"Eh? You want me to duel on the final day?"
Catching the key that sealed the Obelisk Tower, Ecclesia blinked her large, innocent eyes at Miles, still not understanding the situation.
"Hmmm? Are you sending me to die, Senpai~?"
"You haven't even started dueling yet. How can you call it dying?"
"But, Senpai Irena and Senpai Ren could go instead. Why make a first-year like me shoulder this? Ugh, the pressure's so heavy. And when I'm under pressure, I get hungry."
"You're always plain hungry."
"Besides, Senpai Miles, how am I supposed to pull out infinity? Even if you stripped me down to my socks, you wouldn't find a single infinite card on me."
Why did she have to be stripped to her socks to draw cards? That sounded kind of lewd.
Still, it was understandable—Ecclesia was merely the Saint of Dogmatika, and her vessel, Lishia, was only a Tower Warden.
They might have heard the legends of the Egyptian God Card [Obelisk the Tormentor], but they certainly didn't understand its effect.
[Obelisk the Tormentor]—probably the earliest Monster in the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime to ever possess infinite Attack.
Its effect: Tribute two of your own Monsters to increase its Attack to infinity.
Which made it, at present, the card most suited to clash head-on with the infinite-Attack Serpent.
The precondition, of course, was that [Obelisk the Tormentor] would respond to Ecclesia as a Saint—or to Lishia as the Tower Warden.
As for Miles's confidence in that… it stemmed from the changes that had occurred ever since the sealed key had been in Aisha's possession all these days.
It indeed wasn't just an ordinary sealing key; otherwise, it wouldn't have kept changing its appearance every time Miles obtained a God Card.
The God of the Earth had been absorbing the power of revival from the other God Cards… or so Miles speculated.
If it had already absorbed so many strange divine powers—and with the Winged Dragon of Ra, the eldest of the trio, still by his side… then, facing the Serpent of Orichalcos, wouldn't it be reasonable for the Tormentor to lend a hand and throw one decisive punch?
Well, ultimately, it was all metaphysics. Miles's confidence was, at best, thirty percent.
"Ecclesia, if you feel like you can't win, then call upon the God of the Earth—no, the Earthbound God! The Tormentor will definitely answer you."
"Really, Senpai?"
Looking down at the sealing key, now radiating a power totally different from before, Ecclesia could sense the dormant possibility within it.
She took a deep breath.
"Help me, Obelisk the Tormentor!"
"If you feel like you can't win, call upon the God of the Earth."
Miles had barely finished saying that when Ecclesia instantly chickened out.
Of course, the Tormentor wasn't going to respond to such a half-hearted plea.
Aisha asked worriedly, "Mr. Miles, are you sure it's okay to let Lishia fight on the final day?"
This girl was a Saint, and as her vessel, a Tower Warden—without question the one most likely to summon the Tormentor and face the infinite-Attack Serpent.
Yet she was the most timid of them all.
Miles inevitably felt that Fusion Academy's exchange expedition might be heading toward disaster.
Five days later, the race track that had been blasted into a crater by infinite Attack was finally repaired, and the Exchange Turbo Duel Tournament resumed as scheduled.
This time, the venue was no longer cold and empty. Though the audience hadn't returned to peak numbers, the people of Axet, still thrilled by the breathtaking duels five days prior, came back to witness the magic of clashing Duelists once more.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Exchange Turbo Duel Tournament! What kind of spectacular duels will our three academies bring us today?!"
With a larger crowd and higher energy, Takehiko Izumi, the professional commentator, was visibly more enthusiastic than before.
"No need for more talk! Let's get right to it. Here are the Duelists for the first Turbo Duel of the day!"
Scanning the freshly submitted list, still warm from the printer, Izumi's eyes suddenly lit up.
Evidently, even after five days, the matchups arranged by the three academies were enough to stir excitement.
"The first Turbo Duel of the day will feature Irena from Fusion Academy…"
Since Miles had decided to gamble the final day on Ecclesia and the Tormentor, the plan for the first two days was simple: secure as many wins as possible.
The second day's schedule wasn't as critical—lacking the shock value of day one's opening and the morale-boosting significance of day three leading into the finale. In short, it had the least impact, and the other two academies likely wouldn't take it too seriously.
The less seriously the others treated it, the more important it became for them to seize victory.
Thus, Miles arranged for Irena to duel twice that day.
After all, in overall strength, the third-year Gray Witch Irena was still their most dependable card.
If she could win both of her duels today, then with solid performances from Ren and Ecclesia on the third day, Fusion Academy would essentially have victory in hand. And even if things went poorly, they could still push the final decision to the last day.
Miles's plan made perfect sense—despite that, when Izumi announced Fusion Academy's opponent, the room fell silent.
"Her opponent, from XYZ Academy—Leon Gate!"
The two academy leaders faced each other right in the very first Turbo Duel of the day.
Putting their leader on the second day's lineup showed that XYZ Academy clearly didn't consider this day unimportant. On the contrary, their thinking was the same as Miles's.
Both academies aimed to secure a solid victory on the second day using their strongest Duelist short of their ace.
From across their academy stations, Irena and Leon exchanged a distant glance, and as the leaders of their respective academies, a faint spark of rivalry flared between them.
Then Leon ran straight to the garage, leaped onto his D-Wheel, and roared up to the starting line of the Turbo Duel circuit.
Takehiko Izumi: "Player Leon from XYZ Academy is already in position! Now let's see Fusion Academy's side… oh—Fusion Academy's Irena has charged right onto the track!"
As mentioned earlier, none of the Fusion Academy students besides Miles could actually ride a D-Wheel.
But Irena, a top-tier witch in the world of mages, had no shortage of alternatives.
Mana gathered around her boots, and from their heels sprouted a pair of small, delicate wings that gently lifted her off the ground.
She didn't rise high—not enough to count as flight.
Turbo Duel regulations prohibited the use of flight-based equipment.
So these winged magic boots only lifted her a few centimeters, allowing her to glide forward at zero friction like a pair of mana-propelled roller skates.
"The Gray Witch really lives up to her name," Leon remarked, admiring her whimsical entrance under her wide witch's hat.
"You're praising me too early," Irena smiled confidently. "Save your compliments for after I win~"
"When this Duel ends, the only thing you'll be receiving is consolation," Leon shot back seriously.
This was the proper pre-race exchange—both Duelists hurling sharp words before the sprint began, unlike Oga Slint, who opened duels with apologies.
Takehiko Izumi: "Both Duelists represent the pinnacle of their academies' strength—so let's hear it!"
"Turbo Duel! Acceleration!"
The Field Spell Card [Speed World – Novel] activated, covering the entire track as the audience roared. Leon and Irena launched forward simultaneously.
"Hey, you've got to be kidding me," Leon muttered as soon as they accelerated.
Irena, riding on her winged boots, was unbelievably fast.
Compared to the D-Wheel, which needed time to channel mana from its magic stones to build up speed, Irena had hit top velocity in no time.
"Who is this beautiful girl with flowing gray hair, skimming the turns on wings of mana, admired by all around her?"
"That's right—it's me!"
Tilting her body low and brushing her fingertips along the ground, Irena took the first turn a full car length ahead, seizing the initiative.
"Senpai, that was amazing!" The three Fusion Academy students cheered together, thrilled by Irena's unique style of 'riding.'
Gaining the first move was crucial. Leon's Deck, centered around Destiny Lion, had already been exposed during the Tower of Leylines battle.
And since that monster possessed a special victory condition, the later it appeared, the better.
"My turn—draw!"
Irena drew her opening card.
"I discard one card to Special Summon [Apprentice Illusion Magician] in Attack Position!"
[Apprentice Illusion Magician] Level 6│DARK│Spellcaster│ATK 2000 DEF 1700
[You can discard 1 card; Special Summon this card from your hand.]
A lively dark-skinned twin-tailed magical girl appeared beside Irena, brimming with youthful energy.
"So cuuute!"
"See? That's what Duel Monsters should be—cute girls battling with cute girls!"
"Exactly, my brother. You've grasped the truth."
The crowd felt the charm of true Duel spirit—or perhaps a slightly different kind of charm.
Surely no one played Yu-Gi-Oh! just to look at girl cards… right?
Irena continued, "When [Apprentice Illusion Magician] is Special Summoned, I can add [Dark Magician] from my Deck to my hand! Then I set one card and end my turn."
Balancing atop her winged boots, Irena ended her first turn with the Apprentice standing proud on her field.
"My turn, then—draw!"
With a coarse voice, Leon drew his card from his Spirit Eyes Duel Disk. As the leaders' match began, he immediately laid the groundwork for destiny.
"I Normal Summon, in Defense Position—[Gimmick Puppet Des Troy]!"
[Gimmick Puppet Des Troy] Level 4│DARK│Machine│ATK 1200 DEF 2000
The eerie puppet horse galloped into being on Leon's track, looking ready to fall apart at any moment.
"Now I activate [Gimmick Puppet Des Troy]'s effect!"
[Once per turn, while this card is face-up on the field: target 1 'Gimmick Puppet' monster on the field; destroy that target.]
"I'll destroy my own Des Troy!"
"What the heck… it really fell apart!"
Irena twisted gracefully to dodge the puppet's scattering parts raining across the track.
"Next, I activate Des Troy's effect when it's sent from the field to the Graveyard!"
[When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: you can Special Summon up to 2 'Gimmick Puppet' monsters from your hand.]
"I'll Special Summon two 'Gimmick Puppet' monsters from my hand!"
Countless puppet strings flared out from Leon's D-Wheel, linking to his Duel Disk card slot as he slammed down two cards.
"I Special Summon Level 8 [Gimmick Puppet Dreary Doll] and Level 8 [Gimmick Puppet Bisque Doll]!"
[Gimmick Puppet Dreary Doll, DEF 0]
[Gimmick Puppet Bisque Doll, DEF 1000]
Two eerie yet oddly cute doll girls materialized. Though both were Level 8, neither had any real combat power.
Their purpose was obvious—materials for a Rank 8 Xyz Summon.
"Next, I Special Summon Level 8 [Gimmick Puppet Magnet Doll] from my hand!"
[If your opponent controls a monster and all monsters you control are 'Gimmick Puppet' monsters, you can Special Summon this card from your hand.]
[Gimmick Puppet Magnet Doll, DEF 1000]
Another Level 8 puppet, equally powerless on its own.
In his very first turn, going second, Leon had gathered three Level 8 monsters on the field.
"I overlay my three Level 8 monsters! Roar, destiny itself!"
The Xyz overlay network of the three massive monsters surged skyward, streaking into the heavens.
"The lion of destiny roars its cry of victory! Awaken upon the throne of fate! Xyz Summon, Rank 8—[Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo]!"
[Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo] Rank 8│DARK│Machine│ATK 3200 / DEF 2300
[3 Level 8 monsters]
Materializing alongside its throne, the lion of destiny appeared, gripping its royal sword. Its blade carved the countdown to this Duel's end into the track itself.
"I activate [Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo]'s effect! I detach one Xyz Material—and when all its Materials are detached, I win the Duel!"
...
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