Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

However, in reality, Jonouchi never held back from the beginning and always went all out. It's just that his strength fluctuated greatly. When he was in good condition, he could suppress Kaiba, but when he was in bad condition, he could hold his own against an elementary school student for more than ten rounds.

To put it another way, it's like being able to go toe-to-toe with anyone?

In short, it's now Jonouchi's turn again, and he only has 19 cards left in his deck, so he doesn't have many chances to attack.

If it were Kaiba or Yugi, they might think about what kind of card they need to draw to solve their immediate problem before drawing a card. But Jonouchi's approach is simple: just draw the card first and figure things out in the end.

"Alright, it's my turn now, draw a card!"

Chapter 429 Victory brings more than just joy, it also...

"Yosh, it's my turn, draw a card!"

Jonouchi glanced at the card he had drawn and raised an eyebrow. It was because the card he had drawn was the same one that Kitamori Reiko had drawn in the previous round: the Pot of Greed.

Drawing two cards from the deck without any cost is a real lifesaver for Jonouchi, who has had no way to defeat Reiko's "Puppet King" so far.

However, it's not as simple as just drawing a card to activate it. There's another card blocking Jonouchi's way: the [Danger Machine Type 6] that he activated himself.

"Although I don't really want Kaiba to say that I only rely on luck, I believe that my future is determined by myself." Jonouchi was somewhat unsure of himself, but he still maintained a confident demeanor and pointed to the Danger Machine 6 in his backcourt.

"During my preparation phase, [Dangerous Machine Type 6] rolls a die, and the effect is activated based on the number rolled!"

One after another, the light-emitting devices lit up, and the light spheres, moving erratically, appeared and disappeared instantly on the numbers "1", "1", "4", "5", "1", "4". Lacking confidence in his dynamic vision and ability to deduce patterns of movement, Jonouchi, relying solely on his intuition, casually shouted, "Then, stop here!"

As Jonouchi made his declaration, the speed of the light sphere's movement suddenly decreased, appearing in succession after "3", "2", "5", and "4", and it looked like it was about to stop at position "1", making Jonouchi's nerves tense up.

This won't stop! You see, if the roll of [Dangerous Machine Type 6] is 1, the effect is "Jounouchi discards a card from his hand". In other words, the [Pot of Greed] that you finally managed to draw will have to be discarded.

Damn it, gambling cards are definitely no good!

While feeling extremely frustrated, Jonouchi made up his mind once again. Previously, it was because Ryuzaki always complained that he was the strongest when using gambling cards that Jonouchi reluctantly put those gambling cards that he had previously removed back into the deck.

After this duel, I must clear out all the gambling cards!

Just as Jonouchi made up his mind, the body of the [Danger Machine Type 6] suddenly shook, and the ball of light that was about to stop at the "1" suddenly moved forward one more step and came to the number "6".

Then, before Jonouchi could react, the [Dangerous Machine Type 6], which had triggered the self-destruct function of number "6", suddenly exploded, was destroyed and sent to the graveyard, and disappeared from Jonouchi's sight, as if it was afraid that Jonouchi would make up his mind to remove the gambling card from the deck after seeing it.

"Uh, since the point is 6, [Dangerous Machine Type 6] will be destroyed and sent to the graveyard..." Jonouchi sent the card to the graveyard, slightly troubled.

I had just made up my mind to eliminate gambling cards because of the high risks involved, so how did they manage to activate so quickly?

Although it wasn't the "3" or "5" that benefited Jonouchi the most, it wasn't "1" either, and Jonouchi was able to preserve the [Pot of Greed].

“Then, I activate the Spell Card [Pot of Greed] and draw two cards from my deck.” Jonouchi inserted [Pot of Greed] into his Spell & Trap Zone, placed his fingers on his deck, and drew two cards. “Then, I will Normal Summon [Iron Knight - Gia Freed], which I just drew.”

Within the city: 19→16

A knight clad in steel armor appeared on the field inside the castle, standing side by side with [Magic Knight - Kirtia].

【Iron Knight - Kia Fried】【ATK1800】

At the cost of being unable to use Equip Cards, Jonouchi summons [Iron Knight - Gia Freed], which boasts exceptional attack and defense capabilities among lower-level monsters.

However, at this moment, he and [Magic Knight - Giltia] are not facing a monster of the same level, but rather [Puppet King] with an attack power of 2800. In Jonouchi's deck, the monster with the highest attack power is [Summoning of the Sin], but it only has 2500 attack power and requires a tribute.

However, that is only the strongest monster in Jonouchi's "deck". There is one card that can create miracles.

"I activate my last card, the Spell Card [Fusion]!" Jonouchi flipped over the last card in his hand, the very foundation of Fusion Summoning—the [Fusion] Spell Card. "I have two Warrior-Type monsters with different attributes on my field. I'll use [Magical Knight Giltia] and [Iron Knight Gia Freed] as Fusion Materials!"

"The gleam of steel, the radiance of magic, the indomitable spirit of the warrior intertwined, the magic of steel, overflowing with passion, touch and transform! Become the last hope, the strongest gem warrior!"

"Fusion Summon! [Steel Magic Knight - Giltia Freed]!"

In the duel in Duel City, the [Steel Magic Knight - Giltia Freed] that Jonouchi used in his duel with Kaiba reappears. His skirt, adorned with magical gems, flutters in the wind, and he raises his battle blade, pointing it directly at the [Puppet King].

【Steel Magic Knight - Giltia Freed】【8☆/Light】

[Warrior Race/Fusion/Effect]

[2700/1600]

One is a powerful figure with a cloak, the other a big shot with a flowing skirt. Although the [Puppet King] has a slightly higher attack power, the [Steel Magic Knight - Giltia Freed] has a stronger aura. Besides, attack power can be altered.

"Entering my battle phase, here we come, Reiko." Jonouchi waved his arm forward. "I'll use my [Steel Magic Knight - Giltia] to attack [Puppet King], and since this is a battle against a monster, [Steel Magic Knight - Giltia Freed] has an effect that can be activated!"

"Once per turn, during damage calculation when [Steel Magic Knight - Giltia Freed] battles an opponent's monster, banish one Spell Card from my Graveyard to increase [Steel Magic Knight - Giltia Freed]'s ATK by half its DEF until the end of this turn!"

"I will use the [Pot of Greed] in the graveyard to increase the attack power of [Steel Magic Knight - Giltia Freed] by half of his defense power, which is 800 points!"

As Jonouchi made his declaration, he took the card "Pot of Greed" from the graveyard and stuffed it into his pants pocket. Meanwhile, on the field, "Steel Magic Knight - Giltia Freed" charged at "Puppet King" while muttering something, enchanting his weapon and causing the gems on his body to light up one after another.

Seeing this, Kitamori Reiko also pressed the button to activate the face-down card: "Jounouchi-kun, I won't give up like this. I'm already a duelist who dares to face battle head-on!"

"Activate my face-down card, Quick-Play Spell Card [Forbidden Lance]! This card reduces the ATK of one monster by 800 until the end of the turn, and it is unaffected by the effects of other Spell/Trap Cards!"

Looking at the confident Kitamori Reiko, Jonouchi nodded in satisfaction: "That's really good, Reiko. I can feel the duelist's encouragement surging in waves!"

"Then I, Katsuya Jonouchi, must also pull myself together and reciprocate this sentiment!"

After Reiko pressed the card-covering button, Jonouchi also pressed his card-covering activation button, almost simultaneously with Reiko's card-covering, and both of their cards opened at the same time.

"The Quick-Play Spell Card [Forbidden Cloth] can reduce the ATK of one monster by 600 points and prevent it from being targeted by card effects or destroyed by card effects."

Jonouchi glanced at Reiko's activated [Forbidden Holy Lance]: "Last turn, when [Puppet King] attacked my [Red-Eyes Black Dragon], I did think about activating this card, but my intuition made me hold back, and thankfully I did."

"Otherwise, Reiko, you would have chained my [Forbidden Cloth] to activate [Forbidden Holy Lance], right? In that case, not only would I have failed to change the outcome of [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] being destroyed, but I would have also wasted a card. Well, my intuition is pretty accurate, isn't it?"

As he spoke, Jonouchi scratched the back of his head and laughed.

On both sides' fields, the effects of [Forbidden Cloth] and [Forbidden Lance] activated one after the other, landing on the target monsters in an alternating fashion. [Puppet King] was covered with a layer of light, while [Forbidden Lance] accurately pierced [Steel Magic Knight - Giltia Freed].

Seeing this, Kitamori Reiko breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Jonouchi with a smile, saying, "You're really something, Jonouchi-kun. Even my activation of the Gaika was within your calculations. I originally thought I could use the Forbidden Holy Lance to counterattack the Steel Magic Knight - Giltia Freed."

"It seems that my [Puppet King] is destined to be destroyed, and I will suffer 500 points of damage as a result."

As she spoke, Reiko Kitamori looked at the [Puppet King].

【King of the Dolls】【ATK2800→2200】

"No, Reiko, it should be 1300 points of damage."

"Hey?"

Seeing the surprised expression on Reiko's face, Jonouchi said smugly, "Hmph, don't think you're the only genius, Reiko. I, Jonouchi, am the best at scheming. From the very beginning, the only card that was successfully activated was my [Forbidden Cloth]!"

As if echoing Jonouchi's words, the Steel Magic Knight - Giltia Freed, who had been pierced by the Forbidden Holy Lance, suddenly reached out and grabbed the Forbidden Holy Lance, pulling it out to reveal his armor, which showed no signs of breaking.

"The second effect of 【Steel Magic Knight - Giltia Freed】is that once per turn, when the effect of a Spell, Trap, or Monster that targets him is activated, negate that effect, and I may choose to destroy one card on the field."

The magic knight gripped the Forbidden Holy Lance, the golden spear originally intended to be used against him, but now it had become his weapon. Following Jonouchi's wishes, the Steel Magic Knight - Giltia Freed did not take a running start and threw the Forbidden Holy Lance like a javelin.

Jonouchi stretched out his hand and pointed at the [Puppet King] on Kitamori Reiko's field: "Although logically speaking, destroying the [Puppet King] would be the best choice at this moment, but!"

“Reiko, you responded to me with such passionate courage, and I must respond with a passionate battle in return!” Jonouchi twirled his finger. “Therefore, the card I choose to destroy is that one in your back row that represents your past, [Tragedy on the Battlefield]!”

The golden spear fell, destroying the "Tragic Battlefield" card that Kitamori Reiko had originally used to execute her deck-reducing strategy in the back row. Meanwhile, in Reiko's front row, the towering "Puppet King" clashed with "Steel Magic Knight - Giltia Freed".

【Steel Magic Knight - Giltia Freed】【ATK 2700→3500】

The heavy greatsword clashed with the light magical blade. The seemingly one-sided weight difference was reversed by the magical power applied to the blade. After several swings, the magic knight bent over to avoid the sweeping attack of the [Puppet King] and then rushed into its arms, piercing the latter's chest with his blade.

"boom!"

The body of the "Puppet King" was directly detonated by the magical power attached to the blade, leaving no trace of his body, just as if he had been touched by the Killer Queen. Kitamori Reiko also suffered 1300 points of combat damage, just as Jonouchi had said.

"Well!"

[Kitamori Reiko: 4000→2700LP]

Despite suffering such severe damage for the first time, Reiko felt no fear whatsoever. Instead, the intense battle made her truly appreciate the allure of Duel Monsters for the first time.

as well as……

Seeing Jonouchi's confident smile, Reiko's cheeks flushed slightly.

Jonouchi was completely unaware of this, and instead held up three fingers: "The final one, the third effect of [Steel Magic Knight - Giltia Freed]."

"This card, which can be Fusion Summoned using only monsters on the field as materials, can attack twice during the same Battle Phase." Pointing to Kitamori Reiko, whose field was now completely empty, Jonouchi issued another attack command.

"This is the final attack, Reiko."

"Stand tall, for you have done your best as a duelist."

"【Steel Magic Knight - Giltia Freed】, direct attack on the opponent's duelist!"

Compared to the force he used when attacking the [Puppet King], the Magic Knight's movements were much more casual when attacking Reiko directly. He merely symbolically swung his blade, creating a gust of wind that ruffled Reiko's hair and took away her last life points.

[Kitamori Reiko: 2700LP→0]

"Phew, I lost..." Reiko let out a long breath as she watched her life points drop to zero, but then she looked up and winked at the playful Jonouchi. "But this duel was really exciting and thrilling!"

"How about it? An exciting duel is definitely more interesting than a scary one, hahaha," Jonouchi said smugly. "What an interesting duel!"

In the audience, Honda raised an eyebrow as he watched the creaking metal armrests being squeezed by the peacock dancer, and looked gloatingly at Jonouchi, who was standing on the field laughing and shaking hands with Reiko.

I hope you can still laugh later, within the city!

Chapter 430: About the villain's sudden idea to recruit me

"Hahaha, how about that, Honda? You've seen how awesome I am now!" Back in the stands, the victorious Jonouchi beamed with pride. "KC Cup champion, hey! It's me, Jonouchi!"

To Jonouchi's surprise, Honda not only didn't criticize him, but also surprisingly took the opportunity to praise him: "Oh, Jonouchi, you're really amazing! You easily did what we couldn't do. I really admire you!"

As he spoke, Honda leaned closer with a teasing look on his face, as if he wanted to whisper something, but he didn't lower his voice at all, "Wow, Jonouchi, if this keeps up, you're going to become a big star. Won't you have tons of female fans then?"

"And I noticed that Kitamori Reiko seemed to have a bit of a crush on you~"

Jonouchi was completely oblivious to Honda's sinister intentions, his face practically beaming with smugness. But just as he was about to say something, he heard a cold female voice beside him:

"This is incredible! He's unexpectedly popular in the City of Stars! Humph!"

"Hey? Dance? Dance! That's not how it is, let me explain!"

Seeing that Mai was jealous but still wouldn't openly express her feelings for Jonouchi, and that silly Jonouchi, although somewhat aware of Mai's feelings for him, was clumsy in expressing them, Yugi couldn't help but smile like an aunt.

But his smile quickly faded.

"Miss Mai and Mr. Jonouchi have such a good relationship, I really envy them." A pair of hands expertly hooked around Yugi's arm, and Rebecca hugged it without any hesitation. "Hey, darling, I—"

"Hey, you little brat, let go of Yugi's hand!" Yugi's other free arm was also grabbed, and Anzu pulled Yugi away forcefully, as if to help him get rid of Rebecca.

However, Rebecca reacted quickly, grabbing Yugi's arm again. She was quite unhappy that Kyoko had interrupted her and tried to take Yugi away from her: "You wretched old woman, don't even think about taking your darling away!"