"Who's there?"
Catching a glimpse of a familiar red-haired figure, Youmi chased after it, but ultimately lost the trail.
He jogged into what looked like a single dorm room, stomped lightly on the floor, and spoke toward the empty space beside him: "I lost him. Was that guy your target?"
A small golden dragon gradually materialized, and the voice of Ten Thousand Dragon echoed from within: "Ah, that was probably him. I can sense a very familiar power from him, the same type of blessing I granted to duelists like you. But why he can cross time and space freely without being rejected… I have no idea for now."
Sphere Kuriboh floated through the wall and drifted to Youmi's side, shaking its head.
Youmi took out a card from his Deck Box and poured his power into it: "I see. So Sphere Kuriboh couldn't find him either? Looks like he's quite slippery. Then I'll leave this to you—Springans Kitt!"
Springans Kitt materialized as Youmi infused her with power. The beast-eared girl, equipped with all sorts of gear, bounced twice on the ground before turning toward him: "Yo, Albaz—Ah, wait, it's the big boss. What do you need me to do?"
"I might've run into Aluber over here. Use your gadgets to help me capture him. As payment for the help… I'll treat you to a meal later, okay?"
As he spoke, Youmi also drew out the card 'Fallen of Albaz', the one his true body was inhabiting. He manifested the spirit within. "Fallen of Albaz, I'm counting on you too."
Unlike Kitt, the spirit that leapt from the card—who looked exactly like Youmi aside from the clothing—failed to land properly and rolled across the floor.
Rubbing his head where he hit the ground, Albaz grimaced in pain: "Hsss… Hah? Boss, you've gotta be kidding. You want me to catch Aluber? That guy's crafty like a fox. And who knows what he's plotting all the time? I don't wanna deal with him. You stuffing me in the same Deck with him is already enough to give me headaches, okay?"
"Just deal with it and help me find him. Besides, that person mostly just looks like him. His situation is probably similar to mine, so he shouldn't be the real one. And hey, back when he was actually in my Deck, his value was way higher than yours. When you reach that price point, you can go negotiate with Aluber yourself."
······
"So where is he? Huh?"
Splitting up into four directions—Sphere Kuriboh, Fallen of Albaz, Springans Kitt, and Youmi—he searched everywhere for the suspected Aluber. He didn't find him… but in a room painted with strange symbols, he spotted a girl in a red-and-black floor-length dress.
"Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous!"
Youmi shouted her name the instant he saw her.
"Fallen of Albaz?"
The doll-like, lifeless girl tilted her head when she heard his voice, looking toward him as she spoke the name of the form he currently resembled.
A small ice-blue dagger formed in Youmi's hand as he took a guarded stance and approached the being who looked like Cartesia: "No. I'm Youmi. More importantly… Are you Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous, or someone else merely borrowing her form?"
"You really do say strange things. Opening with that line… at least it proves you're not Albaz. You're actually more similar to that man. In that case, you have nothing to do with me~★"
Cartesia was kneeling on the ground. Her wrist had been cut open, and vivid red blood flowed across the ritual markings beneath her. "Sigh… looks like this has no more use. What a waste. 'He' said what I was looking for would be here… Could it be you?"
Her skin was unnaturally pale, like fired porcelain. She reached a hand toward Youmi, but perhaps due to weakness, she collapsed forward.
Youmi rushed forward and caught her.
"Hey, the blood you lost is basically enough to kill a normal person! What kind of crazy ritual are you doing here? If you're a Duel Spirit… I can share some of my energy so you can recover faster."
He grasped her cut wrist and shared a portion of his strength. One of the most convenient parts of being Duel Spirits was how easily they could aid each other. "Also, that 'he'... are you talking about that guy who looked like Aluber? I'm here to catch him. Can you tell me where he—an earthquake?!"
Before he could finish, the entire dorm shook violently.
Using the unique sight that let him perceive the flow of darkness, Youmi understood the situation: "I can sense a strong power… Could someone's Shadow Duel above us be resonating with the lingering force here and causing a partial manifestation?"
Feeling the tremors intensify, Youmi knew the building was about to collapse. He scooped the weakened Cartesia into his arms.
"Excuse me!"
Considering that using Albaz's dragon form here would likely blow the entire structure apart, Youmi relied only on the dragon's leg strength, carrying Cartesia princess-style as he dashed toward the exit.
Abruptly, then, a falling cabinet struck him mid-sprint, toppling him to the ground. Even then, he shielded Cartesia in his arms, taking the full impact himself.
"Tch… that hurt. Are you okay, Cartesia? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Crawling out from under the fallen cabinet, Youmi set Cartesia down. Sensing that Albaz and Kitt had both dispelled their physical forms and that using his dragon form wouldn't harm Professor Crowler or the others at his current position, Youmi removed his jacket, preparing to transform.
That was when he saw Cartesia wearing a strange smile—an expression almost infatuated—as she looked at him.
"Lord Youmi~ This should be our first meeting, shouldn't it? Why did you save me… even though I'm tied to the man you're hunting? Was it for intel?"
Oh no… this better not be some suspension-bridge effect raising her affection for me… Youmi thought, and immediately said: "Of course not. I wouldn't save someone just because I want info. I saved you because—"
A faint blush tinged Cartesia's pale cheeks: "So you really do—"
"—because I can't just leave someone who needs help, right? That's my personal creed." Youmi turned his back, ready to transform, completely missing the way Cartesia's eyes dimmed and cracked with malice. "Move aside a little. I'm about to—"
Shk—!
A cold black sword pierced through Youmi's body, interrupting his transformation.
The Cartesia in the red dress gripped the blade with both hands, driving it mercilessly into him.
"Cartesia… why…?"
Even for a Duel Spirit, this was a fatal wound. Youmi touched the injury with his right hand, and in a splatter of red, it was soaked in blood.
"Because in the eyes of someone who only knows how to save others… someone like me doesn't exist at all. A man like you… I have no use for~★"
She exhaled lightly beside his ear, then dissolved into a stream of blood-like red light, leaving the collapsing dorm behind.
"Bloody hell… was I tricked?!"
Clutching the wound, Youmi collapsed to his knees. As he stared up at the chandelier about to crash down toward him, his pupils contracted sharply.
"Youmi!!!"
...
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