"Ring of Destruction, activate effect!"
This was Youyu's last card, the final move he could make in this duel, and using it meant he had given up on the idea of "defeating Dark Yugi."
"Ring of Destruction can destroy a Monster on the field and inflict damage to both players equal to that Monster's attack power! I destroy my own 'Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman,' so both of us will take its attack power... that means 7000 points of damage!"
The destructive ring fastened around the neck of the Shining Flare Wingman, causing the grenades on the ring to simultaneously detonate. The shining hero exploded on the spot, releasing all the power contained within its body, and the intense shockwave from the blast knocked both dueling sides to the ground.
[Youyu, LP 0]
[Yugi, LP 0]
The explosion's smoke engulfed the entire field, and the visual effects and shockwave left the audience unable to lift their heads for a moment.
The smoke cleared, and the duel had ended. All the 3D projections on the platform automatically shut down, and the images of Monsters and cards disappeared.
Only the competing Yugi and Youyu were left, lying on either side of the dueling arena.
For a long time, the field remained in an eerie silence.
This is... mutually assured destruction!?
Everyone was dumbfounded for a moment, including even the referee Uncle Izono, who didn't know how to react.
Nobody had anticipated such an outcome, and it was simply impossible for anyone to foresee it. A draw in a card game like Duel Monsters is incredibly rare and usually not considered.
Uncle Izono hesitated for a while until President Haima spoke indifferently: "What's wrong, Izono? Hurry and announce the result."
"Oh? Oh, yes..."
With orders from the boss, of course, an employee couldn't delay. So Uncle Izono quickly raised his hand: "Duel City Tournament, the final battle's result is... a draw!!!"
"No... it can't be?" Kujaku Mai looked incredulous, "The final result... is actually a draw?"
Jonouchi was puzzled: "Then... how do we split the prize money?"
As soon as he spoke, it immediately drew a scornful glance from President Haima.
Hmph! Worthless Normal Monster!
Look around, apart from you, is there anyone among the honorable Duelists who cares about the prize money?
Those things are merely the icing on the cake! The Duelists who came here to compete for the pinnacle of glory, who didn't fight with all their might until the very end?
At this point, finally finished with the match and feeling relieved, Youyu lay back on the duel platform, watching the clouds float by in the sky, thinking, "Jonouchi's got a point! How's the prize divided? Do I split it evenly with Yugi?"
Youyu took a deep breath, sat up straight, and saw that across from him, Yugi also sat up in the same posture at the same time.
Both maintained a half-lying, half-sitting position, glanced at each other, and suddenly started laughing at the same time.
Indeed, even with such a level-up, entering like a traditional hot-blooded anime protagonist and reaching level 7 on the spot, defeating Yugi at this stage is still a bit tough.
The fact that I managed a draw is thanks to "Pot of Greed" and "Ring of Destruction" from the box of cards Mokuba gave me after leaving Noah's Virtual World. Missing any of these cards might have meant Youyu's defeat.
Especially Ring of Destruction, with hardly any usage restrictions, forcibly blowing up Monsters and cutting LP. Sometimes, as Youyu used it, it could even force a draw through self-destruction, making it a frequent guest in the banned list since the DM era.
In 15 years, the K Consortium modified Ring of Destruction's effect, adding the restrictions "Can only be activated during the opponent's turn" and "Destroyed Monster's ATK must be lower than the opponent's LP." Effect handling changed from "Both players' LP decrease simultaneously" to "First decrease your own LP, then decrease opponent's LP."
That meant if your own LP dropped to 0 first, you'd be ruled the loser. So after this effect text modification, the "Forced Draw Ring" ceased to exist.
Luckily, the Ring of Destruction in Youyu's hand was President Haima's sponsored version, with the card effect being before K Consortium harmonized it. Otherwise, forcing a draw would have been challenging.
"What an interesting duel it was." Youyu couldn't help quoting a well-known line from the Yu-Gi-Oh series—though he truly meant it from the heart.
No Dark Duels, no life gambling, no penalties for losing, simply both Duelists fully unleashing their power in competition.
Perhaps this is the greatest joy in a game named Duel Monsters.
"Yeah, I think so too."
Yugi stood up, stepped forward, and shook hands with Youyu.
"Reaching the end of this journey and dueling with you, it was truly wonderful."
In the Yu-Gi-Oh World, it's often said that for Duelists, a duel is also a deep exchange process and a clash of souls. Through dueling, even first-time opponents can understand each other and grasp each other's personalities and thoughts.
So now, Youyu and the King could be considered good partners who have played cards together.
Revolutionary friendship, from establishment to elevation, all relies on a card game.
"Hmph, it ended in a tie?" The President stepped onto the stage, snorting lightly, "How boring."
"Kaiba," Yugi turned his head.
"Don't worry, though a slight surprise, given the outcome, let's leave it at that." Haima said flatly, "The champion of this Duel City Tournament is both of you."
He paused, then glanced sideways at Youyu: "Congratulations, from today, you and Yugi share the title of 'Duel King'... for now."
Youyu raised an eyebrow.
What does the President mean by that?
Actually, I can guess. Yugi aside, President Haima has challenged multiple times and never won. How could the President willingly stay under someone he hasn't even battled? Sooner or later, while Youyu holds the title of "Duel King," the President will surely seek a chance to challenge him.
Thinking of this, Youyu felt an inexplicable chill under him.
Once the President sets his sights on you... there's nowhere to hide.
... But that's for later consideration.
Youyu coughed twice: "Uh, President. Since the match is over, about the prize..."
Now he's concerned about the prize, the originally intended single-winner prize, who gets it? Do they give it to Yugi or him?
By now, Yugi had switched back from battle mode to his usual charming personality. Mild, he waved it off: "I don't need the prize money, Youyu, you take it."
"Ah?" Youyu felt awkward taking it, "Isn't that inappropriate?"
"It's fine, I don't lack money." Yugi smiled honestly, "Previously, I won against Pegasus at Duelist Kingdom, and according to our wager, I own 60% of Industrial Illusions Society. So, it doesn't matter to me."
Youyu: "......"
Gosh, I thought we were all poor, turns out, besides me, everyone else is rich!
Who knew, Yugi, with those big, honest eyes, was this wealthy?
"Hmph, as promised, the champion's prize money won't be withheld by Kaiba Company as the organizer." Haima snorted coldly, "Since there are two champions, naturally, both of you will receive the prize without deduction."
Youyu immediately felt a deep respect for the President.
Worthy of being the President! So impressive!
Distributing double the prize, without even a blink!
Youyu was about to express his thanks, but unexpectedly, the President waved him off impatiently: "No need to decline, it's troublesome. I've made my decision, so that's it."
Youyu: "..."
President, I wasn't even going to speak, why assume I want to decline?
Truly, the way wealthy people's minds work is different from ordinary folks.