"Wait for us, Ir—Irena-senpai!"

"What's going on? Irena looks... kind of weird."

Behind her, Aisha and Kaima still hadn't grasped what was happening, only able to trail after Irena as she charged out of the dorms in a rush.

"Miles? Miles!"

Irena's voice echoed anxiously in Miles' mind.

"What do you think you're doing? Let me guess… you're not seriously going after Luca Slint for a Duel, are you? Using my body like you did for Aisha?"

"Is there any other choice?"

"Well, no... but let me remind you again, Hamon—Lord of Striking Thunder—is ridiculously strong. Otherwise, I wouldn't have lost."

"I know."

Hamon. Miles hadn't fought it personally, even so, he knew it well—from Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, where it was one of the Sacred Beasts, rivaling the Egyptian Gods. In the current meta of brute-force decks, Hamon would be devastating.

If the Shadow Game in Irena's dream was manipulated by the Millennium Ring, it wouldn't be surprising.

Despite that, the fact that Irena—one of Fusion Academy's top Duelists—lost said everything about the Sacred Beasts' power.

"It'll be tough... but not impossible."

Miles could only hope the Millennium Ring's wielder had only Hamon and not all three Sacred Beasts.

After all, Hamon was arguably the weakest of the three—not particularly memorable from the original series, to the point that Miles had forgotten its name.

His only real memory of it was a bunch of memes about "Ultimate Crystal Hamon" from old card game forums.

"Fine, let's say you can beat Hamon using my body. But what about the Spirit Eyes? Mine's still unusable, remember?"

"That's the least of your worries, Irena."

Without slowing down, Miles raised Irena's arm mid-stride and shook the Spirit Eyes pendant.

Once dull and unlit, it now glowed brilliantly again in his hand.

"Since it was your soul preventing activation, now that I'm in control, it works again."

"...That actually makes sense. I can't argue with that. Do what you have to."

Irena never imagined she'd one day give her body over to a boy she just met and watch from the sidelines as he sought revenge on a Sacred Beast.

Following the clear sound of the Millennium Ring's chime, Miles and the others left Fusion Academy and arrived at a remote, barren grassland.

At the border of grass and forest, the chime abruptly stopped.

With her soul-memory restored, Irena instantly recognized the spot.

"This is where I Dueled Luca Slint that night. It's also where I found the Millennium Ring."

"So they led us back here. Looks like we aren't the only ones seeking revenge."

"Hahahahahaha!"

A girl's arrogant laughter echoed across the empty field.

"So you really came. Even knowing Hamon has awakened, you still seek me out? You must have a death wish."

"That voice!" Aisha's ahoge twitched. "Luca! It really is you! You're the Millennium Ring's host!"

"Half-right, Aisha Yuna Carlos."

Still unseen, the trio stared as the Millennium Ring floated eerily before them.

A second later, it glowed. Dark energy surged from the eye at its center, shaping itself into a petite girl. Her features and outfit resembled Luca Slint's about 80%, but her gray-white hair matched Irena's, and her deep-blue eyes resembled the ocean.

On her head sat a tiny witch hat—the girl who emerged from the Millennium Ring looked like a fusion of Luca and Irena.

"Luca Slint is indeed my host. However, she's not my only one. Same as you, isn't it?"

Her gaze shifted to the Millennium Puzzle on Irena's chest.

"We draw power from multiple hosts. There's no real difference between us. The only difference is—I take, while you pretend to assist."

"It really is you! You stole the most vital part of Irena's soul—the one tied to her Spirit Eyes!"

"Stole? That's not fair. She lost to me."

She raised her arm, where two Spirit Eyes glittered.

Two.

For the first time, they saw someone with two Spirit Eyes at once.

"Interesting, isn't it? After awakening the Sacred Beasts, Shadow Games let me do more than steal cards—I can take Spirit Eyes too. Once they lose, a Duelist's life is over. That's how I define a true Shadow Game!"

"You really are nothing like me. I guess the Pharaoh's term 'evildoer' was meant for people like you."

"The Pharaoh?"

Hearing that word, the Millennium Ring host's eyes flashed with killing intent.

"Tch. That damn Millennium Puzzle really is a nuisance. Fine then. If no one's hiding anymore, let's settle this with a Duel. A Shadow Game, of course!"

Dark energy exploded from the Ring, forming a Duel Arena and cutting out any non-Duelists.

"What is this?!"

Kaima frowned. She hadn't understood much of the conversation, but being forcibly excluded shocked her.

"Aisha Carlos? Irena?"

Of the three, Kaima was the only one pushed out of the Shadow Game barrier.

Inside were the Millennium Ring, Miles (in Irena's body), and Aisha Carlos.

"Why am I part of this Shadow Game too?!"

"Hehehahaha! You thought you could run, Aisha Carlos?!"

The white-haired girl laughed maniacally, her face twisting into full yandere mode.

"We're ending things, so I might as well wipe out both of you at once! The spirit inside the Puzzle, and Aisha Yuna Carlos—the first host! With the power of the Sacred Beasts, I hereby allow it! You two can come at me together!"

...

If you want to support, please consider Patreon, and read advanced chapters! Your support keeps this series going!

[Patreon.com/RedZTL]