"How interesting. There wasn't a single traceable record. Were they erased? No, no matter how skilled a hacker was, they couldn't leave behind absolutely no traces. And in this era, who could hide anything from Void Archives in cyberspace? Heh, things are getting interesting."
The blond man swirled his wineglass. "That little girl pretending to be Kallen was rather cute, though. I quite liked her way of speaking and doing things. If I get the chance to meet her, perhaps I could invite her to join Schicksal. Ah, provided she's willing to hand over her Herrscher friend to me."
As he spoke, Otto crushed the wineglass in his hand. "Five hundred years... you've finally awakened? Perfect. Then become the force that helps me resurrect Kallen."
You can do it, Lord Bishop!
--Scene Break--
Taixu Sword Qi comprised the five essences of Heart, Form, Intent, Soul, and Spirit. Of these, Heart Essence was both the introductory art and the most profound and complex. Cultivating a Sword Heart had to begin in youth; the younger one was, the more effective the cultivation. Even after one's Sword Heart had reached mastery, it had to be tempered for life. The slightest wavering would shatter it.
Heart Essence had four realms: Still Water, Dustless, Bright Mirror, and Taixu. Unfortunately, Xing had yet to even touch the threshold of Still Water. His heart was far too chaotic. The realm of Still Water required the waters of one's heart-lake to be crystal clear. Even if a few troubled thoughts drifted onto its surface like fallen leaves, they could not stir a single ripple. The waves lay flat, and the water rested.
However, the Sword Heart Art recorded within Feather Crossing Dust—a string of bizarre, incomprehensible syllables—was the Divine Sound Project of the Previous Era. It had already been branded into his subconscious, subtly guiding his body toward the most suitable direction while slowly tempering his heart as well.
But if the person himself failed to realize it, cultivating the heart would be exceedingly difficult.
Within Stigmata Space, several Red Feathers gave off a faint crimson glow, and a hazy phantom emerged among them.
Xing was very unhappy, because the white-haired dumpling had dragged him out of bed early in the morning again. She said she had accepted a lucrative A-rank mission and that the whole group needed to set out immediately. Yet she had only called him, and the two of them had run several laps around St. Freya Academy.
By the time Mei and Bronya arrived one after another, they found Kiana collapsed from exhaustion while Xing looked completely refreshed. He might have been small, but with 80 Endurance, Stigmata bonuses, and core-level stamina, anyone who dared compete with him in endurance was simply courting death.
"Why can't I keep going as long as you when I'm obviously older?" Kiana asked miserably.
"Let's talk about the mission first. Where is it?" Xing asked.
"The location is..." Kiana had just begun to answer when Bronya interrupted her.
"Bronya carefully reviewed the school rules after returning yesterday and found an oversight. If enrolled students wish to accept off-campus commissions, they must obtain a teacher's approval. Otherwise, they cannot use the transport ship."
"Aren't you a hacker? Can't you just hack in again?"
"If we get caught doing that, all four of us will be punished by being made to clean toilets. The risk is too high."
Half an hour later, in Himeko's office--
"This is why you came to see me? Not bad, you lot. You've only been enrolled for a month, haven't even taken the B-rank Valkyrie exam, and you're already thinking about leaving campus for field training?" Himeko scrutinized them with a sharp gaze. "Still, it's not impossible, as long as you can prove you have the strength."
"So we have to fight? Bring it on!" Kiana said eagerly.
"You do have to fight, but not against me. Come with me." Himeko smiled mysteriously and led the four of them deep into St. Freya Academy, where an enormous open area appeared before them.
"Where is this? Bronya couldn't find any information about it on the map."
"This is the Combat Simulation Program that was just repaired: the Memory Battlefield. It can read your deep memories and recreate enemies you have fought before. However, the accuracy of its simulation changes according to the clarity of your memories and the strength of the equipment. The simulated target may end up stronger or weaker than the real one."
Himeko took out four paper balls. "The newly repaired Memory Battlefield needs someone to test it. Draw lots, and one of you will be chosen for the test. If that person can clear all five ranks—S, A, B, C, and D—I'll permit you to leave campus."
The four accepted the paper balls in turn. When they opened them, each contained a different symbol.
Himeko took a look. "Mm, Xing was selected."
"Uh, can Kiana do it instead?" What if he went in and a Queen popped out?
"Hey, where did the courage of a Kaslana warrior go? Get down there, missy says so!" Kiana shoved him forward.
"Boys need to be brave if they want to win girls' affection. Besides, fighting enemies from your deep memories might awaken the memories you've lost." As Himeko spoke, she activated the Memory Battlefield.
The equipment began operating, and the surroundings gradually changed. Please don't let it be those. Xing prayed silently.
"Good luck, Xing! Whether Fire Moth can be founded depends on you!" the white-haired dumpling cheered for him.
"How strange." Bronya suddenly spoke from the side. "Teacher Himeko never told us what symbol represented being selected, and all four symbols were different. Normally, shouldn't three be the same and one be different? It's as if she deliberately wanted Xing to enter the Memory Battlefield."
The metal arena was replaced by mountainous terrain. Xing frowned, feeling for some reason that he had seen this place often. Then a mosaic-like wall appeared across from him, and he finally remembered.
"Damn! Isn't this Toei Ancestral Back Mountain? Is the first battle going to be Kamen Rider Decade? This is hell right from the start!" Xing nearly surrendered on the spot. Fortunately, the one who emerged from the dimensional wall was not that passing-through Kamen Rider.
"Magical Girl Teriri reporting for duty~" A pink-haired rabbit popped out.
"Great Aunt Theresa?" Kiana's eyes nearly bulged out. Why did this little girl in a pink magical girl outfit look so much like that academy principal with the look of wisdom on her face?
"So Theresa has this kind of hobby? Xing really is her illegitimate son, isn't he?" Himeko began recording.
"H-hello." Xing greeted her awkwardly.
"Dark being from another world, be purified by Teriri's magic! Transform!" The pink-haired rabbit raised her wand, and her entire body was engulfed in light.
What was going on? Wasn't she already transformed? That was what everyone present was thinking, but their doubts were answered the next second.
The pink-haired rabbit's muscles swelled dramatically, bursting apart her magical girl outfit. In mere seconds, she transformed from a petite, adorable little girl into a towering, muscular man!
Kiana was so frightened she turned monochrome, Mei's mouth fell open in shock, and Bronya felt her beautiful fantasy of magical girls shatter instantly. As for Himeko, she felt she might never be able to look Theresa in the eye again.
Xing: "..." Wasn't this the Theresa he had seen in Bilibili videos before he transmigrated?
"Tremble beneath Teriri's power!" The muscular man charged forward with his fist raised, his casserole-sized fist flying straight at Xing's face.
"Boom!" With a deafening blast, the ground beneath Xing's feet cracked apart. The muscular man's eyes widened, because a small hand had firmly caught his fist.
"Don't you dare slander the outfit I spent tens of thousands of Star Stones on!" Blue light bloomed in Xing's eyes. Grabbing the man's fist, he hurled him away. "I'll show you a real magical girl!"
(Xing's red eyes turning blue marked the Kaslana bloodline completely overpowering the Shenzhou bloodline. It was also a sign that his Stigmata power was being further unleashed.)
"Magical Armor POWER ON!" (You don't count as a magical girl either, okay?)
Though it was supposed to be Magic Armor, Kouyou's Holy Attire had an unmistakably technological aesthetic as it equipped itself. Although Xing had experienced its complete form once in virtual space, the real armor was still restricted and could not use its weapons.
The muscular man sprang to his feet and was about to charge again when the Prototype Pulse Greatsword smashed directly into his face. Furious, Xing kicked him in the crotch, then delivered a full combo of kicks solidly into his body.
The muscular man fell and transformed into fragments of data before disappearing. Still not satisfied, Xing stomped hard on the remains several more times to vent his anger.
The black-and-white dimensional wall rose once more, and a young man in a white trench coat emerged. "So you are the duelist of this world? Hmph. Take out your deck and duel me!"
He produced a Duel Disk and tossed it to the dumbfounded Xing. The boy was about to refuse when he discovered that a deck had somehow appeared in his hands.
"The Memory Battlefield can simulate even this?" Himeko's jaw dropped. Bronya was very interested.
"DUEL! ×2" (This duel uses the newest Master Rules, but both sides have 4000 Life Points.)
"First turn is mine!" Seto Kaiba sharply drew five cards from his Duel Disk. "I reveal Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand, using its soul to bring forth my new servant! Come, Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon! Next, I activate the Ritual Spell Chaos Form from my hand, sending Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand to the Graveyard to bring down the whip of your absolute defeat ahead of schedule! Ritual Summon! Descend, Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon!"
Two powerful Dragon monsters appeared upon the Memory Battlefield.
"I activate the Spell Card Pot of Extravagance from my hand, banishing six cards from my Extra Deck face-down to draw two cards from my deck. Then I activate Pot of Desires from my hand, banishing ten cards from the top of my deck face-up to draw two cards. I set one card and end my turn. Now then, it's your turn, little girl."
Kaiba's hand: 2
Xing did not correct his mistake. After all, he was currently wearing Kouyou's Holy Attire. He looked at his hand. "Let's go, everyone! My turn, draw!"
"When there are no monsters on my field, Kiana can be Special Summoned from my hand!" A familiar white-haired dumpling appeared out of thin air, fearlessly confronting the two Blue-Eyes.
"That's me?" Kiana stared blankly at the Memory Battlefield. "Bronya remembers that Konami did not print a card specifically for an idiot." Ya Ya sounded very serious.
"Next, when there is a Valkyrie monster on my field, Xing can be Special Summoned from my hand. When this card is successfully summoned, I can search my deck for one card with Valkyrie in its name and add it to my hand. I choose Valkyrie Fusion! I activate it directly, choosing to fuse Xing and Kiana!"
"O newborn nameless flame, temper the blade of courage at this moment and carve a path forward for me! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8, Judgment Knight!" The White Knight descended upon the Memory Battlefield.
Kiana looked at him with a complicated expression.
"I activate the effect of Raiden Mei in my hand! When Kiana is sent from the field to the Graveyard, Special Summon this card and Xing from the Graveyard! Next, I tune Level 4 Mei with Level 4 Xing!"
4★ + 4★ = 8★
"O thunder that rends the heavens, become my ally and cut through all impurity! Synchro Summon! Be born, Level 8, Blade of the Thunder Queen!"
The purple samurai fought side by side with the White Knight.
"Raiden Mei's special effect activates! When the Synchro Summon using this card as Synchro Material succeeds, revive the non-Tuner Monster among the Synchro Materials! Then I activate Blade of the Thunder Queen's special effect! When it is Synchro Summoned, destroy the highest-Level monster on my opponent's field. I choose Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon!"
Endless thunder engulfed the Blue-Eyes and destroyed it.
(The author has never played a Blue-Eyes deck, and his dueling skill is only casual level. In his last tournament, he got utterly crushed by Runick Spright and P.U.N.K., only beating Marincess and Ursarctic.)
"I Normal Summon Bronya and activate her effect, adding the Equip Spell Card Heavy-Duty Rabbit 19C from my deck to my hand. I use Level 4 Bronya and Level 4 Xing to construct an Xyz Network!"
"A burning heart shall awaken a cold shell. Plan the future with reason! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4, Otherworld Hacker!"
"When an Xyz Monster using Bronya as Xyz Material is successfully summoned, I can destroy one of your set cards. Hacker Invasion!"
"I chain the Quick-Play Spell Ultimate Fusion! During either player's Main Phase, return the Fusion Materials listed on a Fusion Monster from the hand, field, or Graveyard to the deck, then Fusion Summon that monster! I return Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon from my Graveyard, as well as Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand, to the deck!"
"Witness with your own eyes the form of the evolved strongest dragon! Fusion Summon! Appear here, The True Dragon of Ultimate Blue-Eyes!"
The three Blue-Eyes merged together, and that familiar figure appeared before Xing.
A knight, a samurai, and a hacker gathered on the field, facing two powerful Dragon monsters together.
"Fire Moth, reporting for duty!"
"Could these be cards Xing imprinted using us as templates?" Mei asked in disbelief.
"This is incredible. No one has ever brought something like a game or manga into the Memory Battlefield before. That means his mind is incredibly powerful, enough to materialize fantasies in this space. But why do those monsters look like combinations of you girls and Xing?" Himeko praised him.
"Go, Xing! Don't lose to those two stinking dragons!" Kiana shouted.
"Good luck." Ya Ya also cheered him on. It would have been better if her expression were a little more animated.
"Let's go, Kaiba! I equip Heavy-Duty Rabbit 19C to Otherworld Hacker. Enter the Battle Phase!"
"Roar~ You don't have a single monster capable of matching my Blue-Eyes, yet you still dare challenge me?" Kaiba watched him with interest. Those monsters probably had some decent effects.
"The bonds between comrades will overcome every obstacle! I activate Otherworld Hacker's effect! During either player's Battle Phase, detach one Xyz Material to double its ATK!"
ATK: 2500→5000
"Yes! Our attack power is higher now!" Kiana said excitedly.
"Otherworld Hacker, attack Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon!" At Xing's command, Hacker rode its motorcycle straight through Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, and dazzling fireworks exploded across the field.
Kaiba LP: 4000→3000
"Yes!" Kiana was brimming with confidence.
"But now I can summon the ultimate dragon. When a Blue-Eyes on the field is destroyed, Deep-Eyes White Dragon in my hand can be Special Summoned!
Endless time, hidden within that primordial white power—let feathers tremble and spread amid the echoes of resonating souls! Come forth from the azure abyss, Deep-Eyes White Dragon!
Next, Deep-Eyes White Dragon inherits the power of the Blue-Eyes in my Graveyard and inflicts damage equal to the number of Dragon monster types in your Graveyard × 600. Bear the wrath of the Blue-Eyes!"
ATK: 0→4000 Xing LP: 4000→3400
"A monster equipped with Heavy-Duty Rabbit 19C can attack twice per turn!" Enduring the damage, Xing launched another attack through the pain.
Motorcycle double kill!
Kaiba LP: 3000→2000
"Not bad, but my strongest servant, The True Dragon of Ultimate Blue-Eyes, still remains on the field! What will you do now?"
"My companions are on the field too. My companions and I will never lose to you!"
"So what? The trash monsters on your field cannot possibly contend with my The True Dragon of Ultimate Blue-Eyes!"
"Not necessarily! Judgment Knight, attack The True Dragon of Ultimate Blue-Eyes! I activate its effect: when Judgment Knight battles an enemy stronger than itself, its attack power doubles!"
ATK: 2500→5000
The White Knight combined its twin guns, revealing the blade of Knight's Judgment in greatsword form. Crimson energy continuously gathered along its edge.
"Blazing Inferno Strike!" The knight raised the massive sword and cleaved the dragon in two.
Kaiba LP: 2000→1500
Outside, Himeko suddenly felt that something was off. Why did that move's name sound so familiar?
"Blade of the Thunder Queen, direct attack!"
Lightning punishment descended from the sky, delivering the final blow to Kaiba.
Kaiba LP: 1500→0
"You too, proud duelist." Seto Kaiba gradually faded away.
"I won. That was such an enjoyable duel~" Xing smiled contentedly.
Before you continue