"Rank 4 Xyz Summon—Vylon Disigma!"
A Fairy-Type monster summoned using three Level 4 monsters as Xyz Materials—yet, as always, it looked nothing like a Fairy.
If one had to compare it to anything, it resembled an Angel from Evangelion far more closely: a massive form inlaid with yellow and black patterns, radiating an unmistakably eerie presence.
[Vylon Disigma ATK 2500]
Crowler scoffed in irritation. "Hmph, Xyz Summoning? Such crooked, heretical nonsense, no-ne!"
"Professor… is it really okay for a teacher to say things like that?" Akasha corrected him.
Xyz Summoning was destined to become the future mainstream of Duel Monsters. Yet Crowler, who already seemed well into middle age, clearly couldn't accept new things so easily.
"Using three Level 4 monsters for an Xyz Summon, and its ATK still doesn't come close to my Ancient Gear Golem, no-ne!" Crowler stubbornly retorted, refusing to lose face. "At times like this, it'd be far more efficient to Tribute Summon using two monsters instead, no-ne!"
Loptr let out a low chuckle. "Is this the foolishness of humanity? Even after obtaining power, you refuse to use it. But then again, it was never power that trash like you could master anyway."
"Trash? What did you say, no-ne?!"
"I said you're nothing but a bunch of ignorant, garbage monkeys! Vylon Disigma's effect—activate!"
[Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 face-up Attack Position Effect Monster your opponent controls; equip that monster to this card as an Equip Card.]
"Move, Vylon Disigma—devour everything before you!"
Pulling an Xyz Material from beneath the Duel Disk and sending it to the Graveyard, Loptr's grotesque Fairy monster suddenly opened a massive hidden maw. Crowler's Ancient Gear Golem was swallowed whole—leaving behind only scattered mechanical debris.
"Ugh…"
Such a grotesque scene, completely unbefitting of a Fairy, made the surrounding students feel nauseous.
"M-mamma mia! It swallowed my Ancient Gear Golem whole, no-ne!"
Crowler stood frozen, never imagining that his ace monster would be absorbed without even reaching the Battle Phase.
"Now you don't even have a monster left to act as a wall. It's over, you lowly human!"
Entering the Battle Phase, Loptr immediately ordered the Apostle-like monster that had devoured Ancient Gear Golem to launch a direct attack to finish things.
[Crowler LP 2000]
Akasha cried out nervously, "Professor's remaining Life Points can't withstand that attack!"
Jaden, just as anxious, added, "So… does that mean we don't have to turn in our spring break homework?"
"I'll personally check your homework tomorrow, you failing student!" Crowler snapped back, refusing to show weakness as he flipped his final set card. "Set Trap Card—activate! Ancient Gear Reverse Fusion, no-ne!"
[Ancient Gear Reverse Fusion – Trap Effect: If an 'Ancient Gear' monster you control leaves the field due to your opponent's effect, Special Summon 1 'Ancient Gear' monster from your Deck with its effects negated.]
"This dragon shall shine forever, no-ne! Special Summon—Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon!"
[Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon ★★★★★★★★★ (Level 9)][EARTH][Machine/Effect][ATK 3000/DEF 3000]
The colossal Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon roared beneath the towering World Tree, spewing scorching flames and steam.
"This monster isn't bad," Loptr grinned sinisterly, his interest piqued. Without stopping his attack declaration, he ordered Vylon Disigma to crash straight into it.
"With your monster's ATK, you can't possibly break Reactor Dragon! You're just throwing yourself to your death, no-ne!"
Crowler commanded Reactor Dragon to counterattack, but its blazing steam and flames failed to pierce Vylon Disigma.
"What's going on? The professor's Reactor Dragon should be stronger!"
"Heh heh. Once it equips the opponent's monster, Vylon Disigma's effect activates—"
[When this card battles a monster that shares the same Attribute as the monster equipped to it by this effect, destroy that monster without damage calculation.]
"Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon shares the EARTH Attribute with Ancient Gear Golem, so by this effect, it's destroyed instantly!"
The field reflected the dragon's flames and steam, incinerating and melting its massive mechanical body in an instant as it crashed down beneath the World Tree.
[Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon destroyed]
"It's over, human!" Pressing his advantage, Loptr flipped another card. "I activate my set Continuous Trap! During the Battle Phase, I revive Mekk-Knight Avram from my Graveyard!"
[Mekk-Knight Avram ATK 2000]
Once sent to the Graveyard as Xyz Material, the Mekk-Knight returned to the field, swinging its twin blades and slashing across Crowler's body.
"I win—direct attack!"
[Crowler LP 2000 → 0]
"Ugh… mamma mia… I actually lost," Crowler muttered unwillingly, collapsing to one knee and barely supporting himself with his arms.
"Humans foolish beyond salvation, daring to resist the King's power," Loptr said coldly as he put away his Duel Disk, his gaze sweeping over the terrified students.
"If you have no stronger duelists, then submit obediently to the King's might and become the slaves through whom the Nine Realms King takes root in this world."
"Sl-slaves? What era are we in that you're telling us to become slaves?" Akasha suddenly went off on a tangent. "When people talk about slaves nowadays, most folks only think about that kind of slave, you know? Man, that's kinda horny-adjacent."
"N-no, Akasha!" Alexis waved her hands frantically. "Normal people don't think that way at all! Don't doubt it—it's just you who's weird!"
Having been repeatedly exposed to Akasha's questionable doujin logic during classes, Alexis was already somewhat used to her warped train of thought.
"Who says we don't have a stronger duelist?!" Jaden shouted, stepping forward in defiance after hearing Loptr's mockery.
"That kid from Red Dorm—Jaden Yuki—didn't he beat Professor Crowler before?"
"Is he actually going to duel? I've got a really bad feeling about this…"
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. While everyone else remained silent out of fear of the unknown, the suddenly outspoken Jaden naturally became the center of attention.
Tugging on Jaden's clothes, Akasha warned him, "Jaden, the opponent looks seriously dangerous. You shouldn't duel on your own—wouldn't it be better to wait for Hoshino-nee to handle this?"
"No, you've got the wrong idea, Akasha."
Shaking his head, Jaden pointed toward a figure who had been trying to blend into the crowd this entire time.
"We've still got Professor Banner!"
"ﾉ)ﾟДﾟ( Meow?! Jaden, I've treated you pretty well, haven't I?! And now that there's a crisis, you sell me out this smoothly?!"
As if Jaden had personally summoned the King of Hell, Banner was shoved out of the crowd, his face filled with distress.
"Don't say it like that, Professor Banner. Even if no one's said it out loud, your true strength is probably above Professor Crowler's, right?"
Too cruel, Jaden. Crowler had already suffered a crushing defeat, and Jaden still went and twisted the knife—so is this what they mean when they say the naturally innocent are black to the core?
"Yeah, Professor, we're counting on you!"
"Go for it! We've always believed in you!"
With Jaden setting the tone, the previously panicked students seemed to find hope again and began cheering him on.
Banner, on the verge of tears, tremblingly adjusted his glasses. "I can't win, meow… Just looking at him, you can tell the gap is way too big. Even if I went out there, I'd just be throwing my life away, meow~"
"Hahahaha, how amusing you humans are."
As if watching a comedy skit, Loptr laughed loudly and sneered, "When danger appears, humans really do shove the trouble onto someone who has nothing to do with them. Such selfish desire—truly ugly. Hahaha—"
But halfway through his laughter, Loptr suddenly froze. His entire body tensed and trembled. Immediately suppressing his emotions, he dropped to one knee and respectfully faced the direction of the World Tree.
"Did you encounter something interesting, Loptr?"
A deep, steady male voice echoed from within the World Tree. In a dazzling light reminiscent of a Duel Monsters summoning, a masked figure clad in magnificent armor and wielding a golden greatsword slowly emerged.
[Sword King — King Frodi]
"Yes, Your Majesty King Frodi." Just a moment ago, Loptr had been arrogantly taunting the academy, but now, in front of the gorgeously dressed masked man, he instantly shrank back.
"I have followed the King's command and gone ahead to proclaim Your Majesty's supreme rule to the humans of this world."
"Did you not hear my question clearly, Loptr?"
Planting the greatsword into the floor, King Frodi asked again, "I asked what interesting thing you encountered that made you laugh so happily."
Loptr's expression stiffened, his lips twitching faintly as he replied, "Reporting to King Frodi, I found humanity's foolishness and ignorance laughable."
Without offering any comment, King Frodi's true expression remained hidden behind the mask.
"Continue. How did you proclaim the King's rule to the humans?"
Sweat trickled down Loptr's temple as he grew inexplicably nervous.
"I declared that humans should—should witness the gap in power and become slaves for the Nine Realms King to take root in this world…"
"Idiot—!"
With a single wave of his hand, King Frodi slapped Loptr across the head, sending him flying straight into the roots of the World Tree.
"The King's rule is not one of violent subjugation! How many times must I say it? In conquering nations, winning hearts comes first; attacking cities comes second. Victory of the heart is superior; victory by arms is inferior. Thus, the wise ruler seeks first to subdue the enemy's will."
Even after being sent flying by the slap, Loptr didn't dare show the slightest hint of dissatisfaction and immediately knelt again.
"It was my negligence, King Frodi. I acted in a way that violated the Path of the Sword King."
"Hehehe… Frodi, you really are as stiff as ever."
An elegant, gentle female voice drifted out from the World Tree. Unlike King Frodi's entrance, her form emerged like vines extending from the roots, gradually shaping into a perfect, seductive female body.
[Light King — Queen Mardel]
Stepping forward gracefully, Queen Mardel smiled softly. "And what's so bad about slaves? If I could have a cute, energetic human boy as my slave, then this trip wouldn't be wasted at all."
Akasha's cheeks flushed as she exclaimed excitedly, "⁄(⁄⁄•⁄⁄•⁄⁄)⁄ A cute and energetic human boy—so it is that kind of slave!"
"How did things end up like this… Am I the weird one?" Alexis began to seriously question her own values.
"Come to think of it, didn't a rather energetic little boy jump out just now? Let me take a look~"
Turning her gaze toward Jaden, who had stepped away from the crowd, Queen Mardel examined him with interest, licking her lips seductively.
"He's lacking a bit in cuteness, but he's still within my strike zone."
"(ﾉﾟ▽ﾟ)ﾉ Jaden, you might be about to start a completely different life. I wish you… happiness." Akasha sighed sentimentally.
"Wait, Mardel!"
Pulling the golden greatsword from the ground, King Frodi raised it horizontally, blocking Queen Mardel. "This man is prey that I laid claim to first."
"┌(.Д.)┐ Th-this… Jaden, it's not just a different life—you might be opening the door to a whole new world." Akasha was utterly shaken, clearly imagining that kind of thing again.
"What are you even talking about? I seriously don't understand anything anymore!" Pure-hearted Jaden, of course, had no idea that in Akasha's mind he had already been stripped naked and pinned to a bed, at the mercy of others.
Pointing his sword at Mardel, King Frodi said sternly, "Boy, there seems to be an extraordinary power hidden within you. How about making a wager with me?"
"A wager? What kind of wager?"
"If you defeat me in a duel, I will abandon my rule over humanity. But if you lose, I will take the power that resides within you."
"A duel? Sure! I'd never refuse that!"
Without hesitation, Jaden activated his Duel Disk. He had no idea what kind of power was hidden inside him—but if winning could resolve everything, then this was a bet with no downside. Naturally, Judai accepted gladly.
"Such courage—facing the Sword King without fear. I'll give you that much praise, young one!"
The golden greatsword in King Frodi's hand rapidly transformed into a magnificent Duel Disk glowing with golden light, attaching itself to his arm.
"Come—experience the power of a king for yourself!"