Joey in the Spirit World?
Of course, that was just a thought—there was no evidence or confirmation. Kira tucked the idea away for now.
There wasn’t much more of value from the aftermath. However, they did manage to get a fragmentary map of this dimension’s limited region, and they marked their next exploration target on it—the location of the next Supreme King Army camp.
The two returned to the nearby small town. Near the edge of town, through the bushes, they heard voices by the river.
"Lord Mountain God wants seven live sacrifices this time," a man’s voice said, sounding troubled. "That’s even more than last time, and the gap between ceremonies seems shorter too."
Another man replied, "Since the Mountain God requested it, we have to do our best."
"But that’s too many, no matter how you look at it—"
"Shut up."
The other man suddenly snapped, then lowered his voice.
"Careful with your words. What if someone hears—"
"Yeah, you’re right. Still, even if no one says anything, I can tell the people in town aren’t happy either," the first man sighed. "It’s getting harder for us to manage.
But you’re right, no matter what, we can’t risk angering Lord Mountain God—"
Hearing this, Jaden immediately leapt out of the bushes.
"If you’re talking about the Mountain God in those hills, you don’t need to worry anymore."
Jaden stood with his hands on his hips, looking quite proud.
The two men were startled and turned around. Both looked human, wearing simple rough-spun clothes, rugged and tanned—like country folk.
Clearly locals of the Spirit World.
Their first reaction to seeing someone was to shrink back, like startled rabbits ready to bolt. Earlier, when Kira and Jaden entered town, it was empty—clearly the residents weren’t hospitable and avoided strangers.
But after hearing what the red-clothed youth said, the two paused and exchanged glances. One asked, "Who are you?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Jaden grinned, "That so-called Mountain God isn’t a god at all, but an evil spirit. We’ve already defeated that guy."
"From now on, you’ll never have to worry about being forced to make sacrifices again."
Jaden had always admired heroes, fantasizing about one day being able to punish evil and promote good like in the comics. Now that opportunity had come, naturally he felt proud.
Well, the only regret was that he couldn’t really take all the credit, since Kira had snatched the finishing blow.
But either way, he expected the townsfolk to be grateful—even if not in any material way, at least with words of thanks for their savior.
Things didn’t go as expected.
One man frowned skeptically, "What nonsense is this, kid? Lord Mountain God’s power is unfathomable, how could someone like you—"
But the other man blanched, voice trembling, "Wait, he might be telling the truth. Look at his hand—"
The first man followed his gaze to Jaden’s right hand, and his face changed instantly.
That’s... a Duel Disk!
He’s a Duelist!
In this world, Duelists are wielders of powerful secret arts, able to command armies with their cards—like armies in one person.
"That’s right, I’m from out of town, and I’m a Duelist," Jaden said proudly. "So don’t worry, your Mountain God—"
Kira recorded their current coordinates in this dimension—like saving game progress. Then the two logged out and left the dimension.
That night, both went to rest.
.....
The next morning, Duel Academy held its new term opening ceremony in the great hall.
Same familiar hall, same familiar feeling—and as usual, Jaden was late and missed the start of the ceremony, just like last term.
After being dragged out of bed by Syrus and rushing to the hall, Jaden dozed off in line as usual, drawing the first scolding of the semester from Professor Crowler.
Surprisingly, Chancellor Sheppard didn’t show up at the opening. Last term, he hadn’t attended in person either, but at least made a speech on the big screen. This time, even the speech was left to Professor Crowler.
The first day of the new term seemed to pass uneventfully.
But no one noticed that, that night, outside the Red, Yellow, and Blue dorms, several strange bats flew by.
They hung upside down outside, each with pairs of dark red eyes, watching the students inside through the windows with cold indifference.
Far away, across a foggy sea, an ancient castle had appeared.
Luxurious and old, the castle’s bathroom was filled with the gentle scent of lavender and moonlight streaming through the misted window, draping everything in silver gauze. Amid the rising steam, a woman lay in the bath.
She lounged comfortably, her skin pale in the moonlight. Layers of delicate soap bubbles hid most of her body, only a deep cleavage exposed above the water.
"Duel Academy, huh?"
The woman smiled, her eyes lighting up with a red glow—just like the bats outside the dorms.
PS: Bonus Chapters at 3000 PS

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