Chapter 274: Competition Prize

In the freezing polar region, the sky wore a gloomy hue. Thick dark clouds loomed over the massive academy buildings, churning like colossal waves in an endless abyss.

This was the location of the Northern Campus of the Duel Academy.

"Lightning! Lightning! Lightning!"

Below the stage, all students gathered, waving fists and shouting the name of the new king from headquarters—who in just one day had crushed every branch campus.

Lightning split the sky, its glow like silver blades cleaving through the thick clouds. Wan Zhangmu stood beneath the thunderclouds, his black robes billowing like a cloak in the electric light.

He raised his fist and led the chant: "Wan Zhangmu Lightning!"

A hundred voices echoed his cry; every student raised their fists in unison: "Wan Zhangmu Lightning—"

Hmm, no one seemed embarrassed at all.

"Good."

The Northern Campus principal adjusted his glasses and stepped before Wan Zhangmu, offering a deck.

"Principal, this is—"

"This is the rarest deck our campus has ever guarded. Only you can unlock its true power," the principal placed the deck in his hands. "Take this deck, and fight with all your strength, new king Wan Zhangmu!"

"No—perhaps I should say… Wan Zhangmu Lightning!"

Even the principal deliberately raised his voice at the end, triggering another roar of cheers from the crowd below.

"Lightning! Lightning! Wan Zhangmu Lightning!"

Wan Zhangmu took the deck, glanced over it swiftly, then looked up in shock: "This deck isn't—"

"Heh heh, good."

The principal adjusted his glasses; the glare from the lenses hid his eyes, making him appear oddly sinister.

"Meaning, for this victory, you must use any means necessary. Listen well, Wan Zhangmu—our annual friendly duel against headquarters has ended in defeat for years now."

"This time, no matter what happens, I will win. Even if it's for Meimei… no, for the honor of our campus!"

Wan Zhangmu: "Wait, didn't something strange just slip in there…?"

But the principal gave him no chance to ask: "So this time, win at all costs!"

He raised his fist again.

"Wan Zhangmu Lightning!"

The students' synchronized roar drowned the venue once more, cutting off Wan Zhangmu's confusion.

Wan Zhangmu fell silent, then glanced at the deck in his hand.

Then he reached behind him, pulled out another deck from his card case, and stared at it in thought.

These were the incredible cards he'd encountered during his journey from headquarters to the Northern Campus.

The power sealed within them had never once crossed his own imagination.

As if attuned to his thoughts, as he gazed upon the deck, a soft white light emanated from it, rising toward the storm-lit sky.

Wan Zhangmu looked up, entranced, at the thunderclouds above. There, concentrated light formed a vast phantom silhouette—shaping the outline of a dragon.

Within the interplay of light and shadow, his body seemed split by an invisible boundary: half bathed in brilliant radiance, half swallowed by endless darkness.

Light and darkness coexisted strangely upon the same body.

Wan Zhangmu stared, lost in thought, at the dragon's phantom.

"Lightning, what are you daydreaming about?"

The principal's voice pulled him back to reality.

"Principal…" Wan Zhangmu snapped out of it, asking strangely, "Principal… can't you see this?"

The principal followed his gaze.

"See what? What did you see?"

The principal scratched his bald head, staring at the empty sky.

"... Nothing."

Wan Zhangmu lowered his gaze.

The crowd erupted again in cheers, chanting his name—but Wan Zhangmu remained distracted.

When no one was looking, Wan Zhangmu pulled out that one card again from his card case.

The wondrous card he'd encountered on this long journey—the one named "Dragon of Light and Darkness," housing a spirit.

"So this is a spirit… like this? You're also lending me your power, giving me the strength to defeat that guy and return to my peak?" he murmured to himself.

But at that moment, another translucent phantom drifted out—a yellow, ugly-cute figure, miniature in size like a keychain, wearing absurd red underwear, hopping onto Wan Zhangmu's shoulder.

"Big bro~ I'm a spirit too, take a look at me too."

The mischievous yellow spirit blushed furiously, wiggling its red-underwear-clad rear.

A " Jing " character instantly appeared on Wan Zhangmu's forehead.

"Get lost."

One day later, a massive submarine fortress surfaced beside the mainland shore of the academy island. Principal Principal Jiao led the delegation himself, while the student council gathered a large crowd to welcome them.

"Principal Principal Jiao!"

"Principal Shi no Lai!"

The two principals, both bald-headed, greeted each other with warm handshakes—the atmosphere was very harmonious.

At least, on the surface.

Principal Jiao: "You're looking well."

Shi no Lai: "You too, haha—you're getting younger!"

"I'll need your guidance again, Principal Shi no Lai."

"Nonsense, I'm the one who needs your guidance."

"..."

After the formulaic pleasantries, Principal Shi no Lai adjusted his glasses, his gaze instantly sharpening: "By the way, how's Meimei lately?"

Principal Principal Jiao's smile vanished instantly; he narrowed his eyes warily: "Hmph, of course. Meimei is indispensable to this year's competition."

Some new students couldn't help but wonder.

Meimei? The round-bodied auntie from the snack shop?

Yet every student in the academy knew: though this auntie was kind-hearted and skilled in cooking, she knew nothing about dueling. How could she possibly matter to the competition?

But Fujiki You Xuan understood: for the principals, Auntie Meimei was the core of the competition.

The reason both principals constantly repeated "We must win at all costs" was simple: the winner's prize was a kiss from Auntie Meimei.

So Fujiki You Xuan figured Auntie Meimei must have been a breathtaking beauty in her youth—perhaps even entangled in some dramatic story with both Principal Principal Jiao and Principal Shi no Lai.

The exact details of those days were lost to time, but the outcome was clear: Auntie Meimei remained at headquarters under Principal Principal Jiao's control—and even had a secret tunnel from the snack shop straight to his desk. Meanwhile, poor Principal Shi no Lai was exiled to the barren Northern Campus…

Who won back then is uncertain, but who held the high ground? That much was obvious.

"You↑Xuan↓!"

Before he appeared, his voice rang out from afar—Wan Zhangmu arrived, face cold as he glared at him.

"Wan Zhangmu." Fujiki You Xuan nodded with a smile. "You seem… worn down since last we met."

Another " Jing " character appeared on Wan Zhangmu's forehead.

Who do you think caused that?

But before he could retaliate, a deafening roar cut through the air. A hurricane suddenly surged, blinding everyone along the shore.

The thunder shook the coastal air, forming a transparent whirlwind. All turned their eyes skyward—where a massive black steel bird slowly descended, its silhouette gleaming in the sunlight.

It was a helicopter.

Clearly marked on its underbelly: the character " Wan."

Wan Zhangmu Corporation's helicopter.

Wan Zhangmu gasped: "Brothers!?"

Apparently, most of the recent college entrance exam reviews had been hidden, and it was annoying.



(End of Chapter)