"Spirits of flame and frost dwelling within the land of the elves, answer my mana, and bloom forth!"
Flame and ice intertwined in a sweeping dance, red and white trails crossing through the battlefield.
In this otherworld of swords, magic, and dueling—when the 'dueling' component was restricted—someone nearly at the level of a Grand Magus like Irena fought like a war goddess.
Aisha exclaimed with admiration, "Irena-senpai, are you a superhuman?!"
Among the group, Irena's mastery of magic was enough to dominate the battlefield, while Ren, with her monstrous athletic ability, guarded the mage to keep enemies from closing in.
Only Aisha—after Miles's soul entered the obelisk tower via the Millennium Puzzle—had become a downright useless mascot, running around the battlefield in circles.
"Aisha, you still can't connect to Miles?"
Even as she asked, Irena didn't stop for a moment, continuously swinging her elemental magic staff.
Ren muttered inwardly, 'Reliable as you are, Irena-senpai… the way you casually torture enemies with a flick of your fingers is also terrifying.'
Screams echoed all around—the wails of Despia cultists being scorched and frozen by the twin punishments of flame and frost.
Yet, with their minds corrupted by the music of the Shadow Theater, even subjected to ice and fire torture, these 'people' didn't stop advancing.
Occasionally, one would burst out from the flames, only to be kicked flying by Ren.
"Mr. Miles still hasn't responded."
No matter how hard Aisha tried to reach him through the Millennium Puzzle, she received no reply. Her heart inevitably sank.
However, that disappointment came only from withdrawal; her body reacting to a severe lack of 'Miles.'
Aisha didn't worry. She only believed.
"Mr. Miles will definitely succeed… he'll return like a hero, carrying unparalleled power!"
"I only hope our hero arrives a little sooner," Irena said.
She didn't know when her mana would run dry, and the saint in the sky—Ecclesia—clearly wouldn't last much longer.
Within the ultramodern ancient barrier deployed by Despia, the only two who could summon Duel Monsters were Ecclesia and Aluber, both in possession-state. But they weren't dueling—they were just riding dragons and blasting each other.
The reason was simple: Ecclesia's remaining Stigmata power wasn't enough to even conduct a proper duel.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have collapsed mid–Turbo Duel during the Synchron Academy tournament.
"Naïve! Foolish! Futile!"
Riding the blazing Masquerade Dragon beneath him, Aluber fired consecutive dragon breaths at Ecclesia, showing no trace of mercy toward his cute childhood friend.
Just as Ecclesia had said, after possession, this man was no longer the boy she knew, nor the junior Arnold who had once vowed to follow Aisha as his boss in the academy.
[Aluber the Jester of Despia] was nothing more than a dark puppet molded by the twisted Dogmatika faction to counter the true Stigmata.
"Etch the script of despair into your mind. Then vanish, Saint of Dogmatika!"
A crimson beam pierced the ominous sky. At the moment Ecclesia's Stigmata power ran out, the Ash Dragon fused from Albaz dissolved.
The saint's frail body plummeted toward the ground.
"Spirit of wind—lift the maiden's arm!"
Irena swung her staff, slowing Ecclesia's fall with wind magic, and Ren caught her securely.
Ecclesia managed a weak smile. "S-Sorry, senpai… I'm too hungry to move anymore."
Her remaining Stigmata power finally dispersed fully—as though the destined end had come.
Without Ecclesia's Duel Monster summoning, they had no way to stop Despia's assault.
"HAHAHAHA! At last, it's over!"
Landing atop his dragon, the only one still capable of commanding Duel Monsters, Aluber removed his mask, his grin turning more deranged.
Aisha said, "I still prefer your old, sensible self, Arnold."
"Such a shame. That supporting-role character arc is finished. Now it's time for the climax of the tragedy! Once those of you with the key are wiped out, Despia will reign above all factions!"
An ancient civilization weapon capable of sealing Duel Monster summoning across the Spirit Continent was essentially a dimensionality-reduction strike against the modern nations.
If Despia's hidden forces were strong enough, they might actually overturn the entire continent.
Because this barrier was part of the obelisk tower's legacy, those with the Key—Miles and his companions—were the only real threat.
"Anyhow, now, that threat is about to disappear!"
Dragonfire gathered—scorching red flames far beyond what a human body, even a witch's body, could endure.
"Too bad. The hero you were waiting for… never arrived!"
"HAHA… HAHAHAHA!"
Yet Ecclesia, powerless on the ground, suddenly began laughing—strained, weak, broken… but genuinely joyful.
"I've been believing in you all along, senpai."
"What?"
"The one who should be saying 'too bad'… is you, Aluber!"
Ecclesia forced up her arm, pointing to the sky.
Toward the dimensional rift, overflowing with violent light—the crack struck open by the fists of god and god-slayer.
"We made it in time!"
Having struggled to the very last second, Ecclesia finally saw the hope she had waited for.
The crack in the sky widened, carving open a gigantic, radiant hole in the ominous heavens.
Crossing dimensions… crossing space… crossing three thousand years of time… and ten thousand years of inheritance.
From within the enormous light-rift splitting the sky, two colossal beings beyond all logic slowly descended.
The strongest destructive god that scorched the earth, and humanity's final anti-god weapon—Opposing powers, now serving one man, descended upon the battlefield.
"T-That… that's…!" Aisha stammered, too overwhelmed to speak.
If a hero were to arrive in their darkest hour… then she wished he would ride thunder so mighty that even gods would retreat.
"Mr. Miles!"
At that moment, the Millennium Puzzle at Aisha's chest stayed silent. Instead, the radiant Pyramid of Light at her waist burst into shimmering brilliance.
Camille, the guardian spirit of the Millennium Key, had once said:
Even if you possess an empty vessel, a guardian spirit cannot manifest without at least half a year of synchronization; Unless your soul is so unyielding, it needs no time at all.
...
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