"My Exosisters… they've been frozen solid…"
The bitterly cold gale subsided, and the three frozen maiden statues shattered completely, vanishing from Korys's field.
Along with them disappeared the 'burning resolve' she'd felt when summoning her monsters… now cooled entirely to absolute zero.
[Exosister Gibrine] destroyed.
[Exosister Asophiel] destroyed.
[Exosister Kaspitell] destroyed.
After the defeat CG of the Exosisters played out, the field sealed in absolute frost was now barren—nothing remained.
The clash between Xyz and Fusion seemed to have ended in mutual destruction, but in truth, Korys, whose entire lineup of Exosisters had been wiped out, had clearly lost more.
"Can you feel it, Korys? My icy resolve."
"Uuuh… uuuuh…"
Korys Diane, bullied to the verge of tears, her cute cheeks full of grievance, made even the watching crowd feel pity for her.
Yet, inside the Millennium Puzzle's Soul Room, Ren felt a dark thrill—the same rush she'd experienced when befriending Dark Law.
"This is bad, Miles… I think I'm awakening some weird fetish! You've corrupted me!"
"I don't think that's entirely my fault."
Ren Austin, after all, was a woman who wielded dark justice; a slight tilt toward anti-heroic tastes was hardly surprising.
"But I haven't lost yet, Ren!"
Biting her lip in defiance, Korys gripped the last card in her hand tightly.
"I'll wager the will of all the Exosisters on this final card! A duel between girls—I won't give up until the very end!"
Miles only stared.
'...You know, your resolve is admirable, but what does being girls have to do with it? Are all foreigners this weird?'
'Also, by the way… your opponent here isn't actually a girl. You just don't know that yet.'
"Spell Card, [Pot of Avarice], activate! I return five of my Exosisters from the Graveyard to the Deck!"
[Target 5 monsters in your Graveyard; shuffle all 5 into the Deck, then draw 2 cards.]
Five Exosister cards shot up one after another from Korys's Graveyard zone: [Exosister Elis], [Exosister Stella], [Exosister Sophia], and [Exosister Irene].
All four were Level 4 Exosisters from her Main Deck—their untransformed forms.
And the final card returned was the Xyz monster [Exosister Mikailis].
Four Effect Monsters and one Xyz Monster—shuffled back into the Main Deck and Extra Deck respectively, in exchange for Korys's final two draws.
"The will of my girls—draw!"
She drew the last two cards, her gaze sweeping over them between her fingers.
"Thank you, everyone. I feel your hearts. I Set two cards and end my turn!"
Placing the two cards face-down, Korys steadied herself and looked directly at Ren.
"Then let's settle this once and for all, Ren! Between the righteous HEROes and the Exosisters—who will stand victorious?"
"Then, during your End Phase, the [Elemental HERO Absolute Zero] that was temporarily banished by [Interdimensional Matter Transporter] returns to my field!"
[Elemental HERO Absolute Zero, ATK: 2500]
The key to the Dimensional Absolute Freeze combo was that after Absolute Zero destroyed all opponent monsters when it left the field, it would return again during the End Phase.
At the same time, Miles still held the [Elemental HERO Honest Neos] that had been returned to his hand earlier by an Exosister's effect.
With two monsters of 2500 Attack each—5000 total damage—even Korys's full Life Points couldn't withstand it.
Even so, her eyes still burned with determination.
Which meant, without question, those two Set cards must hold one last counterattack.
"Interesting!"
That unpredictable tension—that uncertainty right up until the final moment—that was what made dueling so thrilling for Miles.
"My turn…"
The ultimate brilliance of Fusion now blazed at Ren's fingertips.
"Draw!"
"ROAR!!"
A dragon's soul roared—the decisive draw of the duel awakened a long-slumbering legend within Ren's HERO Deck.
"If you're coming at me, then come, Ren! I activate my Set card!"
As soon as Miles drew, Korys flipped one of her face-down cards.
"Trap Card, activate—[Xyz Reborn]!"
[Target 1 Xyz Monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it, then attach this card to it as material.]
"I Special Summon [Exosister Gibrine] from my Graveyard in Defense Position!"
[Exosister Gibrine, DEF: 2800]
The Exosister, wielding a beam rifle—her strongest defensive Xyz monster—returned from the Graveyard to the field.
To most observers, as long as Korys still had a monster in play, she couldn't be defeated in one strike by Absolute Zero.
"A final battle between HEROes and Exosisters! Then let's have a legend witness the end of justice! Awaken—[Claw of Hermos]!"
Ren's prized card from the Academy Festival—the Legendary Dragon capable of drawing out a monster's potential and fusing it into an Equip form.
"What… what kind of card is that?" Korys gasped.
As a student of the Xyz Academy, she'd only heard of it in legends—never seen the Legendary Dragon that could fuse with anything.
A blank-faced, nameless dragon burst forth from Miles's hand, materializing and soaring across the field of justice.
Moments later, spreading his pure white wings, [Elemental HERO Honest Neos] emerged from Miles's hand and took flight.
"I fuse [Claw of Hermos] with [Elemental HERO Honest Neos]! Watch closely, Korys—this is a fusion that transcends even the power of Fusion!"
Within the fusion light stirred by the Legendary Dragon, dragon wings and angelic feathers intertwined, forming a divine artifact that illuminated the streets of Axet.
"Moon goddess, shine your radiant light upon the path to victory! Fusion Summon—[Goddess Bow]!"
[Goddess Bow] Level 4│LIGHT│Warrior│Fusion│1500 ATK / 1600 DEF
[LIGHT Warrior monster + "Claw of Hermos"]
Descending in sacred brilliance, the moonlit divine bow shone far brighter than any Exosister's holy armament, settling onto Miles's field.
"Draw your bow, Absolute Zero! Activate [Goddess Bow]'s effect!"
[When this card is Special Summoned: Target 1 other monster on the field; equip this card to it.]
"Equip [Goddess Bow] to [Elemental HERO Absolute Zero]!"
The fusion monster's inherent ability allowed it to serve as an Equip Spell once summoned.
Placing the bow into his Spell/Trap Zone, Miles's [Elemental HERO Absolute Zero], its pure white cape fluttering, equipped the divine bow. The icy arrows crystallized at its fingertips, drawn along the moon's glowing string.
[When equipped to a monster: That monster's Attack becomes double its original value.]
[Elemental HERO Absolute Zero, ATK: 2500 → 5000]
Matching the strength it would've gained with Honest Neos, Absolute Zero now reached 5000 Attack—and as an Equip effect, that power would persist.
"Ready for battle, Korys!"
A Fusion Monster wielding a Fusion-created weapon—this was fusion at its peak.
Among the watching citizens of Axet, it was commonly believed that Xyz users from Xyz Academy far outclassed the Fusion students of Fusion Academy.
But this—this proved otherwise. The ultimate Fusion could outshine even the overlays of Xyz.
"Pierce through her, Absolute Zero! Ice Holy Arrow—Zero Shot!!"
A single arrow infused with the power of HERO, goddess, and legend—wherever its radiant trail passed, even light itself seemed to freeze.
Unable to withstand the doubled 5000 Attack, [Exosister Gibrine] was pierced clean through by the icy arrow.
"You fell for it, Ren!"
Korys's triumphant smile returned as she flipped her final Set card.
"This is what I've been waiting for—the moment my Xyz Monster is destroyed! Trap Card, activate—[Xyz Xtreme]!"
[When an Xyz Monster you control is destroyed by battle: Pay 1000 LP; both players reveal 1 Xyz Monster from their Extra Deck with a Rank equal to or lower than the destroyed monster's. The player who reveals the monster with the lower ATK takes damage equal to the difference between the revealed monsters' ATK. If your opponent does not reveal a monster, they take damage equal to the ATK of the monster you revealed.]
[Korys Diane, LP: 4000 → 3000]
As everyone knows, "equal to or lower" includes the same Rank—so Korys, whose Rank 4 monster was destroyed, could choose another Rank 4 Xyz Monster.
And the only one left in her Extra Deck—the [Exosister Mikailis] she'd returned with [Pot of Avarice].
The first of the Exosisters soared onto the battlefield once again, her sword gleaming amid the blazing flames of the Trap Card's effect.
The effect of [Xyz Xtreme] required both players to reveal an Xyz Monster from their Extra Deck and compare ATK—the player with the lower ATK takes damage equal to the difference.
If the opponent had no Xyz Monsters at all, they would instead take direct damage equal to the revealed monster's ATK.
A nasty card indeed—and if this were Aisha, she'd probably have used it for a cheeky reversal.
Albeit Ren's HERO Deck contained no Xyz Monsters whatsoever.
Miles admitted calmly, "You're right… I don't have any Xyz Monsters."
It couldn't be denied—Korys had planned this perfectly for dueling students from other academies. Including [Xyz Xtreme] in her Deck was an intelligent move.
Korys clenched her fist. "Perfect! Then, since you don't have any, [Exosister Mikailis]'s Attack is 2500—that means you take 2500 damage!"
[Ren, LP: 2500]
"So the damage from [Xyz Xtreme] is 2500—it's my victory, Ren!"
"I don't have an Xyz Monster…" Miles's gaze sharpened. "Despite that, the one losing this duel… is you, Korys!"
"Wah!?"
"You thought you trapped me—but you were the one trapped! [Goddess Bow]'s effect!"
[When this card is equipped to a monster: Once per Battle Phase, you can negate the activation of a Spell, Trap, or monster effect your opponent activates; the equipped monster can attack twice during this Battle Phase.]
"During the Battle Phase, [Goddess Bow] can negate one effect of any kind! Using the moon goddess's bow—I negate your Trap Card [Xyz Xtreme]!"
Absolute Zero raised the divine bow and fired an arrow toward the heavens; at its peak, it burst into a cascade of moonlight, forming a purifying barrier.
Bathed in moonlight's purification, [Exosister Mikailis]'s form slowly dissolved.
Empowered by the barrier, [Elemental HERO Absolute Zero] now gained a second attack for this turn.
"If you hadn't activated that Trap, you might've survived this turn—but it's far too late now, Korys!"
Predicting her counterplay, Miles used the negation effect to seize momentum, declaring Absolute Zero's final strike.
"Let's end this duel—with the ultimate fusion of HERO and Legendary Dragon! Direct attack!"
The icy arrow, gleaming brighter than diamonds in the moonlit barrier, gleamed in Absolute Zero's hand.
Bathed in radiant fusion light, Ren's delicate face looked almost divine—beautiful, heroic, and enough to make Korys's heart race wildly.
"Ice Holy Arrow—Brilliant Zero Ray!!"
The arrow flew—a freezing direct attack that pierced through the girl's chest and, symbolically, straight into her heart.
[Korys Diane, LP: 3000 → 0]
"You see? There are plenty of stories like that—the girl who loses the duel ends up falling for her opponent.
"This duel… I win, Korys!"
"Y-Yes! Miss Ren!!!"
"…Miss?"
...
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