"What is this power? Is this the Millennium Puzzle?"
Luca staggered back a few steps, overwhelmed by the light outshining even the combined brilliance of three Millennium Items. For the first time, she truly felt the explosive force radiating from the Puzzle.
Unlike Luca's terror, Aisha, within the Puzzle, was wrapped in a warm and familiar golden glow.
Aisha was excited, "Mr. Miles, Mr. Miles! Incredible, this is incredible! Right now, you feel exactly like the Pharaoh!"
Dark Aisha said calmly, "You look very dashing, Miles."
Back in the mountains, Pharaoh Atem—the first wielder of the Millennium Puzzle—had once shown Miles and Aisha his near-invincible skills, alongside the unstoppable Egyptian God [Slifer the Sky Dragon].
Now, surrounded by that same golden radiance in the Soul Room, Aisha felt the same sensation as during that duel.
Miles, with the Puzzle blazing at his chest, seemed as if the Pharaoh himself had descended.
"So it really is them!"
"Miles… Aisha Carlos!"
Deion Kaiser and Kevin Seth rushed to the battlefield just in time for the final exchange, having awoken and hurried toward Armityle's battle.
"Brother!" Princess Nova Kaiser, relieved to see her elder brother unharmed, felt a flicker of comfort amid her worry.
Kevin's reaction was grimmer. Seeing Kaima collapsed on the ground, his expression hardened.
"Sister… you fought with all your strength for us. I'm sorry you had to bear so much. If only I'd been stronger…"
"Even Ren Austin has fallen?"
Seeing Ren—who had once defeated him—now lying broken, Deion could imagine the brutal battle that had unfolded while he was unconscious.
More harrowing still was the sight of Empire Marshal Locke Slint, half his head drenched in blood. For the Marshal of the Varian Empire to fall dead in another kingdom's capital was an incident unmatched in the century-long peace of the Spirit Continent.
"And the final boss… is the hostage girl? No… that can't really be her."
Though Luca's face looked familiar, the missing scar and eyes filled with hatred told Deion enough to know the truth.
Luca sneered at the two outside the barrier. "Oh? Even after seeing Armityle, two more duelists dared to come here?"
Kevin retorted firmly: "Luca Slint, you're mistaken. In the capital of Livorden, there are no duelists who cling to life in fear!"
Through the mist, duelists began to arrive behind Kevin and Deion—one by one, then more and more.
"This is it!"
"The final battlefield!"
"If someone is fighting on our behalf, we can't just hide behind them!"
"Isn't that the Carlos girl, Aisha?"
"And the Austin daughter, and the eldest Seth son."
"Those still fighting are all students of Fusion Academy!"
"Student or not, anyone who bears this burden deserves the highest respect from every family!"
Ilon, looking at Ren within the barrier, declared solemnly: "I saw it in my dream, Ren—your HERO's battle. You will forever be the pride of the Austin family!"
None flinched. Even before the towering terror of Armityle, no duelist of the capital wavered.
After all, it was the three rays of light scattering the Sacred Beasts' dark fog that had awakened them. Professor Field's iron will had passed to the three Fusion Academy duelists, who transformed it into courage, and that courage spread across the capital.
Those sparks of courage gathered at the battlefield, swelling into waves of hope.
Miles said, "Luca Slint, this is the light within every duelist's heart—the courage to face the dark. Alone in darkness, you'll never defeat us!"
"Hah! Just a crowd of weaklings. Once I take the Puzzle, none of you will be able to stop me!"
"Wrong, Luca. Here, you will be defeated!"
"Go, Aisha Carlos!"
"My turn, draw!!"
Surrounded by the prayers of all, Miles drew his final card, the Millennium Puzzle blazing with light. In that instant, the circle of fate closed, bringing the destined end.
"This card—you all handed it to me. If you hadn't come to Fusion Academy, Luca, I never would've gotten it! Spell Card, [Card of Demise]!"
[Card of Demise Effect: Draw until you have 5 cards in your hand. During your 5th Standby Phase after activation, send your entire hand to the Graveyard.]
The ultimate Card of Demise, given by the Millennium Ring itself within this Shadow Game. Zero cards in hand—Miles drew five at once.
The Puzzle, at its peak, ensured a perfect five-card draw.
With each card drawn, its golden light shone brighter.
"First draw!"
[King's Knight]
"Second draw!"
[Queen's Knight]
"Third draw!"
[Jack's Knight]
"Fourth draw!"
[Face Card Fusion]
Aisha's eyes shot open, "They're all Pharaoh's cards, Miles… what does this mean?!"
"It's destiny. The circle closes, and this is the end it brings!"
It was Luca who had sent Shadow Duelists to Fusion Academy's mountains, baiting students with rumors of the Egyptian Gods. That had been the very start of the Items' fate pulling toward one another. On that day, Miles and Aisha had met Pharaoh Atem.
"Fate guides us. This last draw, I bet on the name of the Gods!"
Atem's voice echoed, "When the demon god of darkness awakens, the radiance of the Gods will come to you. This is my promise."
"Time to fulfill it, Pharaoh! Draw—!"
The fifth card. The Millennium Puzzle's light reached its zenith. Miles' fingers gripped the card, tracing a golden flame through the air of the Shadow Game. That divine fire spread from his feet into a ring, banishing the fog born of the Items.
Above, the wings of the Egyptian Gods cried out, exploding atop the royal capital.
...
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