NOVEL WEB Chapter 38: DSMW [38]
Radiance dispersed the darkness—angels triumphed over demons.
Having won his first Shadow Game, Miles also achieved a tactical milestone for Aisha's junk deck—the Weakling OTK strategy with Double Triangle Combo.
The duel officially ended. The fog of the Shadow Game surrounding Aisha gradually faded, returning the scenery to the peaceful backdrop of the mountain of Fusion Academy.
And perhaps thanks to the glow released by Mokey Mokey at the end, the damp hair and soaked uniform Aisha got from [Makiu, the Magical Mist] were now completely dry under the warm light.
Thud!
The black-robed man, defeated in the Shadow Game, collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, crashing onto the ground with a heavy thump.
It looked painful.
Aisha cheered, "We did it, Miles! We won the Shadow Game!"
"We had to. Losing would've been worse than what happened to Mizuki."
Miles figured that with Aisha's naive nature, she might not even realize how terrifying losing this Shadow Game would have been.
It wouldn't just mean losing a Rare Card or suffering a mental breakdown, especially since their opponent seemed to have noticed the Millennium Puzzle on Aisha's chest during the duel.
Being targeted by the Millennium Ring—likely belonging to the main antagonist—was dangerously bad news.
"At least... despite the danger, the reward is pretty good."
Tradable Cards—the best reward from a Shadow Game—were far more convenient than just gaining Magic Points.
After all, Tradable Cards let you take the opponent's Monster Cards, something Magic Points could never do since they only crafted Spells and Traps.
Just as Miles had boldly declared mid-duel—taking the 6-star [Summoned Skull], whose Attack surpassed [Red-Eyes Black Dragon], could finally improve the 100% junk density of Aisha's deck.
As long as she kept a single junk monster, she could Tribute Summon a 2500-Attack monster next turn. Even slotted into the forming Weakling archetype, it was still absurdly strong.
"We just pull it directly from his Deck, right?"
Miles spread out the fallen black-robed man's Deck, scanning it briefly. The most valuable card for Aisha was, without question, [Summoned Skull].
Or maybe... the B-rank Spell Card [Monster Reborn] was also tempting.
Technically, [Monster Reborn] wasn't originally the black-robed man's—it belonged to Mizuki, who was still lying unconscious on the ground.
Thinking about it... Mizuki really was unlucky.
He hadn't even done anything wrong. He just got caught up in this Shadow Game out of curiosity over the Egyptian God Cards and his genuine passion for Duel Monsters. Now he'd lost his rarest card.
Would he end up like Ron—falling into madness from losing a Shadow Game?
"Wait a sec... since this [Monster Reborn] is already a Tradable Card... does that mean we can take it too?"
While debating between [Summoned Skull] and [Monster Reborn], Miles suddenly noticed a loophole.
Because it had been involved in a Shadow Game, [Monster Reborn] had shifted from being a bound card to a Tradable Card.
Could they take [Summoned Skull] and this [Monster Reborn]?
Aisha frowned slightly. "I don't think that's possible, Miles."
"Why not?"
"Even with Tradable Cards, unless the original owner consciously agrees, you can't take it. That's just how the Card Rules work in the Spirit Continent."
"Tch, stingy rules."
With his loot-goblin plan foiled, Miles grumbled bitterly through Aisha's little mouth.
After all the effort of winning a Shadow Game, they should be allowed to loot the opponent's entire Deck, honestly. Limiting it to just one card was miserly.
No wonder Duelist standards hadn't improved much over the centuries if card circulation was this stingy.
"Um... Miles, could I ask you for a favor?"
This time, Aisha's voice sounded timid, like she felt bad even bringing it up.
"C'mon. There's no 'asking for favors' between us. Say it."
"It might be selfish, but... can we give [Monster Reborn] back to Mizuki?"
Miles blinked. "Give it back? Why?"
"When someone loses a card in a Shadow Game, it's like losing part of their soul. Duelists suffer backlash from their Spirit Eyes. They might go mad like Ron... or end up like Irene's brother, never able to use Spirit Eyes again. Worst case... they could die."
"...So that's what you're thinking."
Miles sighed, shaking his head with a complicated, helpless smile.
His host—Aisha Yuna Carlos—was, quite frankly, a soft-hearted fool. He'd known this for a while.
However, this... this was next-level foolishness.
That card was worth a fortune. Even converted to Magic Points, it equaled 100 points.
Not to mention, as a Tradable Card, it could fetch even more if sold directly—enough to ease some of the Carlos family's financial burdens.
Yet faced with such a windfall, his foolish host's first thought... was a stranger's wellbeing.
Really? Some stranger's life was worth more than a Rare Card?
Seeing Miles continuously shake his head, Aisha hurriedly panicked.
"S-Sorry, Miles! It was selfish of me. You won that card fair and square. I shouldn't have asked something so unreasonable... Forget I said anything."
"No. We both risked our lives in this duel. You have every right to decide. The choice is yours."
With that, Miles released control of Aisha's body.
Back in her own skin, Aisha stared blankly at the [Monster Reborn] in her hand.
A month ago, she'd never even dreamed of owning something this rare. And now... Miles was asking her to decide its fate.
Keeping this card would massively boost her dueling strength. Even if it originally belonged to someone else... even if it came from the Shadow Game... as long as it was a Tradable Card, she and Miles could legally use it—the power of darkness itself.
"If abandoning your initial kindness makes you stronger... would you accept that?"
Yes or No?
It wasn't just Miles asking. It felt like the Millennium Puzzle itself was posing the question—directly to her soul.
"...Sorry, Miles. I'm being selfish this time."
Her pale fingertips loosened. The precious Rare Card slipped from her hand and floated down to the ground.
And from the shadows, a man holding another Millennium Puzzle smiled approvingly at what he saw.
Having made her choice, Aisha asked uneasily, "By giving up this Rare Card... giving up the chance to become stronger... did I disappoint you, Miles?"
"No. You impressed me."
"...Ehh?"
Miles meant every word.
"If that was a fork in the road between darkness and light... You chose to follow the light. And there's nothing shameful about that. Not at all."
That kindness—this light that wouldn't be devoured by the desires of the Shadow Game—was the most precious thing of all.
More precious than any Rare Card.
Maybe this was why, back then, Irena had chosen to help her at a critical moment—because she, too, saw this pure light in Aisha Yuna Carlos.
"This duel... Aisha, you won it."
If Miles had defeated the darkness in the duel—
Then Aisha had conquered the darkness in the human heart.
Even the darkness that Miles himself could never completely reject.
"Rare Cards... if you work hard, you'll get more sooner or later."
Compared to the temporary boost from a Shadow Game victory... this light that could illuminate the darkness would make her stronger in the long run.
Far away, in Synchron Academy, the [Millennium Scale] tilted slightly to the right. The legendary artifact said to judge the good and evil of souls reported this change... to the soul of the Nameless Pharaoh.
...
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