The peaceful days did not last long.
Only a few days later, everyone gradually began to notice something strange. The students in the classroom were all appearing listless and lethargic. Furthermore, the majority of the student body seemed to be absent from class. Many of the seats were empty, with no sign of their usual occupants.
Professor Banner stood at the front of the room, clutching Pharaoh in his arms. He looked at the few remaining students with a distressed expression.
"Everyone seems so listless today. It's one thing for Jaden to skip my class, but for so many other students to be absent as well..."
Looking at the nearly empty classroom, Bastion Misawa, Alexis Rhodes, and Chazz Princeton all wore grave expressions.
"Could it be..."
An enemy!
The Duel Academy forest.
Jaden Yuki sat perched on a tree branch, his backpack slung over his shoulder, mindfully chewing on a chocolate bar to replenish his energy. He gazed deep into the forest, staring at an ancient arena that had been constructed there at some unknown point.
"I can sense the aura of a spirit inside, Jaden," Yubel said, floating behind him and looking out toward the distant arena.
"Yeah," Jaden replied. "Lately, quite a few Duel Academy students have been coming and going from here. If I had to guess, they were brought here to build that structure."
Jaden swallowed the last of the chocolate and pulled a small bottle of energy drink from his bag to take a sip. If he remembered correctly, the person who built this arena was one of the Shadow Riders from the original storythe Queen of the Amazoness, Tania.
Of course, although she was one of the Shadow Riders, Tania was perhaps the least threatening to Duel Academy out of all seven of them. It wasn't just because her duels weren't Shadow Duels;
she personally had no interest in the academy or the Sacred Beasts. According to her own claims, she appeared here and built this palace solely to find a "talented husband" who could carry on the bloodline of the Amazoness.
"I really don't want to get mixed up in a duel like that..." Jaden shook his head. He had no interest in unnecessary battles.
Just as he was about to leave, the sound of footsteps echoed through the forest. Looking down, Jaden saw several familiar figures walking toward the arena. Leading the group was none other than Bastion Misawa.
"Oh? Jaden?"
Seeing the youth jump down from the tree, Bastion immediately walked over with a smile. "Have you heard about it, too? The incident regarding the missing students?"
"I wouldn't go so far as to call it a disappearance," Jaden said, looking at Bastion with a peculiar expression. He wanted to warn him about something, but after thinking for a long moment, the words wouldn't come out.
"Anyway, good luck with this duel. Give it your all," Jaden said, patting Bastion on the shoulder with a tone of deep, meaningful gravity.
Bastion blinked, confused. "?"
Despite his head being full of questions, Bastion didn't press for answers.
"Jaden, since we've run into you, let's go look for them together," Chazz said, crossing his arms.
Jaden nodded and joined their small search party. Soon, under Jaden's subtle guidance, they arrived at the ancient arena.
"Was there always a place like this on the island?"
Filled with doubt, the group stepped into the arena. At first glance, they saw students performing various forms of hard labor throughout the area.
"Eh? Look over there!" Chazz's eyes widened, and he pointed into the distance with a shout of surprise.
Everyone followed his gaze and saw a man who looked remarkably like a Pot of Greed, struggling through back-breaking work.
"Professor Crowler?!" Everyone was dumbfounded.
You're a professor at Duel Academy, aren't you? What on earth are you doing here? Hauling bricks?
"Mamma Mia..." Crowler's mouth twitched when he saw them. He looked as if he wanted the ground to swallow him whole.
"Professor Crowler, what is the meaning of this?" Professor Banner asked, utterly confused. Even as a Shadow Rider himself, he couldn't understand why these students were here doing manual labor. There couldn't possibly be someone like this among the other Shadow Riders, could there?
"Well..." Crowler's face fell into a miserable pout. "Everyone was brought here by a tiger... na no ne."
A... a tiger? Were there even tigers on the Duel Academy island?
Before they could recover from the shock, a roar echoed from the side of the arena. The group looked up and saw a bronze-skinned, muscular woman standing atop a high platform.
"Splendid! Thanks to all of you, this arena was finished ahead of schedule!"
"Who... who is that?" Bastion felt his eyelid twitch.
The pressure coming from this woman was incredibly intense! Not only was her appearance formidable, but her aura was equally overwhelming. And yet, for some reason... why was his heart racing so fast? Bastion's cheeks turned a faint shade of red. He knit his brows, trying his best not to let his reaction show.
"Everyone, thank you for your help in completing this arena!"
Tania clapped her hands, signaling for the working students to gather. She began distributing the wages she had prepared.
"Good work. Make sure to get plenty of rest when you get back~"
When she reached Professor Crowler, he was overjoyed to see the money in her hand.
"I didn't expect there to be a bonus! I'm so moved, na no ne."
Crowler reached out expectantly, but Tania only gave him a look of pure disgust.
"You're too ugly. You get nothing."
"Eh? How can you be so unfair?!" Crowler cried out in indignation.
He opened his mouth to argue, but the tiger that had appeared with Tania suddenly leaped down beside her, staring at him with a vicious snarl.
"Eeeek! Terrifying!"
Watching Crowler flee in a cloud of dust, the group was left speechless.
"Hey! Who are you exactly!" Bastion swallowed hard and was the first to step forward to demand an answer.
Tania turned around and began to carefully scan the newcomers. "I am the Amazoness Queen, Tania. And I am also one of the Shadow Riders."
As expected, it was a Shadow Rider! The group immediately turned serious, their gazes fixed on Tania.
"The Amazoness... The legendary race that exists in a hidden corner of the world, consisting only of women?" Bastion murmured under his breath.
"Let us engage in a sacred battle within this arena, with the Spirit Keys as the stakes!" Tania walked toward the center of the arena, looking at the five people before her. "However, the one who duels me must be a man among men."
"What is that supposed to mean..." Alexis's brow furrowed, clearly displeased. Out of the five of them, she was the only girl. That comment felt like it was directed specifically at her.
"Any of you who consider yourselves men, step forward!" Tania shouted.
"..." Jaden felt helpless. Although he didn't want to get involved, this had become a matter of a man's pride. It looked like he couldn't avoid it.
Finally, Jaden Yuki, Bastion Misawa, and Chazz Princeton took a step forward without hesitation. Meanwhile, Professor Banner looked terrified and hid behind Alexis.
"Do you have to be that scared, Professor Banner...?" Alexis said, stuck between laughing and crying.
"I can't do it, meow! I'm most afraid of Shadow Duels, meow!" Banner remained unmoved, shivering as he held Pharaoh tightly.
"Hmph, just the three of you?" Tania's gaze swept over them. Finally, her eyes settled on Jaden.
As expected, she's going to choose me? Jaden's heart sank with resignation.
"You are Jaden Yuki, aren't you?" Tania gave him a solemn, slight bow. "The Amazoness admire the strong. Your eyes, and that terrifying darkness within your soul... you are truly the strongest of the strong."
"However," Tania continued, "the darkness in your eyes makes it clear that you are not a man I can control. If I were to choose you, the Amazoness would surely face destruction."
Tania paused, then shifted her gaze and focused entirely on Bastion Misawa.
"YOU," she said, pointing at Bastion with a smile.
"!"
Bastion's heart throbbed, beating faster and faster.
She really chose Bastion? Jaden felt a wave of relief wash over him.
But that relief was immediately followed by a profound sense of sympathy for Bastion.
"Poor Bastion... he's going to be tortured by this woman..."
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