"If we can poach this kid for our dojo, maybe our dojo can reclaim its former glory!"
"Damn it, how is this guy this strong? Didn't they say people from the Satellite Zone are all useless trash!? Is there really nobody who can stop him???"
"The myth that no one has ever reached the top floor of the Duel Tower… is it going to be broken today!?"
"This guy's a complete freak. If we see him in the future, we're going the long way around!"
Voices like these were erupting across every corner of the city, weaving together into a boiling roar.
Yusaku, however, had no idea that simply skipping his opponent's turn had caused such an uproar.
Right now, he was preparing to bring this Duel to an end.
"Then it's my turn. Draw!"
The instant the turn passed to Yusaku, he didn't hesitate for even a moment. He flicked his wrist and drew a card from his Deck in one clean motion.
The moment he saw what it was, he slammed it onto his Duel Disk without pause.
"Node Ryzeal's effect. As long as there's an Xyz Monster on the field or in the GY, I can Special Summon this card. My field already meets the condition!"
"So come on out, Node Ryzeal!"
As his words fell, violet flames and golden currents exploded from a mechanical core, the surging energy streams twisting together until they solidified into a mech monster wreathed in purple lightning.
Node Ryzeal
ATK: 1400
"Next, I activate Node Ryzeal's effect. I send Stellarknight Ptolemaeus on my field to the GY, and Special Summon Ext Ryzeal from my GY!"
In the blink of an eye, azure flames, violent electricity, and precision machinery fused into one. A mech monster thundered onto the field, wielding an enormous drill-like lance whose spiraling current screamed with a piercing hum.
Ext Ryzeal
ATK: 500
"Then, since I control a 'Ryzeal' monster, I can Special Summon Sword Ryzeal from my hand!"
As he spoke, azure flame and golden electricity intertwined once more, surging over an exposed mechanical frame and shaping it into a newly forged body, layered like countless shackles and restraints.
Sword Ryzeal
ATK: 1500
The moment the three monsters stabilized on his field, Yusaku's gaze sharpened, and he barked out:
"Now I use the Sword Ryzeal, Ext Ryzeal, and Node Ryzeal I just Summoned to build the Overlay Network!"
"Xyz Summon! Rank 4—Number 16: Shock Master!!!"
In an instant, the three monsters became three radiant streaks of light, shooting up into a golden vortex that had opened in the sky, its depths churning with mysterious star-map patterns.
The next moment, a colossal monster resembling an alien-tech warship descended slowly from the vortex, seven-colored energy halos rippling off its body as an oppressive pressure swept across the entire battlefield.
Number 16: Shock Master
Rank 4 / Fairy / Xyz / Effect
Materials: 3
ATK: 2300
After Summoning Shock Master, Yusaku raised his hand and swept it forward.
"Next, I overlay Xyz Armor Fortress!"
"Xyz Summon! Rank 7—Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer!"
As his words fell, Xyz Armor Fortress turned into a golden streak and shot into a second Xyz vortex.
A monster clad in red-and-black interwoven armor descended from within, gripping a crimson lance. The power leaking from the seams of its armor made the air tremble, like a mechanized war-god stepping onto the battlefield.
Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer
Rank 7 / Aqua / Xyz / Effect
Materials: 1
ATK: 2800
"Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer's effect!" Yusaku's eyes were sharp as blades.
"This card gains 300 ATK for each material it has and each Equip Card equipped to it! It currently has 1 material, so it gains 300 ATK!"
Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer
ATK: 2800 → 3100
"Then I activate its other effect!"
Yusaku's voice rose.
"Once per turn, I can target 1 'Xyz' card in my GY, add it to my hand!"
"I add the Spell Card Armored Xyz from my GY to my hand!"
The moment Yusaku pulled the card into his hand, a faintly disdainful voice drifted over from the other side.
Staring at the imposing Dark Knight Lancer, Uehara Ichiki nodded slowly, unhurried.
"3100 ATK. Now that's more like it."
Yusaku looked at him with a strange expression.
"You still have the mood to critique my monster?"
Ichiki gave a confident smile, lips curling with open contempt.
"Why wouldn't I? This is Turn 3. You're about to lose."
"Even if you hadn't skipped my turn earlier, all I was going to do was drop a Lava Golem on you. Lucky for you, you skipped my turn. Otherwise, I would've made you savor the feeling of having your own monsters Tributed!"
As he spoke, he spread the cards in his hand and shook them smugly.
"I've got Wightprincess to reduce ATK, Kuriboh to negate battle damage, Battlin' Boxer Veil to recover LP, and Battle Fader to end the Battle Phase. No matter how you look at it, I'm not losing."
Watching him proudly lay out his "survival package," the players in the stands all took on extremely awkward expressions.
Finally, someone couldn't help muttering under their breath.
"This guy's unbelievable. He's running that many stall cards."
Another player immediately agreed.
"Yeah, he's not just cautious—he's shamelessly turtling. Now I get why no one's reached Floor 9 for years. A hellish rule set plus a hellish Deck. If someone can climb up here, that's the real miracle."
…
Seeing the spread of cards in Ichiki's hand, even Yusaku froze for a beat—then he couldn't help tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Impressive."
Hearing that "praise," Ichiki puffed his chest out even more.
"You're too kind."
The moment he finished, Yusaku's tone abruptly shifted.
"Too bad you have to be able to activate them." He looked at Ichiki steadily. "Don't you agree?"
Ichiki's smile instantly stiffened, his brow furrowing.
"What do you mean?"
Yusaku spoke slowly, enunciating every word.
"Number 16: Shock Master's effect. Once per turn, I can detach 1 material from this card, declare Monster, Spell, or Trap. Until the end of my opponent's next turn, neither player can activate the effects of cards of that declared type."
The instant he heard that, Ichiki's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
"What…?"
"You think I didn't prepare for whatever you're holding?" Yusaku's lips curved faintly as he snapped his fingers.
"Then I activate Shock Master's effect. I detach 1 material!"
Number 16: Shock Master
Materials: 3 → 2
"I declare: Monster. Until the end of your turn, neither of us can activate monster effects!"
Ichiki's expression warped, and he hurriedly slapped down a card from his hand.
"Then before your effect resolves, I chain Wightprincess's effect! I send it to the GY, and all monsters on the field lose ATK and DEF equal to their Level or Rank × 300 until the end of the turn!"
"I was waiting for that." Yusaku's eyes flashed, and he immediately slammed a card onto his Duel Disk.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Called by the Grave! I target Wightprincess in your GY, banish it, and until the end of the next turn, its effects are negated!"
The ground split open with a crack, a jade-green skeletal hand bursting forth. It seized Wightprincess from Ichiki's GY and dragged it down into the pitch-black banished zone.
"Now," Yusaku said calmly, eyes fixed on Ichiki, "Shock Master's effect officially resolves. Until the end of your turn—no, forget that. There won't be a next turn. Until the end of this turn, neither of us can activate monster effects."
Ichiki's face turned viciously ugly, but when he glanced at the two monsters on Yusaku's field, his expression suddenly flipped into ecstatic delight.
"Hahaha! Yusaku, Yusaku—you made your effect way too weak! You locked yourself, too!"
"Shock Master is only 2300 ATK, and Dark Knight Lancer is 3100 ATK. That's 5400 total. You can't finish me!"
"Oh?" Yusaku raised his eyes. "Is that so? Then watch whether I can finish you."
Ichiki: "?"
Yusaku immediately played a card from his hand.
"Next, I activate the Spell Armored Xyz! I equip the Xyz Monster Stellarknight Delteros from my GY—an Xyz Monster with 2500 ATK—to my Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer as an Equip Spell!"
The instant the equip completed, Yusaku moved straight into the Battle Phase.
"Battle!"
He pointed sharply at Ichiki.
"Shock Master, direct attack!"
Seven-colored energy converged around Shock Master, condensing into a blazing red beam that fired forward and slammed into Ichiki's chest. The impact forced him stumbling back several steps, his footing turning unsteady.
Ichiki: LP 8000 → 5700
"Now Dark Knight Lancer attacks! Direct attack!"
The moment Yusaku spoke, Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer hurled its crimson lance. With a shriek of wind-splitting force, it pierced straight through Ichiki's holographic body.
Even though it was a virtual strike, the pain simulation was so real that Ichiki grunted, dropping to one knee as numbness crawled across his shoulder.
Ichiki: LP 5700 → 2600
Ichiki rubbed his tingling shoulder and looked up at Yusaku with a cold sneer.
"I told you, Yusaku. You should play that card again. Let's see who the winner really is."
Yusaku gave him a sidelong glance.
"You're dreaming."
Ichiki blinked.
"Huh?"
Yusaku then revealed a card in his GY.
"Armored Xyz's effect. After the Damage Step, if the equipped monster attacked, I can send the monster that's being treated as an Equip Spell to the GY. Then that attacking monster can make 1 more attack."
Ichiki's pupils shrank again, his smugness instantly replaced by shock.
"What…?"
"It's over!" Yusaku slammed his arm down, voice echoing across the platform.
"I send Stellarknight Delteros—currently being treated as an Equip Spell on my field—to the GY, and let Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer attack one more time!"
In that instant, the lance-wielding Dark Knight Lancer leapt skyward. Its crimson spear spun in its grasp, forming a gigantic crescent-shaped blade of light. Crackling currents coiled along the blade's edge as it screamed forward with world-rending force.
Yusaku crossed his arms, staring at the disbelieving Ichiki. Then he raised three fingers.
"I'll count down your last three seconds for you."
"3… 2… 1!"
As the final number dropped, a thunderous explosion erupted.
In the earthshaking blast, a torrent of golden energy swallowed Ichiki's holographic body whole. The entire battlefield shuddered violently as the shockwave spread like a gale, kicking up a storm of dust. Even the distant stands could feel the impact.
Ichiki: LP 2600 → 0
Ichiki's Duel Disk went dark. Every monster on the field shattered like glass, dissolving into streams of data that scattered into the air.
Silence fell over the arena. Then, three seconds later, the crowd erupted into cheers more violent than anything before. In front of the Satellite Zone's projection devices, countless people clenched their fists, tears glittering in their eyes.
"He won! One more win and he can reach the very top of the Duel Tower!"
"Go, Yusaku! Go!"
"You have to win!"
At this moment, the Satellite Zone was utterly consumed. All hope had been placed on Yusaku—the 973rd person.
No one dared to breathe too loudly, as if their breath might disturb the figure on the screen who was carving a miracle into reality.
Compared to the Satellite Zone's frenzy, the Upper City presented a completely different picture.
In plazas, dojos, and classrooms, people stood frozen in place, faces filled with disbelief and shock.
A few seconds later, a Duelist standing at the center of a plaza swallowed hard, voice trembling.
"Should we… stop watching? If we keep watching, I'm scared I'll lose my confidence in Duels entirely…"
"Yeah! I'm done watching! If I keep watching, I'm going to forget how to Duel…"
"…"
At the same time, inside the meeting halls of the Upper City's dojos—
One dojo master slammed the table and shouted at the students around him.
"Did you record that Duel just now? Watch it properly! Study how he builds a board, and how he breaks a board! Then compare it to yourselves and learn. From now on, we're using this Duel as a teaching match!"
An apprentice raised a hand timidly.
"Um… Master, are you sure? Under the Upper City's Duel rules, using someone else's Duel footage for teaching requires paying a teaching license fee…"
The dojo master waved dismissively.
"Get on the cart first and pay later. We'll pay him when the time comes. A genius like him? The Satellite Zone won't be able to keep him."
…
Duel Tower.
After Miki had someone carry Miki away, Yusaku looked at him.
"No more nonsense. Let's do this."
Miki replied evenly, "You're not choosing a new Duel platform? The last Duel ended. You can choose again."
"I see." Yusaku glanced across the other three platforms, thought briefly, then spoke. "Then the Azure Dragon platform."
"Then come on." Miki shot him a look and walked onto the Azure Dragon platform.
When the two stepped onto it, a faint vibration rose from beneath their feet.
In the next moment, within the Azure Dragon mural underfoot, its pupils lit up—showing a Link circuit and a Fusion vortex, both crossed out.
Seeing that, Yusaku looked toward Miki.
"That means Link Summoning is forbidden, right?"
"Exactly as you think." Miki's tone stayed flat. "Since you won the previous Duel, you get one chance to change the platform."
Yusaku waved it off.
"No need. Let's start."
Miki let out a cold laugh.
"You sure? That restriction only applies to you, the Chosen One. It doesn't apply to me."
Yusaku smiled slightly.
"Let you Link Summon and Fusion Summon if you want. I'll still beat you down."
Miki snapped his Duel Disk open.
"You chose this yourself."
Yusaku flipped his wrist and unfolded his own Duel Disk.
"Stop talking. Let's go."
"Duel!"
"Duel!"
As their voices rang out together, both Duel Disks hummed, unfurling pale-blue light screens as data streamed rapidly across the panels. Their starting Life Points appeared clearly.
Yusaku: LP 8000
Miki: LP 8000
(End of Chapter)
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