"Miles, if you can demonstrate sufficient strength in this duel, then I will acknowledge you and agree to Lady Alice's proposal, allowing you to represent Livorden at the imperial invitation."
Hearing alone could be deceptive—seeing was believing. No matter how extravagantly these people praised him, Homar decided to personally test the strength of the boy before him.
And more importantly, for such a young boy to inspire this level of admiration from his own sister, to the point that she would even… no, no, no. A dignified third princess could not possibly be a simp.
Although he was NOT a sister-con, as the eldest brother, it was still his responsibility to test whether this boy was truly worthy of Nova's sincere feelings.
If he truly possessed that level of strength, then in this land where duelists reigned supreme, even with a commoner background, as long as Nova truly liked him, marrying into the royal family would not be especially difficult.
Of course, all such assumptions were premised on Miles earning Homar's recognition in the upcoming duel.
Nova said worriedly, "Eh? Big brother, you're going to duel Miles? That's not a good idea, is it…"
"What's wrong, Nova? Are you afraid that Miles will lose to me? Don't worry. Even if he loses, it won't matter. As long as he shows the strength he ought to have in the duel, I'll acknowledge him then."
"No, I'm afraid big brother will lose and embarrass the royal family."
"…"
The crown prince froze.
…You're kidding, right? Could this guy really be that strong?
It had to be the filter in Nova's eyes, exaggerating Miles far too much. A first-year student at the Fusion Academy… no matter how strong, how strong could he really be?
Most likely, after suddenly receiving a duel invitation from the royal family, a duelist as young as Miles had already begun to feel nervous and afraid.
"Dueling Homar, who has inherited Exodia's power? I couldn't ask for more!" Miles activated the Spirit Eyes on his arm.
He was beyond eager to try!
This was entirely different from what Homar had imagined.
Not only Nova, but even the composed, unhurried smile on Alice's face remained unchanged.
It felt like… the royal family's strength was being underestimated.
Although the current Homar, having just completed the inheritance ritual, was indeed unable to wield Exodia's power as perfectly as Old King Kaiser once had, he was absolutely not someone who could be looked down upon by an unknown duelist.
"Very well. Then we'll conduct this duel above Dragon Ravine!"
A duel with Dragon Ravine as its backdrop.
Before it even officially began, Miles was lifted by a rented flying dragon and set down on one side above the canyon.
On the opposite side of the sheer cliff stood his opponent for this duel—Homar.
Though the distance between them was vast, the entire canyon cliff could be used as a suspended Duel Arena.
Before a single card was played, the epic grandeur was already at maximum.
"Homar, are you using an Exodia Deck?"
Now that he knew the likely info about his opponent's Deck, as a pro duelist, Miles naturally wouldn't miss the chance to make use of it.
More importantly, in a world without a Forbidden List, the existence of Exodia was truly terrifying.
Especially when its user was Homar, a member of the royal family who lacked nothing when it came to rare Spell Cards.
If Miles himself were given Exodia, he would absolutely cram the Deck full of draw cards like Pot of Greed and Graceful Charity, aiming to draw through the entire Deck in a single turn and assemble the five cards for a rule-based victory.
Of course, if he were to be FTK'd by Exodia's draw engine without even getting to act, that would downright defeat the purpose of Homar's so-called test of strength.
After considering multiple pieces of info, when facing Exodia, Miles opened the Deck Gates within the Soul Room and chose the Deck best suited to face it—adding a few tactical cards he might need on the side.
"Alright then, let's begin, Homar!"
"Come, Miles!"
Separated by the vast Dragon Ravine, the light of the Spirit Eyes on their arms converged, and the duel officially began.
[Miles, LP: 4000]
[Homar, LP: 4000]
"Duel!" ×2
With the declaration that marked the start of the duel, the glow of the Spirit Eyes on Miles' arm intensified further, signifying that he had taken the first turn.
"So I'm going first after all."
Miles seemed to have already anticipated this result.
After all, Exodia combined with Forbidden Cards was simply too outrageous. If it went first and maxed out its draw engine, the opponent would very likely have no chance to respond.
There wouldn't even be a chance to play at all—that experience would be terrible.
Thus, through the Spirit Eyes' balancing of power, Miles guessed that in this world, once an Exodia Deck was used, it would be very difficult to obtain the first move.
Going first against Exodia— even if the opponent was using Forbidden draw cards—at least left room for interaction.
For example, the tactical cards preset in Miles's Deck before the duel began.
"My turn, draw!"
Watching Miles draw his opening card, Aisha, who was observing the duel, couldn't help but grow curious.
"Against five cards that win the moment they're assembled, how will Mr. Miles fight?"
Irena stroked her smooth chin, the corner of her mouth lifting into a mischievous smile. "Who knows. Maybe Miles will use some really dirty tactics."
"Dirty tactics?"
"I Set the four cards in my hand!"
Before the words even finished, Miles, going first, directly Set four Spell and Trap Cards from his hand to the back row.
"(｀?Д??)ゞ Dirty tactics… so you meant heavy backrow?"
"No, it can get even dirtier."
The four cards Miles Set were not all heavy Trap Cards. They were merely a preparation to support the next card he intended to use.
With the remaining two cards in his hand, Miles faced Homar across the entire canyon and forcefully threw the Spell Card from his hand.
"—Spell Card [Exchange], activate!"
[Both players reveal their hands, then each selects 1 card from the other player's hand and adds it to their own hand.]
The tactical card Miles had included specifically to counter an Exodia Deck showed up with perfect timing—drawn on the very first turn while going first.
Its effect allowed both players to choose one card from the other's hand and exchange them. The four cards Miles had Set in advance were simply preparation to prevent Homar from taking them during the exchange.
And Miles' objective was simple and unmistakable.
"Homar, I'll be taking the [Left Leg of the Forbidden One] from your hand."
An opening-turn execution. Miles successfully gambled that Homar's opening hand would contain at least one 'Forbidden One' card and directly took it away.
"It's over~"
Miles looked relaxed and smug as he spun the 'dirty' Left Leg card between his fingers. Of course, Miles was not a leg fetishist.
Losing one-fifth of Exodia meant that in this duel, Homar could no longer assemble the five strongest cards.
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