Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

【Super Magic Knight - Dark Magician Rider】【ATK 2800→3800】

"Take this, Rafael!"

"Drink it!!"

At the game's command, [Super Magic Knight - Black Magic Rider] thrust out his spear and attacked [Guardian - Grall].

Even with the boost from [Gravity Axe - Roar] that brings its attack power to the level of [Blue-Eyes White Dragon], [Guardian - Grall] is still no match for [Super Magic Knight - Dark Magician Rider]. If this attack were to hit, it would likely only result in destruction.

However, as expected, Rafael did indeed open the face-down card in his back row. But what he didn't expect was that after opening the face-down card, Rafael actually rushed forward two steps and stood in front of [Guardian-Glar], taking the bullet for him!

"Ugh!"

[Rafiru: 4000→200LP]

Rafael! Rafael! He actually ran into the dueling arena!

Even the basic score plummeted to a mere 200 points because of that exposed card. What is going on?!

"My Trap Card, [Memory of a Good Opponent], activates when your [Super Magical Knight - Dark Magician Rider] declares an attack." Rafael, though not currently in the Dark Games, was still somewhat pained by the heavy blow. After a pause, he continued, "I take damage equal to the attack power of [Super Magical Knight - Dark Magician Rider], and then banish it from the game!"

"What?!"

To the game's astonishment, a rift suddenly opened in the space, swallowing his [Super Magic Knight - Black Magic Rider] into it!

To be honest, the game had envisioned cards like "I Become a Shield" and "Half-Sealing," which could protect Rafael's cards from destruction at the cost of certain life points. However, the game did not expect that Rafael would use such an extreme card as "Memories of a Good Opponent."

Normally, even if the attack of [Super Magic Knight - Dark Magician Rider] destroyed [Guardian - Grall], it would only cause Rafael a mere 800 points of damage. However, Rafael lost an extra 3000 points of his life points to protect [Guardian - Grall], and even went further by banishing [Super Magic Knight - Dark Magician Rider] from the game field.

In this way, Rafael once again gained the upper hand, not only eliminating the only one monster on the field, but also, if Yugi remembers correctly, having a follow-up effect for "Good Opponent's Memory".

"A monster banished by [Memory of a Good Opponent] will be Special Summoned to my field two turns later, at the end of your next turn." Rafael seemed satisfied with protecting his monster, a hint of joy showing on his face.

“But before that, you won’t have another turn, Nameless Pharaoh. Although killing you before you’ve grown up won’t help me grow, in order to prevent you from continuing to be an obstacle to Lord Dartz’s plans, I will reset your life points in the next turn.” Rafael said as he walked back to his original position.

Upon hearing Rafael's additional explanation, the game player frowned.

The player proactively summoned [Super Magic Knight - Dark Magician Rider], which successfully caused Rafael's Life Points to plummet. However, the cost was that the player's only monster on the field was banished, and it would even be NTR'd onto Rafael's field at the end of the player's next turn.

On his side, he had to rely on a Trap Card of unknown significance on the field and an empty front row, just like his hand, to block Raferu's next all-out attack. Even without the monsters [Master Craftsman - Tiger Iron] and [Support Guardian], just one [Guardian - Grall] was enough to wipe out the game's current 2800 life points.

But in this situation, Yugi smiled and said, "Rafael, you said before that you would not use tactics that send monsters to the graveyard, right? In addition, you claimed that you wanted a fair duel, so I was wondering if you would not only not use your monsters, but you would not even use tactics that would destroy my monsters with their effects."

"The card in your back row isn't a card like 'Exploding Armor' or 'Divine Shield - Mirror Power -', but rather 'Memory of a Good Opponent,' which banished my monster. It actually helped me out; it was all part of my plan!"

As he spoke, Yugi pressed the button on the Duel Disk: "Activate Face Down, [Zero Power]!"

Just as the rift that had swallowed the [Super Magic Knight - Black Magic Rider] was about to close, the older brother on horseback made a final struggle, throwing his lance and all his magic power out of the rift.

"The conditions for using the card 【Zero Power】 are extremely strict. It can only be activated when a face-up monster on your field is banished from the game. I specifically included this card in my deck to counter 【Hellfire Lilith】, which Hayato used and has troublesome monster-countering effects."

"I never expected that it would come in handy in my duel with Rafael."

The game's finger points to all three monsters on Rafael's field: "The final whirlwind power released by [Super Magic Knight - Dark Magician Rider] will continue indefinitely. All monsters on your field will lose all their power as a result, and their attack power will be reduced to zero as long as they are face-up!"

As the game commanded, [Super Magic Knight - Dark Magician Rider] threw out the lance from the rift, which landed on the ground with a spinning force, stirring up a whirlwind that distorted the surrounding aura. To Rafael's surprise, it actually affected all the monsters on his field!?

【Master Craftsman - Tiger Iron】【500/500→0/500】【

[Support Guardians] [500/2200→0/2200]

【守护者-格拉尔】（重力之斧-咆哮）【3000/1000→0/1000→500/1000】

In an instant, Rafael's monsters completely replicated the scene where [Gravity Axe - Roar] suppressed the monsters on the field, preventing them from changing their form. All of them collapsed to the ground, unable to stand up, because their power was drained. Even [Guardian - Grall], which had just had an attack power of 3000, only had 500 attack power left thanks to the bonus from the equipment card [Gravity Axe - Roar].

"My turn is over."

Seeing that the monsters on Rafael's field had temporarily lost their threat, the game ended his turn.

[Game: 2800LP, 0 cards in hand]

Empty-handed and with no monsters in the graveyard that could be of any use, this was a rare occurrence in all of the game's duels so far. For Rafael, the fact that the game could still launch a counterattack even in that situation was also beyond his expectations.

The attack power of all monsters on the field is weakened. It's actually quite easy to deal with. You can easily break the spell by simply drawing a high-level monster and using it as a tribute to reduce the attack power of the monster to zero. For Rafael, a true duelist, this is not something he cannot do. Indeed, his deck contains high-level monsters.

However, even if he draws a high-level monster, Rafael would not use the monsters on his field as tributes for a high-level summon. That would completely violate his personal principles. All the monsters Rafael owns are important family members in his eyes. How could anyone sacrifice family members?

"My turn, draw." Rafael drew a card, a Trap Card, and immediately set it face-down. He then adjusted the placement of the monster cards on his Duel Disk. "Set one card face-down. I change [Guardian - Grall] to Defense Position. End of turn."

[Rafiru: 200LP, 0 cards in hand]

[Guardian - Grail] (Gravity Axe - Roar) [ATK500→DEF1000]

【Backup Guardian】【DEF2200】

【Master Craftsman - Tiger Iron】【DEF500】

【GaiKa】

Rafael currently has only 200 Life Points. Although he is willing to give up Life Points to protect his monster, he also knows how to conserve his power. Rather than attacking with [Guardian - Grall] and dealing a mere 500 points of damage that is negligible in the game, Rafael chose to wait.

Furthermore, although Rafael has a lower base score, delaying the game is advantageous for him. You should know that the effect of [Good Opponent's Memory] will take effect at the end of the next game's turn, at which point the game's [Super Magic Knight - Dark Magician Rider] will appear on Rafael's field.

The one who should be worried is not Rafael, but the game.

The game clearly saw through Rafiru's plan, frowned, and drew a card: "My turn, draw."

But when he saw what card he had drawn in the game, he was slightly surprised, and couldn't help but smile: "I didn't expect it to be this card. After [Gaia], is this yours...?"

Without hesitation, Yugi played the card he had drawn and looked at Rafael seriously, saying, "Rafael, although I don't know what you did to Hayato, I still believe he is my partner and friend, because his power has always been with me."

"Let me witness the power that Hayato bestowed upon me, following Gaia!"

"Spell Card: [Fusion Magic]!"

As the card is inserted into the magic trap area, a mysterious mirror rises in front of the game, with intricate runes engraved around it, and the images of monsters from the game's graveyard appear in the mirror.

【Dark Knight Gaia】, 【Dark Magician Girl】, 【Dark Magician】, 【The Magician's Staff】.

Yugi's finger extended out from the mirror and selected "Dark Magician Girl" and "Dark Magician." The two monster cards were spat out of Yugi's graveyard and flew into the mirror.

"A harmonious magical resonance, two of the strongest spellcasters, master and apprentice join forces!"

"Fusion Summoning! [Grand Archmage - Dark Archmage's Apprentice]!"

As the game's voice faded, the magic mirror in front of him shattered with a crash, revealing the figures of two monsters amidst the scattered shards. The "Dark Magician," who had previously become fusion material for "Super Magical Knight - Dark Magician Rider," and the "Dark Magician Girl," destroyed by "Guardian - Grall," stood together, eyeing Rafael's monsters on the field with predatory intent.

However, although it looks like two monsters standing together no matter how you look at it, there is indeed only one monster in front of you.

[Super Archmage - Dark Archmage's Apprentice] [8☆/Dark]

[Mage Race/Fusion/Effect]

[2800/2300]

"How could a fusion monster be summoned without any monsters present?" Rafael frowned as he watched [Dark Magician's Apprentice] appear. "Did you use Hayato Kobayashi's [Fusion Magic] to exclude [Dark Magician Girl] and [Dark Magician] from your graveyard as fusion materials?"

“That’s it. This is another proof of my bond with Hayato. Will you use your Life Points to protect the monster again, Rafael?” Yugi pointed to [Guardian-Glar] on Rafael’s field. “Go, [Super Magister-Dark Magister Apprentice]!”

"Enter the battle phase, then launch an attack on [Guardian - Grall]!"

"Black Burst Magic Break!"

In the game's view, Rafael wouldn't sacrifice his Life Points to protect the monster again this time. Even if he had a second "Memories of a Good Opponent," his current Life Points wouldn't be enough to withstand the damage from the attack power of "Super Magister - Dark Magister's Apprentice."

Even if Rafael's field is full of defense-position monsters that can't deal effective damage, it can at least reduce the number of monsters on Rafael's field, gradually expanding his advantage.

As for what exactly that face-down card in Rafael's back row was, Yugi didn't bother to guess. That's just his dueling style—using aggressive attacks instead of defensive ones. Whatever that face-down card was, Yugi just needed to trust his monsters and attack.

However, it was precisely because of Yugi's personality that Rafael believed he couldn't defeat him. If Yugi, as the responder, had taken the initiative, he could have achieved a perfect defense through overwhelming force. But it was precisely because Yugi was a step too slow that an opening appeared in his duel.

At this moment, Rafael finally found that gap—if he wasn't mistaken, both [Dark Magician] and [Dark Magician Girl] were monsters with card spirits that the game valued highly.

If I were to take those two monsters away from him right in front of the game, I would surely be able to find the cracks in his mind through the flaws revealed in the game's duel, and thus be able to carry out the more important next step of my plan.

"I open my face-down card in the back row, [The Seal of the Crystal]!"

Chapter 623 The Sealed Crystal

"Activate the Trap Card, [Sealing the Crystal]!"

As Raferu Geka was lifted, an enormous amount of translucent crystals suddenly surged from the ground, rolling and clustering like waves on the sea, transforming into a giant wave that stood before Raferu and crashed towards [Super Magister - Black Mage Apprentice]!

As instructed by the game, [Dark Magician] and [Dark Magician Girl] had just finished preparing to attack and were about to swing their staffs when the crystals that instantly multiplied in front of them completely filled their field of vision, making it impossible for them to find a target.

"That is!?"

Yugi looked at the crystal cage that the proliferating crystals instantly constructed and asked in confusion. Rafael answered his question: "The Continuous Trap Card [Crystal Seal] can't even be used as a tribute, let alone attack. It can't even activate its effect or become a target for attack."

Rafael looked at the [Grand Mage - Dark Mage Apprentice], who was being gradually forced into a corner where he could not move by the increasing crystals inside the crystal prison, and said, "Just watch helplessly as the monster you cherish is turned into a powerless statue, nameless pharaoh."

Yugi frowned and waved his hand, giving the order: "It's not that easy. I'll chain [Seal of the Crystal] to activate the effect of [Super Magister - Dark Magister's Apprentice]. Once per turn, when a Spell/Trap Card effect is activated, I can draw one card from my deck, and if it is a Spell/Trap Card, I can set it face down on my back row."

As they spoke, the Dark Magician, who was about to be completely sealed inside the crystal, desperately erected a barrier to slow the crystal's advance. Meanwhile, the Dark Magician Girl, in coordination with her master, activated a magic circle, retrieved a cluster of magical energy, and transferred it to Yugi's hands.

The game requires focused attention and concentration, calling upon the deck to respond, as long as the drawn card is a Quick-Play Spell Card or Trap Card, because the card set down by this effect can be activated in the turn it is set down.

This was the first time I'd ever seen the card "The Seal of the Crystal," but the dark power emanating from it immediately reminded me of the aura I felt when I first saw the three legendary dragon statues in the Elf Realm.

The dragons in the Three-Body Legend were all slumbering within crystal statues, and their appearance was exactly the same as the crystal that was about to seal its [Super Magister - Black Magister Apprentice].

The game doesn't want to lose its important card sprites.

However, just as the game was about to draw a card, Rafael suddenly spoke up: "Let me guess, Nameless Pharaoh, you're not thinking that 'drawing a card like 'Whirlwind' will break the 'Crystal Seal' and take back your monster,' are you?"

"Muda, [Crystal Seal] will not leave the field due to the effects of cards other than itself; only its own effect can destroy it."

"What?!" Yugi frowned. "What kind of cheating effect is that? Resistance to the effects of other cards besides itself is just too disgusting."

Knowing about the disgusting resistance of [Crystal Seal], although Rafael remained silent like a riddle, not revealing the "self-effect" that could break [Crystal Seal], Yugi at least knew that cards like [Whirlwind] probably couldn't destroy that card.

Therefore, instead of wishing for a [Whirlwind] card earlier, Yugi is now praying that he won't draw a [Whirlwind] card that he can't use for the time being.

In other words, the game's deck is quite compliant with him, not complaining about his rapid changes, because the effect of [Super Magus - Dark Magus Apprentice] makes the cards that the game draws a card-drawing artifact—the normal spell card [Heavenly Treasure Card].

The effect of 【Super Magus - Dark Magus Apprentice】 draws a Spell/Trap Card that does not have to be set to the back row but can be set to the field. Yugi did not set the 【Heavenly Treasure Card】 he drew but kept it in his hand.

Immediately afterwards, the chain of effects that had occurred before continued to be processed in sequence. The game could only watch helplessly as the [Super Mage - Black Mage Apprentice] was completely trapped by the crystal and unable to move. The eyes of the master and apprentice lost their expression, and the last expression they had was a look of concern as they looked at the game.

But then, the game suddenly discovered an unexpected situation—

He had assumed that even if the [Crystal Seal] was a troublesome card, it would only be similar to cards like the [Demon Chain], merely restricting his own monsters and having no effect on the card spirits.

But at the very moment the crystal completely solidified, Yugi suddenly felt uneasy and reached into his pocket to touch the two cards, Dark Magician Girl and Dark Magician, which had been excluded by [Fusion Magic].

Something feels off!