In an instant, Misaki Takahashi's field was empty, while Asuka Tenjoin's side was filled with powerful monsters, half of them taken from the opponent. One of them was even her own Tamashii.
"Battle," Asuka Tenjoin said calmly. "Cyber Angel Dakini, direct attack!"
With 3700 ATK, the strike landed heavily. Association Chief staggered backward, her face pale.
Misaki Takahashi, LP 4000 to LP 300.
"And finally, your Cyber Blader," Asuka Tenjoin continued. "Direct attack."
Cyber Blader spun forward in a graceful arc and kicked Misaki Takahashi across the face.
She fell onto her back.
She suddenly felt very tired.
Misaki Takahashi, LP 300 to LP 0.
[Misaki Takahashi, LP 0]
Even Sakurako, the young girl from Electronic Research Association who had come together with the Association Chief, stood frozen for a moment. Her expression was blank, as if she could not quite accept what had just happened.
The Association Chief had lost. Not to some other random Deck, but to a user of their own Cyber Deck, and a student from Duel Academy at that. To make it worse, the final blow had been delivered by her own soul card, Cyber Blader.
Sakurako lowered her eyes in thought. She had no idea what the Association Chief or the Student Council would think, but if it were her, she felt she might need a real Mind Crush after a Duel like that.
She turned to look at Asuka Tenjoin, who was putting away her Duel Disk. That thing really was Cyber Angel? The effect that required leaping up from the Underworld to activate, the Life Point recovery, the attack lock, the shell like defense, and the way it kept coming back to torment the opponent again and again. Even a devil would think twice facing that.
After the Duel, Asuka Tenjoin picked up Nashira from her Duel Disk and studied it for a moment, her expression complicated. The card had only been printed two days ago, and today was her first real test in actual combat. She had not even had time to properly adjust her Deck build, so most of the tactical advice for the strengthened version had come from Yugen.
When Yugen first shared this interesting idea, her instinct had been to reject it. After years of playing Cyber Deck, charging in with big monsters after a Summon was almost in her blood. Building her strategy around a thousand attack defensive angel that kept reviving itself had felt strange.
But now that she had tried it, she had to admit a faint, lingering feeling she could not ignore. It was different from the straightforward, intense Duel she used to chase, and hard to describe. At the moment the Duel ended, a line Judai Yuki often said surfaced in her mind.
Win or lose, that was a fun Duel.
So Duels could be played like this and still be fun.
Asuka Tenjoin took a deep breath and carefully put away Cyber Angel Nashira as if it were something precious. Her heart beat faster, as though a door to a new world had opened.
The experts from Student Council were equally satisfied after watching the Duel. They began discussing it with energy, clearly stirred by what they had seen. The atmosphere in the hall relaxed at once.
Some said that the student from Duel Academy was extraordinary to defeat the Association Chief of Electronic Research Association with Cyber Deck. Others had already approached Yugen and Daichi Misawa to start conversations before the conference had even begun. Smiles spread across many faces, and the new cyber style card that carried a bold, unconventional flavor drew particular interest.
Ironically, Misaki Takahashi, who cared most about cyber research, seemed much calmer after the Duel.
By all logic, this trip should have been rewarding for her as the Association Chief of Electronic Research Association. She had discovered a junior who perfectly inherited their Cyber Deck and a new card with the potential to break through a long standing bottleneck in their research. Two happy events had come together, yet after one Duel she felt no excitement at all.
As the conference was about to begin, Yako Tenma stood up as the host and tapped the microphone lightly.
"First, I want to thank Asuka Tenjoin from Duel Academy and Misaki Takahashi from the Electronic Research Association for the wonderful and enjoyable Duel they gave us."
The experts nodded in agreement. Only Misaki Takahashi remained expressionless, wondering if it had really been enjoyable.
"At the same time, the results brought by the student team from Duel Academy have already been shown to everyone. I believe you have all seen their impressive breakthrough."
As Yako Tenma spoke, he glanced at Yugen with a faint smile. Yugen was not sure what that meant, but from the look he seemed to read something like, as expected of the man who defeated me.
The thought made him realize more and more people seemed to be taking notice of him. That would not do. If people were going to think about him, he might as well find a way to turn it into benefits later.
"And I believe these young people from Duel Academy have given us a good start and an important reminder," Yako Tenma continued.
"The world of Duel Monsters is vast. Those of us who develop Card are pioneers at the front lines, explorers in our own way. One of the greatest taboos for explorers is clinging to old frameworks and fixed ideas, using assumed common sense to limit the Deck we create, and ignoring the new possibilities that may exist within a Card."
As Yako Tenma spoke, the experts below listened thoughtfully and nodded.
"These young people found a different direction from the original path of the Deck." His gaze swept across the hall. "I hope this serves as a reminder that we can all lead Duel Monsters even further."
"Well said."
The voice came from above.
Everyone looked up toward the second floor of the Student Council hall. A man in a refined red suit stood there, silver white hair covering half his face and hiding his left eye.
Some people gasped.
That was Maximillion Pegasus J. Crawford.
Years ago, in order to revive his late wife, he had searched the world and unearthed the three thousand year old Duel Monsters stone tablets in Egypt, awakening the power of Duel Monsters in the modern era. Many regarded the founding of Industrial Illusions by Maximillion Pegasus as the beginning of a new age.
He was the man known as Maximillion Pegasus.
"Maximillion Pegasus!"
"He actually came to the Student Council venue in person."
The experts quickly rose to show respect.
It was well known that most affairs of Industrial Illusions had already been handed over to his two adopted sons, Yako Tenma and his twin brother. As Maximillion Pegasus, Maximillion Pegasus had long stepped back from public life. No one expected to see him here today.
"Please, no need to be nervous. Everyone, sit."
Maximillion Pegasus walked down the stairs with a gentle smile, his single visible eye sweeping slowly across the hall before stopping on Yugen and the other two.
He smiled.
"Students from Duel Academy? Then may I ask, what should I call this Boy?"