Let's play cards! In a fantasy world of swords and magic

"What… what's going on?!"

Even more confused than You Ling, who had been sent back into the Millennium Puzzle, was Aisha Yuna Carlos, who had suddenly been swapped onto the duel field.

Originally, Aisha had been comfortably watching You Ling duel from within the Puzzle, casually cheering him on.

But she never expected to be directly attacked by the Pharaoh, forcibly swapped onto the field.

The Pharaoh spoke solemnly: "The duelist has been swapped. Yuna, you will take over the duel from here."

"Take over Mr. You Ling's duel… I can't do it! There's no way I can do it! I've never won a duel on my own before…"

The more she spoke, the more her confidence wavered. Facing the strongest Pharaoh, whom even You Ling couldn't defeat, with only one weak card in hand—this was a desperate situation.

Aisha Carlos, thrust into this critical moment, was so panicked that the ahoge on her head trembled uncontrollably.

"Aisha Yuna Carlos, believe in yourself. You possess qualities that You Ling does not. I hope that in future duels, the two of you will complement each other, rather than relying solely on You Ling to fight."

Lowering his duel disk, the Pharaoh declared the end of his turn.

"Me and Aisha, complementing each other…"

Combined with the Pharaoh's earlier words, this warning struck deep into You Ling's heart.

It was only then that You Ling realized that in all the recent duels, he had simply been taking over for Aisha.

It seemed as though all he needed to do was win every duel for Aisha, and everything would be resolved perfectly.

But was this really the right approach?

Making Aisha admire him, depend on him, unable to leave him—was this truly the best way to coexist with his host after transmigrating?

Indeed, since You Ling's arrival, Aisha had gone from being a bottom-feeder with zero wins to an elite duelist with an undefeated streak, just like Kevin Seto.

But was this really what it meant to grow stronger?

The victories at Fusion Academy had indeed brought Aisha and You Ling credits and spell points, allowing them to craft stronger magic and trap cards.

But Aisha's mindset, or rather her essence, hadn't changed at all.

Even as Ilin successfully summoned Sparkman, Aisha still summoned weak Normal Monsters with no effects during every Thursday's summoning class.

—This wasn't what growth or becoming stronger was about.

"Listen, Aisha."

"[・_・?] Huh?"

"This duel… if it's just me fighting, it's already very hard to win. But you're different, understand?"

"Even Mr. You Ling can't win this duel. How am I supposed to…"

"Like the Pharaoh said, believe in yourself. The cards I've crafted for you, the strategies I've chosen—they're not enough to win this duel. But you're different. In this deck, there's a choice that belongs only to you, a possibility that's uniquely yours."

"A possibility that's uniquely mine?"

Aisha's emerald-green eyes shifted to the deck in her Spirit Eye.

"Remember our first battle, Aisha. That was a victory only we could achieve together."

"Our first battle…"

The duel against Kevin Seto.

It was also the first time You Ling and Aisha truly fought side by side, a battle where victory or defeat would determine their future.

The turning point in that duel wasn't any card You Ling had crafted.

It was Aisha Yuna Carlos's unwavering determination over the past six months.

"I understand, Mr. You Ling. This time, I'll fight alongside you!"

Even more exaggerated than the duel against Kevin Seto, this was a true battle of the weakest versus the strongest.

Aisha Carlos had only one chance to draw a card.

Her fair fingertips rested on the deck in her Spirit Eye. It had been a long time since Aisha had felt the excitement of drawing a card herself.

In the past, every draw was filled with uncertainty, as if each card pulled her closer to the darkness of defeat.

But now, things were different.

After witnessing so many of You Ling's duels, Aisha had come to understand her deck better and saw hope.

Even if they lost, fighting with all their might would point the way to growth.

"My turn, draw!"

The long-lost thrill of drawing a card herself ignited something in Aisha for the first time during a duel—something called fighting spirit.

"Heh." The Pharaoh smiled in satisfaction. "After you draw, I activate the Continuous Trap Card Bond of the Cards! Once per turn, I can revive King's Knight from my graveyard!"

[King's Knight ATK: 1600]

Once again, the golden-armored knight, representing the King in a deck of cards, raised his shield. The infinite revival ability of the Continuous Trap Card widened the gap between the two sides.

If nothing unexpected happened, You Ling and Aisha would be crushed by the reunited trio of knights next turn.

Their only hope was Aisha's one draw—and the possibility that You Ling had mentioned, the one that belonged solely to Aisha.

"This card is… Mr. You Ling!"

"This is our last chance, Aisha!"

"Mm!"

Aisha & You Ling: "Spell Card activated—Card Exchange!"

The last card that held the hope of a comeback wasn't one You Ling had crafted. It was the very first D-grade spell Aisha had chosen.

"By the effect of [Card Exchange], let's swap hands, Pharaoh."

Aisha currently had only one card left in her hand: White Duston. The Pharaoh had no choice but to take this card.

Meanwhile, Aisha could choose one card from the Pharaoh's hand, which had been replenished to four cards.

"Have you found your answer, Yuna? Then, as a reward, take your pick!"

After taking [White Duston] from Aisha's hand, the Pharaoh openly revealed all the cards in his hand.

"!!!"

Every card was one Aisha had never seen before.

Their rarity was completely unknown, as if they didn't belong to this world's card system.

Though Aisha didn't recognize any of the four cards, one card in particular deeply attracted her.

As if guided by a brilliant light, Aisha reached out with her fair fingers and pointed.

"I'll take this one."

"Take it. She said she wanted to go to your side."

The Pharaoh willingly handed over the card.

"Mm, my turn ends."

Holding the card she had taken from the Pharaoh, Aisha didn't perform any further actions, ending her turn with an empty field.

"My turn, draw. Then, I activate the Continuous Trap Card Bond of the Cards once more, reviving the final knight in my graveyard—Queen's Knight!"

[Queen's Knight ATK: 1500]

With just one card, all three knights of the deck were revived. This level of power was far beyond what Aisha's current deck could handle.

"Now, after witnessing You Ling's ability to unlock a monster's potential, let me see the brilliance of your heart, Yuna! Jack's Knight, direct attack!"

"Now! I activate the effect of a monster from my hand!"

Holding the card she had taken from the Pharaoh high above her head, Aisha felt a courage in dueling that she had never experienced before.

Even against the strongest, she would fight bravely.

This was the most important belief You Ling had taught her as a duelist.

At this moment, the light of hope for a comeback shone from the girl's fingertips.

"Glorious Goddess of Reversal!"

To be continued...