"What was that just now? An earthquake?"
"No, it felt more like something was about to burst out from below."
"You're imagining things. What could possibly be under KaibaCorp's underground complex?"
The intense, clearly perceptible shaking stopped, and even KaibaCorp's elite staff had no idea what had happened.
Among everyone present, it was probably only Miles who sensed a hint of what it might be.
After an Xyz Monster's attack, the only thing capable of producing such a reaction… was the god-slaying weapon—Skyblaster Thunderstrike.
"Oh boy… they're really that close together?"
KaibaCorp—Seto Kaiba holding Obelisk the Tormentor, and the legendary Skyblaster Thunderstrike, likely buried beneath Domino City.
Miles didn't quite understand the reason, but this was how the interior of the Obelisk Tower had presented things.
Existence is truth. Now more than ever, he needed to meet Kaiba face-to-face.
Just imagining the possibility of dealing with both a God Card and a god-slaying weapon at once made Miles burn with determination.
He needed to fire up 120% of his spirit—defeat the Duel King… or at least his AI!
"I Set one card and end my turn!"
Miles ended his turn with a face-down Set card. He still had no immediate way to deal with Marshmallon, and having his LP cut down in the opening was already extremely disadvantageous against Yugi Muto.
"My turn, Miles-kun!"
Even the AI seemed to sense Miles's fiery spirit. Yugi's projected image drew his card stylishly as the turn switched.
"I'll battle using this card! I Normal Summon—'Chocolate Magician Girl' in Attack Position!"
[Chocolate Magician Girl] Level 4│WATER│Spellcaster│1600 ATK
Accompanied by the sweet scent of chocolate, the slender, fair-waisted Chocolate Magician Girl materialized gracefully in front of Yugi.
"Next—her effect!"
[Once per turn: You can discard 1 Spellcaster monster from your hand; draw 1 card.]
"I discard 'Lemon Magician Girl' from my hand and draw one card."
Her effect let him cycle through his Deck while sending a Spellcaster to the Graveyard—triggering her other ability.
If Chocolate Magician Girl became the target of an attack, she could Special Summon a Spellcaster from the Graveyard to take the hit instead, while halving the attacking monster's Attack.
And the 'Lemon Magician Girl' now in the Graveyard could continue redirecting attacks, forming a chain.
In short, casually attacking Yugi now was just asking to get punished beyond recognition.
"Then I just won't attack! …Or maybe that won't work either."
Miles wanted to throw the turn, but without attacking, there was no way to win.
Thankfully, the Xyz Monster on Miles's field—Sky Cavalry Centaurea—had enough Attack. A Rank 2 with 2000 Attack.
As long as Miles didn't attack Chocolate Magician Girl, her Attack wasn't high enough to break through the Pegasus either.
"I'll endure this turn… and with my next draw, look for a chance to counterattack!"
Even against an AI, Miles's calculations were firing rapidly.
But when Yugi flipped his first Set card, the smile vanished from Miles's face.
"Take this, Miles! Trap Card activate—'Compulsory Evacuation Device'!"
Despite possessing magnificent wings, Sky Cavalry Centaurea was blasted off the field.
[Target 1 monster on the field; return it to the hand.]
"With Compulsory Evacuation Device—I return your monster to your hand!"
Of course, an Xyz Monster couldn't return to the "hand"—it was sent straight back to the Extra Deck.
With one Trap, Miles was left wide open, his field empty before the alluring Chocolate Magician Girl.
"Now—Battle!" Yugi's hologram declared. The Duel King AI launched its attack.
Chocolate Magician Girl had 1600 Attack, while Miles only had 2200 LP remaining.
He could tank the hit, but it would leave him in a dangerous state.
"At the moment Chocolate Magician Girl declares an attack, I activate my other Trap—'Magician's Circle'!"
[When a Spellcaster monster declares an attack: Each player Special Summons 1 Spellcaster monster with 2000 or less Attack from their Deck in Attack Position.]
"I'll further amplify my Magician's power! I respond by Special Summoning from my Deck—'Dark Magician Girl'!"
[Dark Magician Girl] Level 6│DARK│Spellcaster│2000 ATK
Barely fitting the 2000 Attack restriction, Dark Magician Girl emerged onto Yugi's field through the effect of Magician's Circle.
Now the combined Attack of the two Magician Girls reached 3600—far more than Miles's remaining LP.
"Is this the end?"
Beyond the transparent glass wall, Ether looked toward the shining tech duel platform as the dual Magician forces converged.
It was the outcome most expected.
Even though Miles had revealed a God Card and performed an Xyz Summon—none of that stopped the duel from matching the countless simulation results: the Duel King AI winning with ease.
"Hah… scared me for nothing." The bearded researcher let out a long sigh.
Looked like he'd keep his rare Gandora card and also pocket a free VIP hot spring gold card.
"No! Miles should have one too!" Kaima suddenly said.
"Have what?" Ether asked, puzzled.
"A Spellcaster with 2000 Attack!" Dark Aisha declared.
The Trap Magician's Circle worked on both players.
Both Duelists could Special Summon a Spellcaster with 2000 or less Attack from their Deck.
But in most cases, unless your Deck was Spellcaster-focused, it was hard to benefit from this effect.
And even if you happened to have one, with the 2000-Attack cap, Dark Magician Girl was usually the strongest possible summon Magician's Circle allowed.
"Using magic to counter magic, huh!"
Miles drew the Special Summon target from his Deck with a smooth motion and slapped it onto his Duel Disk.
"We can do it too! Special Summon—Dark Magician Girl!"
With clashing magical visual effects, Miles's alternate-art Dark Magician Girl appeared—one hand on her hip, staff raised high as she descended onto the simulated duel platform.
Chi gasped with delight: "Dark Magician Girl is that rare of a card… Miles actually has one too?"
In this world, Miles had no idea how rare Dark Magician Girl truly was.
He only knew that the one he owned was the second-place prize issued at the Fusion Academy Festival Miss Campus Pageant.
This alternate-art Dark Magician Girl was originally meant to be used with The Eye of Timaeus, but he never expected she would be summoned again in a moment like this.
And by the way, Kaima was the champion of that pageant. This fact had long since become one of her embarrassing 'dark histories', something no one dared mention.
[Dark Magician Girl] Level 6│DARK│Spellcaster│2000 ATK
The same Dark Magician Girl with the same 2000 Attack—forcing Chocolate Magician Girl, who had declared the attack, to withdraw right away.
With Chocolate Magician Girl pulling back her attack, the two Dark Magician Girls—cheeks puffed adorably—glared at each other with enough attitude to start a magical fistfight at any second.
"I'll end this battle."
Whether due to temperament or calculation, Yugi chose not to let both Dark Magician Girls crash and burn together.
"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn!"
Though Miles had survived the turn, the sight of Yugi placing two new Set cards made him feel anything but relieved.
"Nope, nope! Can't let that starfish hairstyle intimidate me!"
Miles shook his head hard to stay sharp.
No matter how similar the appearance, no matter how closely the dueling style resembled the original—this wasn't the real Duel King Yugi Muto.
"A duel that only follows programmed calculations… has no soul!"
Miles flicked his fingers across the Duel Disk, carving a dark arc as he drew.
"Here we go!"
The moment he saw the drawn card, Miles's excitement exploded.
After all, who wouldn't be excited to use newly acquired power?
"I Normal Summon in Defense Position—it's your turn now! Relinkuriboh!"
[Relinkuriboh] Level 1│DARK│Fiend│300 ATK
The fluffy, round Relinkuriboh rolled forward upon manifesting and snuggled straight into Dark Magician Girl's chest, looking unbearably soft and enviably comfortable.
"He actually summoned… Kuriboh?" The spectators finally began to realize something.
First came the Level 2 Normal monster, then a Level 1 Kuriboh. Aside from the relatively rare Dark Magician Girl, the boy challenging the Duel King seemed to be using nothing but weak, low-level 'trash' monsters.
Of course, the unknown God Card excluded.
"This is bad…" Chi muttered, her expression tightening as she realized the structure of Miles's Deck. "Kaiba hates weak monsters the most."
Everyone knew—Seto Kaiba despised incompetence and 'trash'.
More accurately, as the arrogant master of the Blue-Eyes Deck built on absolute power, Kaiba simply couldn't acknowledge a duelist who relied on weak monsters.
Albeit if a so‑called weakling, using trash monsters, defeated the Duel King AI that Kaiba himself had never beaten…
"I can't imagine it… Kaiba's face at that moment… His mood would probably tank even harder."
Regardless, if Miles won this Duel King battle, meeting Kaiba wouldn't be difficult.
But once he met him… if Kaiba's mood hit rock bottom… another unavoidable battle would likely follow.
And that was what worried Chi most.
"Oh well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now—show me how you use trash monsters to fight, Miles!"
"Summoning a monster with no combat power at all—Ridiculous." The bearded researcher scoffed. "In all simulated battles in our data, not once has such a senseless move ever appeared."
"And that's where you're mistaken."
Ether, who had been trying to stay out of this circus and simply watch silently, couldn't help snapping back.
"If every move stays within the bounds of your precious database—then how do you expect anyone to surpass the strongest AI system?"
"Ether, you…?"
"Well said, Sis!" Chi cheered, thrilled to see the bearded researcher shut down.
"Don't get friendly with me. I'm not taking sides." Ether retorted sharply. "I'm just saying—true transcendence means overturning one's previous understanding. Data alone can't explain everything."
What data couldn't explain was happening on Miles's field—the power of Dark Magician Girl merging with the power of Relinkuriboh.
Top‑tier battle force crossing dimensions—a brand‑new form of power.
A legacy from his ancestor—Yuna Carlos.
"Spell Card—Fusion Substitute, activate!"
[This card's name becomes 'Polymerization'. Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck using monsters on your field as Fusion Material.]
Its name and effect functioned just like Polymerization—but requiring materials specifically on the field.
"Two layers of darkness intertwine and erupt! I fuse my Dark Magician Girl and Relinkuriboh on the field!"
"He fused Kuriboh with Dark Magician Girl?!"
An unheard‑of Fusion pattern shattered the researchers' understanding yet again.
Dark Magician Girl embraced the fluffy Relinkuriboh, her body cloaked in dark starlight as both flew into the spiraling Fusion vortex.
And the formula wasn't specifically "DMG + Relinkuriboh".
The material requirement was simply—two DARK monsters.
"O blossoms blooming in darkness, become one! Become the hands of the clock and point toward a new path! Fusion Summon—descend! Fanged dragon of pitch‑black venom… Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"
[Starving Venom Fusion Dragon] Level 8│DARK│Dragon│2800 ATK
[Materials: 2 DARK monsters]
The adorable figure of Dark Magician Girl was nowhere to be seen.
A terrifying, slender, spiraling form emerged—the violet‑black toxic dragon shattering the Fusion void as it descended, its inky poison mist spreading across the field and even making the opposing Dark Magician Girl recoil in fear.
"An ancestor's card really is incredible!"
...
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