Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

【Double Soldier】【2☆/Wind】

[Warrior/Normal]

[500/300]

"You summoned a monster in Defense Position? I thought you'd only ever put monsters in Attack Position. But even defense is useless." Mai drew three cards from her hand. "Because I've already done everything I needed for victory!"

"I activate the Spell Card [Fusion]! I will use [Amazonian Pet Tiger] and [Amazonian Trainee] from my hand as Fusion Materials!"

"Come forth, guardian of the Amazon, Amazonian pet tiger and lion!"

After the Harpies lost their chance of victory, Mai Peacock used the Magic Hammer to create a miracle, summoning the strongest Amazonian pet tiger lion in her Amazonian deck!

The muscular yellow lion-tiger, like a tyrant surveying its territory, strode onto the peacock dance area. No need for ostentatious roars or howls; simply standing there, staring at its target, was enough to instill a terrifying sense of oppression.

[Amazonian Pet Tiger/Lion] [7 stars/location]

[Orc/Fusion/Effect]

[2500/2400]

"[Amazon]? But even this monster's attack power is still not as good as [Phoenix Sword Saint - Gia Freed]." Baron commented, "Although the effect of [Phoenix Sword Saint - Gia Freed] is not limited to once per turn, I cannot summon any more monsters even if you activate a Spell Card because I no longer have any Gemini monsters in my Graveyard."

Peacock Mai raised an eyebrow, revealing a smug expression: "In that case, I won't hold back. I'll activate the Spell Card [Fusion Recycle] to recycle the [Amazonian Pet Tiger] and [Fusion] that were previously used for Fusion Summoning. Then, I'll Normal Summon [Amazonian Pet Tiger]!"

A tiger-like creature, much smaller than the Amazonian pet tiger-lion, appeared in the peacock dance arena and joined the former in forming a defensive line on the ground.

[Amazonian Tiger Pet] [4 stars/location]

[Orc/Effect]

【1100/1500→1500/1500】

"The effect of the [Amazonian Pet Tiger] is that each [Amazonian] monster on the field gains 400 attack power, and the opponent cannot attack other [Amazonian] monsters."

"And the Amazonian pet tiger and lion also have the same effect of attracting attacks."

At this point, Mai Kongque smiled and said, "In other words, you can't destroy my [Amazon], and that's my return gift!"

Balong said with a wry smile, "He really holds a grudge."

The so-called return gift, as referred to by Mai the Peacock, is of course the double [Charging Captain] tactic used by Baron at the start of the duel, which is exactly the same as Mai the Peacock's current tactic.

but…

"So, Miss Wu, your tactic is defense?"

Upon hearing Balong's words, Kongquewu straightened her bangs and declared with high spirits, "No, I already said, I have seen the path to victory, and it is unobstructed!"

"Enter my battle phase!"

"I'm going to use the [Amazonian Pet Tiger Lion] to attack your [Phoenix Sword Saint - Gia Fried]," Peacock Dance smiled slyly. "When initiating an attack, the [Amazonian Pet Tiger Lion]'s attack power will increase by 500 points!"

"Defeat [Phoenix Sword Saint - Gia Fried] and bring me victory, [Amazonian Pet Tiger Lion]!"

"Hunting Rhythm!"

The Amazonian pet tiger-lion opened its blood-red maw and pounced on the Phoenix Sword Saint - Gia Freed. With the explosive power in its muscles, its attack power increased by 500 points, making it comparable to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!

[Amazonian Pet Tiger/Lion] [ATK 2500 → 3000]

Once [Phoenix Sword Saint - Gia Freed] is destroyed by this attack, Baron's field will only have the weak [Double Soldier] left, which will be unable to protect Baron from the attacks of the other monsters in the Peacock Dance.

"So strong, so incredibly strong!" Faced with such a desperate situation, Baron felt no sense of crisis whatsoever. Instead, he was captivated by the aura of the Amazonian pet tiger-lion as it pounced. "Such perfect muscles, such a powerful presence, so beautiful!"

As he spoke, he looked at Kong Que Wu. Seemingly because she saw a glimmer of hope for victory, Kong Que Wu's face revealed a confident smile, her long golden hair swaying in the wind, which made Baron a little stunned, his cheeks slightly flushed.

However, he quickly regained his composure and, with some hesitation, pressed the button to activate the card-covering function.

"My name is Baron, I am 25 years old, unmarried, currently traveling the world without a fixed place of residence. I enjoy swimming and long-distance running. I exercise for 30 minutes before bed every day and always get a steady eight hours of sleep like a baby."

"I'm not introducing myself, I'm just saying that I'm someone who longs for a peaceful life and doesn't have a strong desire to fight monsters. However, I don't want to lose in a duel either."

The cards in Baron's back row were flipped over, revealing a trap card that was quite similar to the card activated before the Peacock Dance.

The ultimate attack declaration trap known as "Hano's sublime power" is [Divine Shield - Mirror Power -]!

"N-Nani?!" Kong Que Wu looked shocked.

"boom!"

An unparalleled power erupted, and a dazzling light shone forth. First, the closest [Amazonian Pet Tiger Lion] was destroyed, then the [Amazonian Pet Tiger], and even the [Harpie Spirit Master] and [Harpie Queen] in the air were not spared from being destroyed one after another.

The Harpy Seer, with only a defensive stance, seemed to have anticipated this situation and survived by hiding behind the Harpy Queen and using "Defense Descent".

In an instant, the area that was originally covered by the Peacock Dance was cleared away. She looked at the only remaining [Eagle Prophet] on the field in disbelief and gave a wry smile.

"That's really embarrassing."

"I'm ending my round."

Peacock Dance really had no choice but to end her turn. She had pinned all her hopes on the battle just now, and had exhausted all her hand cards and face-down cards.

If I had known it would turn out this way, I should have summoned the Harpy first before activating the Magic Hammer. Peacock Mai was filled with regret and remorse, but there's no going back.

In the end, was it just another failure...?

Kong Quewu was quite disappointed, and her mood was directly reflected on her face, which showed her frustration.

Time and again, while Hayato, Yugi, and Jonouchi were making great strides toward the top, he was always left behind.

It was like this in Duel Kingdom, and it was like this in Duel City. In the KC Cup, I even lost to someone who wasn't even in the top eight of Duel City.

Just how far will the distance between myself and the city walls grow...?

Baron couldn't discern what Kong Quewu was thinking, but he could still sense her mood to some extent.

To be honest, Peacock Dance is very powerful, and Baron must admit that he has feelings for her and wants to pursue her. Judging from Peacock Dance's expression, she seems to be troubled by her lack of power? As he drew a card to start his turn, Baron also made a decision in his heart.

The [True Guardian - Bishop], which had been returned to the deck earlier, reappeared, and the Chain Hammer destroyed [Harpie Prophet] and sent it to the graveyard, followed by direct attacks from [Double Soldier] and [Phoenix Sword Saint - Gia Fried].

The greatsword, enveloped in flames, slashed down, completely wiping out the Peacock Dance's basic points, thus determining the winner of the duel.

[Peacock Dance: 3000LP→2500LP→0]

Chapter 406 The First Day Ends

Hayato, returning from Kaiba Park to the competition venue at Kaiba Dome, just in time to witness Baron's [Phoenix Sword Saint - Gia Freed] direct attack on Mai.

After the duel ended, Baron seemed to say something to Mai, but because the microphones in the duel arena would automatically turn off after the duel ended, Hayato only saw a slight hesitation on Mai's face before she resolutely refused.

"It's actually Baron facing off against Mai Kongjaku. Is it fate or coincidence?" Hayato had a pretty good idea of ​​what Baron hadn't been announced on the radio: joining "Doma" would grant him power.

"However, it's actually a dual monster based on the fire attribute warrior race. In some ways, it really suits him."

Guiping asked with some doubt, "Hayato-kun, do you know that person?"

Hayato shook his head.

"I wouldn't say we know each other; we've only met a few times."

The two returned to their seats, and soon after, the peacock dancer, who had been eliminated due to defeat, also returned to the audience, looking somewhat dejected.

In this situation, even if Jonouchi were replaced by any other man, he would at least offer Mai some comfort and reassurance, telling her not to be sad about her defeat in the duel. However, Mai has her eye on Jonouchi.

After seeing the peacock dance approaching, this idiot actually started praising the dual monsters used by Baron, saying they were too strong and cool, especially the [Phoenix Sword Saint - Gia Freed]. He never imagined that [Gia Freed] would have such a form, with flames, a giant sword and shield, it couldn't be more perfect for his aesthetic.

Hayato could tell that Jonouchi meant well and was somewhat wise in his apparent foolishness. He knew that Mai was a strong-willed person and that comforting her in a normal way would only hurt her pride. So he thought of comforting Mai indirectly by saying that Baron was too amazing, rather than saying that Mai did a good job.

However, having an idea is one thing, but being able to achieve that effect through eloquence is another.

Jonouchi kept praising Baron's monster for being so cool and powerful, but the result was that Mai Peacock used a "two-finger Zen" move—pinching his waist and then performing a crocodile-like "death roll" to spin him 180 degrees. The pain made Jonouchi, who was thick-skinned, gasp, shrink back, and shut his mouth.

However, at the same time, some of Jonouchi's ideas were realized. Mai successfully emerged from the shadow of her defeat in the duel. Not only was she not discouraged, but she also successfully found an outlet for her temper and became the proud Mai she used to be.

Her expression had returned to normal, but whether Kong Que Wu's inner thoughts had changed was unknown to anyone.

Among the group, the duel scheduled for today was between Jonouchi and Mai. After their duel was over, the next duel would be between Hayato and Yugi tomorrow.

However, the end of the duel between Mai and Jonouchi does not mean there are no more duels on the field. You should know that the tickets for the seats at the Kaiba Dome, where the KC Cup is held, are not cheap at all. Although Hayato and his friends are eating at the Kaiba Dome, which is full of big spenders, they cannot just waste their money on seats.

Because the duelists who can enter the official competition have all gone through many rounds of selection, the preliminary rounds have already eliminated most of the ordinary duelists who were just there to fill the ranks. There are not many weak duelists left, and the clashes between them can be described as fierce battles, producing many high-quality duels.

Hayato also witnessed the duel between Rafael and Amelda. Just as Baron used a Gemini Monster deck and Amelda used a Mech deck, Rafael's deck was not the Guardian deck that Hayato remembered, but an Angel-type deck.

Although Hayato was eager to see what kind of amazing plays Raferu could make with this Fairy-type deck, unfortunately, his opponent was not strong enough and was defeated and eliminated by Raferu in just three turns.

The game noticed that there were several young children in today's competition, who looked to be under ten years old, with the oldest appearing to be only eleven or twelve.

"I didn't expect the kid to be so good now. He actually managed to participate in the official KC Cup competition and even won." Jonouchi said with surprise, his gaze falling on the black-haired boy who had just defeated his opponent and was now basking in the cheers of the audience. "But that guy looks so familiar."

Honda subconsciously cracked his knuckles, making a "crack" sound: "Indeed, and I don't know why, but whenever I see that guy, I always feel like punching him."

The KC Cup was held in the United States, and English is one of the most widely spoken languages. Although the name of the black-haired boy was displayed on the big screen of the KC Cup, unfortunately, students like Honda and Jonouchi had no idea who he was. They could only feel that they had seen him somewhere before.

Yugi and Hayato exchanged a glance and smiled helplessly, clearly realizing that Jonouchi and Honda didn't recognize the English names. Kyoko bluntly retorted, "Jonouchi, you're even holding the duel disk that your brother lost in a duel!"

As she spoke, Kyoko pointed to the winner's name displayed on the big screen, "That child's name is Jun Banjou."

"Manjou-no-Mitsu?!"

Jonouchi looked surprised. "Who is that?"

"Idiot, he's Manjoume Seiji's younger brother!"

Honda patted Jonouchi on the back, clearly having remembered, thanks to Kyoko's reminder, where he had seen Jun Manjoume.

"Before the Duel City started, wasn't your Duel Disk something Hayato won from Manjoume Seiji?"

"Oh, I remember now." Jonouchi slapped his palm, but was still a little puzzled. "How could Manjoume Seiji's younger brother make it into the top 64 of the KC Cup? His older brother isn't that strong."

Hayato sat to the side, smiled, and said nothing. In fact, it was he who had facilitated Jun Manjoume's participation in the competition.

Because of a phone call from Kaiba that day, he learned that Manjoume and Judai both wanted to participate in the KC Cup. Since neither of them came from an ordinary family, they came to the United States to participate in the competition accompanied by their parents.

Jaden seems to have a great fit with the cards of [E·hero]. Although his deck is full of ordinary cards, he can always draw cards that match them, such as Greed and [Foam Launcher], [E·hero Flash] and [Shock Gun]. He rose all the way to 30th place in the preliminary rounds.

Manjou's luck was relatively worse. Although he was not weak, he always encountered some tricky opponents. He encountered Samejima and Malik, those two mischievous card players, no less than three times. In endless torment, he stumbled and fell, finally managing to enter the official competition in sixty-fourth place.

It's worth mentioning that Manjoume's last duel in the preliminary rounds was his third duel with Malik. Although Manjoume had the Panda Dragon [Dragon of Light and Darkness], which could negate any effect, Malik was unscrupulous and played a backrow five-card deck. After the Panda Dragon negated one of the activations, it chained a [Divine Punishment], which was quite disgusting and dragged the duel for nearly thirty turns.

In the end, a satisfied Malik chose to forfeit, retaining his 65th place ranking and allowing Manjoume to advance. However, according to Malik, although he was the victor, Manjoume Jun's expression at the time was extremely sour; he was not only angry but also resentful.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. No matter how I tried to develop my strategy, I was always interrupted by the opponent. No matter how I attacked, I couldn't even touch the opponent. I finally managed to summon a second powerful monster, only to be given a big treasure with the [Torture Wheel] attached to it by the opponent. In the end, the opponent even surrendered, and I couldn't even get revenge.

That feeling was really... Suddenly, Hayato realized that it seemed like he was the only one giving others this feeling, and he had never encountered this situation himself. Well, it's okay.