Who asked him to play Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 1451 From the Barian

It took Kujuro Yuma almost half a day to become friends with the students on the island, and soon some of them started calling him brother—because the kid was really easy to talk to.

He was quite excited when he ate fried shrimp at lunch, exclaiming how delicious it was. This particular fondness for fried shrimp further reminds people of the similarities between him and a certain legendary figure from a popular dormitory.

In fact, Yuma and Jaden do have quite a few similarities. Both are optimistic, often carefree, and have a great passion for food and duels, as well as a love for life and duels.

However, assuming that the two are equally enthusiastic, then Yuma is definitely more likable to those around him than Jaden.

First of all, although both of them are very enthusiastic about dueling, if you play cards with Jaden Yuki, you will most likely get beaten up, and after being beaten down, you will have to endure the close-up taunts of "What an interesting duel".

But Yu Ma is the complete opposite. Playing cards with him can quickly build your confidence for the game, and he becomes more determined with each setback; failure doesn't diminish his enthusiasm for cards at all.

Who wouldn't like a good buddy who's bad at games but loves to play, willingly acting as your punching bag every day while also providing you with immense emotional support?

So it's no wonder the cult leader is so popular among his friends. He doesn't usually use any special abilities or even rely on any backing; he just takes the hits to boost your confidence. But if any evil villain or world-destroying boss appears, he's the first to step in, and his strength instantly jumps from bronze to supreme, giving you maximum peace of mind.
If a card player could have such a card-playing friend in his lifetime, what more could he ask for?

While chatting and laughing with his newly acquainted brothers in the cafeteria, the astral body, who had been quietly watching the leader display his social talents, suddenly floated out again: "Yuma, Yuma."

Yuma noticed that Ling behind him was speaking in a serious tone, and he couldn't help but become serious as well: "What's wrong?"

“There’s a problem. I can sense something approaching,” the astral body said solemnly. “It’s similar to the aura we fought before.”

Yuma was startled: "Varia!?"

"Hmm." The astral body nodded. "Very likely, it's heading this way."

Yuma hurriedly got up and walked outside. At this moment, he saw that the sky above the island had turned almost blood red. Crimson rays rose from the ground all around, like shooting stars flying across the sky above the island, all converging on this place.

Upon closer inspection, there were about ten people who had arrived, all of them students.

There were students in red dormitory uniforms, yellow uniforms, and blue uniforms—all from the Duel Academy. At this moment, their eyes were filled with a red glow, their bodies enveloped in eerie flames, and they moved like zombies.

Astral Entity: "Yuma! They've been manipulated, it's the Varia!"

"Varia!" Yuma gritted his teeth. "So they really did track us down here after all?"

They had encountered similar situations before. The Varians possessed the power to control humans, granting some immense strength and brainwashing them into being manipulated like puppets. Yuma had faced such opponents before and had once been locked in a fierce battle with these manipulated individuals.

"Pick the card."

The manipulated students moved in perfect unison, drawing cards in unison and then slapping them onto the duel disk in perfect unison.

"Monster Summoning".

The students each summoned a variety of monsters. Although they were summoned through the Duel Disk's 3D projection system, each monster, which should have been ordinary, exuded an astonishing aura, giving off an extraordinary sense of oppression.

"Be careful, those aren't just 3D images!" Astral warned.

"I know!"

As Yuma spoke, he quickly pulled out a gleaming gold card from the card box beside him and raised it above his head.

"NO.39 Hope Emperor Hope!"

A radiant glow enveloped the warrior bearing the name "Hope." He swung his sword, unleashing a powerful slash that sent the surrounding monsters flying.

The ordinary students around them were still confused: "Wow, what kind of monster is this? It's so cool!"

"A card I've never heard of before, a new rare card?"

Only a few people, including Asuka and Manjoume, noticed something was wrong immediately.

"This isn't just a 3D image, it's... materialized?" Asuka exclaimed, "The power of the Dark Duel?" Manjoume looked at the students approaching step by step: "What's going on with them?"

"Don't come any closer, they've been manipulated!" Yuma said.

Manjoume: "Manipulated? Who's behind this?"

Before Yuma could answer, a blur of motion fell like a meteor, landing with a thud between Yuma and the dozen or so students. One person landed with a superhero-like gait, seemingly becoming the center of attention the moment they stood up.

The Duel King, the Yellow King of Duel Academy, Yugen Fujiki, has returned.

"."

Yuma was taken aback: "You are..."

You Xuan glanced behind him and thought to himself that the overwhelming number of chosen ones from different planes had indeed arrived.

However, he didn't say much for the time being, only saying, "Don't rush. You've come from afar as a guest, and I'm the host, so there's no reason for me to trouble you."

As he spoke, he stepped forward, looked around, and his gaze quickly settled on one of the students in the center of the room.

"Kagurasaka?"

Yu Xuan recognized him. This was Kagurazaka, the one who stole the game's deck back then, a well-known imitation master in Duel Academy, best known for imitating other people's decks, and considered one of the top players in Duel Academy.

"The core lies within you," You Xuan said calmly. "No need to pretend anymore."

He could tell at a glance that these dozen or so students were being controlled by the same will, and the core of this power was hidden in Kagurazaka.

In other words, once Kagurazaka is defeated, the overall control will naturally be lifted.

Kagurazaka laughed upon hearing this: "As expected of the king of this dimension, your eyesight is indeed sharp."

As he spoke, a black mark resembling a cross appeared on his forehead; it was the symbol of the Balian.

“I am Varia!” Kagurazaka said with empty eyes. “You have repeatedly thwarted the duelists I sent, and I have long wanted to test your mettle.”

"Is that so? But I would still prefer you to be there in person."

You Xuan shrugged and unfolded the Duel Disk.

"Duel!" x2
[Yu Xuan, LP4000]

Kagurazaka, LP4000

“Wait,” Yuma tried to stop them, “they’re Varia, they’re dangerous.”

"fine."

Daichi Misawa patted his newly acquainted friend on the shoulder from behind and laughed.

"This is our ace player."

Yuma was taken aback: "Ace?"

“Yes, a man who stands at the pinnacle of the dueling world. By the way, to use your words from before,” Misawa laughed, “he’s probably a man like the ‘duel champion’ you mentioned.”

Yu Ma's eyes lit up.

Duel Champion?

(End of this chapter)