The mirror shards formed from the clocks began to shimmer with golden light. An enormous mirror materialized behind Dimitri.
In the mirror, Duel Academy gleamed like heaven. Everyone lived in harmony, and spirits supported humans. A paradise on earth.
But beyond that dreamlike scene lay a shattered forest and blackened charcoal.
"Normal Summon: Ikelos, the Dream Mirror Mara."
From within the mirror, a black-clad dream demon wielding a scythe gently tossed her pale purple hair and alighted on the ground.
Ikelos, the Dream Mirror Mara. Level 1, DARK Attribute, Fairy-Type. ATK 500.
"A dream demon?"
The atmospheric monster appeared before everyone, wearing a gentle smile.
"Ikelos's effect: while Dream Mirror of Joy exists in my Field Zone, during either player's Main Phase, I Tribute this card. I Special Summon one Ikelos, the Dream Mirror Sprite from my Deck."
The purple-haired dream demon wore an enigmatic smile, pressed her body against the mirror, then flowed into it like water. The next moment, another girl stepped out from the mirror's other side.
She had a sunny smile, her hair arranged in pretty braided twintails, wielding a staff, looking forward to everything the world had to offer.
Ikelos, the Dream Mirror Sprite. Level 1, LIGHT Attribute, Fairy-Type. ATK 0.
"0 ATK?"
All that effort to transform, but 0 ATK... It must have an excellent effect, then?
"Ikelos's effect: when this card is Special Summoned by a Dream Mirror monster's effect, I add one Dream Mirror card other than Ikelos, the Dream Mirror Sprite from my Deck to my hand."
Yubel reached toward the Deck. At the top, an eerie, distorted light seemed almost tangible.
With Yubel's controlled movements, across the countless broken mirror shards, Dimitri suddenly began experiencing various hardships. No longer a pleasant dream.
Before long, a card slowly crystallized into existence.
"I add Phantasos, the Dream Mirror Friend from my Deck to my hand."
"I Set two cards. Turn end."
The instant she ended her turn, the enormous mirror began to crack and creak.
Beyond the light's reach, black fog like flowing water poured from the mirror, gradually covering its luminous surface. Inside the mirror, the peaceful Duel Academy was instantly swallowed by dark power. Dimitri was crushed by the darkness in an instant. Despite having "obtained" powerful spirit energy, he had no means to resist this world-ending darkness.
Screams of agony echoed through the entire forest.
"During the End Phase, Dream Mirror of Joy can activate its effect. I banish this card from my Field Zone. From my hand or Deck, I activate one Dream Mirror of Terror."
The holy light dissipated. In its place came a terrifying, boundless nightmare.
"Stop!" Seeing Dimitri tormented within the dream, Jaden could no longer bear it. He shouted.
He could see it clearly. Yubel was using some power to extract Dimitri's spirit, his potential, converting it into cards while tormenting his mind and soul.
"How could I possibly stop?" Yubel sneered. "Besides, this is the fate all of you will ultimately face."
"Humans. No matter what you do, you cannot defy the truth of all things."
Yubel sneered.
"In the end, humanity surviving to this era is merely a coincidence."
"Huh? What nonsense." Chazz couldn't comprehend this. "Spouting gibberish now?"
Yubel laughed and looked at Chazz. "Has your life ever experienced any major upheaval?"
?
Chazz snorted coldly. "Upheaval? I deal with that every day. In my family..."
"Not some rich boy's silly games." Yubel raised her hand. "The kind of upheaval I mean isn't child's play.
For instance, have you ever experienced a day that suddenly changed your entire life?
Falling asleep only to find everyone around you gone, or your family instantly ruined, reduced to nothing."
Chazz blinked.
Definitely not.
"Hmph. Lucky fellow. Your life is nothing but coincidence." Yubel sneered. "This human called Dimitri, under the dark power, the sealed school, his own powerlessness, and the desire to help others, ended up here... Such is the unpredictability of the world, of life."
Hikaru raised an eyebrow. Jaden, however, seemed touched by something and fell into thought.
"Your life is mere coincidence. This terrifying world of dimensions and universe holds countless dangers and variables."
"But isn't that true of most people?"
"Then most human lives are coincidences."
The dark, deathly power radiating from Yubel affected not just Dimitri but even Chazz, whose face paled as cold sweat flowed.
"From humanity's birth until now, never encountering a single catastrophic upheaval is coincidence and luck.
But since it's luck, there will come a day it ends."
She slowly raised her hand. The walls surrounding the entire island erupted with overwhelming darkness. Spirits went berserk under its influence. Students with weaker abilities or constitution lost consciousness instantly, collapsing.
"What's happening?! What's going on?!"
In the infirmary, Adrian desperately tried to revive students who had suddenly lost consciousness. Nothing worked.
"Syrus! Hassleberry!" Jaden looked back. Both were engulfed in darkness, unable to wake no matter what.
Students who had rushed over suddenly collapsed mid-stride, causing nearby teachers to scream.
Witnessing this, even Chazz and Jaden showed expressions of disbelief and dread.
Yubel sneered. "Now... your luck has run out."
Darkness, "Humanity's Terminus," had descended upon this dimension!
Years ago, Yubel had been cast out of this dimension. To ensure her card could never return to the human world, she had been forcibly hurled endlessly toward the edges of the spirit dimensions. During this maddening transport, she suffered inhuman torment in the dimensional rifts, losing most of her body despite being a top-tier demon.
She suffered, she questioned, she couldn't understand. Why had Jaden sent her away like this?
Then she understood. This was love. Torment, suffering. This was love!
To return to the human world, she killed and slaughtered wildly, earning the Light of Destruction's favor. But the Light alone could never help her locate the human world.
Fortunately, at that moment, humanity's destined ending found her and offered an opportunity.
Humanity's terminus.
Even my Jaden would waver before it!
Surely, any human would...
"Ha, upheaval?" But once again, Hikaru defied Yubel's expectations.
Hikaru listened carefully to Yubel's words, then couldn't help but laugh. "Life's upheavals, sudden changes... Ha."
"When I suddenly opened my eyes and found myself at Duel Academy, I think my life changed completely." Hikaru spoke leisurely. "But it doesn't matter. It's not important!
For me now, I don't need to worry about those things. If humanity surviving until now is a coincidence, then meeting the people of this world, meeting Fusion within that coincidence, is the greatest fortune."
Tierra nodded beside him.
Upheaval?
For her and Hikaru, this was the least noteworthy thing imaginable.
Never mind her, who had awoken after countless eons to find everything different.
Even Hikaru had experienced upheavals far greater than anything Yubel described. She didn't know which world Hikaru came from, but she had long known he wasn't a human of this world. He had arrived here through some kind of upheaval.
For him, it had never been "lucky."
"Upheaval isn't necessarily absolute suffering. It can also be a blessing.
A disaster that destroys humanity could also be an enormous opportunity for humanity."
Hikaru flicked his right hand. "So we will overcome disaster! What's so terrible about upheaval?!"
Yubel's expression darkened.
This guy...
Even this didn't faze him at all?
What kind of "life-changing event" could possibly compare to the extinction of humanity?!
Having your entire world swapped out?!
"Dimitri." Hikaru suddenly spoke.
?
Not just Yubel. Even Jaden and Chazz were puzzled.
He already knew this wasn't Dimitri. Why call his name?
No response.
Hikaru casually drew a card, glanced at it.
"I activate Predaplant Chimerafflesia's effect. I banish your Ikelos."
"Ha, foolish. I activate the Sprite's effect." Yubel had fully anticipated this. "During either player's Main Phase or Battle Phase, while Dream Mirror of Terror exists in the Field Zone: I Tribute this card. I Special Summon one Ikelos, the Dream Mirror Mara from my Deck."
The dreaming maiden smiled and stepped into the pitch-black mirror. Then the dream demon from last turn reappeared on Yubel's field.
"Since the target is gone, Chimerafflesia's effect is useless." Yubel continued operating. "Not only that, the Special Summoned Ikelos Mara's effect activates.
When this card is Special Summoned by a Dream Mirror monster's effect: I Special Summon one Dream Mirror monster other than Ikelos from my hand." She Special Summoned her last remaining monster.
An elegant, fluffy hound leapt from the mirror, standing before her.
Phantasos, the Dream Mirror Friend. Level 4, LIGHT Attribute, Beast-Warrior-Type. DEF 1900.
"Not done yet. Phantasos's effect: when this card is Special Summoned by a Dream Mirror monster's effect, I Special Summon one Level 8 or lower Dream Mirror monster from my Graveyard."
"Naturally, Ikelos the Sprite."
Through Yubel's cycling plays, the Sprite Ikelos rose from the Graveyard once more, beaming with sweat and sunshine.
"Not only did she dodge the banish, but that monster can search too, right?" Chazz recalled the Sprite's effect.
"Ikelos the Sprite's effect: I add a third Ikelos Mara from my Deck to my hand."
Yubel didn't care about Dimitri's soul in the slightest, freely adding the freshly created cards to her hand.
"And that's not all." A sinister smile crept across her face.
Suddenly, the massive phantasmal machine beside her slowly raised its right hand. "Phantasm Emperor Trilojig's effect activates in this situation too!"
Purple ground-current gathered in Trilojig's hand, aimed at the flower.
Chimerafflesia seemed agitated, its roots shifting frantically.
"Because a monster was Special Summoned from my Graveyard, Trilojig can target one opponent's monster and inflict damage equal to half its ATK!"
"Agonizing Torment!"
BOOM!
Lightning crashed down again. This time, Tierra directly shielded Hikaru.
Hikaru LP: 2750 → 1500.
Though he didn't take the hit head-on, the current's torment still pierced Hikaru's body. He clutched his side, nearly dropping to one knee.
Chimerafflesia's vines rushed to his feet, seemingly worried, seemingly indignant, seemingly self-reproaching. Because of its existence, Hikaru had already lost 2500 LP to Trilojig!
Seeing this, Yubel's fighting spirit reignited.
If classmates, darkness, and extinction couldn't shake Hikaru, she'd use the most basic, most primal torment to make him suffer!
"By the way, as long as Dream Mirror of Terror is on the field, you take 300 damage every time you Special Summon a monster!" Yubel snorted.
"This is bad..." Chazz looked worried. Despite the dark power's pressure, he could still think clearly, but cold sweat and pain had overwhelmed his body.
The pain made it nearly impossible to stand straight. And Hikaru had taken two direct hits.
If every Special Summon cost 300 LP going forward, not just the duel's LP but Hikaru's mental state would face serious challenges!
Still not enough.
Yubel warned herself internally.
Effect damage alone wasn't enough. Next, she'd use other cards. "Quick-Play Spell: Dream Mirror Chaos!"
"I Fuse the two Ikelos on my field."
CLINK!
CRASH!
Mirror collided with mirror. Light and darkness responded simultaneously. Amid crackling sounds, a male angel spread pitch-black wings, emerging from the dream.
"Let me use your beloved Fusion Summon."
"Fusion Summon."
"Level 10: Oneiros, the Dream Mirror Tormentor!"
Oneiros, the Dream Mirror Tormentor. Level 10, DARK Attribute, Fiend-Type. ATK 3000.
As long as this card was on the field with Dream Mirror of Terror, it could negate a monster's effect once per turn!
Hikaru studied Oneiros.
Like other Dream Mirror monsters, the fused Oneiros had two forms. Unlike the lower-level monsters, Oneiros couldn't directly switch forms. The other form featured once-per-turn destruction.
This card's disruption was decent.
Hikaru looked at his hand.
It seemed Yubel had decided not to attack directly this time, choosing disruption over the destruction-focused Oneiros, the Dream Mirror Erlking.
In that case.
Hikaru looked at the card he had drawn.
"Dimitri, listen to my duel, my Fusion!
With this: Future Fusion!"
Hikaru played his drawn card. "An Equip Spell that sends Fusion Materials from the Deck to the Graveyard for a direct Fusion!"
After Yubel had used it, now Hikaru used it too.
"Hmph, a Special Summon? Then your LP will be snuffed out like a candle in the wind."
Current gathered around Hikaru.
"No... I said, pain like this means nothing to me!"
"I, Hikaru Amagi, have only one choice for everything, for enemies, for myself, and that is: Fusion!"
"I fuse D/D Swirl Slime and D/D Necro Slime from my Deck!"
"Glorious holy maiden, from the flames, become the eternal Demon King!"
"Fusion Summon!"
"D/D/D Oracle King d'Arc!"
"Hyaah!"
A bat flew from behind Hikaru. Then it suddenly transformed into a vampire-like maiden clad in silver armor, longsword in hand, looking dashing beyond measure.
D/D/D Oracle King d'Arc. Level 7, DARK Attribute, Fiend-Type. ATK 2800.
In the mirror, terrifying lightning refracted outward, striking Hikaru.
But the moment the lightning hit his body, it instantly melted, transforming into something like sunlight, slowly nourishing Hikaru's body.
"What?" Yubel cried out instinctively.
Hikaru LP: 1500 → 1800.
The torment meant to torture Hikaru had become nourishment before his "Fusion," relieving his pain!
...
STONESSSS 💎💎
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