The Godforsaken / Time to make a run for it...

"Just a dying flame in the wind," aaa76 said indifferently. "I'll end my turn like this."

"My turn, draw." As Hara Shichi spoke, he reached toward the Duel Disk on the girl's arm to draw a card. But at some point, the arm that had been holding up the Duel Disk had gone limp.

"Hey, don't just give up. You still have 200 LP," Hara Shichi said weakly. Had she really fallen into despair?

"No, that's not it." Ai could not help speaking up. "She seems to have... fainted!"

"Huh?" Half-convinced, Hara Shichi reached out and touched the Masked Girl. Then, with a thud, she collapsed against him.

"..."

God Forsaker

"What happened? Was the impact too strong?" Feeling the girl's soft body against him, Hara Shichi was puzzled. Her attack had produced a powerful impact, but with the Primordial Dragon cushioning it, it should not have come to this. Even he, a duelist constantly judged to have "a physique too weak," was still standing just fine. Was this girl's constitution somehow even worse than his?

"Controlling a monster on the level of Envoy of Genesis for so long had probably already pushed her brain close to its limit," Ai explained from the side. "Combined with the powerful impact from the battle, fainting because she could not endure it was inevitable."

"Huh? She only summoned one Envoy of Genesis, didn't she?" Hara Shichi looked at Ai in bewilderment.

"Why do you think the side effects of the most important cards in dueling would be minor?" Ai looked at the girl lying in Hara Shichi's arms and explained with her arms folded. "Listen. Most monsters are like vicious dogs someone keeps. If a duelist's Duel Power level is high enough, the monsters will willingly submit. But if the duelist's level is too low, the monsters will continuously inflict mental shocks and turn around to control the duelist instead."

"Envoy of Genesis... is that high-level?" Hara Shichi was slightly dazed. It had 3000 attack and a decent effect, but it should not have been... that high-level, right?

After all, Nero from the first year could casually use Chaos MAX Dragon. Even that virtual projection across from him had summoned Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon. Envoy of Genesis should not have been that extreme.

"No, it is not that Envoy of Genesis is too high-level. It is that her level as a duelist is too low." Ai sighed. "A monster like Envoy of Genesis? Forget Julie—maybe even Yukikaze could use it with ease. But she cannot."

"Are you serious?" Hara Shichi frowned. "I don't think her dueling skill is low at all."

"I told you, it is a duelist's 'level.'" Ai gestured. "A duelist's level is the so-called level of Duel Power. Do you remember what I teased you about back then?"

"You've teased me too many times. Which one?"

"Battle Power, third rank."

Ai said blandly, "Simply put, you, a visitor from another world, are fundamentally unworthy of possessing Duel Power. The tiny amount of Duel Power on you only came from being in contact with me for a long time."

As she spoke, Ai pointed at the Masked Girl with pity. "And she, as a native of this continent, has a Duel Power level of—0."

"Lower than mine?!" Hara Shichi said in shock.

"That's right, lower than yours. Roughly one in a hundred million people. A complete insulator. If Duel Power were a swarm of bees that settled according to whether a duelist's pistil gave off a sweet fragrance, then duelists like her would be a pile of stinking mud—not even a flower. Something Duel Power would not even want to touch."

"People like this were called—God Forsakers."

"Did you abandon them?" Hara Shichi suddenly asked.

"How could that be? There are so many people across the continent; there will always be a few exceptions. She just happens to be one of them." Ai pointed at the Masked Girl's Duel Disk. "Have you noticed what is different between the Duel Disk on her hand and yours?"

Hara Shichi looked at the silver Duel Disk on his own hand. Perhaps because it was a deity-exclusive Duel Disk, it not only gave off a faint silver glow, but was also carved with incomprehensible runes and images.

The red Duel Disk on the Masked Girl's arm, meanwhile, was simply red, without any flashy decorations.

"Mm, yours looks better. It's flashier," Hara Shichi answered.

"Idiot! Who told you to look at that?!" Ai knocked Hara Shichi on the head. "Though my Duel Disk really is beautiful... that is not the point!"

"The point is that her Duel Disk was mechanically manufactured," Ai said calmly.

"Huh? What does that—wait, mechanically manufactured?!" Hara Shichi stroked the Duel Disk on the Masked Girl's arm and discovered that it really did have a metallic texture.

"Do you understand now? A duelist's Duel Disk is formed from their own activated Duel Power. Its texture may differ depending on the individual's Duel Power, but it absolutely would not have a metallic texture. Even if it really did feel metallic... it would not have this kind of construction!" Ai pointed at the Masked Girl's Duel Disk. "Unlike our Duel Disks, which directly attach to our arms, hers was strapped onto her arm beforehand! In other words... an artificial Duel Disk!"

"?!"

"There is no mistake. It is precisely because of this Duel Disk that she is qualified to stand here." Ai said flatly. "As a God Forsaker, she should not only be incapable of activating a Duel Disk—she should not even be able to use cards. The reason she could duel here now was entirely because of the Duel Power stored inside the Duel Disk!"

"So to her, this Duel Disk serves the same role you serve for me?" Hara Shichi finally understood what Ai meant.

"How can you put me on the same level as a human-made object like that?" Ai frowned, seemingly displeased by Hara Shichi's wording. "The Duel Power stored in that Duel Disk has a limit. Once it runs out, it needs to be replenished. That is probably why she came here, isn't it?"

"And the Duel Power stored in that Duel Disk probably has no level to begin with. No matter how much there is, it is still level 0 that anyone can absorb." Ai said, "In other words, the Duel Power in the Duel Disk can merely be used."

"High-level Spell Cards cannot be used. Any Trap Card will directly cause backlash. Using high-level Monster Cards brings mental shock and suppression."

"Do you understand now? What kind of existence is this girl you are holding?" Ai sighed. "Pitiful, tragic, lamentable, without light in her future—a child people cannot help but pity, cannot help but cherish."

"If I were her friend, I would probably advise her against it. If she has no talent yet insists on gnawing on a hard bone, then if she has the determination to persevere, she might as well choose a road with a better future."

"Wrong." Hara Shichi interrupted Ai.

"In my eyes, she is a brave, hardworking, powerful duelist full of promise—someone people cannot help but praise, cannot help but admire." Hara Shichi reached out and touched the artificial Duel Disk on the Masked Girl's arm.

"She does not need pity, because she is already walking the path she chose. She does not need recognition, because she is already brilliant enough. So I will not let her fall here."

"My turn, draw!"

Run for It

Even so, Hara Shichi had confidently declared that he would win the duel.

But in essence, every card in this deck was one Hara Shichi could not use. The sort of powerful card that could turn the tables in one move did not exist in this deck.

"But this card is enough."

Hara Shichi slammed the card he had drawn onto the Duel Disk. "I Normal Summon Scapegoat Sheep!"

Scapegoat Sheep: ATK 0/DEF 0. Effect: This card can only be activated when it is flipped face-up. Special Summon any number of "Black Sheep Token" (Zombie/DARK/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0) to your field.

"You should have set it face-down. What, did your brain stop working at the critical moment? Such a trash play?" The corners of Ai's lips curled up slightly. As Hara Shichi's partner, she had already understood what he intended to do, but she still could not resist teasing him.

That was right. If he had set it face-down, he could have directly summoned Black Sheep Tokens across the field and at least stalled for several more turns.

But that was not what Hara Shichi had in mind. He did not want to keep barely clinging on. What he wanted was to finish this in one blow!

That was right. Besides the Scapegoat Family's distinctive field-stalling effect, Scapegoat Sheep possessed another crucial trait—it was a Tuner Monster!

"Ai, the Duel Power you've absorbed should be almost enough by now, right?" Hara Shichi looked at Ai with blazing eyes.

"Of course. But I cannot guarantee I can print the card you want." As the omniscient and omnipotent Goddess of Duels, Ai naturally understood what kind of card was needed to turn the tables at a time like this.

"I believe in you. Come on." Hara Shichi pulled out a basic blank card from his card case and held it toward aaa76. "According to the rules of dueling, using a card printed during a duel does not violate the rules. You have no objections, right?"

"At a time like this, you actually want to rely on Card Printing?" aaa76's hollow mechanical voice carried a faint note of mockery. "According to my calculations, the probability of you printing a Synchro Monster right now is less than one percent. The probability of printing a Synchro Monster that meets the summoning conditions is less than one in a thousand. The probability of printing a Synchro Monster capable of turning the situation around is less than one in ten thousand. To place your hopes on such a tiny probability is truly laughable."

A tiny probability of less than one in ten thousand?

Hara Shichi remembered Julie's awkward struggle when she had tried to print a card. If Hara Shichi himself were the one printing it, things probably would not have gone much better. After all, he was merely an outsider with Battle Power at the third rank.

But if it was Ai, then it was absolutely not some tiny probability.

"A tiny probability of less than one in ten thousand? You really underestimate us." Ai wrapped her arms around Hara Shichi's neck as multicolored light flowed across their bodies. "Come on, A-Qi. Let it witness the power of a god."

"I tune the Primordial Dragon and Scapegoat Sheep on my field. Synchro Summon—"

A gale formed from silver Synchro Particles blew apart the hair over Hara Shichi's forehead. The image of a monster gradually appeared on the card in his hand. Seeing the stars and silver border already appearing on it, Hara Shichi unhesitatingly slapped it onto the Duel Disk.

"Synchro Summon—Dragon of the Underworld!"

Boom!

A massive black demon rose over the dueling field. Its long red tail continuously lashed against the floor, as though it could barely suppress its bloodthirsty desire to kill.

"Not bad luck," aaa76 said calmly. "Even so, Dragon of the Underworld only has 4000 attack, while my Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon has 4500."

"It's not over yet. I activate Dragon of the Underworld's effect. During my Standby Phase, I can target one face-up monster on your field. That monster's attack becomes half, and you take damage equal to that amount!"

"Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon cannot be targeted by your effects," aaa76 said without a ripple of emotion.

"Who said... I was going to choose Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon?" Hara Shichi pointed at the Jet Dragon on aaa76's field. "You did not forget that you still have a Jet Dragon on your field, did you?"

That was right. Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon was powerful: 4500 attack, untargetable, immune to effect destruction, and once per turn it could destroy one card on the opponent's field.

As a boss monster that held the field, it was already powerful enough.

But no matter how strong Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon was, what did that have to do with him attacking Jet Dragon?

"I choose the Jet Dragon on your field! Because of its effect, you take 1500 LP of damage!"

aaa76: 2000 → 500 LP.

"Next, I enter the Battle Phase. Dragon of the Underworld, attack Jet Dragon!"

Dragon of the Underworld and Jet Dragon tore into each other. Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon beside them let out a warning roar, yet could only helplessly watch as Jet Dragon was brought down.

aaa76: 500 → 0 LP. Win: Hara Shichi & Masked Girl!

Click!

With a crisp sound, the ports imprisoning their wrists expanded once more. Hara Shichi hurriedly pulled his hand free.

"Since you have won, leave this place at once." aaa76 gave them the cold order to leave.

"Can I come duel you again next time? I think playing cards with you is pretty interesting," Hara Shichi asked.

"Heh heh." aaa76 neither agreed nor refused. It merely sneered twice before vanishing into the air.

"What did those two sneers mean?" Hara Shichi asked in confusion.

"Forget about that. We made quite a haul tonight. This is no place to linger—run for it!" Ai looked like a little thief who had just succeeded at stealing for the first time, her face filled with eager excitement and a trace of panic.

"Good point. Let's go, let's go."

Just as Hara Shichi picked up the Masked Girl and left the teaching building, he suddenly thought of something. "Say, if we do not lock it from the inside, will the Head Teacher notice something wrong when he comes tomorrow morning?"

"It's fine. I locked it from the inside for you." Ai waved her hand.

"How could you, as a spirit, lock it for me—" Hara Shichi was about to continue when he suddenly felt a warm touch on his forehead.

It was Ai's fair, slender index finger.

"You can materialize?!" Hara Shichi exclaimed in shock.

"Hehe, quantitative change leads to qualitative change. After absorbing a huge amount of Duel Power, I can already materialize!" Ai said excitedly. "We made an absolute killing this time."

"Print the cards already."

"What are you in such a hurry for? Before that... what do we do with her?" Ai pointed at the Masked Girl in Hara Shichi's arms.

"Why is she still not awake? Could something have happened to her?" Prompted by Ai, Hara Shichi's excitement turned to worry.

"No. From what I can see, she just needs to rest like this for a while. But the problem is... where do we put her? We cannot take her back to the dormitory, can we?" Ai frowned.

Indeed, on the way back to the dormitory, they might run into someone returning after sneaking out. If anyone saw them, they would be finished, and Hara Shichi's identity would be exposed as well.

"Mm..."

Just as the two hesitated, a soft groan came from Hara Shichi's arms.

The Masked Girl woke up.

Card Printing Isn't Cheating

"You're awake?" Hara Shichi asked softly.

"Mm. Put me down," the Masked Girl said in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Oh." Hara Shichi gently put her down. But before she could stand steadily, her legs went weak and she nearly toppled to the ground. Hara Shichi had no choice but to extend one arm to support her.

"Thanks." The Masked Girl looked weak. "Did you win the duel in the end?"

"Mm." Hara Shichi did not deny it. Though there was some suspicion that he had cheated by using Ai to print a card, since Card Printing was not against the rules, then he had not cheated.

The Masked Girl nodded and took a card from her card case, handing it to Hara Shichi. "Take it. Consider it my thanks."

Trap Card—Destruction Potion.

"Then I won't hold back." Hara Shichi accepted it. In an environment with 4000 LP, having a card that restored LP was not bad.

"In that case, let us part ways here." Under the bright moonlight, the Masked Girl gently pushed away Hara Shichi's supporting arm and limped into the night, leaving Hara Shichi standing there in a daze.

The two had met by chance. The Masked Girl had not intended to become close with Hara Shichi, and giving him a card in thanks had already fulfilled every courtesy.

"Snap out of it. She's already gone." Ai's bare little foot kicked Hara Shichi lightly in the back.