Inside Viel's Magic Workshop, everyone remained gathered together, waiting for the moment when Miles, who had been so excited after obtaining his new body that he went streaking across the skies, would finally get tired of it and come back.
"Hmm?"
The tea Krista had just sipped hadn't even fully gone down before her eyelids twitched sharply a few times.
"That feeling? Stardust Spark Dragon? That's impossible!"
"Did something happen, Krista?"
Sitting calmly at the rickety little wooden table, sipping tea and watching the drama unfold, Aisha looked as serene as a peaceful painting.
"I don't know if it's just my imagination. Sorry, I need to step out for a bit."
With that, Krista set down her teacup and rushed straight for the D-Wheel outside, put on her helmet, and started the engine.
"Huh, you're leaving already?" Ren asked in confusion. "You were the one who suggested afternoon tea."
They called it afternoon tea, but the sun was already setting into dusk.
Even from far away, Krista could still feel Stardust Spark Dragon's restless roar.
Aside from herself, Krista could only think of one person who could use Stardust Spark Dragon.
"Is it you, Miles?"
Of course, the reason Krista hadn't told Aisha and Ren the truth right away wasn't because she wanted to 'jump the gun.'
It was because, besides Stardust, she also sensed the opposing crimson flames of the Red Dragon.
A fated clash between Stardust and demonic dragonfire.
Riding at full speed toward the scene, Krista furrowed her brow. "Red Dragon fire… that can only be that person, right?!"
4★! + 4★! = 8★!
"Let the shock of blazing crimson resound now. Witness the power that shakes heaven and earth! Synchro Summon! My soul! Red Dragon Archfiend!"
[Red Dragon Archfiend] Level 8│DARK│Dragon│3000 ATK
Bathed in the crimson glow of the setting sun, demonic dragon wings unfurled from the blazing Synchro light as Red Dragon Archfiend roared and took to the field first, dominating the battlefield.
Lost shouted excitedly at Miles. "So, what do you think?!"
Miles didn't hesitate to praise her. "Red Dragon Archfiend under the sunset, yeah, that's genuinely cool."
"Wah, you think it's cool too? Looks like we get along really well! By the way, I still don't know your name."
"Miles."
"Miles…"
The name felt familiar. Both Lost and Aoyao felt like they'd heard it somewhere before, and more than once at that.
Regardless, one thing was certain. This unfamiliar face was one they were seeing for the first time.
Because Lost was confident that a boy this handsome was someone she would never forget after seeing even once.
"Then let's fight with everything we've got, Miles!"
Summoning her soul card, Red Dragon Archfiend, on the very first turn, Lost was going all out in every sense in her duel against Miles.
After all, whether she'd get a partner or not depended on this duel.
Scanning her remaining hand, Lost fixed her gaze seriously on one particular card.
"I'll use this card too. Don't say I'm bullying you later!"
Lost yanked the card from her hand and slammed it onto the ground.
"I set one card. Turn end!"
As the turn shifted beneath the glow of sunset and flames, the Spirit Eyes engraved with the Stardust Spark Dragon emblem on Miles' arm lit up.
"My turn, draw!"
Drawing from Spirit Eyes, the opening six cards in Miles' hand were unmistakably Krista's Synchro deck.
"The effect of [Level Warrior] in my hand!"
[If your opponent controls a monster and you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card from your hand as a Level 4 monster.]
"Since my field is empty and you control Red Dragon Archfiend, I Special Summon [Level Warrior] as a Level 4 monster!"
[Level Warrior] Level 4│LIGHT│Warrior│300 ATK
A Warrior monster with a crimson cape and a helmet shaped like Level stars materialized and charged onto the field.
"Then I Normal Summon my Tuner, [Junk Synchron]!"
[Junk Synchron] Level 4│EARTH│Machine│1500 ATK
The Level 4 Tuner monster with a mechanical appearance unfolded its iron wings and flew onto the battlefield.
"'Warrior' monsters and 'Synchron' monsters?"
The sight of two all-too-familiar monsters stirred a deep-seated fear in Lost, memories of being dominated by someone back at Synchron Academy.
"Wait, I really am dueling Miles right now. It's just a coincidence, right?!"
Lost shook her head hard, forcibly clearing away the unrealistic thoughts in her mind.
"I think it might not be a coincidence," Aoyao murmured from behind.
After wracking her brain, Aoyao finally remembered that Krista had unconsciously mentioned the name Miles in her sleep not long ago.
If all of that could still be called a coincidence, then the next Summon couldn't be explained away.
"Level 4 Tuner [Junk Synchron] and Level 4 [Level Warrior], total Level 8. Synchro Summon!"
4★! + 4★! = 8★!
Standing against Red Dragon Archfiend, another Level 8 Synchro light burst forth on Miles' field.
"A single flash that cleaves the starry sea, let the pulse of the soul thunder through the world! Synchro Summon! [Stardust Spark Dragon]!"
Overflowing stardust light heralded the descent of the night sky beneath the fading sunset.
[Stardust Spark Dragon] Level 8│LIGHT│Dragon│2500 ATK
"It really is Stardust Spark Dragon?!" Lost cried out, unable to contain her shock.
Everyone knew that Stardust Spark Dragon was Krista's signature Synchro monster at Synchron Academy.
Yet now it stood in the hands of this mysterious boy.
Aoyao said calmly, "See? I told you it wasn't a coincidence."
"This is destiny!" Lost shouted excitedly. "So you use Stardust too, Miles. Then there really is a fated bond between us!"
Well, Lost being Lost, she hadn't thought things through the way Aoyao had.
She simply took Miles as just another Duelist who used Stardust Spark Dragon.
"Then I absolutely can't lose this duel!"
"Lost, you've never beaten Stardust, have you?" Aoyao deadpanned.
"Shut up. I've been reborn!"
Lost glanced toward her set card.
"After witnessing so many duels of infinite evolution, how could I afford to stand still!"
Her fighting spirit surged even higher. Even the words 'Crimson Star' printed on the back of her coat glowed red under the sunset, as if burning.
Red Dragon Archfiend's 3000 Attack versus Stardust Spark Dragon's 2500 meant that, on paper, the demonic dragon held the edge.
Miles raised his hand to the sky and declared, "I activate the effect of [Junk Synchron] that was sent to the Graveyard as Synchro Material!"
[If this card is sent to the Graveyard as Synchro Material, until the end of this turn, the Synchro Monster that used this card as material gains 600 ATK and its effects are negated.]
"The [Stardust Spark Dragon] that used [Junk Synchron] as Synchro Material gains 600 ATK until the end of the turn!"
[Stardust Spark Dragon, ATK: 2500 → 3100]
The stardust brilliance surged once more. This crucial 600-point ATK boost pushed Stardust's power just 100 points above Red Dragon Archfiend.
"Battle! Fly, Stardust Spark Dragon!"
With its Attack boosted, Miles immediately declared the Battle Phase, sending Stardust and Crimson clashing head-on beneath the setting sun.
"—Meteor Flash Strike!"
Aoyao cried out nervously, "This is bad, Red Dragon Archfiend is going to lose!"
"It won't lose!"
Riding the stardust light charging straight at her, Lost flipped over the card set in her back row.
"I'll show you the Crimson Star burning to its very limit! Trap Card activate, [King's Synchro]!"
[When an opponent's monster declares an attack on your Synchro Monster, negate that attack. Then, you can apply the following effect.
● Banish that Synchro Monster you control and 1 Tuner from your Graveyard, and Special Summon 1 Synchro Monster from your Extra Deck whose Level equals the combined Levels of the monsters you banished, as a Synchro Summon.]
The royal light of King's Synchro swept up Lost's coat, cutting off Stardust Spark Dragon's attack and enveloping the blazing Red Dragon Archfiend.
"[King's Synchro] ignores Synchro Material restrictions. As long as the Level requirement is met, you can perform a Synchro Summon!"
A king's Synchro Summon had to be willful.
The cards launched from Lost's Graveyard, the Level 4 Tuner [Speed Leader] and the Level 8 [Red Dragon Archfiend], together formed the ultimate kingly Synchro of the highest Level, twelve.
4★ + 8★ = 12★!
"King and demon converge here! Roaring soul, cry out and forge heaven and earth! Synchro Summon! Appear, Red Nova Dragon!"
Bursting forth from rampaging flames, the highest-Level Synchro Summon ignited the words "Crimson Star" emblazoned across the back of Lost's coat.
[Red Nova Dragon] Level 12│DARK│Dragon│3500 ATK
[2 Tuners + "Red Dragon Archfiend"]
Normally, this Synchro Summon required a double Synchro using two Tuners as materials.
However, the effect of the Trap Card [King's Synchro] erased that restriction entirely, allowing Red Nova Dragon to descend directly amid explosive flames.
"This is Red Dragon Archfiend's evolution, burning at its absolute limit!"
"So that was your plan too, Lost."
After uttering those meaningful words, Miles slammed a card down at his feet.
"I set one card and end my turn! Then, during the End Phase, Stardust Spark Dragon's Attack returns to 2500, and its effects are restored as well."
[Stardust Spark Dragon, ATK: 3100 → 2500]
Whether it was 3100 or 2500 Attack, it still couldn't overpower Red Nova Dragon. And after its effects were restored, Stardust once again gained its once-per-turn destruction resistance.
"My turn, draw!"
Scanning the card he drew this turn, Lost flipped it over.
"I reveal [Fortune Fairy Ann] that I just drew!"
[When you draw this card, you can reveal it to your opponent to activate this effect. Special Summon this card from your hand.]
[Fortune Fairy Ann] Level 5│DARK│Spellcaster│0 ATK
The DARK-attribute Fortune Lady monster materialized, hopping to Lost's side.
"Miles, that faint stardust light can no longer stand against the raging Crimson flames! I Normal Summon, [Flare Resonator]!"
[Flare Resonator] Level 3│FIRE│Fiend│300 ATK
The Resonator Tuner monster, holding a tuning fork and wreathed in crimson flames, reignited the Synchro of the demonic dragon together with the Level 5 Fortune Lady beside it.
"Level 3 Tuner [Flare Resonator] plus Level 5 [Fortune Fairy Ann], total Level 8, come forth!"
3★ + 5★ = 8★!
"Let the blazing roar shake heaven and earth! Carve this peerless tyrant's power into your very being! Synchro Summon, raging soul, Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!"
[Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend] Level 8│DARK│Dragon│3000 ATK
A reinforced form born from battle damage to Lost's Red Dragon Archfiend, the dark crimson demonic dragon, its right arm and horn shattered and broken, erupted in flames and materialized beneath the sunset.
"A monster Synchro Summoned using [Flare Resonator] as material gains 300 Attack!"
[Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend, ATK: 3000 → 3300]
"And when the number of Tuners in my Graveyard increases, [Red Nova Dragon] gains Attack through its own effect!"
[This card gains 500 ATK for each Tuner in your Graveyard.]
[Red Nova Dragon, ATK: 3500 → 4000]
With both boosts applied, Lost thrust her arm forward again, declaring the activation of the field-shattering destruction effect.
"Burn it down! Activate [Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend]'s effect, Absolute Authority Flame!"
[Once per turn, during your Main Phase: Destroy all Special Summoned effect monsters on the field with ATK less than or equal to this card's ATK, except this card. Then inflict damage to your opponent equal to 500 times the number of monsters destroyed by this effect.]
At present, the only monster on the field with lower Attack than Scarlight was Miles' Stardust Spark Dragon.
Miles responded immediately. "Block this blast, Stardust Spark Dragon! Activate, Resonance Barrier!"
[Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up card you control. That card cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects once this turn. This effect can be activated during your opponent's turn.]
Granting itself protection from destruction by battle and effects, the clash between the absolute authority flames and the stardust barrier beneath the sunset canceled each other out.
"So you managed to block it after all. But next, Stardust Spark Dragon has lost its protection!"
Having battled Stardust countless times, Lost knew its effects better than anyone. By baiting out the once-per-turn destruction resistance with Scarlight's effect, she could now break through head-on with battle.
"Battle! Tear through the stardust, Scarlight! Blazing Deep Crimson Inferno!"
Red Dragon Archfiend's flames erupted as it charged forward, burning claws smashing straight into Stardust Spark Dragon.
"I've been waiting for this strike too, Lost! A king's Synchro has to be willful, right?"
Riding the scorching flames rushing straight at him, Miles flipped over his set Trap Card.
"Trap Card activate, [King's Synchro]!"
It was the exact same Trap Card Lost had activated the previous turn.
The same battle pattern, the same collision of Red Dragon and Stardust, the same kingly Synchro eruption. Radiant light swept across Miles' field, enveloping the brilliant dragon form of [Stardust Spark Dragon].
"I banish the Level 4 Tuner [Junk Synchron] from my Graveyard and harmonize it with [Stardust Spark Dragon], total Level 12!"
A willful Synchro method that ignored all material restrictions, requiring only that the Level condition be met.
Combining the highest Synchro Level of twelve, Miles interwove the light trajectory of the king's Synchro with the light of Delta Accel Synchro, fusing them into one.
The Stardust Dragon of Krista's deck, born of Delta Accel Synchro.
"O ancient stars adorning the heavens, awaken the eternal memories of battle and become the ultimate stardust light that purifies the world!"
"Delta Accel Synchro-no, King's Synchro Summon! [Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon]!"
On just the third turn of the duel, a limit clash erupted between a Level 12 Crimson dragon and a Level 12 Stardust dragon.
...
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