids fall loose.
However, what was most concerning was how bad Lishia's condition appeared.
Perhaps because she was injured during the Duel, she kept clutching her stomach, her face twisted in pain.
"Time to hand over the key to the Obelisk Tower's seal, little Tower Warden!"
"You… dream on!" Lishia retorted, clutching her stomach.
"Then I have no need to hold back against a heretic. The Wicked Eraser's Attack is the number of cards on your field × 1000!"
On Lishia's field, there was currently only one card: [Familiar-Possessed - Wynn].
[Familiar-Possessed - Wynn] Level 4│WIND│Spellcaster│1850 ATK
[The Wicked Eraser] Level 10│DIVINE│Fiend│1000 ATK
Facing a Wicked God with a single monster, an Attack of 1850 was higher than the Wicked God's mere 1000. It seemed like a smart tactic.
Despite that, having dueled The Wicked Eraser before, Miles understood deeply that simply controlling the number of cards on your field wasn't enough to defeat it.
"Trap Card, activate [Ojama Trio]!"
"Special Summon 3 Ojama Tokens to your field and raise The Wicked Eraser's Attack by 1000!"
[The Wicked Eraser, ATK: 1000 → 4000]
A classic Ojama Trap. The sudden flood of Ojama monsters filled Lishia's Monster Zones, instantly boosting the Wicked God's Attack to 4000.
"Burn in the Wicked God's fury! Soul Erasure!"
[Familiar-Possessed - Wynn destroyed]
[Lishia, LP: 3000 → 850]
The abyssal Wicked God's explosive strike instantly dropped Lishia's Life Points to the lethal range of the three Ojama Tokens.
It was almost the exact same dilemma Miles had once faced.
Destroying [The Wicked Eraser] would trigger the destruction of the three Ojama Tokens, dealing 900 damage and defeating Lishia.
"My turn ends." The Old Dominator Duelist lowered the Spirit Eyes. "If you won't hand over the giant god soldier, I'll take it myself, Tower Warden!"
"Are you okay, Lishia!"
"Aisha-senpai…"
Lishia looked weakly toward Aisha, her eyes filled with unprecedented despair.
"I might not make it, Aisha-senpai."
"Don't give up, Lishia. The Duel isn't over yet!"
"It's not about giving up…"
Clutching her stomach, Lishia's expression grew even more pained.
"I'm just too hungry to move."
"(￣—￣) You're in despair because you're hungry? …Wait, I remember!"
At the critical moment, Aisha rummaged through her pockets and managed to find the chocolate Ren had slipped in earlier today.
"Catch, Lishia." Worried she might not even have the strength to unwrap it, the thoughtful Aisha quickly peeled off the wrapper and tossed the chocolate right to Lishia's mouth.
"Ahm! (???) So sweet, so tasty!"
Using the last of her strength to bite into the chocolate, Lishia's golden eyes sparkled as if replenished with crucial magic.
"Thank you so much, Aisha-senpai, you're my lifesaver!"
The sugar rush had an immediate effect on Lishia. Standing again, her entire aura transformed.
No, she herself transformed.
The magnificent golden light spreading around Lishia dyed her flaxen hair pure gold, and an X-shaped mark appeared on her forehead.
This was likely the "transformation" Nova had mentioned.
But to Miles, it seemed Lishia had directly switched to her Saint persona.
"Revival! Despicable Old Dominators, you won't escape!"
Bathed in divine golden light, Lishia, now in Saint mode, drew a card from the Spirit Eyes.
"Wicked God of the Abyss, to defeat you, I can use myself! I Normal Summon in Attack Position [Incredible Ecclesia, the Virtuous]!"
[Incredible Ecclesia, the Virtuous] Level 4│LIGHT│Spellcaster│1500 ATK/1500 DEF]
The monster Lishia summoned this turn, Incredible Ecclesia, the Virtuous, was essentially her Saint form made manifest on the field!
...
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