Sanako Kaiba stood atop the metal podium that had been smashed into a shallow crater, her long silver-white hair gently swaying in the night wind leaking through the dome.
"Haha↑ hahaha↓"
A burst of extremely classic, unmistakably Kaiba-family-style maniacal laughter came through the speakers. However, as the laughter rose to its peak, the tail end trembled ever so slightly, as if she had inhaled a mouthful of cold air and forcibly suppressed it.
"Looks like you're not all mere normies." Sanako kept her chin raised, her icy blue eyes sweeping coldly across the dark mass of people below. "Listen carefully. In Duel Academy, there are many rules! But as long as you're strong enough, you can also ignore many of them!
"These regulations will be explained to you by the Discipline Committee President of the Student Council: Richard."
She paused, then suddenly pointed forward with her right hand.
"And here, I will only announce one thing. This is a place where dueling reigns supreme! Everyone has the chance to challenge for the crown known as the King of Games!"
Sanako's voice echoed throughout the vast auditorium, stirring wave after wave of resonance.
"With the Duel Disk as your shield, and your Deck as your sword!"
She withdrew her hand, the corner of her lips curling into that signature arrogant arc.
"Did I forget to mention?" Sanako tilted her head slightly. "Tonight, there's also a special little event.
"Students of Slifer Red and Ra Yellow–if you're dissatisfied with your ranking, then tonight, you may choose your opponent and duel freely.
"Win, and you become an Obelisk Blue student. Lose, and you'll be demoted. Tonight only."
Stillness.
An absolute stillness that lasted for about two seconds.
At once, the massive auditorium seemed to explode.
From the formations of Slifer Red and Ra Yellow, deafening roars erupted.
Red and yellow uniforms churned like boiling water, countless Duel Disks snapping open with blades of light under the dim lighting, blue glows connecting into one continuous expanse.
So this is Duel Academy?!
Phila felt as if the air around her had been drained by this frenzy.
She sat within the formation of Obelisk Blue, surrounded by straight-backed, proud young lords and ladies; within this boiling tide of noise, Phila was like a rabbit thrown into a pack of wolves, her legs in white stockings trembling uncontrollably.
She immediately hugged her arms across her chest, shrinking her entire body deep into the velvet-cushioned chair, trying her best to minimize her presence.
It's over, it's over.
With thousands of students from the red and yellow dorms combined, tonight was a legitimate chance to seize blue uniforms.
Someone like her, who could only tremble at the back, stepping out in this eye-catching blue skirt… she would definitely be torn apart alive by those red-eyed red and yellow students.
Raku watched the frenzied crowd outside.
This woman was practically an expert at lighting fires… just a few casual words and she stirred up the competitive instincts of thousands.
Still, isn't this format a bit outrageous? First day of school and they're already allowing this kind of no-rules challenge from below. Some of the weaker ones in Obelisk Blue are definitely going to get stripped bare tonight.
For example, the one currently hugging her knees and trembling.
On the main podium, Sanako turned around. Her usual cold poker face seemed to twist barely the moment her back faced the crowd.
Her left leg, clad in a white boot, stepped forward in an extremely awkward motion, then immediately forced itself back into a normal stride as she quickly walked into the shadows at the side of the podium.
Richard, dressed in a pure white long coat, stepped up from the other side.
His amber-gold eyes swept coldly over the boiling red and yellow formations. That roaring frenzy seemed to crash into an invisible wall, miraculously settling down within a few seconds.
Richard adjusted the height of the microphone.
"I am the Discipline Committee President, Richard." His voice was low and heavy. "I don't care how eager you are to fight; Before I finish speaking, anyone who activates a Duel Disk will have all promotion qualifications for this semester revoked."
The few Duel Disks that were still glowing instantly went dark.
"The academy's rules are simple." Richard placed both hands on the edge of the podium. "First…"
What followed was roughly a long list of notices: curfew regulations, credit requirements, and encouragement regarding academic performance.
Richard's speaking pace was neither fast nor slow, carrying a pressure that made it impossible for anyone to lose focus.
Half an hour later, Richard straightened up and released the microphone.
"That is all. The freshman address concludes here."
Richard looked down at the audience.
"The Duel Arenas are now open. Good luck."
The eight massive double doors on both sides of the auditorium were pushed open simultaneously.
Outside was the brightly lit central plaza of the academy, where countless open-air Duel platforms had already risen.
Niobe sprang up from her chair, her electric-blue eyes wide open, her red floral hair tie bouncing along.
"This is amazing! There's actually an event like this!" Niobe grabbed Phila's wrist. "Come on, come on! Let's go see if there are any strong opponents!"
Phila felt like she was going to die.
The central plaza of Duel Academy was illuminated as bright as day by multicolored holographic projections; On dozens of temporarily raised open-air Duel platforms, monsters were locked in fierce combat as deafening explosions, the roars of monsters, and the bloodshot shouts of students in red and yellow uniforms all mixed together.
The air was filled with restlessness and frenzy.
Phila was tightly grabbed by the wrist by Niobe, her black-and-white gothic skirt struggling through the gaps in the crowd. Several boys in Slifer Red uniforms turned their heads, staring at the glaring Obelisk Blue uniform on her body, a wolf-like gleam in their eyes.
Phila's legs began to go weak.
"Niobe…" Phila's voice shook, almost being dragged forward by Niobe, "We're Obelisk Blue, right? Actually… we don't really have to join the excitement, do we?"
Niobe stopped and turned around. Her ponytail, tied with a large red floral hair tie, swung out a sharp arc behind her.
"What are you talking about?" Niobe released Phila's hand, her electric-blue eyes reflecting the explosions on the Duel platforms. "There should be other Obelisk Blue students dueling, right? We need to gather intel now. There are still many matches ahead, and for evaluations and stuff, we'll have to duel others too."
Quite justified, without the slightest hesitation.
Phila shrank her neck.
Niobe wasn't wrong. In this place where the strong prey on the weak, information is life.
But…
"You give me a super-passionate vibe!"
A highly penetrating voice, as if it came with its own exclamation marks, suddenly exploded from beside them.
"Let's duel!"
Phila took half a step back in fright, her arms wrapped around her chest.
A boy wearing a Slifer Red sports jacket strode over. His fiery red spiky hair stood arrogantly in the night wind, and in his amber-gold eyes, it was as if two flames were truly burning.
Bakutaro Nendo wore a Duel Disk on his left arm covered in flame-pattern stickers, his right hand pointing forward.
However, the one he pointed at was not the weak and pitiful-looking Phila.
Bakutaro's gaze passed over the black-and-white lolita dress and landed on Niobe, who wore an open blue uniform with a plaid shirt tied around her waist.
"Duel with me?" Niobe pulled her hand out of her shorts pocket. "Why?"
She didn't reject dueling; a wild girl from the Satellite area feared nothing more than direct challenges.
That said, she needed to understand why this guy, who looked like an idiot, had picked her out of the crowd.
Bakutaro clenched his fists until they cracked, baring two rows of white teeth.
"Didn't I already say it?! You look like your Passion Power is UP! If we're dueling, it's got to be fiery and intense!"
No schemes. No grudge against the blue dorm. Simply because she "looked passionate."
Niobe froze for a second, then broke into a wide grin, revealing two small, cute fangs.
"That's actually a pretty interesting reason!"
Niobe raised her left arm. The heavily modified handmade Duel Disk, wrapped in silver duct tape with exposed red and blue wires, let out a dull mechanical startup sound.
"Oh, I accept your duel!"
Raku floated beside Phila.
He looked at the red-haired sentai-like guy, and at the excited, tomboyish factory girl. When these two collided, it was like lighting a torch next to a barrel of gasoline.
Unrestrained passion, dueling purely for the sake of dueling.
My hands are getting itchy.
Raku flexed his fingers inside the pyramid space. Ever since finishing the battle against [Eldlich the Mad Golden Lord] in the wasteland, his nerves had been tightly wound… This kind of pure, head-on academy-style duel instead stirred up the little duelist DNA he had.
Raku turned his head and looked at Phila, who had shrunk into a ball.
"Phila, let's go find a duel."
Phila's eyes widened, her pupils shrinking like a rabbit hit by bright light.
"No, no!" Phila shook her head repeatedly, both hands gripping the hem of her skirt firmly, her voice as small as a mosquito's buzz. "I can't… Let's just watch Niobe's duel first, okay…?"
Raku looked at Phila, who seemed on the verge of tears, and sighed… Her social anxiety wasn't something that could be fixed overnight.
"Alright." Raku took a step back. "But after watching, remember to go find a duel. Seeing something like this, even I'm getting fired up."
Phila let out a sigh of relief and quickly took two steps back, hiding herself in the shadow of a streetlamp.
In the center of the plaza, an open-air Duel platform had just become vacant.
"Duel Disk, activate!" Bakutaro leapt onto the platform with a large stride, swinging his left arm outward. A red blade of light shot out from the front of his flame-sticker-covered Duel Disk.
"Transform! I'm ready!" Bakutaro shouted, drawing five cards from the top of his Deck.
Niobe jumped onto the other side of the platform.
"Your lines are pretty outdated." Niobe laughed brightly, pressing a crude button on her handmade Duel Disk as blue circuits flickered through the wires. "But I like it! Let's go!"
"Duel!"
"Duel!"
...
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