Yugioh [341-345] (Patreon)

Chapter 341: The Potential of Cyber Dragon

"I add 'Armored Cybern' to my hand," Zane declared, showing the card before adding it to his hand. "Then my turn ends."

"A beautiful use of Union monsters to avoid Limiter Removal's self-destruction, and you even got a search out of it," Kira praised. "Impressive, really."

"But at the same time, I'm at my limit," Zane said, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"I've done everything I possibly could, approaching perfection. But even so, you blocked it all with ease.

Even though it looks like I have the advantage, that's just an illusion."

Kira smiled but said nothing.

"Don't define yourself so quickly. If you've never tried to change, how do you know this is your limit?"

Zane: "..."

This time, he said nothing.

Maybe he hadn't noticed, but after coming this far, a seed of doubt had sprouted in his heart.

He never thought this way before, because he always won—he was Kaiser, the academy's strongest. As long as he stayed true to himself, no one could beat him.

But today was different.

Facing Kira, he truly felt his limit. He sensed that if he kept refusing to change, he probably couldn't win.

He still told himself that as long as he stuck to his dueling style, winning wasn't everything.

But no matter how he tried to convince himself, a duelist can never fully suppress the desire to win—especially against such an opponent.

Against someone like Jaden, where both sides go all out with everything on the line, maybe even losing would feel worth it.

But against someone like this—who dodges every direct fight, using removal, banishing, and endless traps—it was hard not to feel frustrated, like having all his strength bottled up.

"My turn, draw," Kira said. "I Normal Summon 'Card Trooper.'

Card Trooper's effect: once per turn, I can send up to three cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard.

This card gains 500 ATK for each card sent until the end of the turn."

Kira milled three cards.

"Three cards sent, Card Trooper gains 1500 ATK."

[Card Trooper, ATK 400 → ATK 1900]

"But it's still not as strong as my Cyber Dragons," Zane said.

"I know."

Kira smiled, glancing at the two Cyber Dragons on Zane's field.

"I can sense it too—the bond between you and Cyber Dragon," Kira said.

Zane nodded. "Since before I came to Duel Academy, I've fought alongside it. No matter the deck or opponent, we've always battled together."

He looked at his two Cyber Dragons.

"And we'll keep fighting together."

"I see." Kira nodded with respect. "Then, as my highest tribute to you and your Cyber Dragon, I'll reveal my trump card."

Zane stayed silent but raised his guard.

Is this it? A new Monarch? Or maybe a Black Luster Soldier?

"Watch closely, Zane. This is our lab's latest achievement—no one in the world has seen it yet," Kira declared. "It represents the cutting edge of Duel Monster research—a new power of epochal significance!"

The string of titles only made Zane more nervous… but also curious. He knew how many achievements Kira's lab had made—not just at the academy but in the dueling world.

Could they really have developed a new trump card…?

"Interesting. Bring it on," Zane's duelist spirit burned within him. "No matter the enemy, my Cyber Dragon and I will face it head-on!"

"Hahaha, good!"

Kira swept his arm.

"Then, I'll send the two Cyber Dragons on your field to the Graveyard as Fusion Materials! Fusion Summon—appear now—

—Chimeratech Fortress Dragon!"

Zane: "???"

What Fusion?

At first, he thought he misheard. But when he looked at his field in shock, his two Cyber Dragons were suddenly on Kira's side, combining and transforming.

A massive, heavy steel body, solid and stable, with complex mechanical parts intertwining like a writhing fortress dragon.

Chimeratech Fortress Dragon—summoned!

Of course, it was summoned to Kira's field.

Zane: "???????"

Honestly, he couldn't understand what was happening.

He was sure Kira hadn't played any cards—no Spell, Trap, or monster effects, nothing that could steal monsters.

It looked like Kira just beckoned, and his two old friends leapt to the other side.

Are you kidding me!?

"Chimeratech Fortress Dragon's Fusion Materials are 'Cyber Dragon' plus any number of Machine-Type monsters," Kira smiled. "Its special feature is that the Fusion doesn't require a Fusion Spell—just send monsters from the field to the Graveyard."

He paused to emphasize.

"Yes, as long as you send them from the field—it doesn't have to be my field."

Zane: "!!?"

Wait, I have Chimeratech Fortress Dragon too—is that really its effect? Don't lie to me!

In the anime, Chimeratech Fortress Dragon still needed a Fusion Spell. In the TCG, it looked the same but the effect was completely rewritten.

When the card was first released, it caused a huge stir.

"Send Fusion Materials from the field to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon"—that's nothing special in modern Yu-Gi-Oh! Anyone familiar with cards would immediately notice that "from the field" doesn't specify "your field."

But at the time, it was unthinkable. Many didn't believe it, thinking it was a misprint—otherwise, stealing the opponent's monsters for free would be absurd.

But later, the official ruling clarified—it wasn't a misprint; that really was the effect. They even updated the text to clarify "you can use monsters from either side of the field as Fusion Materials."

"So that's why I said it's the latest achievement," Kira grinned. "Maybe Cyber Dragon's potential is far greater than you ever imagined.

See? I didn't activate any effects or play any cards—your Cyber Dragons just became mine. Isn't that amazing?"

Zane: "..."

Chapter 342: For the Sake of Victory

The Chimeratech Fortress Dragon—at first glance, it didn't seem that impressive, but upon release, it unexpectedly shook the competitive environment with its impact.

The main reason was, of course, the Cyber Dragon.

In some sense, the birth of this card was a double-edged sword for the then-undisputed powerhouse, Cyber Dragon. It was both a blessing and a curse.

On the positive side, it meant Cyber Dragon became the ultimate nemesis of all Machine-type monsters. No matter how powerful a Machine-type monster the opponent summoned, as long as you Special Summoned Cyber Dragon, it could devour all Machine-types on the opponent's field in one gulp and transform into Chimeratech Fortress Dragon.

It was as if Cyber Dragon now possessed a built-in "Super Polymerization" field-clearing ability. Even if your opponent filled the field with five "unaffected by any effect" boss monsters, in the face of Cyber Dragon, they'd just become premium fodder.

But from a pessimistic perspective, it also meant that Cyber Dragon itself became easy prey for the opponent.

Before this card's release, it was common for a single Cyber Dragon to dominate an entire duel after being summoned. With 2100 ATK, it was an insurmountable wall for lower-level attackers, and a single Cyber Dragon's suppressive power used to be formidable.

But with this card out, things changed. The opponent only needed to play any Machine-type monster and could use it to devour your Cyber Dragon. Even the controller had to be careful not to carelessly summon a second Machine-type monster while Cyber Dragon was on the field, or risk being taken advantage of.

And you couldn't just hope your opponent didn't have Chimeratech Fortress Dragon. Unlike nowadays, the rule limiting the Extra Deck to a maximum of fifteen cards was only introduced in 2008, during the Synchro era.

The reason, supposedly, was because the official tournaments handed out card sleeves to participants, so many people would bring super-sized Extra Decks of 99+ cards just to get free sleeves. Konami decided this freeloading had to stop and imposed the card limit.

Incidentally, in the GX era, there wasn't even a written rule that the Main Deck had to be under sixty cards—only that it had to be at least forty. The sixty-card upper limit was also introduced with the 2008 Master Rule that brought Synchro Summoning.

The Side Deck rules were also changed. Previously, the Side Deck had to be exactly fifteen cards—not one more, not one less. After Master Rule, it became "up to fifteen."

That was probably the first major wave of players quitting Yu-Gi-Oh. Not just because of Synchro Summoning, but because many veteran players couldn't accept the new limits on Main and Extra Decks. In the past, you could theoretically bring a "have-it-all" deck with hundreds of cards for fun, but after the new rules, that was impossible.

In short, before the Synchro era, there was no limit on the Extra Deck. So, virtually 100% of players would include "Chimeratech Fortress Dragon" in their Extra Deck. If you dared use Cyber Dragon, you had to be mentally prepared for it to be eaten.

Of course, this only applied because Cyber Dragon was a top-tier, universal attacker that almost everyone used.

But in the anime world, things were different. Not everyone had Cyber Dragon, so the only one really affected by the appearance of "Chimeratech Fortress Dragon" was one person.

That is, Zane Truesdale, whose facial muscles were twitching at this moment.

"Chimeratech Fortress Dragon's original ATK becomes the number of fusion materials used for its Summon × 1000," Kira smiled. "Since I fused two Cyber Dragons, its ATK is now 2000."

[Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, ATK 0 → ATK 2000]

Zane: "…"

Having held fast to his beliefs up to this point, Zane finally began to seriously consider one question—

—When your opponent is a dog, is there really any need to show respect?

This felt like the toughest duel he'd ever had, the first time his unwavering approach had ever been shaken.

It seemed that in this very instant, his long-suppressed instincts and desire for victory reached their peak.

He had to win. He must win.

Friendship, respect for the opponent's tactics—all of it didn't matter anymore.

He could lose to anyone, but not to this guy.

A shadow was quietly creeping over Zane's heart.

"Battle." Kira declared. "Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, direct attack on Zane!"

[Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, ATK 2000]

[Zane, LP 1600]

Zane gritted his teeth.

Was it really going to end here—losing to his old friend?

No, absolutely not.

He refused to lose. Not today. Not now. Not in this way. Not to this opponent.

"Continuous Trap—'Miniaturize'!" Zane shouted. "Select a monster with original ATK of 1000 or more on the field; it loses 1 Level and its ATK drops by 1000!"

Kira nodded. "Chimeratech Fortress Dragon's effect sets its original ATK to the number of materials × 1000."

"Exactly! So Miniaturize applies!" Zane said. "Lower Chimeratech Fortress Dragon's ATK by 1000!"

The huge dragon visibly shrank to half its size, and even the energy blast it fired seemed weaker.

Boom!

Zane was blasted, staggering two steps and half-kneeling, black smoke swirling around him.

[Zane, LP 1600 → LP 600]

"Kaiser's Life Points are now just a candle in the wind!"

The commentator only now recovered from his shock at Cyber Dragon's sudden betrayal and resumed his commentary duties.

"K-K-Kira's tactics are just beyond shameless—er, I mean, brilliant!" he continued. "Kaiser's mighty formation was once again casually broken through. Card Trooper hasn't even attacked yet. If the attack goes through, Kaiser will lose anyway!"

He couldn't help but sound regretful.

He truly thought Zane had given his all. But there was nothing to be done—in the end, Zane was just king among students.

A king can't beat a Demon King who doesn't play fair.

"Card Trooper, direct attack." Kira said.

The three consecutive cannon shots were like a death sentence. The firelight illuminated Zane's now ashen face. The academy king no longer had the fighting spirit he had at the start; only exhaustion remained in his eyes.

He was even surprised to find, just for a moment, that he almost wanted to give up.

Just let him have this one—I don't want to keep playing.

But the moment he realized how absurd that was, he crushed the thought instantly.

No—that was unacceptable.

He was a duelist; no matter what, he had to do everything in his power to win.

Only by fighting with everything, by seeking victory at any cost, could he show his opponent true respect.

Even if it meant abandoning old friends.

"Activate Set Card!"

Zane stood up against the flames, a fierce fire rekindled in his eyes.

"Trap Card—Power Wall!!!"

Kira laughed with interest. "Oh, you're using that move?"

"When an opponent's monster's attack would deal me battle damage, I can activate this!" Zane declared. "For every 100 points of damage, I send one card from the top of my deck to the graveyard until the damage becomes zero!" (Anime effect.)

The printed card was later changed to every 500 damage.

Zane shouted, pulling a huge stack of cards from his deck, scattering them like snowflakes.

"Nineteen cards from my deck—to the graveyard!"

Chapter 343: I Must Struggle Immediately

"Nineteen cards from my deck—to the graveyard!"

With Zane's shout, nineteen cards became a shield. Card Trooper's triple attack all slammed into that barrier, unable to break through Zane's last 600 Life Points.

"He blocked it?"

Kira calmly drew another card from his hand.

"Then I set one card. Turn end."

Zane: "My turn. Draw!"

He swept away his earlier dejection; his fighting spirit seemed rekindled.

But something was different now.

If before he fought for the love of dueling, for the thrill of facing a strong opponent, now it was pure, burning desire to win this duel.

On the field, there is always only one winner. There are no participation prizes. The winner is remembered; the loser is forgotten.

If you play, you play to win.

"I activate the Spell Card 'Card of Reversal'!" Zane declared. "If the opponent has Special Summoned monsters and I have none, I draw two cards!" (Anime card.)

He drew two cards, his eyes flaming with darkness.

"I activate the Spell Card—'Overload Fusion'!

I banish monsters from my field and graveyard as Fusion Materials to Fusion Summon a DARK Machine-type monster!"

The watching students were shocked.

DARK Machine-type?

"Isn't that the opposite Attribute of Cyber Dragon and Cyber End Dragon?" a Blue Dorm student muttered.

All of Zane's Cyber Dragon, Twin Dragon, and End Dragon were LIGHT. It was well known he was a LIGHT Machine user, his duels as bright and upright as his signature End Dragon.

No one had ever seen him use DARK Fusion before—it almost felt at odds with his dueling style.

"I fuse three 'Cyber Dragons' from the graveyard, one 'Proto-Cyber Dragon', one 'Cyber Barrier Dragon', two 'Machina Peacekeepers', and eleven more Machine-type monsters sent by 'Power Wall'—all together!"

Metallic beasts emerged one after another, drawn into the swirling vortex of dark fusion. The audience was stunned.

Fuse with eighteen monsters!?

What could that possibly Summon?

"Eighteenfold Fusion—arise!

—Chimeratech Overdragon!"

A cold, steel body exploded with immense energy. Countless dragon heads studded its fortress-like frame; black lightning danced along its armored surface.

Kira nodded slightly. "Oh, there it is. You're going all out, huh?"

It seemed Zane had realized the limits of clinging to Cyber End Dragon.

For victory, he could even abandon an old friend.

"Chimeratech Overdragon's ATK is the number of Fusion Materials x 800," Zane declared gravely. "I used eighteen materials, so its ATK is—"

[Chimeratech Overdragon, ATK ? → ATK 14400]

"Fourteen thousand four hundred ATK!?"

The Blue Dorm students were shocked.

"So strong…"

"And Chimeratech Overdragon can attack up to the number of Fusion Materials used," Zane continued. "So it can attack eighteen times in one turn!" (Anime effect.)

The printed card retained this effect but limited it to attacking monsters, not players. But in the anime, there was no such restriction.

In a shadow game with real damage, over ten thousand points of damage, eighteen times in a turn—even ashes would be scattered.

"Not done yet!" Zane declared. "I summon 'Armored Cybern' in Defense Position!"

[Armored Cybern, DEF 2000]

"Once per turn, this card can equip itself to any Machine-type monster with 'Cyber' in its name!" (Anime effect.)

The printed card was later changed to only equip to Cyber Dragon or its Fusions.

"Equip 'Armored Cybern' to Chimeratech Overdragon!"

The wing shot arcs of electricity, gliding along rails to attach to Chimeratech Overdragon.

"Armored Cybern's other effect: I can decrease the equipped monster's ATK by 1000 to destroy any card on the field. And this effect—can be used any number of times per turn!" (Anime effect.)

"Nani!?"

The students were floored.

With 14,400 ATK, that meant up to fourteen destructions!?

Isn't that invincible?

Kira rested his chin on his hand. "So that's how broken this was originally…"

The printed card was later changed to once per turn, and only to destroy monsters.

"This is my full power—my all-out pursuit of victory!"

Zane stepped forward.

"Armored Cybern: lower Chimeratech Overdragon's ATK by 1000, destroy your Set card!"

[Chimeratech Overdragon, ATK 14400 → 13400]

A blast was fired, but midway the cannon turned and targeted another Set card.

"Trap Card—'Card of Pandora'," Kira said. "When a card in my Spell/Trap Zone is targeted by an effect, the target shifts to this card, then I draw two cards." (Anime card.)

"No matter," Zane said. "Armored Cybern, activate again! Lower Overdragon's ATK, destroy another Set card!"

[Chimeratech Overdragon, ATK 13400 → 12400]

The next card revealed was the Continuous Trap "Spirit Barrier"—negates battle damage while you control a monster.

"Third and fourth!" Zane shouted. "Lower Overdragon's ATK two more times, destroy Chimeratech Fortress Dragon and Card Trooper!"

[Chimeratech Overdragon, ATK 12400 → 10400]

Two more blasts; Chimeratech Fortress Dragon and Card Trooper were destroyed.

"When Card Trooper is destroyed, I draw one card."

Kira drew another card.

"Now your field is empty. It's over!"

Zane roared.

"Chimeratech Overdragon, direct attack!"

Chapter 344: Winning is Enough

"Chimeratech Overdragon, direct attack!"

Zane shouted, his pupils shrinking, heart racing.

Armored Cybern had cleared the field—no wall monsters, no set cards.

Even if Kuriboh, Necro Gardna, or Kiteroid came out, they could only block one or two attacks. But Overdragon could attack eighteen times. There was no way to stop it.

He'd won!

Kira remained calm, leisurely drawing another card.

"Kuriboh in hand—"

"Not a chance!" Zane interrupted. "Chimeratech Overdragon can attack eighteen times—even Kuriboh can't stop it!"

Even if every card in Kira's hand was Kuriboh, it wouldn't be enough.

Kira paused, smiled, and continued.

"Kuribon's effect—or you might call it 'Sphere Kuriboh'," Kira smiled. "When your opponent declares an attack, send this card from your hand to the graveyard to change the attacking monster to Defense Position."

Zane: "!?"

A different Kuriboh!?

"A new research breakthrough. Well, it's not mine—it's a KaibaCorp product," Kira said.

The golden, spherical Kuriboh appeared, circling Overdragon. The mighty monster sputtered and powered down.

[Chimeratech Overdragon, ATK 10400 → DEF 14400]

Zane bit his lip in frustration.

In Defense Position, even eighteen attacks would do nothing.

So close, and yet…

"I set a card and end my turn," he declared, frustrated.

Only now did he realize how truly unwilling he was, for the first time, to let victory slip from his grasp.

"What a pity. If I'd had regular Kuriboh instead of Sphere Kuriboh, I might've lost. But still, just a little short."

Kira drew a card.

"My turn. Draw.

In the Standby Phase, 'Treeborn Frog' in my graveyard: If I control no Spells or Traps, I can Special Summon it."

"My field was wiped by your Armored Cybern, so no Spells or Traps. Treeborn Frog revives."

[Treeborn Frog, DEF 100]

"I activate 'Pot of Avarice'—shuffle five monsters from my graveyard into my deck, then draw two cards."

The five cards leapt out, displayed for all to see.

"I return Storm, Rock, Thunder, and Shadow Monarchs, plus Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, then draw two cards."

Seeing Chimeratech Fortress Dragon among them, Zane's eyelid twitched.

But he quickly suppressed the anxiety.

Stay calm, nothing to fear. Chimeratech Fortress Dragon needs Cyber Dragon plus another Machine to Fusion Summon. With only Overdragon on my field, he can't use it.

He'd only seen Chimeratech Fortress Dragon once, but already felt PTSD…

"Draw two cards."

Kira revealed one of them.

"Spell Card—'Dark Magic Veil'. Pay 1000 Life Points to Special Summon a DARK Spellcaster from hand or grave."

[Kira, LP 5400 → 4400]

Zane was shocked. "That's the legendary Duel King's ace support card—Dark Magician!"

He looked at Kira in disbelief.

His gaze seemed to ask: Don't tell me you even have Dark Magician?

"Hahaha, no way I'd have a legend like that. But it doesn't have to be Dark Magician—any DARK Spellcaster works."

Kira smiled.

"I Special Summon 'Witch of the Black Forest'."

[Witch of the Black Forest, ATK 1100]

"Tribute Witch of the Black Forest to Tribute Summon—"

Kira waved his hand.

"The ruler of frozen lands descends now—

—Mobius the Frost Monarch!"

The field froze over, as if the world itself had iced up.

"Mobius, upon Tribute Summon, destroys up to two Spell/Trap cards. I target your Set card and the equipped 'Armored Cybern'."

Zane watched as ice spread rapidly toward his field, and said gravely:

"The Monarch series has strong on-summon effects that press both monsters and backrow—paired with Treeborn Frog's endless recursion, it's terrifying. But I know the Monarchs' weakness."

He flipped his Set card.

"Counter Trap—'Pulling the Rug'!

When a monster's effect activates upon Summon, negate that activation and destroy the monster!"

"Oh?"

Kira nodded.

Indeed, a Monarch counter. A Counter Trap that neuters "on Summon" effects, quite effective against Monarchs. Even Mobius, the so-called backrow killer, was stymied today.

The ice instantly shattered, Mobius destroyed in a burst of energy.

"That should do it…"

But Zane was still tense.

Because he'd almost exhausted his resources, while Kira still seemed to have endless options.

Even with Overdragon's monstrous stats, he felt little sense of safety.

Kira: "But the Witch of the Black Forest I just tributed triggers too. When sent to the graveyard, I can add a monster with 1500 or less DEF to my hand."

Zane's eyelid twitched.

Right—the Monarchs' DEF is all under 1500.

And those Monarchs just returned to the deck with Pot of Avarice…

That means Kira can fetch any Monarch he wants!

"Exactly. I add 'Caius the Shadow Monarch' to my hand."

Kira drew out the card.

As he revealed it, a chilling aura seemed to swirl above—Caius's shadow looming, gazing coldly down.

"I play 'Double Summon'—I can Normal Summon again this turn."

Kira waved his hand.

"I tribute Treeborn Frog—

The embodiment of destruction, breaking free from endless darkness, descends once more—

—Caius the Shadow Monarch!"

The strongest and most sinister of the early Monarchs, awakening like a demon god, descending with his supreme power!

[Caius the Shadow Monarch, ATK 2400]

"Caius's effect: When Tribute Summoned, banish any card on the field."

The audience was shocked.

"If Overdragon is banished, Kaiser's field will be empty…"

Nothing could stop Kira!

"Not over yet…"

The dark fire in Zane's eyes still burned.

He hadn't lost, and didn't want to!

"From the graveyard, I banish the Trap Card 'Skill Prisoner' sent by Power Wall," Zane shouted. "I select a card on my field; all monster effects that target it this turn are negated!

I use Skill Prisoner to protect Overdragon—even Caius can't…"

"You're rattled, Zane." Kira interrupted.

Zane paused.

"Don't be so quick to activate it. Look closely—which card is Caius targeting?"

Zane: "?"

With only Caius and Overdragon on the field, what else could he target?

He then noticed the dark vortex swirling around Caius himself.

"Nani!? Are you—"

He suddenly thought of a terrifying possibility, momentarily speechless.

"Caius the Shadow Monarch, upon Tribute Summon, can banish any card on the field. But it also has an extra effect."

Kira explained calmly.

"If the banished card is a DARK monster, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent."

Kira smiled brightly amid the swirling darkness.

"Caius is itself a DARK monster."

Zane: "…"

No…no way?!

The undefeated Kaiser, having come this far, finally cracked.

Is this really dueling?

If you actually beat me head-to-head, I'll admit defeat!

But Kira felt this was only right. In dueling, victory means reducing your opponent's Life Points to zero—nothing more.

Blasting down a 10,000-ATK Overdragon was cool, but there was no bonus for style.

Winning is enough.

"Caius's effect: banish itself.

Since Caius is DARK, inflict 1000 damage!"

[Zane, LP 600]

The raging darkness peaked, Caius soaring, its body turning ethereal as it rocketed toward Zane.

Caius the Shadow Monarch—kamikaze bomb!

Boom!!!

[Zane, LP 600 → LP 0]

PS: Nice Duel.

Chapter 345: He Should Be Thanking Him

After the suicidal attack by the Shadow Monarch, which reduced his LP to zero, Zane was left half-kneeling on the ground, his head bowed, not getting up for a long time.

He looked as if he were pondering the meaning of life—or perhaps some philosophical question like, "It's... over."

A student watching the livestream swallowed hard. He couldn't explain why, but he didn't even dare to breathe too loudly right now.

It was as if speaking would disturb some terrifying existence.

Too scary.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but ever since Caius appeared, he felt as if an unsettling darkness had been swirling around Kira. Even after the duel ended and the projection disappeared, it lingered faintly.

It made him seem even more intimidating.

None of the students spoke for a while, only silently sucking in cold breaths.

It had only been a few days, and yet the Big Boss of Yellow Dorm seemed to have made another breakthrough. He felt even stronger than before.

Just how many people in this world could actually stop this guy now?

Though they weren't checking forums at the moment, the campus forum was probably exploding by now.

"Breaking news! A new king is born," "The end of Kaiser's undefeated legend," "Fujiki Kira is unstoppable"—those were probably the kind of posts filling up the board.

The academy's future looked darker than ever...

Kira walked over to Kaiser, reaching out a hand.

Zane hesitated, but eventually took it, letting Kira pull him to his feet.

"You okay?" Kira asked with a smile.

No, not really.

That was what Zane thought deep down, but in the end he just nodded. "I'm fine."

After a pause, he added, "You really are strong. I could feel it during the duel. It seems the rumors are true."

"Rumors?" Kira asked.

"They say you're on a whole different level from the rest of us now." Zane smiled wryly. "The claim that no one in Duel Academy can match you isn't an exaggeration at all.

You're the true absolute king of Duel Academy."

Normally, he would have said, "That was a great duel," but he just couldn't get the words out.

Maybe for Kira, or from the audience's perspective, it was a beautiful duel—but that wasn't how it felt to him.

As the one on the receiving end, all he could feel was overwhelming strength.

"You flatter me. I just got lucky." Kira smiled.

Zane was silent for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "I heard from Alexis that you've been researching Cyber-style. But I didn't expect you'd get results so quickly."

"Card research is like that." Kira smiled. "If you find the right direction and truly believe the monster you imagine exists, then it does exist."

Zane suddenly remembered that the legendary duel king Yugi Muto had said something similar.

It was said that when Yugi and Seto Kaiba first encountered the legendary Five-Headed Dragon, Yugi fused his own Black Luster Soldier with Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon to create a new ace, "Dragon Master Knight."

At the time, Kaiba was shocked. Even the card printing company didn't know those two could fuse—how did Yugi know "Dragon Master Knight" existed?

Yugi replied that he didn't know either. But as duelists, you must always have faith: if you believe it exists, then it does; if it hasn't appeared, it means your faith isn't strong enough.

Was this the essence of printing cards?

Zane looked at Kira again, his expression growing even more complicated.

He suddenly realized that it wasn't just in dueling—this person had already gone far ahead in so many ways. The rest of them could only look up to him.

By contrast, he himself had sat on the throne as Kaiser of the academy for three years, satisfied with the status quo, never breaking through his bottleneck.

Maybe years of dominating in his own environment had made him complacent, convinced he'd found his path and could rank among the top duelists. Little did he know, the world of dueling outside the academy was much broader, and the path he'd insisted on had already come to a dead end.

He couldn't go on like this.

"I lost. According to Battle City rules, here's my Puzzle Card."

Zane handed the puzzle card to Kira, then drew out another card.

Kira raised an eyebrow.

Whoa—Cyber End Dragon?

Even he was surprised, looking curiously at Zane "Cyber End Dragon? Isn't that...?"

"Yes, it's my ace, my soul, and my most important old friend. No matter what obstacles I've faced, I've always overcome them with it."

Zane stared at the card, somewhat dazed.

"But maybe, at some point, I started relying too much on my old friend.

I used to think this was my style of dueling: always winning together with my old friend. But after dueling you, I realized maybe that was just a nice-sounding excuse.

The truth is, maybe I was just too dependent on it. So maybe it's time to stand up and, as a duelist, seek a new path."

Kira was silent for a moment.

Hmm, looks like this duel really worked—Zane's having a breakthrough already. Hopefully it's not too much of a breakthrough...

Wouldn't want him to completely lose his nerve.

"For the tournament, the loser has to hand over a rare card, right? This is my rarest one." Zane said seriously. "I hope you'll accept it."

Kira looked at him intently.

Then he pushed Zane's hand back.

"No. You keep it."

Zane: "Eh?"

"You've already realized what you needed to. That's enough. As a duelist, I'm sure you'll go even further now."

Kira smiled.

"If you really insist, then let's compromise. Give me that one."

He pointed at Zane's deck.

"Cyber Twin Dragon."

Zane was stunned.

He doesn't want Cyber End, but wants Cyber Twin?

He had more than one of each, but in terms of rarity and value, Cyber Twin was far inferior to Cyber End, which was the pride of Cyber-style.

"Yes, Cyber Twin is fine." Kira smiled. "If you find your own path and become stronger, come duel me again.

If you win, I'll return Cyber Twin to you. How about it?"

Zane suddenly felt like he understood.

In fact, during the duel, he'd sensed it more than once—the other side seemed to be trying to teach him something through the duel.

His current thoughts and realizations seemed to be exactly what the other had hoped for.

Maybe he was guiding him through the duel?

Then this proposal was probably also meant to encourage him.

Indeed, he could feel now that Kira was already on a different level. Throughout the duel, he'd felt Kira was calmly in control.

It wasn't a showdown between evenly matched rivals, but more like a senior guiding a promising junior.

Feeling he understood, the gloom that had built up in Zane's heart during the duel dissipated, replaced by gratitude.

He took out a Cyber Twin Dragon and handed it to Kira, nodding firmly. "It's a deal. I'll get stronger and one day win it back from you."

Kira accepted the Cyber Twin Dragon, satisfied.

Cyber Twin Dragon—GET. World Champion Deck Completion +1. (LOL)

What? Cyber End Dragon?

That thing's just an overpriced brick.

Zane should be thanking me.