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

Despite being struck by an attack from a god—an explosion of energy that seemed capable of annihilating the heavens and the earth—Aisha didn't feel the usual impact that accompanied real duels.

Otherwise, with her light frame, being hit by an attack of this magnitude would have sent her tumbling backward several times to offset the force.

Instead, Aisha stood motionless in the divine light, watching as her life points slowly dropped to zero.

"Did I... still lose?"

It would be a lie to say she wasn't disappointed. Before the duel, You Ling had warned her that winning would be difficult.

But after grasping a glimmer of hope for a comeback, losing in the end felt even more crushing than being outright overwhelmed.

"I'm sorry, Mr. You Ling. I'm still too useless."

"Aisha, don't ever say that again."

"Why not?"

"You're the duelist who forced a god to reveal itself. If someone like you is useless, what does that make everyone else?"

"The duelist who forced a god to reveal itself... is that me?"

It felt like a dream. Before this, Aisha Carlos had no idea what the God Cards truly meant. But now, thanks to You Ling's praise, she felt a sense of pride she had never experienced before.

"That's right, Yuna. You should be more confident. The brilliance of humanity hidden within your heart is your greatest weapon. If you learn to harness this trait, you might even surpass the gods one day."

The Pharaoh retracted his duel disk. The mechanical duel disk, which had unfolded during the duel, reassembled with a series of metallic clicks and hung neatly on his arm.

"I believe that after this duel, even if you haven't found the true answer, you've at least discovered the direction to search for it. This way, you'll be better prepared for the duels you may face in the future."

"The duels we may face in the future?" You Ling asked curiously. "Are you referring to the duels after advancing to higher grades? Like the ranking battles between the three academies in the Holy Land of Spirits?"

"Not just that."

The Pharaoh gently lifted the Millennium Puzzle hanging from his chest, identical to Aisha's.

However, the Millennium Puzzle in the Pharaoh's hands, like his body, was semi-transparent, as if it didn't truly exist in this world.

"The Seven Millennium Items. I believe you've already seen one of them tonight—the Millennium Ring."

"Yes, we saw it. It was used by the dark duelists," Aisha nodded.

"Just as you, Yuna, coincidentally summoned the Millennium Puzzle, the other six Millennium Items have also been drawn to this Elven Continent due to some special force."

"There are six more items like the Millennium Puzzle?"

"Even I don't fully understand why the Seven Millennium Items, symbols of dark power, have been summoned to the Elven Continent. But it's undeniable that their arrival has disrupted the balance of light and darkness on the continent. Not every wielder of these items can balance their darkness with their own light, as you have, Yuna."

As for why the Seven Millennium Items symbolize dark power, this must be traced back to their creation in ancient Egypt three thousand years ago.

You Ling vaguely remembered that the forging of the Seven Millennium Items involved the souls of countless living people.

These souls were cast into molten metal through an extreme dark ritual, and the resulting resentment and death energy allowed the items to tap into the deepest darkness.

"Fate has a way of bringing things together. Since the Millennium Items have descended upon the Elven Continent, they will inevitably reunite at some point. Please take this as my request, partner and inheritor of the Millennium Puzzle: do not let these items fall into the hands of those with ill intentions."

By "those with ill intentions," he meant people like the dark duelists they had encountered tonight.

Even though they wielded a counterfeit Millennium Ring, they could still initiate Shadow Games, steal others' cards, and harm innocent duelists.

You Ling asked, "Speaking of those with ill intentions, where did the dark duelist who collapsed here earlier, and Mizuki Mu, go?"

"I sent them back to where they belong."

Mizuki Mu was likely sent back to the academy, and as for the deceased dark duelist, You Ling felt he didn't need to ask further. After all, the Pharaoh was also the ruler of the underworld.

"I understand, Pharaoh," You Ling said.

"As for your request, I can't deny that the Shadow Games brought by the Millennium Items are extremely dangerous. Since fate will bring us together, I won't lose to any wielder of these items, at least not while ensuring our safety."

"That's good, You Ling," the Pharaoh nodded gently. "Although you can now win most duels in Yuna's place, you must understand that the truly difficult battles will require both of you to face them together, not for you to bear them alone."

"Right! I'll do my best to support Mr. You Ling too. Don't worry, Mr. Pharaoh!"

"Mr.... Pharaoh?"

Aisha's overly polite and peculiar way of addressing him left the Pharaoh scratching his star-shaped hair in confusion.

"Oh, Mr. Pharaoh, I should return this card to you."

Aisha took out [Glorious Reversal Goddess], the card she had taken from the Pharaoh using [Exchange].

According to the rules of the Elven Continent, cards taken during a duel should automatically return to their original owner's deck after the duel ends.

But for some reason, the Pharaoh's card remained in Aisha's deck.

"No, as I said earlier, she wants to stay with you."

The Pharaoh raised his hand, refusing to take the card Aisha offered.

"Yuna, as a reward for successfully forcing a God Card to reveal itself, you have earned the right to use this card."

"R-Really?"

Still unable to believe everything that had happened tonight, Aisha first received [Polymerization] from Ilin, and now she was being given [Glorious Reversal Goddess] by the Pharaoh.

This card, which clearly looked incredibly powerful, had the potential to completely turn the tide of a duel. In Fusion Academy, it was practically overpowered.

"You're so generous, Mr. Pharaoh!"

Aisha's praise, though simple, came from the heart.

But the Pharaoh's generosity didn't end there.

"Of course, You Ling, you've also shown me the potential of weak monsters. And as a reward for your first confrontation with darkness tonight, I'll give you these three cards."

"Three cards?" You Ling, still in his soul state, grew excited. "Could they be... the three Egyptian God Cards?"

Dream on. There was no way something that good would happen.

The three cards the Pharaoh handed over were the ones he had used as his main monsters tonight—the three knights representing the Jack, Queen, and King of playing cards.

From this point on, Aisha's deck's Spell Catalog unlocked another branch: a path focused on supporting the three knights of the playing cards.