Chapter 365: About the Brave Guardian Yu Cheng Shi Dai and His Protection

Hurry up, hurry up!

Faster, faster!

Yu Cheng Shi Dai ran alone across the wasteland, his speed surpassing that of many athletes—he leapt several meters at a time, even flipping directly onto trees—but he still thought he was too slow.

Too slow, too slow!

Since arriving in this dimension, his already extraordinary physical condition had grown even stronger, yet he paid no mind to that, focusing only on something else.

Duels and happiness.

At first, he had been incredibly happy, traveling and adventuring everywhere—but after a duel with the legendary Flame Bringer in a spirit village, a shadow fell over his heart; then, the invasion of the Dark World left him dizzy.

He instinctively began protecting ordinary classmates, determined to safeguard them as much as possible.

Fortunately, the Sea Horse Company and the senior students of the academy reacted quickly; later, when he checked the academy forum, the rescue operation had gone smoothly, with minimal casualties.

Because the Fusion Department had been warned in advance by Tenjo Hikari, most students were unharmed—only those like him, wandering recklessly in the wild, were at risk.

But—

No!

Not one!

He made this decision in his heart.

This was the final activity prepared by his respected principal, Principal Principal Jiaodao, before his resignation—a competition involving students from dueling academies worldwide, even featuring numerous professional duelists.

He didn't want any mishaps to occur during this final task, further tarnishing the principal's already damaged reputation.

When he arrived late for the entrance exam, he was about to be expelled outright—but the principal gave him a chance to duel Professor Cronos, which allowed him to enroll.

After enrollment, Principal Principal Jiaodao had granted him countless privileges, letting him live so happily.

Now, even the principal's final duty was being tainted—he could not possibly accept this.

So, he wouldn't abandon anyone.

Unfortunately, things never unfolded as he wished—he had protected many, saved many, yet some still defied him, refused to listen.

Damn—

Squeak squeak squeak——————

He slid down a slope, and beside him, the Winged One emerged, pointing far ahead: "Shi Dai! Over there!"

"Got it!"

A lone student running through a wasteland teeming with demons was essentially meat in the demons' eyes—unless he was strong enough, it was no different from suicide!

Far off, he spotted the student's silhouette, surrounded by numerous small demons wielding pitchforks, seemingly preparing to attack.

Faster, faster, faster!

He kept telling himself.

"Aaah—"

The screams still echoed, and Shi Dai's heart clenched.

But—

As he worried, several "biubiu" sounds rang out; in Shi Dai's vision, three cards shot rapidly from behind a massive boulder, striking the demons and igniting them into roaring flames.

Shi Dai's eyes widened; as he landed, he didn't hesitate—he rolled, grabbed the classmate, pulled him into his arms, and shielded him with his clothing against the flames.

The next instant, with a thunderous boom, the three demons were completely consumed by fire and vanished from this world.

"Shi, Shi Dai!"

The rescued classmate cried out his name, voice trembling.

"It's okay, I'm here." Shi Dai relaxed, released his grip, stood up, noticed the burn marks on his clothes, and lightly patted them.

"Hey! That was too dangerous! Are you alright?" Shi Dai heard a voice beside him and only then noticed someone else had emerged from behind the boulder during his roll—apparently trying to rescue the classmate.

The boy wore denim, his right eye wrapped in gauze, his left eye bright and sharp; behind him, he carried a massive green crocodile.

"Ah, sorry, sorry, I'm fine. I just panicked." Shi Dai chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

Meanwhile, from behind the boulder, another muscular boy with darker skin and dreadlocks stepped out; in his hand was a golden dueling disk shaped like a pistol. Shi Dai observed briefly and deduced the three cards had been fired from this disk.

Shi Dai shielded the classmate behind him and greeted the two: "Hello, I'm Yu Cheng Shi Dai, second-year student from the main campus of the Dueling Academy."

The one-eyed cowboy gently pushed his hat and said to Shi Dai: "Representative from the Southern Branch, Jim. Jim Crowder Cook."

Then he pointed to the crocodile behind him: "This is Karin, my family."

"Ossin O'Brien. Just call me O'Brien. Representative from the Western Branch." The dark-skinned boy was reloading his pistol as he spoke.

All three were the same age.

"Oh!" Shi Dai's face lit up with rare excitement, "I've met two academy representatives at once—what good luck!"

"Shi Dai, what are you doing here? Why are you in this place? It's dangerous." Jim asked.

"Well…" Shi Dai glanced at the classmate behind him, "I was searching for isolated students nearby—we set up a camp over there, and today someone…"

The logic didn't hold.

He told a small lie.

The crocodile behind Jim let out a roar, and O'Brien frowned slightly.

"Ah. We can talk about this later." Shi Dai smiled and said, "What are you two doing here? Lost too? I have a map—you can head to the nearest station."

The two exchanged glances, then shook their heads.

"Actually, we just came from a Dueling Spirit and aren't clear on what's happened recently." Jim thought for a moment and spoke, "It'd be better to understand what's going on first."

"A sealed information zone? Are there still people there?" Shi Dai's focus was elsewhere entirely.

"No one left." O'Brien replied.

"Hmm…" Shi Dai was about to speak when the classmate beside him whispered in his ear.

Shi Dai paused, then said: "Sorry, this place isn't safe—could we go to our camp first?"

The two looked at each other again, then Jim finally nodded in agreement.

Though this was their first meeting and he'd lied right in front of them, both instinctively felt this man wasn't bad.

On the other side, Shi Dai led them along, smiling outwardly, yet his inner worry grew heavier.

Yes…

There were still students dueling in restricted zones, unaware of what had happened outside—they had to be found too!

Farther in the sky, a pale, massive gate was slowly opening…

(End of Chapter)