"Headmistress Hoshino, Mr. Hohenheim—how am I supposed to thank you, meow?"
No one understood the body he had refined better than Banner himself. More than anyone else, he knew that Hohenheim had not exaggerated in the slightest.
This body—which should have already reached the absolute limit of its lifespan today—had been reborn through the power of Hohenheim's Philosopher's Stone, now possessing the lifespan of a normal human being.
"There's no need to thank me. As long as it's something my master asks of me, I'm always happy to help."
As his manifested body gradually faded away, Hohenheim made a graceful exit, quietly hiding his merits.
Hoshino spoke seriously. "You don't need to thank me either. This is simply my recognition of the work you've done over the past three years."
"Hoshino… Headmistress…"
Banner's nose tingled as he struggled to suppress the surge of gratitude welling up inside him.
"If your second life was spent becoming one of the Shadow Riders to repay Kagemaru, then for your third life, I hope you'll continue—as always—to be that devoted Red Dorm teacher."
"I wouldn't ask for anything more, meow! Headmistress Hoshino!" Banner agreed without hesitation.
"That's great! I was actually worrying about what to do with the jar of pickled radish I was only halfway through making today. Now I can add another dish to the dorm meals again, meow~"
"More side dishes… pickled radish again?" Jaden laughed.
"Well, whatever Professor Banner makes is always delicious anyway~"
"The most important thing is that as long as your soul isn't absorbed by the Sacred Beast's ritual, Kagemaru's plan to revive the Three Sacred Beasts can never succeed, right?"
For a brief moment, Hoshino felt unbelievably smart.
However, before she could celebrate for even a few seconds, the ground beneath their feet began to shake violently.
"What's going on—an earthquake? A volcanic eruption?"
Having never experienced anything like this before, Hoshino's first thought was that the active volcano on the Academy island—its magma still boiling—had finally erupted.
To be honest, even earlier on, she could never understand why Kaiba would choose an island with an active volcano to build an academy.
Back then, every night before falling asleep, she worried that the volcano might erupt while she slept. Dying without even knowing why would be far too unfair.
But after a year of peaceful days, she had gradually forgotten about it.
"So the thing I was worried about finally happened? This is the price you pay for buying cheap land, Kaiba!"
"No, senpai—it's not the volcano!"
Pointing toward the academy, the once brightly lit Night Festival suddenly went dark. In its place, seven towering stone pillars burst through the ground, rising straight into the sky.
And the cause of the tremors was precisely these pillars tearing apart the academy's flooring.
"How could this be—the seal is breaking directly?"
Feeling the Sacred Beast's power being released, Uria spoke in confusion.
"By all logic, the power of the Shadow Riders is still short by two. The seal shouldn't be breaking yet."
That's right—two were still missing.
Aside from Banner, the other who had not been absorbed by the ritual was currently hiding in the Red Dorm warehouse, trembling in fear—the Dark Magician Girl.
"Th-this is so scary… I feel like my body's about to be sucked away at any moment…"
Mana gently patted her in comfort.
"(´･･)ﾉ(._.`) It's okay~ Hoshino will handle it. Just stay hidden here and don't let anyone find you, okay?"
Above Duel Academy—
"The prophecy of the Tarot—Resurrection, upright!
It symbolizes revival and miracles! A new world shall be born today!"
A military attack helicopter circled above the academy. Looking down at the seven seal pillars being shattered below, Sartorius shouted triumphantly.
Due to the dense fog at high altitude, flying should have been impossible today.
Yet the armed helicopter transporting Chairman Kagemaru showed no concern whatsoever.
"It's time to depart, Chairman Kagemaru. The power of the Three Sacred Beasts you desire lies below."
"The power of the Sacred Beasts! Eternal life!
After all these years of effort, I can finally grasp it completely—drop me down at once!!"
Like a supply drop from high altitude, the life-support capsule containing Kagemaru was released from the helicopter, its trajectory aimed directly at the center of the seven stone pillars.
The capsule slammed violently into the ground, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
Kagemaru, safely within, had naturally prepared for this—such a fall wouldn't affect him in the slightest.
"What on earth is happening? I've never heard of the Night Festival having entertainment like this."
Earthquakes, stone pillars, and now an airdrop—driven by curiosity, students from Duel Academy began gathering near the seal pillars.
"Santa Maria—what is going on here, no ne?!"
Clutching his head, Crowler knew full well that the academy would never prepare something this dangerous.
"Everyone stop! Don't go near the pillars!"
Rushing back in a panic, Hoshino shouted to stop the students who were about to watch the spectacle.
"What exactly is happening, no ne, Headmistress Hoshino?"
"Hoshino—Jaden? Where did you two go earlier? I've been looking everywhere for you!"
Staring into the dust swirling around the center of the seven pillars, even with her vision obscured, Hoshino could barely make out a moving silhouette.
"This isn't the time for that. Honestly, I didn't expect them to just drop in and steal the cards outright."
Earlier, Hoshino had calculated that since obtaining the Sacred Beast cards required the seal to be broken, she could snatch them the moment it happened.
But now, she had to admit it—Chairman Kagemaru truly lived up to his age.
Even at the very final step of a plan decades in the making, he left no openings.
"Hahahaha! I finally have them in my hands!
This is the power of the Eternal Three Sacred Beasts—this is what rebirth feels like!"
Holding three cards in his hands, a tall, powerfully built young man with thick brows and long hair stepped out from the dispersing dust.
"Hey, hey—I heard Chairman Kagemaru was a hundred-year-old man. Who exactly are you?"
The gap between expectation and reality was so great that Hoshino couldn't help but ask.
"Even brief contact with the Three Sacred Beasts' cards grants such overwhelming vitality. Returning to youth is nothing at all!"
Raising the three Sacred Beast cards taken from the sealing device, Kagemaru—his lifelong ambition finally fulfilled—laughed wildly in the body of his prime.
"As the legend foretells—when the Three Sacred Beasts return to the world, heaven and earth will be engulfed in chaos! Darkness shall awaken and lead the world to ruin!
And I, Kagemaru, have now fully grasped that power!"
"This isn't over yet."
Having confirmed the man's identity, Hoshino stepped forward alone.
"You've been waiting for this battle too, haven't you? Get cocky after you defeat me."
"Hmph. Headmistress—no, Duel King Hoshino Chiyuki!
Kaiba really did place an outrageous chess piece here!"
Taking a Duel Disk and Deck from the fallen life-support capsule, Kagemaru shuffled all three Sacred Beast cards into his Deck.
"If I don't eliminate you, you'll become a major threat.
So you'll be the first sacrifice to the power of the Three Sacred Beasts!"
"A Duel against the Three Sacred Beasts?!" Akasha said anxiously.
"Then I'll fight with you, Hoshino-nee! Just like when we teamed up to defeat Uria before—no matter if it's three this time, we'll find a way!"
Jonouchi chimed in as well.
"Yeah! There's no way we're letting you face three Sacred Beasts alone!"
"No, Akasha, Jonouchi… this time, please let me handle it myself."
With a crisp mechanical click, Hoshino deployed her Duel Disk, her expression firm.
"No power exists without a cost. According to legend, the revived Three Sacred Beasts absorb the life force of heaven and earth—that's why Kagemaru regained his youth.
This may be even more dangerous than any Shadow Game before… a Duel that gambles life itself."
"Life? You don't mean—!"
Jonouchi and Akasha realized it at the same time.
"That's right. Among everyone here, I'm the only one who has stakes worthy of this gamble!"
Raising her Duel Disk and pointing forward, Hoshino declared solemnly:
"Whether it's ten years of life—or a hundred—
Let's settle this once and for all, Three Sacred Beasts!"