After the radiant particles of Stardust Dragon's "Sanctuary of Sacrifice" faded, Miles and Krista—enveloped together in its light and having inherited Yusei Fudo's will—returned once again to the track of Synchron Academy.
It was as if time itself had frozen at the moment before the explosion; everyone's faces were still locked in the same expressions of panic and shock.
However, when Miles and Krista looked at each other, their hearts were completely different now.
Just as Shia had said, the explosion of the D-Wheel's internal magic stone had been purified by Stardust Dragon.
That meant there was still one final glimmer of hope left for this nation—the hope born from Stardust's protection.
...
"Use Stardust Dragon's power to purify the corrupted surface of the magic crystal mines?!"
Having safely returned, Miles and Krista explained to everyone the secret of the magic stones' destructive rampage… and the only way to prevent the entire country from being blown away.
"Krista, you actually saw your father through the connection of Stardust's memories?" Lost exclaimed. "Such a miracle truly exists in this world!"
Aisha pouted, "Mr. Miles, you went to meet your girlfriend's parent behind my back? You haven't even met mine yet."
Miles replied, "Well, technically, Alice also counts as a parent. So you met me first."
"Oh, right. Big Sister Alice counts too… then it's fine~" Aisha, as usual, was easy for Miles to placate.
The three academies' students fell silent, lost in thought for a while.
Even though the situation was dire, the truth was so shocking it overturned everything they knew about their nation—too much to take in all at once.
Takehiko Izumi, a teacher at Synchron Academy, was the first to speak.
"Personally, I'm inclined to believe Dr. Shia's theory. Both the destructive sediment within the magic stones and the method to purify the leyline are logically sound."
Aoyao Izumi added softly, "I've heard that Krista's father is a pretty incredible person."
"If it's Dr. Shia's theory, there's no need to doubt it."
A deep, aged voice interrupted.
"Vice Principal Orcus?"
At the sight of the stern, imposing elder suddenly appearing before them, the Synchron Academy students immediately straightened with respect.
Vice Principal Orcus—though aged and lined with wrinkles—had a strong, steady build that filled out his coat, giving off the aura of a seasoned veteran still in his prime.
"Senior," Lishia whispered to her friends, tilting her head, "That's Vice Principal Orcus of Synchron Academy. He looks a lot more reliable than Vice Principal Raiden."
Irena added, "Honestly, the fact that a laid-back old man like Raiden could even become a vice principal of one of the Three Academies is already a miracle."
With a grave expression, Orcus turned his gaze toward Miles and Krista.
"The underground magic leyline has surfaced in the form of those great towers. If you want to purify all the corrupted magic stones across the nation in one stroke… this is the best chance."
Krista asked, "Vice Principal Orcus… you know about the magic stones too?"
Judging by his attitude and his understanding of the leyline, there was no way Orcus was unaware of the truth beforehand.
After all, as the vice principal of Synchron Academy, his rank was equivalent to that of a high-ranking member of the Axet Republic's council.
"Krista, your father and I were once acquaintances. We both warned of the hidden dangers of the magic stones, but deep down, we knew such things couldn't be stopped."
Once humanity becomes used to convenience, it's almost impossible to turn back. It was just like in Miles's modern world—if someone suddenly announced that electricity was secretly harmful, people would still never stop using it.
"The sins sown by Axet must be borne by Axet itself. Only Dr. Shia bears no blame for this."
The old man's complex gaze reflected the weight of his thoughts.
"What a cruel irony. The one man who deserved no blame—Dr. Shia—his theory, and his daughter, have now become this nation's final hope."
"Please don't say that, Vice Principal Orcus," Krista said firmly. "I already promised my father that no matter how slim the chance, I'll do everything I can to protect everyone. Besides…"
Her clear eyes turned to Miles.
Though Miles's soul now resided within Aisha's body, to Krista, the feeling he gave her hadn't changed at all. If anything, the combination of Miles's spirit and Aisha's form stirred in her an even stronger, stranger emotion.
"And I'm not fighting alone!"
As two who carried Stardust's light, Krista Shia and Aisha Carlos were now the Axet Republic's final hope.
"You two only came here as part of an exchange study program," Orcus said solemnly, "and yet you've been drawn into something this dangerous. As the head of Synchron Academy, I must apologize."
Among those gathered were not only Aisha Carlos, wielder of Stardust Dragon, but also students from Fusion Academy and XYZ Academy—innocent bystanders caught up in catastrophe.
"As my final duty as principal… if any of you wish to leave, I'll make sure you return safely to your academies at once."
"How could I possibly leave!?" Ren threw herself at Miles, wrapping him tightly in her arms.
"The person I love most has chosen to fight for our last hope. I'm not leaving—no matter what!"
"Ah—uh…" Caught off guard by the sudden close contact, Krista stammered nervously.
The person she loves most? That should refer to Aisha Carlos, right?
A girl's affection for another girl… for her best friend. That had to be it.
Yes… that had to be it!
Now was not the time for unnecessary thoughts.
'...I've really started acting weird,' Krista thought. 'It's all Father's fault, saying such embarrassing things.'
"Then I'll stay with the person I love most too!"
Seeing Ren embracing the beautiful Aisha and confessing her 'love,' Korys Diane—biting down on a metaphorical lemon—grabbed onto Ren as well.
"I'll stay here with Lady Ren!"
"Your relationships are… really complicated," Krista whispered in amazement.
What Krista didn't know was that the relationships among the three were far more complicated than they appeared on the surface.
Miles and Aisha had decided to stay and fight, so the Fusion Academy group naturally refused to leave Axet.
Then, Leon, the leader of the XYZ Academy delegation, stepped forward with a stern expression.
"Run away? Don't be ridiculous! What do you take us for, cowards? The greater the crisis, the more we're needed!"
When Miles and Krista explained the situation earlier, they mentioned the four crimson towers—one main leyline and three auxiliary ones.
Though the main leyline could be purified using Stardust Dragon's power, if any of the three auxiliary leylines overloaded and exploded before purification was complete, the result would still be the total destruction of Axet.
Leon made his decision. "Since Stardust Dragon can do it, then other Duel Spirits with protective abilities should at least be able to slow down the impending destruction, even if they can't purify the leylines."
"Theoretically, that's correct," Vice Principal Orcus replied.
"Then leave it to us from XYZ. Even if we only raise the success rate by 1%, it's worth trying."
"XYZ Academy, you guys…" Lost's eyes widened in disbelief. "I thought you were all a bunch of arrogant jerks, but you're actually pretty honorable! I'm starting to like you!"
Leon responded gravely, "This isn't about honor or pride. As Duelists, it's our duty to bear the responsibility that comes with it. When an entire nation's fate hangs in the balance, how could a proud Duelist ever justify running away?"
Lloyd from XYZ added, "Besides, we came here to settle the score with Synchron Academy. The loss we suffered in a Duel must be avenged through a Duel. For this exchange program to continue, we've got to help this country survive first."
Aoyao Izumi whispered from the crowd, "So the students of XYZ Academy are all just a bunch of tsunderes…"
"Well said! Though, since this concerns Axet, Synchron Academy can't just hide behind outsiders either."
From among the Synchron Academy ranks, a man who had never spoken during class and always wore sunglasses suddenly stepped forward.
Before everyone's eyes, he removed them.
"What—?"
The truth hidden beneath those glasses shocked everyone except the Synchron students.
"That's… the Rune Eyes!" Irena gasped, recalling something she had once read in an ancient tome.
The man's pupils were nothing like those of a normal person. The centers of his irises glowed with irregular rune-shaped markings—both of them.
It was said that those chosen by the Runes were granted the Eyes of the Gods—and the divine power of the Three Polar Gods, beings on par with the Egyptian Gods, led by [Odin, Father of the Aesir].
"How fascinating! So the power of the Polar Gods has been here in Synchron Academy all along!" Leon grinned broadly. "Now I'm even more excited for our future Duels!"
To face the Polar Gods was a nightmare… regardless, in this situation, having them as allies made them immeasurably reassuring.
"Tell me your name. I, Leon Gate, love nothing more than befriending the strong."
"Nidhogg."
"Hahaha! Even better than I expected!"
The Three Polar Gods were the pinnacle deities of Norse mythology, and the holder of their power within Synchron Academy bore the name Nidhogg, the black dragon said to bring about Ragnarok, the end of all gods.
"I'll take the western leyline tower," Leon declared.
"I'll suppress the northern tower using the power of the Polar Gods," Nidhogg said.
The southern tower was the main leyline, naturally to be purified by Miles and Krista together through the power of Stardust.
"I'll handle the eastern tower!" came Lishia's voice—though it sounded nothing like her usual tone.
The Saint Vessel—Dogmatika Ecclesia—had awakened at last, the cross-shaped holy stigma on her forehead glowing brilliantly.
Now was no time to hold back. Each academy revealed its trump cards, desperate to increase the odds of success in this final mission.
As a Holy Maiden of Dogmatika, Ecclesia herself could channel purification power, capable of suppressing a tower's explosion for a time—more than enough.
"I'll go with you, Lishia. As a third-year senpai, I can't just sit by and watch a first-year kouhai fight alone."
Irena pulled a broom from her dimensional pouch, swung a leg over it, and smirked. "Witch Delivery Service—mission accepted!"
The formation was decided: the three Duel Academies would each handle one auxiliary leyline tower, holding back the collapse as long as possible to buy Stardust the time it needed to purify.
This was no longer just Miles and Krista's fight… or one academy's, or one nation's.
It was the Duelists' battle to protect the last hope.
The elites of the Three Academies stood united, like prayers gathered beneath Stardust's light, spreading hope in the face of annihilation.
"The D-Wheels are purified and ready!"
Miles and Krista tested the purifying power of [Stardust Dragon] and [Stardust Spark Dragon] on Leon and Nidhogg's D-Wheels. Just as Shia's theory predicted, the two Stardusts—both embodiments of protection—succeeded in cleansing the dark sediment, restoring the tainted crimson stones to their original, pure state.
Vice Principal Orcus gazed at them with reverence. "So this is Axet's final hope…. the Dragons of Stardust. Shia, if destruction truly is Axet's fate, then the youths who inherited your dragons are already fighting against destiny itself."
"It's time to move out! Every second counts—let's carve a path to survival!"
With the purification complete, Leon's roar echoed as the D-Wheels of both Duelists accelerated toward their respective leyline towers.
"Guess it's our turn too." Before leaving, Irena turned to Miles, her aquamarine eyes gleaming. "If we make it out alive, let's go back home and get married."
"M-Married!?" Krista gasped.
"Why would you jinx us like that, Irena!?" Miles shouted.
"Hahaha! Because flags like that never actually come true," Irena laughed, pressing down her witch's hat with a soft smile. "The flag's fake… but everything else is real. Come back alive, Miles."
And with that, the Gray Witch bearing the White Saint took off toward the eastern tower.
Though the group's determination burned bright, Krista's intuition as a girl still sensed faint undercurrents of danger.
She had never paid much attention to her own feelings before… never imagined she'd one day find herself in such an emotional 'competition.'
"Miles," Krista said softly, her face flushed, "before we go, could you come somewhere with me?"
"Now? It won't take too long, will it?"
"It's close… just beneath Synchron Academy. I need to retrieve the Millennium Scale… and the card my mother left behind."
...
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