Chapter 322: The Giant

Looking at his own hand card, Cronos felt a flood of emotions.

"I'm disappointed, Professor Obaro."

"Your understanding of me is based entirely on guesswork and imagination."

Cronos stared at the card in his hand.

"Why do you assume that because I'm a noble, I can freely climb into high society? Why do you think that because I'm a professor of the main campus, I can spend my days sipping tea?"

Obaro listened to his words with a sneer.

He was certain of his beliefs—he would never think himself wrong.

Of course.

Cronos never expected his opponent to admit fault.

He was simply recalling and reflecting.

"I am a professor at the Duel Academy main campus, a role model for all teachers, the highest authority of the glorious Duel Academy."

"As a teacher, I must understand the current situation of every student; as a superior, I must set an example for all teachers."

"Ha…"

At this, he couldn't help shaking his head.

"A role model? I don't seem to be much of one at all." He looked upward, "Last year, I lost to a struggling student, and I've been targeting him ever since, trying to have him fired."

"Oh?" That sounded interesting.

Obaro listened, intrigued by the gossip.

"After all, he slept in class, skipped lessons to go fishing, and took classmates to sneak into restricted zones…"

Another little brat, it seemed.

Obaro frowned.

He hated these mischievous brats most of all!

That's why in the North American branch's Fusion Army, anyone who acted like this got beaten!

"Ha, so I've always said—even without Akuma Reo, these bastards would eventually go off the rails." Obaro sneered and shook his head, "If that's the case, why not put them to better use?"

"... Later, a student taught me not to think that way." He turned his gaze to another face-down card, ignoring Obaro's words, "As a teacher, you should pay more attention to the underlying reasons."

"My student has always clashed with your Fusion Army, always opposed you—I never understood why he worked so hard. Now, I finally understand."

"It's instinct!"

He began flipping through his graveyard as he spoke: "I've carried a 26-year mortgage—I know the academy's salary isn't high; I've competed as a professional duelist—I know how complex the pro circuit is."

"But—none of that is an excuse! Not a justification!"

"As a teacher, teaching and nurturing students is the fundamental purpose!"

"To impose your own ideas on your students—how dare you?"

"If you don't want to teach, then quit!" He swiftly drew a card from his graveyard, "Activate the effect of Ancient Machine Launcher in my graveyard: destroy one face-up monster on my field, and special summon one Ancient Gear Token!"

"Destroy Ancient Machine Revival!"

With a boom, Cronos's Revival card shattered instantly.

Then, a small gear-like token appeared on his field.

Ancient Gear Token, Level 1, Earth, Machine, ATK 0.

Oh, two monsters?

Is he aiming for—Synchro Summon?

Ha, then I'll just—

Obaro placed his hand on the dueling field.

"Activate Continuous Magic Card: Ancient Machine Fortress!" Behind Cronos, a massive mechanical fortress slowly rose, "As long as this card remains on the field, any Ancient Machine monster I summon or special summon this turn cannot be destroyed by your effects, and your cards cannot be targeted by effects for those monsters!"

Damn it!

Obaro's eyes widened.

"Use the Ancient Machine Dragon and the Gear Token on my field as tributes!"

"Synchro Summon—Ancient Machine Giant!"

The two monsters dissolved into shimmering points of light, and simultaneously, the familiar silhouette of the giant slowly emerged behind Professor Cronos.

"If you don't want to teach, then quit! As a teacher, invading others' lives is teaching students the wrong values—" Cronos raised his hand, pointing across the field, "You say Akuma Reo wasn't the first, so there must be a second?!"

"If every teacher treated young people with kindness, if Akuma Reo hadn't taught those students dangerous things, how could this ever have happened?!"

He looked down at Obaro coldly: "As a teacher, instead of guiding children onto the right path, you deliberately steer them toward darkness, then proudly claim, 'Even without Akuma Reo, they'd have gone this way anyway'?"

"How absurd!"

"Teacher and student should complement each other, growing together." He whispered softly.

"Flip face-down: Continuous Trap Card—Ancient Machine Arena!"

Ancient Machine Arena!?

Obaro immediately recalled the card's details.

Hadn't Tenjo Hikari used it twice?

Cronos stared at the card.

Yu Cheng Shidai, Professor Dadesi, and above all, Tenjo Hikari—they had taught him much over the past year.

Lessons on how to live.

And for him, the most important was Tenjo Hikari, the student he valued most after Kai Sa.

He had always been pleased with Tenjo Hikari's pursuit of fusion, but worried by his hostility toward the Integration Department.

He constantly feared the conflict between Tenjo Hikari and the Integration Department would hinder his growth.

So he often met with Tenjo Hikari alone.

This year, Tenjo Hikari had visited the principal's office many times; worried for him, Cronos gave him the "Ancient Machine Chaos Fusion" card he'd painstakingly obtained from the Gear Street and Ancient Machine Fortress spirits, hoping it would better protect him.

Perhaps in return, Tenjo Hikari had exchanged several cards with him.

Ancient Machine Arena, Ancient Machine Fusion—and Cronos had supplemented him with cards he needed, like Ancient Machine Giant and Ancient Machine Dragon.

Looking back now, the past year had been almost dreamlike.

And even further—

He had been wrong.

Just as Tenjo Hikari opposed the Integration Department because he felt it wasn't fusion enough,

he shouldn't have avoided confronting Akuma Reo all these years just to preserve collegial harmony!

"If your Fusion Army's aggression were only your own actions, you could say whatever you wanted—but you've influenced other students, even causing my disciple to be interrogated for over a week. You've forced countless Integration Department students to abandon their beloved cards!" He didn't mention his own month-long ordeal, focusing instead on the students: "As a teacher, failing to shield your students from hardship is bad enough—but you've added to their suffering!"

"You must be purged from this academy—completely!"

"Activate Ancient Machine Arena: If your field has a monster, you can banish from your field and graveyard any monsters including Ancient Machine Giant, and Fusion Summon one Fusion Monster whose name includes 'Ancient Machine Giant'!"

Cronos drew out the cards one by one: "Banish the Ancient Machine Giant on my field, and the Ancient Machine Dragon and Ancient Machine Giant in my graveyard—three monsters total."

"My fury has surpassed even the oldest machines—"

"Fusion Summon them all!"

"In this final moment, using your favorite slogan, and my disciple's most beloved summoning method, I will crush you!"

"Fusion Summon!"

"Level 10, Ancient Machine Ultimate Giant!"

Boom—

Mechanical arms, a dragon's head, a dragon's tail—countless mechanical parts assembled onto the Ancient Machine Giant, transforming it into a mountain-like titan, gazing level with the nearby volcano.

Ancient Machine Ultimate Giant, Level 10, Earth, Machine, ATK 4400.

"Tch, the secret of Ancient Machines?" Obaro frowned at the monster.

Tenjo Hikari and Cronos had used it too often—he knew it well.

Not a problem.

He still had plenty of LP, while Cronos had only one card left in hand—and had even destroyed his own Ancient Machine Revival.

Survive this turn, and with the Fallen Angel's endurance, he could easily defeat his opponent!

"The monster summoned by Ancient Machine Arena can attack three times!"

Three times!?

He quickly calculated—

One direct attack, one piercing damage, one battle damage—he still had LP!

"Ha, seems like nothing to worry about…"

"Quick-Play Magic: Release Restriction!"

…

Obaro stood frozen.

A Quick-Play Magic Card that doubles the ATK of his Machine monsters!

The body of the Ancient Machine Ultimate Giant erupted in wild growth, swelling, expanding!

Gradually, the towering giant's silhouette became visible across the entire Duel Academy Island!

He stood like a true giant, patrolling the whole island!

Like an umbrella, he protected the academy!

Ancient Machine Ultimate Giant, ATK: 4400 → 8800.

"Ancient Machine: Ultimate Giant Attack!!!"

"Watch closely!"

"This is your final training, as acting Garrison Commander!"

"This is the power we, teacher and student, have grown together to achieve!"

The Ultimate Giant slowly raised its right fist, holding it between the clouds, unleashing steam larger than the clouds themselves!

"Ultimate Strike!"

In the sky, the True Divine Judgment descended!

BOOM!

The entire island seemed to shudder from it!

Obaro, LP: 8000 → 2100 → 0!

The Duel ended. Obaro, as if soulless, knelt on the ground, turning gray-white. Before him, a card exhaling black mist slowly descended from the sky. The black ring vanished from the field. Kronos reeled, dazed, and collapsed backward, gasping for breath.

He felt his hands were no longer hands, his mouth no longer a mouth.

"Super-mama-mia..."

(End of Chapter)