Chapter 506-510 - Is this the world of duelists? Alright! (Yu Gi Oh!)

Chapter 506: Just Use Me, Judai (Yuzuriha Inori Face)

[Kaiba: 4000 LP, Hand 1]

[Deep-Eyes White Dragon] [ATK 4500]

[Face-down Monster]

[Set Card] X3

After Kaiba declared the End Turn, it was Judai's Turn. His finger rested on his Deck, and once he drew a card, it would be his Standby Phase.

Then, if things were truly as Kaiba had declared last Turn, Judai would lose the Duel during the Standby Phase. Although he couldn't guess exactly what card Kaiba had Set like Hayato, Judai had a rough idea of the method.

'I don't know the identity of that Face-down Monster, but Face-down Monsters can't activate effects proactively, so it's probably not related to that Monster. In that case, is it the two Set cards in the Spell/Trap Zone?'

Judai looked at the Set cards in Kaiba's Spell/Trap Zone, thinking, 'The means that can be used in the Standby Phase... is it Effect Damage? Tsk, if that attack last Turn was Mr. Hayato, he definitely would have Tributed [Deep-Eyes White Dragon] with [Spiritual Energy Entity] at the end, and I wouldn't have even gotten this Draw a Card opportunity.'

'In this situation, the card in my Deck that can turn the tide of this crisis is...'

Judai's mouth curved upwards as he recalled a card in his Deck.

"200 Life Points versus 4000 Life Points. Victory or Defeat rests on this card, but a True Duelist can even create the future of their Draw a Card."

"My Turn, Draw!"

As Judai made the Draw a Card motion, Kaiba gave a cold snort and pressed the button to activate a Set card: "Since you've drawn, it means you're ready to accept the Defeat Ending. During your Standby Phase, I activate a Set card!"

"Trap Card [Ring of Destruction]! Destroy one Face-Up Position Monster on the Field, then both players take damage equal to the destroyed monster's ATK!"

"The Monster I choose is [Deep-Eyes White Dragon] on my Field with 4500 ATK! After destroying her and sending her to the Graveyard, both players take 4500 points of Effect Damage!"

From the Set card Kaiba activated, an iron ring linked with eight hand grenades appeared and was placed around the neck of the chosen [Deep-Eyes White Dragon]. Seeing [Deep-Eyes White Dragon] fitted with the "Collar", Kaiba somehow silently turned his head away.

Yusei said somewhat confused, "Huh? 4500 points of Effect Damage? Wouldn't that mean both players' Life Points are wiped out? Also, I remember [Ring of Destruction]'s effect is to choose an opponent's monster with ATK less than their Life Points, first deduct your own Life Points, and then deal the opponent damage equal to the damage you took, right?"

"Well... my great Qing has its own national conditions. It's quite normal for [Ring of Destruction]'s effect to degenerate decades later," Hayato said, spreading his hands. "As for 'Mutual Destruction' and such, I'll give you a little knowledge point here."

"Just like Yugi is good at using stand-ins, Joey Wheeler is good at rolling dice, how can a True Duelist not have a specialty? Kaiba's specialty is putting glue in his Deck."

"Three [Blue-Eyes] always appear together with [Polymerization], [Shrink] with [Crush Card Virus], and..." Hayato looked unsurprised at the second card Kaiba activated immediately after [Ring of Destruction] in his Spell/Trap Zone, "[Ring of Destruction] and [Defense Wheel]."

Completely ignoring what card Judai had drawn or if he had any Timing, Kaiba chain activated the second Set card in his Spell/Trap Zone: "Quick-Play Spell Card [Defense Wheel]! Its effect is to make the Effect Damage from one Trap Card to me 0."

"Your Life Points are only 200 points. Next, you will take 4500 points of Effect Damage inflicted by [Ring of Destruction], while I will not take any damage due to [Defense Wheel]'s effect."

Kaiba looked at the card Judai had drawn, narrowing his eyes. "Perhaps you do have some connection with that guy Hayato Kobayashi, but unfortunately, 4500 points of damage is just a drop in the bucket even if you learn from him and activate cards like [Mysterious Chinese Pot] to Tribute Monsters. I have already secured victory!"

Hearing this, Judai also smiled helplessly: "Indeed, in this situation, no matter how many Life Point recovery cards I use, if I can't recover more than 4300 points in one go, it's completely useless and I can't resist such high damage."

As Judai's words fell, [Ring of Destruction] and [Defense Wheel] on Kaiba's Field began to spin simultaneously. But just as Kaiba thought Judai had confirmed he had no chance of victory and had given up the Duel, Judai suddenly raised his head, revealing his heterochromatic eyes, one orange and one green.

"However, since the power of Justice Heroes is useless, let's use the power of destruction to make a comeback!"

"Quick-Play Spell Card [Tribute to The Doomed]! As a cost to skip my next Turn's Draw Phase, target one Face-Up Position Monster on the Field and destroy it!" Judai pointed his finger at [Deep-Eyes White Dragon] with [Ring of Destruction] around its neck, which was about to explode any second. "As long as I destroy the [Deep-Eyes White Dragon] that's about to be destroyed beforehand, [Ring of Destruction]'s effect won't take effect!"

"It's the same logic as killing the hostage beforehand to prevent the robber from taking them hostage!"

Only to see [Tribute to The Doomed] from Judai's Hand being inserted into the Spell & Trap Zone of his Duel Disk. Kaiba's [Deep-Eyes White Dragon], while enduring the [Ring of Destruction] around its neck that was about to finish it off, found countless bandages extending from underground, reaching towards the sky against gravity like countless tentacles, binding it and dragging it underground!

In short, the scene might seem extremely suggestive to Dragon Enthusiasts, with the Bride, Collar, Binding, Swallowing Whole, and so on.

Kaiba was also stunned for a moment when he saw the card Judai activated, narrowing his eyes as he examined Judai.

"Hmph, it's not Yugi's boring 'Bond', nor is it Hayato's troublesome 'Sacrifice', but 'Destruction'?"

Although Kaiba didn't know what was going on with Judai's suddenly changing eyes, he probably thought it was just some magic trick like putting on colored contact lenses. However, Kaiba suddenly felt that Judai's Dueling Style was very interesting.

A hot-blooded youth who doesn't think too much, a mature warrior who has endured pain, a dominator who clearly understands the darkness and reigns within it. Despite being the same person using the same Deck, Kaiba could sense three different Duelist Spirits.

Although Kaiba still didn't believe Judai's claim of being from the future, he could at least be sure that Judai wasn't completely copying Hayato's Dueling Style, but was walking his own path.

"That's more like it. However, don't get one thing wrong, Kid who calls himself 'Judai Yuki'," Kaiba said with a cold snort. "When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. [Deep-Eyes White Dragon]'s third effect will activate when it is destroyed!"

"It will drag all monsters on the opponent's Field into the endless abyss below!"

The bandages produced by [Tribute to The Doomed] successfully dragged Kaiba's [Deep-Eyes White Dragon] into the Graveyard, leaving behind the [Ring of Destruction] that exploded for nothing and the [Defense Wheel] that defended for nothing. But before the ground fissure closed, [Deep-Eyes White Dragon] struggled and let out its final attack.

A beam of breath rushed into the sky and formed a sphere. From the sphere, dense light bullets bloomed like a peacock's tail, raining down onto the ground, accompanied by a carpet bombing of laser beams. Although the two monsters on Judai's Field reacted in time and resisted with all their might, [E HERO Shadow Mist] and [Masked HERO Acid] to be destroyed and sent to the Graveyard.

Even though the Main Phase hadn't even begun, Judai and Kaiba had engaged in a fierce exchange. All the monsters openly displayed on both players' Fields were cleared, leaving only the two cards each had Set.

[Kaiba: 4000 LP, Hand 1]

[Face-down Monster]

[Set Card]

[Judai: 200 LP, Hand 2]

[Set Card] X2

"When it comes to the power of destruction, my [Blue-Eyes] won't lose to any other monster. Trying to win by trickery with such methods is simply a pipe dream."

Although Kaiba spoke with his usual arrogance, looking down on Judai, those familiar with Kaiba could see the appreciation in his eyes for Judai.

Although under the influence of Solomon Muto and Yugi Mutou, the grandfather and grandson—primarily being crushed by Yugi's [Exodia]—Kaiba had come to understand the power and heart of cards, humans are always biased by first impressions. Even though Kaiba understood the "Heart" of cards, he still habitually pursued the "Power" of cards.

However, the Duelists who could go toe-to-toe with him...

Yugi Mutou doesn't actively Duel much, and even when he does, he often uses cards like [Fiend's Chain] and [Magic Cylinder] to annoy Kaiba, who is good at high ATK beatdown;

Joey Wheeler 's Dueling Style is also Reckless Style like Kaiba's, but Kaiba's style is one of absolute power and suppression, while Joey Wheeler is a Cockroach Style Duelist who constantly struggles, teetering on the edge of being defeated and barely surviving;

As for Hayato, there's no need to mention him. He either uses [Change of Heart] for a monster stealing strategy that makes pure love warrior furious, or he uses [Super Polymerization] to Fusion Summon [Gaia] and [Blue-Eyes]. For Kaiba, the gaming experience is the worst.

Only Dark Yugi would seriously Duel Kaiba's [Blue-Eyes] with his [Dark Magician]. And now, Judai's Dueling Style has also been accepted by him.

"Well then, show me how far your [HERO] can go, Judai Yuki."

"Alright! Then I won't hold back, Mr. Kaiba!" Judai said confidently, even though all the monsters on his Field had been destroyed. And beside Judai, visible to Hayato, Yugi, and Yusei besides Kaiba, Yubel appeared.

"What sharp fighting spirit! Even among those I've seen, the number of people with this level of dueling will wouldn't exceed five fingers. Have you been pushed to the brink, Judai?"

Currently, Judai's Field only had two meaningless Set cards. The cards in his Hand were a [Elemental HERO Stratos] he had recycled earlier and [Miracle Fusion]. Furthermore, due to the negative effect of [Tribute to The Doomed], his Hand replenishment for the next Turn was cut off.

"Ah, well, it is Mr. Kaiba after all. At first, I wanted to show off my growth, but I almost got OTK'd," Judai said, rubbing his nose awkwardly. "However, from now on, it's my... no, our stage."

"Honestly, you don't get serious until your Life Points are like a candle in the wind," Yubel said, looking at Judai with a helpless expression. "However, even like this, I still love you very much."

"Just use my power as much as you want, Judai. If it's you, anything is fine."

Yubel's voice faded as her figure disappeared. Judai also showed a confident smile: "Our combination is invincible."

Kaiba looked at Judai's "talking to himself" and gave a cold snort: "Boring. Is it that baseless talk about 'Card Spirit' again? Hmph, there's no scientific basis."

Kaiba didn't know that upon hearing him talk to himself, a [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] card in his Graveyard seemed to let out an extremely faint, helpless sigh.

"Although all the monsters on my Field were destroyed by [Deep-Eyes White Dragon]'s effect, the [HERO]'s legacy will be inherited." Judai raised his Duel Disk, and the Deck with the automatic search device began to shuffle. "When [E HERO Shadow Mist] is sent to the Graveyard, I add one 'HERO' monster other than [E HERO Shadow Mist] from my Deck to my Hand."

"What I'm adding to my hand is, [Elemental HERO Neos]."

Judai briefly showed the [Elemental HERO Neos] that was added to his hand, a 7☆ monster with a standard protagonist ace card stats of 2500 ATK: "Then, my Set card in the Spell/Trap Zone, [Fusion Reserve]. This card allows me to reveal a Fusion Monster, then add one of the Fusion Materials listed on that Fusion Monster from my Deck to my Hand, and then recycle a [Polymerization] Spell Card from my Graveyard."

"The Fusion Monster I reveal is this one, [Elemental HERO Neos Wiseman]. Then, from my Deck, I add [Yubel], one of [Elemental HERO Neos Wiseman]'s Fusion Materials, to my Hand, and then recycle the [Polymerization] Spell Card from the Graveyard."

Seeing Judai recycle [Polymerization] again, Kaiba knew that he was about to use Fusion Summon again. Counting, this was even Judai's third Fusion in this Duel, as [Masked HERO Acid], although a Fusion Monster, was strictly speaking only a Special Summon.

"[Elemental HERO Neos Wiseman], then [Yubel] as one of the materials, and [Elemental HERO Neos] added to Hand. These are the required materials, right?" Kaiba glanced at the Face-Down Defense Position Monster on his Field and the Set card in his Spell/Trap Zone, revealing a cold smile.

The monster he had Set was one of the few low ATK, low DEF monsters in his Deck, [Abyss Stalker]. Its ATK was only 200 points, and its DEF was only 500. However, it was a Flip Monster with the effect "When flipped, target one monster on the opponent's Field and destroy it."

As for why he included this card in his Deck, Kaiba stated it was purely due to his top-tier understanding of Duel Monsters, and had absolutely nothing to do with the time Yugi almost one-hit kill Kaiba with a [Man-Eater Bug] Hayato had given him.

Next, Judai would surely perform a Fusion Summon. And once he summons a monster and attacks, flipping [Abyss Stalker], its effect will trigger, targeting and destroying one monster. Fusion Summoned, One-Hit Kill, what's there to say?

In short, Kaiba was looking forward to the "Giving Away for Free" scene that was bound to happen next.

As for the awkward thought in his heart, "Isn't this strategy what Hayato Kobayashi called Trap-Heavy Deck?", it only appeared for an instant before being thrown to the back of Kaiba's mind.

# Chapter 507: Duelists, Please Don't Leave the Field to Duel, Spirits Too

Under Kaiba's gaze, Judai played the [Polymerization] Spell Card he had just drawn.

"I activate the Spell Card [Polymerization]! I'll use [Yubel] and [Elemental HERO Neos] from my Hand as Fusion Material!"

"Two souls whose karma is intertwined..."

Judai clenched his left hand into a fist and raised it towards the sky.

"The deep love that could not be severed from our previous lives..."

Beside Judai, Yubel opened her right hand, raising it above her head in sync with Judai's movement.

"The Dark of the Supreme King!" "The Light of Sorrow!"

"Converge here!"

Yubel and Judai turned to look at each other, smiling. Then they lowered the hands they had raised and lifted their other arms. Judai opened his hand, enclosing Yubel's clenched fist.

"You are within me," "I am within you,"

"Ultimate Love Fusion!"

"[E·HERO Neos Wiseman]!!!"

As the two, sharing the same heterochromatic eyes, simultaneously called out the name, the white-bodied [E·HERO Neos Wiseman], clad in ferocious, demon-like black armor, made its grand appearance!

[E·HERO Neos Wiseman][9☆/Light]

[Spellcaster Type/Fusion/Effect]

[3000/2500]

"A monster that combines the power of [Elemental HERO Neos] and [Yubel]... what a powerful aura!" Yusei looked at [E·HERO Neos Wiseman] in surprise. "And, even though it wears demon-like armor, it gives off a feeling of gentle protective power?"

After summoning [E·HERO Neos Wiseman], the heterochromatic eyes in Judai's eyes returned to their original color. Hearing Yusei's words from off the Field, Judai couldn't help but feel a little proud: "[E·HERO Neos Wiseman] is the ultimate Contact Fusion that combines my power with [Yubel]'s."

"Its specific power will be revealed in the upcoming battle." As he spoke, Judai played another card from his Hand. "I haven't performed a Normal Summon this turn. I Attack Position Summon [Elemental HERO Stratos], and then activate his effect to add a [Hero] monster from my Deck to my Hand."

"I choose [Elemental HERO Bubbleman]."

After adding a card to his Hand, Judai pointed towards the Set Card in Kaiba's Spell/Trap Zone: "Entering my Battle Phase, I'll first attack the face-down monster on Mr. Kaiba's Field with [Elemental HERO Stratos]!"

"Blaster Fan!"

After receiving the attack instruction, the Sky Hero [Elemental HERO Stratos] activated the aircraft behind him, propelling him into the air. From above, he locked onto the Set Card on Kaiba's Field, whose identity was unknown.

As the propellers on the aircraft behind [Elemental HERO Stratos] spun faster, they actually created two clockwise-rotating tornado columns, which [Elemental HERO Stratos] controlled to sweep towards the face-down position monster!

"Ugh!"

The moment [Elemental HERO Stratos]'s attack arrived, Judai heard that the face-down monster was instantly destroyed without any resistance. It couldn't even hold onto its weapon and was destroyed with a wail. Judai and the others were also able to see the true appearance of that card.

[Abyss Soldier][3☆/Dark]

[Fiend-Type/Flip/Effect]

[200/500]

"Huh? A monster with 200 ATK! Did I miss a zero?" Hayato looked at the monster's ATK and DEF stats displayed for the first time, quite surprised that Kaiba would put this kind of "trash monster" he often talked about into his Deck.

However, upon seeing that it was [Abyss Soldier], he was also startled and understood Kaiba's strategy.

"Judai Yuki, you attacked my face-down position monster with [Elemental HERO Stratos], thinking that after breaking through [Abyss Soldier], you could directly attack me with [E·HERO Neos Wiseman]'s 3000 ATK, right?"

Kaiba watched his monster be destroyed, but he smiled. "As punishment for being my opponent, I will cut off your hope!"

"When [Abyss Soldier] is flipped, I can choose one monster on your Field to destroy. The one I choose is, of course, [E·HERO Neos Wiseman], which hasn't attacked yet!"

As Kaiba spoke, he waved his hand. Only to see the weapon of [Abyss Soldier]—a dagger wrapped in eerie blue light—which had been swept away by [Elemental HERO Stratos]'s attack earlier, flew out from the corner and stabbed into the back of [E·HERO Neos Wiseman]!

"Ugh!"

[E·HERO Neos Wiseman] was stabbed in the back and immediately fell to the ground, blood flowing profusely. The flowing blood traced along the finger he pointed forward as he fell onto the yellowish brick tiles of the Central Plaza, as if saying something like "Don't stop."

Seeing that Judai offered no resistance to the effect of [Abyss Soldier] he activated, merely watching [E·HERO Neos Wiseman] be destroyed like that, Kaiba couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

"Hmph, the last ace card you finally summoned was easily destroyed by me without even using its effect. As expected, you're just a third-rate Duelist."

Looking at [Elemental HERO Stratos] back on Judai's Field, Kaiba gave a cold snort and continued, "If this is all you've got, then you can start preparing to welcome the defeat that will descend next turn, Judai Yuki."

"Anyway, your ace card has already been destroyed. You have no more moves left."

Unexpectedly, upon hearing Kaiba's words, Judai replied with a fighting spirit-filled smile: "Is that so? Mr. Kaiba, since when did you get the misconception that my [E·HERO Neos Wiseman] was destroyed without even activating its effect?"

"Nani!?"

Judai took the card of [E·HERO Neos Wiseman] from his Duel Disk: "[E·HERO Neos Wiseman] has the ability to inflict damage equal to the ATK of the opponent's battle monster during battle, and its other effect can only be activated when it's battle destroyed or leaves the Field due to an opponent's effect!"

"If [E·HERO Neos Wiseman] is a Fusion of me and [Yubel] with [Elemental HERO Neos] as the main body, then the one appearing next is the form with [Yubel] as the main body!"

Judai's gaze turned to [Yubel] beside him: "Let's go!"

"Already prepared," [Yubel] said with a charming smile, raising her hand and snapping her fingers.

The armor on [E·HERO Neos Wiseman], destroyed by [Abyss Soldier], dispersed into black mist, enveloping it and causing its figure to fade. Emerging from the black mist once more was another monster, primarily black!

"Special Summon! [Sage Neos]!"

[Sage Neos][10☆/Light]

[Spellcaster Type/Fusion/Effect]

[3000/3000]

"If you underestimate me so casually, you'll suffer greatly, Mr. Kaiba!" Judai chuckled. "Now, there are no monsters blocking your way. I'll return the same words to you, prepare to take my direct attack!"

"[Sage Neos] direct attack the opponent Duelist," Judai had just finished speaking when [Yubel] gave the attack instruction for him, "Ultimate Nova!"

Although it was Yubel, not Judai, who gave the instruction directly, because one of [Sage Neos]'s Fusion Materials was Yubel, [Sage Neos] actually listened to Yubel's attack instruction and began to act.

Its wide bat wings spread, carrying [Sage Neos] into flight. The agile "Spellcaster" assumed a punching pose, transforming into a phantom and attacking Kaiba, who only had one Set Card in his Spell/Trap Zone!

"Don't attack for me without permission, Yubel, even though I was planning to attack!" Judai complained with slight dissatisfaction. "Also, that attack name is so cheesy, not cool at all."

""I thought it was pretty good," Yubel shrugged and said with a smile. "Anyway, Judai, you'd only come up with weird names like 'Spiral Flash Round Dance Roar Style Three' anyway."

Amidst the interaction between the two, Kaiba looked at the attacking [Sage Neos] and revealed a ferocious smile.

"Yes, it should be like this. Only then does it look decent. Otherwise, you wouldn't be qualified to have my [Blue-Eyes] appear."

As he spoke, Kaiba pressed a button, flipping open the last card in his Spell/Trap Zone.

"Rejoice, Judai Yuki, your effort has moved me. As a reward, I grant you the qualification to face the apex of Duel Monsters once more! In return, I will show you a true Ultimate Fusion!"

"At the same time that [Sage Neos] declares an attack, I activate the Set Card in my Spell/Trap Zone, the Trap Card [Necrofusion]! I will banish from play three [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] from my Graveyard, in face-down position, as Fusion Material!"

"Crush everything with absolute light! Toughness! Invincible!! Strongest!!!"

"[Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]!!"

[Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon][12☆/Light]

[Dragon Type/Fusion]

[4500/3800]

Just as [Sage Neos]'s attack was a step away from Kaiba, the souls of the three [Blue-Eyes] from Kaiba's Graveyard were banished from the game, thus awakening the White Dragon, the apex of Duel Monsters.

As a well-known vanilla monster Fusion Monster, [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] has no effects, but at this moment, with its towering 4500 ATK alone, it successfully became an insurmountable high wall blocking Judai's path to defeat Kaiba.

"[Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]'s ATK is 4500. Ordinary Duel Monsters cannot possibly surpass its ATK even with all their might. Also, my [True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] in the Graveyard allows the [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] on my Field to use its second effect." Kaiba said arrogantly, "The [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] existing on my Field will receive its power boost; it will not become the target of any opponent's effect and will not be affected by opponent's effects!"

When a monster with 4500 ATK and 3800 DEF, basically without any shortcomings in its basic stats, gains complete resistance to being targeted and being unaffected by effects, only two words can describe such a monster.

Invincible.

And now, Kaiba's long-absent [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] had become such an invincible existence.

"In Duel Monsters, the appearance of a monster can trigger the Battle Replay rules. Your [Sage Neos] can cancel this attack. However, that would only postpone the defeat ending."

Kaiba glanced at the [Ultimate Burst] in his Hand. This card is a Spell Card specifically for [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon], which can grant [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] a triple attack effect like [True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] without being destroyed, and the opponent's ability to chain effects to [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]'s attack will also be stripped away.

[Elemental HERO Stratos] and [Sage Neos] on Judai's Field are both in Attack Position. Next turn will be the final blow from [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] that will clear Judai Yuki's Life Points!

Just as Kaiba was already predicting the subsequent process, Judai unexpectedly refused to use the "Battle Replay" rules: "No, I won't back down here, Mr. Kaiba."

"The final blow is a battle with [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]; it's truly exciting! [Sage Neos] will continue to attack!"

Kaiba gave a cold snort: "Since it's your own choice, I won't hold back. Counterattack, [Blue-Eyes]!"

"Neutron Burst Stream!"

Facing the triple dragon breath unleashed by the three-headed Ultimate Giant Dragon, [Sage Neos], with its 3000 ATK, still maintained its courage and charged forward, its figure swallowed by [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]'s attack.

Seeing this, Kaiba was not surprised. After all, in his mind, it was only natural for the invincible [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] to be able to do this.

"Hmph..."

But just as he gave a cold snort and before Kaiba could say a word, he saw that from the flood of light unleashed by [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon], [Sage Neos], although covered in wounds, still rushed out and landed an uppercut that sent one of [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]'s heads flying upwards!

"Nani!?"

Kaiba completely didn't understand what happened, and at this moment, Judai's voice came from across the Field.

"[Sage Neos], born from the combination of my power and Yubel's, possesses the power of light and dark. He is very strong. How could he easily fall before creating a miracle?" Judai stated [Sage Neos]'s effect.

"When [Sage Neos] battles, at the end of the Damage Step, inflict damage to the opponent Duelist equal to the ATK of the battle monster, and recover my Life Points equal to the DEF of the battle monster."

After a pause, Judai said with a smile: "In other words, Mr. Kaiba, you will take 4500 points of effect damage. What a coincidence."

"Nani?!" Kaiba's eyes widened, watching the battle between [Sage Neos] and [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]. "Yare ga!"

4500 points of effect damage, wasn't that the damage Kaiba almost inflicted on Judai with [Ring of Destruction] earlier!

"But that effect can only be activated at the end of the damage calculation! Before that, you will first take 1500 points of battle damage!" Kaiba said with a dark face.

For Kaiba, a victory that was almost a mutual destruction was worse than a direct mutual destruction. That kind of narrow win was not what he wanted; his goal should be complete victory.

Judai didn't answer, but instead pointed to the Set Card on his Spell/Trap Zone that hadn't been revealed until now, and pressed the activate Set Card button.

Kaiba's face turned even darker. He suddenly felt that his previous impression of Judai's dueling style being pleasing to the eye must have been due to his eyesight being bad.

[Elemental HERO Stratos] also turned his head and saw the Set Card Judai opened, his face turning pale—oh, his helmet was blocking it.

"Quick-Play Spell Card [Mystical Space Typhoon]. Rather than watching [Stratos] disappear after losing the duel, I might as well just stir-fry him and eat him, recovering my Life Points equal to his ATK value of 1800." Judai snapped his fingers coolly and looked at [Elemental HERO Stratos].

"For the greater good, sacrifice yourself!"

[Judai: 200 → 2000 → 500 LP]

"Then, [Sage Neos]'s ability! Inflict 4500 points of damage to Mr. Kaiba!"

"Spacium Ray!"

[Kaiba: 4000 LP → 0]

[Judai: 500 → 4300 LP]

[Sage Neos] disappeared after releasing its final power, and took away Kaiba's 4000 Life Points, which were like a flickering candle. In Kaiba's voice, the duel between Judai Yuki from the future and Kaiba Seto, aged 18, reached its victory or defeat:

"Onore!!!"

Chapter 508: Who Are You Calling a Traitor Dragon?

After Summoning the fully resistant Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Judai indeed didn't manage to defeat it until the very end. However, just as the invincible six-material King of the Citadel couldn't protect the Duelist, Judai seemed to say, "I can't deal with Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, but that doesn't mean I can't take down the Duelist!"

For Judai, that Duel was a Victory achieved through the combined efforts of him and his Spirit—or perhaps Partner, or Lover?—Yubel; but for Kaiba, it was a humiliating and crushing defeat.

Once again, he was in a situation where he held a complete Advantage, only to have the battle turned around by a single Card, a single Monster, and this was even when his Life Points were at the full 4000 Points.

His Blue-Eyes had undoubtedly evolved to an extremely powerful realm. Comparing the "Power" of the Cards, he should have been stronger than that Kid who called himself "Judai Yuki".

Looking at Judai Yuki, who wore a smug smile and said, "That was truly an interesting Duel," Kaiba let out a Cold Snort.

Although it was a Comeback from a Desperate Situation where he narrowly escaped death, and his Life Points during the Duel were always like walking a tightrope, seemingly about to fall into the endless Abyss at any moment, the fact that Judai defeated him was undeniable.

Up until now, Kaiba knew of no more than five Duelists capable of competing with him.

The two Mutou Yugi, Hayato Kobayashi, Pegasus in his Millennium Eye state, and the guy Kaiba met in America during the KC Cup who claimed to be "Rafael," seemingly a "Guardian." As for Joey Wheeler? Just a defeated Subordinate.

And now, he had to add another one who claimed to be from the Future, "Judai Yuki."

Even Rafael, who didn't show his face in public, left behind the Legend of an uncrowned king with the codename "Guardian" in the Professional Duelist circles of America. Yet, before today, Kaiba had never heard of a powerful Duelist using this E HERO Deck that had just been released.

In that case, the Possibility that the Opponent truly came from the Future became very high.

Kaiba's Expression turned very Bad.

His Goal from beginning to end was to become the World's number one and dominate the World of Duel Monsters. To achieve this Goal, Kaiba had to continuously become stronger and Defeat all Opponents who came before him. However, before he even had the chance to Defeat Hayato and Yugi, Kaiba discovered that there were already Duelists stronger than his Present self in the Future.

So, how strong would his Future self be? Would he successfully Defeat Yugi and Hayato, or would he still be just a little short of defeating them?

Or perhaps, his Future self was also stuck in a bottleneck like his Present self? Maybe even a Commoner like Joey Wheeler would gradually become stronger and Surpass him!?

Unable to know what state his Future would be in, Kaiba was in a terrible Mood. He glanced at the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon still on his Duel Disk. Although his Expression was still an Ice Cube face, his Heart was exceptionally restless.

In his pursuit of the "Power" of Duel Monsters, he had almost reached his Ultimate. Whether it was the Enhancement of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon by Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, or the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon Enhancement Card Ultimate Burst developed using the Data of Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, they were undoubtedly tangible Enhancements.

However, he was still defeated by others, before he became stronger than Hayato and Yugi.

Could it be because his pursuit of Duel Monsters was more focused on "Power" rather than the "Heart" of the Cards that Hayato and Yugi spoke of?

In Kaiba's Eyes, there was a moment of Confusion. A Voice almost Entered his ear, but in the next Instant, Kaiba's Gaze suddenly became firm again.

No, the Path I am walking is not wrong at all. There is only one Reason for my failure.

That is, my pursuit of the "Power" of Cards is only "approaching" the Ultimate, not "reaching" the Ultimate. I should focus more on Increasing the Power of my Cards!

The Sound of a Helicopter propeller rang in his ears. Kaiba looked up and saw that after him, a Helicopter marked with the Industrial Illusions Logo appeared, and the Clock in the Central Plaza also chimed the hour. It was exactly twelve o'clock noon when his Duel with Judai Yuki ended, and Pegasus arrived on Time.

Remembering certain things, Kaiba turned back to Yugi and Hayato, who were watching him, and said calmly, "Through this Duel, I will tentatively Believe what you said about the 'Future' and 'Time Travel.' As for that Strange Blue-Eyes White Dragon you are holding, the Winner takes all, I will not interfere further."

"You guys are participating in that guy Pegasus's so-called 'Duel Monsters Convention' today, right? Then continue to enjoy the Winner's celebration." As he spoke, Kaiba walked towards his Helicopter parked on the Ground not far away. "However, I won't accompany you to play that game of gathering."

The Industrial Illusions Helicopter landed on the Ground. Pegasus got out of the Aircraft Cabin with a Strange Expression, wondering where the participants of the "Duel Monsters Convention" who should have been here had gone. Just then, Kaiba also got into his Helicopter and glanced at Pegasus through the one-way glass.

When he possessed the Millennium Eye, Pegasus had the eerie Ability to read the Human Heart, which once made Kaiba, who Believed in Science, doubt whether Psychic Powers truly existed in the World, and he had also been defeated by him. However, after being rescued by Yugi and Hayato, Kaiba suddenly "figured out" Pegasus's Trick.

Guessing what Card I Set on the Field?

He must have installed surveillance in his Castle!

What Card is on top of my Deck?

The Duel Platform must have been tampered with!

I fainted after losing the Duel?

Sleeping potion, he used a sleeping potion!

In short, Kaiba successfully "saw through" Pegasus's tricks one by one afterwards. And after the Millennium Eye was taken away from Pegasus, he indeed no longer possessed the Mystical Power to read people's Hearts as before, which made Kaiba even more firm in his Idea.

However, Kaiba's attention on Pegasus at this moment was not because of his Strength in Duels, but because of another Incident.

During the KC Cup, Pegasus, as the Industrial Illusions President and one of the organizers, naturally made an appearance. However, the day before the Anomaly Incident that still has Influence today occurred, Pegasus proactively approached Kaiba and asked him for the Data of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, saying he had Inspiration for developing New Cards.

At that time, Kaiba casually handed over the Data to Pegasus. After All, at that time, Kaiba hadn't fully developed the Ability of Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and could barely only Use the Triple Attack Ability. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon was also a Card on the verge of being Crammed Into the Warehouse in Kaiba's Deck, only stubbornly occupying a Position because it was a Blue-Eyes.

Kaiba also really wanted Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon to shine with new Radiance with the help of Pegasus's Talent.

Now, so much Time has passed. Presumably, even if that guy Pegasus hasn't fully Converted his Inspiration into Reality, he must have at least found the Direction for design based on the Data of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. As long as he is given a little more Time, Kaiba Believes he will definitely see a surprise appear.

However, he didn't want to meet Pegasus with Hayato and Yugi present, because Kaiba couldn't be sure if Pegasus would unintentionally mention the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon Card Data after seeing Kaiba. This kind of important Information must be kept secret until Kaiba officially Challenges Hayato and Yugi.

Moreover, that will definitely not be a minor Duel. Kaiba's Goal is to make Hayato wager the Title of "Duel King," and he also needs to Defeat Yugi to prove that he possesses the genuine Strength to become the Duel King!

---- Kisara ----

After defeating Paradox, and Kaiba President who jumped out of the bushes and interrupted, Yugi and the others successfully maintained the original History, allowing Pegasus's first Duel Monsters Convention to be held smoothly.

Watching Pegasus receive a warm welcome among the massive crowd, Yusei, who was sitting on a bench with Hayato, said with great emotion, "That's the Father of Duel Monsters, Pegasus J. Crawford, right? He's completely different from the Impression I had of him, and it's the first Time I've seen him as a living person instead of just printed in a Photo."

"That's for sure. After All, what can be left in History Books is only a partial view. If you don't witness it with your own Eyes at the Time, you can never preserve the full picture, let alone a complex person." Hayato sat on the bench, playing with the Millennium Rod. "However, if Pegasus knew that in the Eyes of Yusei, who is from the Future, he's basically just a Photo, he might really regret sealing people into Cards in the Past."

Before, to prevent Paradox from changing History, Hayato and the others had dispersed the crowd at the scene beforehand and Set up the Illusion of a 'Stage Fire.' Although they successfully hindered Paradox's Plan, it also caused the Audience who had gathered to scatter and flee.

And now, the fact that so many people have gathered again in the Central Plaza is largely thanks to the Cooperation of Hayato and Pegasus.

Hayato, who possessed the Millennium Rod representing 'Thought,' and Pegasus, who still retained some Mystical Power despite losing the Millennium Eye, used Industrial Illusions' methods to conduct Live Broadcast Hypnosis on all large Screens near the Domino City Commercial Street, successfully erasing the Memory of the previous 'Attack' from the minds of those who knew about it, causing them to Forget the Reason for leaving the Central Plaza and spontaneously return to the plaza.

Compared to Hayato, who Used the Millennium Rod, Pegasus, although not using this method for the first Time, had lost his Millennium Eye, causing him to sweat profusely and consume a lot of Stamina after the hypnosis was completed. He even pretended to rest for a long Time in the Guest Seats by the Stage before recovering to his current Appearance.

During this Time, he was also interviewed by two media outlets who were good at seizing the opportunity, but Pegasus, being very experienced, used seemingly sensational but actually useless information to brush them off.

"Sealing people into Cards? That sounds quite Evil." Yusei was also quite surprised upon hearing this. He glanced at Pegasus in the distance, who had a kind Smile on his face and was interacting friendly with the Kids. "You really Cannot tell he would Use such methods. Was the Pegasus from the Past like that?"

"Yes, he was the type who always had a smiling Expression, and could perfectly Control Duels as if he had predicted Everything. He always seemed nonchalant, but when it came to achieving his Goal, he would stop at nothing."

"That sounds like a pretty standard Antagonist Persona from a novel."

"Back then, he sealed Yugi's Grandpa—that old man over there with the same hairstyle as Yugi, taking a Photo with Mystical Elf—and Kaiba's younger brother into Cards. His Goal was to take over KaibaCorp, but his main Purpose was to Use KaibaCorp's Virtual Projection System to Create an Opportunity to see his long-dead Lover again."

"Isn't that an even more standard Antagonist Persona?" Yusei remarked, a Smile appearing on his face. "That really overturns the Information I saw in books."

"'The Genius Game Designer who Created Duel Monsters, the Industrial Illusions President who Created many classic Card Series, and designed various Special Monsters like Soul and Union. He Uses his Exclusive Toon Deck, is very childlike, and passionate about the medical field,' and so on."

Yusei's Memory was quite good. Although he didn't specifically try to memorize Information about Pegasus at that Time, being the Father of Duel Monsters, his Impression was very deep. He easily recited the Information about Pegasus that remained in books decades later.

Hayato listened to Yusei's recitation and felt a bit sentimental: "No matter how great a person is, only a few words can be left in History. You can even turn over countless Lives by turning over a single page. However, it's also quite good to be able to leave your own mark on vast History during a short Life."

"Also, Yusei, do you remember the Description about me? I'm quite curious about what was said about me."

Seeing that Hayato's Curiosity was piqued by his words, Yusei wore a Helpless and apologetic Expression: "Um, Mr. Hayato, I didn't look closely at the History of Duel Monsters at that Time. I just flipped through a small part out of Curiosity. I'm really sorry."

"About your part, I only remember it mentioning that you once held positions like Duel King, Duel Academy Principal, and Industrial Illusions President. I don't remember anything more."

Yusei said he didn't remember, but he actually slightly concealed some Evaluation about Hayato. After All, in his opinion, no one would like their record in History Books to say things like "ruthless towards Duel Monsters, can sacrifice Monsters while laughing maniacally," or "methods are vicious and perverted, can stop at nothing for Victory, even putting 39 Trap Cards in a 40-Card Deck."

Finished speaking, Yusei changed the topic: "However, as Mr. Hayato said, what can be left in History Books is only a partial view. Rather than rely on written records, understanding the person directly is more truthful."

"Hmm?" Hayato looked at Yusei with Confusion. After meeting his Gaze, Hayato smiled. "If we're going to understand the other person, I think there's no more suitable Method than using 'that.' Your Idea should be the same as mine, right, Yusei?"

"Yes, although I watched Judai and Mr. Kaiba's Duel before, because I was just observing, the feeling isn't as profound as Dueling directly." Yusei also returned the Smile and Took Out his Deck. "So, Mr. Hayato, please Duel me. I want to witness the true Strength of the legendary Duel King."

Hayato watched as Yusei inserted his Deck into the Duel Disk's Slot, and also reached for the Card Box at his Waist: "Since you've said that, then I'll let you witness it."

"Experience the Power at the Apex of Duel Monsters that Paradox saw!"

A Monster with a red Border was inserted into Hayato's Deck.

Thanks to "Absolute Clarity" for the 500 Points Tip. Thank you.

The Epidemic seems to have recurred. I wish everyone good health, stay safe, and remember to wear masks (a classmate tested Positive, I hope he is safe too).

End of Chapter

Chapter 509: Have You Heard of Amway?

If you were expecting a spectacular Duel between Hayato and Yusei Fudo, you might be disappointed, because Yusei Fudo, who went second, conceded before his Turn even ended.

"My Turn, Draw!" Yusei Fudo drew a card from his Deck, looking at the Red Dragon coiled on Hayato's Field as if facing a formidable enemy.

[Hayato: 4000 LP, Hand 2]

[Slifer the Sky Dragon] [ATK 2000]

During the previous Turn, Hayato used Graceful Charity to discard Ojama Magic to search for Ojama Yellow, Ojama Black, and Ojama Green from his Deck. He then used a combo of Polymerization and De-Fusion to assemble the three Tributes required to Summon a God in a single Turn, performing a classic six-for-one Summon of Slifer the Sky Dragon, one of the Three Egyptian Gods.

In his previous Duel against Paradox, Yusei Fudo had witnessed the power of The Winged Dragon of Ra. It was as sacred as the Sun and integrated the power of Yugi, Judai, and Yusei Fudo to defeat Paradox at once. Now, it was his turn to face a "God".

"Just like The Winged Dragon of Ra's power depends on the total power of the Tributes, Slifer the Sky Dragon's ATK depends on the number of cards in my Hand. This means if I want to maintain its power, I have to keep a certain number of cards in my Hand unused."

Hayato explained Slifer the Sky Dragon's effect to Yusei Fudo. "Furthermore, the Three Egyptian Gods have common resistance. They are unaffected by Trap Card effects, only Spell Cards that take effect during the current Turn and Monsters with Level 10 or higher can affect a God for one turn, and they cannot leave the Field due to effects from Attributes other than Divine Attribute, among other various resistances."

"Hmm, it's most suitable as a practice target for you, Yusei Fudo, for the future... No, never mind."

Hayato remembered the three "God" cards other than the Three Egyptian Gods that Yusei Fudo would face in the future, but Yusei Fudo didn't know what Hayato was referring to. However, this didn't stop him from starting to think about how to defeat Slifer.

'With so many resistances, it basically means trying to bypass the God with effects is almost impossible. Only pure power will work.' Yusei Fudo glanced at the Harmonic Gum he had just drawn and the other few cards in his Hand, getting some ideas. 'If it's only 2000 ATK, it feels like I might be able to do it.'

"I activate the effect of Junk Changer from my Hand, sending it and the Tuner monster Harmonic Gum from my Hand to the Graveyard. Then, I add Junk Synchron from my Deck to my Hand."

Yusei Fudo searched for Junk Synchron from his Deck and immediately summoned it to the Field. "Next, I Normal Summon Junk Synchron!"

"Because of Junk Synchron's effect, I Special Summon Junk Changer, a Level 2 monster in my Graveyard, in Defense Position. Then, because I Special Summoned a monster from the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Doppelwarrior from my Hand!"

By only summoning one monster, Yusei Fudo managed to summon three monsters to the Field at once through the synergy of Junk Synchron and other monsters, and among them were already a Tuner and Non-Tuner monster.

Level 3 Junk Synchron plus Level 2 Doppelwarrior. These two monsters could Synchro Summon Level 5 Junk Warrior. Then, using Junk Warrior's ability to increase ATK, it could gain a total of 1200 ATK from the two Doppelganger Tokens Special Summoned by Doppelwarrior's effect and Junk Changer.

In that case, Junk Warrior's ATK could reach a full 3500 points, which would be completely sufficient to defeat Hayato's Slifer the Sky Dragon on the Field.

Yusei Fudo's idea was excellent, but he didn't know that Hayato had only just explained Slifer the Sky Dragon's most inconspicuous basic ability. Hayato hadn't mentioned Slifer the Sky Dragon's strongest and weakest ability, "Thunder Force".

Just as Yusei Fudo was about to Synchro Summon using his three monsters that had just appeared on the Field, before he could even speak, Slifer the Sky Dragon on Hayato's Field suddenly acted on its own without Hayato's order. One of its two mouths opened, and it instantly spat out three lightning orbs!

"Boom!" X3

Like lightning falling from the sky, the three lightning orbs accurately struck Junk Synchron, Junk Changer, and Doppelwarrior, the lightning symbolizing penalty instantly stripping them of their power!

[Junk Synchron] [ATK 1300→0]

[Junk Changer] [DEF 200→0]

[Doppelwarrior] [DEF 800→0]

And as the ATK or DEF of Yusei Fudo's three monsters on the Field each dropped to zero, their bodies suddenly shattered into dust and were sent to the Graveyard!

Seeing Yusei Fudo's confused and shocked gaze, Hayato put his hands on his hips, looking quite proud: "When the opponent successfully Normal Summon, Flip Summon, or Special Summon a monster, Slifer the Sky Dragon's effect called 'Thunder Force' will forcefully activate, decreasing the monster's ATK or DEF by 2000 points based on its Battle Position. If this effect decreases the corresponding value to 0, that monster is destroyed."

"Although it's easily countered and can become a liability, it's most suitable for dealing with your Junk Archetype, Yusei Fudo."

Yusei Fudo fell silent after hearing Hayato's supplementary explanation of Slifer the Sky Dragon's "Thunder Force" effect. After a brief moment of thought, he helplessly lowered his raised Duel Disk and said with a bitter smile, "My Deck is completely countered. What a terrifying monster."

Yusei Fudo wasn't someone who liked to give up easily. If he were, he wouldn't have been able to leave the Satellite, would have stayed in a dilapidated place like Scrap Heap with his friends his whole life, and wouldn't have obtained Stardust Dragon.

The reason he decisively gave up was that after reviewing the cards in his Deck in his mind, he realized that even if he had the entire Deck in his Hand, there was no possibility of defeating Slifer the Sky Dragon. Knowing that the rest of the Duel would only be a useless struggle, he chose to end the Duel.

Yusei Fudo's Deck certainly had strategies that could be used against powerful monsters, but his opponent was Slifer the Sky Dragon, which had strong resistance. Direct Destruction cards simply wouldn't take effect.

On the other hand, the Deck Yusei Fudo used was a Junk Archetype he picked up from a garbage heap. Although it sounds ridiculous, not only did he find cards for the entire Archetype, but it also included powerful cards like Effect Veiler. But it was indeed a Deck he picked up from a garbage heap.

The strength of the Junk Archetype lies in its extremely smooth synergy and continuous recycle and reuse. Although individual Junk monsters lack powerful monsters capable of delivering a decisive blow, they can Summon powerful Boss Monsters through Synchro Summon.

The problem lies here. Yusei Fudo found that Slifer the Sky Dragon's "Thunder Force", which could be activated an infinite number of times, countered the individually weak Junk Archetype too severely. His Deck was built around Synchro Summon and Field Setup. The strongest individual monster was only Junk Giant with 2000 ATK. Not a single other monster could withstand "Thunder Force".

Unable to destroy it, unable to assemble Synchro Material for Synchro Summon, what was the point of continuing the Duel?

"Slifer the Sky Dragon is indeed very powerful, but powerful cards often come with risk. If someone not qualified uses the Three Egyptian Gods, people can die," Hayato said with a smile as he also put away his Duel Disk.

At the same time, he saw a dropped card appear in the system's settlement of the battle results, something he hadn't seen in a while. It was a card Yusei Fudo had used that hadn't been given a real card adaptation, the Continuous Spell Card Future Battle.

This card's effect was very similar to Berserker Soul, also having the ability to make one monster attack continuously. However, the difference was that the one who drew the card was the opponent, not the user.

Regardless of the effect, for Hayato, who had a slight collecting habit, drawing a card he didn't possess was a good thing. His inner thoughts were filled with joy, and he smiled as he looked at Yusei Fudo.

In a good mood, Hayato looked at Yusei Fudo, who was deep in thought, and asked, "Are you thinking about how to deal with Slifer?"

"Yeah, I actually have a habit of adjusting my Deck based on information about known opponents. Only by learning from every failure can I become stronger," Yusei Fudo nodded. "However, I can only think of one way: using certain monsters with high ATK to forcefully break through Slifer the Sky Dragon while its ATK is low."

After thinking, Yusei Fudo realized that no matter how he modified his Deck, it would always follow the approach of "a collection of many low-ATK monsters". It was too severely countered. If it were the Blue-Eyes Archetype used by Kaiba Seto, the counter would be much less severe.

A High-Level opening hand plus Fusion Summon, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon would still have 2500 ATK even after its ATK was decreased by 2000 points. Defeating Slifer wasn't impossible.

But his own Deck truly had no way against Slifer the Sky Dragon. Its ability to interfere with Field Setup was too strong.

Seeing that Yusei Fudo couldn't think of a way to counter Slifer the Sky Dragon, Hayato gave a mysterious smile and proactively offered Yusei Fudo advice, telling him to find a way to defeat Slifer the Sky Dragon without Synchro Summoning.

(Slifer: You call me a liability all the time, but you're the one who sold me out?)

"Yusei Fudo, your Deck basically revolves around the Synchro Summon strategy for Field Setup, right? If you encounter a battle like today, where Slifer the Sky Dragon restricts you from summoning monsters for Synchro Summon, your Deck will be in big trouble."

"Even if we loosen the conditions a bit, not restricting monsters but just targeting your Synchro monsters, the battle situation would still become very difficult." Hayato paused, thinking about how to describe it. "For example, the opponent could even take control of your Stardust Dragon during their Turn or something."

Actually, compared to the Yu-Gi-Oh! DM Era where Hayato currently was, his deepest impression was actually of the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Era where Yusei Fudo was. Although he had mostly forgotten the details of the plot, he still remembered some of the main arc developments.

And if Hayato's memory wasn't mistaken, the current time period in Yusei Fudo's future seemed to be after Yusei Fudo and his team had just defeated someone who called himself Kami and used Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca... Wait, something seems off?

In short, Yusei Fudo and his team had just saved the future New Domino City, and after being saved, New Domino City seemed to be about to host a large team Riding Duel match called "WRGP". In this match, Yusei Fudo's "5D's" team would encounter the three members of the "New World" team, who, like Paradox, were from the future.

Or rather, it was the triple despair of the same person, Aporia, a survivor of the doomsday future who split himself into three artificial humans of different ages sent from the future to the past.

The three members of the "New World" team, like Paradox, not only had an information advantage over "ancient people" like Yusei Fudo because they were from the future, but with their ability to time travel, they could even actively modify history.

Of course, although it sounds amazing, this is the world of Duelists. In the end, what matters is the Dueling ability. However, the "New World" team was also very strong in Dueling skill, or rather, the Decks they used were highly targeted.

The Archetype they used was Meklord. Their specific ability was like a Super Sentai team, a Deck where four monsters acted as pieces, assembling around one monster to form a giant robot for battle. Its strength lay in the ability to freely replace pieces to become stronger, while its weakness was that if the Core was destroyed, all the pieces would also self-destruct.

However, the most powerful aspect of the Meklord was that they all had the ability to "Equip the opponent's Synchro monster to themselves as an Equip Card", liking to take control of other people's monsters just like Paradox. Although this effect was just an effect for normal monsters and Fusion monsters and purely targeted Synchro monsters, the era Yusei Fudo and his friends were in just happened to be obsessed with Synchro Summoning.

Hayato remembered that Yusei Fudo would encounter Meklord next, and that Yusei Fudo's Stardust Dragon was taken control of, which is why he specifically used Slifer the Sky Dragon to help Yusei Fudo simulate how vulnerable his Deck would be after losing Synchro Summoning.

"For this kind of situation, the best method I recommend to you is this." Hayato reached into the Card Box at his waist and took out a large stack of spare cards stored in the Warehouse.

Mysterious Chinese Pot, Cannon Soldier, Spiritual Energy Entity, Mass Driver, Ring of Destruction...

Hayato's face showed a proud smile: "As long as you squeeze the remaining value out of your own monsters one step ahead before they are destroyed or taken, wouldn't that be fine?"

Yusei Fudo's eyes lit up when he heard Hayato's words, and he seemed somewhat moved as he looked at the cards in Hayato's Hand.

However, because of Hayato's "squeeze out usefulness" remark, when Yusei Fudo inadvertently looked at Hayato, due to Hayato's identity as an Industrial Illusions Shareholder, he suddenly had a hallucination of Hayato wearing a monocle and a top hat, and even saw a noose seemingly hanging from the lamppost behind him.