The three Legendary Dragons!
This truly caught Duelist Youyu off guard.
In the past, when playing in the Linked World, the Legendary Dragons were similar to the Three Egyptian God, always regarded by players as plot cards, with no way to obtain them. It seemed like no player had ever acquired any of the Legendary Dragon cards.
But now it seems there was indeed a way. By surpassing a million Contribution Points in the Doma campaign's faction battle, one could unlock this hidden reward.
...Well, with such harsh conditions, it's no wonder no player has accomplished it. A million Contribution Points is simply beyond human capability.
As for Youyu?
From a player's perspective, he's not really human now...
But even with a million Contribution Points, you can only choose one of these three cards.
But it doesn't matter, since he has the System Card Pool. As long as there's one card from the same series, theoretically, the rest can all be drawn from the pool.
Youyu glanced over the details and found, unsurprisingly, that the three reward cards were all physical card versions. The effects were clearly written, and the card face was marked as a Normal Magic Card, unlike the dragons in the animation, which had blank card faces.
Honestly, this was a relief for Youyu.
If he'd been given a blank animation card of a Legendary Dragon, he wouldn't have been confident in handling it. After all, he's not Yugi, who can make up effects on the fly with his "card face effect king" skills. An animation card would most likely be just a piece of paper for him.
But a physical card is different, with clear effects and uncontroversial usage, so even a player like Youyu can handle it easily without pressure.
In fact, the Fusion Monsters in the Legendary Dragon series, when made into physical cards, are generally enhanced compared to their animation originals, so this is a no-brainer win.
As for which card to choose, there was no hesitation.
Youyu almost instantly chose "Timaeus the Knight of Destiny," the one most connected to his Black Magic Deck.
Timaeus the Knight of Destiny, Magic Card. Effect:
"This card's name is also considered as 'Legendary Dragon Timaeus' according to the rules. Only one card with this name can be activated per turn.
Send one 'Black Magic' monster from your field to the Graveyard as Fusion Material to Fusion Summon one Fusion Monster that lists that name as Fusion Material."
With this card, once he draws a few Legendary Dragon specific Fusion Monsters from the card pool, Youyu's Black Magic Deck will get an epic boost!
Of course, the cost was the depletion of his over 1.2 million Contribution Points.
But in exchange for this card, he feels it's definitely worth it.
...
After the final battle ended, the floating island of Atlantis crashed down, and Doma's temple sank into the sea, completely erasing its traces from Earth.
Thus, Doma's ambition and Dartz's plan, which he brewed for over ten thousand years, finally came to a close.
After this battle, everyone felt utterly exhausted, as if they hadn't been this relieved in a lifetime.
Yugi and his friends, finding it rare to be in the Free Country, thought that with all matters resolved and their friends' souls liberated, they might as well stay a few more days to enjoy themselves before returning.
Nobody mentioned it, but everyone understood that upon returning, it might be time for the final farewell to Dark Yugi.
The time Dark Yugi spends with AIBO is growing shorter by the day, and naturally, they must cherish it...
Before leaving America, Youyu also felt that he had to visit the Industrial Illusions Society at least once, to express his condolences and gratitude to his allies who fought alongside him.
President Kaiba snorted disdainfully and called it "boring" before turning away.
But Mokuba ran up to add, "My brother and I will wait for you at the hotel. Once you're done, call us, and we'll take you back."
Youyu thanked him.
While he expected that the President wouldn't leave him behind to go back first, this makes it feel like the President is his personal driver, which is secretly amusing...
Now, within the Inner World organization of the Industrial Illusions Society, nobody had any ounce of defiance against Youyu.
If anyone previously questioned Tenma Yako's high praise for this Duel King, those doubts had completely vanished.
Summoning "millions of soldiers" single-handedly, he strategically suppressed Doma, swiftly striking Doma's strongholds worldwide, capturing multiple enemy cadres, and ultimately defeating Doma's leader and the World-Ending Evil God they wielded...
At this moment, the members of the Illusions Society summed up their myriad thoughts into one sentence—
—Duel King Youyu is truly a god among men!
Therefore, the moment Youyu returned to their headquarters, he received a warm welcome led by Tenma Yako and the others.
It's evident that Youyu's reputation within the Illusions Society has soared to an alarming level. Even if President Pegasus later names him as his successor, there wouldn't be much opposition within the organization.
The card professors proposed holding a celebration banquet—having just concluded a massive battle concerning the very existence of the Illusions Society and the world, it was only proper to celebrate.
At this banquet, Youyu naturally had to play the lead role.
Overwhelmed by the hospitality, Youyu eventually agreed to stay.
It was nice to have a meal with new companions from the Industrial Illusions Society and exchange feelings to draw closer, although President Haima might have to wait a bit longer...
Yako was still the same as before, expressionless and unsmiling on the surface, yet now he looked at Youyu with unmistakable admiration.
He found an opportunity to sidle up to Youyu and asked, "Um... Mr. Youyu. There's something I simply must know... did you already know about Doma's existence and investigate the location of each of their strongholds beforehand?
How did you... manage that?"
Youyu: "..."
This question... doesn't seem easy to answer...
So he pondered for a while, carefully choosing his words, and cleared his throat: "Regarding that, you see, I have my own intelligence network."
This wasn't really a fib; he indeed had his own intelligence network.
His informants are spread across the world, ready to share information with him at any time, sometimes even infiltrating enemy ranks spontaneously.
And importantly... they almost don't require any rewards.
In fact, sometimes, Youyu himself could even reap considerable benefits from them...
Yako guessed this might involve some confidential matters not convenient to disclose, so he nodded and didn't ask further: "As expected of Mr. Youyu, always ahead of others by three steps, not just as a Duelist but also as a Strategist!"
Youyu: "..."
Then Yako lightly sighed and said: "I used to think I was already outstanding, able to single-handedly handle major affairs and take charge of Industrial Illusions Society, puzzled why Mr. Pegasus never let me manage all affairs of the Society.
After going through this incident, I finally seem to understand. I'm still quite far from being an exceptional Duelist like Mr. Youyu..."
Yako-boy sure knows how to compliment, never missing a chance to praise "Mr. Youyu's awesome" in every sentence without repeating.
Even Youyu, with his thick skin developed over the years, felt a bit overwhelmed by the flattery, coughing a bit: "Don't belittle yourself, you are already quite excellent..."
Yako stubbornly shook his head: "No, I'm aware I'm still quite far off. But, if possible, I hope to receive guidance from Mr. Youyu.
In your opinion, as a Duelist, what am I still lacking? Where exactly do I fall short? How can I continue to grow stronger?"
This stumped Youyu a bit.
In the world of Duelists, how does one get stronger?
Youyu pondered for a moment, recalling how protagonists throughout history trained and grew stronger.
It seemed mostly like... luck draws, miracle draws, imprinting cards... or sometimes boldly changing card texts in front of the boss, angering the villain beyond measure.
But these... didn't seem to have any referenceable meaning.
I can't very well suggest Yako go train for miracle draws, right?
"Uh... if you have stronger cards, then naturally you'd become stronger, wouldn't you..."
Youyu thought he was just making an offhand remark, but unexpectedly Yako mulled it over carefully and then his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Stronger... cards? I see, I understand now, Mr. Youyu!"
With that, he even performed a standard ninety-degree bow.
"Thank you very much for the guidance!"
Youyu: "???"
What do you understand?
Could it be that with a single remark, this kid has had an epiphany, understanding the profound secrets of imprinting cards?
If that's really the case, then tell me, won't you? I'd like to learn too.
But since he said so, Youyu decided to go along with it: "Cough, cough, you're welcome, glad you understood..."
As he spoke, he took a sip of his drink from the cup before him, meanwhile contemplating what exactly Yako had understood...
"Direct guidance from the Duel King, that's not an opportunity ordinary people can have." Just then a highly recognizable familiar voice rang out from behind them, "I'll thank you on Yako's behalf here, Youyu Boy~"
Upon hearing this voice, the people around them simultaneously turned their heads, then hurriedly stood up one after another.
"President Pegasus!"