Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

On the dueling platform, looking at the towering [Superconducting Terror Beast] whose body was crackling with lightning, Jonouchi was not afraid of its ferocious aura at all. Instead, he revealed an excited smile: "Yosh, my turn, draw!"

“【Hyperconductive Terrorbeast】, what a powerful monster! And I bet those lightning bolts on its body aren’t just for show, are they?” After glancing at the 【Hyperconductive Terrorbeast】 crackling with lightning, Jonouchi proudly played a card: “Since you said you wanted to show me your growth, then I can’t let you go without giving me an equal return!”

"The Magic Card [Ruby's Treasure Card], you can only activate one of these cards per turn."

"I will send a Level 7 Red-Eyes monster, namely Red-Eyes Black Dragon, from my hand to the Graveyard, and draw two cards from my Deck. Then, I can send another Level 7 Red-Eyes monster from my Deck to the Graveyard!"

From Jonouchi's hand, one "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" was sent to the graveyard, and then two more cards were added to his hand. At the same time, Jonouchi also retrieved one "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" from his deck and sent it to the graveyard to compress his deck.

However, Jonouchi's decision to send the second "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" to the graveyard surprised Ryuzaki.

"Jonnouchi, you actually have a second Red-Eyes?!"

"Hmph, envious, aren't you? I only got these cards because I was incredibly lucky." Jonouchi's two Red-Eyes cards were given to him by the arrogant Kaiba under the guise of "getting rid of trash." Although he felt somewhat indebted to Kaiba, Jonouchi would never admit it, nor would he steer the conversation toward that topic.

"I have a full three copies of [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] in my deck."

After hearing Jonouchi's boastful words, what could Ryuzaki, who was unaware of the full story, say? He could only feel a pang of envy, but it was unlikely that he developed any greed as a result.

'Is this the world of the rich? I'm so jealous.' That's about it.

In his moment of triumph, Jonouchi played another card: "Well, even though I have three Red-Eyes Black Dragons in my deck, I'm actually a little reluctant to send them to the graveyard. In that case, I'll activate the Spell Card, Dark Factory."

"I've added two Normal Monsters from my graveyard to my hand. Come back, Red-Eyes!"

First came a [Ruby Treasure Card], then a [Dark Factory]. After playing these two cards, Jonouchi's hand not only didn't decrease but increased to seven cards. Moreover, everyone knew that he also retrieved two [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] cards into his hand.

"Alright, I'm going to go now, Ryuzaki! I'll use this monster that symbolizes my bond with the game!" Jonouchi said, playing a super versatile card—[Fusion]. "I activate the Spell Card [Fusion], and then send [Summon the Sin] and a [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] from my hand as Fusion materials to the Graveyard!"

Opposite the towering [Superconducting Terror Beast], the phantoms of a skeletal demon and a jet-black dragon appeared behind the castle and were sucked into the vortex that appeared above the castle's grounds. As the power of [Fusion] began to take effect, an electric current sound, different from that of the [Superconducting Terror Beast], came from the [Fusion].

With lightning crackling around its enormous wings and spewing black dragon breath from its mouth, the monster that descends upon the field within the castle is the strongest force in its deck!

"Come forth, [Demon Dragon - Dark Demon Dragon]!"

Chapter 383 The Duel of "Tough Guys"

【Demon Dragon - Dark Dragon】【ATK3200】

The Demon Dragon - Dark Demon Dragon, summoned by fusing the game's "Demon Summoning" and Jonouchi's "Red-Eyes Black Dragon," made its grand entrance by majestically swinging its long tail and displaying its beautiful figure, standing in stark contrast to Ryuzaki's "Hyperconductive Terror Beast."

With a dismissive glance at Ryuzaki, who looked as if facing a formidable enemy, the [Demon Dragon - Dark Demon Dragon] snorted and emitted a burst of black flames, completely disregarding the [Superconducting Terror Beast], whose attack power was even greater than its own.

It's just a mere 100-point advantage in attack power. Compared to the super Duel Monsters like Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and Obelisk the Tormentor that [Dark Dragon] encountered in Duel City, [Superconducting Terrorbeast] is really nothing.

However, unlike the disdainful look of the [Demon Dragon - Dark Dragon], Jonouchi's attitude towards the duel was quite serious.

"I'm still 100 points short of attack power. In that case, I'll use this card to support it." Jonouchi said, inserting a card into the Spell & Trap Zone of the Duel Disk. "Equip Spell Card [Dark Dragon Claw], as an Equip Spell Card for DARK Dragon-Type monsters, this card can increase the attack power of the equipped target [Dark Dragon] by 600 points!"

[Demon Dragon - Dark Dragon] [ATK3200→3800]

"Yosh! Now the [Demon Dragon - Dark Demon Dragon]'s attack power has surpassed that of the [Superconducting Terror Beast]!" Jonouchi exclaimed excitedly. "Then let's go, Ryuzaki! Enter my battle phase!"

"【Demon Dragon - Dark Demon Dragon】, attack 【Superconducting Terror Beast】, Dark Thunderfire Bullet!"

At Jonouchi's command, the [Demon Dragon - Dark Demon Dragon] completely ignored the sharp steel claws on its hands and instead opened its mouth to take a deep breath, swallowing the lightning that emanated from its body along with the black flames attached to its breath.

Then, it is spit out.

A dragon breath sphere, roughly half the size of the [Superconducting Terror Beast], was unleashed. Even before being hit, Ryuzaki could sense the destructive power emanating from the sphere, radiating an aura of destruction from the overflowing lightning and uncontrollable black flames.

"Tch, not bad, Jonouchi. Well then, I'll activate my face-down card, [Explosive Attack—]"

"--roar!!!"

Ryuzaki had just reached for the Duel Disk, remembering to press the activation button in the Magic Trap Zone to activate the [Explosive Armor] he had set up last turn and take down Jonouchi's [Demon Dragon - Dark Dragon], but before he could press the button, he heard the [Demon Dragon - Dark Dragon], which had just launched its attack, let out a roar.

His finger did indeed press the activation button, but the [Explosive Armor] he expected did not activate. No matter how many times Ryuzaki tried to press it, he could not activate the [Explosive Armor] and could only watch helplessly as the [Superconducting Terror Beast] was hit and destroyed by the lightning fire bullet and sent to the graveyard.

[Ryuzaki: 4000→3500LP]

"What's going on? Is my Duel Disk broken?"

Just as Ryuzaki was puzzled, Jonouchi laughed smugly and explained, "Hehe, this is a duel between tough guys, there's no room for magic or trap cards."

"When battling with [Dark Dragon], your opponent cannot activate the effects of Spell Cards, Trap Cards, or Monsters until the end of the damage calculation step."

"Whether it's [Demon Dragon - Dark Dragon] launching an attack, or your monster attacking my [Demon Dragon - Dark Dragon], it's all the same."

Upon hearing the effect of [Demon Dragon - Dark Dragon], Ryuzaki frowned, because wouldn't this completely render his [Explosive Armor] useless?

Fortunately, the other card he covered was still usable: "What a troublesome effect. Well then, I'll open this card, [Time Machine]."

"When a monster you or your opponent controls is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, activate its effect to Special Summon that destroyed monster to the field of the controller at the time of its destruction in the same form."

A massive machine rose from the ground, its hatch only halfway open when it was torn open by the impatient [Superconducting Terror Beast] with a single claw.

The [Superconducting Terror], which had just been to the graveyard, was resurrected on Ryuzaki's field. Having died once, it bared its teeth and glared angrily at the [Demon Dragon - Dark Demon Dragon] that had just killed it.

【Superconductive Terror Beast】【ATK3300】

Seeing this, Jonouchi scratched the back of his head helplessly: "Seriously, they're so troublesome. They were already killed once, yet they've returned from the graveyard."

"Hmph, don't underestimate dinosaurs, Jonouchi." Although Ryuzaki was at a disadvantage now, it didn't stop him from being proud of his monster. "Dinosaurs have been the rulers of the earth since ancient times, and they won't be so easily defeated by you."

"They called themselves overlords, but they were still wiped out by a meteorite, weren't they? Even I know that." Jonouchi muttered, glancing at his hand. "My battle phase ends here. And then, [Demon Dragon - Dark Dragon] has another effect that can be activated."

"At the end of the Battle Phase when the Fusion Summoned [Dark Dragon] has fought, you can select a [Red-Eyes] Normal Monster from my Graveyard to activate this effect."

As Jonouchi declared, his [Demon Dragon - Dark Demon Dragon] clenched its massive fist, igniting black flames, and slammed it heavily into the ground. The blow created a crater in the ground, and jet-black flames erupted from the ground like a volcanic eruption, bypassing the [Superconducting Terror Beast] and spreading directly to Ryuzaki!

"Alas!"

Caught off guard by the flames, although it was just a simple high temperature and not to the point of burning pain, the black flames that rushed towards him still startled Ryuzaki, and his basic points were deducted accordingly.

[Ryuzaki: 3500→1100LP]

"The monster I choose is Red-Eyes Black Dragon, which was just sent to the Graveyard by Fusion. I will convert the original ATK of Red-Eyes Black Dragon into effect damage that will be applied to you, and then return Red-Eyes Black Dragon to my Deck."

After finally calming down, Ryuzaki heard Jonouchi's smug and somewhat annoying voice.

The [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] retrieved from the graveyard is shuffled into the deck. Jonouchi is unusually happy because he has suppressed others instead of being suppressed himself. He even hums a little tune: "Hmph~ Hmph~, I set a card down and end my turn."

"Hehehe, now you've seen how powerful I am, Ryuzaki? Red-Eyes is very strong in my hands, and your life points are already as weak as a candle in the wind."

[Within the city: 4000LP, 2 cards in hand]

【Demon Dragon - Dark Dragon】(Claw of the Dark Dragon Clan)【ATK3800】

【GaiKa】

'The card I set down is "Bribery of the Demon Palace." With this card, no matter if Ryuzaki has a Spell/Trap Card like "Whirlwind" or "Lightning Vortex" that destroys my cards, he won't be able to remove my "Dark Demon Dragon."'

'Next turn, if I activate another 'Ruby Treasure Card' from my hand and send 'Red-Eyes Black Dragon' from my hand to the Graveyard, I can activate the effect of 'Dark Dragon' again. Then, regardless of whether Ryuzaki summons a monster in Attack Position or Defense Position, he'll have to take another 2400 points of damage.'

'No matter how you look at it, it's a victory for me! Hahaha! I'm such a genius!'

In his heart, Jonouchi thought so arrogantly that he almost laughed out loud, and his face showed a confident expression.

In the audience, Mai, who wasn't scheduled to perform, looked at Jonouchi's expression and sighed, covering her forehead with a helpless expression: "That Jonouchi guy is getting cocky again. He's only gained a little advantage and he's already acting like that. When will that idiot ever mature?"

Although she didn't know what Jonouchi's card was, based on Mai's familiarity with Jonouchi, she could tell that the guy must have put down some kind of counterattack card and was probably gloating over his cleverness right now.

“If Jonouchi wasn’t smug, he wouldn’t be Jonouchi, right?” Honda remarked. “After all, his character is that of a reckless man who wears his heart on his sleeve. If he acted like he was doing everything his plan, he wouldn’t be Jonouchi.”

“Even though he’s already grown into a duelist in his own right, Jonouchi is still as reckless as ever.” Hayato, sitting beside him, nodded in agreement. “Underestimating his opponent and being careless is one thing—someone once said, ‘How can one be a king without being careless?’ But he just uttered that forbidden word.”

As everyone knows, the phrase "a candle flickering in the wind" is not something to be used lightly. To dare to utter such a phrase when you have such a great advantage, that guy Jonouchi is going to suffer.

"My turn, draw a card."

Sure enough, upon hearing Jonouchi's taunts, Ryuzaki was spurred on and suddenly drew a card from his deck: "It's just a temporary lead, Jonouchi, you're getting a little too cocky!"

"I activate the Spell Card [Whirlwind] to destroy the [Dark Dragon Claw] equipped on [Dark Dragon]!" Ryuzaki played the card he had just drawn. "With this equipped Spell Card gone, the advantage is back in my hands!"

As [Whirlwind] was inserted into the Spell & Trap Zone, a tornado was created on Ryuzaki's field, moving straight toward Jonouchi's [Demon Dragon - Dark Dragon], or rather, the [Dark Dragon Claws] equipped on the [Demon Dragon - Dark Dragon]'s claws!

Seeing this, Jonouchi became even more smug: "Damn it, I, Jonouchi, had already planned this all along. Don't even think about ruining my equipment card, Ryuzaki!"

"I activate my face-down card [Bribery of the Demon Palace]. When my opponent activates a Spell Card or Trap Card, I can negate and destroy that activation, and then my opponent draws one card from their deck!"

Just as the whirlwind was about to strike, two voices suddenly rang out in the sky above the castle and Ryuzaki's fields—

"what do you mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything?"

If it doesn't mean anything, then don't bother.

"Wouldn't that make it less fun?"

"You're being mean when it's not?"

"I'm just doing it as a token gesture."

Under the guise of a PY deal, Ryuzaki's "Whirlwind" was negated before it could reach "Dark Dragon Claw" due to a "gift," and at the same time, Ryuzaki also received a "gift"—drawing a card from his deck.

Seeing the card drawn, Ryuzaki glanced at Jonouchi with some surprise: "Jonouchi, your face-down card is quite unexpected."

Jonouchi completely failed to notice anything amiss in Ryuzaki's tone, assuming he was being praised, and said smugly, "How about that, I gave you a surprise, didn't I?"

"A surprise, it really is a surprise, but you'd better translate what you mean by 'surprise'." Ryuzaki played the card he had just drawn with a strange expression. "I activate the card I just drew, the spell card [Pot of Greed]! Replenish two cards from my deck!"

Because of the effect of [Cronus's Pot], Ryuzaki drew two cards from his deck, and his eyes lit up when he saw the cards he had drawn.

At the start of the turn, Ryuzaki had zero cards in his hand. Drawing "Whirlwind" was considered lucky, but that was it. Neither destroying Jonouchi's face-down cards nor "Dark Dragon Claw" gave Ryuzaki any real confidence in winning.

However, thanks to Jonouchi's "Bribery of the Demon Palace," Ryuzaki's "Pot of Greed" successfully turned the tide, and he found a way to defeat Jonouchi!

"Quick-Play Spell Card [Double Whirlwind]: You can activate this effect by targeting one Spell/Trap Card on my field and one Spell/Trap Card on your opponent's field. Destroy all of those cards!"

Ryuzaki played his cards, pointing to the [Explosive Armor] set to the back row and the [Dark Dragon Claw] equipped by [Demon Dragon - Dark Demon Dragon]. Since [Explosive Armor] was sealed and couldn't activate due to the effect of [Demon Dragon - Dark Demon Dragon], let it give off its last bit of light and heat!

As Ryuzaki designated two cards, a double-helix whirlwind appeared on the field, sweeping towards the two designated cards. In an instant, the two cards were lifted into the air, torn apart, and sent to the Graveyard.

【Demon Dragon - Dark Dragon】【ATK3200】

"Yosh, that destroys your [Dark Dragon Claw]." Ryuzaki swung his fist triumphantly, revealing a confident smile. "In that case, I can use this card without any burden."

"I activate the effect of [Superconducting Terror Beast]!"

Chapter 384 [Superconducting Terror Beast], I like you so much (Water Bro face)

"In that case, I can use this card without any burden!" Ryuzaki said smugly, waving his hand. "I'm going to activate the effect of [Superconducting Terror Beast]!"