Phila had just released her grip on the corner of Niobe's clothes, and the breath that had been held in her chest had not yet fully evened out, when–
"Sasori."
A male voice came from the neighboring table. In the deliberately quiet cafeteria, that voice sounded especially abrupt.
"Three years ago, what exactly happened?!"
Yunagi Minamoto stood beside that carved solid-wood dining table. The buttons of the Obelisk Blue uniform coat on his body were fastened tightly, not even the topmost one left undone. His deep ocean-blue hair was mixed with black specks and edged with silvery-white, and the huge horn-like ahoge cast a shadow under the cafeteria lights.
"Why didn't you show up?" Yunagi stared at the purple-haired boy sitting across from him.
Sasori leaned back against the chair. He glanced at Yunagi, and the right hand resting on his thigh suddenly clenched into a fist. After a few seconds, that hand relaxed again. The sleeve of his black stand-collar tight uniform brushed against the armrest of the chair.
"This has nothing to do with you, Yunagi Minamoto."
Sasori stood up. The black cone-shaped earring on his left ear swayed slightly. He raised his left arm, and his right hand pressed on the silver-and-red Duel Disk. A translucent blade of light sprang out from the front end of the Duel Disk.
"If you want to duel now, I'll accompany you anytime."
A wave of hushed commotion broke out among the students watching the scene. Several boys holding water cups even stood up.
"Aren't those the two freshmen from Xyz Academy this year?"
"Yeah, Sasori and Yunagi."
Raku floated half a step beside Phila, his semi-transparent soul blending into the cafeteria air; His gaze swept back and forth between the two standing figures.
That purple-haired guy, Sasori, he was far too familiar.
As for the one opposite him, Yunagi, Boss Sawagoe seemed to have mentioned him once at the card shop.
Raku's gaze stuck to the top of Yunagi's head.
It was an extremely striking hairstyle, the strands extending backward like ocean waves. No matter how he looked at it, it resembled a kind of marine creature he had once seen in a documentary–the sea slug called Costasiella kuroshimae.
Raku: Good grief. A standard seafood head. And his surname is Minamoto, with "Yunagi" as his given name.
In this world where dueling depends on hairstyles and names, isn't this basically a textbook protagonist setup? Just based on that sea-slug-like style alone, this guy's Destiny Power absolutely couldn't be low.
The only question is what Deck he uses–probably something related to WATER attribute or Warrior monsters.
Raku shifted his gaze away from Yunagi's hair, his peripheral vision sweeping toward the direction of the cafeteria entrance.
Several security personnel in white uniforms stood by the glass doors. The man at the front had his hand resting on the portable baton at his waist. They made no move to step forward and stop anything, merely watching the Duel Disk that Sasori had activated.
In this academy city, dueling was the only law. Even if the location was inappropriate, security would not rudely interrupt a duel that had already been declared.
Punishment afterward was one matter, but the act of dueling itself was sacred and inviolable.
The cafeteria's glass automatic doors slid open to both sides.
A man walked in. He wore a purely white long coat, with a striking red lining.
His wild blond hair stood upright, mixed with flame-like red highlights, and a conspicuous silver lion-head clasp on his chest gleamed with a metallic sheen.
"This is the cafeteria." Richard's boots stopped on the wooden floor.
His amber-gold eyes swept over Sasori and Yunagi.
"What do you two think you're doing?!" Richard's voice echoed through the entire cafeteria, directly suppressing the scattered murmurs. "If you want to duel, you can go reserve a Duel Arena."
The blade of light on Sasori's Duel Disk flickered.
"It's the Discipline Committee President! Lord Richard!!!"
Near the tables closest to the entrance, several girls in blue skirts immediately covered their mouths, letting out suppressed cries.
Richard stepped forward in his brown military boots, walking straight toward the table where Yunagi and Sasori were. The hem of his white coat cut a rigid arc through the air.
Sasori's snake-like golden pupils locked onto Richard, who had stopped at the table. The wind stirred by the white coat settled, yet that mountain-like pressure weighing on one's spine did not dissipate.
The black cone-shaped earring on Sasori's left ear stopped swaying. His hand, which was pressed on the Duel Disk's blade switch, paused for a few seconds. The surroundings were so quiet that only breathing could be heard.
Click.
The light blade retracted, and the Duel Disk folded back into standby mode.
Without saying a word, Sasori walked past Richard, the corner of his black leather clothing brushing against the white coat, and strode toward the cafeteria entrance.
Yunagi stared in the direction where Sasori had disappeared, his brows twisted into a tight knot. He took a deep breath, and that clump of blue hair that extended backward like a sea slug swayed along with it.
Yunagi said nothing, only sat back down in that velvet-cushioned chair somewhat unwillingly, picked up his knife and fork, and continued dealing with the cold meat on his plate.
Richard's amber-gold eyes swept across the now completely quiet cafeteria.
"Alright, everyone." Richard's voice was steady and deep, carrying an unquestionable authority. "There's still the opening ceremony at seven tonight. Don't forget."
Raku floated beside Phila, watching the back of the man in the white coat as he left, clicking his tongue inwardly.
Good grief… this presence, this display. He barely said a few words and still forcefully suppressed what would have been a real-life duel.
"Partner, you need to pay attention."
Aleister's voice suddenly sounded within the space of consciousness, the usual laziness gone from his tone, replaced by a rare seriousness.
"That duelist named Richard–both his Soul Power and Destiny Power are terrifyingly strong. Especially his Soul Power. It's definitely above 4k, and it's vaguely approaching the 5k threshold."
The 5k threshold? This thing even has ranks?
Raku sat cross-legged inside the pyramid.
"Seems like, partner, the knowledge brought by a soul from another world is still limited." Aleister smiled. "5k is a very critical threshold. Once a duelist's Soul Power reaches 4k, certain changes begin to occur.
"For example, the rise of the soul enhances physical abilities, or grants certain special capabilities, such as using some of a Duel Spirit's powers.
"And once it reaches 5k, it's said the duelist will undergo an unimaginable transformation.
"As for what kind of transformation exactly, I don't know."
An unimaginable transformation?
Raku stroked his chin. Does dueling really turn you into a superhero in the end? Is this 5k threshold some kind of second-stage awakening?
That's a deadly setting. If he runs into someone who can tear monsters apart with their bare hands in the future, his Trap Cards probably won't even be enough to stall for time.
Raku committed this to memory.
Time passed. 6:50 PM.
The grand auditorium of Duel Academy. An extremely massive structure, capable of accommodating thousands of students.
At this moment, all new and returning students were already seated in formations according to their academy and rank.
Phila sat beside Niobe on one side, her red eyes darting around nervously.
Niobe, on the other hand, seemed quite interested in the metal pipes on the auditorium walls.
7:00 PM.
The main podium of the auditorium was empty. The microphone stood there alone.
Just as the students below began whispering among themselves, wondering why the president had not yet appeared, a massive mechanical roar suddenly came from above.
At once, the enormous dome split open from the center, slowly sliding apart to both sides like two petals.
They even built this kind of mechanical structure? How much money did this burn through? Raku looked up at the sky now filled with starlight.
Roooom!
The deafening roar of a jet engine drowned out the students' cries of surprise.
A fighter jet painted in blue and white patterns, its nose modified into the shape of a roaring dragon head, tore through the night sky and hovered several hundred meters above the auditorium.
What is that? A fighter jet styled after Blue-Eyes Jet Dragon?! Even money shouldn't be spent like this!
The hatch on the underside of the fighter jet slowly opened. A violent gust of wind poured in through the gap in the dome, making it hard for the students below to even open their eyes.
A white figure stood at the hatch.
No parachute. No cushioning equipment whatsoever.
Sanako Kaiba leapt.
Her long silver-white hair danced wildly in the wind, the modified long white Kaiba Corporation coat fluttering loudly. Above her knee-high white stockings, the exposed portion of her thigh was taut.
From hundreds of meters in the air, she fell freely.
Boom!
With a heavy crash, the specially made metal floor at the center of the podium was smashed into a shallow crater, kicking up a ring of dust around it.
Sanako Kaiba knelt on one knee, then pushed herself up with the leg clad in white boots, standing steadily.
She brushed at nonexistent dust on the hem of her coat before raising her head, her deep blue eyes sweeping coldly across the entire hall… Deep within those blue eyes was the lingering trace of suppressed fear.
Are those knees made of iron?! In this world, do Newton's laws only apply to cards and not people?! Raku's eyes shot wide in the space of consciousness.
Sanako walked to the microphone, the corner of her lips curving slightly.
"New students of Duel Academy?"
Her cold voice struck every corner through the speakers.
"Are you mere normies?! Or proud duelists?!"
Sanako Kaiba raised her chin, spreading her arms wide, the long hem of her coat flaring behind her.
"Answer me!"
After a brief silence, the auditorium erupted into thunderous applause; cheers and whistles nearly lifted the massive dome off its structure.
...
If you want to support, please consider Patreon, and read advanced chapters! Your support keeps this series going! [Patreon.com/RedZTL]