Heroes of Destiny

Aster fell to his knees, his breath catching in his chest.

He had lost.

This might have been his first defeat since his debut. And upon careful reflection, it ought to have counted as a complete loss.

He had not felt it during the Duel. Several times, he had thought he had a chance. At other times, he had seemed only a step away; if his luck had been just a little better, or if there had been the slightest variable, the result might have been different.

Perhaps he should have won.

But when he recalled the entire Duel, looked at the bigger picture, and considered his opponent's performance throughout, he suddenly felt that the other man might never have shown his true strength at all.

Yes, it had been like being toyed with. It was as though the outcome had been decided before the Duel even began. What tactics he chose, how he played his cards, how he attacked—none of it had mattered.

He had lost because that was how the outcome had been fated.

It was exactly like the opponents Aster himself had faced until now. In all his Duels thus far, against all manner of opponents, he had rarely even needed to bring out his Destiny HEROs. He had treated Duels as little more than playthings.

Intangible fate had always placed him on the victor's side, yet today, it seemed to have kicked him into the position of the defeated for the first time. For the first time, he felt the helplessness of those he had defeated when facing the monstrous force known as fate.

Especially when that crushing fate took tangible form, looming over him like an immovable mountain. Pressed to the ground, it felt as though he were under a thousand times normal gravity, barely