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The onlookers were beginning to piece together You Xuan's strategy.
The seemingly invincible Submarineroid had the ability to bypass the opponent's monsters and deal direct damage, while the field spell Mega Metropolis could temporarily swap its attack and defense stats during battle. This allowed the seemingly weak 800-attack torpedo strike to escalate into a devastating 1800-point hit.
Afterward, Submarineroid could switch back to defense mode on its own, boasting a sturdy 1800 defense that made it both offensive and defensive in nature.
As more students began to grasp this tactic, their expressions turned increasingly odd. While no one thought this unconventional approach—avoiding direct monster clashes—was particularly powerful, they all agreed on one thing: it was infuriatingly cheap.
Still, despite successfully landing a stinging blow on Yamamoto Yuuichi, most spectators believed the advantage still lay with him. Yuuichi himself certainly thought so.
"Tch, clever little tricks," Yuuichi sneered. "But such gimmicks end here."
"My turn, draw!"
Yamamoto Yuuichi had entered Duel Academy with high ambitions. From the moment he learned how to duel, he had been regarded as an elite by those around him, and his life up until entering the academy had been smooth sailing. Though he hadn't performed as well on the written exam, he was confident that in actual combat, he wouldn't lose to anyone else.
He had set himself a goal: to advance to the Blue Dormitory within the first semester and claim the title of top freshman before the term ended!
That included surpassing the elites who had directly advanced from middle school into the Blue Dormitory. If he couldn't even take down the number one spot in the Yellow Dormitory, what hope did he have for anything else?
In his eyes, You Xuan was merely a stepping stone—a minor hurdle on his path to greater heights.
This duel was his chance to establish dominance in the Yellow Dormitory!
"I activate the quick-play spell Gust of Wind from my hand! Destroy one magic or trap card on the field."
A pitch-black whirlwind erupted, tearing one of You Xuan's face-down cards into the air, where it shattered under a bolt of lightning. It was a Bottomless Trap Hole.
"Hah, a Bottomless Trap Hole? Good thing I didn't summon another monster with over 1000 attack power, or it would've been banished!"
Yuuichi smirked, pleased with his precise targeting of the backrow.
"Next, I normal summon Warrior Ape!"
[Warrior Ape, ATK 1900]
Warrior Ape boasted an impressive 1900 attack points at four stars and gained an additional 300 attack points whenever it destroyed a monster in battle, easily surpassing the 2000 mark. It was one of his favorite lower-tier beatsticks.
You Xuan remained expressionless. "I activate the trap card Bottomless Trap Hole. When a monster with 1000 or more attack points is summoned, it is destroyed and banished."
A gaping black void opened beneath Warrior Ape, which had barely managed to step onto the field before plummeting into the abyss and exploding into fragments.
Yuuichi: "..."
What the hell?! You've got a backup copy of that trap too?!
Fine.
Reluctantly accepting this setback, Yuuichi continued, "I activate the spell card Monster Reborn! Special summon one monster that was destroyed this turn in attack position." (Animated effect)
The monster card that had just been sent to the graveyard re-emerged.
"I special summon Warrior Ape once again!"
[Warrior Ape, ATK 1900]
"Now you'll see that these underhanded tactics are meaningless!" Yuuichi declared. "Go, Warrior Ape! Attack Submarineroid!"
"I reveal my face-down card," You Xuan calmly flipped another backrow card. "Trap card Dimensional Prison. When your monster attacks, remove that attacking monster from play."
Yuuichi: "!!!"
Poor Warrior Ape never reached the seemingly invincible Submarineroid. Just as its massive palm was about to strike, space itself tore open, and a powerful gravitational force sucked it in, vanishing without a trace.
"My Warrior Ape..."
Yuuichi's eyes burned red with frustration.
Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that his Warrior Ape, freshly resurrected less than a second ago, would be whisked away to another dimension faster than a commuter train—purely for sightseeing purposes...
"Damn it... But now all your traps are used up. Next, Hell Dragon attacks!" Yuuichi commanded. "Hell Dragon, attack Submarineroid!"
This time, there was no interference. Hell Dragon's claws pierced through the defense-mode Submarineroid, obliterating it into pieces.
At least this would prevent the pesky submarine from dealing another direct hit next turn.
"Heh, surely you thought you'd successfully defended this round, huh?" Yuuichi sneered. "It's not over yet! Activate my face-down card!"
"Trap card—Appy's Avatar!"
The trap activated, and a mass of black energy condensed, quickly taking the form of a snake-headed monster wielding a sword and shield, appearing on Yuuichi's field.
"This trap can be treated as a monster card and special summoned to my field!"
[Appy's Avatar, ATK 1600]
"The battle phase isn't over yet!" Yuuichi declared. "Appy's Avatar, direct attack!"
The trap monster leaped forward, bypassing You Xuan's empty field and swinging its blade toward him.
Yuuichi's eyes widened with anticipation as he held his breath, eagerly awaiting the moment the blade would strike his opponent.
However, just as the blade was about to land, it clanged against an invisible barrier.
Kite Roid!
"When Kite Roid is in the graveyard, it can reduce battle damage to 0 once," You Xuan explained.
Watching what should have been a guaranteed hit blocked at the last second, Yuuichi felt like someone had pressed pause on his reward screen, leaving only a spinning progress bar—and it was driving him insane.
"Kite Roid...? When...?"
His pupils contracted as realization dawned.
"It was the card sent from the deck to the graveyard during Submarineroid's attack using the effect of Mega Metropolis..."
The surrounding students immediately caught on.
"I see," Mitsuzawa Daichi, the model student, analyzed aloud. "Mega Metropolis doesn't just swap attack and defense stats during Submarineroid's direct attack—it also sends Kite Roid directly to the graveyard, providing a layer of defense...
And after Submarineroid attacks, switching to defense mode is another defensive tactic. At first glance, it seems like a cheap strategy relying solely on direct attacks for chip damage, but in reality, it's a powerful combination that balances offense and defense."
The other students nodded in agreement. "Indeed."
Of course, while they acknowledged its strength, most of the onlookers couldn't help but feel a mix of schadenfreude and relief as they watched Yuuichi's face grow redder by the second. They all silently thought the same thing—
—I absolutely don't want to be matched against this guy.
Anyone who draws him must have done something terrible in a past life.
Against someone like this, winning might not be impossible, but your mentality will definitely collapse...