Yugioh [540-545] (Patreon)

Chapter 540: You Shouldn’t Have Come Back

For a while, Lyman truly thought he was already dead.

He felt himself falling, endlessly falling, as if sinking into the deep sea. Darkness surrounded him from all directions, the crushing pressure making it impossible to breathe. He kept sinking, deeper and deeper, until he reached the very bottom, unable to draw a single breath.

So this is what death feels like, he sighed inwardly.

But just as he accepted this fate, drifting ever deeper toward hell, he suddenly felt the process halt. It was as if some invisible force grabbed him, stopping his descent and pulling his consciousness rapidly upward without allowing any argument.

"Meow~"

That was the sensation of a cat licking his cheek.

Lyman groggily opened his eyes, and as his vision refocused, he saw the Fat Pharaoh Cat right in front of him. The chubby cat licked his cheek, then rubbed its soft furry head against him.

"Pharaoh?"

Lyman forced his body to sit up with some effort, looking around in confusion.

"I'm still alive?"

A shabby room, all sorts of alchemical equipment covered with white cloth. He was lying on a filthy, old table, and the ceiling was full of spider webs.

Turning his head for a closer look, he saw Kira adjusting an alchemy device he had just started up.

Noticing Lyman had woken up, Kira turned and smiled at him.

"Sorry, professor. Looks like it’s a bit too early for your exit from the stage."

Lyman got up helplessly.

"Used alchemy to bring me back, huh? Guess your alchemy classes weren’t a waste. You’re probably the most successful student I’ve ever taught—even if it’s pretty meaningless now."

He coughed a bit, then stood upright.

"The problem is with this body. You saw what happened to my last body—this one has reached the end of its lifespan.

Even if you saved me this time, I’ll only last a few more days at most."

"I feel a bit bad saying this," Kira said, "but in these last days, can I ask you for a small favor, professor?"

Lyman squinted even tighter, lazily stroking the cat.

"So in the end, there’s still something you need your professor for. I’ll say this up front: I’m almost done for. I’ll help where I can, but there’s not much I can do in my state."

"It’s fine, it’s nothing strenuous." Kira smiled. "If my intel is correct, next week is the next meeting of the Shadow Riders, right?"

"You know your stuff." Lyman nodded. "So what do you need me to do?"

"Not much," Kira said. "Just hoping to settle things during that meeting. If you could be there to say a few words, that would help.

After all, even among the Shadow Riders, you’re the chairman’s most trusted person, right?"

"I can do that, but what do you need me to say?" Lyman asked. "Like I said, the current chairman is very different from before.

He doesn’t meet with anyone now. Even next week, he won’t show up in person."

"It’s fine, I have a plan," Kira answered with a smile.

"Alright, I’ll go along with your arrangements."

Lyman shrugged. Then he glanced at his duel disk and deck, which had been tossed to the side.

Thinking for a moment, he asked, "But that’s for next week. Nothing else before then, right?"

"Nope," Kira replied. "Professor, whether you want to return to the academy or keep laying low is up to you. I won’t tell anyone."

"I should thank you for that."

Lyman smiled, bent down to pick up his duel disk, and strapped it back on.

"Still wants to take action?"

"Yeah. There are still a few students I can’t quite let go of." He smiled gently, "In my final days, let me give them one last lesson."

…

Evening.

The setting sun poured like molten gold over the vast, endless sea, dyeing the horizon and the waves a brilliant orange-red. A massive passenger ship moved slowly through this magnificent painting, leaving a long wake behind.

This was the ferry returning to Duel Academy.

Joey sat in the ferry’s dining hall, slumped over the table staring at his communication device. On the other end of the screen was his recently-made friend, Jaden.

Joey scratched his head.

"Sorry I’m two days late... Sigh, it’s all Mai’s fault, that girl’s a handful—she beat me out for two days straight! But it’s fine, I’m already on my way back. We’ll start raiding tonight when I get back."

But just as he was saying this, the image started to distort. Jaden’s figure on the screen flickered and glitched.

"Hello? Can you hear me? Is this thing still on?"

Joey shook the KC-branded device vigorously.

But shaking it only made things worse. The screen cut out completely, displaying a big “No Signal.”

"What the hell? Stuff made by Kaiba Corp isn’t all that, huh."

Joey muttered.

Maybe he’d just entered a dead zone.

He thought so, standing up. There was about an hour left in the journey, so he decided to go back to his room for a nap.

But halfway back, he noticed something was wrong.

Where was everyone?

The large dining hall was now completely empty without him noticing.

It was right around meal time, and he was sure he wasn’t the only person on this ship.

Even if all the other passengers were in their rooms, where had the staff gone?

He was sure there was at least a waiter standing at the door when he came in. There should've been staff coming and going in the dining hall, and a chef behind one of the windows.

But now the entire dining hall was deserted—not a soul in sight.

Joey was no longer the reckless rookie he once was.

 Well, maybe still a bit reckless, but at least no longer a rookie. He’d been through plenty of battles, even faced world-ending monsters like Orichalcos’ serpent and the Great Evil God. He’d built up some resistance to bizarre phenomena.

After circling the ship and confirming he seemed to be the only person left, he realized someone was messing with him, and instead of panicking, he calmed down.

"If you’re here to pick a fight with Joey the Great, stop hiding and come out already," Joey called out. "Come at me directly."

As soon as he finished, just a few seconds later, someone answered.

"Heh, as expected of the legendary duelist. You’re not even a little flustered under these circumstances."

Joey turned and saw a silver-haired woman behind him. Her features were somewhat Western, but her face was cold as if covered in frost.

"You shouldn’t have returned to this world, Joey."

Chapter 541: Complete Freeze

"Who are you?"

Joey watched the silver-haired woman warily. Her hair was as silver as fresh snow, and her deep eyes were like frozen glaciers—her gaze sharp and frightening.

"Me? My name is Elinor."

She slowly raised her duel disk. Even her disk looked different from the standard model—it was an ice-blue, crystal-like device, almost transparent.

"I’m here for you, Joey.

I won’t allow you to become a hindrance to the Professor again."

Joey wasn’t the sharpest, but he’d guessed most of it.

"So you’re the underling of the bastard who kicked me to another world?" Joey frowned, "He’s back again?"

"Heh, no. The Professor isn’t here, and he doesn’t know I came." Elinor sneered. "You’re just a mortal—not worth the Professor’s personal attention.

But I’ll prove to the Professor that I’m stronger than Reggie."

"What she couldn’t do, I can."

"What she couldn’t resolve for the Professor, I’ll settle."

"If by 'problem' you mean me, you’ll be disappointed," Joey declared. "Joey the Great is famously difficult! I’m not going down that easy."

"Spirited. But no matter how strong your fighting spirit, it’ll be frozen before me."

"DUEL!" x2

 [Joey, LP 4000]

 [Elinor, LP 4000]

"I’ll go first. Draw!" Elinor announced. "I summon 'Cold Enchanter' in attack position!"

A magician in ice-blue robes, as if forged from snow, wielded a staff like a shard of ice, marked with a snowflake pattern.

[Cold Enchanter, ATK 1600]

"Next, I activate the field spell 'Absolute Zero Barrier!'"

The field was instantly encased in ice, cold air swirling, ice barriers rising all around.

But aside from the visual effect, Joey saw no change in the ATK of Elinor’s monster or anything else.

Elinor didn’t explain further.

"I set one card and end my turn."

"Alright, my turn! Draw!"

Joey drew a card and, without hesitation, played one.

"I activate the spell card 'Cup of Ace'!

 Toss a coin—if it’s heads, I draw two cards. If tails, you draw two."

"Tch, the guy who uses Cup of Ace as a Pot of Greed, just as the rumors say," muttered Elinor.

Joey: "..."

"Ahem."

He wanted to argue, but opening with Cup of Ace really made any denial sound hollow, so he just coughed awkwardly.

"Alright, flipping the coin!"

A golden coin with the Eye of Horus appeared, spinning through the air several times before landing.

"Heads! I draw two cards!"

The gambler’s luck holds up.

He then quickly played three cards from his hand.

"Next, I activate the spell 'Polymerization'!

 Fusion materials: a Level 6 Fiend-Type Normal Monster and a 'Red-Eyes' Normal Monster!

I fuse 'Summoned Skull' and 'Red-Eyes Black Dragon' from my hand!

 When the power of the Black Dragon meets the Fiend, a terrifying soul awakens—appear!

—Archfiend Black Skull Dragon, come forth!"

Summoned Skull and Red-Eyes Black Dragon were sucked into the vortex of fusion. Twin red lights burst from the dark storm, golden lightning and crimson black flames tearing through chaos, forming the demonic dragon!

[Archfiend Black Skull Dragon, ATK 3200]

"Archfiend Black Skull Dragon is a powerful attacker. I’m in a hurry, so let’s finish this in one go!"

Joey was on a roll.

"Archfiend’s attack—huh!?"

But he immediately noticed something was wrong.

His dragon didn’t move at all, as if it hadn’t even heard his command.

He looked over and saw, to his shock, that the dragon had been frozen solid—an ice sculpture, even the black flames on it frozen in the block of ice.

"Fusion Summons don’t work against me," Elinor said coldly.

"I activated my set card—Quick-Play Spell 'Cold Fusion!'"

"What?" Joey gasped.

"'Cold Fusion,' as the name suggests, can only be activated when the opponent Fusion Summons," Elinor explained. "The Fusion Monster summoned is frozen and destroyed.

Then, the monsters used as fusion materials are Special Summoned to your field, and each gets an 'Ice Counter.'"

Clearly, this is a deck-exclusive spell card, targeting Fusion monsters.

Ice Counters are used by Alexis Rhodes’s deck in the GX manga. All the monsters she used in the manga were printed as real cards, plus some new ones exclusive to the card game.

 But none of her spells or traps were ever printed—they’re manga-only.

Like this "Cold Fusion."

"So, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon is destroyed!"

The massive demonic dragon shattered, splitting back into Summoned Skull and Red-Eyes Black Dragon, both covered in frost.

"Monsters Special Summoned by 'Cold Fusion' each get an Ice Counter," Elinor said.

[Red-Eyes Black Dragon, ATK 2400]

 [Summoned Skull, ATK 2500]

If this were the real card game, her Cold Enchanter would gain ATK for each Ice Counter on the field. But in the manga version, it didn’t have that effect.

In the manga, Cold Enchanter’s effect was: discard a card to place an Ice Counter on a monster and prevent it from changing position.

"Tch, but even after splitting the fusion, my monsters’ ATK is higher than your Cold Enchanter. I can hit even harder now."

Joey waved his hand.

"Attack!

 First, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, attack 'Cold Enchanter'!"

But still no movement.

"What now?"

Joey stared in disbelief, only to see that his monsters were already trapped behind an icy barrier, both frozen and unable to move.

"The field spell 'Absolute Zero Barrier' causes all monsters with Ice Counters to lose 500 ATK and prevents them from attacking!"

[Red-Eyes Black Dragon, ATK 2400 → 1900]

 [Summoned Skull, ATK 2500 → 2000]

Joey: "!"

Chapter 542: World of Ice and Snow

Attacks sealed!

Joey finally started to understand the workings of her deck.

Ice Counters—she used every means to put these on his monsters, freezing them and controlling the battle.

"Cold Fusion" wasn’t just to break his Fusion—it was to slap Ice Counters on the Red-Eyes and Summoned Skull, so Joey would lose his attack power on the "Absolute Zero Barrier" field.

He could expect that any monster he summoned next would also be hit with Ice Counters one way or another. And once a monster had one, it couldn’t attack.

"Not bad," Joey muttered, and drew another card.

"I’ll set a card and end my turn."

"You’re already falling into my rhythm, Joey. From here, you’ll only sink deeper into this world of ice and snow."

Elinor said coldly.

"My turn, draw!

I activate the spell 'Pot of Greed'—draw two cards."

She drew.

"Then I Normal Summon 'Majiosheldon!'"

[Majiosheldon, ATK 800]

"'Majiosheldon' can be Special Summoned from the Graveyard during your next Standby Phase if it was used for a Tribute Summon," Elinor explained. "Next, I activate this card:

Continuous Spell 'Precious Cards from Beyond!'

 If I Tribute Summon using two or more monsters, I draw two cards."

Joey: "All cards supporting Tribute Summons...you going to bring out a high-level monster now?"

"That’s right. Watch—this is the ace of the Ice Deck, master of snowstorms and blizzards!

I activate the spell 'Double Summon'—I get an extra Normal Summon this turn.

I Tribute 'Majiosheldon' and 'Cold Enchanter' to Tribute Summon!"

Snow flurried, swirling into a blizzard that engulfed her monsters. The icy magician spun, descending atop a flurry of white snow.

Level 8—Ice Master, summoned!

[Ice Master, ATK 2500]

The Ice Counter deck’s boss, and Alexis’s ace in the manga. The real card version can be Special Summoned by tributing two WATER monsters, but in the manga, it must be Tribute Summoned.

"Thanks to 'Precious Cards from Beyond,' since I used two monsters for a Tribute Summon, I draw two cards."

Elinor drew.

"Now the effect of Ice Master!" she declared. "By sending 'Absolute Zero Barrier' to the graveyard, I destroy all monsters with Ice Counters on the field!"

"A field wipe!?"

The real card kept the field wipe, but since 'Absolute Zero Barrier' was never printed as a card, the effect was changed in the card game. In the manga, Ice Master must Tribute herself to wipe the field.

Full field wipe!

Joey’s Red-Eyes and Summoned Skull, both with Ice Counters, were shattered as ice walls collapsed and blizzards raged.

"Now the field is empty." Elinor said, "Ice Master attacks directly!"

"Then I activate my set card!" Joey shouted. "Quick-Play Spell 'Skull Dice!' Roll a die—target one monster on your opponent’s field, and its ATK becomes 1/n of its original value, where n is the number rolled!" (manga effect)

Skull Dice was a Quick-Play Spell in the manga, but made into a Trap in the real card game, and heavily weakened.

"Another die roll," Elinor muttered, but stayed defiant. "But if you roll a 1, the ATK doesn’t change."

Of course, even she knew the odds were low.

Even rolling a 2 would halve her monster’s ATK—pretty good odds for Joey.

The little devil appeared in midair, rolled the die, and it landed.

A 5.

"Alright, it’s 5!" Joey said. "Ice Master’s ATK becomes one fifth!"

[Ice Master, ATK 2500 → 500]

The endless snowstorm now hit Joey with the force of a dull blade. With the ATK reduced by the die, the damage was much less.

[Joey, LP 4000 → 3500]

"Stopped by the die, huh." Elinor frowned. "Fine, I set a card and end my turn."

"My turn, draw!"

Joey’s eyes sparkled.

"Alright, here’s my next card.

Spell card—'Roll of Fate!'"

One of the big three “draw and banish” cards of the DM protagonist team, notorious for wild luck swings.

"'Roll of Fate'—roll a die, draw that many cards, then banish the same number from the top of your deck."

The die appeared, rolled, and landed.

A 4.

"Great, I draw four, then banish four from the top of my deck!"

Joey drew with gusto.

"Next, I activate the spell 'Silent Doom,' to revive a Normal Monster from the grave in Defense Position.

I call forth the soul of the Black Dragon—

—Red-Eyes Black Dragon, revived!"

[Red-Eyes Black Dragon, DEF 2000]

"Now, I activate the effect of 'Dragon Ice' from my hand," Elinor said. "When my opponent Special Summons a monster, I can discard one card to Special Summon this from my hand or graveyard."

She revealed Dragon Ice.

"I discard Dragon Ice from my hand to Special Summon it from the graveyard!"

[Dragon Ice, DEF 2200]

"Not bad—self-discard and self-summon," Joey praised. "Now I Tribute my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!

In a new form, it returns to the field—

—Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon, Special Summon!"

[Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon, ATK 2400]

"Alternative Black Dragon?" Elinor frowned.

A rare evolution, almost never seen in public.

"That’s right. Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon can be Special Summoned by tributing a Red-Eyes monster from your hand or field.

And you’ll soon see how powerful it is."

Joey grinned, then dramatically waved his hand.

"Go!

 Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon, attack 'Ice Master!'"

The dragon roared, opening its mouth as endless black flames gathered.

[Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon, ATK 2400]

 [Ice Master, ATK 2500]

Elinor frowned: "Attacking with a weaker monster!?"

Chapter 543: Mercury

"Using a monster with low attack power to attack!?"

Elinor's heart skipped a beat. She was sure there was some trick involved, but for the moment, she had no other options and could only grit her teeth and go through with it.

"If you're so eager to die, then I'll grant your wish.

Go! Ice Master, counterattack the 'Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon'!"

The Ice Master turned to face the black dragon, her staff summoning a raging storm! Countless snowflakes spun in the tempest like hidden weapons, shattering the jet-black fireball from the dragon's mouth, and then tore the black dragon's body into a thousand pieces, forcing it to retreat from the field.

[Joey, LP 3500 → LP 3400]

Elinor felt even more puzzled.

Did she really just counterattack like that?

 Was it really just a suicide play?

But in the next moment, her pupils shrank as she saw, at the place where the black dragon should have been destroyed, a pillar of black flames shoot into the sky!

The flames roared, the black dragon soared, its crimson eyes gleaming dangerously, and when it raised its head to roar, it seemed to be swallowing endless darkness!

Red-Eyes Black Dragon—summoned!

"Red-Eyes?" Elinor gasped. "But wasn't it just offered as a tribute..."

"It can only activate its effect in the graveyard," Joey explained. "If Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon is destroyed by battle or your card effects, you can Special Summon from the graveyard any Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster except Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon!"

[Red-Eyes Black Dragon, ATK 2400]

Understanding the reason, Elinor calmed down a little and said coldly, "After all that trouble, you only managed to summon Red-Eyes again. But Red-Eyes' attack isn't enough to defeat my Ice Master—"

"Not necessarily." Joey grinned.

[Red-Eyes Black Dragon, ATK 2400 → ATK 4800]

"Forty-eight hundred attack!?" Elinor was shocked.

"If Red-Eyes Black Dragon is Special Summoned by the effect of Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon, its original attack becomes double!"

Joey pumped his fist.

"Go, Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Attack Ice Master!

Double Black Flame Blast!"

A double dose of the usual Black Flame Blast shot out of Red-Eyes' mouth like a blazing vortex! The field of ice and snow was shattered with ease. This time, the Ice Master had no chance to fight back and was burned to ashes by the black flames.

"Ugh!"

The silver-haired woman collapsed to one knee in pain, black smoke rising from her body.

[Elinor, LP 4000 → LP 1700]

Half kneeling, she gritted her teeth.

"Tch, so this is the power of a legendary duelist..."

No wonder even that professor found him troublesome.

"Alright! That was a huge blow in one go, let's keep up the momentum and finish this!"

Joey's morale soared.

"Set three cards face-down, end turn!"

Elinor adjusted her breathing and stood up straight, her face still as cold as frost.

"My turn, draw!"

"The 'Majiosheldon' that was tributed last turn—during the next Standby Phase after being used as a tribute for an Advanced Summon, it can be Special Summoned back to the field.

Return, Majiosheldon."

She spoke icily.

[Majiosheldon, ATK 800]

"Activate Spell Card 'Magic Planter'—send the Continuous Spell 'Precious Cards from Beyond' to the Graveyard, and draw two cards from the deck."

"Then, the 'Aqua Spirit' in my hand can be Special Summoned by banishing a Water Attribute from the graveyard.

I banish 'Ice Mage' from my graveyard to Special Summon 'Aqua Spirit'!"

[Aqua Spirit, ATK 1600]

"And then, I'll tribute the 'Dragon Ice,' 'Aqua Spirit,' and 'Majiosheldon' on my field—three monsters!"

Joey was stunned. "Three tributes!?"

Isn't that usually reserved for gods?

"That's right. Only by tributing three monsters can I unleash its full power—my strongest monster gifted by the Professor! The Planet Series—

—The Tripper Mercury, summon!!!"

A massive planet appeared on the field, then torrents of water surged forth, transforming into a humanoid shape. Clad in aqua-blue armor, wielding twin swords, draped in a watery cloak, the graceful knight strode across the waves.

The Tripper Mercury, summoned!

[The Tripper Mercury, ATK 2000]

"The Planet Series!" Joey was secretly shocked. "Modeled after the solar system planets, each one is a unique ultra-rare card in the whole world!"

"That's right. They also carry the Professor's power—extraordinary cards full of his expectations!

Joey Wheeler, with this card's power, I will bury you and your Red-Eyes!"

Elinor declared.

"Although Mercury is a Level 8 monster, it can be Tribute Summoned by tributing three monsters.

What's more, Mercury gains effects based on the number of tributes used for its summon.

If at least two monsters are used, all monsters on the field must switch to Attack Position!"

"But all the monsters are already in Attack Position," Joey said.

"True, but when three monsters are tributed, it gets an even stronger effect!" Elinor said. "All monsters on the field except this card have their ATK become 0!" (Manga effect)

"What!?" Joey was shocked.

This effect is different from the real card, which only reduces the opponent's monster's ATK by its original value as long as this card is on the field. Usually it's similar, but only matters when the opponent's monster has a lot of bonus ATK from card effects.

"Red-Eyes Black Dragon's ATK becomes 0!"

"Wait!" Joey raised a hand. "Quick-Play Spell 'Effect Shut!'

 When your opponent activates an effect, negate it and destroy that monster!" (Anime card)

A simple and powerful monster effect counter, and it's a Quick-Play Spell too—one of the strongest in the entire GX anime.

"Tch, then I'll activate my face-down." Elinor said coldly. "Trap Card 'Angel Blast'!

 When your opponent activates a Spell, Trap, or Monster effect that destroys monsters on the field, negate that card and destroy it!" (Anime card)

"A way to negate my 'Effect Shut'?" Joey frowned.

"Exactly," Elinor said. "'Effect Shut' is negated!"

I negate your negate!

 "Then I'll activate my face-down—Continuous Trap 'Fiendish Chain'!" Joey said. "Bind a monster on the field, negate its effects, and prevent it from attacking. I'll use it on 'The Tripper Mercury'!"

"Don't even think about it!" Elinor shouted. "Quick-Play Spell 'Mystical Space Typhoon'!

 Destroy the Continuous Trap 'Fiendish Chain!'

 Since it's a Continuous Trap, its effect can't resolve when destroyed by MST!"

A fierce series of attacks and counters—after this whole chain resolves, Fiendish Chain is blown away by MST and can't take effect, Effect Shut is negated by Angel Blast, and The Tripper Mercury's effect resolves. Red-Eyes Black Dragon's 4800 ATK drops to zero.

"Impressive. I almost want to applaud you."

Joey smiled, genuine appreciation in his eyes.

"That was close. Just a bit more and you would've finished me."

"What?"

Elinor felt a sudden surge of alarm.

Just a bit more...?

 What does he mean?

 "My final face-down is this—"

Joey raised his hand.

"Counter Trap—Vanity's Call!"

"Can only be activated at Chain Link 4 or higher. Pay half your Life Points—negate and destroy all cards in this entire chain!"

Elinor's pupils contracted.

All the cards in this chain... that means—

[Joey, LP 3400 → LP 1700]

"That's right. All the effects activated in this chain—MST, Fiendish Chain, Angel Blast, Effect Shut, and the starting 'The Tripper Mercury'—all five cards are negated and destroyed!"

The Counter Trap activated, unleashing a domineering darkness that devoured the five cards in turn, spreading at last to Mercury itself, dragging the planet's avatar into the endless abyss!

Elinor stared in disbelief.

How...?

 She had finally managed to summon Mercury with three tributes—this card infused with the Professor's power, which should have been unstoppable once summoned.

No duelist should have been able to resist such power, no one—

"My turn—final turn, draw!"

Joey smiled.

"Well played. You have potential, but you're missing the most important thing for a duelist."

Elinor paused.

"The most important thing?"

"Yeah." Joey shrugged. "A duelist should fight for themselves—or at least, partly for themselves.

You never once looked me in the eye as your opponent. With that attitude, you can't win."

Elinor: "..."

"Now—Red-Eyes Black Dragon, final attack!"

Joey gave the order.

"Double Black Flame Blast!"

[Elinor, LP 1700 → LP 0]

Chapter 544: The Dark Scorpion

Somewhere, in a dark room.

Clang!

Something shattered on the floor.

"Idiots! Morons! You're all useless trash!"

A man in a white coat, in a rage, kicked the long table, sending it tumbling and scattering everything on it onto the ground.

"Professor... please calm down..."

"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down?"

Principal MacKenzie from the American Duel Academy, in truth the body of Tragoedia, turned and glared furiously at his two subordinates.

Under his gaze, the two men lowered their heads and dared not meet his eyes.

"I gave you clear instructions. I granted you power—power enough to challenge the world's strongest.

And this is how you repay me?"

"Such a simple order—was it really that hard?"

"Did you have to just give it away?"

"And not only did you lose, you gave away the cards I entrusted you with—my power as well?"

He was furious that Elinor had lost so easily and handed over Mercury.

Even Tragoedia couldn't always know every move his pawns made. Otherwise, in the manga, Reggie wouldn't have been able to plot against him and challenge Professor Midori.

By now, several Planet Series cards had already been lost.

He felt like he was just giving out planets for free.

It was no exaggeration.

Ever since Tragoedia had awakened in modern times, he'd found himself fated to the legendary Planet Series and had spared no effort, using every resource to collect all nine cards worldwide.

Yes, when the Planet Series was created, the world still recognized nine planets, so there were nine cards. If they made them today, it would only be eight.

Even with Tragoedia's power, collecting all nine was no easy task.

The nine cards were scattered among different people, in different countries. Some, like Koyo, were world-famous duelists using the Planet Series as their ace; at least he could use brute force to take them.

But some owners were extremely low-profile, never flaunting their possession of a Planet card. So Tragoedia had to search the world, investigating who had them.

Thanks to his powers of mind control and interrogation, he could extract information others couldn't even dream of.

Still, it took him ages and a lot of resources to get the few cards he now had.

He'd then handpicked his favorite duelists and given Planet cards to his subordinates as their trump cards.

Not only were they powerful, the Planet cards were the best vessels for Tragoedia's power. He sealed his own strength in them, boosting his underlings while making it easy to possess them at will.

And now, these idiots had wasted several already.

All that effort just to help the Duel King for free!?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, until a storm of darkness exploded from his body, briefly revealing his true form's shadow. The invisible force smashed all the furniture in the room, nearly crushing his two subordinates.

But they only lowered their heads, not daring to utter a word, just gritting their teeth and enduring until the boss calmed down.

After a while, the storm subsided. Tragoedia seemed to have vented enough, stepped back as if to sit at the table and catch his breath—

But as he lowered himself, he realized the chair had been smashed to pieces by his tantrum. Awkwardly, he hung in the air for a second, then snorted and straightened up again.

His subordinates kept their heads down, not daring to speak.

"Mercury has also fallen into enemy hands," he said coldly. "We need to change tactics. Things can't go on like this."

He turned, his gaze icy.

"I said before, do not approach Duel Academy Island. And don't go after Joey Wheeler either. Wait for my orders.

Anyone who disobeys and acts on their own will become my nourishment."

"Yes, Professor." One subordinate quickly bowed.

The other said, "But Professor... we've already found out what we need. The White Feather Spirit and Feather of Ma'at are both on the academy island, aren't they? Shouldn't we go retrieve them?"

Tragoedia was silent for a few seconds.

Then he walked to the window, his jet-black pupils gleaming with hidden light.

"Seto Kaiba—seems to be the reincarnation of one of the seven priests I hated so much back then."

"Huh?"

Both subordinates were startled by the sudden change of topic.

"Hmph."

Tragoedia snorted, hands behind his back.

"Seto Kaiba's company basically controls half the dueling world," he sneered. "Interesting. In fact, I still have old scores to settle with the Pharaoh and those priests."

He paused, then suddenly threw back his head and laughed loudly.

The two subordinates exchanged worried glances.

Was the Professor about to send them after Kaiba next?

 Fight Kaiba?

Seriously?

…

Meanwhile, at Duel Academy Island.

In the dense forest, vines and weeds half-covered a dry well. The well wall was mottled with age, covered in moss. Dim light barely filtered through the well mouth, vanishing into the darkness below.

In the cold, damp world at the bottom of the well, several figures sat.

"Seriously?"

A short, skinny man sat on the ground, muttering.

"The boss is really coming? For real?"

"Finally. We've waited so long... I thought the boss had forgotten about us."

This time, the speaker was a tall, burly man.

"Finally, we can get back to work," he said in a rumbling voice. "This mission's taken forever."

On a rock nearby sat a woman idly twirling a whip.

"Never steal anything from the poor!"

"Uphold the three rules of thievery!" a bespectacled man chimed in.

"As thieves, it's our duty to restore the honor of the trade!"

They all raised their weapons and bumped them together in the air.

"The Dark Scorpion Burglars!"

Chapter 545: Hell Mode Infiltration Quest

"Vampires?"

The Student Council—Seika Kohinata personally led Kira to the council's storeroom, then followed him in.

She was surprised when Kira picked out several Vampire cards.

Vampire Grace, Level 6, ATK 2000.

Effect: If this card is in the graveyard, and an effect of a Zombie-type monster allows you to Special Summon a Level 5 or higher Zombie, you can pay 2000 LP to Special Summon this card. Once per turn, declare Monster, Spell, or Trap; your opponent must send one card of that type from their deck to the graveyard.

It was a rare card. The Student Council had received one a year ago, but not many students at the academy used Zombies, so it had stayed in storage.

Kira had seen it before but wasn't interested; he hadn't picked it then. Now, it seemed, he remembered and came specifically to get it.

"Didn't you say you weren't interested in Vampires before?" Seika asked.

"Yeah, but back then I was missing too many cards, couldn't build a deck."

"So you can now?"

"Pretty much." Kira smiled.

"So, does that mean we'll soon see your new deck?" Seika looked expectant.

By now, Kira had practically become an icon at Duel Academy. Everyone knew that every so often he'd suddenly whip out a new deck, always surprising people with his creative builds.

If the Yellow Lord once had a loyal following, after becoming Duel King, Kira had become a national idol. Some students even set up a website just to record all the decks he'd used.

Every time Kira dueled, it was like a new album release. Students waited eagerly for him to reveal a new deck. Every archetype he used would skyrocket in price—assuming it was a theme you could even buy.

And everyone knew he was close with Industrial Illusions and KaibaCorp, so many of his cards couldn't even be bought.

Not to mention, he had his own lab, and many cards were produced there, never available to outsiders.

So naturally, everyone now wanted to get into Kira's lab.

Of course, it wasn't easy—there was fierce competition, not just from students but from the outside world as well.

With so many vying for a spot, the lab was never short of talent; not everyone could get in.

"Alright, that's about it for today." Kira turned to Seika. "So, about the credits..."

Seika laughed.

"Come on, Kira, it's an honor for the council that you still come pick out cards. Why talk about credits—ruins the mood."

"I insist. Can't have people saying I don't follow the rules."

Kira was firm.

Besides, he didn't really need those credits anymore.

In the end, Seika reluctantly agreed to accept Kira's DP points in exchange for the cards. But as she left the storeroom, she pouted, looking a bit unhappy.

Maybe she felt Kira was being too formal.

No sooner had they stepped out than a Student Council member came running up.

"Slow down!"

Seika stopped him.

"What's got you in such a hurry?"

"Monster!" the student exclaimed. "I saw the Shut-in Revolver!"

Seika was stunned, then realized what he meant.

"Shut-in Revolver" was a nickname students had given a certain Duel Monster.

Don Zaloog—infamous alongside Machine King's Cycroid and Submarineroid—was one of the academy's shared nightmares.

Don Zaloog was infamous in the hands of the Yellow Lord, often paired with the three famous hand-destruction cards. His revolver could discard cards from the opponent's hand, and with various combos, he could strip an opponent's entire hand of cards.

Hence the nickname "Shut-in Revolver."

"So what? Maybe someone just used a similar monster," Seika said.

"No, not a similar monster—a real one! A spirit!"

The boy insisted.

"Huh?" Seika was surprised. "Are you sure you didn't see wrong?"

According to their classes, spirits do exist, but not everyone can see them. Unless they're summoned in a duel, most people can't see spirits.

"I'm positive!"

The boy was adamant.

"And a bunch of other people saw it too!"

"Soon everyone will be talking about it!"

Kira squinted, smiling with interest.

This could be fun.

….

Behind the academy, in the forest, at the dry well.

"What have you all been doing here!?"

Don Zaloog, wearing a coat and hat, glared sternly at his gang.

"I just got on the island, barely took a few steps, and some kid started yelling that I was a monster."

"I finally convinced him I just looked like that cool, dashing, powerful monster 'Don Zaloog' and dressed up like him on purpose..."

"But then, a few steps later, more students started yelling."

"How am I supposed to sneak in like this?"

This was nothing like the plan.

Don Zaloog had faked a police inspector identity, claiming he was investigating the Shadow Riders event, hoping to gather intel and steal the keys.

But from the moment he landed, before even reaching the main building, at least a dozen students had already recognized him.

As the leader of the Dark Scorpion Burglars, he'd never faced such a tough mission.

"Boss, maybe your face is just too recognizable..." Chick murmured.

"What did you say!?" Don Zaloog roared.

"Nothing, nothing." Chick lowered his head.

The others stayed quiet, though they secretly agreed.

The rest of them could disguise themselves, change clothes, and if they kept a low profile, might avoid being identified as monsters.

But Don Zaloog was different. He had a fierce look, plus his single eye—the other was the distinctive Eye of Horus.

With that face so famous at the academy, hiding was nearly impossible.

The burglars were fretting when suddenly, a laugh came from the shadows.

"Who's there!?"

The gang jumped, all turning to look.

"Ahaha, sorry... sorry."

Out of a shadowy corner of the well—where no one should have been—Kira walked out, smiling.

"Your plan is clever, very creative, but you seem to have missed one thing."

He swept his gaze over the burglars with an amused smile.

"When you took the job, didn't anyone tell you?"

"The stolen seven keys are useless."