The first underground floor was the largest district in the entire Satellite area, its area alone equaling three times that of Underground Floor 27.
Because it was closest to the Upper City, it had been fully assimilated years ago, reduced to a vassal zone of the Upper City, and turned into a solid wall that blocked Satellite residents from reaching the higher levels.
If you wanted to step into the Upper City, you had two options.
One: clear the brutal trials of the Duel Tower and earn resident status with a streak of ten consecutive wins.
Two: risk everything and try to sneak in. But once you were caught by the Upper City enforcers, what awaited you was a life of hard labor in the Ruins, mining stone tablets until your body broke.
At this moment, the Satellite District was on the brink of total collapse. The heads of every dojo had been forced to surrender their dojo keys, and every student's deck had been stripped away.
"Behave yourselves! You've got no decks and you still dare act tough?"
A student from the Upper City snapped his whip across the back of a duelist who'd lost his deck. Behind that man, a long line of people stretched into the distance.
These duelists were all being shipped to the Ruins, where they would become slave labor, mining stone tablets.
The whipped duelist's rage surged instantly. He clenched his fists and started to lunge out of line, but his friend at his side grabbed him with all his strength.
Seeing this, the Upper City student grew even more arrogant. "What? Want to duel me? You got a deck?" He sneered. "Need me to lend you one just so you can pretend to play?"
When his target ultimately didn't dare come forward, he clicked his tongue. "Boring. As expected of Satellite trash. You don't even have the guts to duel."
He slapped the arm of a worker in charge of escorting the prisoners, exchanged a few casual words, then led his companions toward the open plaza ahead.
Once there, he glanced around and lowered his voice, speaking in a solemn tone. "Stay sharp, all of you. We got word from Genius Academy that someone named Yusaku might break through to the first underground floor. Our mission is to stop him."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a tall boy behind him spoke up hesitantly. "Senior, I heard a lot of Genius Academy students already lost to Yusaku. Our Wind Thunder Dojo doesn't even rank in the Upper City standings, and our decks aren't even on the same level as theirs…"
"If they couldn't beat him, how are we supposed to be his opponent? And I heard this Yusaku especially loves to gamble for cards. He bets entire decks at a time. If we block him, aren't we just eggs smashing into a rock?"
As senior disciple of Wind Thunder Dojo, he spoke in a low, steady voice. "Genius Academy wants us to block him. Their main goal is to wear down his stamina. The formations we set up with our decks are just support tools…"
"The first underground floor is already fully occupied by students from the Upper City's dojos. If our dojo can actually help Genius Academy this time, they'll definitely support us afterward. With their backing, we can break into the rankings, and then we'll qualify for the upcoming Duel Tournament."
"Duel Tournament?"
At those four words, the eyes of the group behind him instantly lit up with longing.
"I heard the prizes are insanely good. If you make top ten, you get a full rare deck for free, and you can directly join Genius Academy afterward!" someone said excitedly.
At that, one of the boys turned his head and muttered, "You think it's that easy to get those rewards? The players from the Nordic side will be there too. They command the power of the gods. Supposedly, no one has ever forced them to fully summon their ultimate deity…"
"And that's not all. The heirs of the hidden clans will probably show up as well. Those families never flaunt their power, but every successor they send out is crazy strong, not one bit weaker than Genius Academy's elite students."
"All right, enough daydreaming," their senior cut in with a wave of his hand. "Talking about this now is useless. For all we know, Yusaku might already be on his way up. Spread out and patrol the area. Whoever spots him first, fire off the signal imm—"
His voice abruptly cut off.
His gaze had locked onto the figure ahead.
A handsome boy was walking toward them, calm and unhurried, followed by hundreds of students in matching uniforms. Their synchronized footsteps carried a sharp, pressing aura.
For some reason, they felt that every gaze behind that handsome boy was like a pack of hungry wolves staring down their prey, as if they couldn't wait to tear the Upper City students to pieces.
Yusaku looked over the group in front of him, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile. "You were looking for me?"
The senior disciple of Wind Thunder Dojo snapped back to his senses with a jolt and snorted coldly. "So you're Yusaku? You really dare charge into the first underground floor. Fine then!"
He raised his Duel Disk in one sharp motion and slammed his deck into the slot. "I've been waiting for you. If you want into the Duel Tower, you go through me first!"
Before his voice had even faded, a bespectacled player stepped quickly out from behind Yusaku. He took off his glasses in one decisive motion and said coolly,
"Any random stray dog thinks he's worthy of my senior's time? For the likes of you, I alone am more than enough."
As his words fell, several more people rushed out, jockeying for position.
"You already snatched several opponents earlier. Leave this one to me, alright? I just pulled a bunch of new power cards!"
"Who hasn't pulled something good? First come, first served!"
A crowd of them surged out in front of Yusaku, raising their voices at the Wind Thunder Dojo group.
"Hey! You lot on the other side, someone come duel me!"
"Don't listen to him. Duel me instead, I'm way more of a scrub!"
"…"
Staring at this entire mob of players, the Wind Thunder senior and his fellow students were completely dumbfounded.
Since when were people from the Satellite District this arrogant?
It was one thing not to run at the sight of Upper City duelists. But to turn around and demand duels instead?
Yusaku simply chuckled and shook his head. "I'll leave things here to you all."
The players who'd secured opponents waved him off confidently.
"Don't worry. This will only take a few minutes."
"+1."
Yusaku gave a small nod and led the remaining players past the crowd, continuing forward.
Ever since he'd stepped onto the first underground floor, scenes like this had already played out more times than he could count. Every attempt to stop him had been intercepted by the pack of players behind him, all of them with fresh cards in hand and itching for a fight.
That suited him just fine. He had no spare time to waste on these small fry. He needed to conserve his energy for the Duel Tower's true opponents: the people from Genius Academy still waiting above.
They passed through narrow streets, wound around layer after layer of defensive checkpoints. Along the way, students from various Upper City dojos repeatedly tried to block their advance, but before Yusaku could even lift a hand, the players behind him would surge forward in a wave, shouting "He's mine!" and "Don't steal my opponent!" as they rushed the would-be blockers.
After who knew how many waves of resistance, their view suddenly opened up.
A towering Duel Tower loomed ahead, its stones reaching up toward the cavern ceiling. Every slab was carved with intricate dueling sigils. Dim light filtered in through the translucent dome at the top of the underground layer, scattering across the sigils in a spray of tiny reflections.
At the far end of the plaza, a gigantic stone gate slowly began to open inward, grinding with a heavy rumble, as if the tower itself had sensed their arrival.
Crossing the threshold, they stepped into a vast, shadowy hall. Only a handful of faint motes of light drifted in the air.
Then, the sound of steady footsteps echoed from a passage ahead.
A single spotlight dropped from above, illuminating the approaching figure.
As he reached the center of the hall, the candles in the darkness flared to life one after another, from the entrance inward like a countdown, rows of orange flames racing across the hall and bathing everything in warm light.
Seeing this, Yusaku waved a hand, signaling the players who had followed him to take seats in the spectator stands.
He looked at the person in front of him and raised an eyebrow. "You're the one dueling me? Weren't they supposed to be waiting here? Funny, I don't see them anywhere."
The broad-shouldered boy gave a cold laugh, eyes full of scorn and challenge. "I'm in charge of the first floor of the Duel Tower. Only if you defeat me can you climb higher and meet them.
"But I don't think you'll ever get that chance."
He pointed up at the camera overhead, a fervent light in his gaze.
"Our duel will be broadcast through every Duel Tower in the Satellite District. I'll defeat you in front of everyone and wash away the humiliation you brought to the students of Genius Academy!"
"At the same time, every last rat still resisting in the Satellite District will see that not only did we stop the Satellite's so-called counterattack, we've taken the fight all the way down to the first underground floor.
"This footage will be… very useful to me."
Yusaku glanced at the camera and smirked. "If you lose, I'm afraid this will only make them more desperate. After all, I heard the people of the Satellite District call you their 'savior.'"
Yusaku's smile deepened. "The duel hasn't even started yet. How do you know I'll lose? Are you so sure it won't be you?"
Tohya snorted, his gaze sharpening. "Enough useless chatter. Come on. I'll show you just how powerful my deck really is."
"Bring it."
Yusaku didn't waste any more words either. He raised his arm, deployed his Duel Disk, and slid a deck with a faint red glow across its backs firmly into the slot.
"Duel!"
The Duel Disks hummed in unison. Pale blue holographic screens unfolded with a crackle. Data streams raced across their surfaces as both duelists' starting Life Points appeared.
[Yusaku, LP 8000]
[Tohya, LP 8000]
The system quickly determined initiative.
[First Turn: Tohya]
The video feed of their duel was instantly captured by the cameras and transmitted to every major duel plaza in both the Satellite and Upper City.
In a remote square in the Upper City.
Seeing the live image projected above the plaza, many duelists in the middle of their own matches stopped what they were doing.
"Interesting. The Duel Tower hasn't been opened in years, and now someone's challenging it? Judging by his clothes, he doesn't look like someone from the Upper City," one duelist said, rubbing his chin.
"Probably another Satellite rat. Genius Academy's been teaming up with the dojos to crush the Satellite lately, right? If they still let someone fight all the way to the first underground floor, Genius Academy isn't so impressive after all." Another duelist smirked.
"So, how far do you think this challenger's going to get?"
"…"
By the fountain on the right side of the plaza, a small boy glanced up at the screen like everyone else, curiosity getting the better of him.
The instant he saw who was on the display, he froze. Then he grabbed Saya and Labrynth in a panic.
"Saya, Labrynth-sis, hurry, look! It's Master!"
Labrynth, who'd been scanning the area for any sign of Genius Academy agents, immediately turned her gaze to the projection. A smile curled at the corners of her lips.
"It really is him. Looks like we'll be seeing him soon."
"You think Master can tell we're watching him?" Reina asked eagerly, looking up at the screen.
"He probably ca—"
Before Saya could finish her sentence, Yusaku raised his eyes and looked straight into the camera, a small smile tugging at his mouth.
Reina planted her hands on her hips, full of smug satisfaction. "Told you. We're this close, of course Master can sense us."
Inside the Duel Tower on the first underground floor of the Satellite District.
Tohya frowned slightly, irritation and wariness flickering in his eyes.
"What are you staring at?"
Yusaku smiled. "Nothing."
Just now, he'd sensed the presence of Labrynth and the others. Since this was a live broadcast going out to the plazas, Saya and Reina were definitely watching too. He'd simply taken the opportunity to give them a greeting.
Tohya snorted again and focused his attention on his Duel Disk. "Then according to the system's randomization, I'll take the first turn."
His fingers slid quickly across the top of his deck as he drew his five starting cards.
A brief glance at his hand brought a flash of satisfaction to his eyes. After thinking for a moment, Tohya pulled a card from his hand and held it up.
"First, I activate the Spell Card [Pot of Greed] and draw two cards from my deck!"
After drawing, he immediately revealed another card from his hand.
"Next, I Normal Summon, Batteryman Solar!"
With his declaration, a monster formed from interlocked solar panels appeared on the field.
[Batteryman Solar]
[Thunder / Effect]
[ATK 1500]
"Batteryman Solar?" Yusaku raised an eyebrow. "Thunder Dragon deck?"
Tohya shot him a sideways glance, lifting his chin. "So you know something, at least. You Satellite types probably haven't seen this deck before, but that's fine. By the time this duel is over, you'll have experienced its power for yourself."
He swept his arm forward, eyes firm as he shouted,
"I activate [Batteryman Solar]'s effect! When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can send 1 Thunder monster from my deck to the GY. I'll send [Thunder Dragon – Lei Yuan Dragon] from my deck to the GY!"
"Then I activate this card!"
A glint flashed in Tohya's eyes as he raised another card high.
"The Spell Card, [Allure of Darkness]!"
"This card lets me draw 2 cards. After that, if I have any DARK monsters in my hand, I banish 1 of them; if I don't, I Special Summon [Thunder Dragon – Lei Dian Dragon] in Defense Position."
"I activate the effect and draw two cards from my deck!"
After drawing, he didn't hesitate. He showed one card from his hand at once.
"According to [Allure of Darkness], I banish [Thunder Dragon – Lei Shou Dragon] from my hand!"
The moment he sent the card to the banished zone, a crafty light flashed in Tohya's eyes.
"At this moment, the effect of [Thunder Dragon – Lei Shou Dragon] I just banished activates!"
"When this card is banished or sent from the field to the GY, I can Special Summon 1 [Thunder Dragon] monster from my deck in Defense Position."
"I Special Summon [Thunder Dragon – Lei Niao Dragon] from my deck in Defense Position!"
A flash of golden lightning erupted, and a massive bird wrapped in crackling thunder descended onto the field.
[Thunder Dragon – Lei Niao Dragon]
[Level 6 / Thunder / Effect]
[DEF 2200]
"At this moment!" Tohya's eyes gleamed with excitement as he continued, "Batteryman Solar's effect activates!"
"While this card is already face-up on the field, if any Thunder monster is Normal or Special Summoned, this effect must activate: I Special Summon 1 [Batteryman Token] (Thunder / LIGHT / Level 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 0) to my field."
A small, glowing battery-shaped token appeared beside his monsters.
[Batteryman Token]
[ATK 0]
"Next, I activate the effect of [Thunder Dragon] in my hand. I discard this card and add 2 copies of [Thunder Dragon] from my deck to my hand."
After adding the searched cards, a look of absolute confidence settled on his face. He drew out another card and displayed it.
"Then I activate the effect of [Thunder Dragon – Lei Dian Dragon] in my hand again! During either player's turn, I can discard this card to add 1 [Thunder Dragon – Lei Dian Dragon] from my deck to my hand!"
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]