[The Duel ended—]
[The final winner: Slifer Red!]
"We actually won!? The bottom-ranked Red Dorm beat the Yellow Dorm in a group duel!?"
"Sure, it was mostly thanks to Jaden and the Headmistress, but this proves Red still has what it takes to fight!"
Minazuki pointed to himself in disbelief. "What about me? Why's everyone ignoring me!?"
Akasha chuckled. "Because we're giving credit to Jaden and Hoshino-nee's skill… and your luck, Minazuki. No point making luck sound like a skill, right?"
"Oh, I see! But luck is part of a duelist's strength!"
"Ahh… so I still lost, huh. My poor wallet."
Hakutaku sighed helplessly. Even though he fought desperately, he had already anticipated this outcome.
Even with his burn-stall deck built to counter, defeating the "Duel King" was simply too difficult.
Especially since he never expected Hoshino to use such a cruel tactic—catapulting Illya with Chen Gong's effect. It was even more brutal than his own burn deck.
Hoshino retracted her Duel Disk and said, "According to our wager, you'll use a year's salary to buy rare cards for the Red students."
"You mean… we, the Reds, get rare cards too!?"
No one knew exactly how much an Academy teacher earned, but judging from KaibaCorp's wealth, a Duel Academy instructor's salary couldn't be much less than that of a pro duelist.
"That's awesome! Long live the Headmistress!"
"With rare cards, we'll be able to duel even better!"
After witnessing the fierce duels between Jaden and Minazuki, the Red Dorm finally saw hope.
This victory reminded them of the pride of being duelists—not "failures" doomed to mediocrity.
But then Hoshino raised a hand. "No—everyone, before we celebrate, about that 'wager'... I'd like to postpone it."
The crowd fell silent in confusion.
"Headmistress?" Hakutaku, who had been mourning his lost salary, suddenly perked up. Maybe there was still hope.
Once the noise died down, Hoshino continued,
"Perhaps not everyone knows this, but the duel between Red and Yellow started because of a bit of a misunderstanding.
However, as Headmistress, I can't ignore how passionate everyone's become. I won't let you all down."
"Then why postpone the wager?" someone asked.
Hoshino grinned slyly. "Well, this was such a fun event—how could we not include Professor Crowler?"
According to Academy rules, three days later, the victor of the Red–Yellow match (that is, Red) would face the top dorm: Obelisk Blue.
Of course, before today, no one thought Red would win. Everyone had assumed the next match would be between Blue and Yellow.
"This time, however," Hoshino declared, "it won't just be a casual event arranged by students online.
It'll be an official duel, authorized by me, the Headmistress!
Hakutaku and I will each bet a year's salary against Professor Crowler's two years' salary, in a Red vs. Blue group battle!"
The entire hall exploded with noise.
"Has the Headmistress gone insane!?"
"Red beating Blue? That's impossible!"
"But everyone said the same thing about Red beating Yellow—maybe this time too…"
"No, no, no! Blue and Yellow are on completely different levels! Red can't possibly win!"
According to the Academy's system, the top students of Yellow are promoted to Blue.
In other words, while Yellow students are talented, most of their true elites move up—leaving mainly first-years and those who failed promotion behind.
Blue Dorm, however, is different. Obelisk Blue stands at the pinnacle of Duel Academy, gathering the best of the best.
Even though one of the Academy's "Kings," Atticus Rhodes, was currently studying abroad in America,
the other king, Zane Truesdale, remained undefeated to this day.
Hoshino added, "But if we pick participants randomly again like today, Red has no chance against Blue.
So, for the upcoming match, each dorm leader will personally select their team members."
She had noticed something suspicious during the draw earlier—Crowler's creepy grin when he pulled Jaden's number.
She was certain he had rigged the lottery.
Rather than allow such dirty tricks again, she decided—this time, they'd fight fair and square.
Akasha clenched her fists dramatically. "┃・□・┃ I get it now! Hoshino-nee wants to seduce me with her body, so I'll betray Blue and throw the match for Red!"
Minazuki deadpanned. "Considering your connection with Jaden, I doubt Crowler would even let you duel. Also… why the hell would the Headmistress need to seduce anyone!?"
Syrus looked down, worried. "If the duelists are chosen directly… then my brother…"
"He'll definitely be there!" Jaden exclaimed, eyes sparkling. "The Academy's King, Zane Truesdale! I can't wait to duel him!"
Hoshino turned to Hakutaku. "So, do you agree?"
"I've got no objections," he replied with a shrug. "I've already lost—might as well bet my hopes on Red now."
After all, if Red somehow beat Blue, he wouldn't have to buy all those rare cards himself.
"But what really matters," Hoshino said, looking over the Red students, "is your decision."
They had just won against Yellow. Their reward—rare cards—was already in their grasp.
But if they accepted this new wager, they'd be staking it all on a match against Blue…
A fight they'd almost certainly lose.
The room went quiet. The Red students exchanged uneasy looks.
Aside from Jaden, most were hesitant and conflicted.
"Can we… really beat Blue?"
"Even with chosen members, we'd be facing Zane…"
Then, through the murmurs, a senior Red student suddenly shouted—
"Let's fight!"
"I've been stuck in Red Dorm for three years… carrying the title of 'dead last' all this time! But I've had enough! I thought my time at the Academy would just end in mediocrity—but after seeing today's battle, I want to fight again! I want to give it one more shot!"
"Yeah! We've got nothing to lose! It's not embarrassing if we lose—but if we somehow beat Blue..."
"Please! You have to defeat Blue—and show everyone that Red isn't worthless anymore!!"
Feeling the genuine passion from the Red Dorm students, Hoshino smiled warmly.
"Growth always needs a spark... and now I see it. Even if they started at the back of the line, the hearts of the Slifers have never lost their duelist's pride."
As dusk settled over the island, the group left the Duel Arena. The team battle that had started in the afternoon finally ended close to dinner time.
"Doo-doo-loo~ The number you've dialed is currently unavailable..."
"What's going on? I can't reach Alexis at all."
Putting her phone away, Akasha turned to Hoshino, her brow furrowed with worry.
"She didn't show up to the event today, which was already strange. And now we can't even contact her... Could she be in danger, Hoshino-nee?"
Syrus's eyes widened. "Alexis? You mean that Alexis Rhodes—the most beautiful girl of Obelisk Blue?"
"(꒪Д꒪)ノ Wait, since when does Alexis have that nickname? What about me? Don't I get a title too?"
Jaden answered without hesitation. "With your dueling style, Akasha, you'd be the 'most devious demon of Obelisk'!"
…If you can't talk properly, maybe just don't, Jaden. No wonder you're single.
"At this hour, it's dangerous for a cute girl like Alexis to be out alone," Minazuki muttered, shivering as he remembered the trench coat man who had slapped him out of nowhere the other day.
Hoshino sighed. "=_= What, you think some guy in black is gonna crawl out of the shadows and force Alexis to add Sakuretsu Armor to her deck?"
Still, even as she joked, Hoshino couldn't shake the bad feeling gnawing at her chest.
And based on experience, her instincts were rarely wrong.
"It's unlikely she's in danger on campus, but we can't be sure she hasn't left the Academy. Here's the plan—Akasha, go check Blue Dorm to see if Alexis is back yet. Jaden, you and the guys search the campus grounds. I'll take my D-Wheel and check the area outside."
Akasha nodded. "Got it. That's the best we can do right now."
The group split up, and Hoshino mounted her D-Wheel, speeding away from the Academy gates.
The island wasn't exactly small—Duel Academy itself only covered about one-fifth of it. The rest consisted of forests, beaches, and even a volcano. Searching it alone would be nearly impossible.
"Please, everyone—help me out!"
"Yes, Master!"
At Hoshino's command, her Heroic Spirits dashed off in all directions, spreading out for a full-scale search.
"If Alexis left this afternoon, she shouldn't have gone far... So why does this unease keep growing? It feels like something sinister has already slipped onto the island."
Hoshino instinctively revved her D-Wheel faster.
"Alexis Rhodes... sister of Atticus Rhodes. I thought I could enjoy this a bit longer, but it seems your strength ends here."
Deep in the forest behind the Academy, beneath the dim glow of the setting sun, a beautiful woman with long, crimson-tinted hair stood facing Alexis.
She wore a scarlet Duel Disk—and a seductive smile.
"From now on, your only fate is to offer your blood to our vampire kind.
You may be an average duelist... but the blood flowing through that gorgeous, sexy body of yours must taste divine."
The woman licked her lips. Her beauty was stunning at first glance—but beneath those crimson lips gleamed two sharp, unmistakable fangs.
[Alexis Rhodes LP: 1200]
[Camula LP: 4000]
Alexis's breathing was shallow, her chest heaving visibly.
The previous attacks had clearly taken their toll on her body.
"Haah... Don't get ahead of yourself. You've got no monsters or set cards left on your field."
For someone experiencing a Shadow Duel for the first time, Alexis had done incredibly well to hold out this long.
"I activate the Spell Card Polymerization! I fuse my Blade Skater on the field with Etoile Cyber from my hand!
Fusion Summon—come forth, Cyber Blader!"
[Cyber Blader ★★★★★★ (Level 6)][EARTH][Warrior/Effect][ATK 2100/DEF 800]
Alexis's ace Fusion Monster—capable of powering up depending on her opponent's monsters.
Even though Camula's field was empty, Alexis already had a combo prepared.
"I equip the Spell Card Fusion Weapon! It can equip to any Level 6 or lower Fusion Monster—raising its ATK by 1500!"
[Cyber Blader ATK 2100 → 3600]
"A direct attack with 3600 Attack Points—that's game, Camula!"
"Oh? You've got some fight in you after all. I'll give you that much praise... but—"
Camula slid a card from her hand and placed it horizontally on her crimson Duel Disk.
A pale-skinned girl materialized on her field, stepping protectively in front of Alexis's monster.
"I activate the effect of Vampire Fraulein! When my opponent declares a direct attack, I can Special Summon her from my hand in Defense Position!"
[Vampire Fraulein ★★★★★ (Level 5)][DARK][Zombie/Effect][ATK 600/DEF 2000]
"2000 Defense? My Cyber Blader's attack is still higher!"
Alexis pressed forward, unwilling to back down.
"That's where you're wrong, my dear. Vampire Fraulein's effect activates—"
[Once per battle, when your Zombie monster battles an opponent's monster, during damage calculation, you can pay Life Points in multiples of 100 (max. 3000). Your battling monster's ATK and DEF become the amount of Life Points you paid, during that damage calculation only.]
"I pay 3000 Life Points to strengthen my darling! My servant, drink deep of my blood and destroy her!"
[Camula LP 4000 → 1000]
[Vampire Fraulein DEF 2000 → 5000]
"What—five thousand Defense!?"
Alexis's eyes widened.
Before she could react, Vampire Fraulein lunged forward, sinking her fangs into Cyber Blader's neck and draining it dry.
"The recoil damage from your monster's destruction—1400 points! And with the power of the Shadow Game, your soul will follow your Life Points into oblivion, Alexis Rhodes—"
[Alexis LP 1200 → 0]
"AAAHHHHHHHHH—!!"