Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon's attack dealt a clean 1000 damage to the Starborn.
His energy body flickered violently under the impact.
"Amazing..." the Starborn muttered, his voice full of awe. "With power like that, no wonder Red Dragon chose you as a trial candidate. But… you already wield such a formidable Xyz arsenal—do you really intend to study Synchro Summoning as well?"
Li You smiled."Of course. There's no such thing as knowing too much. My motto? The more, the better."
"Then… come." He raised his duel disk again. "This battle isn't over yet—!"
The Starborn narrowed his eyes. "But to defeat me… that still won't be enough."
Stardust Warrior's ATK had returned to 3000. If it took another blow from Tachyon Dragon, it would suffer 4000 battle damage and be destroyed.
However, it still had a parting gift.
When destroyed by battle, Stardust Warrior could Special Summon a Synchro monster from the Extra Deck—considered a Synchro Summon. If he chose Jet Warrior, he could bounce one of Li You's monsters back to hand. Not enough to win, but maybe enough to avoid a humiliating one-turn kill...
But then—
"I attack with Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" Li You declared. "And during this battle, I activate its 'hidden effect'—banish both battling monsters until the End Phase!"
Photon Dragon soared upward, dragging Stardust Warrior into a dimensional rift.
This was an obscure move—an early trick in the ZEXAL anime, once used by Kaito. Fans had called it the "Xyz Killer"… though in practice, it never really killed anything. After the early episodes, it vanished from play entirely.
But Li You was using it here—and using it well.
The Starborn beamed."Perfect! Stardust Warrior's third effect triggers when it leaves the field due to the opponent's effect! I can Special Summon a Synchro Warrior from my Extra Deck!"
Li You's eyes shimmered. "No response. Go ahead."
Delighted, the Starborn took just a moment to choose."You used a trap card from hand to shield Tachyon Dragon from card effects this turn… so bouncing it with Jet Warrior would do nothing."
"In that case, I summon—Wounded Warrior! It can't be destroyed by battle once per turn!"
— Wounded WarriorLevel: 5DEF: 1000
Few had ever seen this card. It had only appeared in the 5D's manga, used by Yusei himself. With it on the field, the Starborn relaxed.
He was safe for one more hit.So confident, in fact, he began cheerfully explaining the card's effect to Li You.
Big mistake.
In the world of Duel Monsters, voluntarily explaining your own card effects was practically a death sentence.
The Starborn had no idea. He just smiled wide."You've made a critical mistake!"
But Li You smiled right back."Oh?" His voice dripped with sarcasm. "Sore wa dou kana?"
The Starborn flinched."Nani?!"
Li You's voice was calm but sharp.
"I already knew your effect. And since you just activated Stardust Warrior's ability, my Tachyon Dragon gains another 1000 ATK."
— Tachyon Dragon: ATK → 8000
"Though really, I didn't even need the boost. Let me show you why I used Photon Dragon's effect in the first place."
He slammed a card into his disk."I activate the Quick-Play Spell—Galaxy Hypernavigation!"
"Return Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon from the banished zone to the field!"
"And since it returns during the Battle Phase—it can attack again. And yes… I'll activate its effect again."
"I banish Photon Dragon—and your Wounded Warrior along with it!"
"Your final wall… gone."
The Starborn's defenses were obliterated. He stood alone against an ATK 8000 dragon, his spirit fracturing under the crushing pressure.
He chuckled bitterly.
"…I've lost."
Li You raised his arm high. One finger pointed skyward.
"Tachyon Dragon—make your second attack!"
"Annihilation Spiral of Spacetime!!"
BOOOOM!!
A vortex of temporal destruction swallowed the Starborn whole, tearing his form to stardust.
"GUAAAHH—!!"
— Starborn: LP 0 —[Duel Over! Victory: Li You][Win Streak: 4]
Only a whisper echoed through the void.
"…The next generation… is terrifying."
As the Starborn vanished, the golden ziggurat beneath Li You began to crumble into dust.
He plummeted.
Then—ROOOOAAAR!!
The familiar, ancient cry of the divine beast rang out.
Red Dragon emerged from the collapsing ruins, caught Li You midair, and soared upward with him into the heavens.
Cradled in the warmth of the beast's energy, Li You looked down.
He wanted to speak. To ask why. To understand.
But a wave of dizziness hit him——and everything went black.
"Li You, hey! Wake up! We're here!"
The voice of Jiuyou Tianma jolted him awake.
Li You opened his eyes.
Around him, students were chatting and laughing, lining up to disembark the plane.
No panic. No memory of what had happened.
"…What just happened?" he asked.
Tianma tilted his head."What do you mean? Nothing happened. You were just asleep the whole time. I had to shake you awake."
"…A dream?" Li You blinked.
That battle had felt so real. Could it really have been just a dream?
But—he quickly understood.
Because on his right forearm, visible only to himself, now shimmered a deep crimson sigil—the same Dragon Mark seen in 5D's.
Thankfully, it was invisible to others. No need to worry about any anti-tattoo policies when applying for government work.
And his deck box?
Twice as heavy as before.
Clearly… Red Dragon had left him a gift.
It seemed that from now on, he could materialize cards freely.
Li You smiled quietly to himself."So… it really was just a dream, huh?"
He stretched, refreshed and revitalized, and moved to disembark.
In the aisle, he spotted Zhang Xingyi and the Long siblings from the Satisfying Squad. Curious, he asked:
"Did any of you have a weird dream just now?"
Long Xingdou scratched his head."Hmm? Dream? Nah, I never even dozed off. Oh—Xingxin fell asleep though. Why? You dreaming or something?"
Long Xingxin looked up, glanced at her brother, then at Li You. Her expression was unreadable.
But she gave a faint shake of her head.
Yin Xingren leaned over."What's going on, Li You?"
Li You just rubbed his cheek and smiled.
"Nothing. Maybe I was just too excited today and had a really nice dream."
"Anyway—let's go. Time to see our new academy."