A few minutes earlier, Crowley Alester Bredt, Headmaster of Saint Fusion Academy, was seated in his office, savoring his coffee.
On his desk lay a black-and-white creature, its body foxlike but with ears as huge as the "Terriermon" from the next-door film set. The adorable creature was napping on the tabletop.
Suddenly, the little creature lifted its head and sniffed toward the window.
It then rubbed its nose with a paw in distaste and looked at the elder beside it. "Crowley, something like that has shown up in your academy, and you're not going to do anything about it?"
"I know. I'm waiting for the person who wants to do something about it," the old man replied with a genial smile, continuing to sip his coffee.
Hearing this, the creature looked at him in puzzlement. A moment later, as if sensing something, it exclaimed, "That aura is... him!! After a hundred years, the time he spoke of has finally come!"
"Heh heh, indeed. He kept this old man waiting a full century, the scoundrel." The elder set his cup down and gazed out the window. "In any case, he has returned. It's time for our plan to begin."
"So what will you do? By his account, those three riffraff are also part of his power, aren't they?" The creature glanced toward the classroom building. "Are you going to help him reclaim those three?"
"No rush. He's far too weak right now to absorb the power of the Three Sacred Beasts. My plan is to use those three as bait to hook a few big fish." The old man folded his hands, wearing a smile that seemed gentle—and yet unspeakably cruel.
"Big fish!?"
Knock, knock, knock!!
The door was rapped suddenly. Both the elder and the creature looked toward it. The old man whispered, "We'll talk about fishing later. Return for now, Kurozo."
"Tch!" The creature—called "Kurozo"—snorted dismissively but still turned into a seven-colored streak of light and returned into the elder's body. Then the elder said, "Enter."
…
The door opened, and a girl with short golden hair—whose looks rivaled those of any noble maiden—hurried inside.
"Headmaster, I need to file a report!!"
Already aware of her purpose, Headmaster Crowley feigned surprise. "Oh? And whom do you wish to report, Miss Alicia?"
"Headmaster, as I was leaving the administration building just now, I happened to run into Instructor Claire and her two assistants. My spirit sensed a sinister aura on them and suspects all three have been taken over by dark spirits, so I rushed here to report it!"
Alicia delivered, in one breath, exactly what she and Yuui had discussed on the way up.
There was no helping it—if she claimed she'd sensed it herself, no one would believe her. She was far too weak right now. If other instructors couldn't detect it, how could a brand-new first-year have possibly noticed?
On the flip side, if she said a spirit sensed it, that carried some weight. Some spirits truly could detect the aura of those tainted by evil, whether human or spirit.
She only hoped the Headmaster wouldn't press her on which spirit had such ability… otherwise, keeping Yuui-san a secret would be hard.
After listening, Headmaster Crowley merely nodded slightly without prying into which spirit it was. Rising to his feet, he said calmly, "Very well. Since you say so… and since this concerns our elite instructor, Instructor Claire… this old man will go in person.
"I should like to see which spirits are so bold as to lay hands on my academy's instructors and students."
Crowley's decisiveness startled Alicia and Yuui.
'Wait… Headmaster, isn't this a bit hasty!? Without even verifying the facts, you're moving based on the word of a brand-new first-year? Isn't that too rash?'
From Alicia and Yuui's perspective, having the former strongest Duelist on the continent intervene personally was reassuring… even so, the Headmaster's impulsiveness still caught them off guard.
All the same, it was good news.
Seeing the shock on Alicia's face and sensing Yuui hiding within her, Headmaster Crowley couldn't help smiling. "Come, Alicia. You'll accompany this old man… as a witness."
"Uh—ah, okay!"
The girl stared in confusion, then nodded vigorously.
Crowley raised a black-silver staff topped with interlaced rhombus and triangle motifs. Pale blue light flashed at the tip, and a vast magic array enveloped them both.
Dazzling brilliance flared. When Alicia opened her eyes again, she found herself before the classroom building—just as the three instructors possessed by the Three Sacred Beasts arrived there as well.
At the sight of the elder, the three hosts stiffened.
Having devoured Claire and her assistants' souls, the Three Sacred Beasts knew exactly who stood before them: the former strongest Duelist on the continent, once one of the Three Sages—a man of unfathomable power.
Though formidable, the Three Sacred Beasts were freshly unsealed and still weakened. Exchanging glances, they chose prudence.
Thus, Claire—now controlled by Raviel, Lord of Phantasms—stepped forward with a shadowed smile. "Headmaster, what brings you here so suddenly?"
"No need to pretend, Sacred Beast."
Smiling, Headmaster Crowley had no intention of bandying words. "You three have seized the bodies of my instructors and devoured their souls. For that, you'll pay the price."
Exposed without preamble, the Three Sacred Beasts didn't pause—they revealed their true forms at once.
In an instant, the sunny sky blackened under rolling clouds.
The earth split; flames geysered from the depths. Azure lightning fell as sheets, and ice crystals spread across the ground. Towering shadows of demons congealed, as if to swallow the world.
The three Sacred Beasts manifested—one from flame, one from ice and thunder, one from darkness.
First, from the inferno, a crimson dragon: a body red as fire, and searing red flames pouring from its jaws. Even the ambient heat alone reduced the trees nearby to ash, as if its blaze could scour all things—Uria, Lord of Searing Flames, descends!
Next, bolts of azure lightning gathered and fell, forming hundreds of blade-like ice crystals standing upright. They shattered at once, and in the blue-white glare appeared a dark-golden skeletal fiend as if risen from hell—Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, descends!!
Last, the world-swallowing shadow compacted and condensed. Pale blue light speared skyward, and from the heaving earth rose the final demon—the leader of the Three Sacred Beasts—Raviel, Lord of Phantasms, descends!!
ROAR!!
Yelp!!
ROAR!!
Their bellows shook the heavens. Every window of the classroom building was shattered at once. All across Saint Fusion Academy, faculty and students felt an evil as if to devour all living things; those within the classroom building felt that darkness first and worst.
Many first-years passed out instantly beneath the Sacred Beasts' oppressive aura.
Second- and third-years were stronger, yet most still found themselves paralyzed and gasping. Instinct screamed at them to flee, but their bodies were like frogs transfixed by a serpent's gaze—unable to move at all.
Despite that, a few students of iron will resisted on their own and hurried into the glass-littered corridors to see what was happening.
And then they saw them—the three towering demons.
"W-what... what are those monsters!?"
"Good heavens… how can Duel Monster Spirits be that big!?"
"Is this an attack by dark duelists? Why else would these spirits feel so evil!?"
"Run!!"
"That's... the legendary 'Three Sacred Beasts'! You've got to be kidding… that's just a legend!"
Panic spread among those who could still see the fiends, though seven or eight students immediately activated their Duel Disks and launched a counterattack.
The teachers in the building did likewise, opening their Duel Disks to defend everyone.
"Go, Red-Eyes Black Dragon—Inferno Fire Blast!!"
"Kaiser Glider—Golden Gale Burst!!"
"Flame Swordsman—Salamandra Sword!!"
"Overtex Qoatlus—tear them apart!!"
"Thunder Dragon Colossus—Wrath of the Thunder God!!"
"Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion—Twin Spiral Lances!!"
"Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl—power of master and apprentice, Dark Burning Magic Burst!!"
"Gem-Knight Master Diamond—Prismatic Radiance Slash!!"
"XYZ-Hyper Dragon Cannon—Maximum Dragon Cannon!!"
In an instant, more than twenty attacks from different spirits roared toward the Sacred Beasts.
Below, Alicia and Yuui stared, astonished by everyone's courage—and Yuui was even more startled by some of the spirits summoned.
"Thunder Dragon Colossus," "Gem-Knight Master Diamond," "Dark Magician," and "Dark Magician Girl"... none were ordinary.
Especially the latter two. Whoever had summoned them… Yuui sensed his own aura from those monsters. Those, too, had once been his Duel Cards.
Before the classroom building, the Three Sacred Beasts saw the oncoming barrage and, in no time, unleashed their signature techniques to meet it.
They had no choice. Freshly unsealed, they were little better than paper tigers—what strength they had came only from devouring the souls of the researchers in the ruins and their spirits. They could not take this volley head-on.
[Super Blazing Wave]
[Thunder of Lost Bliss]
[Heavenly Ravaging Fist]
Uria, Hamon, and Raviel—three ultimate strikes, unleashed at once.
The Sacred Beasts' attacks collided midair with the storm of incoming blasts. Power upon power detonated, shockwaves blasting outward in all directions.
The ground around the building split and collapsed; trees toppled and tilted.
Inside, teachers and students who had attacked hastened to defend themselves—only to see every incoming shockwave stopped by a red barrier.
"Heh heh heh. As expected of our academy's finest students and teachers… to force the legendary Three Sacred Beasts into such a state. You have not disappointed this old man!"
Bright laughter rose from below. Looking down, everyone saw Headmaster Crowley—staff in hand, smiling—in front of the entrance, with his near-invisible companion, Alicia.
At the sight of Alicia, Instructor White and a few students who knew her scowled. Why was she standing beside the Headmaster, as if they had arrived together?
Before they could dwell on it, the Sacred Beasts attacked again.
Even weakened, the Three Sacred Beasts—said to rival the Egyptian Gods—were proud to the core. Being checked by some twenty-odd spirits irked them greatly. Without a word, the three squeezed what little power they had left and struck once more.
[Super Blazing Wave]
[Thunder of Lost Bliss]
[Heavenly Ravaging Fist]
Hellfire, fallen lightning, a world-shattering demon punch—three apocalyptic forces merged and streaked toward the building.
This time, the teachers and students had no time to channel magic to their spirits. They could only watch as a blow that could level the entire structure bore down upon them.
THUD!!
With a heavy crack, Headmaster Crowley slammed his staff against the ground, an icy smile on his face. "In front of this old man, you three pieces of trash dare try to harm my students? Do you take me for nothing!?
"Then behold the true essence of this old man's Summoning Magic!!"
...
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