Chapter 421: The splendid VENUS
Compared to verbal communication, sometimes a Duel can allow one person to understand another more directly. Hayato had come to realize this through one Duel after another.
Compared to Yakou Tenma, who simply ceased to exist, the surviving twin, Gekko Tenma, seemed quite normal in all aspects, and Hayato couldn't find any points of doubt about him during their conversation.
Therefore, the next part of the test would be conducted through a Duel.
Just like testing a person's character isn't about how polite they are normally, but whether they curse after getting crushed in a game, in Duel Monsters, few people can hide their true emotions.
Even the introverted and timid Yugi Mutou would display a calm and decisive personality in an intense Duel, so Gekko Tenma proposing a Duel with Hayato was exactly what he wanted.
In an empty room next door, Hayato and Gekko Tenma stood facing each other.
"I'm ready, Mr. Hayato." After putting on his Duel Disk, Gekko Tenma inserted his Deck into the Card Slot and activated the Duel Disk. "I'm using The Agent Deck, which is primarily Fairy Type."
Although he gave the first impression of a "calm, composed, and gentle gentleman," Gekko Tenma seemed to be a genuine fan of Hayato. When Hayato accepted the Duel, a clear expression of excitement appeared on his face.
"The Agent Deck, huh? A Fairy Type Deck?" After thinking for a moment, Hayato also inserted his Deck into his Duel Disk. "I'm using a Deck focused on Warrior-Type monsters. My Ace Monster is Gaia The Fierce Knight."
"Gaia, you say? That's truly exciting." Gekko Tenma said with anticipation. "Well then, Mr. Hayato, let's begin!"
"Duel!" X2
[Hayato: 4000 LP]
[Gekko Tenma: 4000 LP]
"I'll take the first turn without hesitation."
Hayato, leveraging the advantage of his Duel Disk modified by Mokuba, was the first to draw a card, securing the first turn. Then, he immediately played the card he had just drawn. "I activate the Spell Card Future Fusion! This card's effect is to select the Fusion Material needed for a Fusion Monster from my Deck, and then perform the Fusion in the future."
After explaining the effect of Future Fusion, Hayato raised the Duel Disk on his left arm. Two cards automatically emerged from his Deck and were sent to the Graveyard by Hayato. "The Fusion Monster I will select is Gaia the Dragon Champion. Therefore, I will send Gaia The Fierce Knight and Curse of Dragon from my Deck to the Graveyard."
"In my second Standby Phase after Future Fusion is activated, Gaia the Dragon Champion will appear on the field. However, I'm a bit impatient, I can't wait that long."
As Hayato spoke, he played another card. "So, I activate the Spell Card Dragon's Mirror! I can banish the Fusion Material needed for a Dragon Fusion Monster from the field or Graveyard, and Fusion Summon that Dragon Fusion Monster."
"By banishing Gaia The Fierce Knight and Curse of Dragon from my Graveyard, the monster I will Fusion Summon is Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion!"
"Come forth, Dragon Knight soaring through the sky!"
With this series of moves, Hayato quickly completed the actions of sending material from his Deck to the Graveyard and selecting Fusion Material from the Graveyard. At the cost of two cards in hand, he Summoned Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion onto the field on the first turn.
"Amazing, you managed to Summon a powerful Fusion Monster on the first turn, and only used two cards in hand." Gekko Tenma praised. "As expected of Mr. Hayato, this is the strength of the King of Games."
Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion appeared on the field riding a flying dragon and commanding the gale. Hayato reached out his hand into the gale, and a card took shape in his hand.
"When Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion is successfully Special Summoned, I can add one Spiral Spear Strike from my Deck to my hand. Then, I activate Spiral Spear Strike." Hayato inserted the card he had just added to hand into his Spell & Trap Zone. "This card will grant my Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion the piercing damage ability."
"Then, I Set two cards. My turn ends here."
[Hayato: 4000 LP, Hand 2]
[Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion] [ATK 2600]
[Future Fusion] [Spiral Spear Strike] [Set Card] x2
Hayato's series of moves flowed smoothly; it wasn't necessarily astonishing, but it was solid. He both Summoned Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion for field presence, prepared Spiral Spear Strike for the next turn's attack, and included Future Fusion for sustained play, along with two Set Cards for counterplay and protection.
After all, although Gekko Tenma had informed Hayato that he was using The Agent Deck, even the same Deck could be used with different Dueling Styles by different Duelists. Therefore, Hayato, unsure of Gekko Tenma's Dueling Style, chose this primarily cautious approach.
"Ah, Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion. I remember it's a card with the ability to determine the opponent monster's battle position when it attacks. Coupled with the piercing damage ability gained from Spiral Spear Strike, it truly symbolizes an attacking spear."
After praising, Gekko Tenma said seriously, "Although I'm not confident I can defeat Mr. Hayato, I also don't want to lose too badly. So, I'll make dealing with Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion my primary target."
"My turn, draw!"
After glancing at the card he drew, Gekko Tenma immediately activated it on the field. "I activate the Continuous Spell Card, Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen!"
As Gekko Tenma placed the card into his Spell & Trap Zone, the ground rumbled, and a solemn building slowly rose from underground, surrounding three sides of Gekko Tenma's field, leaving only the front exposed.
"The effect of Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen is, if there are no monsters on my field, I can Special Summon one Fairy Type monster from my hand once per turn. I Special Summon The Agent of Creation - Venus."
In the air behind Gekko Tenma, an image of Venus magnified countless times appeared. A golden-haired woman with wings on her back manifested from Venus. After standing on the field, she clasped her hands together and prayed with her eyes closed.
[The Agent of Creation - Venus] [3☆/LIGHT]
[Fairy/Effect]
[1600/0]
"The Agent series of cards were designed by Lord Pegasus based on Roman and Greek mythology, combined with solar system celestial bodies. The Agent of Creation - Venus represents Venus, the symbol of beauty."
"I activate the effect of The Agent of Creation - Venus. By paying 500 Life Points, I can Special Summon one Mystical Shine Ball from my hand or Deck to my field. This effect does not have a once per turn restriction." As he spoke, Gekko Tenma held up three fingers. "Therefore, I pay a total of 1500 Life Points and activate the effect of The Agent of Creation - Venus three times."
"I Special Summon three Mystical Shine Balls to my field!"
[Gekko Tenma: 4000 → 2500 LP]
The Agent of Creation - Venus, who had been praying with clasped hands, opened her eyes and extended her hands straight out in front of her. The image of Venus reappeared behind her, and three orbs appeared, revolving around Venus as if to become non-existent satellites of the planet.
[Mystical Shine Ball] [2☆/LIGHT]
[Fairy/Normal]
[500/500]
At the cost of 1500 Life Points, Gekko Tenma Summoned these three Normal Monsters onto the field, which seemed to have no battle power whatsoever. If this were the Xyz and Link era, Hayato might have been a little scared looking at these three monsters on his field, but in the current era, the three monsters posed no threat at all.
However, judging by Gekko Tenma's actions, he didn't seem to have the idea of defeating Hayato just with the three Mystical Shine Balls. Gekko Tenma, who drew a card from his hand, showed an excited smile. He hadn't performed a Normal Summon this turn yet.
"Well then, Mr. Hayato, next, I will Summon the strongest monster in my Deck! I Tribute two Mystical Shine Balls on my field for a Tribute Summon!"
"Oh, beautiful Star that heralds the dawn, the time of your Summon has arrived! Bring me the cycle of life!"
"Tribute Summon! The Splendid Venus!"
The Mystical Shine Balls on Gekko Tenma's field transformed into two streams of light, intertwining as they ascended into the air. The image of Venus that had appeared when The Agent of Creation - Venus came out reappeared, but this time Venus was much more radiant and beautiful than before.
From within the illusion of Venus, a four-winged angel flew out, wearing luxurious golden battle armor. A ruby adorning the staff in her hand shimmered with magical light.
As soon as she appeared on the field, an invisible magic power expanded from The Splendid Venus, enveloping the entire field in an instant. The first to be affected was Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, standing before Hayato.
[Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion] [ATK 2600 → 2100]
"Gaia's Attack, decreased?"
Gekko Tenma looked at The Splendid Venus slowly landing on his field and said as if showing off, "The Splendid Venus is the Ace Monster in my Deck. Although her Attack is only 2500, even Blue-Eyes White Dragon cannot easily defeat her, because as long as The Splendid Venus is on the field, the ATK/DEF of all non-Fairy Type monsters decrease by 500."
No, no, no, 2500 is already a great number for a knight. The Ace Cards of protagonists throughout the generations all have this auspicious number.
While complaining inwardly, Hayato still maintained his composure. "So, are you going to attack?"
"No, although I don't know what your Set Card is, Mr. Hayato, I have a bad feeling." Gekko Tenma shook his head firmly. "I learned one thing from the Duel City recordings: the most important thing to be wary of in Duel Monsters is unknown Set Cards. I must be careful."
"I Set one card, then I activate the Spell Card Heavy Storm."
As Gekko Tenma activated the card, a hurricane appeared in his backrow. As soon as it appeared, it destroyed Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen and the card he had just Set in his backrow, sending them to the Graveyard. It seemed pointless.
"The effect of Heavy Storm is to destroy all Spell/Trap Cards on my field, and then destroy the same number of Spell/Trap Cards on the opponent Duelist's field as the number destroyed. Since two of my cards were destroyed, I can destroy both of your two Set Cards in your backrow, Mr. Hayato."
Gekko Tenma said, and also revealed the Set Card he had just destroyed. "Additionally, because the Cursed Coffin I just Set was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, its effect activates. Mr. Hayato, you get to choose one effect to activate."
"Randomly discard one card from your hand, Mr. Hayato, or select one monster on your field and destroy it."
A cunning smile appeared on Gekko Tenma's face. "Furthermore, The Splendid Venus has another effect. While she is on the field in face-up position, the activation of Spell/Trap Cards I control and their effect activation cannot be negated. This means even if you Set a card like Solemn Judgment, Mr. Hayato, you cannot negate this combo of mine."
I have to say, although Gekko Tenma claimed that Maximillion Pegasus evaluated him as having "no talent in Duel Monsters," when it came to Dueling, he still played quite well. After a brilliant combo, Hayato truly had no way to counter. He said helplessly, "Well then, I choose to discard one card from my hand."
After sending one card from his hand to the Graveyard to resist the effect of Cursed Coffin, the fierce wind stirred up by Heavy Storm immediately followed, destroying both of Hayato's two cards in his backrow in an instant.
Before being destroyed, both cards were flipped up, allowing Gekko Tenma to see their true forms. They were the Counter Trap Stacking, which can negate a monster's effect activated upon Summon, and the Trap Card Bomb Defense, which can negate a Monster Effect that destroys a monster.
"This way, it's the perfect timing for me to confidently declare an attack. Here I come, Mr. Hayato!" Gekko Tenma raised his hand and pointed at Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion on Hayato's field. "My target is Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion on Mr. Hayato's field. I use The Splendid Venus to declare an attack!"
"Shining Cycle!"
Following Gekko Tenma's command, The Splendid Venus flapped her wings and flew up. She raised the staff in her hand, and a golden orb formed from gathered magic power flew out as she swung her staff, attacking towards Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion like a falling meteor.
Due to the effect of The Splendid Venus, Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, whose Attack was weakened by 500, now only has 2100 Attack. It is not a match for The Splendid Venus with 2500 Attack. If the attack goes through, the only result is being destroyed. Following that would be the direct attack from The Agent of Creation - Venus and Mystical Shine Ball in Attack Position on Gekko Tenma's field.
Adding it up, the damage dealt would be as high as 2500, which is the same as a Dark Magician. That's still quite painful.
"If I don't use it when it should be used, the card becomes meaningless." Hayato raised his Duel Disk, and a light shone in the Graveyard Zone of the Duel Disk. "I activate the effect of the card I just sent to the Graveyard!"
Chapter 422: Classic Absorption Shield
"I Activate the effect of Bone Temple Offering in my Graveyard!"
Following Hayato's declaration, just as Splendid Venus's attack was about to hit Gaia the Dragon Champion, a black shadow suddenly flew out from the Graveyard and struck the magic orb, detonating it in mid-air before Splendid Venus's attack could hit.
"During the Battle Step when monsters are battling, I can Banish Bone Temple Offering from my Graveyard to Negate that monster's attack." Hayato took the Bone Temple Offering card from the Graveyard and put it in his pocket. "Although Splendid Venus prevents your Spell/Trap Cards from being Negated, a monster's attack is not within its protection range."
Gekko Tenma showed an expression of realization: "I see, that's the card that was Sent to the Graveyard just now by the effect of my Cursed Coffin, isn't it? As expected of Mr. Hayato, you can even use the unfavorable effects used by your opponent."
"It's a pity I couldn't Destroy Gaia the Dragon Champion. Then I Activate the Spell Card Double Coston from my Hand, Tribute the Normal Monster Mystical Shine Ball On my Field, and then Draw two cards from my Deck."
After drawing two cards from his Deck, Gekko Tenma looked at his hand and Set them all. "I Set both cards in my hand and End my Turn."
[Gekko Tenma: 2500 LP, Hand 0]
Splendid Venus [ATK 2500]
The Agent of Creation - Venus [ATK 1600]
[Set Card] X2
In the Turn that just passed, out of caution and to maximize benefit, Gekko Tenma didn't choose to Declare Attack directly, but instead chose to break through Hayato's Set Card to ensure it was foolproof before starting his attack. This step was actually unnecessary.
If he had Declared Attack directly, Hayato's two Set Cards would not Take Effect at all, Gaia the Dragon Champion would be directly Destroyed, and the Bone Temple Offering Hayato held in his hand would not have been Sent to the Graveyard by the effect of Cursed Coffin and then been able to Activate.
However, even though the effect of Cursed Coffin was to randomly Send a card from the hand to the Graveyard, Hayato still accurately Discarded Bone Temple Offering. Perhaps this was luck.
Looking at Gekko Tenma's slightly regretful expression, Hayato gained some insight into why Maximillion Pegasus said Gekko Tenma "has no talent in Duel Monsters". However, since they had only dueled for one Turn, Hayato wasn't very sure.
"My Turn, Draw!"
Anyway, let's start my Turn first.
"During my Standby Phase, the effect of Future Fusion Activates. Gaia the Dragon Champion, who was Sent to the future, will appear on my Field."
As he spoke, a light pillar rose from the Future Fusion card on Hayato's Field. The light pillar opened an illusory portal in mid-air, and the figure of Gaia the Dragon Champion riding Curse of Dragon appeared within it.
However, seeing Hayato Summon Gaia the Dragon Champion, Gekko Tenma revealed a smug smile: "This is the moment! I Activate the Set Card in my Backrow, Adhesion Trap Hole!"
"Can only Activate When Summoned Successfully, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned! As long as that monster is on the Field in Face-up Position, its original Attack becomes half!"
"Furthermore, even monsters that appear later will be Suppressed by the effect of Splendid Venus, their Attack and Defense decrease by 500 points!"
Before it could even show off, Gaia the Dragon Champion, which appeared on Hayato's Field, was suddenly doused from head to toe with a bucket of strange green liquid that looked like snot as soon as it appeared. Then, it was directly dragged to the ground from the air by the power of Splendid Venus. While dizzy from the fall, it was also stuck to the ground by the sticky liquid.
Gaia the Dragon Champion [ATK 2600→1300→800]
Just for a moment, due to its cool entrance, the mighty Gaia the Dragon Champion's attack plummeted to a mere 800 points in an instant. Forget battle, even self-preservation was becoming a problem.
"Tsk, its combat ability is basically gone." Hayato looked at the helpless Gaia the Dragon Champion and played a card. "In that case, I can't really rely on him. Instead of leaving him on the Field as a waste (Gaia the Dragon Champion: Who are you calling a waste?), I might as well make some use of him."
"Activate Spell Card Seven Star Sword. I Banish the Level 7 Gaia the Dragon Champion on my Field, and Draw two cards from my Deck."
After Replenishing his hand to four cards, Hayato glanced at the situation on his Field.
Although Gaia the Dragon Champion's attack was decreased and couldn't match Splendid Venus, Destroying The Agent of Creation - Venus was still more than enough.
What's more, the Spiral Spear Strike in Hayato's Backrow wasn't just for show. Coupled with Gaia the Dragon Champion's ability to decide the opponent's monster position, Hayato's decision was indeed---
"Entering my Battle Phase, I will Use Gaia the Dragon Champion to Declare Attack on The Agent of Creation - Venus!" Hayato raised his arm and swung it forward. "Before Gaia the Dragon Champion, the one who decides your monster position is me, Hayato!"
"I will change The Agent of Creation - Venus to Defense Position!"
Gaia the Dragon Champion didn't rush to Declare Attack. Instead, it pulled the reins, riding the red Curse of Dragon and began flying around the field, constantly accelerating until it became a streak of red light, as if it had become a red comet.
Although it had no horns, Gaia the Dragon Champion, which still accelerated to three times the speed, stirred up a whirlwind around Gekko Tenma's field. The Agent of Creation - Venus could barely maintain its alert state at first, but quickly became disoriented, finally kneeling on one knee and entering Defense Position in a dizzy state.
The Agent of Creation - Venus [ATK 1600→DEF 0]
Gekko Tenma exclaimed in surprise: "My The Agent of Creation - Venus's Defense is 0, and Gaia the Dragon Champion has the ability to inflict Piercing Damage... This is bad!!"
Hayato pointed at The Agent of Creation - Venus, which had lost its ability to resist, and directly ordered: "This is the angle! Go, Gaia the Dragon Champion!"
"Golden Cavalry Spin!"
The red stream of light changed direction. As its Mount, Curse of Dragon, rotated in sync, the tip of Gaia the Dragon Champion's spear gathered spiral power accelerating to the extreme, as if it could even distort time and space. He swooped down and thrust this spear at The Agent of Creation - Venus!
And at this moment, Gekko Tenma gritted his teeth, as if he had finally made up his mind. His finger pressed the Activate Set Card button on his Duel Disk: "At this instant, I Activate my Set Card!"
"Trap Card Absorb Shield! Negate Gaia the Dragon Champion's attack, and my Life Points recover the value of Gaia the Dragon Champion's attack!"
Gaia the Dragon Champion's seemingly certain hit was blocked by a translucent energy shield that suddenly appeared in front of The Agent of Creation - Venus. Even the spiral spear thrust that could inflict Piercing Damage everything ultimately couldn't resist the rules of Duel Monsters. Did Gaia the Dragon Champion return without success?
[Gekko Tenma: 2500 LP→4600 LP]
The gap in Life Points that appeared earlier to Activate The Agent of Creation - Venus's effect was filled back up by the effect of Absorb Shield, and even overflowed by 600 points. Looking at his rising Life Points, Gekko Tenma couldn't help but smile.
If Gaia the Dragon Champion's previous hit had Destroyed The Agent of Creation - Venus, the monster being Destroyed and taking a lot of damage would have been secondary. The truly crucial point was that Hayato could then Activate the effect of Spiral Spear Strike to Draw cards from his Deck and swap cards.
But now, he had successfully blocked Gaia the Dragon Champion's attack with one card. Protecting his monster, Recovering Life Points, and hindering the opponent's drawing cards, Gekko Tenma looked at his operation and felt completely satisfied.
With this happy emotion, Gekko Tenma looked at Hayato, wanting to get his comments on this set of operations. Although Gekko Tenma held sincere respect for Maximillion Pegasus, it was impossible for him not to feel unwillingness regarding the evaluation Maximillion Pegasus made.
He had been called a genius since he was young, possessing considerable talent in all aspects, and had even gained Lord Pegasus's appreciation early on, assisting him in working at Industrial Illusions.
However, for someone like himself, whose adoptive father was Lord Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters, known as the "Father of Duel Monsters", to be evaluated as having "no talent in Duel Monsters", Gekko Tenma felt very unwillingness in his heart.
No matter what, I was the Older Brother...
Suddenly, such a thought popped up in Gekko Tenma's mind, but the next moment he himself felt strange. Did he have siblings?
Forgetting the strange thought in an instant, Gekko Tenma looked at Hayato with expectation, but he only heard a sigh from Hayato.
"Ah, it seems you're just a fake fan, Gekko-san." Hayato looked at his Gaia the Dragon Champion on the Field and drew a card from his hand. "I use this move quite often, so why didn't anyone tell you about it?"
"Absorb Shield, Counter Gate, and similar cards that Negate monster attacks are useless against me!"
The card held between Hayato's fingers flipped over, revealing a green card printed with a slot machine.
"Quick-Play Spell Card Second Coin Toss, which gives me a second attack opportunity. Gaia the Dragon Champion, whose attack was Negated, will gain a second attack opportunity, and its attack will double!"
"Wh-What?!"
Under Gekko Tenma's astonished gaze, the red comet reappeared. A heavier attack than before fell, and this time, Gekko Tenma didn't have Absorb Shield.
The Agent of Creation - Venus, with 0 Defense, was instantly Destroyed. And Gaia the Dragon Champion's attack, which doubled to 5200 points, even after being weakened by 500 points by Splendid Venus, was still as high as 4700 points. With the effect of Spiral Spear Strike, it inflicted Piercing Damage, instantly depleting Gekko Tenma's Life Points!
[Gekko Tenma: 4600 LP→0 LP]
End of Chapter
Chapter 423: Absolutely No Problem (Confirmed)
Although it wasn't a Dark Game, the impact force simulated by the Virtual Projection System, boosted by Gaia the Dragon Champion's ATK after the effect of Double or Nothing!, pushed Tenma Tsukihiro against the wall with a "thud". It sounded like he hit it quite hard.
Gaia the Dragon Champion, which delivered the finishing blow, disappeared from the Duel Field as the duel concluded, and Hayato also received the system's settlement for the duel that just ended.
[Congratulations on achieving another victory. Duel Settlement: 650 DP]
[Current Accumulated DP Points: 10000 DP]
[You have one prize card]
The battle settlement of 650 DP was within Hayato's expectations; after all, he finished the duel within three turns and took no damage. But before he knew it, he had accumulated 10000 DP points again.
If he were to use them to buy card packs, Hayato could open 100 card packs in one go. But for the current Hayato, rather than getting new cards and completing existing series, it was more practical to save them up and directly buy some powerful support cards, such as Nibiru, the Primal Being, Maxx "C", and so on.
But what surprised Hayato a little was that after such a long time, he actually gained a dropped card again.
Even though after the KC Cup started, he dueled for so long in the preliminary stage, Hayato won so many times but not a single card dropped. But after dueling against Tenma Tsukihiro, this "outsider" who didn't participate in the KC Cup, there was a drop.
Not expecting to gain any powerful card, Hayato opened the Claim Interface, but the card that appeared before his eyes surprised him a little.
"Kuriri?" On Hayato's shoulder, Rainbow Kuriboh felt a familiar yet strange aura appear and also ran out, wanting to see what it was.
A monster card appeared in Hayato's hand. In the card art, a monster whose appearance was extremely similar to the Kuriboh Yugi possessed, except it had a pair of pure white small wings on its back, lazily let out a yawn. Noticing that Hayato was looking at it from outside the card art, it lively waved its hand to say hello.
"Kuriri, Kuriri~"
The card Hayato got was actually Winged Kuriboh?
As everyone knows, in the Yu-Gi-Oh! World, every generation's protagonist has their own Kuriboh card. Although it's not necessarily a card that appears often to decide victory or defeat, they can choose not to use it, but they must have it. Just like Yugi's Kuriboh, Winged Kuriboh is the Kuriboh card of the second-generation protagonist, Jaden Yuki.
However, for now, Hayato wasn't in a hurry to bond with Winged Kuriboh. Instead, he put it away first to check on the condition of Tenma Tsukihiro, who had just hit the wall quite hard. Winged Kuriboh was also quite understanding, obediently stayed inside the card, stretched, and closed its eyes to rest.
Walking over to Tenma Tsukihiro, who was standing up while holding the wall, Hayato asked, "How are you? You're not injured, are you? Sorry, I accidentally didn't hold back my strength."
"No, no, no, Mr. Hayato, this has nothing to do with you, it's mainly because my strength isn't enough." Tenma Tsukihiro's expression unconsciously showed shame. "It seems I'm still too far from being the perfect duelist Master Pegasus spoke of."
Perfect duelist?
Hayato was reminded by Tenma Tsukihiro's words and suddenly remembered something: the Tenma Tsukihiro in front of him seemed a little different from the Tenma Tsukihiro in the Yu-Gi-Oh! R Manga in his impression?
In the manga world, Tenma Tsukihiro was not given the evaluation by Pegasus that he "had no talent in Duel Monsters". Instead, he was indeed called a "perfect duelist" by him, and even the ace card and trump card of Industrial Illusions.
However, considering that Pegasus hasn't died and Tenma Tsukihiro doesn't have a twin brother, Tenma Yexing, it seems quite normal for there to be some differences.
Compared to those things, what Hayato cared about more was the card Tenma Tsukihiro used in the duel just now.
Splendid Venus, if looked at alone, is just a card whose effect isn't too powerful. The same tribute could completely summon a more powerful monster.
However, although the effect of Duel Monsters is very important, the power hidden behind the card is even more important. Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Dark Magician are still Normal Monsters with no effects, but the meaning they symbolize is much more important than many monsters with powerful effects.
And Splendid Venus is such a card.
In Hayato's impression, the origin of this card is the same as Tenma Tsukihiro; both appeared in the manga world of Yu-Gi-Oh!. Except Tenma Tsukihiro exists in the Yu-Gi-Oh! R Manga, while Splendid Venus comes from the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Manga.
In the GX Manga, Splendid Venus belongs to the "Planet" Series of cards. The design prototypes for the cards in that Series are the sun and the eight planets of the Solar System, as well as the already "expelled" Pluto, a total of ten cards. The power of the "Planet" Series itself isn't important; what's important is, they are the key to opening a seal.
However, Hayato decided that even if Splendid Venus appeared before him, that didn't mean the other nine "Planet" Series cards would appear one by one in the near future. Putting other things aside, the card in the "Planet" Series that symbolizes Earth is E·HERO Terra Firma; there is simply no possibility for this card to appear.
Hayato didn't lie when he gave E HERO to little Judai at that time, because Pegasus told him that he planned to release the newly designed E HERO Deck after the KC Cup ended. Until then, it was estimated that only Hayato and little Judai in the entire world possessed E HERO cards.
Although Hayato didn't doubt the compatibility between Judai and E HERO at all, it was too early to talk about card printing. How long had he even had E HERO?
Under such circumstances, no one could possibly print the E·HERO Terra Firma card. Which means even if the other nine "Planet" Series cards appeared, the seal, which might or might not exist, would be impossible to open due to the missing key.
Hayato believed this to be true.
Looking at his mobile phone, it had been about an hour since he left the Kaiba Dome venue. Unable to find any clue about "Night" from Tenma Tsukihiro, and having already finished dueling, Hayato also had no plan to continue staying here or watch Tenma Tsukihiro and the others work. After confirming that Tenma Tsukihiro's body was not injured and watching the staff take him back to the Monitoring Room, Hayato also left.
Watching Hayato leave in the distance, Tenma Tsukihiro, sitting in the center seat of the Monitoring Room, couldn't help but press his temples.
Now, he always had a strange illusion in his heart: that he hadn't used his full power in the duel just now. But this shouldn't be the case; he had clearly already summoned even his strongest monster. How could he not have used his full power?
Drawing his deck to confirm, Tenma Tsukihiro was absolutely convinced that the ace monster of his deck was Splendid Venus. Even when Master Hyperion, the boss monster in The Agent Deck with the same level as Splendid Venus, passed before his eyes, he didn't even spare it a glance.
----Pegasus, who is currently playing video games----
"That detestable Kaiba Seto, and that Mutou Yuugi!" Zigfried von Schroeder angrily flipped over the coffee table in front of him. The tea originally placed on the glass coffee table was all spilled onto the wooden floor, and the glass teapot and cup were all smashed to pieces.
Zigfried von Schroeder, who lost the duel against Yugi, had become a confirmed Eliminated Duelist and was no longer eligible to participate in the subsequent KC Cup event. Coupled with his strong resistance to giving Kaiba money, he also didn't buy a seat inside the Kaiba Dome to watch the matches. So he could only return to a Hotel near Kaiba Land and vent his dissatisfaction in his Room.
Beside the angry Zigfried von Schroeder, his younger brother, Leon von Schroeder, who used the alias 'Leon von Schroeder', advised him, saying, "Brother, don't be too angry. Winning and losing in Duel Monsters is very normal, and your opponent was Mr. Yugi. He's a Top 4 player from Battle City, after all, only having lost to Duel King Mr. Hayato. His strength is very high."
"Are you saying my strength isn't as good as his?!" Zigfried von Schroeder, who was using this alias, glared at his younger brother.
Rayne didn't answer his brother's question while he was angry, choosing silence. However, it could be seen from his expression and gaze that he indeed believed his brother's strength in Duel Monsters was not as good as Mutou Yuugi's.
Even though he was his own younger brother, he didn't side with him at all. Zigfried, annoyed, glared at Rayne. Even though he was the older brother, why was he eliminated in the first round of the KC Cup while his younger brother defeated his opponent and advanced to the second round?
Zigfried was so angry his throat felt like it was smoking. Just as he wanted to pick up some tea to moisten his throat, he realized the prepared tea had just been knocked over by himself. Having nowhere to vent his anger, he called out to the butler waiting nearby, "What are you standing there for? Go get me some water!"
"That detestable Mutou Yuugi, to actually use such despicable means! If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have lost face like this! Because of him, the Schroeder Family's reputation is ruined! Detestable!"
"But Brother, didn't you use 'Zigfried von Schroeder' as an alias? No one knows you are 'Zigfried von Schroeder'. How could the Schroeder Family lose face—"
"Shut up! How dare you talk back when your brother is speaking!" The angry Zigfried cut off Rayne's unfinished words. Looking at his younger brother who decisively closed his mouth, he took a deep breath, barely calming his mood, and said, "In short, Rayne, you have to bring honor to the Schroeder Family."
"You have to keep winning, keep winning until you face that Kaiba Seto and defeat him. This is the task your brother has assigned you. You must do it."
"Don't worry, Brother, I also have no plan to lose the duel before becoming champion." Rayne said, glancing at his deck. "I believe in my [Fairy Tale] Deck. I will definitely not lose before dueling Mr. Hayato."
Chapter 424: One Piece Really Exists, and So Does Tenma Yexing
Looking at Rayne's confident expression, Zigfried pursed his lips and said nothing more. Compared to what he told Rayne about "Restore Schroeder's Glory, it is our bounden duty," his true goal was actually to sabotage this KC Cup from beginning to end.
To achieve this goal, not long ago, with the help of a mysterious individual who sought him out, he discovered a fatal vulnerability in the firewall used by KaibaCorp.
Based on this vulnerability, Zigfried Lloyd wrote a trojan program and sent it into KaibaCorp's internal network. Zigfried's "Partner" took on the task of providing cover, launching an attack on KaibaCorp's network as a wingman, seemingly controlling some device in Kaiba Land.
The result was naturally a success. With the help of his "Partner," Zigfried Lloyd successfully sent the trojan program into KaibaCorp's internal network. Once successfully detonated, the data stored on KaibaCorp's network will be destroyed in a very short time. At that point, let alone continuing the KC Cup, it's hard to say if the highly networked KaibaCorp can even maintain its current status.
At that time, it will naturally be Schroeder Corporation's opportunity to rise!
Watching his brother—Rayne—stand up and return to his room, Zigfried leaned back on the sofa and narrowed his eyes.
If an instant trigger or timed device were used, the trojan program would be very easy to detect, and re-invading through that vulnerability would also leave traces. Therefore, the trigger device for the trojan program Zigfried set up is set to trigger conditionally.
He discovered that to ensure no fake cards appear in the KC Cup, Kaiba added a setting to every Duel Disk connected to the KC Cup system: every time a Card is placed on the Duel Disk, it reads the Card's data and compares it with the Card data on KaibaCorp's server.
Based on this, Zigfried Lloyd set the trojan program to trigger after a specific Card is read. That Card, Zigfried Lloyd set it as a Field Spell Card from his brother—Rayne Wilson's— Deck, Golden Castle of Stromberg, whose prototype comes from the fairy tale story "The Crow".
'Just wait, Kaiba. I'm really looking forward to the unwilling expression that will appear on your face after my plan succeeds, Hahahaha!'
—————
Hayato, who had left Tenma Tsukihiro's side, didn't return to the Spectator Area inside the Kaiba Dome Venue. Instead, he appeared before Kaiba, who had somewhat relieved his craving by playing a card game earlier.
"Tenma Tsukihiro? I remember he's the person sent by Industrial Illusions to assist, right?" Sitting in his private lounge, Kaiba crossed his legs on his executive chair and said disdainfully, "Although KaibaCorp and Industrial Illusions have reached a certain degree of business cooperation, that guy Pegasus is still unwilling to give me full access to all the Duel Monsters data."
"He says some data can't be released yet, he's hiding things. Although he granted some permissions, he demands that Industrial Illusions also participate in the supervision. Hmph, what a troublesome guy."
Hayato raised an eyebrow: "I thought the KC Cup was entirely supported by KaibaCorp alone."
"Hmph, I'll take that as a compliment to KaibaCorp." Kaiba glanced at Hayato, then looked at a transparent tablet-style personal terminal placed beside his hand. "Anyway, Tenma Tsukihiro is the person Pegasus arranged to be in charge. Free labor is free labor, so I just had him bring the guys from Industrial Illusions along to supervise the situation at the KC Cup field."
"Are you very interested in him?"
"No, just a little curious about his 'background setting'." Hayato shrugged. "Mainly, your KC Cup process is long and tedious. I don't think increasing the number of participants means the KC Cup will be a qualified event. At least, I think a long part of the process could be directly cut, and it would be much better to just enter duels with only a few people."
"You think I haven't thought of that? Idiot, business matters aren't something you can do however you want."
Kaiba picked up the tablet, tapping the screen repeatedly as if filtering something, and said casually, "Although Industrial Illusions is helping, to get government support, I first have to convince the local conglomerates, and the best way is to create enough profit for them."
"The longer the KC Cup lasts, the more stable the popularity behind it will be. In fact, just yesterday alone, the income from the advertising signs hanging around the venue was more than the KC Cup's ticket money."
"But compared to those things, I think you might be more interested in this."
Saying this, Kaiba pushed the tablet towards Hayato, stood up directly from his seat, adjusted his trench coat, and picked up his Deck and Duel Disk.
Hayato looked at the tablet Kaiba handed over. The tablet displayed many videos, images, and documents, all of which were related to Tenma Tsukihiro without exception.
"The Genius Boy of Industrial Illusions," "Tenma Tsukihiro, Adopted Son of the Father of Duel Monsters," "Completely Lacking Talent in Duel Monsters?"
From the newspaper headline when Tenma Tsukihiro was adopted as a child, to Tenma Tsukihiro entering Industrial Illusions to work because of his genius mind, all the way to Pegasus's evaluation of Tenma Tsukihiro as "completely lacking Talent in Duel Monsters," it covered "Tenma Tsukihiro's" situation from childhood to adulthood, and there wasn't much difference from what Hayato knew.
However, one newspaper was specially filtered out by Kaiba and placed in the most conspicuous position: "Father of Duel Monsters Adopts Two Boys."
"Recently, the KC Cup seems to have a lot of strange guys mixed in, so I used KaibaCorp's algorithm to screen everyone, and I found a few interesting people. Although Tenma Tsukihiro was sent by Industrial Illusions and isn't a participant, out of curiosity, I also looked up his information."
Kaiba stood opposite Hayato, put on his Duel Disk, confirmed his Deck, and inserted it into the Duel Disk. "A quite reasonable life, without any suspicion. And from some angles, it's slightly similar to my life. The only differences are that guy Pegasus isn't dead yet, and he doesn't have a brother as an assistant."
"That's what I originally thought, until I found a piece of data hidden in a corner, which is the photo you see."
On the newspaper titled "Father of Duel Monsters Adopts Two Boys," a photo was printed. A boy who was clearly Tenma Tsukihiro as a child stood slightly shyly to Pegasus's left hand, holding his hand. He seemed a bit embarrassed to face the reporter, but still stood out and showed a smile that could barely be considered decent.
And to Pegasus's right hand, a boy who looked exactly like Tenma Tsukihiro, although he also held Pegasus's outstretched hand, his eyes looking at the camera were full of indifference and disdain.
Furthermore, perhaps due to the time and angle of the photo, the side where Tenma Tsukihiro was standing happened to be under the dark yellow setting sun, while the other boy stood in the shadow with half of Pegasus's body.
"At least I can be sure that Tenma Tsukihiro, adopted by Pegasus, should have a twin brother. However, for some reason, the existence of Tenma Tsukihiro's brother seems to have been shrouded in his brother's shadow for a long time afterward?"
The Duel Disk on Kaiba's hand was already deployed. He showed a cold and arrogant smile to Hayato, who was still looking at the tablet. "But what makes me more curious is that even if his presence was low, he should at least be findable. Yet, no matter how I search, I can't find any evidence of Tenma Tsukihiro's brother's existence other than this photo."
"It's almost as if he stayed in his brother's shadow for too long, and even his existence completely melted away? Luckily, Keipei isn't like that."
"That is to say, Tenma Yexing that guy is real? Pegasus and Tenma Tsukihiro are lying?" Hayato was a little surprised by the information he learned from Kaiba. To be honest, he didn't expect to get anything from Kaiba, he was just thinking about whether to come here and play a card game with Kaiba to pass the time.
As a result, Kaiba casually dropped such a bombshell.
Now there are more and more doubts in front of Hayato - why, Pegasus and Tenma Tsukihiro did not move at all after hearing the name "Tenma Yexing", and asked Hayato "Tenma Yexing" like they were not lying? Who is it?
Why was that "Night" who called me surprised by the name "Tenma Yexing", is he Tenma Yexing, or is he related to Tenma Yexing, and why did he suddenly disappear from the perception of the [Millennium Ring]?
Also, why can Kaiba only find this photo that seems to have slipped through the net on the Internet, and there is no other information about the existence of "Tenma Yexing"?
"Although I still haven't been able to find out the truth, Kaiba, you are so powerful." Hayato put down the tablet in his hand and looked at Kaiba with a fighting spirit. "You really helped me a lot. It doesn't matter even if you ask me to duel with you."
"Isn't that the kind of thing you came up with on your own?" Kaiba raised his chin proudly. "Although you only use your full strength in public, but you refuse to duel with me in public, but it's not bad to defeat you here."
"Let's duel, Hayato Kobayashi!" As he said that, Kaiba was about to draw a card from his deck.
But Hayato suddenly stood up and ran outside the office: "I'll talk about that later, I suddenly have something I have to deal with, excuse me Kaiba, Ciao~"
"You bastard, stop for me! I've already deployed the Duel Disk, said I was going to duel with me and then ran away, Yarog!"
Outside the office, Iso, who had left the infirmary early because of his insistence, but was still forbidden by Kaiba to serve as a referee and could only be a security guard, pushed the sunglasses that slipped off his face, and watched Hayato Kobayashi walk out with a tablet, and President Kaiba, who was waving a Duel Disk that was almost like a blade, chased after the former with a calm expression.
Chapter 425: The Duelist with Zero Fighting Spirit and the Big Dummy Overflowing with Fighting Spirit
It was another clear morning. Inside the bustling Kaiba Dome, Kujaku Mai watched the large screen on the Central Stage with a strange expression.
The screen displayed the Duelists scheduled for the first Duel of the KC Cup today. Yugi, Hayato, Tristan , and others were already seated, but Joey Wheeler, usually the most enthusiastic about the KC Cup, was absent. From this, it was clear that Joey Wheeler was up first again.
Beside her, Tristan had just finished a phone call with Shizuka, Joey Wheeler's sister, who was far across the ocean in Domino City. Seeing Kujaku Mai staring at the screen, he ranted, "Kaiba, he definitely rigged the KC Cup Duel schedule. Otherwise, why is Joey Wheeler always the first one up?"
The current time was exactly eight o'clock in the morning. However, the time difference between Japan and America was a full fourteen hours. It was around ten o'clock at night in Japan, and when Yugi and the others first arrived in America, it took them quite some time to adjust to the time difference.
Although thanks to KaibaCorp, Shizuka could watch the KC Cup broadcast on television without delay even from far away in Japan, ten o'clock at night was still quite late for Shizuka, who had never had the habit of staying up late. After all, before her eye surgery, Shizuka had always maintained good habits to protect her eyesight and try to slow down the weakening of her vision, although it didn't help much.
Furthermore, Shizuka hadn't taken time off school like Yugi and the others. Since she had to go to school the next day, although she really wanted to see her brother Joey Wheeler's victorious appearance on television, she could only regretfully rest early.
Fortunately, the television in Shizuka's home still had a recording function, allowing her to record the program being broadcast and watch it later. She had done just that the day before yesterday.
However, instead of waiting until the next evening after school to watch the recorded program to find out about her brother's battle situation, Shizuka had a faster way. That was through Tristan, who had accompanied Shizuka after her surgery during Battle City and conveniently got her mobile phone number.
Honda had been watching the KC Cup very seriously these past two days, not because he had such a great passion for Duel Monsters, but so he could remember the Duelists who appeared and the situation of their duels in his mind, allowing him to have more topics to talk about with Shizuka after she watched the replay.
Also, as a side benefit, Tristan would always estimate the time in Japan in advance and send a text message to Shizuka in Japan around five o'clock in the afternoon in America, so that Shizuka, who would just be waking up at seven o'clock, could know Joey Wheeler's battle situation immediately.
The cost of international calls and text messages?
Did Tristan lack that bit of money? Just a little bit of phone bill could give him a legitimate reason to contact Shizuka. In his opinion, it was a huge profit, okay?
Hearing Tristan's rant, Kujaku Mai also withdrew her line of sight from the screen. However, the reason she was staring at the screen wasn't actually because of "Joey Wheeler," Joey Wheeler's English name, displayed on the screen, but because she was looking at the name of Joey Wheeler's opponent displayed on the other half of the screen.
No.1919, Northwood Reiko. It looks like a Japanese name, and "Reiko"? It sounds like a female name.
A strange sense of crisis suddenly arose in Kujaku Mai's heart, and then she suddenly blushed.
Really, even if Joey Wheeler's opponent was a woman, or even if he found a girlfriend, it had nothing to do with her!
However, Kujaku Mai couldn't even convince herself of this idea. No one knew what her inner thoughts truly were.
But thinking of Joey Wheeler's thick-skinned personality, Kujaku Mai felt a little relieved.
It didn't matter if he met a female opponent. With Joey Wheeler's low EQ personality, who could he possibly attract? How could anyone like that kind of dense guy?
Having barely prepared his Deck, Joey Wheeler walked out of the Player Waiting Room with a proud expression, closing his eyes and enjoying the cheers from his fans, few but definitely present among the audience. He walked onto the Duel Platform, waiting for his opponent to appear.
Joey Wheeler was initially a bit annoyed with Kaiba about being scheduled as the first Duelist to appear again. He even imagined Kaiba's disdainful expression when rigging the KC Cup.
'If a third-rate Duelist like Joey Wheeler with a second-rate Deck appears in the middle of the KC Cup, the popularity that the KC Cup has finally built up will definitely be dragged down by that Commoner. Putting him at the end would also be a bad finish, so let him go first.'
Although he hadn't heard Kaiba say these words himself, Joey Wheeler firmly believed that Kaiba definitely thought this way.
However, later, Joey Wheeler, after all, had an unusually resilient spirit and a thick skin, and he easily convinced himself with another idea.
"Being the first to appear clearly means Yours Truly's strength is very strong, most suitable for the opening." Standing on his Field with his hands on his hips, Joey Wheeler showed a silly smile. "And even if other Duelists perform excellently afterward, how could they leave a deeper impression than Lord Joey Wheeler?"
It's really good to be the first to appear, really good, hehehehe~
As Joey Wheeler was laughing, he suddenly realized that at some point, a black-haired young girl wearing glasses was already standing opposite him, looking at him with fear and resistance.
"Ahem, well, you're my opponent, right!" Joey Wheeler coughed twice, trying to ease the slightly awkward atmosphere on the Duel Platform at the moment, and spoke first. "Um, your name is..."
While speaking, Joey Wheeler looked up at the screen next to the Duel Platform. Although he had seen the other person's name before the Duel, as everyone knows, Joey Wheeler's memory only lasts for 3 seconds. It only takes "1, 2, Bang!", and Joey Wheeler can completely forget certain memories and write in new ones, just like a Pokémon.
"Northwood Reiko? Northwood Reiko, huh?" Joey Wheeler first read the young girl's name displayed on the screen in somewhat unfamiliar English, then translated it back into Japanese and said it again.
Joey Wheeler felt his luck was quite good. Since the Qualifiers of the KC Cup until now, most of the opponents he had encountered surprisingly spoke Japanese. He even met an American who spoke Japanese better than English, similar to Pegasus, which meant Joey Wheeler didn't have to force himself to communicate in his heavily accented English.
Last round he met Rex, and this round, this young girl named "Northwood Reiko" also seems like she's Japanese. How lucky.
Looking at Joey Wheeler, Northwood Reiko nodded timidly, slightly opening her mouth as if to say something, hesitating two or three times but unable to speak. With great difficulty, she finally made up her mind and said softly, "U-um, h-hello, I am Northwood Reiko."
After saying that sentence haltingly, Northwood Reiko seemed to have finally mustered her courage and smoothly said, "In short, I will do my best in the Duel."
Although she said words that sounded like she was cheering herself on, no matter how Joey Wheeler looked, he couldn't see any fighting spirit in Northwood Reiko.
'Is this person really a Duelist?' Joey Wheeler sized up Northwood Reiko. She was wearing a white cashmere long-sleeved shirt, with a black sleeveless shirt over it, and below was a light gray pleated skirt that reached her knees, paired with white tube socks that weren't too long. She looked like a girl next door.
Joey Wheeler even felt that Northwood Reiko was simply a typical Japanese high school student, and the type who was a good girl with excellent grades.
'She has absolutely no drive as a Duelist, her fighting spirit is fundamentally 0.'
Joey Wheeler evaluated her in his inner thoughts.
Although Joey Wheeler's inner thoughts were quite pure, genuinely judging Northwood Reiko's personality without any thought of coveting her beauty, after all, Joey Wheeler was a steadfast person. If he said he liked blonde big waves, he liked blonde big waves, whether they were 18, 38, or 58.
However, unfortunately, his gaze as he sized up Northwood Reiko's attire was fully captured by Kujaku Mai in the Spectator Area through the footage on the large screen.
"Joey Wheeler, that pervert, instead of starting the Duel properly, what is he looking at?!" Kujaku Mai's fist was clenched particularly tightly, and behind her, flames seemed to ignite with a sound like "Blazing Fire Sword Draw".
Without making Kujaku Mai, who had gotten angry for no reason, wait too long, the Referee announced the start of the Duel at Kaiba's signal.
Hearing the Referee's words, Joey Wheeler inserted his Deck into his Duel Disk and said with high fighting spirit, "Just so you know, I'm very strong, don't get burned by my sword!"
"Duel!"
"Eeek!" Startled slightly by Joey Wheeler's loud voice, Northwood Reiko's hard-won courage flinched back. "I-I will also Duel seriously, Duel."
[Northwood Reiko: 4000LP]
[Joey Wheeler: 4000LP]
"Alright, I'll take the first turn! My Turn, draw a card!" Joey Wheeler eagerly seized the right to go first and drew a card from his Deck.
Northwood Reiko quickly bowed slightly: "Oh, oh, oh, please don't be polite, please give me your guidance."
Joey Wheeler scratched his cheek, feeling a bit awkward. Joey Wheeler had a lot of experience dealing with rude opponents, but this was the first time he had encountered such a polite opponent, and he was somewhat unaccustomed to it.
"Seriously, don't make the atmosphere so strange."
"S-sorry!"
"I told you not to... No, forget it. In short, I'll start my Turn." Joey Wheeler gave up on the idea of telling Northwood Reiko not to be so polite and wanting her to be a little more serious.
'Seriously, with an opponent like this, I feel like winning won't give me any achievement.'
Looking at the card he had just drawn, Joey Wheeler activated it directly: "I activate the Magic Card, Cards of the Red Stone! This card's effect is, I can discard a Level 7 "Red-Eyes" monster from my Hand, then draw two cards from my Deck. After that, I can send one Level 7 "Red-Eyes" monster from my Deck to the Graveyard."
After drawing two cards, Joey Wheeler sent a Red-Eyes Black Dragon he searched from his Deck to his Graveyard.
"Then, I activate the Ritual Spell Card, Black Dragon Ritual! From my Hand, I tribute Red-Eyes Wyvern, a Level 4 monster, as the tribute required for a Ritual Summon. The level requirement is 4! I Ritual Summon this monster from my Hand!"
Joey Wheeler rarely used a Ritual Spell Card. He sent a monster he had just drawn due to the effect of Cards of the Red Stone from his Hand to the Graveyard and placed the other drawn card on his Duel Field.
"Seize the radiance! The pitch-black sword mercilessly dominates the dark dragon!" Joey Wheeler excitedly swung his fist. "Ritual Summon! Black Luster Ritual Soldier!"
On Joey Wheeler's Field, the phantom of Red-Eyes Wyvern, which had just been tributed for the activation of the Ritual Spell Card, manifested. Under the use of Black Dragon Ritual, its form twisted, and replacing Red-Eyes Wyvern was a warrior standing on the back of a Black Dragon, holding a sword.
[Black Luster Ritual Soldier] [4☆/Dark]
[Dragon Type/Ritual/Effect]
[1900/1200]
Black Luster Ritual Soldier's 1900 ATK was second only to Pitch-Black Warwolf, which required tributing a monster to attack, among the lower-level monsters Joey Wheeler used. After all, a Ritual Monster required at least three cards to summon: the tribute, the Ritual Spell, and the Ritual Monster itself. While having decent stats, it also had a relatively good effect.
"The relationship between Black Luster Ritual Soldier and the Black Dragon is not Master and mount; he is the guide of the Black Dragon, capable of summoning the Black Dragon's appearance with his own power." Joey Wheeler said, and ordered, "Black Luster Ritual Soldier can tribute itself to Special Summon a Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my Deck or Hand!"
The knight riding the Black Dragon didn't get a chance to participate in battle. Upon receiving Joey Wheeler's order, it transformed into a vortex and dispersed. And from that pitch-black vortex, Joey Wheeler's most trusted ace monster—Red-Eyes Black Dragon—made its grand appearance!
[Red-Eyes Black Dragon] [ATK 2400]
"ROAR!!!"
"Uwah!" Accompanied by Red-Eyes Black Dragon's roar, Northwood Reiko, who was directly facing the Black Dragon, subconsciously wanted to cover her head and crouch down. But fortunately, she still remembered somewhat that she was in a Duel. Although she cried out in fear, she still maintained her standing posture, though her legs were trembling slightly.
Joey Wheeler naturally noticed this and looked at Northwood Reiko, quite speechless. He hadn't even activated an attack yet, so why was this person so scared?
"S-sorry, because Duel Monsters feels a bit scary, and Duelists too, so I unconsciously..." Northwood Reiko apologized again, sounding very weak.
"You really are... Sigh." Joey Wheeler was truly speechless. "Red-Eyes Black Dragon cannot attack the Turn it is summoned by Black Luster Ritual Soldier's effect, but since it's the first turn, it doesn't matter."
"Then I activate the Continuous Spell Card, Dangerous Machine Type 6."
As Joey Wheeler inserted a card into his Duel Disk, a mechanical sphere adorned with six glowing devices slowly rose from the ground next to his Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
"The effect of Dangerous Machine Type 6 is to roll a die during each of my Standby Phase, and then force activation of its effect based on the points of the dice. However, since it's not time for activation yet, we can ignore it for now." Joey Wheeler said, glancing awkwardly in the direction of the Spectator Area.
Although he had told Tristan, Hayato, and the others more than once that he would rather lose Duel Monsters, starve to death, die outside, or jump from a height than use gambling cards.
In short, it smelled really good.
"After that, I set two cards. My Turn ends." Joey Wheeler drew two cards and inserted them into his Spell & Trap Zone, then snapped his fingers with his free hand, showing a proud smile. "Then, during my End Phase, Red-Eyes Wyvern in my Graveyard has an effect that can be activated."
"Huh? A monster effect activated from the Graveyard during the End Phase?" Northwood Reiko said with some surprise. "Can monster effects be activated automatically?"
"Don't tell me you thought monster effects only had the active activation type?"
Hearing Joey Wheeler's words, Northwood Reiko became very nervous and quickly said, "Y-yes, yes, yes, sorry! I don't have much experience with Duel Monsters and haven't fully understood the rules regarding monster effects."
"Huh?" Joey Wheeler was genuinely strange, because in Joey Wheeler's opinion, his knowledge of Duel Monsters was already quite lacking. If it weren't for Master Solomon's Hell Training, he might not even recognize many cards. However, even without undergoing training himself, he at least knew that there were differences in Duel Monster effects.
Effects that are Actively Activated, Passively Triggered, and Constantly Active—even Tristan and Téa, who didn't play Duel Monsters often, knew these things. How could this person named Northwood Reiko not even know this? How did she even get this far in the advancement?
Thinking of this, Joey Wheeler suddenly realized—oh right, this person wasn't just some ordinary person on the street. This was the KC Cup, and it was already the second round. Northwood Reiko was one of the top 32, the same level as himself. It was absolutely impossible for her to know nothing about Duel Monsters.
This person was definitely using the strategy of "pretending to know nothing about Duel Monsters to make others drop their guard"! People who play strategy have dirty hearts! What a malicious woman!
I completely understand!
Startled by Joey Wheeler's suddenly sharp gaze, Northwood Reiko stammered, "Ah, I-I've only been playing Duel Monsters for... just one month..."
"One month?" Hmph, Lord Joey Wheeler is very smart, don't think you can fool me. "Is that so? Well, that's amazing then, to reach the top 32 of the KC Cup in just one month."
"However, the effect of my Red-Eyes Wyvern in the Graveyard continues to activate." Joey Wheeler firmly believed in his deduction and declared, "Although I Special Summoned Black Luster Ritual Soldier and Red-Eyes Black Dragon consecutively, I haven't performed a Normal Summon."
"During the End Phase of a Turn where I haven't performed a Normal Summon, I can banish Red-Eyes Wyvern from my Graveyard, and target one "Red-Eyes" monster in my Graveyard to activate its effect! That monster is Special Summoned!"
"Come forth, the second Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
3K yesterday, and 2K today.
Also, the movie that suddenly appeared in the Mokuroku was unexpectedly quite good. The most impressive thing was the Little Demon King's Supreme King form, who finally knew how to summon and learned when and how to use things, like Kabuto's acceleration to save the Hostage.
It's just that Bubble Rabbit spraining its foot was a bit awkward, it got infected by 01.
End of Chapter