Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"[Gaia]!!!"

The spear, wreathed in spiraling power, tore through the gale, and the raging air currents ruffled the mane of the warhorse beneath him. Beneath the cold steel armor was not some other armor, but the long-awaited [Dark Knight - Gaia], who was attacking in his original form!

【Dark Knight - Gaia】【ATK2300】

The previous generation of instructors certainly knew about [Dark Knight Gaia], because a duelist who used this monster as his ace was so famous that even the apprentices recently recruited by "Cyber ​​Style" liked to put a copy of [Dark Knight Gaia] in their decks to "soul" it without studying "Cyber ​​Style" in depth.

However, the main reason is that their decks are not strong enough, and the Dark Knight Gaia with 2300 attack power can barely be used to fill the gap.

However, the deck of the challenger in front of me is clearly strong enough. The fact that he summoned the [ABC-Dragon Annihilator] in just one turn shows that the deck runs smoothly and has a mature system.

Including a [Disruption] monster in the deck can at least be explained as a "cannonball" for the effect of [ABC-Dragon Destroyer], but what about this [Dark Knight Gaia]?

Is this your "pure Mech deck"?

"The Dark Knight Gaia has an attack power of 2300. It has a higher attack power than the B-Destroyer Dragon, whose attack power drops to 1500 at the end of the turn. However, it is still no match for my Cyber ​​Ogre."

"Of course, although it is my ace, it is an ace detached from the environment. Although I can change into other forms to fight you, there is no need for that. I think Gaia's original form alone is enough to defeat you."

Hayato revealed a card in his hand. "Like the [Change of Heart] card from before, this card is also proof of the bond between me and my 'friends.' Let's end this duel with this card."

"I activate the Continuous Spell Card, [Summoning Exophysis]!"

Upon hearing the card name "Spiritual Exosome," the former master of the Electronic Flow hesitated for a moment, as he couldn't immediately recall the card's specific effects.

After all, the total number of Duel Monsters cards so far, even after excluding the numerous Normal Monsters, is already in the thousands. It's understandable if it's a card like "Pot of Greed" or "Treasure Card from Heaven" that anyone with a little knowledge of Duel Monsters would put in their deck to the maximum limit. But if it's a less common card, it's normal not to remember its effect.

However, the former instructor noticed that the Dark Knight Gaia, who had just appeared radiant and exuded an imposing aura, visibly trembled after hearing that Hayato had activated the card [Summoning Exophysis].

Seemingly realizing that the previous instructor was unaware of the effect of [Summoning Exosome], Hayato explained, "Although [Summoning Exosome] is a Continuous Spell Card activated on my field, it is like a Field Spell Card, where both players use its effect."

"At the end phase of each player's turn, they are required to select one face-up monster on their field, Tribute it, and then inflict damage to their opponent equal to half of that monster's original ATK."

"What? How could it be a card that actively releases one's own monster? Someone actually sacrificed their own monster!" The former master was shocked. Hayato's actions at this moment were completely different from the style of the "Duel Ritual" he had experienced in the past.

While others would say things like, "You actually destroyed my monster, how dare you!" or "I will never let you destroy my monster," this guy is the complete opposite. He actively sends his monster to the graveyard.

"You bastard!"

How could he call Hayato, someone he'd just met, an "idiot"?!

Hayato pushed up his non-existent glasses and, under the incredulous expression of the former master of the Electronic Flow and the terrified gaze of [Dark Knight Gaia], declared, "This is a necessary sacrifice."

"Then, my turn ends here, and the effect of [Spiritual Exosome] is forcibly activated. I need to Tribute my only face-up monster on the field - [Dark Knight Gaia] - to inflict half of the opponent's ATK - 2300 points, which is 1150 points of damage!"

"Final Rider, G, G, Gaia!"

With a voiceover added manually, Hayato waved his hand forward. A burst of spiritual light erupted from [Dark Knight - Gaia], and he seemed to be painted red and given horns, his speed tripling as he transformed into a phantom and crashed fiercely into the former master of the Electronic Flow.

Although the [Cyber ​​Ogre] tried to stop him, the phantom of [Dark Knight Gaia] instantly passed through the [Cyber ​​Ogre] and crashed into the former master without any hindrance!

"Ughhh!!"

Although it wasn't a Dark Game, [Dark Knight Gaia] was still a superior card spirit with the ability to materialize. The impact released by unleashing [Dark Knight Gaia] actually sent the former master flying, causing him to fall to the ground and slide several meters along the wooden floor of the dojo.

However, it only appeared that he had suffered some great injury. Hayato was holding back. In reality, the old man was not even as badly injured as if he had been slapped. The main purpose of flying him so far was to embarrass him. The reason he made a sound was mainly because the old man had never expected to be able to fly and was therefore not used to it.

[Previous generation of teacher training: 1100LP → 0]

Having won the duel and given the stubborn old man a minor lesson, Hayato took off the Duel Disc, held it on his shoulder with his right hand, and pressed his left palm against his ribs with his fingertips pointing down, striking a very flamboyant "S" shaped stance.

"Now, you old man who refuses to listen to anyone, will finally listen to what I have to say, honestly." Hayato gave himself a thumbs-up. "I've been making it clear from the beginning, I'm not here to kick—"

"Ah, Hayato-kun?"

Hayato had only spoken halfway when the dojo's door was pushed open, and the person who entered immediately saw Hayato standing in the center of the dojo, having just finished his duel with the former master of the Electro-Stream style.

"Samejima?" Hayato turned his head and saw the person who called out his name. It was none other than Samejima Iemitsu, the current instructor of the "Electronic Flow" gym, who had invited him to the gym but was not there himself.

At first glance, Hayato noticed that Samejima's hairline seemed to be receding.

"Ahahaha, I'm so sorry, Hayato-kun. I was held up outside for a bit. I hope I kept you waiting." Samejima smiled apologetically, then noticed the former instructor who was still lying on the ground. "Huh, teacher, what's this... is this some kind of new training method?"

The former instructor, lying on the ground, looked at Samejima, who was greeting Hayato with a nonchalant expression, and his eyebrows twitched: "Samejima, you're not trying to tell me that you know this kid, are you?"

“Uh, yeah, I’ve known Hayato since Duel Kingdom a few years ago.” Samejima scratched the back of his head, his eyes looking down at the Duel Disk worn by the previous master, and he suddenly realized, “Oh, I see, teacher, you’ve dueled with Hayato, haven’t you?”

Samejima truly knows how to rub salt in the wound. The former master, who had just lost the duel, was feeling incredibly embarrassed because he had been defeated and sent flying so far in front of his students. But Samejima brought it up again, which really annoyed him.

With a cold snort, the former instructor glanced at Hayato and replied to Samejima, "My chances against this brat named Hayato are about even."

Hayato gave the old man, who was obsessed with saving face, a subtle look.

I can kill you without taking any damage and you still call it a 50/50 chance? I was wondering before how someone with thick eyebrows and big eyes could teach a card-playing guy like Samejima. So Samejima's shamelessness in using traps is a secret of his sect?

Chapter 476: The memory of starry sleep and the moment of awakening—

With Samejima's explanation, Hayato finally understood why the previous instructor had misunderstood that he was there to challenge the dojo.

Just as Hayato learned from Samejima before, in order to expand its influence and maintain its development, the ancient school of "Electronic Flow" had Samejima, the current teacher, propose and promote the distinction between "Inner School" and "Outer School".

Of course, that's not what they say on the surface. After all, this kind of division sounds like it's dividing apprentices into superior and inferior ones. Why should your title be cooler than mine when we both paid money? In name, the dojo that "Electronic Flow" opened in America is called a "branch" and is operated like a chain store or branch.

Moreover, most of the disciples brought to America were those who had already completed part of their training and belonged to the most promising and talented group in the Electronic Flow Dojo, all so that the Electronic Flow Dojo could gain a foothold in America, currently the most prosperous country in the world.

However, at the same time, Samejima also mentioned to Hayato that he was also planning to open a branch in that rising country, which truly showed his unique vision.

There are many benefits to opening a branch gym. For example, it can allow the previously relatively secluded "Electronic Flow" gym to show its features and gain more fame, while lowering some of the barriers to entry to attract more apprentices. In addition, it can also break out of the old market and open up new markets, just like opening two mines in StarCraft.

However, other problems also arose. The changes brought ripples within "e-flow," the need to adapt to the new market culture, and most importantly, the American market was not only being targeted by "e-flow."

Even before "Electronic Flow" opened its branch, "Nen-ryu," "Electronic Flow's" old rival, had already seen the advantages of having a dojo here. Moreover, they went even further than "Electronic Flow" by relocating their headquarters here.

As a result, the "Psychic Flow," which had already passed the adjustment period with the local culture, started recruiting disciples, and gained some market share in the United States, noticed that its old rival, the "Electronic Flow," was also planning to develop in the United States. Is there any possibility of peaceful coexistence?

“I see. So these past few days, the ‘Psychic Stream’ has been sending people overtly and covertly to harass the ‘Electronic Stream’ and undermine its reputation?” Hayato nodded knowingly. “And the people who come to harass us are all in disguise. Ordinary disciples simply cannot stand up to them.”

"That's why you invited this old man to be here to keep things in order, and also to serve as his instructor."

"You brat, I feel like you're looking down on me, aren't you?" The former master, who had recovered from the previous duel, sighed, glanced at Hayato, and snorted unhappily. "It's only because you're a brat. You look tall and strong like a mafia boss, but you're actually the King of Duels. I was careless and didn't dodge, so you won."

"Otherwise, would the Duel King have to have three heads and six arms?" Hayato spread his hands helplessly. However, at the same time, because of the duel just now, he had also experienced the methods of the previous master and knew that he was indeed extraordinary.

Starting with three Fusions, then using Fusion Deactivation and discarding [Cyber ​​Ogre] from your hand on the second turn, it's already incredibly impressive for a regular Duelist to be able to block two Fusions in the first turn, since the three-hit combo of [Chimera Rage Dragon] with 4200 ATK can almost crush a bunch of weaklings, and on the second turn, you can even summon another [Cyber ​​Ogre 2] with a high ATK.

Then, use [Fusion Release] to dodge damage, and use [Cyber ​​Ogre] in your hand to launch another attack. If Hayato hadn't drawn the combo of [Spirit Exosome] and [Dark Knight Gaia] to kill him, he would have been guaranteed a double attack from [Cyber ​​Ogre 2] with 5900 attack power and [Cyber ​​Terminator Dragon] that can penetrate defense in the next turn.

He truly mastered the two signature moves of the Cyber ​​Dragon: Charge and Fusion.

According to the duelist strength ratings set in the "Gospel of Truth" setting book given by the official Yu-Gi-Oh!, the former master's deck was only rated ☆☆☆☆ because it was a simple mix of "Cyber ​​Dragon" and other "Cyber" decks. However, in terms of experience, courage, skill, and luck, a rating of ☆☆☆☆☆ is not an exaggeration.

Of course, you can't compare a human to a dog. In the official setting, Jonouchi's luck level is also ☆☆☆☆☆, but just like Crazy Diamond and Star Platinum's destructive power are both A, Jonouchi's luck has always been off the charts. And a duelist's strength is never a fixed statistic like in a video game.

Just like Muto Sugoroku, he has a rich deck, skills, and experience, and he is also very lucky. However, because of his lack of courage, he was kidnapped by Kaiba and forced to fight using a virtual projection system, which scared him so much that he had a heart attack. Then, he fainted because of Kaiba's subsequent act of tearing up his wife.

The old man from the former teacher training school glanced at Hayato and sneered: "Who told the official propaganda to always portray you as 'a nineteen-year-old boy who has reached the pinnacle of Duel Monsters and become the Duel King'? Go find someone on the street to judge for you, are you really nineteen?"

"Nobody believes me, and I can't either, I'm just nineteen." Hayato, who is 1.95 meters tall, leaned back tactically, shrugged smugly, and then looked at Samejima. "But, as long as we get through this period and gain a foothold in America, there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

“Well, actually I’ve been visiting the dojos of the ‘Psychic Stream’ and other schools of thought these past few days to ‘learn from them.’ After all, there’s a saying, ‘Reciprocity is the best policy,’ isn’t it?” Samejima touched his thinning hair and gave a kind smile.

However, Samejima's personality is simply that he is kind to people. If anyone thinks he is easy to bully because of his gentle nature, they would be making a big mistake. After all, people who play tactical games like Duel Monsters are often cunning, especially since Samejima plays a variant of the "Cyber ​​Flow" style called "Heavy Trap Cyber ​​Flow".

Since the people from the "Psychic Stream" come to our door every day to cause trouble, even if there is no actual evidence to prove that the people causing trouble are from the "Psychic Stream" or other schools, and considering that the other party also needs to maintain a good image among the masses, there is no reason why your people can cause trouble but our people cannot challenge us.

Anyway, ever since Samejima was eliminated by Hayato in the KC Cup, he no longer needed to prepare for the competition every day. He simply followed Hayato's example and created an alias to cause trouble for other schools of thought such as "psychic style" every day. After all, as a certain tactical master once said, all tactics are adaptable.

The strategy of trading bases when you have an advantage is a sure win; when you're evenly matched, trade bases first; when you're at a disadvantage, trade bases and fight for a win. Samejima has mastered this strategy, which is why he missed the recent KC Cup incident while busy trading bases. He was doing his usual base trading that day and didn't watch the KC Cup match at all; watching the highlights afterward would have been the same.

At the same time, it was because he had just taken down a small gym that was causing trouble for the "Cyber ​​Flow" along with the "Psychic Flow" gym. As a result, Hayato, who had barged into the "Cyber ​​Flow" gym without any introduction and looked like DIO and ready to get hyped at any moment, was mistaken by his former master as a troublemaker.

However, the misunderstanding has now been cleared up. Hayato played a hand of cards and felt refreshed, and the former instructor wouldn't hold a grudge about misunderstanding others.

Of course, even so, the stubborn old man was still a little reluctant to show Hayato a friendly look. After all, he had been defeated in three rounds at full health in front of all the apprentices, which was quite embarrassing.

But then, as if suddenly remembering something, the former instructor asked Samejima, "Wait a minute, Samejima, this kid really is the King of Duel, right? He's the one you said you gave that card to!?"

Seeing his teacher suddenly become so agitated, Samejima nodded, puzzled, "It's him, it's him."

"You mean this [Electronic Dragon Head]?" Upon hearing his predecessor mention it, Hayato also took out the so-called "ultimate secret of electronic flow," the [Electronic Dragon Head] card, which Samejima had given him, from his card box.

Seeing that Hayato had indeed taken out the [Electronic Heavenly Dragon] and even accurately stated the name of the card, the former instructor couldn't help but show a thoughtful expression on his face, looking Hayato up and down, as if he was making some kind of decision in his mind.

At the same time, he muttered to himself, "I'm strong enough. If I'm recognized by the [Electronic Sky Dragon], I should be qualified enough..."

When Samejima heard his teacher mention "qualifications," he instantly understood what the previous generation of teachers meant and said with a sense of sudden realization, "That makes sense. Since Hayato-kun has the ability recognized by the [Electronic Dragon Head], he should also be qualified to inherit that power."

"But teacher, are you sure you want Hayato to inherit that power?"

After a moment's thought, the former master nodded without hesitation: "'Electronic Flow' has never been a sect bound by sectarianism. Anyone with sufficient qualifications has the opportunity to inherit this power that has been passed down to this day, which has enabled our 'Electronic Flow' to continue to develop and evolve."

"Huh?" Samejima scratched the back of his head. "No, teacher, I meant to say that you're so petty. Hayato defeated you in public and embarrassed you, aren't you going to make things difficult for him?"

"Bullshit! Do you think I'm that kind of petty person?!" The former instructor shouted at Samejima, glaring at him fiercely. When have I ever been petty? I call it chivalry, quick to repay kindness and quick to avenge wrongs, okay?

After Samejima said that, even if he was really petty, he couldn't be petty now. He had just been thinking of taking advantage of the opportunity to test this kid to openly wear the clothes... no, he hadn't thought of anything at all.

The former teacher stood up, looked at Hayato who didn't understand what the two riddle-solving people in front of him were talking about, and said earnestly, "May the light of the Dragon throne guide you forward."

After saying that, he walked past the disciples practicing their card-drawing techniques inside the dojo and entered the room behind the main hall of the dojo.

Following the direction the previous generation of instructors had left, Hayato only noticed at this moment that an abstract-style pattern hung high in the dojo, depicting the proof of graduation from "Electronic Flow"—[Electronic Terminator Dragon], with its wings spread wide and three dragon heads dancing in different directions under the illumination of starlight.

However, due to the starlight, a shadow was cast behind the conspicuous [Electronic Terminator Dragon], and a dark dragon head-shaped head shone with a scarlet eye in the shadow.

Thanks to the storyline he had seen before, Hayato was naturally aware that there was a hidden "Reverse Cyber ​​Stream" within "Cyber ​​Stream". Moreover, unlike the physical card version of "Reverse Cyber ​​Stream", the monsters in the anime version of "Reverse Cyber ​​Stream" can achieve the effect of equipping monsters from the opponent's graveyard as their own minotaur without the need for additional card support.

“I say, Mr. Samejima?” Hayato guessed, “What you were talking about inheritance, could it be referring to that ‘internal electron flow’?”

"Hayato-kun, you even know about the existence of 'Inner Electron Flow'?" Samejima was somewhat surprised. He glanced at the disciples around him, who seemed not to have heard what Hayato had just said, and quickly lowered his voice. "It's not 'Inner Electron Flow,' and it's a secret within our 'Electron Flow.'"

"To be specific, we need to start with the origins of our 'electron flow'."

With that, Samejima led the way, taking Hayato into the space behind the "Electronic Flow" dojo.

The origin of the "electron flow" is that its initial power came from the stars, or more precisely, from the "Dragon" constellation in the sky.

Samejima had briefly mentioned this point before giving Hayato the [Cyber ​​Draco] card, but now Samejima is going to explain it in more detail.

Legend has it that the arrangement of constellations in the night sky contains a mysterious and majestic power, and the brilliance cast by the stars is the mystery inherited by the "Electron Stream". The earliest and most fundamental evolution of this mystery is the [Electron Dragon].

However, in addition to the brilliance, the starlight also creates unique shadows. Inherited from the "Electronic Flow" in a form similar to but different from the [Electronic Dragon] is the "Inner Electronic Flow," exemplified by the [Electronic Dark Dragon Bone].

However, what Samejima wants to show Hayato now is not the "electron flow" symbolizing "projection" and the "inner electron flow" symbolizing "shadow," but the "light" power of the starry sky itself, which is restored by tracing the origins of these two forces, and is the "Dragon" itself.

The ultimate inheritance of "electronic flow" is something that neither the previous nor the current teacher, Samejima, has ever witnessed in its entirety. However, Samejima describes it as "the awakening of memories that have been sleeping in the constellation."