He settled the duel swiftly. The Seal of Orichalcos began to shrink, its unicursal hexagram spinning in reverse until it contracted beneath the feet of that strapping Great Angus.
The spirit's soul was siphoned away along the green light, drawn into the air before vanishing without a trace.
Even as he finally collapsed to his knees, the emissary's face remained frozen in a mask of shock and profound regretregret that he hadn't turned tail and run the moment he encountered this monster.
If the heavens could give him one more chance, he would never, ever play a single card against a monster like this again, even if it killed him.
"Decent deck, but your skill still needs work."
You Xuan stepped forward. The soul-shorn body of the massive Great Angus soon glowed with golden light, disintegrating into drifting specks of brilliance.
You Xuan leaned down and picked up the deck.
Although his opponent's deck strength had been high this time, he could feel that the man's level of Destiny Draw Power was lacking; even with the barrier's buff, he was still a tier below the current You Xuan. Thus, while the man held what was considered a top-tier deck for this era, it wasn't particularly troublesome to handle.
More accurately, with his persistent cultivation and the deepening influence of his Spirit Power buffs, You Xuan's Destiny Draw Power was now perhaps only slightly inferior to the top-tier experts of the original series. Within the broader dueling world, his raw drawing ability aloneignoring his deck constructionalready placed him among the masters.
From his current perspective, this deck had been somewhat wasted in the hands of that emissary.
But it didn't matter.
From now on, it would be in the right hands and fulfill its true value.
If he knew his deck would shine brighter in the future than it ever had in his own hands, that emissary could probably rest in peace, couldn't he?
You Xuan tucked the deck away, quite satisfied with the harvest.
In truth, his current body was virtual, an astral projection into the Spirit World. Once he logged off, he would likely evaporate into thin air, meaning there was no way to take decks collected here directly back with him.
But again, it didn't matter. If he couldn't carry them himself, his Duel Spirits should be able to bring them back to reality for him.
Furthermore, while the build the emissary used was close to a top-tier Baboon deck, it was really just specialized around the core of Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest. Its performance was mostly due to the high individual strength of Green Baboon itself. The actual deck list still differed from a truly optimized build.
You Xuan felt that after some research back home, there would be room for further optimization and adjustments. Once the construction was perfected, it would be a formidable deck.
Aside from the deck, he also found a few small items.
For instance, a fragment of Orichalcos, which he already recognized as a form of identification indicating a certain status within the Orichalcos cult.
However, he also found a Blank Card this time.
This came as a surprise to You Xuan.
He had seen blank cards in the original anime before, and they were usually game-breaking items. The earliest instance was likely the one printed by Maximillion Pegasus during the Orichalcos arc of the original series.
As everyone knew, the biggest advantage of a blank card was "getting whatever you needed." The intentional empty space was there so a card could be printed on the spot based on the needs of the duel. The effect type and text were limited only by one's imagination and free expression.
However, not just anyone could print cards. First, you generally had to be a "seafood head" and part of the "Yu-" Clan; second, the atmosphere had to be built up just right...
You Xuan mused that although his Destiny Draw Power had improved, it might still be too early for him to print cards. He felt he couldn't quite handle a blank card yet.
But Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning quickly told him he was overthinking it.
"That is a Mission Card," the Black Luster Soldier said.
"A Mission Card?"
"Yes. Captured minions of the Evil God have confessed to them in the past, but this is my first time seeing one in person," the Black Luster Soldier explained. "Simply put, it is a tool the Evil God uses to issue tasks to his subordinates. When summoned by the deity, an image will manifest on the originally blank Mission Card, and the text below will provide simple instructions."
"I see."
You Xuan pondered for a moment.
If instructions appeared on this Mission Card later, would that mean they might have a chance to learn about Neo-Doma's movements within the Spirit World?
If luck was on their side, they might even be able to get involved.
If that were truly the case, wouldn't he be one step closer to infiltrating the enemy's inner circle without even trying?
Of course, You Xuan didn't actually have an in-depth plan in that direction yet; he was just going with the flow. His being mistaken for an emissary in the bunker and then somehow becoming a vice-warden hadn't been his intention either.
As they say, plans can't keep up with changes, and even the best planning is no match for the right serendipity. Perhaps this was simply another manifestation of Destiny Draw Power.
In any case, today's daily tasks were over, and it was about time to pack up and leave.
You Xuan finished gathering his gear and stood up, strolling boldly out the main entrance of the building. Every demon he encountered along the way looked as if they had seen a ghost, fearing to even be near him. They likely wouldn't have been this terrified if they had met Satan himself.
But it was no wonder.
The commotion from the duel just now had indeed been a bit too loud. Opening with a Seal of Orichalcos had already drawn the eyes of everyone nearby. Those qualified to hold that barrier belonged to the upper echelons of the cult, making them high and mighty powerhouses to the ordinary residents of the city.
Then, many of them had personally witnessed that cult big shot being ground into the dirt inside his own barrier, followed by the appearance of a terrifying entity with infinite attack power.
This wasn't reality; duels here weren't just virtual projections. A creature bolstered to infinite attack power in a duel exerted a pressure on the souls of the spectating spirits that could turn them to stone with a single glance.
In particular, the sight of the lord emissary being blasted into a mosaic by Worm Gools would likely keep them awake for at least a week.
As You Xuan reached the exit, a female demon worked up her courage to jog after him, holding out a large stack of bills.
"My... My Lord, you forgot something..."
"Hmm?"
You Xuan paused.
Wasn't this the ticket money he had paid upon entering?
He was spending the warden's money anyway, so he didn't feel the sting, and demon realm currency couldn't be spent outside. Besides, he still had a huge pile of it. You Xuan waved his hand magnanimously. "It's fine. You guys keep it."
The demon's face was full of forced smiles. "Please, you should keep it. You might dare to give it, but to be honest, we don't quite dare to take it..."
You Xuan didn't waste any more time with her, taking it as he walked away.
From that point on, no one in Phantasm City ever saw that duelist again.
But after that day, Phantasm City retained the legend of that mysterious "Passing Duelist" whose true identity remained a mystery to all.
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