I'm in Yu-Gi-Oh!, but I'm also in Machine Ascension.

With a slightly fearful shout, after gaining the upper hand in the dark duel, Youfeng gently shook his arm. In that instant, under the intervention of the power of [Black Hand], everyone's eyes were quickly drawn to the slight fluctuation of power.

Then, when they looked over again, from everyone's perspective, apart from Yugi Muto, Kaiba, and a few others who had intricate connections with the Millennium Item, everyone else could only see Yuuki's normal arm and could not find the Black Hand in their view.

"Malik... someone skilled in dark games like you, you should have expected this day to come..."

Amidst You Feng's expressionless voice, Malik clenched his fist slightly.

"Don't joke around, I'm not afraid of any dark duels... because the victory should have been mine!"

...

Soon, after setting the tone for this dark duel, and following the choice of who would go first, Malik, who had the power to decide, chose to go first:

"Youfeng, then I won't stand on ceremony!"

After drawing a total of 5 cards from the Duel Disk, Malik immediately gave a sinister smile and flipped his 4 cards face down, leaving only one card in his hand:

"After setting four cards face down in a row, I end my turn, Windwalker!"

"Hum hum..."

"Aren't you best at counter-attacking after the opponent has made a move? Youfeng, now it's your turn to perform!"

At the very moment the turn changed, Malik raised his head and revealed a "sunny" smile:

"Hey~ don't let me down, Yuuka!"

...

Soon after, seeing his opponent set three Mysterious face-down cards in the back row and set a monster card face-down in defense position in the front row, Yufeng's expression twitched slightly for a moment:

"What a classic 'underworld' start! A triple block in a T-shape, right?!"

"Okay, very good, I'll draw a card first—"

In an instant, having safely passed through his preparation phase, looking at this classic "hellish start," Yu Feng took a deep breath and stretched his finger to the top of his Duel Disk, beginning the card-drawing motion:

"My turn, Doro (draw a card)!"

Soon, Yufeng drew a classic Cyber ​​Dragon monster card in a black alternate art version and immediately played it without hesitation.

"Although you are in face-down defense position, my [Cyber ​​Dragon] effect does not require confirmation of your cards. In this case, where only you have a monster card on your field, I can Special Summon it directly!"

In an instant, accompanied by a surge of electricity, on the towering aerial dueling arena erected atop what was once the Kaiba Corporation's arms base, the beautifully crafted metallic mechanical dragon was immediately Special Summoned in face-up Attack position:

"roar~"

【Electronic Dragon】

[Race: Mechanical]

[Attribute: light]

[Star rating: 5]

[Attack power: 2100]

[Defense: 1600]

"That's truly a classic development in the game... This kind of maneuver is quite solid..."

Soon, as Yuuki's signature back-attack Cyber ​​Dragon appeared, accompanied by Mai's exclamation of praise, Seto Kaiba, positioned a little further away in the higher stands, also let out a meaningful smile:

"Hmph...Is everything on track now?"

"Then let me see what you've got, Youfeng..."

"Your [Electronic Dragon]...its extreme resilience under such extreme conditions..."

...

Soon after Special Summoning his ace monster, Yuuko, who was well aware of the extent of his opponent's underhanded tactics, did not play any more cards during that time.

Instead, after protectively setting a backrow card face-down, the game proceeds directly to the Battle Phase. The player chooses to launch an initial attack, testing the opponent's strength based on the type of monsters in their front row:

"At this moment, I choose to enter the battle phase and use [Cebatorgagon] to directly attack the face-down monster cards on your field!"

"Go forth, my pride!"

"The Light of Evolution!"

In an instant, following Youfeng's attack command, the black metal dragon also spat out a white beam of light and rushed directly to the other side of the dueling arena.

Soon, under this powerful attack mixed with electricity, the face-down monster card in Malik's field was immediately flipped over, and a mole monster with a fierce glint under the bright moon instantly appeared in front of everyone.

In the instant that everyone took a closer look at this strangely shaped low-level beastman monster, without paying much attention,

With a "bang," it was directly shattered and destroyed in the battle under the swift attack of the [Electronic Dragon], entering the graveyard.

...

"Well done!"

Seeing Yufeng gain an advantage as if he had won his first battle, the people in the audience, including Mai Kongque and Kyoko Masaki, quickly exchanged glances, their expressions filled with a sense of excitement as if their suppressed emotions had been released.

However, at the same time, Yugi Muto (Dark) and Seto Kaiba, who had just noticed a special detail on this unassuming 2-star monster card, immediately shook their heads solemnly.

"It seems...it's not that simple..."

But the instant the two finished speaking, a 500-point damage indicator suddenly appeared in Youfeng's Duel Disk...

Then, two monster cards that were almost identical to those in Malik's field were immediately selected by Malik from his deck and thrown directly into Yuufu's field:

【Swift Flying Squirrel】

[Race: Beast]

[Attribute: Earth]

[Star rating: 2]

[Attack power: 800]

[Defense: 100]

"Ah this..."

"???"

"What's going on?! What happened?!"

In an instant, upon witnessing this bizarre event, everyone's expressions changed slightly, staring in disbelief at the two rats leaping high into the air with fierce expressions appearing on the field.

"Even though monsters that break through defense don't lose HP, they shouldn't lose HP to the enemy, right?"

Kyoko Masaki's furrowed brows and her protesting gaze flickered rapidly.

...

But in that instant, the white-haired youth also raised the [Millennium Staff] high, making a gesture that said, "I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush," and revealed a smug expression, grinning mischievously:

"When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, inflict 500 damage to your opponent's Life Points. You can Special Summon any number of 'Swiftmouse' cards from your Deck to your opponent's field in face-up Attack Position. This card cannot be Tributed for a Tribute Summon."

As Malik coldly explained, he raised his golden staff high. In an instant, tendrils seemingly sprouted from the black mist surrounding the two, wrapping around Youfeng's legs, as if to freeze him completely to the ground.

[Wind Speed: LP4000→3500]

"That's outrageous!!"

"This completely blocks both of Youfeng's slots... There's no way to use them to create [Cyber ​​Dragon]..."

"Does that mean I have to use an active attack to get myself killed?! That would take away a lot of health..."

The moment everyone sensed the malice emanating from the "sunny boy" Malik, their speculations arose.

Yugi Muto quickly shook his head and asserted, "No, if we follow their line of thinking, the situation will probably get even worse..."

...

Just as everyone was feeling indignant about Malik's underhanded behavior at the very beginning, they were all standing up for Yu Feng.

Youfeng nodded slightly, then glanced at Malik opposite him before placing a [Cyber ​​Dragon Core] face-down in the front row. After a brief silence, he chose to temporarily end his turn based on the current resource situation.

"..."

"My turn is over!"

At that very moment, as the rounds changed, "Sunshine Boy" Malik quickly reached for his duel disk:

"Very good, very good! It seems I underestimated you, Yufeng... You can remain unfazed even when facing the damage from the Dark Duel..."

"However, I bet you won't be able to withstand this next move!"

"Hmph hmph hmph~ Hahahaha!"

In that instant, Malik in the sky also burst into a fit of utter madness, as if releasing a pent-up rage:

...

Among the crowd who were all holding their breath for Youfeng as they witnessed this scene, Shizuka suddenly felt the wheelchair she was supporting... seem to tremble slightly.

"Um?!"

After letting out a puzzled sound, Shizuka immediately turned her gaze to her brother and saw that although Jonouchi Katsuya was still unconscious, he was now as if he were trapped in a nightmare, his face contorted with pain, his fists clenched, and his head covered in cold sweat.

Shizuka quickly gripped her brother's arm tightly:

"Brother, what did you feel?!"

And at this moment——

A massive burst of flames erupted from the Sky Arena atop the Duel Tower. After letting out a near-demonic, maniacal laugh, Malik finally played the Level 8 monster card he had just drawn:

"Next, I'm going to burn you alive!"

"Youfeng, I'm giving you a big treasure!"

...

In an instant, facing the scorching flames, the distorted figure of Jonouchi Katsuya was also jolted awake, his eyes wide open.

Katsuya Jonouchi: "Aaaaaah~"

Upon seeing the iron cage that had suddenly enveloped him, You Feng immediately realized what the other party had done, and his face instantly darkened.