After Professor Field finished announcing the duel order, Miles and Liam stepped onto the stage almost simultaneously.
This was also the first time many of Fusion Academy's upperclassmen had truly taken notice of Miles' existence.
"So that's the late-enrollment freshman?"
"The commoner duelist who stirred up so many topics in less than a week?"
"He looks way younger than I imagined. And… why does he seem kind of cute?"
"Someone like that can really beat Liam Carl?"
"No more time! Place your bets now! Once the duel starts, betting's closed!"
The scummy witch Irena, eager to squeeze out a bit more money, was still hoisting her witch's hat—already stuffed full of gold coins—and shouting at the top of her lungs.
"Mr. Miles, do your best… no, actually, maybe don't go too hard on him."
The pure white tofu block probably still didn't know that her Carlos family was currently locked in opposition with the Carl family standing before them.
"Being your first practical duel opponent is quite the honor, Miles."
"Then you'd better treasure that honor properly." Miles showed not the slightest trace of politeness.
"You little…!"
Look at that. He was the one who started with polite talk, yet in the end, he was the one getting angry.
Utterly ignorant of aristocratic etiquette, Liam stopped pretending to be courteous as well.
"Miles, I hope you still remember what I told you yesterday. I don't want Her Highness the Princess to have her academy life affected by a third-rate duelist."
"Oh? A duelist using a fourth-rate Deck sure has a big mouth."
A classic 'third-rate with a fourth-rate deck' jab. It was just that Liam didn't yet realize that the 'third-rate duelist with a fourth-rate deck' was referring squarely to himself.
Right from the opening exchange, the hostility was downright undisguised. And with Nova's name being brought up, it further confirmed the earlier, unreliable gossip.
These two really were fighting over the princess.
A plot straight out of a shōjo manga made many girls cast envious glances at little Nova.
"A handsome noble and a beautiful common-born boy, both standing on the same stage, fighting with everything they've got to win Princess Nova's heart. This is totally a manga plot!"
"I'm so jealous of Princess Nova. If someone were willing to fight like that for me, I'd marry them on the spot!"
Just what on earth went through these women's heads was something Miles had never been able to figure out.
"Enough talk. Let's begin, Miles!"
"Exactly what I wanted!"
Their gazes met one final time—and this time, that meeting of eyes signaled the official start of the duel.
[Miles, LP: 2000]
[Liam, LP: 2000]
Miles' Spirit Eyes lit up first, granting him the opening move.
In Miles' current 20-card Deck, there were two D/D monsters and three different B-rank Contract Spell/Trap Cards.
With a starting hand of five cards, plus the draw at the start of the turn, given Miles' exceptional luck, the odds were quite high.
"My turn. Draw!"
As he glanced over the card he drew at the start of his turn, a flash of delight crossed Miles' eyes.
"Here it is!—Continuous Spell Card [Contract with the Gate], activate!"
The most crucial Contract card had appeared right in Miles' opening hand. Borrowing those 300 Magic Points yesterday hadn't been in vain.
[Can only be activated during your Main Phase. Add 1 "D/D" monster from your Deck to your hand.]
Behind Miles, the Gate of Hell opened through a contract formed with his soul. From its deep, otherworldly darkness, it could precisely search out one D/D monster from his Deck once per turn.
"I use the effect of [Contract with the Gate] to add [D/D Swirl Slime] from my Deck to my hand!"
At present, the number of D/D monsters Miles could search with [Contract with the Gate] was only two.
As the hellish gate swung open, the searched Monster Card fell into Miles' fingertips.
"I Normal Summon [D/D Swirl Slime] in Defense Position. Turn end!"
[D/D Swirl Slime] Level 2│DARK│Fiend│200 ATK
It was a very first-year-style opening. Miles summoned a Slime to sit on the field and immediately declared the end of his turn—a perfectly blended, low-key play.
At least, in the eyes of the other first-year students, there was nothing unusual about such a move.
"Starting with the weakest trash monster, huh?"
Casting a disdainful glance at the Slime floating on Miles' field, Liam regarded the only real threat Miles possessed as yesterday's headline-making [D/D/D Dragon King Pendragon].
That was the sole monster Liam would actually find troublesome to deal with.
But the biggest flaw of a Level 7 monster was that it required two Tributes to be Summoned.
In that case, all he had to do was keep up relentless pressure and prevent Miles from ever gathering the Tributes needed.
Of course, this line of thinking only existed within the narrow framework of first-year, axe-king-style brawling duels.
"My turn, draw! Then I Normal Summon [Alpha The Magnet Warrior] in Attack Position!"
[Alpha The Magnet Warrior] Level 4│EARTH│Warrior│1400 ATK
The Magnet Warrior, sword and shield in hand, materialized and stood upon Liam's field.
"I'll use [Alpha The Magnet Warrior] to destroy [D/D Swirl Slime]!—'Magnetic Heavy Slash'!"
With a straightforward swing, the 1400-ATK vanilla cut straight down, destroying the Slime with a mere 200 Defense and sending it to the Graveyard.
[D/D Swirl Slime destroyed]
"Nicely done, Liam!"
The first exchange of battle was claimed by Liam's monster.
Within the crowd, Liam Carl's fan club, his hangers-on, and quite a few spectators who had placed bets all cheered in unison.
Though Miles couldn't quite understand what there was to get excited about over destroying a single Slime.
Liam said smugly, "I won't give you a chance to Tribute Summon your monster, Miles!"
Believing he had successfully shut Miles down, even the way Liam flung cards onto the field grew noticeably more stylish.
"I Set two cards. Turn end!"
The first round of exchanges perfectly embodied the axe-king-style brawling typical of first-year duels, and up to this point, everything fit the expected tone.
But that plain, straightforward tone ended right there.
By destroying [D/D Swirl Slime] to stop Miles's Tribute Summon, Liam had instead fallen right into the trap.
"My turn, draw!"
The moment Miles drew his card and entered the Standby Phase, the Gate of Hell opened by the Contract behind him, suddenly overflowing with profound darkness.
[During your Standby Phase, you take 1000 damage.]
The powerful effects of Contract cards came hand in hand with enormous risk. Each Standby Phase, they devoured 1000 of the user's Life Points.
This was especially brutal under the nerfed rules of the first-year practical test.
[Miles, LP: 2000 → 1000]
"Using a card like that under a 2000 LP rule?!"
As the Contract's side effect kicked in and Miles's Life Points were halved, the sight shocked everyone watching.
In a duel with only 2000 Life Points, using a card with such a severe drawback was practically suicide.
Liam couldn't help but demand, "Miles, do you even know how to duel?"
Let me tell you a joke—Miles doesn't know how to duel~
"High risk often comes with high reward. That's something you first-years wouldn't understand!"
"Aren't you a first-year yourself?"
Waving his hand toward the Continuous Spell [Contract with the Gate] on the field, Miles reminded him that since it was a Continuous Card, it could still be used this turn.
"I activate the effect of [Contract with the Gate] to add a D/D monster from my Deck to my hand!"
At this point, there was only one searchable monster left in Miles's Deck.
"Come forth—[D/D/D Dragon King Pendragon]!"
The otherworldly demon king bearing the surname of the legendary King Arthur, and the only monster Liam truly feared.
"So you've finally added your ace monster to your hand. What a shame. You don't have enough Tributes on the field."
"Tributes? I don't need any. The key card I needed was sent to the Graveyard by your own hands, Liam!"
"What?!"
From Miles's Graveyard, the [D/D Swirl Slime] that had been destroyed last turn suddenly surged forth.
"This is the potential brought about by the so-called weakest trash monster you all look down on! I activate the Graveyard effect of [D/D Swirl Slime]!"
[You can banish this card from your Graveyard; Special Summon 1 "D/D" monster from your hand.]
"I banish [D/D Swirl Slime] and Special Summon the 'D/D' monster from my hand!"
A flicker of panic crossed Liam's eyes. "That kind of trash monster… it had an effect like that hidden in it?"
"Let the dragon's breath that devoured Britannia roar, and let its thunder shake the usurper king!—Special Summon [D/D/D Dragon King Pendragon]!"
[D/D/D Dragon King Pendragon] Level 7│DARK│Fiend│2600 ATK
"Roar—!"
The black dragon that had ignited massive discussion across Fusion Academy just yesterday now roared onto the field in Miles's second turn, in a completely unexpected fashion.
Liam's attempt to destroy the monster and prevent a Tribute Summon instead became the very trigger for the otherworldly demon king's descent.
"You bastard, you set me up, Miles!"
"You're just stupid!"
Staring at the tyrant dragon that had descended onto Miles's field, Nova blinked her golden eyes in confusion. "Wait… so it's not a Dragon-Type?"
With 2600 Attack, Dragon King Pendragon had already reached a level that was extremely difficult to deal with through normal combat in first-year brawling duels.
After all, during last year's midterm exam, even Kevin's strongest monster had only been the 2400-ATK Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
Which meant that the only thing Miles now needed to watch out for were the two face-down cards in Liam's back row.
"I activate the effect of [D/D/D Dragon King Pendragon]!"
[Once per turn, during your Main Phase: You can discard 1 card; this card gains 500 Attack until the end of the turn. Then, you can destroy 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field.]
Not only did it boast 2600 Attack, it could further increase its Attack and destroy the opponent's back row.
"I send [Drytron Zeta Aldhibah] from my hand to the Graveyard, raise Pendragon's Attack by 500, and destroy your leftmost set card!"
[D/D/D Dragon King Pendragon, ATK: 2600 → 3100]
"—Vortigern's Roar!"
Pitch-black dragon breath surged forth violently, completely pulverizing Liam's set card.
Trap Card [Sakuretsu Armor] destroyed
You trying to play dirty with me, huh?
"Damn it." The only Trap Card capable of turning the tables on the tyrant dragon had been destroyed outright by Miles with a one-in-two chance. A trace of surprise flickered across Liam's brow.
"Hey, hey… 3100 Attack? That's already surpassed Blue-Eyes White Dragon, hasn't it?"
"Are first-year monsters really this terrifying now?"
First Nova's Dragonmaid Sheou, now Miles's tyrant dragon Pendragon—both had already surpassed the combat power benchmark duelists instinctively used to measure the strong.
A monster exceeding 3000 Attack, beyond Blue-Eyes White Dragon, had officially entered the realm of top-tier monsters.
"And that's not all!—Equip Spell Card [Gravity Axe - Grarl], activate!"
[The equipped monster gains 500 Attack. While this card is face-up on the field, monsters your opponent controls cannot change their battle positions.]
[D/D/D Dragon King Pendragon, ATK: 3100 → 3600]
Gripping the massive axe, Pendragon's Attack surged further to 3600.
With this Equip Spell's activation, the gap in Attack between the two sides was officially widened to 2200 points.
In that instant, everyone could tell—Miles was aiming to OTK Liam in a single swing.
Was this really still a first-year, axe-king-style brawl?
Granted, the tyrant dragon Pendragon now taking to the skies truly did hold a fearsome gravity axe in its claws.
"Battle! End it in one strike—D/D/D Dragon King Pendragon!"
Declaring the Battle Phase, the black demonic dragon descended from the sky, its heavy axe cleaving down with such violence that even the surrounding air was torn apart.
If this attack landed, the so-called first-year rising star Liam Carl would be instantly slain by a common-born duelist.
Once such news spread, it would undoubtedly deal a fatal blow to the Carl family's reputation—especially at this critical moment when the family was vying for the marquis title.
"Heh… hahaha!"
Yet at the very moment that concerned his family's fate, Liam burst into wild laughter.
"Risk and reward go hand in hand. So regret this, Miles!"
Liam flipped over the other set card in his back row.
"—Continuous Trap Card [Depth Amulet], activate!"
[When your opponent's monster declares an attack: You can discard 1 card; negate that attack. Destroy this card during the opponent's third End Phase after activation.]
A Continuous Trap that could negate an opponent's monster attack by discarding a card.
"I discard [Celtic Guardian] from my hand and negate your attack!"
In a first-year Deck, this effect allowed the many otherwise useless vanilla monsters in hand to be put to good use.
More importantly, Miles's winning blow had been stopped.
The power of the abyss collided with the demon dragon's heavy axe, detonating thunderous black lightning across the field before the assault was nullified by the charm.
"Do you need me to spell out what a failed attack like this means, Miles?!"
The reason for Liam's manic laughter was the Continuous Spell still on Miles's field—[Contract with the Gate].
Under the 2000 LP restriction, its side effect of burning 1000 Life Points each Standby Phase meant that in just two turns, Miles would be out of Life Points.
In other words, on Liam's next turn, he wouldn't even need to do anything. Simply ending his turn would be enough to make Miles lose to the effect of his own card.
"How ridiculous… summoning a powerful monster, only to lose to your own card in the end."
"Under a 2000 LP rule, relying on this kind of victory is truly pathetic, Liam Carl!"
"What did you say?"
Ending the Battle Phase, Miles continued to throw down cards.
"Quick-Play Spell Card [Burial from a Different Dimension]! Return [D/D Swirl Slime] from the Banished Zone to the Graveyard. Then I activate the Continuous Spell Card [Dark Contract with the Swamp King]!"
As Miles activated his second Contract card, after the Gate of Hell had opened behind him, a gravestone of the Swamp King of Demons surfaced beneath his feet.
[During your Main Phase: Send Fusion Materials listed on a Fiend Fusion Monster Card from your hand or field to the Graveyard; Fusion Summon that monster from your Extra Deck. When Fusion Summoning a "D/D" Fusion Monster, you can also banish monsters from your Graveyard as Fusion Materials.]
A Contract card that could substitute for a Fusion Spell, and when Fusion Summoning a "D/D" Fusion Monster, allowed the use of Graveyard materials just like Miracle Fusion.
"It's time to show the true way D/D/D fights! I fuse the [D/D/D Dragon King Pendragon] on my field with [D/D Swirl Slime] in my Graveyard!"
He sent his ace monster with a massive 3600 Attack straight to the Graveyard as Fusion Material.
What seemed like an extravagant move was, in fact, perfectly rational.
After all, if he couldn't survive the Contract's side effects, no matter how strong the monster was, it would be meaningless.
The true combat style of the D/D/D otherworldly demon kings was a heroic spirit battle that ruled over every Summoning method.
Not only was there the Synchro conqueror King Alexander, but also those who descended through Fusion Summoning.
"Proud knight, seal calamity and be melted within the crucible—be reborn as the true king! Fusion Summon! Descend, divine might! King of Legacy!—[D/D/D Oracle King d'Arc]!"
[D/D/D Oracle King d'Arc] Level 7│DARK│Fiend│Fusion│2800 ATK
["D/D" monsters ×2]
Alongside the Synchro Conqueror King Alexander stood the Fusion monster d'Arc, bearing the name of Jeanne d'Arc, the saint who saved a nation.
The female D/D/D Fusion Monster, wielding a holy sword and unfurling demonic wings, descended while radiating the halo of 'Life Surge.'
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