On the Duel Stage, Xiangling and Hu Tao continued their duel.
At present, Hu Tao had the upper hand.
Her Life Points were full.
The only flaw was that, not having drawn Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, she had only managed to build up a 2000 Attack [King of the Skull Servants] by stacking cards in the Graveyard.
Luya commented:
"So Hall Master Hu's newbie protection period is over!?"
"No more opening hands with Wangsheng Funeral Parlor…"
Even without it, relying on other cards and her deeper understanding of the duel, Hu Tao was slowly gaining control.
Now, Xiangling had no monsters on the field and only 1000 Life Points left.
But she still had two set cards.
Hu Tao was very cautious about this, having suffered losses from [Magic Cylinder] and [Dimension Wall] before. Her sense of safety had risen considerably.
She decided that on her next turn, she would summon low-Attack monsters to chip away at Xiangling.
Next to them, Zhongli and Xingqiu were also dueling.
Zhongli held a slight advantage.
On his field were [Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1] and [Red-Eyes Black Dragon].
[Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1] Level 4│WIND│Dragon│1400 ATK / 1200 DEF
[Red-Eyes Black Dragon] Level 7│DARK│Dragon│2400 ATK / 2000 DEF
On Xingqiu's field, only an [Obnoxious Celtic Guardian].
At least his Life Points were still full at 4000.
The guardian held a longsword, staring forward… this duel had a bit of a Dragon Quest vibe.
[Obnoxious Celtic Guardian] Level 4│WIND│Warrior│1400 ATK / 1200 DEF
It was now Xingqiu's turn.
The spectators were all holding their breath for him.
"My turn!"
"Draw—"
Xingqiu glanced at his draw, a smile spreading across his face.
"I activate the Spell Card [Cloudlance Sword Art: Rain Deep, Doors Closed]!"
"Return one monster, Spell, or Trap on the field to its owner's hand…"
"Then its controller draws one card."
As the effect activated—
Rain suddenly began to fall on the Duel Stage, wetting the feet of both Zhongli and Xingqiu.
The audience murmured, guessing:
"Young Master Xingqiu…"
"He's probably going to send Zhongli's [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] back, right?!"
"I think so too…"
"Exactly… if he can deal with that 2400 ATK Red-Eyes, Young Master Xingqiu's pressure will ease a lot!"
"Truly a godly draw, hahaha!"
Regardless, Xingqiu continued:
"I return my [Obnoxious Celtic Guardian]."
As he chose to send his own monster back, the rain seemed to sense his resolve and converged around the guardian.
Raindrops poured like a farewell, swirling into a vortex that wrapped around the guardian, sending it back to Xingqiu's hand.
The rain faded, the stormy surface calmed, the skies cleared.
"Then… I draw one card from my Deck!"
Now his field was empty—no monsters, no set cards. Only three cards in hand and 4000 Life Points.
The spectators had expected him to return Zhongli's [Red-Eyes Black Dragon], which would have evened the field.
If Xingqiu could then summon something stronger than Zhongli's 1400 ATK [Winged Dragon], he could have gained the advantage.
Yet, instead, he returned his own guardian.
"What!?"
"Young Master Xingqiu returned his own card…"
"What kind of play is this…?"
"Then he's in danger, isn't he?"
"Unless…"
"Unless what?!"
"Unless he has the card the shopkeeper just forged!"
Amidst their confusion, Xingqiu excitedly revealed a card.
"Since I have no monsters on my field… and Mr. Zhongli has two…"
The audience instantly knew which card it was.
None other than [Conqueror of Demons – Xiao]!
This was the card Xingqiu had told Luya he must obtain, no matter the price.
Seeing Xingqiu's help in the shop these past days—and knowing he wasn't short on money—Luya had sold the very first [Conqueror of Demons – Xiao] to him.
And now, in his duel with Zhongli, Xingqiu had drawn it right at the edge of defeat.
Zhongli had two monsters: [Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1] and [Red-Eyes Black Dragon].
Xingqiu had none.
Thus—
The special summon condition of [Conqueror of Demons – Xiao] was met.
[Conqueror of Demons – Xiao] Level 7│WIND│Adeptus│2500 ATK / 1400 DEF
Not only that, Xingqiu hadn't used his Normal Summon yet.
So he could re-summon the [Obnoxious Celtic Guardian] he had returned.
In one play, Xingqiu gained an extra draw and Special Summoned [Conqueror of Demons – Xiao]!
And Xiao's ATK was 2500—stronger than Zhongli's 2400 ATK [Red-Eyes Black Dragon].
Xingqiu could turn the duel around!
The customers all realized, eyes fixed on the Duel Stage, eager to see the power of [Conqueror of Demons – Xiao].
Especially for the people of Liyue—
Because The Three-Eyed, Five-Manifested Adeptus—Xiao!
The adeptus who had protected Liyue in darkness for two thousand years!
Many had been saved by him… Though his aura was too terrifying for mortals to approach, they still respected him deeply.
...
At this moment—
Beside Luya, the Card Furnace flared with green light.
"Congratulations, Boss~"
"Looks like another [Conqueror of Demons – Xiao] has been successfully forged." Keqing smiled at Luya.
Luya nodded, about to rise and claim the card.
...
Meanwhile, Xiao himself…
Had arrived at the doors of Luya's Duel Monsters Specialty Shop. At the entrance, he felt something within calling to him.
His heart pounded.
He pushed open the door.
Seeing the shop packed with people, Xiao felt uneasy…
But his sudden appearance set the whole place ablaze!
The customers were dumbfounded—
They had just seen a real adeptus walk in!?
"What the—!"
"No way???"
"What's happening!!!"
"Huh… HUH?!"
"Unbelievable!!! This is insane!"
...
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