"A magma duel arena, huh?"
Feeling the scorching heat rising from the molten lava beneath her feet, Hoshino's delicate skin prickled from the overwhelmingly real temperature.
"This energy… it's completely on a different level compared to the Frozen Duel Arena."
Akasha, who had jumped down with Hoshino, was also stunned by the sight of lava churning everywhere—and by the fact that Jaden and Alexis were both trapped inside an iron cage.
"Why are you two locked up together in a place like this? Were you playing some kind of intimate, shameful game?"
Alexis snapped back, cheeks flushing, "W-We're not playing anything! Can't you see we were captured!?"
Since Alexis had stolen a kiss earlier, Akasha naturally wouldn't pass up the chance to tease her.
"Damn it!" Jaden grabbed the bars tightly, grinding his teeth. "I was so close to winning! We were dueling with ping-pong, and then this weird black-mask guy showed up and ruined everything!"
"No you weren't! Stop assuming you were going to win!" Alexis protested just as strongly.
Hoshino sighed. "Can you two at least pretend to be nervous? This is still a Shadow Game, you know."
"No matter what kind of Shadow Game it is, Sensei will crush it anyway. There's nothing to be nervous about," Jaden said.
"Yeah, Senpai! Show that black-mask guy who he's dealing with!" Alexis added.
Standing on the opposite rock pillar, the man in the black mask finally spoke, his voice cold:
"My name is Nightshroud. I am one of the Shadow Riders—the Duelist who will end your fate. Now, Duel King… it is time to send you on your way."
Perhaps because the mask distorted his voice, the aura surrounding this "Nightshroud" felt like the abyss itself—cold and suffocating.
But something in his tone struck Hoshino as strangely familiar.
"Another one?" Akasha snorted and pointed at him. "Someone like you? Hoshino-nee has already crushed two of you. You won't be an exception."
The Duel Disks unfolded, metallic clicks echoing sharply in the burning air.
"A rare chance—this time, let's fight together, Hoshino-nee! It's been a long time since our last Tag Duel!"
You again?
Hoshino inwardly groaned. Akasha has been getting an awful lot of screen time lately… Are you trying to steal the protagonist role from me in GX?
Even so, she opened her Duel Disk, glancing at Akasha, who looked more excited than ever.
"Still… it brings back memories. The first time we tag-duelled was against the Brothers back in Duel City."
Though calling that a Tag Duel was generous—Hoshino had simply summoned two God Cards and OTK'd them instantly, leaving no room for teamwork.
"This time I won't hold you back! Actually, I hope you can rely on me once in a while!" Akasha declared proudly.
There it was—that classic shounen-protagonist-after-growth speech. Hoshino couldn't help feeling a weird sense of crisis.
"—Then let's begin. A Shadow Game of molten lava… with two lives on the line!"
Nightshroud raised his arms. As the magma erupted more violently around them, the Shadow Game officially began.
[Hoshino & Akasha LP 8000]
VS
[Darkness LP 8000]
[Duel—!]
Alexis and Jaden exchanged confused glances.
"A Shadow Game with two lives as the wager… does it mean us?" Alexis asked.
Before they could say more, the rock their cage rested on began violently trembling.
"H-Hey! It's sinking! Why is it sinking!?" Jaden yelled.
A sly grin curled beneath Nightshroud's mask.
"Once the duel begins, the rock beneath you will gradually sink—either with time, or whenever your team loses Life Points. And the magma's heat can melt human bones instantly."
"It sinks over time, huh? Then we can't afford to take it easy. Let's start, Akasha!"
With a quick nod, Akasha drew her first card as they took the first turn.
"I Normal Summon Heroic Spirits – Medusa Lily in Defense Position!"
[Heroic Spirit – Medea Lily ★★★★ (Level 4) | LIGHT | Spellcaster/Effect | ATK 1000 / DEF 1500]
Medusa Lily floated between the rock pillars, unaffected by the lack of footing thanks to the Duel Monsters projection system.
"When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add 1 Spell/Trap that lists 'Medusa' in its text from my Deck to my hand! And once per turn, I recover 1000 Life Points!"
Waving her staff, Medusa Lily released cool, soothing light amidst the blazing lava.
"—Pain Breaker!"
[Hoshino & Akasha LP 8000 → 9000]
As their Life Points rose, the rock beneath Jaden and Alexis lifted slightly.
"So healing makes the platform rise too?" Jaden exhaled in relief as the molten death pool drifted further away. "Nice one, Akasha! That buys us some time."
"Relax! You and Alexis stay right there and use the suspension-bridge effect to deepen your relationship! (That way no one interrupts my alone time with Hoshino-nee!)"
Akasha continued, pulling another monster from her hand.
"I activate the effect of Silent Magician in my hand! By tributing a Spellcaster I control, I can Special Summon her!"
A pillar of light burst forth, and a graceful, mature magician descended—born from Medusa Lily's tribute.
[Silent Magician ★★★★ (Level 4) | LIGHT | Spellcaster/Effect | ATK 1000 / DEF 1000]
[This card cannot be Normal Summoned. It can only be Special Summoned by tributing 1 Spellcaster monster you control.]
[①: This card gains ATK equal to the number of cards in your hand × 500.]
"Finally, I set 3 cards. I still have 2 cards left in my hand, so Silent Magician's ATK increases by 1000!"
[Silent Magician ATK 1000 → 2000]
"Turn end!"
Akasha's opening was nearly perfect—she not only raised their maximum LP, but also summoned the powerful suppressive ace monster, Silent Magician.
"You seem very confident in your dueling skill… Academy girl. My turn. Draw!"
After complimenting Akasha without hesitation, Nightshroud threw a Spell Card onto his Duel Disk.
"—Spell Card: Graceful Charity. Draw 3 cards from my Deck, then discard 2."
Akasha immediately cut in. "Trying to fix your hand? I won't let you do that so easily! Silent Magician's effect activates—!"
[Once per turn, when a Spell Card is activated: negate that activation.]
The pure white energy fired from Silent Magician's hand shattered Graceful Charity instantly. Nightshroud's expression flickered beneath the mask.
"Not bad, Akasha." Hoshino gave her a thumbs-up. "Stopping that card completely throws off the opponent's rhythm."
In this era, Graceful Charity was still only Limited—but its overwhelmingly broken effect already had it sitting on the edge of the banlist.
With his Spell destroyed, Nightshroud continued by throwing down a monster.
"Interesting. Without this level of strength, Lord Uria slumbering within the fire would never be satisfied! I Normal Summon Dark Beckoning Beast in Defense Position!"
"…Uria?" Hearing that name for the second time already raised Hoshino's alertness.
"I've never heard of such a monster. Looks like this one's outside the academy curriculum."
The Duel Monsters system had grown massive. Even Duel Academy's curriculum couldn't cover every card.
In truth, not even Pegasus—the creator of the Duel Monsters cards—knew every card that existed.
After all, besides cards printed by Industrial Illusions, the powers of many unknown spirits also manifested as Duel Monster cards.
For example: Dartz's Orichalcos, Minazuki's Dystopia, and earlier, Camula's Illusion Gate—none of them originated from Pegasus.
[Dark Beckoning Beast ★★ (Level 2) | DARK | Fiend/Effect | ATK 0 / DEF 0]
As Hoshino pondered this, the winged black fiend manifested above the molten lava.
"Dark Beckoning Beast's effect—When this card is Summoned, I can add 1 'Uria, Lord of Searing Flames' from my Deck to my hand!"
After Nightshroud took the card searched by the monster's effect, a horrifying roar echoed from the lava below. A massive, serpent-like shadow writhed beneath the red surface.
"There's a monster in the magma?" Akasha pretended to be startled—while subtly pressing herself even closer to Hoshino.
"Heh… it seems even Lord Uria can no longer contain his eagerness to reveal his power! I activate the second effect of Dark Beckoning Beast—"
[②: While this card is on the field, once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can Normal Summon 1 Fiend monster with 0 ATK/DEF in addition to your Normal Summon.]
Nightshroud placed a second monster sideways onto his Duel Disk. With each action, the beast lurking in the magma roared louder.
"I Normal Summon in Defense Position—Chaos Summoning Beast!!"
[Chaos Summoning Beast ★ (Level 1) | DARK | Fiend/Effect | ATK 0 / DEF 0]
Hoshino gasped. "Two monsters with 0 ATK and 0 DEF… it's coming!"
"[・_・?] Hoshino-nee, even with two 0/0 monsters, there's nothing they can really do."
"I just really wanted to say that line at least once. Don't mind me."
Nightshroud paused briefly—almost impressed.
"As expected of the Duel King—you can already sense the power hidden within these two monsters!"
What? Isn't using 0/0 monsters as tribute material just common sense?
Raising his arm and Duel Disk high into the air, Darkness declared:
"Now, I offer Chaos Summoning Beast as a Tribute to call forth the descent of the great Phantasm Lord! Answer my summons—Uria, Lord of Searing Flames!"
[Chaos Summoning Beast effect: Tribute this card; Special Summon 1 "Uria, Lord of Searing Flames" from your hand, ignoring its Summoning conditions.]
The energy within the magma surged, erupting like a volcanic explosion. The massive beast hidden beneath the molten sea finally revealed its true form.
[Uria, Lord of Searing Flames ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10) | FIRE | Pyro/Effect | ATK 0 / DEF 0]
Magma rolled off the vast red dragon's body as it rose, its aura a twisted fusion of flame and darkness.
Uria let out a sky-splitting roar.
"Uria—one of the three Sacred Beasts," Hoshino muttered, frowning. She instinctively touched her flat chest. "But I have all seven keys with me… so how is a Sacred Beast awake already?"
Nightshroud continued:
"Uria's effect—Trap Incineration!"
The god's blazing aura surged across the backrow. All three of Akasha's Set cards were instantly annihilated.
[Rule Breaker—destroyed]
[Mirror Force—destroyed]
[Self-Destruct Button—destroyed]
"Once per turn, Uria automatically identifies your Set cards' types… and destroys all Trap Cards among them!"
"This is bad," Hoshino muttered. "Once-per-turn precise Trap destruction?"
If so, Akasha's trap-heavy strategy was almost completely countered by this Sacred Beast.
And yet… Hoshino couldn't help noticing that among Akasha's Set cards was something very strange—
Yes, that card:
[Self-Destruct Button – Trap Card
Effect: Can only be activated when your LP is at least 7000 lower than your opponent's. Both players' LP become 0.]
So…
You brought that card…
Were you planning to drag Jaden and Alexis into a double suicide with you!?