Deathly silence.
It was as if even the lingering ashes within the hall were waiting for the final judgment.
"I refuse."
That voice shattered the silence. There was no hesitation, no compromise.
"Partner, this is fate. Are you going to defy fate?" Aleister straightened up, the emerald eyes beneath his hood narrowing with interest.
"I'm past the age of saying things like 'my fate is mine to decide.' I can't say something that embarrassing."
Raku slowly stood up. He brushed the dust off the hem of his coat, his gaze still calm.
He did not reach out to take the stone.
The skeleton stiffened slightly, the finger bones suspended in midair, trembling faintly.
"I accept this kind of fate!" Raku's voice rang out firmly. "The appearance of [Eldlixir of Scarlet Sanguine] indeed means this was destined to be a tragedy, so I accept it!"
Those lifeless, half-lidded eyes of his were now fully open. It was a gaze that was restrained, yet as sharp as a blade.
"Then why won't you take the Philosopher's Stone?" Aleister's tone carried a trace of impatience he could not quite conceal. "Is it because you can't accept Eldlich's death? Partner, I thought you were different from those mediocrities!"
What Aleister wanted to see was someone like himself–someone who could wield such madness, someone who would stop at nothing for their goal–not an ordinary person held back by something as laughable as sympathy.
"But!"
Raku ignored Aleister's questioning; He flicked his left hand.
Pure Soul Power twisted in the air. With a low hum, a dark gray Duel Disk instantly materialized on his left arm.
"Eldlich appeared in my Deck back then, didn't he? During Phila's duel!"
Raku reached to his waist with his right hand, pulled out his Deck, and smoothly inserted it into the Duel Disk.
His mind was clearer than ever. Whether it was the so-called card lore or the so-called destined fate, there was only one thing he believed in.
That was the bond on the Duel Disk.
"I don't know that so-called warrior from the card lore who becomes Eldlich. The one I know is Eldlich, the alchemist!"
Raku stared at the skeleton.
"Then why did Eldlich the Golden Lord still respond to my will back then, crossing time and appearing in my Deck?!"
Aleister looked at Raku's eyes in that moment, his emerald pupils widening slightly.
This way of thinking…
This attitude….
It was exactly like those most prideful Duelists! Defying logic, daring to challenge, overturning reality through nothing but the resonance between cards and soul. Yes, this was exactly what he wanted to see!
"The one who responded to me back then wasn't some stranger warrior I hadn't even met. The one who responded to me was Eldlich, the alchemist!"
Raku raised his head, staring directly at the dazzling red-gold light.
"If [Eldlixir of Scarlet Sanguine] destined the failure of the Philosopher's Stone, then I think the reason Eldlich appeared in my hand back then must be because it's destined that I will save all of this!"
Raku extended his right hand. His index and middle fingers aligned, pointing decisively at the cracked, flawed Philosopher's Stone.
"So fate is telling me to duel–"
"Have you lost your mind, partner?!" Aleister's lips curled into a slightly unhinged grin, yet he still issued a rational warning. "Even if it's flawed, that Philosopher's Stone is a massive aggregate of magical power! It absolutely has the capability to initiate a high-level Shadow Duel. With your damaged soul, you might not even last halfway through!"
"I'm not crazy."
Raku's voice echoed through the vast hall.
"Eldlich responded to my draw back then and brought me victory. Now it's nothing more than winning once again!!!"
Raku slammed his hand down above the Deck.
"Duel! Philosopher's Stone–"
The flawed Philosopher's Stone suspended in midair seemed to be provoked by the challenge.
It suddenly erupted with terrifying red light like a ferocious beast awakened. The stone shattered, transforming into a mass of dark red viscous liquid that forcefully merged into Eldlich's skeletal body.
The bones began to dissolve.
That skeletal body began to pour out liquid gold frantically. Under the reshaping red light, the gold rapidly solidified and expanded.
The contours of muscles were forged from gold, and magnificent yet grotesque armor took shape within the golden radiance.
At last, a massive monster, exuding a terrifying pressure far exceeding before, stood at the center of the hall.
[Eldlich the Mad Golden Lord].
Its golden mask split apart, revealing beast-like golden fangs as it let out a roar that seemed capable of tearing space itself.
Violent wind pressure mixed with extremely berserk magical power exploded outward in a ring. The broken stone pillars of the hall groaned under the unbearable force.
The hem of Raku's dark gray coat was lifted and whipped about by the raging wind.
And he stood at the center of the storm.
His left arm held across his chest, still standing firm.
...
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