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You Xuan narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the newcomer.
"Thief Keith?" he asked hesitantly.
"Ho ho, so there's still someone who recognizes me these days?"
The man removed his sunglasses, revealing an unsettling grin.
It was him, all right.
Keith, the infamous card thief from the early Yu-Gi-Oh DM "Duelist Kingdom" arc. Once a celebrated bounty hunter known as the "Card Expert" in America, he had been an undefeated duelist across the United States during his prime. Crowned the "All-American Champion," he was once a rising star with immense potential.
That is, until the day he challenged Pegasus J. Crawford, the creator of Duel Monsters. To his humiliation, Pegasus didn't even bother to duel him personally, instead sending a child to face him while casually chatting with Seto Kaiba in the stands. Shockingly, the kid defeated Keith using only a few notes scribbled by Pegasus. This crushing blow shattered Keith's pride, sending him spiraling into darkness and despair.
That was ancient history now, though—or so it seemed. By all accounts, Keith should have long since faded from relevance.
Though his current appearance bore similarities to his past self, years had changed him enough that You Xuan only confirmed his identity after Keith admitted it himself.
But this revelation did nothing to explain why Keith had shown up in the Spirit Realm.
"I sense a power emanating from you—evil, devouring energy," the Holy Spirit said cautiously, eyeing Keith. "You are one of the minions of the dark god."
"Tch, power is power. What's 'evil' or not doesn't matter to me."
Keith lit a cigarette, flicking open his lighter with a sharp snap. He exhaled a lazy puff of smoke before speaking again, his tone dripping with arrogance.
"Thanks to Yugi Mutou and Katsuya Jonouchi, I sank into a pit of despair. But now, reborn through divine intervention, I've risen stronger than ever. The old Keith is dead. All that remains is a chosen swordsman of the gods."
He paused to take another drag, then pointed at the portrait engraved on You Xuan's back.
"My mission is clear—I'm here for it. That legendary warrior's spirit belongs to us now. So sorry, kid, but I can't let you leave here alive. Don't worry, though—you won't die immediately."
Exhaling another cloud of smoke, Keith smirked menacingly.
"You've made it this far, so you must have some talent. Your soul will make a fine offering."
With that, he tossed his cigarette to the ground, crushing it underfoot, and activated his Duel Disk with a flourish.
"Come on. Only one of us is walking out of here today."
"Thanks for the invite, but I'll pass."
You Xuan took two steps back, planting his feet firmly as his own Duel Disk sprang to life.
"The chance to become monster fodder? I'll leave that honor to you."
"DUEL!" x2
[You Xuan, LP 4000]
[Keith, LP 4000]
"My move, draw." Keith declared, "First, I activate 'Pot of Greed' from my hand, drawing two cards from my deck."
"Next, I'll set one monster face-down in defense mode, followed by one trap card. Turn end."
Your turn, draw." You Xuan announced calmly.
Keith's first turn revealed little—he'd only set a monster and a trap, giving no indication of his strategy.
In the original series, Keith appeared during the Duelist Kingdom arc, where everyone still played under simplified rules (summoning without sacrifices). Back then, games were often decided by brute force, such as with Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Nearly a decade had passed since then, rendering those old matches irrelevant in modern dueling standards.
Moreover, this version of Keith clearly aligned himself with some new faction, making it unclear what kind of deck he might be using.
For now, You Xuan focused solely on his own play.
"I summon 'Summoner Monk' in defense position!"
[Summoner Monk, DEF 1600]
Setting a monster face-up in defense mode was a unique rule from the anime; in real-world duels, monsters could either be summoned in attack mode or placed face-down. However, for Summoner Monk, it made no difference—his effect forced him into defense mode upon summoning.
"I activate Summoner Monk's effect," You Xuan stated. "Once per turn, by discarding a spell card from my hand, I can special summon a Level 4 monster from my deck."
You Xuan slid a card from his hand onto the Duel Disk, which automatically sent it to the graveyard.
"I special summon Level 4 'Black Forest Witch'!"
[Black Forest Witch, ATK 1100]
"From my hand, I activate the Equip Spell 'Magical Wand,' equipping it to Summoner Monk. This card boosts the equipped Spellcaster-type monster's attack by 500 points."
[Summoner Monk, ATK 800 → ATK 1300]
"When Summoner Monk is summoned, it must switch to defense mode," Keith remarked dryly. "What's the point of boosting its attack power?"
"I activate Magical Wand's second effect!" You Xuan responded. "By sending the equipped monster and this card to the graveyard, I draw two cards from my deck."
Summoner Monk and the wand dissolved into specks of light, merging into a golden beam that shot into You Xuan's deck. He drew two cards smoothly.
"Next, I activate the effect of the spell card I discarded earlier—'Silent Explosion Magic!' By banishing it from the graveyard, I add one 'Silent Magician' monster from my deck to my hand."
"So I add 'True Silent Magician' to my hand."
The Duel Disk processed the search, ejecting the card automatically. You Xuan drew it, and his deck shuffled itself with mechanical precision.
"'True Silent Magician' cannot be normal summoned—it requires a tribute of a Spellcaster-type monster. Therefore, I offer 'Black Forest Witch' on the field as a tribute!"
The black-robed witch dissolved into radiant golden light, her essence converging into a glowing white magic circle. Transparent whirlwinds of mana swirled around the battlefield.
"Wings of hope, silent mage clad in light, appear now—True Silent Magician, summon!"
Her pristine white robes billowed in the magical storm, revealing glimpses of her elegant legs beneath. With calm eyes, she twirled her staff deftly before gripping it firmly.
[Silent Magician, ATK 1000]
"And at this moment, Black Forest Witch's effect activates," You Xuan continued. "When she is sent to the graveyard, I add a monster with DEF 1500 or less from my deck to my hand."
"So I'll add this card..."
His deck hummed as it searched again, ejecting another card. You Xuan plucked it from the slot.
"I add 'Jinzo - Returner' to my hand!"
"Jinzo..."
Seeing the card, Keith's lips curled slightly, accompanied by a derisive snort.
That card brought back unpleasant memories.
During the Duelist Kingdom tournament, Katsuya Jonouchi dealt him another devastating blow, eliminating him from the competition and plunging him further into despair. Though Jonouchi hadn't wielded Jinzo at the time, the card later became iconic as part of his legendary status. While Keith never faced Jonouchi's Jinzo directly, the mere association with his rival left a bitter taste.
"Bad memories?"
As You Xuan drew the retrieved card, his deck shuffled itself automatically. His cold gaze observed his opponent closely.
"Not your business," Keith growled. "Sooner or later, I'll drag every single person who ever looked down on me into the abyss with my newfound power."
"But one problem at a time—I'll deal with you first. Let's continue."
"As you wish."
You Xuan spoke calmly.
"True Silent Magician gains 500 ATK for each card in my hand. Including the 'Jinzo - Returner' I just added, I currently hold six cards."
"Thus, True Silent Magician's ATK increases by 3000!"
As he spoke, the six cards in his hand seemed to pulse with invisible energy, channeling their power into the magician. She swept her staff, unleashing a transparent storm of mana that stirred her robes dramatically, forming an impenetrable barrier around her.
[True Silent Magician, ATK 1000 → ATK 4000]
"A monster equivalent to Obelisk-level... straight off the bat," Keith muttered, frowning deeply.
Only now did he realize the full extent of You Xuan's sequence—multiple card draws, searches, and summoning his ace monster, all while maintaining a full hand of six cards. In one swift motion, he had created a powerhouse comparable to Obelisk the Tormentor.
A faint realization dawned on Keith.
This opponent...
wasn't going to be easy.