Chapter 72

"Double Tri-God Shockwave!"

The right cylinder erupted.

A massive blast tore out of it: Gate Guardian's own attack, amplified and returned, a combined torrent of golden lightning, screaming wind, and churning water that expanded to swallow the entire far side of the field in one sweep.

"AAGHHH!!"

The shockwave hit the Paradox Brothers like a wall.

The electric charge coursed through them with a specific, deeply unpleasant quality, and both men let out a sharp, involuntary grunt as they staggered.

Their remaining 4600 LP dropped to zero all at once.

The monsters and face-down cards flickered out across the entire field.

All that remained were the Paradox Brothers, both of them half-kneeling, leaning against each other, looking somewhat the worse for wear.

"He took down a pair of legendary duelists who once pushed the King of Games himself to his limit," Zane said, his eyes on Rowan with measured interest. "In under two full rotations. Without losing a single Life Point."

"That's Rowan for you," Bastion said, allowing himself a slight smile. "Every duel he fights, I see something new."

"That was incredible, Rowan!" Jaden called out, not bothering to moderate his volume.

Around the arena, a number of Duel Academy students in the spectator area found themselves nodding almost without meaning to.

Nobody particularly wanted to say it out loud, but the contribution of Obelisk Blue's own Alexis in that duel had been, observably, somewhat outweighed by the Slifer Red who had supposedly only gotten his spot by beating Professor Crowler on a lucky draw.

"Mamma mia," Crowler exhaled, and then simply sat down on the floor at the base of the platform, not bothering to find a chair first. "As a professor of this academy, I feel I have narrowly avoided an extremely uncomfortable outcome."

"The winners of this Tag Duel are Rowan and Alexis."

Chancellor Sheppard announced the result from below the platform with a broad smile, raising one hand.

"Turning their opponent's own strength against them to secure victory. A genuinely impressive tactical display."

"Now, let's prepare for the next Tag Du..."

"Chancellor, if you could hold on just a moment."

Rowan raised his hand, cutting him off.

"There's something important I still need to say to my opponents. Showing proper respect to the people you duel is a meaningful ritual. It matters."

He said it with complete sincerity and a perfectly straight face.

"Well, of course," Chancellor Sheppard said, blinking once, then warming to the sentiment immediately.

His expression shifted to something deeply gratified.

"Respecting one's opponents has always been central to the spirit of Duel Academy, and it's wonderful to see that you've embraced that tradition, Rowan. It speaks to the character that this institution aims to foster in all its stu—"

"That was a fun duel!"

Rowan planted his feet, struck the pose, delivered the line.

Jaden's pose. Jaden's exact words. Performed with the full earnest commitment of the original.

Chancellor Sheppard spat his tea.

He had picked up the cup mid-sentence, smiling, ready to take a sip at the natural pause in his own speech.

Instead he stood there drenched and blank, staring.

Several students in the spectator area stumbled. The whiplash of expecting solemnity and receiving this instead had a genuinely physical quality.

Alexis covered her face with one hand.

The Paradox Brothers stared at Rowan with expressions somewhere between a grimace and a color that didn't have a polite name for it.

They looked like two men who had bitten into something they very much wished they hadn't.

And after listening to Chancellor Sheppard's speech about Duel Academy's time-honored traditions of respect, they couldn't help but wonder: so this is the spirit of this institution?

[Ding. Paradox Brothers: Emotion Points +100.]

Perfect.

Rowan stepped off the platform, thoroughly satisfied, the picture of a man who had discharged a sacred duty and could now rest easy.

He had, in fact, been cultivating this system long enough to notice a pattern: when you delivered a solid post-duel taunt right at the end, the system occasionally counted it as still within the duel window.

The bonus was small. But a mosquito leg was still meat, and Rowan was not a person who left anything on the table.

He made his way over to where Jaden and the others were gathered, exchanged brief greetings, and settled into a seat to watch the next match.

Up on the platform, Chancellor Sheppard dabbed at his robe with a strained smile and turned toward the Paradox Brothers, rubbing his fingers together in a subtle gesture that universally communicated there will be additional compensation for this.

The brothers, who found that money had an immediate restorative effect on their dignity, settled back into position without further complaint.

Jaden and Syrus's Tag Duel against the Paradox Brothers began.

Almost immediately, the brothers ran the same Tribute Doll setup they'd opened with before, and Jaden and Syrus found themselves on the back foot from the first rotation.

The brothers played efficiently, without room to breathe.

And they did not smile once. Not when they had the field advantage, not when the position looked good. The lopsided grins were simply gone.

"The Paradox Brothers don't smile anymore," said a voice at Rowan's side. "By any reasonable measure, that's your fault."

Alexis had slipped away from Jasmine and Mindy at some point and was now seated beside him, watching the duel with a composed expression that was doing approximately sixty percent of the work of concealing her amusement.