"This time, I'll make sure you never rise again!" Trueman repeated, brimming with menace.
Jaden laughed. "Funny, that's what I was just about to say to you."
He raised his duel disk, ready to fight, when a voice with a hint of amusement sounded from behind:
"Hate to break it to you, but trying to take out this guy in just one duel probably isn't going to happen."
Jaden's eyes immediately lit up, turning around eagerly. "Kira?"
Sure enough, Kira emerged leisurely from the forest, hands in his pockets, strolling calmly toward the two.
Trueman frowned behind his sunglasses. "So, Duel King Kira finally shows up."
Trueman—or rather, Nightshroud—had been active around Duel Academy more than once. Recently, however, it was always Jaden standing in his way; this was already the third Trueman that Nightshroud had sent, with each one intercepted first by Jaden.
In contrast, Kira—the Academy's true ace and rumored big boss—had yet to appear, until today.
Jaden immediately rushed to greet him, leaving Trueman behind. "You're back?"
"I am." Kira smiled. "Thanks for holding down the fort here at the Academy."
"Haha, it was nothing, nothing at all."
Jaden grinned, rubbing his nose, and then straightened, his expression turning serious as he eyed Trueman.
"Be careful, Kira—this guy's no pushover. He's got some kind of insane power. I've run into him before, but his deck is always different every time."
"Yeah, I know." Kira nodded. "He's not the real body, so it's unlikely you'll take him out for good in this duel alone."
He paused, then smiled. "But if you want to use this guy to strike at the real Nightshroud, you might just need enough dark power."
He gestured for Jaden to step back. "Sorry, Jaden. Leave this one to me, alright?"
"Sure thing."
Jaden shrugged and retreated.
It almost felt like the old days at the Academy, when Kira always took on whatever challenger came knocking. These days, with Kira away so much, he and Jaden rarely competed for a duel anymore. Now, seeing this familiar scene stirred something nostalgic in Jaden—he was almost disappointed not to get the duel himself, but at the same time, oddly reassured.
It was as if, as long as Kira was here, everything was under control.
Trueman sneered. "Looks like if we want to proceed with our plan, we'll have to go through you too, Duel King."
"Guess so." Kira shrugged carelessly. "I'm a busy man, so let's get this over with fast."
Trueman pushed up his glasses and smirked. "Is that the arrogance of a king, or just overconfidence? Either way, you'll regret it."
"DUEL!" – both said.
[Kira: LP4000]
[Trueman: LP4000]
"I'll go first. Draw!"
Kira drew his opening hand, then shot a glance at Jaden, a mysterious smile on his lips.
"So, Jaden—mind if I borrow your strength for this duel?"
"Huh?"
Kira played a spell card from his hand. "Activate—Convert Contact! If you control no monsters, send one 'Neo-Spacian' monster each from your hand and deck to the Graveyard; then draw two cards from your deck."
Jaden's eyes went wide. "Oh! My Neo-Spacians! No problem, Kira, go for it! Good luck!"
Jaden was especially excited to see his signature monsters played by Kira, known for his unconventional strategies. After all, Jaden's deck was one of a kind—no one had ever used Neo-Spacians in another style.
Kira was the most creative duelist Jaden knew. Maybe he could see an entirely new way to unlock Neo-Spacians this duel.
"I send 'Neo-Spacian Grand Mole' and 'Neo-Spacian Dark Panther' from my deck to the Graveyard."
The holograms of Grand Mole and Dark Panther flashed above Kira before streaking into his graveyard.
"Now—draw two cards."
"Next, I Normal Summon 'Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin' in Defense Position!"
Blue water spiraled upward, forming a vortex. The slender, dolphin-headed cosmic warrior emerged from the whirlpool, bubbles bursting all around.
[Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin: DEF 800]
"Aqua Dolphin's effect!" Kira announced. "Discard a card, look at your opponent's hand, choose one Monster Card. If you control a monster with higher ATK than the chosen card, destroy it and inflict 500 damage to your opponent."
He discarded a card.
"Echo Locator!"
The Aqua Dolphin emitted transparent sound waves. All six cards in Trueman's hand floated into view for Kira to examine.
Kira rested his chin on his hand. "Let's see… Future Fusion, Dragon's Mirror… Very good, a Dragon-based deck."
"Let me guess—your target for Future Fusion is…"
"You are correct!" Trueman grinned coldly. "But it won't do you any good. I'll just tell you—what you're about to face is the legendary 'Five-Headed Dragon'! The strongest Dragon ever!"
Kira gasped. "Five-Headed Dragon?!"
Trueman smiled triumphantly.
But before he could say another word, Kira continued, "Not even worth being called a wall."
Trueman's grin froze. "…"
With a dark scowl: "You won't be so smug for long. Now pick the monster for my hand."
He sneered again. "But as you see, I have no monsters with ATK lower than your Aqua Dolphin. By card effect, you must select a monster even if its ATK is higher than any monster you control—you'll take 500 backlash damage yourself!"
…