Yugioh [316-320] (Patreon)

Chapter 316: Anyone Else Want to Try?

"Kira… I'll never get used to him, no matter how long it's been," muttered Mokuba as he watched Kira's first duel on the monitor.

Even as a member of the opposing team, he suddenly felt a bit sorry for the other side. In just a few turns, that poor guy endured both deck and hand destruction, and then got hit with an infinite slap loop.

But it looked like the guy ended up falling victim to his own Seal of Orichalcos in the end.

When the LP hit zero, the Seal of Orichalcos spun tightly, its green light converging on Yemo.

Yemo's eyes went blank. He staggered back two steps, about to collapse, but before he could hit the ground, Kira stepped forward and caught him.

Yemo was stunned.

He looked up in surprise at Kira, not expecting the person who had ruthlessly demolished him to step forward and support him after the duel.

What did it mean? Was it comfort?

But in a duel for life, victory meant survival and defeat meant death. What was the value of the victor's pity?

Within a second, he realized he was overthinking it.

Kira, after catching him, immediately yanked the duel disk and deck from Yemo's hand, and then let go.

Without support, Yemo collapsed to the ground like a used rag.

Yemo: "You @%#%&!"

Not only did this jerk rub salt in his wounds, he even took his cards!

He had a thousand things he wanted to curse about, even wanted to lunge at Kira for a brawl, but there was no chance.

The seal's power converged, forcibly pulling his soul from his body, rising upward along the green light, watching helplessly as his body slumped to the ground, and Kira walked away with his cards.

His soul vanished into the vortex of the seal. In his last moment of consciousness, he felt a heavy blow to his chest, as if he were about to cough up blood…

"Tsk, New Doma's members are disappointing. Can't they at least drop some rare cards?"

Kira flipped through the confiscated deck while walking, shaking his head.

"This one might be useful… Actually, maybe not. Might as well sell it."

Mokuba, watching at the monitor, was speechless.

He suddenly thought it might actually be lucky for Yemo to have passed out so quickly. If he'd seen Kira picking through his deck and dismissing it, he might have revived out of sheer rage.

He'd known Kira's duels were the most interesting—good thing he didn't switch the feed.

Mokuba, satisfied, switched the monitor to search for his brother, Seto Kaiba.

Now, Kira's Puzzle Card count was up to 2/6. He wondered if his brother had gotten his first card yet.

Kira was starting to realize this tournament wouldn't be so simple.

He'd originally thought the real challenge would be after qualifying. Kaiba Seto was undoubtedly the biggest threat, but Kira had never been fixated on winning the championship.

To him, dueling Kaiba was just another step in his personal challenge—he'd overcome every trial so far, with no major setbacks.

A duel with Kaiba might bring a breakthrough.

But now, it looked like there were other issues to deal with before the finals.

His acquisition of the "Sealing Device" had clearly drawn New Doma's attention. Their members had infiltrated this Duelist Kingdom tournament; what had happened just now was only the beginning.

That Yemo was clearly just a scout. There were surely others watching, analyzing Kira's tactics, and planning their next assault.

Of course, this wasn't too concerning for Kira. He never used the same deck or strategy twice—if they tried to study him, he'd simply change decks for the next duel.

But the real issue was being marked as a target.

It was clear that the enemy would keep attacking throughout the tournament, trying every trick and dirty tactic. Sitting back and waiting to counter was not wise.

He needed to take the initiative.

Kira walked out of the alley, black mist dissipating behind him. He smiled, lips curling upward.

Hunting time had begun.

…

"Yemo has failed."

In a shadowy room, green light flickered like ghostly flames, as the hooded leader spoke quietly.

His gaze swept over the four remaining people in the room.

"Anyone have something to say?"

No one spoke.

They'd all observed the duel through the power of Orichalcos. After watching, the room had fallen into an awkward silence.

What was there to say?

The Dark Scorpion Bandit deck was known to them—a commoner's deck available in any store.

Unlike in the anime, where these small fry sometimes had moments of brilliance, in reality, they'd been benched ever since their first appearance, never to return.

Even Chazz, who later appreciated the value of small fry, didn't seem to care for them.

And yet, using such a deck, Kira crushed Yemo with deck destruction, then finished him with an infinite loop.

Infinite loops were rare in this world, but not unheard of. In the original Duelist Kingdom, Yugi used an infinite loop to defeat the Egyptian God, "Slifer the Sky Dragon."

Though the rules were different back then, that legendary duel was still talked about today.

Every infinite loop ever recorded in an official tournament was the result of a duelist wracking their brains and pulling off a desperate comeback—legendary moments in dueling history.

But when Kira did it, it looked as easy as a basic attack.

It felt effortless as if he hadn't even tried.

"So, is there anyone else who wants to try next?"

The leader looked around.

No one spoke.

Chapter 317: A Plan

With the question put aside, the room fell into a longer silence than before.

No one volunteered to go for the glory.

The last person who did that was Yemo, who went straight to their Serpent God.

The rest, if given a choice, would rather keep their lives.

At first, hearing their target was just a Duel Academy student, they'd underestimated him. Now, that was completely gone.

He'd beaten Yemo in just a few turns, using nothing but comedy-relief Dark Scorpions. Clearly, he hadn't even tried his hardest.

The duel recording was hardly useful—Kira's true strength remained unknown.

Who knew if they'd be the next Yemo?

"No takers…? Well, it can't be helped."

The hooded leader slowly stood up.

Everyone looked over in surprise.

Was the leader going to act personally?

They'd heard stories about this branch's leader.

Before joining New Doma, he'd been a rising star in the pro circuit—winning streak after streak, highly regarded by all.

But praise and expectation had made him arrogant, convinced he was unbeatable—thinking that even legends like Yugi or Kaiba were nothing special. If only he'd been born earlier, he'd have been King of Games, with the three Egyptian Gods as his own.

This lasted until he got a chance to privately challenge Seto Kaiba.

Ace against ace, legend versus new star—an epic showdown.

Or so he thought.

Once they started, he quickly realized how naive he was.

There was no such thing as ace versus ace. If anything, it was like an egg against a rock.

He never even got to see the Blue-Eyes White Dragon—he was crushed by XYZ-Dragon Cannon.

After that, his career plummeted, and he eventually quit the pro circuit in despair.

Until he joined New Doma, regaining and even surpassing his former strength.

Now, in the underworld, he was revered as "Necromancer," his real name forgotten. Each of his duels claimed a powerful soul.

Everyone held their breath.

Was the Necromancer really going to take action himself?

"I have a plan," someone suddenly spoke up.

Everyone turned to look.

It was the member codenamed Black Flame.

"You've all heard of the legend, the Dark Duelist Marik," Black Flame said gravely. "He once sent Joey Wheeler to fight Yugi, nearly taking down the King of Games. You know about that, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"Of course. But what about it?"

"Heh… Since this Kira is so tricky, why not copy that method?" The hooded man sneered smugly.

"Oh?"

The Necromancer frowned. "You mean…?"

"I've already investigated. Kira didn't come to the tournament alone."

The man said confidently.

"He brought a classmate from Duel Academy, someone he's very close to. My informant says Kira specifically requested a spot for this student from KaibaCorp's committee."

"So they must be close friends," Necromancer nodded. "If we control this person, maybe we can repeat Marik's tactic."

Marik used the Millennium Rod to brainwash Joey and forced him to duel Yugi for his life. Joey could never beat Yugi, but Yugi also couldn't bear to hurt his friend.

If you can't beat someone, make them give up victory themselves. Not a bad idea.

As for whether this was dishonorable…

Well, all their work was in the shadows anyway. Serving the cult's goals justified any means.

"But will Kira's friend be easier to deal with?" Necromancer asked.

"Relax, I checked. His name is Jaden Yuki, and he's in Slifer Red at Duel Academy."

"Slifer Red, huh." Necromancer nodded.

He'd heard that was the academy's infamous loser dorm.

"That's right. I even checked his grades—he's at the bottom of even Red. No threat at all."

Black Flame was full of confidence, patting his chest to assure success.

"Capturing him will be a breeze. We'll take him, brainwash him, grant him the Orichalcos power, and make him duel Kira."

"Good idea."

Several others applauded.

"If he's brainwashed, he'll attack without mercy, and Kira, unwilling to harm a friend, will be easy prey."

"Exactly." Black Flame sneered, "And even if the plan fails, if Kira is forced to defeat his own friend, he'll be left with deep darkness in his heart. And then…"

"Our cult specializes in exploiting that darkness and breaking down opponents."

Necromancer nodded.

"Even if he survives, his mental state will be shattered—he'll be a fraction of his former self. At that point, taking him down will be easy."

"Not a bad plan. But I'd like to make a small change."

Necromancer spoke.

"You all know that Marik's plan with Joey failed, right?"

Black Flame thought. "Not sure of the details. I heard maybe the Millennium Puzzle broke the mind control?"

"Not clear. But in any case, I think brainwashing isn't the safest method—there's always a risk the duelist regains control, as Joey reportedly did."

"So…?"

"Simple. We'll use a duel to steal his soul, then control his body for the duel." Necromancer sneered. "That way, there's absolutely no risk of mishap."

"Brilliant, sir!"

"And, just to be safe…"

Necromancer paused, his eyes flashing green.

"I'll handle it myself."

…

…

"Elemental HERO Avian, direct attack!" Judai shouted.

"Aaagh!!!"

[Pro Duelist NPC, LP 0]

Some random pro duelist dropped to his knees, looking utterly defeated.

He lost.

Even as a lower-tier pro, he never expected to lose to a Duel Academy student—especially a Slifer Red.

He looked up at Jaden in confusion.

Was pro-level play not even enough to graduate from Duel Academy now?

But even after defeating him, Jaden kept going.

"Victory! That was an awesome duel!"

Jaden struck his classic pose.

The pro clutched his chest, feeling his heart twist in pain.

"Hah, dueling is the best! Tournaments are the best!"

Jaen stretched happily and walked out.

"I wonder how Kira and Zane are doing…"

He shook his head, and slapped his cheeks.

"Alright, can't let myself fall behind. Gotta find my next opponent! Where are you, duelists…?"

At that moment, a cold voice came from behind.

"So, you're Jaden Yuki, aren't you?"

Chapter 318: From Hell

"Jaden Yuki, is it?"

The Necromancer raised his Duel Disk, a strange smile curling on his face.

 "You are…"

Jaden hesitated for a moment; it looked like he wanted to ask about the other's origins, but when he saw the Duel Disk raised by the Necromancer, that little bit of curiosity vanished in an instant.

Did it matter who the opponent was? Not at all.

What mattered was—there was a duel to be had.

 "I get it, you're a duelist in the tournament, right?" Jaden rubbed his nose, grinning. "Well, come on then! I always give it my all, from start to finish!"

The Necromancer narrowed his eyes, his smile growing even eerier.

 "Duel!"

 "Duel!"

Both sides activated their Duel Disks, drawing five cards each.

[Jaden, LP 4000]

[Necromancer, LP 4000]

"I'll take the first move. Draw!"

The Necromancer drew his card, his laughter growing more chilling and bizarre.

 "Heheheh… I drew this card right away. Looks like the gods themselves want me to finish you off quickly. Fine, then—I'll make this swift."

He selected a card from his hand, a green light flashing in his eyes.

 "Field Spell—Seal of Orichalcos!"

Jaden's pupils shrank, his smile vanishing in an instant.

That card!

He'd faced the Swordsman of Doma alongside Kira before, so Jaden knew exactly what this card meant.

This wasn't just about winning or losing a match—it was a battle of life and death. Whoever lost this duel would lose their soul.

Jaden: "You, you're—"

The barrier unfolded, emerald light shooting skyward. The Necromancer squinted, a hexagram mark reflected on his forehead, his robes seemingly billowing with vibrant green energy.

 "Oh, so you recognize the Seal of Orichalcos. Then I guess there's no need to explain. But it's too late now—even if you realize it, you can't escape."

The Necromancer let out a bone-chilling cackle.

 "Soon, in this duel, you'll come to know the power of the hellish deck I've developed, fusing together the tactics of legendary duelists!"

Jaden: "Why does that sound so familiar…"

 "I'll set a monster in face-down defense position, then set two more cards face-down." The Necromancer sneered. "Turn end."

Jaden took a deep breath.

 "Alright, my turn! Draw!"

This wasn't just any duel.

He glanced warily at the green light rippling inside the sealed barrier.

Whoever lost in here… would die.

Jaden's expression grew serious.

He had to give it everything he had.

 "I summon 'Elemental HERO Sparkman'!"

[Elemental HERO Sparkman, ATK 1600]

 "Sparkman, attack the face-down monster!"

The blue-clad HERO leaped forward amid crackling lightning, energy swirling in his palm before launching forth as a blue electric javelin.

 "Activate set card—Continuous Trap: 'Gravity Bind'!"

The Necromancer's back row flipped up. Invisible gravitational waves surged out from the trap card, enveloping the field.

 "Gravity Bind's effect: all Level 4 or higher monsters cannot attack."

Jaden frowned slightly.

So it's an attack lockdown… just like Kira's traps.

 "In that case, I activate the Quick-Play Spell 'Quick Summon', letting me Normal Summon a monster from my hand."

Jaden revealed another HERO in his hand.

 "Normal Summon: 'Elemental HERO Wildheart'!"

[Elemental HERO Wildheart, ATK 1500]

 "Wildheart, attack the face-down monster!"

The wild-looking HERO brandished his sword, dashing forward through the gravitational field and unleashing a ferocious slash at the set monster.

"So that's it—Wildheart is immune to trap effects."

 "That's right! 'Elemental HERO Wildheart' is unaffected by traps, so even under 'Gravity Bind' he can attack," Jaden called out.

 "Heh, you brought out a counter to Gravity Bind right away. But…"

The Necromancer narrowed his eyes, letting out a strange chuckle.

 "Do you really think it'll be that easy?"

The set monster flipped up—a tiny, white, plush creature appeared on the field. Wildheart's blade sunk deep, but was instantly bounced back, striking his own forehead and sending him staggering.

 "The monster you attacked is 'Marshmallon'," the Necromancer said. "Marshmallon can't be destroyed by battle. And when attacked while face-down, the opponent takes 1000 damage."

[Jaden, LP 4000 → LP 3000]

 "Ugh…"

Jaden winced as the shockwave hit him, stumbling back.

 "Ah, got tricked…"

He glanced at his hand, thought for a moment, and picked out another card.

 "I'll set a card. Turn end."

"Heheheh, end of your turn, is it?"

The Necromancer's laughter grew even more sinister.

 "What's wrong?"

Jaden froze, beginning to sense something was off.

Within the green barrier, an eerie atmosphere had started to rise.

At first it was like the sound of wind, but it slowly transformed into whispers of the dead. The chilling air seemed to carry countless spirits, swirling around him—murmurs, wails, and piercing laughter.

Jaden's eyes widened. He could almost see them.

Translucent, white apparitions, their faces twisted with the world's deepest sorrow and resentment, hollow eye sockets like wells of hatred.

A letter appeared between his palms.

A strange, flickering "D".

Jaden recognized it instantly.

He might be a slacker in class, but he was obsessed with legendary duelists. He owned the original Duelist Kingdom DVD set and had watched every Top 8 match.

So of course he recognized this tactic right away—

 —Destiny Board!

Back in the Duelist Kingdom, the legendary duelist Bakura had used this tactic against Yugi Mutou, nearly winning if Yugi hadn't drawn the God Card on his final turn.

Of course, Jaden didn't know that the Bakura who dueled Yugi was actually Yami Bakura, the ultimate boss of DM and Zorc Necrophades himself, who went on to defeat the three Egyptian Gods, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Dragon Master Knight, and even Exodia Necross before finally falling to the Creator of Light.

But all that was never public knowledge—only the main characters of the Egypt Arc knew those secrets. Most outsiders didn't even know the world had ever been threatened by a world-ending demon lord.

 "That's right, this is the tactic once used by a legendary duelist." The Necromancer let out a grating laugh. "With Neo-DOMA's technology, even rare, out-of-print decks like this can be fully replicated.

Now, the countdown to your death has begun.

Destiny Board activates: at the end of your opponent's turn, place a 'Spirit Message' card from hand or deck onto your Spell & Trap Zone in the correct order.

The next message for your death is this card…"

A new ghostly spirit floated onto his field, holding a new letter.

 "Spirit Message 'E'!"

Chapter 319: Spirit Messages

"Continuous Spell: 'Spirit Message E', activated from my deck!"

A second translucent ghost appeared on the Necromancer's field. Now there were two, each holding the letters "D" and "E".

 "Destiny Board's effect: at each of your opponent's End Phases, place a 'Spirit Message' card from hand or deck." The Necromancer grinned coldly. "Once 'D', 'E', 'A', 'T', and 'H' are all on my field—including Destiny Board itself—it's over for you."

He didn't need to finish; Jaden was already frowning, understanding.

 "I'll lose."

Destiny Board's effect was like Exodia—a victory by card combination. If the five letter cards spelling "DEATH" appeared on the field, the duelist won instantly.

 "Heh heh, that's right. Two letters down. You'd better struggle with everything you have in the turns you have left.

My turn! Draw!"

The Necromancer drew a card, eyes flicking to Jaden's back row.

 "Just to be safe, let's get rid of that set card. Quick-Play Spell: 'Mystical Space Typhoon'—destroy any Spell or Trap on the field!"

A black cyclone swept up Jaden's set card. The trap card was caught in the wind, spinning and then smashed to pieces by a bolt of lightning.

 "You destroyed the trap card 'Dummy Marker'," Jaden grinned. "When Fake Marker is destroyed, I draw a card. If it was destroyed by an opponent's Spell Card, I draw two cards." (Anime Card)

The Necromancer frowned. "What?"

 "Since your 'Mystical Space Typhoon' destroyed it, I draw two cards." Jaden drew.

 "Tch, pointless tricks," the Necromancer muttered. "But it won't change the fact that you're getting closer to death."

He played two more cards from his hand.

 "I set two cards face-down. Turn end."

Jaden knew he was right. Destiny Board was a sentence of death; with each passing turn, he drew closer to defeat—and in this duel, defeat meant death.

But Gravity Bind still locked down Level 4 and higher monsters, and Marshmallon was an annoyingly tough defender that couldn't be destroyed by battle.

He had to break through somehow.

 "My turn! Draw!"

Jaden played a Spell Card from his hand.

 "Spell Card: 'Shield Crush'! Destroy one Defense Position monster on the field!"

 "Hm, found a way to break through Marshmallon's defense already?" the Necromancer grunted.

 "That's right—Marshmallon can't be destroyed by battle, but card effects are fair game," Jaden answered. "So Marshmallon is destroyed!"

 "Heh, but it won't be so easy. Activate Trap: 'Guard Mines'!"

The Necromancer called out, and numerous explosive spheres appeared on his field, forming a shield in front of Marshmallon.

 "Guard Mines: when you activate a card that destroys one of my monsters, this negates and destroys it, and you take 500 damage!"

The magical beam from Shield Crush blasted the bomb wall, triggering a chain reaction of explosions. The shockwave sent Jaden stumbling back.

[Jaden, LP 3000 → LP 2500]

 "Ugh, even Shield Crush couldn't break through…"

The Necromancer cackled. "Struggle all you like—it's all futile. No matter what you do, you can't change your fate."

 "Heh, don't be so sure. In a duel, you never know the outcome until the very end."

Jaden didn't seem fazed. "I Normal Summon 'Elemental HERO Clayman'."

[Elemental HERO Clayman, ATK 800]

He played another card into his Duel Disk.

 "Equip Spell: 'Spark Blaster'—equipped to 'Elemental HERO Sparkman'!"

A surge of electricity became a black, high-tech weapon in Sparkman's hands. Power flowed through his arm into the Spark Blaster.

 "Spark Blaster's effect: I can change the battle position of any face-up monster on the field, up to three times."

Jaden pointed at Marshmallon.

 "I switch Marshmallon to Attack Position!"

Sparkman fired, and Marshmallon trembled as its card changed from Defense to Attack, standing upright on tiny legs.

[Marshmallon, DEF 500 → ATK 300]

The Necromancer raised an eyebrow. "Interesting."

 "That's right. Marshmallon can't be destroyed by battle, but as long as it's in Attack Position, I can deal damage!" Jaden declared.

 "But even Marshmallon gets the Seal of Orichalcos effect—its ATK increases by 500."

[Marshmallon, ATK 300 → ATK 800]

 "Even so, 800 isn't much!"

Jaden swept his arm forward.

 "Wildheart is immune to traps, so Gravity Bind doesn't stop him. Wildheart, attack Marshmallon!"

The Necromancer responded: "Trap: 'Desert Sunlight'—all my monsters switch to face-up Defense Position!"

The trap activated, and Marshmallon immediately returned to Defense Position.

[Marshmallon, ATK 800 → DEF 500]

 "Too bad—your effort was pointless," the Necromancer sneered.

 "Not necessarily,"

Jaden revealed another Spell Card.

 "Quick-Play Spell: 'Flash Fusion'—Fusion Summon using monsters from my field!"

 "Oh?" The Necromancer smirked. "A Quick-Fusion?"

 "I fuse 'Elemental HERO Sparkman' and 'Elemental HERO Clayman'!"

Jaden raised his arm high. On the field, one HERO turned to golden lightning, the other to a swirl of earth, both sucked into a fusion vortex, erupting in a brilliant golden light.

 "The HERO who commands electricity, and the stalwart defender—they combine to summon a HERO of thunder! Fusion Summon!"

Jaden clenched his fist.

 "Elemental HERO Thunder Giant!"

Chapter 320: Approaching Death

Golden lightning split the dark clouds as a HERO in golden armor descended, electricity surging in his core.

[Elemental HERO Thunder Giant, ATK 2400]

 "Oh?" The Necromancer grunted. "A Quick-Fusion during the Battle Phase? But even a powerful Fusion HERO—"

 "Thunder Giant's effect activates!" Jaden shouted. "When Thunder Giant is Fusion Summoned, he can destroy a monster on the field with lower original ATK!"

(In the actual cards, Thunder Giant's effect can be used once per turn by discarding a card as cost. In the anime, it only activates when summoned and doesn't require a discard.)

 "Thunder Giant's effect—destroy Marshmallon!"

Thunder Giant raised his hands, energy whirling in his chest before unleashing a spinning lightning sphere.

Marshmallon was struck, its fluffy body vaporized by the thunderbolt.

 "Yes! Marshmallon is defeated!"

Jaden pumped his fist.

 "Since it's still the Battle Phase and the number of monsters on the field changed, the battle is rewound—Wildheart attacks directly!"

Wildheart leaped forward, slashing down with his blade, breaking through the Necromancer's defenses.

[Necromancer, LP 4000 → LP 2500]

The Necromancer grunted, clutching his chest as he dropped to one knee.

 "Tch, you've got some skill…"

He frowned at Jaden.

What was going on? This kid didn't seem like the bottom of Duel Academy at all.

Didn't Black Flame say he'd done his research? Wasn't this kid supposed to be the weakest in Slifer Red?

This was their academy's worst student?

The Necromancer was almost relieved he'd come himself. If he'd sent someone else from his branch, they might not have been a match for this spiky-haired kid.

The Duelist Kingdom had just begun, and his branch had already suffered a double defeat by two academy students. If word got out, he'd be finished as branch chief—maybe the whole department would be in trouble.

Good thing he'd come in person.

The Necromancer stood, humming. "I underestimated you… but it doesn't matter. At the end of this turn, Destiny Board activates again."

He raised his hand.

 "Spirit Message!"

Destiny Board activated once more. A third ghostly spirit appeared, clutching the third letter of "DEATH".

A.

D, E, A—now three out of five letters for "DEATH".

 "Time's running out, Jaden," the Necromancer said coldly. "You're one step closer to death."

 "…"

Jaden fell silent. Thunder Giant exploded in a burst of energy, vanishing from the field.

 "Because of 'Gravity Bind', Thunder Giant can't attack. And since he was Fusion Summoned with 'Flash Fusion', he's destroyed at the end of the turn.

My turn ends."

 "Hahaha, seems you're out of options." The Necromancer declared, "Now it's my turn! Draw!

First, Spell Card: 'Spell Books from the Pot'—both players draw three cards from their decks." (manga card)

He glanced at his new cards, then burst out laughing.

 "Next, from my hand, I activate this card! Spell Card: 'One Day of Peace!'"

A green card shimmered in his back row, casting a faint golden glow over the field.

 "One Day of Peace—both players draw a card from their deck."

The Necromancer drew, smiling eerily.

 "But until the end of your next turn, all damage—battle or effect—becomes zero!"

 "I see," Jaden nodded. "With that card, I can't deal any damage at all…"

 "Exactly! So you can do nothing but sit there, powerless, for your next turn!"

The Necromancer's laughter was sharp and twisted.

After a while, he stopped and asked with a sneer, "Do you hear it?"

 "Huh?" Jaden was puzzled.

 "The footsteps of the Grim Reaper—drawing closer and closer," the Necromancer said darkly. "Your time is almost up."

 "Hahaha, yeah, it's a real headache," Jaden scratched his head. "Just two more turns and I'll lose, and now there's nothing I can do next turn… what a pain."

The Necromancer raised an eyebrow.

Why wasn't this guy scared?

Was he actually enjoying this situation?

 "If you can't deal damage, you have to wait until the last possible turn to decide the outcome." Jaden mused. "Destiny Board, huh… Never thought I'd see this legendary tactic in person. Awesome…"

The Necromancer: "…"

Was this kid insane?

Did he not understand the words "lose and you die"?

 "Tch, such a carefree brat." The Necromancer scoffed. "Then let me give you even more pressure.

Spell Card: 'Card of Burial Magic'—banish three Spell Cards from the graveyard: 'Pot of Greed', 'Mystical Space Typhoon', and 'One Day of Peace', to draw two cards." (Anime card)

He drew two more cards.

 "Then, I Normal Summon a second 'Marshmallon'!"

[Marshmallon, ATK 300]

 "Ah, this monster again…"

Jaden tilted his head.

 "A monster that can't be destroyed by battle… It's getting even trickier."

He said it casually, as if nothing was wrong, showing no sign of the tension that comes with "I'm about to die."

The Necromancer frowned again.

Did this kid have absolute confidence, or was he just an idiot?

In the anime, Jaden did start feeling pressure from "Shadow Games" starting with the Sacred Beasts arc—he even had nightmares about losing his friends. For a while, the always-cheerful boy almost couldn't smile.

But back then, he feared losing and dragging his friends down. He worried about others.

Now, even if this was a duel for life, it seemed like only his own life was at stake. So Jaden immersed himself fully in the duel, almost forgetting about life and death.

 "So many weird students at Duel Academy this year…"

The Necromancer muttered, setting two more cards into his Duel Disk.

 "Set two cards. Turn end."