The radiant wings of the Legendary Dragon stretching from the Seth family estate lit up the city's night sky.
That beam of light piercing the darkness symbolized not only a shift in internal sovereignty within the kingdom's most prestigious family but also a transformation in the Duelists' hearts—those who spread the wings of the Dragon.
"You lost, Father!"
The last cry of "Father," directed at the kneeling Reigun, as the brilliance of Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon faded, was perhaps Kaima's final mercy.
Reigun Seth had lost the Duel… to his own heirs.
According to Seth's family tradition, this wouldn't cause Reigun to be overthrown immediately, but once his successors came of age, he would forfeit his position as head of the family.
This was what it meant to age in an instant. Once a confident national lion in his prime, Reigun was now a disgraced father kneeling with unfocused eyes.
Kevin declared, "From now on, we'll choose our own paths. Just go retire in peace, old man—and drop those delusions of grandeur while you're at it!"
Neither Kaima nor Kevin supported Reigun's ambition. Especially not his dismissal of Fusion Academy as worthless.
Only Kaima and Kevin, who were immersed in life at the academy, truly understood that it was anything but weak or unfit to shoulder the kingdom's future.
Right now, Fusion Academy boasted first-years like Aisha Carlos among a new generation of elite Duelists, and third-years like Alester as its top-tier powerhouses.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say this was the strongest Fusion Academy had been in the past century. Outsiders simply couldn't grasp that.
"Very well," Reigun Seth's weary voice came, stripped of its former gravitas.
"If that's what you wish, so be it. From now on... I won't interfere anymore."
He slowly stood up and, after giving what might barely count as a promise, said no more and returned alone to his room.
Then, he picked up the Millennium Rod.
"If you're all so set on walking your own paths, then I shall seize the Seth family's destiny myself."
...
The third day of the Fusion Academy Festival marked its grand finale. Reigun Seth had already departed the academy in advance.
To many, the Duke's gloomy exit starkly contrasted with his confident declaration last year to donate a pure-gold Blue-Eyes White Dragon statue—eliciting sighs from onlookers.
Still, whether Reigun stayed or not had no bearing on the successful hosting of the Festival.
The only regret was Vice Principal Raiden's now-empty treasury… without the Duke family's generous donation, he had no hope of plugging the academy's financial gaps.
Thus began the final day's event at the Fusion Academy Festival.
Though it lacked the intensity of yesterday's Class Year Team Duel Challenge, it still drew countless card freaks and LSPs ("Love Sick Puppies"), as well as the rare overlap—card-obsessed LSPs—for the highlight of the final day:
Fusion Academy Miss Campus Pageant.
With relatively few students and an even split between genders, the pageant had extremely low entry barriers and very simple rules.
The only requirement: be a student of Fusion Academy. That's it. No gender restriction—even a cute crossdresser could enter and be fine.
The rules were simple: contestants stood on stage and showcased themselves to earn audience votes.
Whoever got the most votes—won.
An event open to all, easy to follow, and full of pretty girls… truly the perfect cooldown after yesterday's intense dueling.
That's why the Miss Campus Pageant had remained a staple of the Festival year after year; It had even grown enough to attract outside sponsors offering luxurious prizes for free.
At the contestant preparation zone, however, a fierce soul-struggle was underway.
"I don't wanna do this, Mr. Miles! Waaaah, I'm gonna die of embarrassment! Everyone's gonna hate me!"
"No one's gonna hate you, Aisha! You're adorable—of course you have to join!"
The soul tug-of-war between host Aisha and the spirit Miles.
Right now, Aisha looked like she had two souls wrestling for control. One foot dragged toward the stage, the other clawing backward.
Aisha's reason for not wanting to join was simple:
The earlier female contestants weren't just pretty… they had stunning figures.
Especially Nia, who currently led in votes, had overwhelmed the LSP audience with her grade-G assets.
In this situation, even Aisha had self-awareness... She had no chance, and entering would just be humiliating… in every sense!
"You don't get it! Cuteness is no match for bouncy appeal, Mr. Miles!"
"We're not aiming for first! Just get second, second's enough!"
Miles's reason for pushing Aisha was even simpler: the pageant's prizes.
Thanks to the external sponsors, even the top ten got prizes—and just entering guaranteed a participation prize.
But the top two? That's where the real loot was.
Genuine, tradable cards.
Maybe not as bombastic as the Legendary Dragons from yesterday's Team Duel Challenge… still, if joining gave a shot at scoring a tradable card, how could one pass that up? Especially a waifu card no Duelist could resist!
First place prize: [Divine Grace - Northwemko].
Even the title alone, "Divine Grace," screamed campus queen.
Regardless, what Miles truly wanted was the second-place prize: an alternate art version of [Dark Magician Girl].
"Who doesn't want Dark Magician Girl?! She's the ultimate waifu for Duelists!"
Miles pushed their body forward.
"If you want a waifu so badly, Mr. Miles, then I'll do! Just give me a shot!"
Aisha desperately tugged backward.
No good, Aisha Yuna Carlos. There's one crucial difference between you and Dark Magician Girl…
[Dark Magician Girl] is part of the "Dark Magician" archetype, meaning she's compatible with [The Eye of Timaeus].
...What were you thinking? Your minds went elsewhere, didn't they?
Ever since Miles realized yesterday that Legendary Dragon cards could freely toggle between [Timaeus the United Dragon] and [The Eye of Timaeus], he'd been plotting how to acquire a "Dark Magician" card.
Now that the alternate art Dark Magician Girl was within reach, he couldn't ignore the chance—this might be his last shot!
...
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