[Duelist Rank Evaluation Complete]
[Duelist Harr – Overall Rank: A++]
[Saint Quartz Reward Issued: 140]
[Remaining Saint Quartz: 380]
"Why were all the other King Battles ranked EX, while King Harr turned out to be so underwhelming?" Hoshino muttered as she checked the Saint Quartz shop in the system.
After her Duels against Mardel and Hela, the system had awarded the maximum EX Rank evaluation.
As for Harr, although he had, in a sense, been dragged out by the Supreme King to take a fatal hit, the system's actual evaluation of his strength was indeed somewhat lower.
Hoshino Alter commented:
["Could this be some kind of interdimensional gender divide? Maybe Queens are just stronger than Kings?"]
"If it were that old man Harr, he'd probably argue that he's a strategist-type character and not a combat specialist~"
["But Aibo, now isn't really the time to worry about a few Saint Quartz, is it?"]
Although A++ and EX sounded vastly different, the actual difference in rewards was only sixty Saint Quartz.
Just enough for two ten-rolls.
Or twenty Black Keys.
"I'm only counting my Quartz to pass the time while waiting for the Kaiba brothers to finish scouting."
Hoshino looked up at the sky that had formed after the dimensional fusion.
Two suns.
Two moons.
All hanging side by side.
The scenery was so surreal that she instinctively couldn't accept it as reality.
To assess how the world had changed after the dimensional fusion, Kaiba and Mokuba had each taken off in separate aircraft, scouting the area surrounding Duel Academy Island from opposite directions.
"Did Jaden-sama really just leave like that…?"
Blair lowered her head sadly.
"We had only just gotten together, and he abandoned me already."
"You two were never together in the first place," Alexis immediately corrected.
"Exactly!" Minazuki declared solemnly.
"Jaden is still an honorary member of our Singles Club. That fact cannot be denied!"
"(╯°Д°)╯ Anyway, it just ticks me off!"
Akasha threw a few punches into the empty air.
"Jaden's been way too weird lately! He's disappeared twice for no reason! And what's with that Supreme King personality? Is he still stuck in his chuunibyou phase or something?!"
Although everyone was taking turns complaining, it was obvious they were all worried about Supreme King Jaden having left on his own.
And before departing, he had said something that continued to weigh on Hoshino.
"To fulfill my path of supremacy… and the promise I once made with Yubel."
"A promise with Yubel…"
The Duel Spirit that had been possessing Jaden when Hoshino first met him.
Yubel's affection toward Jaden had been so extreme that she had willingly used her own power to curse other duelists.
Yet according to Jaden's memories from earlier, Yubel's card had mysteriously disappeared the night after his Duel with Hoshino.
And now, seven years later, that name had surfaced once more from Supreme King Jaden's own lips.
Hoshino Alter said:
["I remember that back then, Aibo, you used Shiki Ryougi's Mystic Eyes to sever Yubel's curse. If you asked Shiki, do you think she'd remember anything?"]
"Remember something from seven years ago? I highly doubt it."
Hoshino could already imagine Shiki scratching her head impatiently and replying:
"How am I supposed to remember something from that long ago?"
"But more importantly, where did Jaden get that kind of power? No matter how much I think about it, it just doesn't make sense!"
The power of Super Polymerization — capable of fusing dimensions themselves — was something even Hoshino and Yugi, both already anomalies among humans, could never hope to imitate.
"You're worried, aren't you?" Yugi asked.
He had been observing Hoshino ever since the Duel ended.
Watching her cycle through frustration, concern, and helplessness, it almost looked like she was performing a one-woman comedy routine.
Though he could more or less guess she was conversing with her other self.
"Of course I'm worried. Jaden is one of my most important students."
Hoshino sighed.
"I think I finally understand how the teachers in anime feel when they watch one of their students go down the wrong path."
Yugi thought for a moment.
"I can't really explain what's happening to Jaden either. But I do have a certain feeling…"
"A feeling? What kind of feeling?"
Hoshino immediately seized on the possibility.
"You're usually right about these things, Yugi. Give me something to work with."
"I think you're worrying too much."
Yugi smiled.
"I can still sense the original Jaden's soul within the Supreme King."
"His personality may have changed, but Jaden is still Jaden."
"After all, didn't he stop correcting himself at the end and call you 'Sensei' again?"
"Damn it!"
For some reason, that explanation only made Hoshino angrier.
She punched Yugi in the arm.
"Uh…"
Yugi laughed awkwardly.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"I'm not angry at you."
Hoshino crossed her arms.
"But if your guess is right, and Jaden still considers me his teacher, then leaving without a word just means he doesn't trust me at all!"
"Perhaps he has his own reasons."
Yugi replied gently.
"Even students eventually grow up. And someday, they leave their teachers behind."
"Damn it!"
Hoshino punched him in the chest this time.
Yugi didn't mind.
Compared to the punishment Mana's magical textbooks could inflict, this barely registered.
"In the end, I'm really just angry at myself…"
Hoshino lowered her head.
"If only I'd realized sooner."
"That Yubel card."
"And the anxiety Jaden had been hiding inside himself."
Kagemaru had already mentioned the enormous power hidden within Jaden's body.
Yet Hoshino had never paid much attention to it.
If she had acted sooner, perhaps she could have found a solution before the Supreme King appeared and fused the dimensions together.
The sound of two aircraft landing finally broke through her thoughts.
The Kaiba brothers had taken longer than expected, having flown all the way around Duel Academy Island before returning.
"Well?" Hoshino asked.
"Kaiba. Mokuba. What did you find from the air? Has the dimensional fusion changed anything?"
Mokuba's expression twisted with uncertainty.
He seemed to be struggling to find the words to explain what they had seen.
Clearly, the situation was far more complicated than anyone had expected.
"I'll save the details for later."
Kaiba spoke first.
"But here's the conclusion."
His expression turned serious.
"Everything beyond Duel Academy Island has become an entirely different world."
"The ports and cities that should have been there are completely gone."
"A completely different world?"
Yugi's eyes widened.
"Is something like that even possible — transferring an entire island into another world?"
"Hmph."
Kaiba snorted.
"If you're asking whether it's theoretically possible, my answer will always be no."
"From a scientific perspective, relocating an entire island and the surrounding ocean from Earth is absolutely impossible."
"But it happened anyway," Hoshino immediately countered.
"If what we're seeing is the truth right in front of us, then stop obsessing over science, Kaiba."
Whenever situations like this came up, Hoshino couldn't help but try to persuade Kaiba to stop worshipping science so blindly.
It was usually completely pointless.
"I've said this before: phenomena that science cannot explain merely indicate that science has not advanced far enough yet. If something exists before our eyes, then there must also be a formula capable of explaining it."
"Oh, that's great."
Hoshino teased him.
"I look forward to the day you calculate the formula for interdimensional transportation. Maybe then, with the power of science you love so much, you'll be able to send us home. Haha."
Boom~~
"— Ta-da! Whether it's science or magecraft, leave the explanation to the mascot of the Universal Genius herself — Mini Da Vinci!"
Accompanied by an extremely "anime-like" explosion of smoke effects, the chibi-version Da Vinci descended before the group.
The tiny figure landed with an air remarkably similar to Nobu.
"The results from SHEBA's observations have just come in. Strictly speaking, saying that Duel Academy Island was transferred to another world isn't entirely accurate."
"Not accurate?" Hoshino immediately asked. "So we weren't transported to another world?"
Pushing up her glasses with her round little hand, Da Vinci explained:
"The concept of transportation means taking an object from one space and moving it into another space that already exists."
"But if that space didn't exist before the transfer occurred, then the concept of 'transportation' itself no longer applies."
"What exactly is this creature?"
Kaiba stared at the suddenly appearing miniature Da Vinci.
"Can anything it says actually be trusted?"
Da Vinci smiled mysteriously.
"Seto Kaiba, may I interpret that statement as a declaration of war against the Universal Genius?"
She puffed out her chest confidently.
"Ask me anything you like. Any scientific theory you're proud of — I can answer it."
"Oh?"
Kaiba's fighting spirit ignited instantly.
"For a mere doll, you've got quite a mouth on you."
He lowered his gaze and locked eyes with Da Vinci.
The sparks of battle practically flew between them.
Seto Kaiba VS Mini Da Vinci
Duel —!
"(」゜ロ゜)」 Wait, that's not right!"
The sudden development left Hoshino's ahoge curling into a perfect question mark.
"Why are they suddenly dueling?! And what kind of duel even is this?!"
Kaiba's Turn
"Wave-particle duality. The mathematical relationship between waves and particles. Particle energy E…"
Da Vinci's Turn
"The interaction of multiple physical variables involving Planck's constant h (h = 6.626×10⁻³⁴ J·s)…"
"Hoshino! Hoshino!"
Eve tugged nervously on Hoshino's sleeve.
"Are those two chanting spells? Are they about to summon some terrifying monster capable of understanding the whispers of an Outer God?"
The corner of Hoshino's mouth twitched.
"Just think of it as spellcasting."
"Though the only monster they can summon is one called Straight-A Student."
[Mini Da Vinci LP: 50]
[Seto Kaiba LP: 100 → 0]
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
"Big Brother actually lost?!"
Mokuba stared in shock.
"But Da Vinci barely won too."
Hoshino rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"She was practically surviving on one HP."
Eve's eyes went completely blank.
"How are you people even seeing Life Points in a duel like that?"
"Remarkable."
Kaiba stared down at the doll-like Da Vinci with newfound respect.
"To think you defeated me, Seto Kaiba."
His expression had changed completely.
"Do you possess scientific knowledge superior even to Kaiba Corporation's?"
Da Vinci nodded.
"To push the Universal Genius — who possesses thousands of years of accumulated knowledge — this far…"
She smiled.
"You truly are a genius worthy of your reputation, Seto Kaiba."
A genius recognizing another genius.
Kaiba and Da Vinci exchanged a look of mutual respect.
"Enough fooling around, Da Vinci."
Hoshino cut in.
"Can you explain what's actually happening? Where exactly has Duel Academy Island been moved to?"
"I already told you — it hasn't been moved."
Da Vinci tapped the ground beneath them with her chubby finger.
"Duel Academy Island is still in its original location."
She continued:
"Without a doubt, we're still on Earth."
"If we're still on Earth, then why is everything around the island completely different?"
Even Kaiba, now convinced of Da Vinci's credibility, joined in the questioning.
"Because the Earth we're standing on has become intertwined with another dimension due to the activation of Super Polymerization."
"The total area has expanded to more than three times its original size."
"The entire Earth expanded threefold?"
Kaiba immediately shook his head.
"Impossible. If Earth physically expanded to three times its size, it would instantly be torn from its current position in space."
"Exactly."
Da Vinci nodded.
"You're correct."
"If Earth had physically expanded threefold, none of us would be standing here having this conversation."
"The problem is that this isn't a physical expansion."
"It's a dimensional expansion."
"Think of it like this: Earth's overall size hasn't changed. However, because another dimension has merged with it, the very concept of calculating area has been distorted."
"So what I saw from the airplane…"
Mokuba's worldview was visibly crumbling.
"…was actually Earth after it merged with another dimensional world?"
"What exactly did you see up there?" Hoshino asked curiously.
"Glaciers. Seas of fire. Lands inhabited by gigantic monsters."
Mokuba looked like he was on the verge of tears.
"I honestly thought I was dreaming. It was terrifying."
"The world has now fused with the realm contained within the World Tree, Yggdrasil."
Da Vinci continued:
"And the Nine Realms within it have been embedded into Earth like pieces of a giant puzzle."
"Of course, from the perspective of the World Tree's dimension, they might think we were the puzzle pieces inserted into their world."
"Glaciers, seas of fire, giant monsters…"
Hoshino recalled what the Valkyries had told her about the Nine Realms of Yggdrasil.
"Niflheim, the Land of Mist. Muspellheim, the Land of Fire. Jotunheim, the Land of Giants."
"So Duel Academy Island ended up wedged between those three realms?"
"The atmosphere's getting pretty heavy, Hoshino-chan~"
Mini Da Vinci suddenly hopped onto Hoshino's shoulder.
"Look on the bright side."
"We were always waiting around for the King Battles to invade us before. We could only react and defend ourselves."
"But now the conditions are equal."
"In fact, we can even launch a surprise attack first."
"Isn't that actually a good thing?"
Then she leaned close to Hoshino's ear and whispered:
"And to increase your combat power, I've prepared a brand-new Special Summon banner just for you."
Her smile grew wider.
"And you happen to have quite a lot of spare Saint Quartz right now, don't you~?"
Spare?
Go ahead and explain exactly what you mean by "spare."
That profiteering merchant had obviously been waiting for Hoshino to finish fighting the King Battles and accumulate a huge pile of Saint Quartz.
Now she was ready to harvest her crop of whales.
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