Chapter 167:

Thanks to the power of his Mark of the Crimson Dragon, Rowan had no trouble sensing exactly what state Bastion was currently in.

It was something close to what had happened to Camula, back when she'd been sealed inside her own dark card. If nobody stepped in, there was a real chance Tania could drag Bastion off to the Amazoness clan's corner of the Duel Spirit world for good, as her new husband.

"Who's next?!"

By then, the monster on Tania's field had faded away, and the arena had reset back to its pre-duel state. She turned back toward Rowan's group, grinning with the confidence of someone who'd already won.

"Spiky hair, or the guy over there, doesn't matter to me. Either of you, come on. I, Tania, Queen of the last Amazoness bloodline, will be taking you home and marrying you into the clan personally!"

"And honestly, as the clan's queen, I could really use a few more husbands worthy of the position."

Rowan's mouth twitched at that.

So this muscle-bound woman was casually planning on one wife, multiple husbands, was she?

He genuinely wanted to point out that even in the Duel Spirit world, there ought to be some basic ground rules about this sort of thing.

Then again, he supposed the Duel Spirit world probably didn't operate on the same conventions as the real one at all.

"What kind of nonsense is that?! Just duel like a normal Shadow Duel! Leave the weird conditions out of it!"

Alexis, catching a few key words in there, snapped angrily at Tania.

A surprisingly sharp burst of pressure radiated off her as she spoke.

Enough that Jaden, Chazz, and Syrus all went pale, breaking into cold sweat, instinctively wrapping their arms around themselves like they'd just been physically hit by it.

Alexis, unexpectedly fierce all of a sudden.

Guess that's why they call her the Ice Queen of the Obelisk Blue girls' dorm.

"Heh heh. That tall blonde girl over there. Looks like there's a man here you're interested in. Trying to compete with the queen of the Amazoness bloodline for him, are you?"

Tania blinked, then quickly worked out the reason behind Alexis's sudden outburst, letting out a knowing chuckle.

"C-compete... for him...?!" The moment those words landed, Alexis froze completely.

Especially once she noticed Rowan, Professor Crowler, Jasmine, and Mindy all turning to look at her with matching, knowing expressions.

Her face flushed red, and she had absolutely no idea how to respond.

Compared to a woman like Tania, who apparently had no concept of modesty or embarrassment whatsoever, casually planning to collect multiple husbands like trophies, Alexis simply couldn't operate on that level.

Even if she were ever going to say something like that herself, it would have to happen somewhere far, far away from an audience.

"I have no idea what you're even talking about!" Alexis finally managed, weakly.

She quickly changed the subject, stepping forward instead. "If this duel is happening, I'll be your next opponent."

But even Jaden, walking blind enthusiasm and all, along with Syrus and the others, could tell there was something a little forced about that declaration.

"Alexis, do you actually have someone you like?" Syrus and Chumley both said, sounding genuinely surprised.

"Wait, it's not... Rowan, is it...?" Chazz muttered, his face contorting like he'd just had an unwelcome realization dawn on him.

He was fairly sure he'd caught Alexis's eyes drift, just for a second, toward Rowan the moment Tania made her comment.

"You've got a Spirit Key too, sure, but as far as who I'm interested in dueling, you're going dead last on my list, since you're a woman."

Tania flatly shut down Alexis's challenge without a second thought.

"Even those two kids over there without keys, the ones who look at least halfway decent, get to go ahead of you."

She pointed at Jaden and the noticeably smaller Syrus.

Rowan couldn't help a small jolt of alarm at that.

Syrus was already pretty small to begin with, barely half Tania's considerable height. If she actually managed to drag him off somewhere, Rowan genuinely didn't want to picture how that would go.

"Obviously, the chubby koala-looking one and that unfortunate-looking blond mushroom head are completely off the table."

Tania tacked that last bit on almost as an afterthought.

Chumley and Professor Crowler both went silent, faces going dark at once.

Neither of them had said a single word this whole time, and somehow they'd both still ended up on the receiving end of that.

Professor Crowler, at least, found a small measure of comfort in the fact that Chumley, another Slifer Red resident, had apparently been dismissed right alongside him.

"Since you've put it that way, I suppose I'll be the one facing you this time."

Rowan shook his head and stepped forward from the group.

"We really can't afford to drag this out much longer, or Bastion might not be able to change back at all."

"Bastion might not change back?!" That got everyone's attention at once. Alexis, who'd clearly still had more she wanted to say, along with Chazz and Jaden, both of whom had wanted a shot at this dangerous duel themselves, all froze.

A moment later, they all noticed it too. The strange markings still faintly visible on Bastion's unconscious face, where the massive, savage blue-eyed tiger had dropped him on the ground beside Tania.