Is this the poker world?Ada thief!

Chapter 1795 As everyone knows, a bitter choice refers to the bitterness on the other side.

"That card?"

Seeing Caesar's confusion, Hayato pointed to the cards in the back row: "Although the activation of the effect of [Great Saint of Hellflower - Strychia] was negated, because it is located in my central monster zone, [Radiant Saint ~Homecoming Parallelism~] has given it resistance to being destroyed by card effects."

"So it's still on the field." Caesar glanced at the two monsters remaining on Hayato's field, and after completing the chain, he took out another card from his own graveyard. "If the [Cyber ​​Wing] equipped to a monster is sent to the graveyard, you can target any [Cyber] monster in my graveyard that is a Dragon-Type or Machine-Type other than this card and Special Summon it to my field."

"The monster I Special Summon is—Sebadorgon!"

"Although you've almost used up all the cards on my field, there are still two monsters left with stats over 3000," Hayato reminded Caesar. "Cyber ​​Dragon's attack power is 2100, so I'm just a little short of breaking through that barrier."

"Strategies like direct attacks are useless. As long as there are monsters in my central monster zone, the opponent's monsters can only attack them under the effect of [Radiant Saint ~Rhapsody of Rhapsody~]. Then, [Radiant Saint ~Return to Homeland Parallelism~] grants [Great Radiant Saint of Hellflower - Strychia] in the central monster zone resistance to being destroyed by card effects. It's impossible to destroy it directly with cards like [Evolutionary Flame]."

So, what was your last hand?

Hearing Hayato's words, John couldn't help but turn his gaze to Caesar beside him and asked, "Is this the end, Caesar?"

However, Caesar responded with a cold laugh: "That's it? You mean the hell I'm in is only this deep, and that I'm just going to stop here?"

"I'm still far from it! Far from the duel I desire, far from the victory I crave, far from everything I want!" Caesar raised his last card and shouted, "Without plunging into despair, one cannot see where hope lies; without being the first to sacrifice, one cannot make a sacrifice! This final draw is my last struggle for victory!"

"Spell Card, Pot of Greed, activated!"

Previously, Caesar used the effect of "Cyber ​​World Serpent" to return "Cyber ​​Dark Dragon" to his hand to search for "Fusion," and with the help of "Magic Hammer," he drew the card from his deck, which has remained with him ever since. Surprisingly, the card that an ordinary person would play immediately upon drawing it is the Normal Spell Card "Pot of Greed"!?

“Unlike how Professor Chronos taught his students, you’re saving [Pot of Greed] for last.” Hayato was actually quite excited to see Caesar about to make his final draw. “Then let me see just how far you’ve progressed in ‘Hell,’ ‘Hell Caesar.’”

"Draw!" Caesar drew two cards, saw one of them, and smiled. "Falling into the deepest depths of hell, yet seeing light in the face of despair, how interesting!"

"I haven't used a Normal Summon this turn, so I'll give this opportunity to this card in my hand—[Cyber ​​Dragon Core]—and Summon it to the field in Attack Position."

"And at this moment, if [Cyber ​​Dragon Core] is summoned, I will add one [Cyber] or [Cyber ​​Tech] Spell/Trap Card from my Deck to my hand. I choose [Cyber ​​Load Fusion]!"

[Ryo Marufuji: 4000 LP, hand 1→2→2]

【Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Dragon】【ATK2000】

【Electronic World Snake】【DEF2100】

【Electronic Dragon】【ATK2100】

【Electronic Dragon Core】【ATK300】

Backcourt: [Ultra-futuristic Fusion] [Cyber ​​Dark World]

Venue: [Electronic Dark Inferno]

"While it is on the field or in the graveyard, the name of [Cyber ​​Dragon Core] is also used as [Cyber ​​Dragon]. Next, I activate this [Cyber ​​Load Fusion] to return the monsters on my field and those that have been banished to the Deck as Fusion Material, and perform a Fusion Summon of a Fusion Monster that requires [Cyber ​​Dragon] as Fusion Material."

"Retrieving the Cyber ​​Dragon that Hayato banished at the beginning," Kaiser said, "The Fusion Material I've chosen is the combined three Cyber ​​Dragons that were banished from my field!"

"This is the limit of 'electron flow'! Show your perfect form, my old friend!"

"【Electronic Terminator Dragon】!"

From "surface electron flow" to "inner electron flow," Caesar has now transformed back into "surface electron flow," which signifies graduation from "electron flow" and is a symbol of "licensed mastery." It also marks the arrival of the [Electron Terminator Dragon], which has accompanied Caesar in his dueling battles for many years!
【Electronic Terminator Dragon】【10☆/Light】

[Mechanical Race/Fusion/Effect]

[4000/2800]

The mechanical dragon appeared and let out a loud roar towards the sky. Its lifelike performance surprised John: "This feeling, although no specific spirit appeared, I can feel that the dormant mind in this [Electronic Termination Dragon] card has been awakened."

"Could it be that, Caesar, you..."

John retracted his earlier statement. He had assumed that Caesar, as he claimed, was willing to sacrifice everything for victory, even his old friend, Cyber ​​Dragon. But now it seemed that even if he said that, Caesar had never truly abandoned his cards in his heart, and the current state of Cyber ​​Dragon was the best proof of that.

You could call him "hypocritical" or "tsundere," but Marufuji Ryo isn't the cold-blooded duelist John initially perceived him to be. Perhaps, as he said when he activated the Pot of Greed, he's the type who would sacrifice his own life before making cold, indifferent sacrifices for others.

"Can everything be sacrificed for victory, including oneself?" John muttered unconsciously, lost in thought.

After playing [Cyber ​​End Dragon], Caesar did not play the other card in his hand. He then waved his hand and commanded, "Then let's enter my battle phase. Go for it and attack the opponent's monster!"

"Because of the effect of [Radiant Saint ~Rhapsody of Rhapsody~], the only monster you can attack is the [Great Radiant Saint of Hellflower - Strychia] in Defense Position," Hayato reminded him.

Caesar smirked: "Thank you for the reminder, Hayato-sensei. Now, would you like me to remind you about the effects of [Cyber ​​Terminator Dragon]?"

"When attacking a Defense Position monster, Cyber ​​Terminator Dragon can convert any ATK exceeding its Defense stat into battle damage against its opponent."

"—Eternal-Evolution-Burst!" The red, yellow, and green gems embedded in the three dragon heads of the [Electronic Terminator Dragon] lit up one after another. The moment it was fully charged, the blue gems on its body shone brightly, and three thick beams of light burst forth and merged into one during the propulsion process, bombarding the bewitching flower and bird body, piercing through the body of [Great Saint of Hellflower - Strickia]!
[Hayato Kobayashi: 2000→1000LP, 1 card in hand]

"We've successfully reduced Hayato's life points!" Seeing that Hayato's life points weren't reduced by his own actions, but by their attack, John shouted excitedly, "Caesar, what's your last card? Maybe we can press our advantage—"

“It’s impossible.” However, Caesar interrupted John and said calmly, “The price of [Cyber ​​Load Fusion] is that this turn I can only use [Cyber ​​Ender Dragon], which is Fusion Summoned by its effect, to attack. Not to mention that I don’t have any usable cards in my hand, even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to let other monsters participate in the attack.”

"Being able to break through Hayato-sensei's lines head-on is something I've never done in the past three years of my school life. As proof of my descent into the depths of 'hell,' this result is satisfactory for me and can be used next time."

As Hayato sends the destroyed [Great Saint Strychia of the Prison Flower] to the graveyard, Caesar places his last card face-down on the back row and says, "My Battle Phase ends here. Then, during my Main Phase 2, I set one card face-down and end my turn."

[Ryo Marufuji: 4000 LP, hand 2→1→0]

After finishing placing the cards, Caesar glanced at John and said, "Now it's your turn to compete with Hayato-sensei. Let's see how far your [Jewel Beast] can go, John Anderson."

As he spoke, he even put himself in the audience's shoes, taking a step back to make room for John.

[Ryo Marufuji → John Anderson: 4000 LP, 0 cards in hand]

【Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Dragon】【ATK2000】

【Electronic World Snake】【DEF2100】

【Electronic Terminator】【ATK4000】

Backcourt: [Ultra-Future Fusion] [Cyber ​​Dark World] [Face Card]

Venue: [Electronic Dark Inferno]

John was taken aback by the sudden change of fighter: "Huh? What does this mean, Caesar? Are you giving up the duel?"

“I never said anything like that. You’re the one who said it, right? That you would fight your family to the very end.” Caesar, relaxed and nonchalant, stood aside as if he hadn’t just been the one engaged in a heated duel. “Then go for it, John Anderson. Don’t let your words become empty promises.”

“Unlike you, who are obsessed with boring family games, I don’t care much about my cards, so you can use them as you please, it doesn’t matter which card it is.”

John felt that Caesar was implying something when he said that, but he couldn't quite make it out: "Just say what you want to say, I don't understand what you're saying."

"Hmph, it's not like you can understand just by talking about it." Caesar didn't elaborate, and simply stood aside with his arms crossed, like a riddle teller, without saying a word.

"You're just spouting nonsense, honestly." John scratched his head and looked at Hayato. "Anyway, I'll continue my duel with you, Hayato-sensei. That can't be wrong, can it?"

"That's about right, but it'll be really hard for you to survive my round, John."

Upon hearing Hayato's words, John also glanced at the current lineup on the field.

One [Junora], one Continuous Spell Card, one Continuous Trap Card, and the card in hand is the Trap Card [Burst Mode]. There are only 1000 Life Points left. Although Hayato hasn't drawn any cards yet, judging from the lineup, isn't it obvious that my side has the advantage?
After all, the attack power of [Cyber ​​Dragon] is equivalent to that of my [Ultimate Gem God - Rainbow Dragon] at 4000 points. It also has a defense-piercing effect and is a vanilla card without any special abilities on the turn it is played. Even its play condition is extremely easy because the [Cyber ​​Dragon] deck has a bunch of cards that can be used as [Cyber ​​Dragon] cards and Spell Cards that can fuse from various positions. In addition, the support cards of the Machine type can make its attack power soar. My [Ultimate Gem God - Rainbow Dragon] might not even be able to beat it. If I keep talking about it, it feels like I'm insulting [Rainbow Dragon]. My own cards are about to cry.

"Your next line will be, 'Hayato-sensei, are you going to unleash a burst of power and instantly kill me in one turn?'"

"Hayato-sensei, you can unleash a burst of power in one turn. What!?" John was also surprised, as if his words were exactly what Hayato had predicted.

Hayato, meanwhile, had already placed his finger on the top of his deck and said, "A duelist's dictionary is full of possibilities. 'Impossible' doesn't exist. Even the outcome of drawing a card can be chosen by oneself. Just like now, I'm going to draw the Spell Card 'Bitter Choice.' And then, my turn, draw!"

[Hayato Kobayashi: 1000LP, hand 1→2]

Without even glancing at the card he had drawn, Hayato activated it directly, saying, "I activate 'Bitter Choice,' revealing five cards from my deck to my opponent. Then, my opponent chooses one to add to my hand, and the remaining four cards are sent to the graveyard. As everyone knows, 'Bitter Choice' refers to the opponent's choice being quite bitter."

As Hayato had declared, the card he drew was indeed "Bitter Choice." The card activated smoothly and retrieved five cards from Hayato's deck for John to see.

"Well then, make your choice, John." Holding five cards, Hayato, devoid of any semblance of superiority, revealed a sunny smile, even to his student, displaying his "destined draw" ability. "Will you choose to let me deliver a swift and complete defeat to you, or will you put up one last desperate struggle?"

Among the cards Hayato displayed were [Heavenly Treasure Card], [Life-Severing Treasure Card], [Fate Treasure Card], [Survival Treasure Card], and [Lightning Strike]. Each of the five cards was incredibly powerful, and even [Lightning Strike] posed a significant threat—just as [Ultimate Jewel God - Rainbow Dragon] was a "Silver Chariot"-class monster whose mechanics were largely ineffective and whose stats were merely empty boasts, [Cyber ​​End Dragon] was a breakthrough monster with no resistances.

In the lineup left by Caesar, there wasn't a single card that could withstand [Lightning Strike]. This meant that if Hayato chose to add [Lightning Strike] to his hand, John's field would be wiped out instantly!
But the other four cards seem even less desirable, because they are all powerful cards for drawing cards. Even the "Treasure Card of Survival" is a version that was once banned and then nerfed before being released. It still has the excessive effect of drawing a card every time a monster in the graveyard is Special Summoned.

Just as Hayato said, the "bitter choice" isn't about the player bitterly choosing which cards to send to the graveyard; it's clearly about John bitterly choosing which cards to keep in Hayato's hand!

Explosive girl, terrifyingly so

Malfa has a corrupted form now, so can we fast forward to something like this next:

"It's over, Malfa, we've captured the high ground!"

—"Don't try it!"

"I treated you like my own sister, but you've become something we swore to destroy!"

"Elise, I hate you."