Yugioh [345-347] (Patreon)

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.

Chapter 346: The Secret Plan in Motion

“With this, you have all six Puzzle Cards now, right?” Zane said.

“Yeah,” Kira replied. “Sorry for taking your shot.”

Zane shook his head with a smile. “No, we’re competitors. Duelists have to carve their own path with their own hands. Since you won, it’s only right that you advance first.”

Then, pausing, he added confidently, “But I’m not dropping out. I’ll win the last two Puzzle Cards as quickly as I can, make it to the finals, and face you there again.”

“Is that so? Good luck.” Kira smiled. “But even then, I won’t go easy on you.”

“I’d expect nothing less.”

Zane waved and prepared to leave. Now that he was down a Puzzle Card, he’d need at least two straight wins, so he had to hurry.

But just as he was leaving, he paused, remembering something.

“Oh, right.” He turned to Kira, hesitated, then asked, “With Chimeratech Fortress Dragon—did you develop it because you believed in its potential?”

Kira nodded. “Of course.”

Zane thought for a moment.

Chimeratech Fortress Dragon—he had one too, though he rarely used it. But even after holding onto it so long, he’d never noticed its other possibilities.

So this is the difference talent makes...

In the anime, Chimeratech Fortress Dragon isn’t a contact fusion. Its attack is zero, can’t be destroyed in battle, and deals zero battle damage to its controller.

Its effect allows it to attack once for each fusion material used, and each attack deals 400 damage to the opponent.

So, if you fuse ten monsters, it can hit ten times for 400 each—enough to finish the game at once.

Still, even then, it didn’t feel as impactful as Kira’s revised version.

No, impactful isn’t the right word—psychologically devastating is better.

Though it’s a Cyber Dragon fusion monster, it’s basically a Cyber Dragon killer. It just devours the opponent’s monsters for free, needing no resources. Even thinking back to their duel, Zane still felt a bit stifled.

It’s the ultimate inside agent for Cyber Dragons.

Such a twisted Cyber Dragon... just... wow.

“Say, does your lab have any more ‘Chimeratech Fortress Dragons’?” Zane finally couldn’t help but ask.

“I want to buy one.”

Kira laughed.

If you can’t beat them, join them, huh?

But given Zane’s standpoint, it was only natural.

First, this was a brand-new Cyber Dragon fusion form. As a Cyber Dragon specialist, he couldn’t accept not having a main-deck monster that someone else did.

Second, Chimeratech Fortress Dragon isn’t just a Cyber Dragon killer—it’s a machine-type killer for anyone playing Cyber Dragons.

With it, Zane’s deck could devour any number of machine-type monsters on the opponent’s field for free.

That’s why Chimeratech Fortress Dragon is meta-defining. Its two strongest uses are: when you run into another Cyber Dragon player, and when you, as a Cyber Dragon player, face a machine-type deck.

Later, when Jinzo’s user comes to challenge the Cyber Dojo with a full machine deck, seeing all his Jinzos devoured by Chimeratech Fortress Dragon in a single turn will be hilarious...

“We don’t have any spares yet, but it’s under development,” Kira smiled.

“Our team has found that Cyber Dragons have incredible untapped potential. There’s a ton of room for development. I’d been thinking about this for a while.”

He reached out to Zane.

“If you are interested, we’d be happy to have you join our team.”

Having just experienced Kira’s latest research firsthand, Zane didn’t hesitate—he shook Kira’s hand.

“Alright.”

Kira was pleased as well.

With Zane on board, Cyber-style’s future development should be much smoother.

Come to think of it, Chancellor Sheppard is actually the head of the Cyber Dojo. If they’re doing cutting-edge Cyber research, it’s only right to hit up the Chancellor for funding after the tournament.

Just as they finished shaking hands and sealing the deal, thunder rumbled in the distance, as if muffled thunder rolled behind dark clouds.

Everyone instinctively looked up.

Rain?

“That’s odd,” Kira muttered. “Wasn’t it supposed to stay dry during the tournament?”

The forecast had said there’d be no rain these two days. And even if it did, surely President Kaiba would fire a missile into the sky to keep his beloved tournament from being interrupted by rain.

But along with the rain came wind.

A violent storm, like a raging beast, was bearing down on Duel City. The once-peaceful streets turned chaotic in an instant, the sounds of wind and thunder blending into a symphony of destruction.

The deep blue sky swiftly became a heavy leaden gray, clouds churning like boiling water. Trees bent under the wind, leaves swirling through the air like green snow.

Lightning split the clouds, illuminating the city. In that flash, it seemed there were two gigantic eyes within the clouds, filled with unimaginable hatred and fury, gazing down.

…

“...Is it time?”

A man stood at the docks, looking up at the churning black clouds, speaking lazily.

He was of average height, sturdy but not overly muscular. Wearing a custom dark suit, the tie loosely knotted, fluttering in the wind.

“Isn’t it a bit early?” he said.

“It’s not early,” a voice replied in his headset. “The timeline was always set for the Battle City tournament. It’s about time.

The Adjudicator will arrive in Duel City in one day. Everything must be ready.”

“Really? But we don’t have the ‘Sealing Device’ yet, right?” the man said.

“That’s exactly why we’re here. We must get it during the tournament, no matter what.”

As he spoke, a cold voice sounded behind him.

“I don’t know what you’re planning, but sorry—this is where it ends.”

The man turned at the sound, squinting slightly.

“Oh, something interesting’s about to happen. I’ll call you back.”

His contact asked, “What is it? Someone’s there?”

“Yeah, and you’ll never guess who.”

A smile crept onto the man’s lips.

“Seto Kaiba.”

Chapter 347: The Insect Worm

“Seto Kaiba?!”

The moment the man finished speaking, his contact became agitated.

“Wait, Luca, don’t act. He’s mine, I have to—”

“Sorry, buddy, but first come, first served. Since I saw him first, he’s mine.” Luca said lazily, “Looks like I’ll be the one to take him down.”

“No, Luca, you—”

The other end was abruptly cut off. Luca put away the communicator, looking at Kaiba with anticipation.

“Oh? So eager to become my next stepping stone?”

Kaiba crossed his arms and sneered.

Above, storm clouds still churned, the wind whipping across the dock and sending Kaiba’s coat flying like a cape.

“Interesting.” The man stood up. “Seto Kaiba, the legendary duelist, second only to Yugi Muto. I’ve wanted to take you on for a while.”

Kaiba’s smile vanished, his eyes narrowing as he sized up the man.

His words sounded like a statement of fact, but also a deliberate reminder that he was “second to Yugi”—and it was annoyingly hard to refute.

“So, you’re... Luca, right? One of the remaining two of the New Doma Three Swordsmen,” Kaiba said calmly.

“I’m flattered you know me, Kaiba.”

“Hmph. Of course I know you—a soon-to-be defeated stepping stone. Then New Doma’s ‘Three Swordsmen’ will be down to just one.”

“Just a rat that slipped in.”

“Hahaha, as expected of Seto Kaiba—so arrogant, just like the legends say.”

Luca unfolded his duel disk with a chuckle.

“But be careful. Even a rat might bite a beast to death if it gets the chance.”

“Hmph, is that so? I’ll look forward to it.”

Kaiba snapped open his duel disk as well. At the same moment, a transparent ripple spread out from him, like a sea of data materializing into a blue field, engulfing both duelists.

“Hmm?” Luca raised an eyebrow.

At that moment, Mokuba appeared behind Kaiba, grinning.

“KaibaCorp’s newest duel disk, equipped with holographic projection—pretty much the same as your supernatural tricks.”

Kaiba snorted, “This way, you can’t run until the duel’s over.”

“Haha, very thorough. Alright.”

Luca dropped his lazy act, turning serious.

“Let’s decide it all—both victory and defeat, and life and death.”

“Duel!” x2

[Kaiba, LP: 4000]

[Luca, LP: 4000]

“I’ll go first. Draw.” Luca said. “I set a monster face-down, and one card face-down. Turn end.”

“My turn. Draw!”

Kaiba drew.

“I summon ‘Vorse Raider’!”

[Vorse Raider, ATK 1900]

One of Kaiba’s most common low-level monsters in the anime, even making cameo appearances in GX.

“Vorse Raider, attack the face-down monster!”

With a roar, the beast-warrior swung his axe at the set card, slicing it in half to reveal a creepy insect in the shattered projection.

“You walked right into it, President.” Luca said. “You attacked ‘Man-Eater Bug!’

When this card is flipped, it destroys a monster on the field.

Say goodbye, ‘Vorse Raider’!”

With a last thrust, the bug stabbed forward, piercing Vorse Raider’s chest before both shattered and vanished.

A perfect one-for-one.

“That bug, huh.” Kaiba sneered. “Fits your vermin style.”

“Don’t underestimate insects, President Kaiba,” Luca said darkly. “Insects are terrifying—they may be small, but they can unleash power many times their size.

Even a mighty beast can fall to an insect’s ambush.”

“Is that so? Then look again—did your bug’s ambush succeed?” Kaiba retorted coldly.

Luca: “Your monster was destroyed by Man-Eater Bug. What are you talking abou—what?!”

He stared, stunned, as a purple dragon writhed on Kaiba’s field, roaring at him from across the empty field.

“Why? This dragon is...”

[Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon, ATK 2200]

“Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon’s effect: when a monster on my field is destroyed by battle or effect and sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon this from my hand.”

Kaiba barked,

“A true duelist’s plays are always a step ahead. This petty trick was already within my calculations!

Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon, direct attack!”

The impact, projected as a solid strike, felt like being hit in the chest by a flying hammer. Luca nearly staggered from the blow, blood rising in his throat.

[Luca, LP 4000 → LP 1800]

“I set two cards and end my turn.”

Kaiba set two cards in his back row, face impassive.

“So this is all New Doma’s swordsmen amount to? You’re not even in the same league as before. I actually had some hope.”

Luca caught his breath, dusting himself off.

“Impressive, Seto Kaiba... but to be underestimated like this is annoying.

Then let me show you the power of a swordsman of New Doma.”

Luca composed himself.

“My turn—draw.”

He revealed a card in his hand.

“I normal summon ‘Xex Insect’.”

A monster materialized, a viscous green liquid oozing out, rimmed with a strange silvery sheen under the moonlight, writhing and morphing until forming a bizarre entity.

Some kind of four-legged starfish, its center a deep, black-hole-like mouth, squirming like a worm.

[Worm Xex, ATK 1800]

“Worm, huh?”

Kaiba looked a little interested.

Worm archetypes were rare, though a few scattered cards existed. But a full deck was unusual.

But for a Doma swordsman, nothing was surprising.

“Ugh, gross monster...” Mokuba grimaced.

“Too bad you can’t appreciate the beauty of Worms,” Luca smiled, then narrowed his eyes.

“But it doesn’t matter. I’ll make you understand soon enough—the beauty and power of Worms.”