Die of old age on the spot? How could such a coincidence possibly exist?
Sword Saint Brude collapsing into unconsciousness after that scream? No matter how one thought about it, it was the result of being utterly crushed by Emperor Quaedes in the duel just now.
Of course, it could not be ruled out that at his advanced age, his body simply could not endure the intensity of such a high-level duel, and he fell into unconsciousness from exhaustion after it ended.
In any case, he had not died on the spot.
After the royal physicians examined him, although they could not determine the exact cause of Brude's coma, out of courtesy toward a guest, he was carried away for treatment.
It appeared more like an ordinary accident. Precisely because of that, some people still had no idea what was truly happening in the imperial capital at this moment.
After all, what was even more shocking was the Emperor displaying the power to instantly defeat a legendary Duelist.
"Truly unsatisfying. Stronger… are there any stronger challengers?"
"Your Majesty, please allow me to challenge you!"
After the white-haired elder Brude, the next challenger to step out from the crowd was a man over two meters tall with a massive, muscular build.
Standing face to face in the center of the banquet hall's Duel Arena, the two made Quaedes—who was not actually short—appear incomparably petite.
"Very well. I permit it! Duel!"
The duel began, with the towering man taking the first turn. After scanning his opening hand, he revealed a confident smile.
"Hmph, what a perfect hand!"
"That's?" Homar Kaiser exclaimed again. "The Gun God, Stray! I didn't expect even him to be present tonight!"
"After a Sword Saint, now a Gun God?" Nova narrowed her eyes and could not help but complain, "Why do you know so many strange Duelists, Brother?"
With the lesson from before, Sword Saint Brude being instantly defeated, Nova no longer held much expectation for these challengers.
"These are all famous elite Duelists. Calling them 'strange' is quite rude, Nova. Although Gun King Stray does not belong to the three great nations, he is still a top-tier Duelist of the Kingdom of Linkes."
"A Duelist from outside the three great nations, huh."
It was the first time Aisha had seen someone like that. It also made her realize once more how vast the Spirit Continent was. Even beyond the three great nations, powerful Duelists would emerge.
"Then what kind of Summoning method does he use?"
The three great nations each represented one of the three mainstream Summoning methods of the Spirit Continent.
If a Duelist came from outside those nations, what sort of battle style would he use? Aisha was rather curious.
Alice recalled, "Although the Kingdom of Linkes lies beyond Livorden's eastern border, the mainstream method there should still primarily be Fusion. Of course, I've heard many people there also use Ritual Summoning."
"I see. I thought there might be a totally new Summoning method."
"How could that be?" Nova denied. "A Summoning method different from the three of the Spirit Continent and Ritual Summoning simply can't exist."
From within the hidden Millennium Ring, Elra's voice suddenly sounded, seemingly responding to Aisha's earlier speculation about a new Summoning method.
"On the Spirit Continent, a normal person's thinking would be the same as Princess Nova's. But to conceive of a 'brand-new Summoning method'... it seems your little sister is gradually touching upon the truth of this world."
"Elra, are you saying that kind of Summoning truly exists?"
"At the very least, it cannot exist right now. Due to the constraints placed upon the world's laws by [Sophia, Goddess of Rebirth], this Spirit Continent currently cannot give birth to any Summoning method beyond Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz. Unless…"
"Unless?"
"Unless someone can shatter those constraints and transcend the rule-defining power established by Sophia."
"If all the Millennium Items were gathered, could it be done?"
"Perhaps. Even so, neither you nor I would use such power for something so meaningless."
While Alice and Elra were chatting midway, within the Duel Arena, the Duelist known as the Gun God—Stray—was already on the verge of being crushed by the Emperor.
Just as Alice had analyzed, Stray used a Ritual Monster—
[Borreload Riot Dragon] Level 8│DARK│Dragon│3000 ATK
Though this seemingly powerful Ritual Monster could activate a destructive effect during the opponent's turn, it was immediately hit at the start by Emperor Quaedes' Spell Card [Forbidden Droplet], completely stripping it of its combat ability.
"Number C73: Abyss Supra Splash—shatter that Riot Dragon!—Divine Extinction Torrent Spear!!"
[Stray, LP: 4000 → 0]
"Aaaaaaah!"
Neither the Sword Saint nor the Gun God escaped the fate of being instantly defeated by Quaedes. The raging tide swept across the arena once more, launching the massive man several meters into the air.
And this time, after the duel ended, the same outcome as Brude occurred.
Stray, the burly man whose face twisted in pain, managed to barely rise after landing—but once the duel concluded, he gradually lost consciousness and collapsed heavily to the ground.
If Sword Saint Brude could be explained away by old age and an inability to endure the intensity of a high-level duel, then Stray—unquestionably strong and in peak physical condition—also falling unconscious after the duel made no sense at all.
A Shadow Game?
Defeat one, knock one out… the first thing that came to mind was a Shadow Game, the kind that inflicted real damage upon Duelists.
Still, though that may be, the possibility of a Shadow Game was nearly zero.
Not only was it impossible for the dignified Emperor of the Empire to use a dueling method strictly forbidden across the entire Spirit Continent in full view of everyone, but more importantly…
Elra: "There's no trace of a Shadow Game at all. Could it be that woman's overwhelming mental power simply crushed her opponents' consciousness outright?"
Emperor Quaedes' immense and exaggerated spiritual pressure… even if Miles were to face it head-on, he would end up unable to move for a short period of time.
For Duelists with weaker mental strength, falling unconscious on the spot would not be surprising.
Yet under the current circumstances, it was inevitable that Aisha and the others—those who knew the truth—would think of another possibility.
Zepha said in shock, "Could it be that the ritual to sacrifice Duelists' souls and summon Numerounius has already begun?"
Gathering the mental strength of numerous Duelists was one of the conditions required to summon the world-destroying god.
And Emperor Quaedes' current act of challenging everyone present alone looked exactly like the process of collecting the souls of the defeated.
"If that's the case, then we can't just stand by any longer!" Aisha said. "If the Emperor keeps slaughtering challengers, won't the summoning ritual only draw closer to completion?"
Irena asked, "Aisha, are you planning to…?"
"We can't let the number of sacrifices increase. Our original plan was to use the power of the God Card to stop Emperor Quaedes. So next… let me go!"
"But Miles hasn't returned yet, has he?"
Leaning close to Aisha, Dark Aisha—now bearing the identity of El, the youngest daughter of the Carlos family—whispered a reminder.
"The other me… um, if Sister fights alone against the Empire's strongest Emperor… can she win?"
"It's fine!" Gripping the Millennium Puzzle at her chest tightly, Aisha's gaze grew resolute. "If I keep relying on Mr. Miles, I won't be able to change the predetermined ending of fate."
"Predetermined ending of fate?" Dark Aisha asked in confusion.
The ending known only to Aisha—the fate she had learned from her ancestor Alice—that the lingering spirit within the Millennium Puzzle would one day depart.
Aisha could also sense that if she did nothing and simply went with the flow, relying entirely on Miles' strength, she would never change that destiny.
The chance to overturn fate had to be seized by her own hands—just like the weight of the double Millennium Puzzles she now held.
"I will fight. In the name of a Royal Duel Knight!"
"What dull duels." After two consecutive instant victories, Quaedes' blue eyes seemed to grow even colder. "Is there not a single strong opponent here who can make Me take notice?"
Considering the Emperor's overwhelming strength and the danger of falling unconscious upon defeat, the Duelists present had lost their initial enthusiasm to challenge her.
Just when everyone thought that no one would dare step forward to face the seemingly invincible strongest Emperor of the Empire—
A young girl's voice from within the crowd shattered the restless silence.
"I will!"
Shocked gazes converged upon the white-haired girl stepping out from the crowd.
Then someone shouted, "That's… Livorden's Royal Duel Knight, Aisha Carlos!"
An uproar erupted once more. The duel venue, which had been tense and silent just moments ago, exploded into heated discussion.
Royal Duel Knight Aisha Carlos was undoubtedly the most famous Duelist on the Spirit Continent in recent times.
The hero who saved a kingdom. The powerhouse who defeated the Empire Marshal. A Duelist who simultaneously wielded both divine and god-slaying power.
Even after witnessing Emperor Quaedes' terrifying strength, it did not stop the people present from holding immense expectations for the girl who stepped forward last.
"Oh? So you're Aisha Carlos, who also possesses the Three Sacred Beasts' cards?"
When Quaedes looked at Aisha, the expression in her icy eyes shifted.
From the moment she had first heard that Aisha Carlos commanded the might of the strongest divine god, Quaedes had already entertained thoughts of making a move against her.
Unfortunately, the gender didn't match.
Even so, in Quaedes' eyes, Aisha was still a top-tier god-wielder who held the Three Sacred Beasts' cards.
"Hmph. It seems this duel will finally be somewhat interesting."
The Spirit Eyes on her arm lit up as Aisha fearlessly met the gaze of the strongest on the Spirit Continent.
"I will stop you, Emperor Quaedes! And… I will take revenge!"
"Revenge?" Quaedes' brow lifted in confusion.
"Revenge for you taking Mr. Miles away!"
"Miles… Miles…"
Her ice-blue eyes slowly narrowed. As she repeated that name under her breath, a terrifying chill visibly began to gather around Quaedes' body.
"Miles! And you dare mention that name before Me? How bold of you!"
The Emperor's sudden fury,her azure Spirit Eyes blazing, seemed to lower the temperature of the entire banquet hall. Those present could not help but shiver.
"This is the first time I've seen my sister this angry," Prince Zepha muttered, rubbing his arms. Even his handsome features now showed fear toward his own younger sister.
"Could it be that the reason she's so furious also has something to do with Miles being taken away?"
Homar stared at the Duel Arena in disbelief. "Is this really their first meeting?"
Quite different from the tone of the previous two duels, the anger igniting between the two now felt less like strangers meeting for the first time and more like mortal enemies determined to tear each other apart.
"Let Me see what you're capable of, Royal Duel Knight Aisha Carlos!"
"Even if I'm alone, I will defeat you, Emperor Quaedes!"
"Duel!"
The duel officially began, with Emperor Quaedes taking the first turn.
"I Normal Summon [Buzzsaw Shark] in Attack Position! Then, by its effect, I Special Summon a Level 4 [Right-Hand Shark] from my Deck! Overlay the two Level 4 monsters—Xyz Summon!"
Quaedes' opening in this duel was almost identical to the one she used against Miles.
"Roar, unknown thunder! Reveal yourself from the darkness of the abyss—Xyz Summon! Bahamut Shark!"
[Bahamut Shark] Rank 4│WATER│Sea Serpent│2600 ATK
[2 Level 4 WATER monsters]
She Xyz Summoned [Bahamut Shark], then used its effect to Special Summon a Rank 3 WATER Xyz Monster from her Extra Deck, and finally performed an Armor Xyz over that Rank 3 monster.
"Pierce the raging tide with a black-bladed spear—Armor Xyz! [Full Armored Black Ray Lancer]!"
[Full Armored Black Ray Lancer] Rank 3│WATER│Beast-Warrior│2100 ATK
"Finally, I Set two cards. End turn."
Quaedes perfectly recreated the opening that had defeated Miles.
In other words, this was a duel that even Miles had failed to win.
And whether this duel would determine the descent of the world-destroying god—all of it now rested upon Aisha Carlos, the original host who bore that fate.
"My turn—draw!"
The girl's slender fingers swept past her Spirit Eyes as she drew the card to begin her turn.
"I'll fight in my own way—with everything I have! Spell Card—[Enchanting Fitting Room]!"
[Pay 800 LP. Excavate the top 4 cards of your Deck; Special Summon any Level 3 or lower Normal Monsters among them to your field, then shuffle the remaining cards back into the Deck.]
[Aisha Carlos, LP: 4000 → 3200]
Paying Life Points, Aisha Carlos continued the chain of revealing cards—her signature bond with low-Level monsters throughout her dueling career.
[Mokey Mokey]
[Volcanic Rat]
[White Duston]
[Skull Servant]
Four Level 1 monsters were Special Summoned in succession. Seemingly weak, insignificant monsters gathered together: this was Aisha Carlos' unique fighting style.
"Four Level 1 monsters! It's time! Surging hope that connects the future—Xyz Summon!"
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