Under the night sky, the winds above Dragonfang Arena finally ceased.
For a single moment, the air itself seemed to freeze.
The very concepts of time and space were torn apart by the direct collision of two overwhelming forces.
On one side stood the Fist King, Kouga Kuyan.
On the other, the Illusion King, Yami Aoi.
There was no retreat between them.
[Queen × Vow Unsealed]
The Queen card fully unfolded in Yami's hand.
It was no longer a card, but a glowing seal of light and shadow, with five core illusion runes spinning endlessly, forming the final manifestation of the Queen's Oath: Absolute Illusion Realm: Oath Ring.
"Once I was protected by illusions... and once I fell because of them."
"But today, I swear: I will never run again."
In the queen's whisper, a phantom queen appeared behind Yami, smiling softly as she raised her scepter.
"Lead your enemies... into the illusions they fear most."
[Kuyan × Fist: Worldbreaker]
"Don't think that hiding will save you," Kuyan growled lowly.
A surge of internal energy erupted from his body, and a burning black mark appeared on his chest - a symbol of his true origin from another world.
"So you're one of the travelers as well?"
Yami sensed it immediately.
Kuyan did not answer.
He just clenched his teeth and raised his fist as if to shatter the sky itself.
"My fists are not for justice. Not for orders.
They are for silencing the world itself."
Worldbreaker Strike - "Hellflash"!
His strike, now a meteor of violent energy, ripped through the fabric of space and flew straight at Yami!
"Final Collision
Yami spread her left hand wide and summoned the illusion ring.
The five illusion cards transformed into five layered barriers of space and time:
Mirror - Chain - Shadow - Ring - Vow - The complete formation of the Queen's complete state!
At that moment, the true essence of Illusion and Fist collided head on.
The arena shattered.
The sky shook.
A pillar of white light shot straight into the sky.
The arena shattered.
The sky shook.
A pillar of white light shot straight into the sky, illuminating the entire Eastcloud Academy in the middle of the night.
Aftermath
A few minutes later, the Dragonfang Arena fell into complete silence.
Kuyan knelt on one knee, his right arm a mangled mess of blood and torn flesh, but there was not only astonishment in his eyes, but a flicker of satisfaction.
Yami stood in front of him, covered in blood, the Queen card now dissolving into a fading phantom.
"You won..." Kuyan murmured.
"...No. I just survived," Yami replied quietly.
"Queen's Vow
At the edge of the battlefield, Fonk appeared silently and watched the two fighters.
"You completed Queen's Vow... quite well," he said quietly.
Yami lifted her eyes to Fonk.
"You knew all along... that the Queen was waiting for this moment?"
"She didn't wait for you to win," Fonk said as he approached, "she waited for you to make your vow."
He handed over a shard of a broken playing card.
On it were the words:
"To protect, you must first choose what to lose."
Yami clutched the shard tightly - and at that moment, deep in his dreams, a familiar yet distant voice echoed again - "Jack of Hearts:
You can finally hear me now, can't you, Aoi?"
[Seiyu Foundation's Movements]
At the same time, in the academy's high-altitude observation room, the vice-principal and the principal stood in front of a giant screen.
"Kuyan has been defeated."
"That was only the beginning...
Jack has now emerged, the Queen has completed her vow, and the King is about to answer the call."
"It is time to initiate... Illusion Purge Plan: Final Phase."
They exchanged glances - and smiled almost in perfect unison.