Burned again by the bubbling lava, Hiro Shimizu grit his teeth. At this rate, next turn Bowganian would deal 600 more, leaving him at 800 Life Points. Then Lava Golem would burn him for another 1000 on his own turn.
He could not Summon any of the monsters in his hand. He could not activate Spells. He felt completely trapped.
Then he glanced at the card he had just drawn. His eyes lit up.
There was still hope.
"Set one card. End turn."
"Then, my turn.." Yugen drew. "Bowganian deals 600 damage."
Hiro Shimizu, LP 1400 to 800.
Another arrow struck. He swayed but stayed standing.
"Set one more card. End turn," Yugen said with a smile.
On Hiro Shimizu's next turn, Lava Golem would trigger again and finish the Duel. But.
"My Turn!! At this moment I activate my set Trap Card, Ballista Squad!"
Hiro Shimizu shouted.
"I Tribute a monster on my field to Destroy one card on your field! I Tribute Lava Golem and Destroy your Spell Canceller!"
The club members, who had nearly lost hope, burst into cheers.
"One card removed both Lava Golem and Spell Canceller!"
"With no monsters on his field, the restriction from Rivalry of Warlords is Release! And he will not take burn damage from Lava Golem anymore!"
Lava Golem dissolved into light. Spell Canceller was blasted apart. Finally breaking free of Lockdown Array, Hiro Shimizu threw his head back and shouted.
He was out of prison.
"And with the Spell lock Release, I can I activate a Spell Card! again!"
He steadied himself. In his hand were Spell Card Monster Reincarnation and Warrior Returning Alive. With them, he could recover monsters from the Graveyard, rebuild his combo, and turn the Duel around.
"Flip my set card," Yugen said calmly. "Trap Card-Ojama Trio. Special Summon three Ojama Token to your field."
Three Ojama Token, DEF 1000 each.
The moment Lava Golem left, the trio of Tokens rushed in to take its place. One took out snacks, one opened a newspaper, and one started snoring.
Hiro Shimizu froze mid motion with a card in hand.
The cheering members also went silent.
The field fell quiet except for crunching snacks and soft snores. With the Tokens on his field, Rivalry of Warlords still applied.
If anything had changed, it was only that his restriction shifted from Fiends to Beasts.
He had escaped, but not completely.
"Y you…"
"If you have nothing else to do, then My Turn! again." Yugen smiled. "Card Draw."
"Standby Phase, Bowganian deals 600 damage."
Hiro Shimizu, LP 800 to 200.
"Then I normally Summon Machina Submarine."
Machina Submarine, ATK 800.
"Both the submarine and Bowganian are Machine-Type, so they are unaffected by Rivalry of Warlords. And Machina Submarine can attack you directly."
"…"
"Machina Submarine attacks directly."
The small submarine rose, eyes sharp. A torpedo launched and streaked over the Tokens' heads.
The explosion threw Hiro Shimizu to the ground.
Hiro Shimizu, LP 200 to 0.
After delivering the final blow, Machina Submarine slowly descended, standing proudly on the field like an unsinkable vessel.
President Hiro Shimizu was almost out of his mind when he finally signed the agreement from Duel Academy Student Council. The club members were shouting his name and yelling things like "remember our bond," but it did nothing. After signing, Hiro Shimizu let out a long breath and spoke in a tired voice.
"Thinking about it, I am not that young anymore. My most energetic days are already behind me. Forget it. Moe cards, Duel, none of it really matters."
The members looked devastated. They could see that this loss was not just about cards or their club room, it had shaken their president's spirit. One by one, they turned to look at the culprit behind all of this, and a heavy feeling settled in their chests.
It was true that they had occupied the club room without permission. But sending someone like him to deal with them felt excessive. Sure, they sometimes gathered to enjoy colorful hobbies together, but this punishment was far too harsh.
"…"
"That was it?"
Duel Academy Student Council's Sato adjusted his glasses and stared at Yugen, who had returned not long after leaving, looking surprised. He had expected a long dispute, not this quick result.
"Yes," Yugen replied simply. "Their club atmosphere is actually pretty good. The members are nice and reasonable. We just had a small Duel, then I explained a few things, and they quickly agreed with my point of view. Look, their president signed."
Sato checked the document and confirmed that President Hiro Shimizu had indeed signed it. For a moment, he did not know what to say. He had dealt with that club before, and they had never seemed like reasonable people, especially Hiro Shimizu, who always talked about burning passion and bonds and refused to listen.
He had even suspected that they might try to argue or go back on their word even if they lost a Duel. Yet this legendary freshman had gone alone and settled everything in minutes. Was his Duel really as frightening as the rumors said, capable of crushing an opponent's will?
At that moment, Duel Academy Student Council President Seika Kohinata shook her head. "You would not understand unless you have dueled him yourself." Her tone made it clear that only victims had the right to speak.
Sato fell silent.
"In any case, thank you, Yugen," Senior Xinghua said with a smile. "First, here are your extra credits as a reward. Then you can choose one card you like from these ten in storage. Consider it a newcomer benefit."
Duel Department had offered similar benefits before, but Yugen remembered that none of the cards back then had caught his eye. He glanced over the list Senior Xinghua provided, and as expected, most of them were ordinary.
However, one card did interest him.
AD Changer, Level 1, ATK 100.
Effect: Banish this card from the Graveyard, then target one monster on the field and change its battle position.
It was not a powerful card, but its utility effect was rare. In certain combinations it could be useful, and with his growing luck in draws, it was a card worth considering if his Card Draw remained stable.
Satisfied with his reward, Yugen left Duel Academy Student Council. In the office, Seika Kohinata leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed and allowed herself a faint, satisfied smile.
At first, she had resisted his sudden appearance. Thanks to Sato's suggestion, she now saw things differently. In a place like Duel Academy, where many problems were solved through cards, having such a powerful force on their side might not be a bad thing.
For example, if a similar issue happened again and students broke school rules or refused to cooperate, Duel Academy Student Council could deliver a final warning like this: you have a few days left to comply. If you continue to resist, we will be forced to send that officer to ensure compliance.
Most students would probably choose to cooperate at once. The more Seika Kohinata thought about it, the more workable it seemed, and the corner of her mouth lifted as she imagined troublesome students reluctantly accepting a Duel.
"Second place really is impressive, Daichi Misawa," Yugen said sincerely as he examined the latest card produced by Daichi Misawa.
In his hand was the Zombie-Type monster Mezuki. Many duelists knew this card. It had once been an extremely versatile core card for Zombie-Type strategies, and even now it could still find a place in certain Deck builds.