A colossal dragon, vast enough to cast its shadow across several mountaintops, glared menacingly down at Hikaru Amagi and Fubuki Tenjoin. Fubuki gave an awkward cough, opened his mouth to speak—only to be silenced by a sudden bolt of lightning from the beast. A shout burst from his lips as he flailed in midair, barely kept aloft by his bird spirit flapping frantically to shield him from the attack.
Seeing this, Hikaru quickly shouted toward the creature, "Great dragon! Please, quell your wrath! We never meant to disturb the young spirits of this land!"
The mighty beast—Thunderclap Sky Dragon - Raiga—lowered its massive head. Even with Hikaru riding atop his demonic familiar, the dragon's face alone dwarfed them several times over. Its body crackled with electricity, and the air itself seemed to vibrate with pressure and heat. The presence was so overwhelming, so primal, it drained any thought of deceit from Hikaru's mind.
"Human," boomed the dragon's voice, "state your purpose."
To Hikaru's relief, the Thunder Dragon—though furious—seemed reasonable. After giving Fubuki a well-deserved electric slap, it withheld further attacks and turned its attention to Hikaru's words.
Hikaru calmly explained their mission: to find and bond with Duel Spirits, to seek out rare cards and deepen their understanding through rituals of battle.
"A seeker of rites and cards..." rumbled Raiga. It seemed to interpret the "student", "duelist", and "Duel Spirit" jargon in a way that made sense to its kind.
"You've come to the wrong place, warriors of mankind."
It paused, before adding, "This place is a sanctuary for growth and learning. For the young."
As if summoned by the conversation, a majestic Bird-Beast and a Dragon Spirit—roughly the size of Fubuki's armored bird companion—swooped in. Bowing respectfully to the Thunder Dragon, they turned toward the two humans to explain.
Long ago, the Spirit World was a pure and simple place. Mountains, seas, plains, wilderness—natural and undisturbed. But as Duel Spirits evolved and more cards awoke across dimensions, the Spirit Realm began to splinter. Domains like "Sky Scraper" or "Magician's Village" emerged, carved out by powerful tribes.
It was harmless at first—until chaos struck.
Something caused violent dimensional ruptures, fragmenting the Spirit World. Tribes like the Thunder, Dragons, and Winged-Beasts banded together, creating a protective zone around Mountain to shield their young. Only fledgling spirits remained, guarded by elite warriors. The adult spirits had long left to uncover the truth behind the world's fracturing.
This year, Thunderclap Sky Dragon Raiga stood as the mountain's appointed Warden.
Which meant…
Spirits strong enough to duel were bound by duty. They couldn't leave. Not until the next rotation—and even then, they'd be gone before Hikaru could return.
"…So this whole trip was pointless?" Hikaru muttered, scratching his hair in frustration.
"Ahahaha! Not necessarily, Raiga!" Fubuki suddenly laughed aloud, energized by the fact that lightning wasn't raining down on him anymore.
"There's one more option!"
Raiga's eyes narrowed. "Another option?"
Hikaru instantly knew what Fubuki was about to say and slapped a hand to his face.
"You Guardians can duel us!" Fubuki announced, raising a finger and flashing a sparkling smile. "Let the young ones watch! If any of them are curious, if any dream of seeing the human world—if any of them want to explore other dimensions—they can choose to come with us!"
"Oh no…" Hikaru whispered. "He's trying to recruit kindergartners…"
Fubuki gave a thumbs-up so exaggerated it might've lit the sky. "I don't need the strongest Duel Spirit—just the most fabulous one!"
He pointed dramatically at Hikaru. "And this man here—he's a fusion master! A Duelist chasing the pinnacle of Fusion! Surely, among your young, there must be some who share that dream!"
To Hikaru's surprise, Fubuki's words actually made the Thunder Dragon pause.
"I sometimes perform at human kindergartens too!" Fubuki added with a grin. "A place kinda like this mountain, but for human cubs."
The sky rumbled, but the thunder had softened.
Raiga seemed genuinely thoughtful.
Hikaru nodded along, trying to back up the appeal without speaking too much himself.
If he'd come with Jaden Yuki instead, they'd probably be halfway home by now looking for another dimension.
"…Interesting," Raiga finally said. "I find your proposal acceptable."
As it spoke, its massive body slowly descended, calling forth guardians from all around. They relayed the news, some lifting young spirits into the air with their claws or wings, others simply calling them over.
Fubuki and Hikaru began descending as well, soon landing on a rocky platform at the foot of a cloud-shrouded cliff.
Thunderclap Sky Dragon coiled its immense body around several mountaintops, its form more mythical than real in the shifting mist. Young spirits swarmed its back—running, flying, tumbling. Some nuzzled against the dragon's jaw, tugging at its whiskers. It simply chuckled with paternal warmth.
"Click, click click—!"
Fubuki's camera snapped away furiously.
"Oh man," he whispered, examining the shots. "This is award-winning material..."
Just then, a thunderous flap echoed. Two powerful spirits—one a mighty dragon, the other a muscular bird warrior—landed before them.
Raiga's voice boomed once more across the mountain peaks.
"The Rite of Duel shall follow the traditional Two-on-Two form. Shared fields. Shared graveyard. Banished zones unified. Attacks may begin on the second turn."
"These are warriors of the Three Tribes, hand-picked protectors of the young."
"Show them your human spirit, Duelists."
With a pulse of energy, both spirit guardians raised their duel disks—sleek, glowing constructs of Spirit World origin.
"DUEL!"
Guardians of the Mountain – LP: 8000
Duel Academy Students – LP: 8000
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New translation : Naruto: I Can Use Corpse Release !
Give power stones to that new story if you want bonus chapter in all current translated fanfics !
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