Ryuu Seikon spoke with calm resolve:
"If you defeat me… you can have our private booth."
His teammates stared at him, stunned.
"Wait—what?!"
He was staking their dinner on a duel?!
But Li Yuu simply gave a light smile and nodded. "I accept."
The two stepped outside the restaurant before anyone could protest further.
In Koujin and the other three from Team Satisfaction exchanged helpless glances.
"Well," Xingren sighed, "we may as well watch how this plays out."
In the Sacred Star Realm, dueling was everything—and public duel spaces could be found in nearly every corner of the city.
It wasn't uncommon to see people throwing down their challenge mid-meal, mid-conversation, or even mid-date. Street-side battles were practically local entertainment.
But today was special.
The moment word spread that the duel involved this year's first and third-ranked Sacred Star Academy freshmen, the crowd ballooned.
"This is like the top scorer and bronze medalist of the imperial exams going head-to-head!"
"People like that? They're practically dragons in human form!"
In minutes, the open plaza outside the restaurant was packed tight.
Li Yuu glanced at the swelling audience and turned to Ryuu Seikon.
"If we're interrupting everyone's dinner, we'd better wrap this up quickly."
Ryuu Seikon misinterpreted that as "I'll crush you fast"—and for someone as proud as him, that was unacceptable.
He narrowed his eyes. "Oh? Then let's get it over with."
Li Yuu shrugged and raised his duel disk. Together, they declared:
"Duel!!"
Li Yuu smiled. "Let's see what Synchro-style tactics look like up close."
"As you wish," Liu replied coldly, immediately taking the first turn without hesitation—completely unfazed by Li Yuu's famous first-turn kill.
"I'll take the first move!"
His expression sharpened, voice calm but forceful.
"I set one card facedown, then activate the Spell—Contract with the Burning Abyss."
"This card can only be activated if I have at least three cards in hand. The cost: I discard all remaining cards in my hand."
The spectators gasped as he discarded the rest of his hand—three cards—straight to the Graveyard.
Someone in the crowd blurted out, "He dumped his entire hand?! Who the hell does that?!"
In most duels, losing your hand was suicidal.
No cards meant no plays. It was like charging into battle with no reinforcements, no rations, and no escape route.
But today… was different.
Ryuu Seito burst out laughing. "Ha! You're seeing it now!"
"That's our team captain's specialty—Ryuu Seikon's Zero-Hand Strategy!"
Li Yuu didn't seem surprised. His eyes gleamed with interest.
"So that's how it is… Laval deck, huh? Fascinating."
Ryuu Seikon offered a razor-thin smile.
"No one's ever made me go all-out before."
"Tell me, Li Yuu—can you truly… satisfy me?"
That line was way too loaded.
Li Yuu's expression stiffened, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Liu continued, unfazed:
"Now—'Contract with the Burning Abyss' resolves. From the Graveyard, I Special Summon Laval Devil!"
— Laval Devil
— Level 4 / ATK 1800
Wreathed in flames, a red-skinned devil rose from a molten abyss, eyes gleaming with malice.
"When Special Summoned while my hand is empty, Laval Devil lets me search a 'Laval' card from my deck."
"I add Laval Mirage to hand—and immediately summon it!"
— Laval Mirage
— Level 1 / ATK 0
A white-masked shaman in tribal red garb stepped forward, adorned with crimson feathers like an ancient high priest.
"I activate Mirage's effect: tribute it to revive two 'Laval' monsters from my Graveyard—come back, Laval Beetle and Laval Wildcat!"
— Laval Beetle: Level 2 / ATK 1200 / Tuner
— Laval Wildcat: Level 3 / ATK 1400 / Tuner
Liu then activated Laval Beetle's effect—no hesitation, no wasted motion.
"I tribute Beetle to Special Summon two more Laval Beetles from my deck!"
A ripple of excitement surged through the crowd.
Tenma yelled, "Two Level 2 monsters—he's going for it!"
In Koujin winced. "They're Synchro-based. He's not likely to Xyz summon."
Ryuu Seito grinned. "Of course not. We're Team Satisfaction—we're Synchro to the core."
Xingren frowned. "But the current meta favors hybrid strategies. Doesn't locking yourself into one method limit your options?"
Ryuu Seito shrugged. "We'll cross that bridge if we need to."
Fair enough. Xingren let it drop.
Liu continued, cool and clinical.
"I tune Level 2 Beetle with Level 4 Laval Devil."
Total Level: 6
"Demon born in eternal fire, crawl back from Hell and scream your wrath—!"
"Synchro Summon! Burn everything—Laval Inferno Demon!"
— Laval Inferno Demon
— Level 6 / ATK 2200
The Laval Devil burst into ghostly green fire, his laughter turning demonic as he morphed into a larger, more vicious form.
And Liu wasn't done.
"I now tune Level 2 Beetle with Level 6 Inferno Demon!"
Total Level: 8
"Wraith between the realms, tyrant of purgatory—burn this world in eternal regret!"
"Synchro Summon! Devour it all—Infernal Dragon – Ogre Flame!"
— Infernal Dragon – Ogre Flame
— Level 8 / ATK 3000
A dragon wreathed in black hellfire descended with a roar that rippled the air.
Tenma's jaw dropped. "He summoned a 3000 ATK boss monster on Turn 1?!"
Ryuu Seito grinned. "And that's just his warm-up. He's not even at 30% strength yet."
Xingren asked seriously, "But he's got no cards in hand now. Can he still summon more?"
He got his answer immediately.
Liu flipped his set Spell card.
A Continuous Spell.
Li Yuu narrowed his eyes.
He recognized it instantly—and his brow furrowed.
It was the Laval deck's infamous engine core.
Laval Cannon.
A card so explosive, it was restricted for years.
"I activate Continuous Spell—Laval Cannon!"
"I send it to the Graveyard to use its second effect—revive two 'Laval' monsters from the Grave!"
"Return to me—Laval Devil and Laval Inferno Demon!"
And because Laval Devil's search effect wasn't once-per-turn, Liu gained another card on field entry:
"I search Laval Barrier—and set it face-down."
Laval Barrier—the archetype's signature Counter Trap. A near-perfect negate.
Every card in Liu's combo was designed to work from an empty hand. Zero-hand was his engine.
Li Yuu raised a brow.
"You searched Laval Barrier now? Why not grab another Laval Cannon and keep going?"
Liu shook his head.
"You need strong willpower to unlock multiple copies of Laval Cannon. I only have one. Already used it."
Li Yuu nodded, understanding.
That meant Liu's combo had nearly peaked.
At the very least, he wouldn't be pulling off some legendary "Laval Turn 1 Hand-Shredder" right now.