As the final blast of Bubble Blaster struck Ace, the duel at last came to an end with Alicia (Yuui) emerging victorious.
Truth be told, although Alicia (Yuui) had won, the crowd around them felt that the outcome was a little absurd.
The most absurd thing of all was that last streak of five consecutive draws… every single one of them monsters. That was just too unbelievable.
Of course, if one wanted to explain it, one could.
The first card was Slower Swallow. That was the spirit Alicia had rescued when she first entered the academy, so its appearance made perfect sense.
The second was Neos. One look at that monster and it was clear it wasn't any ordinary spirit, so its showing up to aid its master was only natural.
The third was Hero Kid. That one was a bit questionable, though—none of the onlookers saw any sign of a spirit in that monster.
The fourth was the Goddess of Sweet Revenge. Well, with a name like that, appearing in a moment like that seemed quite fitting.
But the fifth—Elemental HERO Clayman…
Alicia: "ヽ（≧□≦）ノ What's wrong with that? Clayman's my soul monster! I've won plenty of duels with him! Isn't it perfectly normal for him to appear now?"
Yuui: "Alright, alright! If you put it that way, I suppose it all makes sense."
Regardless, the duel concluded with Alicia (Yuui)'s victory. Led by Professor White, with Chuck following close behind, the students of Saint Fusion Academy all broke into applause for Alicia's win.
After all, no matter what, Alicia (Yuui) had fought two-on-one and defeated duelists from both the Axel Republic and the Chaos Empire—earning glory for their Bredt Kingdom and for Saint Fusion Academy. Naturally, everyone owed her respect and encouragement.
As for anyone who might suspect Alicia of cheating… please. With so many witnesses present, go ahead and show us how she could possibly cheat.
And so, the day's duel drew to a close—yet, the ripple it caused was far from simple.
After the duel, both the representatives of the Axel Republic and the Chaos Empire began investigating Alicia.
Though Yuui had only defeated Ace and Nash, the identities of those two were far from ordinary among the transfer students.
Starting with Ace—though he had yet to reach his full potential, he was one of the Axel Republic's rare "Signers," a talent unseen in over a decade. With the support of his Duel Dragon, Red Dragon Archfiend, his power was far beyond what any ordinary first-year student could handle.
Not to mention, he had openly revealed the effect of Red Dragon Archfiend/Assault Mode, the evolved form of that monster—indeed, not something any normal person would know.
As for Nash, who possessed multiple Number cards, his standing in the Chaos Empire was likewise extraordinary, and his loss was even more humiliating.
Ace's Red Dragon Archfiend and its Assault Mode form had overwhelming power, nearly achieving a one-turn kill.
Nash, on the other hand—whether it was Shark Drake or Number C32: Shark Drake Veiss—spent the entire duel like a mere shield, offering little resistance before being destroyed. As for Bahamut Shark and Nightmare Shark, they hardly bore mentioning.
Thus, both the Axel Republic and the Chaos Empire's transfer students concluded that someone possessing such strength and rare cards as Alicia couldn't possibly be so simple.
Over the next few days, the two nations' students launched an investigation into her.
At first, most believed Alicia to be the daughter of a great noble from the Bredt Kingdom—after all, some of the cards in her deck were far too rare.
Just a few alone—Hero's Legacy, Goddess of Sweet Revenge, and Elemental HERO Prisma—were beyond the reach of any ordinary person.
And monsters like Elemental HERO Stratos, Elemental HERO Liquid Soldier, Elemental HERO Great Tornado, and Neos had never even been heard of before. Unless she were of noble birth, how could an ordinary person ever obtain them?
Yet, as their investigation continued, the truth they uncovered shocked everyone.
Alicia had no background at all. She didn't even have a family name… before coming to Saint Fusion Academy, she had been a homeless orphan, a "Nameless One."
When they found this out, the transfer students from both nations felt as though they'd been played for fools. They intensified their efforts, and even their superiors dispatched spies within the Bredt Kingdom to dig deeper into Alicia's identity.
Even so, in the end, the results were the same.
Alicia was truly a Nameless One, once a street orphan.
They even discovered that, before enrolling at Saint Fusion Academy, Alicia had spent a year as an underground duelist in the Bredt Kingdom's illicit duel arenas… where she was known among other duelists as the "Golden Princess of Gun and Shield."
"The Golden Princess of Gun and Shield," Nash muttered, studying the dossier in his hand.
After a long silence, he gave a bitter laugh. "I suppose the title suits her well. The Bredt Kingdom is full of talent… I can't believe I ran into an opponent strong enough to defeat me by chance."
"So, what do you plan to do about the opponent who defeated you?"
Beside him, Christine Kyra—dressed in sheer black silk sleepwear—brushed back a strand of smooth hair. Under the bright white light, her skin shone pale and flawless as jade. With her arms crossed, the deep valley between her breasts was enough to drive countless men mad.
Nash cast a glance at the woman he knew all too well, then turned back to the file in his hands.
Christine noticed his withdrawn gaze and spoke, her voice suddenly cold. "If those people back home learn that you were beaten by some nameless girl, then once you return, your already delicate position and your mother's will only worsen, won't it?"
At her words, Nash's eyes shifted back to Christine, now colder than hers. His voice rumbled low, like a beast ready to strike.
"So what?"
Christine rose to her feet, slowly loosening the ribbon at her shoulder.
Her body was now fully bare before Nash, yet his gaze remained frigid, devoid of any desire.
Christine didn't seem to mind. Like a venomous serpent taunting a predator, she lifted a finger to hook Nash's chin, staring down into his eyes.
"So you'll have to defeat her. You can't afford another failure. Do it for yourself, for your mother… and for me. Don't forget, we're in the same boat. And don't forget where those Number cards of yours came from."
"Within this contract, I gave you everything to help you grow stronger, so you could take revenge. And you, in turn, must give me everything you have, to help me take mine."
"So I'm reminding you, Nash Austine—or should I say Nash Chaos—don't forget the contract between us!"
Nash didn't stop the girl's movements, only watched her without a word. After a moment, he said slowly, "Of course, I haven't forgotten our contract. But one failure doesn't mean anything! There are still three months left. I'll defeat her. I'll defeat every opponent!"
"That's good." Christine lowered her finger, then slowly walked toward the large bed and lay down.
"Aren't you coming over?"
…
The lights went out, and soon the room was filled only with the sound of the girl's alluring breaths and the boy's low, beastlike panting.
Meanwhile, Ace looked at the document in his hand and let out a bitter chuckle, followed by laughter.
"Ha… hahaha! Who would've thought I'd find someone like me here! Amazing… absolutely amazing, Alicia! I'm going to defeat you and see which of us is truly stronger!!"
"I know you're thrilled to find a kindred spirit, but can you calm down a little!?"
Beside him, Arella Chris—the Vice President of Starlink Academy—looked at her Signer with clear exasperation, but Ace continued burning with enthusiasm.
"Heh… next time, I'll show you just how powerful my Red Dragon Archfiend is, Alicia!"
"I'm telling you, Ace! What you should be doing now isn't fantasizing about beating your opponent—it's finding ways to actually improve your skills. Saint Fusion Academy has a vast amount of knowledge about spirits; you should—"
"What tactic should I use next time? Another all-out assault? No, she's best at counter-defensive tactics; a direct assault is what she handles best, so maybe I should…"
"Would you please listen to me, you idiot!!"
"Ow, that hurts!!!"
Watching Ace lost in his own world, ignoring Arella's words, Lilith Haila—his childhood friend—once again corrected him with her iron fist.
"Good grief."
As Ace crouched down, clutching his head, Arella sighed heavily and turned to the silver-haired girl beside him. "Lilith, I'll leave Ace to you. Don't let him get so obsessed with dueling that he forgets to study."
"Understood, Vice President!" Lilith nodded.
"There's no need for the 'Vice' part!" Arella reminded her for what must've been the hundredth time, but the girl only smiled without answering.
Arella sighed helplessly. As expected, for someone to be his childhood friend, this girl was just as troublesome.
With that thought, Arella rose to leave Ace's room—but before departing, she couldn't resist a little payback.
With a teasing smile, she glanced between Lilith and Ace. "Even though we in the Axel Republic aren't opposed to young men and women being a bit… early in their relationships, you'd better avoid any unexpected 'accidents,' alright? We're in the Bredt Kingdom now—let's not give anyone gossip material!"
At those words, Lilith's pale face instantly turned crimson, while Ace—still crouching—looked only baffled.
"Relationships? Accidents? What's she talking about!?"
"Vice President, please don't say weird things!"
Girls mature faster than boys, after all, so Lilith hurriedly pushed the blushing Arella toward the door.
Arella just smiled cheerfully, repeating once more, "Just call me President! The 'Vice' is unnecessary!"
Once the door closed, Lilith took several deep breaths to calm her racing heart. Then she turned and saw Ace already fiddling with his deck, adjusting it as he always did after a loss. She had seen this scene countless times before and couldn't help but smile as she stepped forward to help the red-haired boy prepare to challenge his next opponent.
…
Bredt Kingdom, Royal Capital: The First Prince's Estate.
Prince Zack Bredt sat studying a dossier about Alicia and her newly seen HERO monsters.
The document detailed Alicia's background and included theories about how her spirits had detected the presence of the Three Sacred Beasts ahead of the recent "Three Sacred Beasts Incident."
Then, the prince took out a separate file—this one on Elemental HERO Neos. It recorded the ancient fall of the Kingdom of Rejus, and historians had boldly speculated that the "silver-white hero" who sealed away the Three Sacred Beasts in ancient times might in fact have been Elemental HERO Neos.
After pondering for a long while, Prince Zack waved his hand.
A butler with perfectly combed white hair, dressed in immaculate formal attire, stepped forward and bowed. "Your Highness."
The prince gestured toward the file on his desk and spoke slowly. "Go to the academy and bring me the spirit called Neos. Whatever terms she names, grant them—as long as they're within our power. I must have that spirit."
The butler examined the file carefully, then bowed again and departed.
Prince Zack remained seated, motionless, until at last he whispered a few words under his breath.
"The Three Sacred Beasts… you are destined to become the foundation of my throne."
…
In the following days, Alicia continued with her usual routine.
Though the arrival of the transfer students had broken the academy's calm, sparking newfound interest among many students in Synchro Summons and Xyz Summons, that excitement gradually faded over time.
Occasionally, duels between academy students and transfer students would still cause a stir on campus.
Aside from classes, however, the transfer students' favorite place—much like Alicia's—was the Saint Fusion Academy Library.
Whenever Alicia visited the library to research the history of the HEROes, she would often find transfer students from Starlink Academy and Imperial Academy reading there as well.
They pored over materials on the history of the Bredt Kingdom, famous ancient spirits, and methods for crafting rare Spell and Trap Cards—topics that always drew their interest.
Alicia herself was fond of such things too.
However, on the fifth day after her duel with Nash and Ace, an unexpected figure appeared before her.
"Senior Kexi, what are you doing here!?"
...
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