The morning after Kaito summoned the Azure Monarch, dark clouds gathered unnaturally over Duel Academy. The sky churned as though reflecting the chaos on the island. Students whispered rumors about eerie lights and strange weather—signs that something was deeply wrong.
Kaito could feel it too. His connection to the Azure Monarch throbbed with tension.
Alexis met him at the Obelisk Blue dorm. "We've got trouble," she said without greeting. "Chazz went missing last night. He was last seen heading toward the forest."
"Did anyone follow him?" Kaito asked.
"Zane went after him. But he hasn't come back either."
The unease grew into urgency. Kaito nodded. "Let's go."
They made their way into the dense woods, accompanied by Bastion and Jaden. The deeper they went, the darker it became—unnaturally so.
As they reached the heart of the forest, they found Zane kneeling beside an unconscious Chazz. He was breathing, but pale and cold.
Zane stood. "Something's here. A spirit… it attacked us. I held it back, but it vanished before I could strike."
A red mist began to seep through the trees.
Then, it spoke.
"You woke the Monarch… so I wake too."
A figure materialized from the mist—tall, cloaked in crimson, and his eyes burned with malice. In his hand was a Duel Disk shaped like a dragon's maw.
"I am Varion, vessel of the Crimson Tyrant."
The pressure in the air was suffocating. Kaito stepped forward, his eyes steady.
"I won't let you hurt anyone else."
Varion chuckled. "Then duel me, Monarch-bearer. Let your dragon clash with mine."
The duel began with a burst of energy.
Varion: 4000 LPKaito: 4000 LP
"First move's mine," Varion growled. "I summon Crimson Serpent and activate Tyrant Surge!"
A red-scaled beast appeared, and tendrils of dark power infused his field.
Kaito responded calmly. "I summon Maiden with Eyes of Blue and set a card."
The duel escalated rapidly. Varion's monsters were aggressive, destructive, and didn't hesitate to sacrifice each other for power. Kaito held his ground, slowly maneuvering into position.
"Now," he declared, "I special summon Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon!"
A flash of white lit up the shadowed forest. The roar of the Blue-Eyes cut through the mist.
But Varion laughed. "Tyrant Reaction! My Crimson Tyrant emerges!"
The Crimson Tyrant, a blood-red dragon with fiery wings and jagged horns, burst from the void.
Kaito's heart pounded. The two dragons locked eyes—light and darkness incarnate.
Kaito drew his next card. "I activate Azure Ascension! With it, I summon the Azure Monarch, Dragon of the Ancients!"
Both legendary beasts took to the sky above the forest.
The duel entered its climax. The dragons clashed, shaking the ground with every blow.
Finally, Kaito activated his trap: "Monarch's Judgment! It negates your Tyrant's attack and destroys it!"
Varion's dragon screeched as it shattered into crimson shards. His Life Points dropped to zero.
Varion: 0 LP
The red mist evaporated.
Varion collapsed, his Duel Disk smoking. "This… isn't over. The Tyrant will rise again…"
Then he vanished.
Zane and Chazz slowly came to. The others regrouped, shaken but victorious.
Kaito held the Azure Monarch card close.
Jaden spoke quietly. "That was just the beginning, wasn't it?"
Kaito nodded. "The Tyrant is real. And it's not done with us yet."
He looked at the sky, where dawn was beginning to break.
The war had started.
And he would stand at the front.