Toei: LP 4000 → 0
Toei's body crashed down onto the Duel Platform like a puppet with its strings cut.
The dull impact boomed through the enclosed arena like thunder, mixed with swirling dust and the aftershock of residual Duel Energy, jolting awake every spectator who had been so stunned they'd literally forgotten to breathe.
Tap.
Tap.
Yusaku walked forward unhurriedly, the soles of his shoes stepping across the stone-brick floor.
Each steady step landed with a weighty impact on the stone, the sound like a heavy hammer striking down again and again.
At last, he came to a stop before the deeply unconscious Toei.
Without a trace of hesitation, Yusaku bent down. His long fingers hooked precisely beneath the deck latch on the side of Toei's Duel Disk, flipped it open, and lifted the entire Deck out in one smooth motion, giving it two light taps in his palm.
Then, under hundreds of dazed, hollow-eyed stares that looked as if they'd just seen a ghost, Yusaku slowly straightened up, raised his gaze to the front row of the VIP box in the stands, and said calmly:
"Have you forgotten something you're supposed to be doing?"
Only then did the on-site judge snap out of his shock. Cold sweat beaded at his temples.
He darted a quick glance at Fujiwara and Mizuki not far away, both of whose faces were dark with fury, swallowed hard, and then ran over at full speed, shouting as loudly as he could:
"The Duel is over! Challenger Yusaku is the winner! And since he achieved a one-turn knockout on his opponent, under the core rules of the Duel Tower he is allowed to advance directly to the third floor!"
Hearing this, Yusaku finally turned around.
Under thousands of intertwined gazes, some reverent, some jealous, some burning with fanaticism, he walked steadily toward the passage that had slowly opened at the moment the match ended, shimmering with pale blue light.
Only when Yusaku's figure had completely vanished into the depths of the passage and the heavy stone gate closed behind him, did the arena fall into a deathly silence.
For a full three seconds, even the sound of each other's breathing was crystal clear.
The next instant, that silence was drowned beneath a tidal wave of pent-up, volcanic cheering.
The roaring was like a volcano that had been building pressure for ten thousand years finally erupting.
Scorching passion, mixed with shrill whistles from every direction, instantly set the atmosphere inside the entire Duel Tower ablaze.
"Haha! I knew following Yugen was the right call. We might still be behind on quest progress right now, but it won't be long before we pull off an insane comeback!"
"Move, move, why are you still standing around? Let's hurry and follow him up!"
"I heard Fujiwara is the one guarding the third floor. Hah, I can't even think of that name now without wanting to laugh. I can't wait to see how Yusaku wipes the floor with him this time."
"…"
Compared to the players' feverish excitement, the invited trainees from the various Dojos that Genius Academy had brought in to watch were all wearing stiff, awkward expressions they could barely hide.
With high-definition cameras set up all around the arena livestreaming every moment, they found themselves stuck in a strange dilemma:
Cheer, and it would be tantamount to openly opposing the powerful Genius Academy.
Don't cheer, and they would look like they didn't know how to respect the strong and honor the victor.
Caught between those two options, they could only trade helpless glances, then reluctantly lift their hands and offer a few perfunctory claps.
The applause was so thin it might as well have been a swarm of mosquitoes buzzing.
…
Inside Genius Academy, in the Fusion Department Head's office.
Staring at the live feed on his computer screen, the middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses, usually the very picture of gentle refinement, suddenly clenched his fist and slammed it hard against the solid wood desk.
The shock sent the coffee cup on the tabletop rattling, dark brown liquid splashing a few drops onto the spotless white cloth.
A gleam of malice flashed behind his lenses as he fixed his gaze on the back displayed in the image.
Then he snatched up the encrypted phone on his desk, his fingers flying as they punched in a familiar string of numbers.
"His next opponent is Fujiwara, right? Tell him to switch to the Academy's newly developed Deck immediately. This time, I don't want to hear the word 'loss' from you again. Understood?"
Without waiting for a reply, he hung up and turned his eyes back to the monitor.
At that moment, the video frame happened to freeze on Yusaku stepping into the passage, leaving only a lone, upright silhouette behind.
"A wild brat from the Satellite Area… I'd like to see for myself just how far you can get inside the Duel Tower."
The live broadcast signal, relayed by synchronized satellites, was being projected clearly onto the cracked street-side displays in the Satellite Area and the glittering Duel Plaza screens all across the Upper City.
Staring at the epoch-making scene on the screens, the Satellite duelists still out on the streets, struggling against the Upper City patrol squads…
And those who had betrayed their home to side with the Upper City and were now helping hunt down their former comrades…
All subconsciously stopped what they were doing, their eyes locked onto the broadcast.
"He won… he really won! One of ours from the Satellite Area actually beat a Genius Academy elite from the Upper City that easily!? This isn't a dream, right?"
A lanky duelist from the Satellite Area rubbed his eyes hard, voice full of disbelief.
"Holy crap, who is this monster? Not only did he avoid getting crushed by the Upper City, he's already counterattacked his way down to the third underground floor of the Duel Tower!"
"Toei! I remember that guy. He led a raid on Satellite Block 18 before. Never thought I'd see the day he got put in the ground like this!"
"…"
Uproar and wild celebration scenes like this were playing out over and over again in every Duel Plaza and back alley in the Satellite Area.
"So this is the Genius Academy you all scrambled and clawed your way into back then? In the end they're still being pinned and beaten into the floor by someone from our Satellite Area!"
A lower-district duelist in a worn-out jacket stared up at the big screen, unable to stop himself from shouting mockingly at the traitor standing opposite him.
Hearing that, the Upper City-aligned duelist in regulation uniform slowly halted.
For the first time, a powerful sense of doubt surged up in his heart.
Had it really been worth it, betraying the Satellite and joining the Upper City for a little petty profit back then?
In stark contrast to the Satellite's carnival atmosphere, the streets of the Upper City presented a strange, subtle scene.
"Damn, this guy is insane. You sure he's from the resource-starved Satellite Area and not some hidden clan's heir out on a training journey?"
"Haha, this is killing me. Genius Academy clearly wanted to use this Duel Tower event to show off in front of all the major Upper City factions, and instead they got their faces smashed in by Yusaku."
"Keep your voice down, aren't you afraid the Academy will hear you?"
"What's there to be afraid of? The Upper City isn't ruled by Genius Academy alone. The Ace of Spades Alliance backing me isn't scared of them in the slightest."
"…"
At the end of the passage was a dark red stone chamber. Suspended beneath the stands was a single floating Duel Platform, its surface carved all over with complex ancient runes.
The moment Yusaku stepped out, the passage behind him slammed shut with a roar. Overhead, the lighting instantly tightened, converging on the far side of the Duel Platform.
Fujiwara stood there, arms crossed, dressed in a silver-white uniform, his Deck on the Duel Disk glowing faintly with a purple sheen.
He gave a casual wave, signaling the staff behind him to open the exits to the spectator area.
As the exits swung open, the incoming spectators filed in one after another.
The audience was clearly divided into two camps: on one side, the Dojo trainees invited by Genius Academy, and on the other, the goofy players who had followed Yusaku all the way here.
Once everyone had entered the hall, Fujiwara looked over at Yusaku.
"Ever since I lost to you, I've wanted to duel you again. I've waited a long time for this moment."
"This time I brought the Deck our Academy just finished developing. I'll show you what true despair feels like."
"I remember you said the same thing last time," Yusaku replied. "But in the end, you still lost to me. I can't help being curious…"
He paused and glanced at Fujiwara.
"Do you have some relative working inside Genius Academy, or what? Otherwise, after losing this many times they'd have kicked you out already, and yet they keep giving you new Decks."
Fujiwara's face turned black.
"Enough nonsense. Let's just start."
"Then let's start."
Yusaku rotated his wrist, unfolding his Duel Disk. The dark-purple Deck slot snapped open.
"Duel!" "Duel!"
The Duel Disks hummed in unison as pale blue holographic screens unfolded. Data streams coursed rapidly across the interface, projecting their starting Life Points clearly into the air.
[Yusaku: LP 8000]
[Fujiwara: LP 8000]
Turn order was immediately determined.
[First Turn: Yusaku]
Yusaku glanced at the prompt on his Duel Disk, then slid his fingertip across the Deck slot.
With the crisp rasp of card edges, he drew his opening five cards, and a sharp smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Then, my turn. Draw, Main Phase."
He swept his eyes over the cards in his hand, pondered for a brief moment, then slammed one of them onto his Duel Disk.
"First, I activate the Continuous Spell Card, [Riding Duel! Acceleration!]!"
The instant his words fell, a Spell Card materialized beneath Yusaku's feet, golden light rippling softly out from its center.
"Effect of [Riding Duel! Acceleration!]!"
Yusaku called out.
"When this card is activated, if you control no other cards, you can add 1 'Synchron' monster from your Deck to your hand!"
"…I add [Synchron Carrier] from my Deck to my hand!"
After the search resolved and the card slid into his hand, Yusaku immediately slapped the monster down.
"I Normal Summon, Synchron Carrier!"
In a flash of light, a monster built from bolts and gears, with hook-like hands and the look of a maintenance robot, landed on the field.
[Synchron Carrier]
[Level 2 / Machine / Effect]
[ATK 0]
"Effect of Synchron Carrier!"
"So long as this card remains in the Monster Zone, I gain 1 additional Normal Summon for a 'Synchron' monster during my Main Phase!"
"Then, using the effect of Synchron Carrier…"
He held up another card in his hand.
"I Normal Summon [Junk Synchron] to the field!"
At his words, the classic Synchro warrior appeared.
Behind his oversized goggles was a pair of resolute eyes, his orange armor standing out among the other monsters.
His small frame radiated a sense of unshakable reliability.
[Junk Synchron]
[Level 3 / Warrior / Effect]
[ATK 1300]
"Next, I tune the Level 3 Tuner monster, Junk Synchron, with the Level 2 Effect Monster, Synchron Carrier!"
…
Yusaku raised his arm high.
"The gathered starlight races down the road of endless evolution, and becomes a radiant path of light!"
"SYNCHRO SUMMON! Level 5… [Junk Speeder]!!!"
With a thunderous crash, Synchro starlight fell like a vertical waterfall.
A warrior clad in silver-white armor burst from the glow, his body slicing a brilliant arc as if he were a drawn blade.
Even the swing of his aerial roundhouse kick carried a lethal, finishing-edge.
[Junk Speeder]
[Level 5 / Warrior / Synchro / Effect]
[ATK 1800]
"Effect of Junk Speeder!"
Yusaku's shout rang out, his gaze sharp as a sword.
"When this card is Synchro Summoned, I can Special Summon as many 'Synchron' Tuner monsters as possible with different Levels from my Deck, in Defense Position!"
After finishing the effect text, Yusaku glanced at Fujiwara.
"Any response to chain?"
Fujiwara let out a cold laugh.
"No chain. Go ahead. Make your board as big as you like."
In the stands, several players blinked in confusion.
"He's still laughing even after Junk Speeder's effect resolved… did this guy get knocked stupid by all the combos?"
"Maybe he's got something like Dark Ruler No More in hand. Otherwise he wouldn't sound this confident."
"Yikes, when you put it like that, it actually sounds plausible…"
On the field:
Yusaku gave Fujiwara's hand a brief glance, thought for a second, then a faint smile curved his lips.
"In that case, I activate the effect of Junk Speeder and Special Summon, in Defense Position, Level 1 [Jet Synchron], Level 2 [Assault Synchron], Level 3 [Revolution Synchron], Level 4 [Stardust Synchron], and Level 5 [Wheel Synchron] from my Deck!"
Starlight flashed in rapid succession, and five differently shaped Tuner monsters appeared on the field in a row.
Jet Synchron – DEF 0
Assault Synchron – DEF 0
Revolution Synchron – DEF 1400
Stardust Synchron – DEF 1100
Wheel Synchron – DEF 1000
Seeing the monsters appear, Fujiwara was overcome with glee.
Do it. Do it. The bigger you build your board, the better.
He looked down at the two cards in his hand, a cruel smile creeping across his lips.
The humiliation I suffered last time… this time, I'll pay it back a hundredfold.
"Effect of Stardust Synchron!"
Yusaku's voice cut through the air, his eyes razor sharp.
"When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add 1 Spell/Trap from my Deck to my hand that specifically lists [Stardust Dragon] in its text."
"I activate that effect to add the Continuous Spell [Arriving Miracle], which lists Stardust Dragon by name, from my Deck to my hand."
The moment the searched card popped up from his Deck, Yusaku's fingers darted out, plucked it cleanly into his palm, then slid it down onto his Duel Disk in one smooth motion.
A pale glow began to spread across the field.
(End of Chapter)
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