"Here are your winnings: Fifteen thousand gold coins in total. Everything has been loaded onto this card. Please keep it safe!"
The betting shop owner, hands trembling, presented a black card to the masked girl before him. Under the greedy, envious gazes of the surrounding gamblers, the girl casually accepted it and slipped it beneath her black robe.
"Thank you."
Out of habit, Alicia spoke her thanks before turning to leave. Fifteen thousand gold coins—an amount that could easily drive every gambler present into a frenzy.
And sure enough, the moment she stepped out of the betting booth, a group of gamblers surged out after her.
Yet when they exited—there was no sign of the girl.
"Where'd she go?"
"Find her! Fifteen thousand coins—if each of us gets even a thousand, we can live like kings for a year!"
"Split up! Whoever finds her, regroup immediately! Anyone carrying that much money isn't simple—don't even think about hogging it for yourself!"
"Heh, I say finders keepers!"
"Then go try it alone, genius!"
…
After a barrage of chaotic shouting, the gamblers still chose to split up. As for whether anyone who found her would actually call the others… well, anyone who did was an idiot, but anyone who didn't was equally an idiot.
Hidden in the darkness, Alicia stood beside Neo-Spacian Dark Panther, watching the scene before quietly heading into a narrow alley she had never walked before.
Using Dark Panther's power to melt into the shadows—that was a technique Yuui had taught her.
As one of the six Neo-Spacians who accompanied Neos to Alicia's side, Dark Panther's power naturally embodied darkness.
With Alicia's current strength as a Great Magician, she couldn't bring out Dark Panther's full combat potential, but using him to conceal herself in darkness presented no problem at all.
"Thank you, Dark Panther!"
"Think nothing of it. Assisting our mistress is our duty!"
"Mistress… hehehe!!"
"Is there a problem?"
"Nope! 'Mistress' is exactly right!"
Guided by Dark Panther, Alicia soon slipped out of the Black Market's center and reached its outskirts. She originally planned to rent a carriage back to the Academy, but Yuui stopped her.
After all, no one could be sure whether any carriage drivers were connected to the gamblers, so Yuui advised Alicia to head back on foot instead.
After thinking it over, Alicia agreed.
Safety first. And besides that, they had another reason for traveling on foot.
"I'll admit: you two are cautious. But your running speed is too slow. And you didn't hide your tracks at all… how amateurish."
A chilling voice pierced the quiet night. Alicia and Yuui turned toward the sound. Beneath the moonlight, a thin man stepped out from the forest lining the road.
He wore a black robe that blended seamlessly with the night, and his eyes glowed an eerie red.
Beside him stood a spirit; its armor gleaming in crimson and gold, with blood‑red demonic wings unfurled behind it like a cape. Its long crimson hair flowed in the wind, and its wicked grin sent a chill down the spine.
"Fabled Leviathan!?"
Yuui spoke the spirit's name. Fabled Leviathan was an original spirit of Planet DT. The Fabled tribe had made their mark many times in ancient wars. Though they were troublemakers who loved mischief, their raw power as spirits was undeniable.
The knowledge about Leviathan and the Fableds flooding from Yuui's mind made Alicia involuntarily take two steps back.
Seeing this, the robed man sneered.
"Little girl, you brought this on yourself. If you had just handed over the spirit, you'd have received more wealth than you could imagine. But you insisted on playing the hero. So today, you stay here.
"This place is beautiful. It'd be a waste not to bury a little girl's corpse here!"
As his final word fell, the red‑haired demon shot toward Alicia in a beam of blood‑colored light.
Yuui seized control of Alicia's body to summon Neos for defense—but before Neos could fully materialize, a tall figure shimmering silver-white in the moonlight stepped in front of them, blocking the attack.
"Your duel earlier was impressive—but leave fights of this level to your teacher."
A warm hand rested atop Alicia's head—Yuui's head—while a bracelet strung with seven gemstones glowed in seven colors, dispersing the oppressive cold.
A face both Alicia and Yuui knew well appeared before them. For the first time, they both thought: this man actually looked quite cool.
"White!?"
"Professor White!!!"
"Address me properly, as your instructor." White flicked Alicia (Yuui) lightly on the head, then looked toward the robed man.
"Stand behind me and get ready to defend yourselves. Even the shockwaves from what comes next aren't something either of you could handle."
With that, White stepped forward, standing between them and the enemy as his spirit—Gem-Knight Crystal—shifted forms. Seven lights flashed, and it transformed into its other form: Gem-Knight Master Diamond.
It charged straight toward the robed man.
Despite that, the enemy wasn't about to sit and wait for death.
"Leviathan—kill them!"
"Hehehehe!!"
The red-haired demon cackled, its bloody wings spreading wide as it launched like a crimson torrent toward Master Diamond.
BOOOOM!!!
Thunderous explosions echoed across the night, shockwave after shockwave ripping apart the roadside forest.
And the sound of battle drew the attention of two other individuals nearby.
...
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