"Wh-Why have Bastion's Life Points dropped to zero?!" A bead of cold sweat rolled down Vellian Crowler's face as he stared at the field, utterly bewildered.
Many of the students watching from the stands wore equally puzzled expressions.
By all logic, when the 3000 ATK Lava Golem destroyed the 1800 ATK Oxygeddon, Bastion Misawa should have only taken 1200 points of damage. That should have left him with 300 LP!
"Mushroom-head Professor, you don't seriously mean to tell me you don't know Oxygeddon's effect, do you?" Jiang He looked at Crowler and offered a speechless rebuttal.
He suddenly remembered that this golden-haired professor, who supposedly specialized in theory, had a recurring habit of forgetting monster effects in the original timeline.
"When Oxygeddon is destroyed by battle with a FIRE monster, its effect triggers, dealing 800 points of damage to both players."
"And Lava Golem just happens to be a FIRE attribute monster!"
"Nani?!" Crowler's entire body stiffened the moment the words left Jiang He's mouth.
He really had forgotten!
This detestable Drop-out boy had made him lose face in front of the entire student body once again... and he had called him a Mushroom-head Professor!
Crowler's face turned a sickly shade of green. But the moment he remembered that Jiang He still held those incriminating photos of him, he forced himself to swallow his pride.
Hold back the tears! he told himself. He decided to wait until that rumored duelist he had hired arrived. Then, he would take his revenge on this Drop-out boy and get his photos back!
"Did he account for his opponent's monster effects as well?" Alexis Rhodes murmured, her eyes shimmering with a strange light as she watched Jiang He on the field.
"It seems his victory over Alexis yesterday wasn't just a fluke or a case of her misreading his deck," Mindy commented, her attitude toward him shifting slightly.
"Even if his dueling style is a bit... annoying," Jasmine added, nodding in agreement.
"I win! Gatcha! That was a fun duel!"
On the field, Jiang He couldn't resist striking Jaden Yuki's classic victory pose after the win.
"..." Bastion Misawa remained silent.
You're going to lose all your friends acting like that! he thought. He felt like his spirit had been crushed, not "healed."
However, after this duel with Jiang He, Bastion truly felt that he had glimpsed a completely new horizon of strategic thinking.
"You are indeed powerful, Jiang He. Just as powerful as my intuition told me back during the entrance exams," Bastion said, offering a helpless but sincere smile of defeat.
It seemed he would need to dive back into his calculations and study even more possibilities if he ever wanted to challenge Jiang He again.
Jiang He actually felt a bit embarrassed being praised so highly. He told himself he was just a "kind soul" trying to spread laughter, love, and a healing smile to everyone!
"Jiang He, hm? Perhaps he is an opponent interesting enough to reignite my fighting spirit..."
Standing by the railing of the observation deck, Zane Truesdalethe Kaiserwatched Jiang He return to the stands. A thin smile of genuine interest played on his lips.
Zane wasn't the only one watching.
"Kuri-kuri...!"
The moment Jiang He rejoined Alexis, Syrus, and Jaden, Sphere Kuriboh materialized on his shoulder and chirped a warning. It was alerting him that eyes were on him.
"Someone's been watching me?"
Jiang He raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction Sphere Kuriboh indicated. At first glance, he spotted a figure with dark blue hair and a cool, sharp expression wearing the blue and white uniform of the elites.
When their eyes met, the other party gave a polite nod of acknowledgment before turning his attention back to the other duels on the field. It was the academy's top duelist, Kaiser Zane Truesdale.
Jiang He wasn't surprised that Zane was paying attention to him. After all, Syrus was Jaden's "little brother" figure and Zane's actual younger brother. Through that connection alone, Zane was bound to keep an eye on things.
However, when he looked toward the second person Sphere Kuriboh pointed out, Jiang He's expression became quite nuanced. The second observer was none other than the Slifer Red dorm manager, the squinty-eyed Professor Lyman Banner.
The moment Banner realized Jiang He was looking at him, he let out a nervous, awkward laugh and quickly averted his gaze, pretending to look at anything else.
Clearly, he could see Duel Spirits like Sphere Kuriboh as well. He likely hadn't expected Jiang He's spirit to be so sensitive to human emotions and gazes.
Jiang He decided not to press the issue with Banner. The squinty-eyed professor wasn't a bad person; he just had a few personal secrets and a connection to a certain upcoming event.
"Jiang He! Once I've finished my preparations, let's have a duel too!" Jaden Yuki shouted excitedly, rushing over.
At that moment, a small, winged furball phantom flew out from Jaden's deck. It looked curiously at the little Sphere Kuriboh perched on Jiang He's shoulder.
"Kori-kori."
"Kuri-kuri!"
Just as Winged Kuriboh got close, Sphere Kuriboh let out a confused cry. In a sudden, outrageous move, it reached out its tiny arms and parted the brown fur of Jaden's little monster to check its gender.
"Pfft!" Jiang He nearly choked.
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