Hearing the cheers behind him, Yusaku's lips curled slightly. This was exactly the effect he wanted.
Sometimes, a bit of calculated generosity drew people's hearts far more than stinginess. With just three decks he himself wouldn't even use, he'd bought himself a group of followers willing to risk their lives for him. In his eyes, that was a deal with nothing but profit.
Without lingering any longer, Yusaku quickened his pace and sprinted toward Takeuchi Dojo.
Very soon, he arrived at the dojo entrance.
At this moment, the doorway was already packed. Besides the students of Takeuchi Dojo, the surviving students from the other dojos on the 27th Floor had also all gathered here, every face filled with despair and helplessness.
The moment they saw Yusaku's silhouette, it was as if they'd seen their final straw of hope. One after another, they rushed toward him.
"Yusaku! Please, you have to save the 27th Floor!"
"Our dojo's been taken. All our cards and resources were stolen by them…"
"Right now, only you can stand up to the guys from the Upper City! Please help us!"
Hearing this, Yusaku did not speak. He simply nodded, then headed into the dojo.
As soon as he stepped inside, he saw that the one currently struggling to hold the line as supervisor was his senior, Ushio.
He was still using his signature Amazoness Deck. On his field, only an [Amazoness Queen] remained, standing there all alone.
His LP was down to just 200.
On the other side, the duelist in a black jacket with a head of red hair had a red dragon tattoo coiled around his arm. The ferocious lines of the dragon's maw flexed slightly with his breathing.
He was piloting a Red Dragon Archfiend deck. On his field stood [Red Dragon Archfiend], [Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss], [Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend], and [Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend].
"Your [Amazoness Queen] only has 2800 ATK." The red-haired boy looked utterly dismissive. "She can't even beat the weakest monster on my field. Still not going to surrender?"
Ushio bit down on his lip as he stared at the card in his hand. "You want me to surrender? Impossible!"
With that, he slammed the card onto his Duel Disk. "I set one card. Turn end!"
With a soft hum, a face-down Trap appeared on Ushio's field, its card frame shimmering with a faint light.
"Pointless struggling."
The red-haired boy let out a snort, his Draw flowing with careless arrogance. His fingertips brushed along the card edges with a crisp "shff" sound. "Then it's about time to end this game. Battle! Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Amazoness Queen!"
The moment the words fell, Red Dragon Archfiend let out an earth-shaking roar. Its wings spread wide, whipping up a scorching gust that distorted the air itself.
It surged skyward, jaws opening as a seething ball of crimson flame formed, speckled with pitch-black sparks. With the power to annihilate everything, the blast hurtled toward Ushio's monster.
Staring at the incoming attack, Ushio gritted his teeth, then thrust his hand forward and shouted:
"Then at the moment you declare an attack, I flip my set card and activate the Trap [Mirror Force]!"
"This card's effect: when your opponent declares an attack, I can activate it to destroy all Attack Position monsters on your opponent's field!"
In the next instant, a dazzling, transparent barrier rose up on Ushio's half of the field. Holy golden runes flowed across its surface, as though the gods themselves had placed a shield between him and the oncoming destruction.
The watching dojo students gasped loud enough to shake the rafters. The despair on their faces was swept away, replaced by rekindled hope.
If this card resolved, this would be the start of a comeback.
"So that's your trump card?" The red-haired boy snorted again, a mocking smile on his face. "Too bad. It doesn't work on me."
He swung his arm out and shouted:
"I activate [Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend]'s effect! During the Battle Phase, when a Spell or Trap is activated, I can activate this effect to negate and destroy it, and this card gains 500 ATK!"
"What!?" Ushio's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
As his cry fell, Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend reared back with a roar. Flames around its body flared several meters high, and in the next instant it turned into a streak of crimson light that shot forward.
Its maw opened, spitting out a beam of condensed, raging flame, a laser-straight column that smashed directly into the shining barrier on Ushio's field.
At the moment of impact, the barrier shattered like glass, letting out a crisp cracking sound as it disintegrated into countless particles of light and vanished.
At the same time, Red Dragon Archfiend's attack finally hit, crashing into Ushio's [Amazoness Queen] and grinding her into glimmering dust in an instant.
The moment of impact, the barrier once again seemed to shatter like glass and explode into fragments, and another red dragon's attack arrived in the same breath, crashing heavily into the Amazoness Queen on Ushio's field and tearing her apart.
The remaining shockwave crashed through unabated, surging toward Ushio like a raging tide. He didn't even have time to assume any defensive stance before he was blown clean off his feet, slamming into the ground with a heavy thud.
[Ushio: LP 200 → 0]
After knocking Ushio out, the red-haired boy closed his Duel Disk and swept his eyes over the room like a hunting eagle.
"Anyone else want to come up and challenge me?"
At those words, a few Takeuchi Dojo students, eyes red, charged out of the crowd. The hands gripping their Duel Disks trembled violently with anger.
"I'll challenge you!"
The red-haired boy only flicked a glance at them, the corners of his lips twisting into a cold smirk.
"Dojo Rank, is it? You guys aren't even qualified to face me."
He waved his hand. In the next second, two boys in indigo uniforms stepped out from behind him. Their Duel Disks unfolded at once, blue light flaring with naked provocation as they blocked the path of the rushing dojo students.
"Old man, got anyone left in your dojo?" The red-haired boy turned toward Master Takeuchi in the crowd, digging absently at his ear. "If you're out of people, then hand over the dojo key. Oh, and have all your students hand over their decks while you're at it."
Master Takeuchi's expression grew darker by the second. His fingers had turned white from clenching his fists, his knuckles shaking slightly.
The dojo was dead silent. Only the labored breathing of the students could be heard.
At that moment, a steady footstep sounded out.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Each step seemed to land on everyone's heartstrings, clear and loud enough to drown out all other noise.
Instinctively, everyone turned toward the sound. When they saw that familiar figure, the students of Takeuchi Dojo felt a burst of wild joy in their chests.
No one had to say a word. The front row students moved aside on their own, while those in the back, hands trembling with excitement, let cards spill from their Duel Disks without even noticing, all spontaneously opening up a straight path.
Yusaku walked forward at an unhurried pace. Dust on the floor was brushed away by the invisible pressure around him. The Duel Disk on his wrist gleamed with a cold metallic sheen; with each step he took, the Disk quietly began to unfold.
Without looking left or right, he passed through the crowd. When he reached the center of the arena, he stopped. He did not spare the red-haired boy in front of him so much as a glance; instead his gaze went past him, toward the spectator tiers behind.
There were five people seated there now.
On the top row sat a lone blond boy in a tailored white long coat, hands in his pockets, eyes closed. The line of his jaw was taut as if carved from stone, lashes faintly trembling as though he were deep in thought.
On the second row, two men in indigo uniforms were leaning toward each other, whispering. Noticing Yusaku looking their way, they immediately stopped talking and shifted their attention to him, sizing him up.
On the third row sat two people with amused smiles on their faces, lazily watching how things would unfold.
Seeing those two on the third row, Yusaku's lips tilted slightly upward.
Old acquaintances. Fujiwara and Sato were sitting right there.
"Interesting. The moment you show up, everyone in this dojo looks at you like you're their savior." The red-haired boy looked at Yusaku, his tone tinged with curiosity.
He waved a hand, motioning to someone behind him. A tall boy stepped forward, his gaze dripping with arrogance.
"Come on then. Show me whether you even have what it takes to make my senpai lift a finger."
At those words, the tall boy's smirk deepened, his voice full of scorn.
"No need to use a sledgehammer on a chicken. Dealing with these Satellite punks doesn't require my senpai to bother personally."
He raised his hand, unfolding his Duel Disk as he spoke, and took up his position for a duel.
"Kid, remember my name. I'm Koji Endo. Watch how I take you down with a double-faced fusion!"
Yusaku looked at him, then at the red-haired boy behind him, and spoke in an even tone.
"I heard you did the same thing when you dueled my senior Ushio. You had one of your own teammates duel first to test him before you came on. And even though you run a Synchro Deck, you specifically teched in [Fusion Conscription — Area Restriction] to hard-counter Fusion decks. Just so happens my senior's using a Fusion build…"
He paused, eyes locking onto the red-haired boy, a hint of mockery in his voice.
"And now you're making him go out first again. Don't tell me the plan is to gather intel on my deck, then load up on counter cards later?"
The red-haired boy's face darkened instantly, like Yusaku had ripped the thought straight out of his head. He snorted coldly, forcing his tone to stay calm.
"Not every random piece of trash is worthy of dueling me. Get through my junior first."
With that, he stopped looking at Yusaku, turned, and headed back to the stands to sit in an empty spot on the third row.
"My senpai's right. Not every piece of riffraff deserves to face him in person."
Koji folded his arms, face etched with arrogance. In his mind, dealing with someone like Yusaku didn't require his senpai at all.
"Come on. Let me see just how 'strong' you really are."
Yusaku twisted his wrist. His Duel Disk snapped open, pale blue energy flooding across the frame all at once.
"Since you're in such a hurry, I'll deal with you first."
"Duel!"
"Duel!"
The Duel Disks hummed to life, projecting pale blue screens. Streams of data raced across the displays, clearly showing both players' starting LP.
[Yusaku: LP 8000]
[Koji Endo: LP 8000]
Turn order flashed: [First Turn: Yusaku]
As the duel officially began, the watching dojo students and players could no longer suppress the emotions in their chests. Shouts erupted from all around.
"Yusaku-senpai, go for it!"
"Yusaku-senpai, you can do it!"
…
Among those shouting were not only the students of Takeuchi Dojo, but also students from other dojos who'd come to watch, as well as players who had chosen the Satellite-side faction for this event.
On the other hand, the students behind the red-haired boy and the players who had sided with the Upper City were not to be outdone; they too began cheering loudly for their camp. The clashing chants intertwined overhead, and the arena instantly became deafening.
"Then, it's my turn!"
Yusaku's fingers slid across his Duel Disk as he drew his starting hand.
His gaze swept over his cards. After a brief moment of thought, the corner of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.
"First, I activate the Spell Card [Reinforcement of the Army]. This card lets me add 1 Level 4 or lower Warrior monster from my Deck to my hand. I add the Level 3 Warrior [Junk Synchron] from my Deck to my hand."
The searched card slid into his palm. Without pausing, Yusaku slapped down another card.
"Next, I Normal Summon [Synchron Carrier]!"
The assembled-frame carrier materialized in an instant. Its metallic chassis gleamed coldly under the arena lights.
[Synchron Carrier]
[Level 2 / Machine / Effect]
[ATK 0]
"[Synchron Carrier]'s effect!"
Yusaku called out.
"As long as this card remains in the Monster Zone, in addition to your Normal Summon for the turn, during your Main Phase you can conduct 1 extra Normal Summon of a 'Synchron' monster."
"So, using [Synchron Carrier]'s effect…"
He raised another card from his hand.
"I Normal Summon [Junk Synchron]!"
At his declaration, the classic Synchron warrior hit the field. Behind the wide goggles was a pair of resolute eyes; his orange armor stood out among the other monsters, and despite his small frame, he radiated an unshakable reliability.
[Junk Synchron]
[Level 3 / Warrior / Tuner / Effect]
[ATK 1300]
"Junk?"
Seeing the monster appear, Koji gave a derisive snort. "Figures you're from the Satellite District. Your monsters look like they were scraped straight out of a trash heap. With a deck like that, how do you have the guts to challenge my senpai?"
At his words, the students behind him burst into laughter. The players' reactions, however, were completely different.
One player, after seeing the two monsters on Yusaku's field, muttered with an odd expression:
"He's… not wrong. Those two really did come out of the trash—"
Someone else caught onto something else entirely.
"Level 3 plus Level 2… and it's Junk Synchron… No way, are we actually going to see that monster?"
Almost the instant he finished speaking, Yusaku's voice rang out across the arena.
"I tune my Level 3 Tuner monster [Junk Synchron] with my Level 2 Effect Monster [Synchron Carrier]!"
Yusaku flung his arm high.
"The focused starlight races down the endless road of evolution, becoming a blazing path of radiance!"
"Synchro Summon! Level 5 – [Junk Speeder]!!"
Starlight crashed down like a waterfall. A warrior clad in silver-white armor burst forth from the light, his body like an unsheathed blade tracing a brilliant arc of silver as he sprang into a sweeping mid-air kick, the motion cutting a lethal curve through the air.
[Junk Speeder]
[Level 5 / Warrior / Synchro / Effect]
[ATK 1800]
The moment this monster appeared, the players, already restless, exploded completely.
"Holy—Junk Speeder!"
"Are we about to see Six Dragons?!"
The dojo students from every camp, as well as the duelists standing behind Koji, all stared in bewilderment.
It was just a single monster. Why were those players this hyped up over it?
The next second, Yusaku's voice cut through the confusion.
"[Junk Speeder]'s effect. When this card is Synchro Summoned, I can Special Summon as many 'Synchron' Tuners with different Levels as possible from my Deck in Defense Position."
At that, the surrounding dojo students went slack-jawed, some even doubting their own ears.
What the hell?
Was that effect serious!?
Pull any number of 'Synchron' Tuners with different Levels from your Deck and Special Summon them? And as many as possible?
Koji's brows furrowed. The monster that had looked so "trash-tier" at first glance actually had such an absurd effect.
He immediately pulled a card from his hand and snapped it up.
"You're not summoning anything. I activate the effect of [Effect Veiler] in my hand! During your Main Phase, I can send this card from my hand to the GY and target 1 Effect Monster you control. That monster's effects are negated until the end of this turn."
He thrust his finger toward Yusaku's field.
"I target your [Junk Speeder]! Its effects are negated until the End Phase!"
A transparent veil of light descended at once, wrapping around Yusaku's Synchro monster.
Seeing this, Yusaku calmly drew out a card and revealed it.
"Too bad. You still can't stop me."
(End of Chapter)
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