"The Graveyard?!" Raphael blurted, genuine shock flashing across his face.
Aoi calmly pulled a card from her Graveyard and held it up for him to see.
"When I activated Labrynth Chandraglier earlier, I sent Transaction Rollback to the Graveyard on purpose," she said. "And from the Graveyard, Transaction Rollback can banish itself and make its effect become the effect of a Normal Trap in my Graveyard—by paying half my Life Points."
Raphael's eyes widened. "Copying a Trap from the Graveyard…?!"
"Exactly." Aoi's smile was thin. "And the Trap I copied… was Dimensional Prison."
Raphael froze.
"The moment your monster declared an attack, I made the effect the same as Dimensional Prison—negating the attack and banishing the attacking monster."
Raphael stared, blankly, at the space where Guardian Eatos had vanished, as if his mind couldn't accept it.
Aoi didn't let him breathe.
"I'm not done resolving effects yet. Welcome Labrynth also has a Graveyard effect."
She pointed down at her Duel Disk.
"While it's in the Graveyard, if a monster leaves the field due to the effect of a Normal Trap, Welcome Labrynth can Set itself back onto my field."
Raphael's voice came out hoarse. "A Trap that was destroyed… can come back?"
Kaiba and Yami Yugi—watching from the far side of the broken bridge—both exhaled at the same time, tension easing just a fraction.
Yami Yugi's eyes narrowed with admiration. "So she used the Graveyard as a second hand… the Graveyard really is part of your resources."
Kaiba, unusually, agreed without a sneer. "Hmph."
Raphael clicked his tongue, trying to stabilize himself.
"Tch. So you set it again… Fine. I Set one card. Turn end."(Hand: 3)
"My turn. Draw."
Raphael's eyes were still sharp, but Aoi's tone made it sound like the duel had already ended.
"Raphael. This duel is over."
"What?!" His composure cracked.
Aoi flipped the newly set Trap.
"I activate Welcome Labrynth. From my Deck, I Special Summon a 'Labrynth' monster."
A presence stepped out of the shadows like royalty taking the stage—no longer in a cumbersome gown, but in battle attire, twin blades in hand: playful, elegant, and deadly.
Lady Labrynth of the Silver CastleATK 3000 / DEF 2900
Raphael's pupils tightened.
Aoi continued smoothly, as if she'd already measured every remaining second.
"Next, I activate Labrynth Set-Up."
She tapped the card with a fingernail.
"I target two 'Labrynth' Spells/Traps among my Graveyard and banished cards—except Set-Up itself. Those cards return to the Deck. Then, if I control a Fiend, I can Set Normal Traps from my Deck equal to the number I returned."
"I return my banished Big Welcome Labrynth and my Labrynth Labyrinth from the Graveyard to the Deck—then I Set two Normal Traps from my Deck."
Raphael's face hardened. "Setting traps is one thing. But you still can't activate them the turn you Set them."
Aoi's smile sharpened.
"That's what you think."
She discarded another card.
"I activate Labrynth Cooclock from my hand. By discarding it, this turn—if I control a 'Labrynth' monster—I can activate a Normal Trap the same turn it was Set."
Raphael's expression finally shifted into genuine alarm.
"A Trap you can activate immediately…?!"
Aoi didn't waste the opening.
"One of the Traps I Set is Raigeki Break. I discard one card—then destroy one card on the field."
Her eyes flicked to Raphael's backrow.
"I destroy your Set card."
A bolt of light snapped down.
Raphael's Set card shattered into sparks.
The moment his backrow disappeared, Aoi's voice turned flat—merciless.
"And now… it's finished."
"Battle. Lady Labrynth of the Silver Castle attacks you directly."
The Silver Lady crossed the distance in a blink, twin blades cutting a clean arc through the air—
Raphael's body jerked as if the pain had been carved straight into him.
Raphael LP 3000 → 0
Aoi Kisaragi Wins.
"I… lost…" Raphael whispered.
He stared at Aoi as if she were something unreal—fragile in appearance, yet impossible to overcome.
Then his eyes sharpened—twisting into something darker.
"No… I didn't even use The Seal of Orichalcos!"
A low rumble rolled through the valley.
From the gorge behind him, a helicopter rose into view.
Inside, Barone's face was drawn tight with disbelief. In Doma, Raphael was second only to Dartz—yet he'd been dismantled in front of the Duel King.
"Raphael! Get on!" Barone shouted. "We're leaving—now!"
Raphael snapped back into motion, grabbed the rope ladder, and climbed. As the helicopter lifted, he looked down at Aoi—eyes blazing.
"Duel King… I admit defeat today. But next time, I'll use all of Doma's power and defeat you!"
Aoi watched the helicopter vanish into the dim dawn.
"Then I'll be waiting," she murmured, utterly calm.
Kaiba's jet swooped in and retrieved her. By the time they returned, Yugi's group had already arrived—most of them had reached the battlefield right as Aoi summoned the Silver Lady.
"Insane…" Joey muttered. "Summoning a 3000-ATK monster like that, then ending it immediately… But, yeah. For her, that's almost normal."
Everyone silently agreed—except Hopkins and Rebecca, who could only stare, stunned.
Rebecca swallowed hard. She'd heard the rumors: that the "true" American champion was a guardian who never appeared publicly—Raphael himself.
And Aoi had beaten him cleanly.
So the Duel King title wasn't just real. It was terrifying.
Hopkins let out a long breath. "It looks like this crisis won't be solved by Yugi alone… Miss Kisaragi is going to be central to everything."
On Raphael's helicopter, Barone glanced at him.
"First time I've ever seen you lose that badly. At least you didn't activate Orichalcos—whether for yourself or to force it onto the opponent."
Raphael's voice was low, controlled.
"Even if I handed it to her, she wouldn't use it. She doesn't need Orichalcos to win."
In the back seat, Weevil and Rex sat stiffly, barely daring to breathe.
Raphael turned his head, gaze like a blade.
"You two… actually had the nerve to join Doma."
Weevil's voice trembled. "We lost to them—at Duelist Kingdom, and later again. Our lives became a nightmare. We chased rare cards just to wash away the humiliation…"
They were brought into a room overflowing with rare cards.
Weevil and Rex's eyes practically glowed.
"Uh… we can use these?" Weevil asked, greed slipping out despite his fear.
Raphael didn't answer.
A moment later, Dartz stepped out in a pristine suit.
Raphael immediately dropped to one knee.
Dartz didn't even look at him at first. He walked past and stopped in front of Weevil and Rex.
"These cards are yours to use," Dartz said softly. "In exchange…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
They understood.
Only then did Dartz's gaze slide to Raphael—calm, merciless.
"You failed."
Raphael lowered his head further. "My deepest apologies. Next time, I will offer the Duel King's soul."
A green light flashed in Dartz's eyes.
Raphael was blasted into the wall like he weighed nothing.
He hit the floor hard, clutching his abdomen.
"This is a warning," Dartz said, voice still gentle. "If there's a next time… even if your soul remains intact, I will tear it out myself."
Raphael gritted his teeth.
"Yes… sir."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 165)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter220)
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I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (This matter is completely finished.)
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 220
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
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From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 248
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 230
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 125
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 145
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 115
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 110
My Harem Is Indescribable 100
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 105
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 80
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 85
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 78
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 80
Checking In in Demon Slayer 85
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 100
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 85
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What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 75
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 85
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MYGO Beauties 70
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 75
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 80
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 100
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 60
The Uma Musume Who Became 60
I'm Definitely Not the King of 80
After Maxing Out Every Class 80
Naruto: I'm Konoha's Local Men 44
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 57
I, the Elden Sword Saint 50
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 43
No One Knows Pokémon Better 50
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 45
From Trilobites to Titans 45
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 55
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 60
An Anime Heroine Darkened 55
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