[Red-Eyes Black Dragon] Level 7│ DARK│Dragon│2400 ATK
The black dragon descended atop the maze, roaring with its head held high, a perfect embodiment of Kevin's own pride.
"Kevin, did you just say you want me to support you?"
Miles, forever the main DPS in any game, had never played support for anyone.
Though with the maze's current rules, Kevin, with his higher-Level monster, was undoubtedly their best bet at breaking through.
But after being BS'd twice in a row, Miles had no intention of playing along with the Paradox Brothers any longer.
Even if the opponents were BS masters, he still had his own way of fighting.
"Even flying monsters must walk the maze properly. No skipping allowed!" the Paradox Brothers shamelessly reminded them.
"Hmph! Before entering the maze, let's have my dragon torch that sneaky creep by the entrance first!"
Kevin's target was obvious: the Wall Shadow that ambushed Aisha and could move freely along the maze walls.
"Burn it down! Black Flame Bullet!"
The Red-Eyes Black Dragon gathered black flames within its fearsome jaws and unleashed a devastating blast toward the lurking shadow at the maze entrance, the heat radiating through the entire underground space.
"Ohoho, so that's Kevin Seth's ace monster. Looks kinda like his brother's, huh."
Even Nia, only ever interested in high-Level monsters, couldn't help but sense potential for future evolution from this 7-Star dragon.
As the black flames faded, the Wall Shadow lurking near the entrance vanished without a trace.
"Got it!" Kevin grinned. "A monster like that is no match for my Black Dragon..."
"Hahahaha! Fool!"
The Paradox Brothers' arrogant laughter cut Kevin off mid-boast.
"Wall Shadow and Labyrinth Wall are one and the same. To destroy it, your Attack has to exceed Labyrinth Wall's 3000 Defense!"
"On the contrary, by attacking Wall Shadow directly, you triggered a collision with the wall's Defense. Enjoy the recoil damage!"
[Aisha & Kevin, LP: 2700 → 2100]
"Damn it!"
Failing to destroy Wall Shadow and losing LP in the process, Kevin's irritation showed on his face.
As for Miles... he was furious.
Having played for this long, Miles had never been this mad. Even Aisha's short white hair now sported an anger mark.
"That's twice now. Paradox Brothers... If this is how you want to fight, then don't blame me!"
Aisha asked, "Are we going to fight using BS, too, Miles?"
"No. As Duelists, we fight our own way. Kevin!"
"What now, Aisha Carlos?"
"Don't enter the maze."
"Why not? If I don't, how are we supposed to attack their Duelists?"
With Red-Eyes Black Dragon being Level 7, he could cover 7 spaces per turn. Giving up that much potential movement seemed like a huge waste.
Miles said firmly, "The maze is their turf. Entering it puts us at a disadvantage. The maze does need to be cleared... but we'll do it our way!"
"Our way... huh?"
Kevin exchanged glances with Miles. The girl's gem-like green eyes, so carefree in daily life, were now brimming with unshakable determination.
Even Kevin couldn't help but trust her in that moment.
"Fine. As my destined rival, if I acknowledge you... I'll trust your judgment in a Duel, Aisha Carlos."
Drawing a card with slender fingers, Kevin placed it in the backrow zone.
"I Set one card, end turn!"
With the turn rotating again, it returned to the Para.
"Hahaha! Too scared to enter the maze? Fine, we'll come to you! My turn, draw!"
After drawing, the Paradox Brother slapped a Spell Card onto the table.
"Spell Card Activation—Tribute to the Doomed!"
[Discard 1 card, then target 1 monster on the field and destroy it.]
"After discarding one card, I destroy your Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
Exactly as Miles expected. Even if Kevin had entered the maze, the dragon still would've been destroyed.
Mummified hands burst from the dark earth, dragging Red-Eyes Black Dragon into the Graveyard.
[Red-Eyes Black Dragon] destroyed.
Miles waved a hand. "Now! Trap Card activate—Soul Rope!"
The moment Red-Eyes was destroyed by the Spell, Miles flipped his previously Set Trap Card to inherit the dragon's will.
[When a monster you control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, pay 1000 Life Points to activate. Special Summon 1 Level 4 monster from your Deck.]
[Aisha & Kevin, LP: 2100 → 1100]
Their Life Points dipped again, but it was a sacrifice Miles was willing to make to break through the maze.
"I Special Summon in Defense Position from my Deck—Queen's Knight!"
[Queen's Knight] Level 4│LIGHT│Warrior│1600 DEF
Holding her crimson spade-shaped shield, Queen's Knight appeared, summoned by Soul Rope after Red-Eyes fell.
"With 1600 Defense, Queen's Knight matches Wall Shadow's 1600 Attack. It won't get through!"
If Miles could just protect her and draw King's Knight next, he could finally assemble the Poker Knights on the field.
"1600 Defense? Too naive! Equip Spell Activation—Axe of Despair!"
[The equipped monster gains 1000 Attack.]
A simple, brutal Equip Spell—instantly giving Wall Shadow an extra 1000 Attack, boosting it to 2600.
"Wall Shadow, destroy Queen's Knight!"
The grotesque silhouette stretched out from the maze wall, swinging the demonic axe straight toward Queen's Knight.
Aisha frowned.
Given how shamelessly BS their opponents had been, Miles could guess they'd allow Wall Shadow to attack even outside the maze.
But that 1000 Attack boost... That was unexpected.
If Queen's Knight got destroyed, summoning all three Poker Knights later would become a real headache.
"Leave this to me, Aisha Carlos!"
At the critical moment, Kevin slammed the table, stepping forward.
"2600 Attack? Perfect! Trap Card activate—Draining Shield!"
A shield materialized in front of Queen's Knight, absorbing the impact at the last second.
"Using Draining Shield's effect, I negate Wall Shadow's attack and LP equal to its Attack!"
[Aisha & Kevin, LP: 1100 → 3700]
Their Life Points skyrocketed back. Kevin's quick reaction with a C-rank Trap turned the Paradox Brothers' threatening attack into a massive heal.
"Kevin!" Miles looked gratefully at the dependable figure beside him.
"Hmph. Guess in the end, I ended up being your support. But with me here, go all out, Aisha Carlos!"
For the first time in a Tag Duel, Miles truly felt it:
Nothing beats having a reliable teammate.
"Well done. You really are my destined rival, Kevin."
"!!!"
Receiving such acknowledgment from Miles for the first time, Kevin froze.
"Tch... You blocked my attack. Fine. I Set one card and end my turn."
"My turn!"
Finally, it was Miles's turn again.
Feeling the bond with his partner, Miles knew this draw would answer both their hopes.
"My turn, draw!"
Card drawn—the golden-armored Knight.
"Perfect! I Normal Summon [King's Knight]! With Queen's Knight already on the field, I can now Special Summon [Jack's Knight] from my Deck!"
[King's Knight] ATK: 1600
[Jack's Knight] ATK: 1900
Thanks to Kevin's defensive play last turn, the Poker Knights had finally assembled on Miles's field.
"Next... It's time for our own maze-clearing strategy!"
With the Poker Knights gathered, Miles slapped down the most critical card in his hand.
"Spell Card activation—[Polymerization]! Fusion the Poker Knights on the field!"
A spiral of fusion effects rose above the maze, swallowing the three sword-wielding knights standing side by side.
Without doubt, this would be Miles's strongest Fusion Summon yet.
"It's coming, it's coming!"
Even Nia's smooth, tanned cheeks flushed with thrill at this XP-activating spectacle.
"Break through the maze with fusion! Ascend to the highest throne! Fusion Summon—Arcana Knight Joker!"
[Arcana Knight Joker] Level 9│LIGHT│Warrior│3800 ATK
["Queen's Knight" + "Jack's Knight" + "King's Knight"]
Clad in black armor and wielding a holy greatsword, Arcana Knight Joker—the ultimate Poker Knight and a true Joker card—descended upon the front of the Duel Arena maze in a shining burst of light.
"A Level 9 Fusion Monster?"
Even the Paradox Brothers froze for a moment, cold sweat dripping from their barren scalps under Arcana Knight Joker's overwhelming presence.
But they quickly regained their composure.
"So, you plan to use a high-Level monster to blitz through the maze? At 9 Stars, it can move 9 spaces in one turn."
"Nine spaces? Are you kidding me?"
Lifting Aisha's chin with an arrogant tilt, Miles gazed down at the maze below with absolute disdain.
"Who said... I was going to enter your maze? Look closely at Arcana Knight Joker's Attack!"
[Arcana Knight Joker ATK: 3800]
A full 3800 Attack Points, surpassing even Blue-Eyes White Dragon—proof of the strongest knight.
"Now look at your [Labyrinth Wall]'s Defense!"
[Labyrinth Wall DEF: 3000]
A hefty 3000 Defense, nearly on par with Blue-Eyes' Attack. Not low, but still insufficient.
"Do you really think... I still need to enter the maze?"
Miles's smirk radiated pure, unmatched confidence—a grin even Aisha herself couldn't replicate.
"Wait... no way... You're not..."
The Paradox Brothers froze, cold sweat pouring as realization dawned.
"Battle time, Arcana Knight Joker."
Entering the Battle Phase, Miles raised his hand like a sword, pointing at his target.
"Our target... is your maze!"
Responding to the order, Arcana Knight Joker strode forward through the air, hovering above the maze's highest point.
Raising its sacred greatsword overhead, Joker gathered the shining, destructive power of the ultimate trump card.
"Go! Shining Ground Splitter Slash!"
The strike descended from the skies, powerful enough to cleave the earth itself.
[Labyrinth Wall] destroyed.
[Wall Shadow] destroyed.
The explosion of special effects rocked the entire Duel Arena, shaking the underground space more violently than when the maze first appeared—its tremors reaching even the Fusion Academy overhead.
"Ah! The test tube shattered!"
In the Magic Club, Ren dropped her transformation potion equipment mid-brew from the quake.
"An earthquake?! Now?! What a terrible time for this!"
As Arcana Knight Joker's dazzling attack faded, only rubble remained atop the Duel Arena.
"Heh. Maze... cleared."
In the most literal sense: a physical maze clear. As long as the maze no longer existed on the field, that counted as a win.
This was Miles's Duel style. Even when the enemy spouted pure BS, he'd never stoop to their level. He'd win on his own terms.
'Use your BS rules all you want.'
'But now that your maze is gone... let's see you BS your way out of this!'
...
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