Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Behind him, several sharp swords intersected to form a golden ring, adding to his imposing presence. Even the gemstones that stored magic power on his body and the hem of his skirt were adorned with gold trim, making him look even more majestic.

But what is most eye-catching is the giant sword he is holding. The Flying Dragon Flame coils around this heavy sword, which has been enlarged several times over, and the words "Extreme Flame" are engraved on it in orange.

Although its defense remains unchanged at 1600 points, the attack power of the [Extreme Flame Swordsman] that appeared on Katsuya's field has evolved to a full 2800 points, and its level has even soared from 4☆, 5☆ all the way to 8☆, comparable to the legendary [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]!

"You're really something, aren't you?" The lady named Mai behind Katsuya looked at the monster that looked almost exactly like the user and smiled. "Although you're usually a bit unreliable, you can be this charming sometimes."

—A trivial tidbit of today's science: It's said that while the legendary duelist Jonouchi had a period of being a delinquent in his past, his attendance at school was surprisingly almost perfect. Also, in the popularity rankings at Domino City High School, although his ranking wasn't high—far behind Seto Kaiba and Hayato Kobayashi—surprisingly, a few girls still had a crush on him.

After summoning [Extreme Flame Swordsman], Katsuya then retrieved [Flying Flame Dragon - Flying Dragon Flame] from his Graveyard, which had previously been sent there by [Fighting Flame Swordsman]: "Target [Extreme Flame Swordsman] on my field, and activate the effect of [Flying Flame Dragon - Flying Dragon Flame] in my Graveyard. Once per turn, this card can be used as an Equip Spell Card to target a Warrior-Type monster on my field from my hand or Graveyard."

"While it's not as destructive as [Flame Dragon Fusion], if [Flame Dragon - Flame Dragon] is equipped to a [Flame Swordsman] or a monster with the [Flame Swordsman] card name, the equipped monster's ATK increases by 700 points!"

【Swordsman of Extreme Flame】(Flying Flame Dragon - Flying Dragon Flame) 【ATK 2800→3500】

"In this way, the attack power of the [Extreme Flame Swordsman] exceeds the 3000 points of the 'legendary' [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]." Katsuya's face showed a satisfied expression as he watched the attack power of the [Extreme Flame Swordsman] rise.

Looking at the five cards remaining in his hand, he drew one and said, "I activate the Continuous Spell Card [Armed Training]. If I have an Equip Spell Card on my field, I can return one Gemini Monster or Warrior-Type FIRE Monster from my Graveyard to the bottom of my Deck to activate this effect. Draw one card from my Deck."

"I return the Warrior-Type FIRE [Flame Swordsman] to the Fusion Deck and draw one card from the deck."

"Next, I'll place two cards face down, and my turn ends." Keeping three cards in his hand, Katsuya filled his Spell Trap Zone with the last two cards before declaring the end of his turn.

[Katsuya: 4000LP, 3 cards in hand]

【Swordsman of Extreme Flame】(Flying Flame Dragon - Flying Dragon Flame) 【ATK3500】

[Flame Sword Domain] [Armed Training] [Gaika] x2

"The power awakened by 'mortal bones'..." After witnessing the transformation and evolution of the [Flame Swordsman], Marufuji Ryo no longer harbored even the slightest contempt for the [Extreme Flame Swordsman] on the field. Although he could sense that even now his opponent didn't seem to be taking it seriously and using his full strength, at least Marufuji Ryo himself was eager to try his luck when his turn came.

"With my friends' safety on my shoulders, I absolutely cannot lose." Marufuji Ryo said, drawing a card from his deck. "My turn, draw!"

Facing Katsuya, who had "Extreme Flame Swordsman" on the field, Ryo Marufuji didn't immediately use "Power Welding" and three "Cyber ​​Dragons" to create a "Cyber ​​Terminator Dragon" with 8000 attack power and defense penetration as usual. Instead, he planned to test the waters with his monsters first, since it was still necessary to be wary of the two face-down cards on the opponent's back field.

It's important to understand that even if the final lineup on the field is the same, the differences between duelists and the things that need to be considered during the battle will vary, especially for duelists like Hayato who can draw whatever cards they want.

Other duelists can only play face-down cards in their back row, cards they've already drawn; they rarely have control over what those cards are. But for duelists like Hayato Kobayashi and Yugi Muto, their hand is practically a free selection of cards from their decks, randomly chosen to add to their hand.

For others, it's a game of luck, but for them it's truly just a game of strategy. They only need to consider how many attack cards, blocking counters, anti-sabotage measures, or how to launch a chaotic attack during the opponent's turn.

The young man in front of him, who called himself "Kuya," was completely overlooked by Ryo Marufuji. He didn't consider the possibility that the opponent's back row card might be a face-down [Fusion] to trick [Whirlwind]. His intuition told him that he had to be careful of the opponent's back row card.

"I activate the Spell Card 'Cyber ​​Emergency Call' to add either a 'Cyber ​​Dragon' or a Machine-Type LIGHT monster that cannot be Normal Summoned from my Deck to my hand. I choose this 'Cyber ​​Dragon'."

"Next, using the effect of [Cyber ​​Dragon] itself, I Special Summon it from my hand in Attack Position!"

【Electronic Dragon】【ATK2100】

"Oh~ it's [Cyber ​​Dragon], now I think I remember you. No wonder I felt like I'd seen you somewhere before." Seeing the silver-white mechanical dragon, Katsuya lightly tapped his palm with his fist. "Aren't you that kid from 'Cyber ​​Stream', Mr. Samejima's disciple? It's only been four years, yet you've changed so much. I almost didn't recognize you just now."

At first, K only noticed that he had seen Hayato in his class and that the uniform he was wearing was the blue dormitory uniform of the [Obelisk the Tormentor], which represented his connection with him. However, after Ryo Marufuji used [Cyber ​​Dragon], K also remembered his unexpected encounter with Ryo Marufuji when he was a child during his trip to Egypt with his friends.

At that time, he misunderstood the relationship between Hayato and Baron, the teacher leading the "Electronic Flow" tour group to Egypt, and took the initiative to challenge Kobayashi Hayato, who was the Duel King but had concealed his identity. Korak was one of the few bystanders in that duel.

"Although it is a Level 5 monster, it can be Special Summoned directly from the hand without any cost when there are only monsters on the opponent's field. At the same time, as a Machine-Type and LIGHT monster, it is very easy to receive support and enhancement from related cards. The strength of this single card is quite good."

After praising the "Cyber ​​Dragon," the signature monster of the "Cyber ​​Stream" style, Katsuya added, "However, that kind of monster isn't enough to defeat my 'Extreme Flame Swordsman' on the field."

“I know that too. I never thought I could defeat my opponent using only [Cyber ​​Dragon].” Marufuji Ryo wasn’t surprised that the other party knew him. For him, who had become famous as the youngest graduate of “Cyber ​​Stream” in his youth and earned the name “Kaiser” at Duel Academy, it was not surprising at all that someone knew him.

As he spoke, he played another card from his hand, saying, "Next up is this spell card from my hand, [Evolution Shockwave]. This card can only be activated if I have [Cyber ​​Dragon] on my field."

"Destroy one card on your opponent's field, but the cost is that [Cyber ​​Dragon] cannot attack during the turn this card is activated." Ryo Marufuji pointed to Katsuya's field. "I chose [Extreme Flame Swordsman] on your opponent's field!"

"Evolution Burst!"

Similar to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's exclusive "Destruction Gale Burst," the "Evolution Shockwave" card is also a support card named after a Cyber ​​Dragon's attack move. Although it has a targeting restriction and will prevent Cyber ​​Dragon from attacking, it can be used to eliminate some troublesome cards with a small investment.

For example, this [Extreme Flame Swordsman] has an attack power of up to 3500 points after equipping cards.

However, the face-down cards in Katsuya's back row were not just for show. Ryo Marufuji knew this as well. After the probing "Evolution Shockwave" was activated, and "Cyber ​​Dragon" on his field opened its mouth to charge up for an attack, he saw that as Katsuya pressed the button on the Duel Disk to activate face-down cards, one of the two face-down cards in his back row had already been activated.

“Chain with [Evolution Shockwave], I can choose one of the three effects of this Quick-Play Spell Card [Flame Blade] to activate.” Katsuya showed the face-down card to Ryo Marufuji, saying, “Here I choose the third effect of [Flame Blade] – when an effect targeting [Flame Blade] on my field or a monster with the [Flame Blade] card name is activated by my opponent.”

"Null that effect! Battle Qi Flame Slash Sword!"

As the [Electronic Dragon] unleashed the [Evolutionary Shockwave], the [Extreme Flame Swordsman] drew his greatsword from the ground, stomped his foot, and vanished instantly. When he reappeared, he had already lowered his greatsword with a technique similar to "Iaijutsu," and the shockwave that should have struck him had been sliced ​​in two and landed in the empty space behind him.

"If you dare to invade, we will make sure you suffer a crushing defeat!"

He hadn't expected the [Evolutionary Shockwave] to actually defeat the [Extreme Flame Swordsman], so Marufuji Ryo wasn't disappointed that the [Evolutionary Shockwave] was nullified. He even took advantage of the time before the [Fighting Spirit Flame Slash Sword] was sent to the graveyard after it was activated to quickly see its other two effects that weren't used this time.

Firstly, it can add cards with the name "Flame Swordsman" other than "Fighting Flame Slash Sword" from the deck to the hand, mostly to search for "Fighting Flame Swordsman" in order to perform the "Extreme Flame Swordsman" combo with just one card;

Secondly, when a Warrior-Type FIRE monster declares an attack, it can target and destroy one card on the field. This can be used to actively attack and trigger a counterattack to deal with troublesome monsters or cards, or passively used as "Explosive Armor" to destroy a Speed ​​2 monster. It is both offensive and defensive, which makes Ryo Marufuji glad that he did not recklessly launch a direct attack with a monster, since "Cyber ​​End Dragon" has no resistance.

After glancing at the other face-down card on the field behind Katsuya, Marufuji Ryo thought for a moment and then played another spell card from his hand.

"I activate the Spell Card [Angel's Charity]. Draw three cards from my deck and discard two cards from my hand." After drawing three cards from his deck, Ryo Marufuji carefully selected two cards and then showed them to the Graveyard. "These are the two cards I sent to the Graveyard: [Cyber ​​Dragon Core] and [Cyber ​​Lighthouse]."

"Instead of using the card that will inevitably be targeted by others first, why not use other cards to test the waters? Although it's counterintuitive, it's a rather excellent strategic approach."

Upon hearing Katsuya's words, even though Marufuji Ryo was wary of him, he still nodded and said, "This is a method taught to me by Professor Chronos, the head teacher of my dormitory."

In Duel Monsters, this technique is similar to Hayato's "activating face-down cards without telling anyone," both being legitimate little tricks. Although it may seem a bit underhanded, it can be quite helpful in securing victory, far better than tricks like hiding a dragon in your crotch.

After Ryo Marufuji sent the card to the graveyard, his deck area lit up. As he drew a card, he said, "The effect of the [Cyber ​​Dragon Core] that I sent to the graveyard: When this card is sent to the graveyard, target any [Cyber ​​Dragon] in my deck or graveyard other than this card, and add it to your hand. I chose the second [Cyber ​​Dragon] in my deck."

"Then, I activate the effect of [Cyber ​​Dragon Next Star] in my hand. I discard another monster in my hand that is not [Cyber ​​Dragon] – this [Cyber ​​Dragon] that was just added to my hand – and Special Summon it from my hand."

Although it is an aggressive deck and sounds like it only attacks in a simple and brutal way, the operation of the Cyber ​​Dragon deck is actually quite delicate and varied. Just like now, Ryo Marufuji is constantly turning his hand cards and the Cyber ​​Dragons in the graveyard. He still has three cards in his hand, but he still Special Summons another monster on the field.

【Electronic Dragon Next Generation Star】【DEF200】

After placing the card "Cyber ​​Dragon Next Generation" on the Duel Disk, Ryo Marufuji added, "As long as 'Cyber ​​Dragon Next Generation' exists on the field or in the Graveyard, its card name can be used as 'Cyber ​​Dragon.' Also, if 'Cyber ​​Dragon Next Generation' is successfully Normal or Special Summoned, it can Special Summon one Machine-Type monster with 2100 ATK or DEF from my Graveyard to my field."

"I choose to Special Summon 'Electronic Lighthouse' from my Graveyard, which has 2100 DEF, to the field!"

【Electronic Lighthouse】【DEF2100】

In the blink of an eye, Ryo Marufuji had three monsters on the field. He hadn't even performed a normal summon yet. He drew another monster card from his hand and placed it on the field, saying, "And lastly, this is my normal summon for this turn. Attack Position, I normally summon [Cyber ​​Dragon Core]."

"If this card is successfully summoned, add one [Cyber] or [Cyber ​​Tech] Spell/Trap Card from my Deck to my hand. Like [Cyber ​​Dragon Core] and [Cyber ​​Dragon Next Star], [Cyber ​​Dragon Core] has the effect of having its card name treated as [Cyber ​​Dragon] while it is on the field."

"Now, I have three [Cyber ​​Dragons] on my field!" Drawing a card from his deck, Ryo Marufuji, who still had three cards in his hand, didn't intend to use a [Fusion] card. Instead, he waved his hand and said, "Once per turn, use the effect of my [Cyber ​​Lighthouse]—"

"Send the Fusion Material Monsters required for my Machine-Type Fusion Monster from my hand and field to the Graveyard, and Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster from my Fusion Deck!"

"I've chosen my three-body 'Cyber ​​Dragon'!"

"Witness the ultimate secret of 'Cyber ​​Stream'! Fusion Summon, [Cyber ​​Terminator Dragon]!"

Chapter 1213 Flames Within the Castle!

"Send these three monsters—[Cyber ​​Dragon], [Cyber ​​Dragon Next Generation], and [Cyber ​​Dragon Core]—that I control as [Cyber ​​Dragon], as Fusion Materials to the Graveyard!"

Ryo Marufuji held up a card, “Gathering the three bodies [Cyber ​​Dragon] to achieve perfection! Witness the ultimate secret of ‘Cyber ​​Flow’!”

"Fusion Summon, [Cyber ​​Terminator Dragon]!"

The [Cyber ​​Lighthouse] on Marufuji's field shone brightly, drawing together his other three monsters, all named [Cyber ​​Dragon]. Under the radiant light, a massive, three-headed, winged mechanical dragon appeared on Marufuji's field!

【Electronic Terminator】【ATK4000】

Although the attack power of the [Cyber ​​Dragon] that appears now is "only" 4000 points, compared to the usual combination of the three [Cyber ​​Dragon] and [Power Welding], it seems as if Marufuji Ryo didn't perform well. However, it should be noted that Marufuji Ryo still has three cards in his hand and a considerable number of monsters in his graveyard. In fact, this is precisely proof that he is taking things seriously.

But just as Ryo Marufuji placed the card "Cyber ​​Ender Dragon" on the Duel Disk, Katsuya on his opponent's side suddenly spoke up: "Finally summoned, 'Cyber ​​Ender Dragon'! I heard that's supposed to be proof of 'Cyber ​​Stream' graduation. A fusion of three identical monsters..."

With a sigh on his face, Katsuya pressed the button to activate the face-down card and said, "Although it has excellent attack power and defensive penetration ability, there is no absolute perfection in the world. The Cyber ​​Dragon itself does not have any resistance. When the Cyber ​​Dragon deck is generally used as a strong attack deck, this flaw becomes particularly obvious."

"I'm going to use the Special Summon of [Cyber ​​Ender Dragon] to activate this face-down card in my backrow: [Flame Sword Dance]!"

Because of the existence of [Flame Sword Domain], the flame field covering Katsuya's field, along with Katsuya's second and last face-down card, converged towards [Extreme Flame Swordsman] on his field. As the red and yellow flames compressed and gathered, their color gradually evolved towards cyan. The condensed flames transformed into another long dragon that coiled around [Extreme Flame Swordsman].

"If a monster is Special Summoned, this Normal Trap Card [Flame Sword Dance] can be activated to Special Summon one [Flame Swordsman] or a Fusion Monster with a Level 7 or lower as indicated in its card name from my Fusion Deck."

As he spoke, Katsuya played a card and said, "The monster I Special Summon is this one, the embodiment of flames—[Flame Dragon]!"

The flames on the blue flame dragon coiled around the [Extreme Flame Swordsman] contracted and subsided, transforming into a long, orange-red dragon, its appearance almost identical to the fire dragon that had previously surrounded the [Fighting Flame Swordsman] in the [Flame Sword Domain]. The [Fighting Flame Dragon] also carried a winding, sharp sword in its mouth, upon which was engraved a deep red character for "flame".

【Flame Dragon】【5☆/Flame】

[Dragon/Fusion/Effect]

[1700/1600]

"It's not over yet! The follow-up effect of [Flame Sword Dance] is that after a Special Summon, you can change one face-up monster on the field to face-down Defense Position." Katsuya waved his hand again, commanding [Extreme Flame Swordsman] to collect the blue flames of [Flame Sword Dance] that had not yet completely dissipated, attach them to the greatsword in his hand, and swing it out fiercely, turning it into a fiery slash.

And its target was none other than the [Cyber ​​Terminator Dragon] that Ryo Marufuji had just appeared on the field!

Not to mention that Cyber ​​End Dragon has no resistance, the effect of "Flame Sword Dance" which sets the card face down is a noble one that doesn't target. Cyber ​​End Dragon, with an attack power as high as a Colossus, didn't even get a chance to do anything before being hit by the flying flame slash of "Extreme Flame Swordsman," which burned off a large part of its armor, forcing it to move to the inside defense position to go for repairs.

Seeing his Cyber ​​Dragon, which he had fused to summon using almost all the monsters on the field, being set down, even though it wasn't destroyed and he could easily flip it back from defense position to attack position next turn, it couldn't help him at least for this turn.

However, Ryo Marufuji did not feel regret. Instead, he breathed a sigh of relief for successfully using "Cyber ​​Dragon" to hook out the last face-down card in Katsuya's back field.

For aggressive decks that rely on breaking through from the second turn, the most troublesome thing is how to deal with the opponent's face-down cards in the back row. Cards like [Great Storm] are ultimately few and far between, and they can't always be drawn in time. Even a duelist as good as Ryo Marufuji often struggles with how to deal with the endless stream of face-down cards. His deck is not only full of cards like [Great Storm] and [Hurricane], but he also includes quite a few cards like [Sealing Arrow].

At this moment, Katsuya only had two Continuous Spell Cards and one Equip Card, [Flying Flame Dragon - Flying Dragon Flame], left on his field. Even though [Extreme Flame Swordsman] still existed on Katsuya's field with 3500 ATK, without the cover of a face-down card, it was no longer a threat in Marufuji Ryo's eyes, even though he couldn't even perform a Normal Summon this turn and it seemed difficult for him to set up his strategy.

"I previously used the effect of [Cyber ​​Dragon Core] to add a [Cyber] Spell/Trap Card from my deck to my hand. That card is this Quick-Play Spell Card, [Cyber ​​Fusion Support], which allows me to use monsters from my hand, field, or graveyard as Fusion Material for a Machine-Type Fusion Monster during one of my Fusion Summons this turn by paying half of my Life Points."

"Pay me half of my Life Points and activate the Quick-Play Spell Card [Cyber ​​Fusion Support]!"

[Ryo Marufuji: 4000→2000LP]

With his Life Points plummeting to half, Marufuji Ryo nonchalantly took out a card from his Graveyard and said, "Next, I will banish from my Graveyard the cards named 'Cyber ​​Dragon': 'Cyber ​​Dragon Next Generation Star,' 'Cyber ​​Dragon Core,' and 'Cyber ​​Dragon,' and use the Trisolaran monster as Fusion Material to activate this Spell Card: 'Power Welding'!"

"【Power Welding】? I remember that card is a fusion card exclusive to Machine-type characters." Mai, who was watching the duel, said with some surprise when she saw Ryo Marufuji play 【Power Welding】. "Why didn't you use it during the first fusion? Why did you save it for now?"

"Knowing that the opponent has a cover card in the backcourt, blindly using the strongest method would undoubtedly be a reckless act that is wrong beyond measure. However, now that the opponent has used their last cover card, I will also use my full strength to crush the opponent in one blow."

As Ryo Marufuji spoke, he called out once more, "Return once more the final fusion summoning performed at the cost of extinction, [Cyber ​​Terminator Dragon]!"

In the graveyard of his Duel Disk, a dazzling light burst forth, and the sleeping mechanical dragons awoke and gathered together at his call. The ultimate card symbolizing "Cyber ​​Stream"—[Cyber ​​Ender Dragon]—appeared on Ryo Marufuji's field for the second time.

Moreover, compared to the first time, this [Electronic Terminator Dragon] has even greater attack power, reaching 8000 points. Combined with its defense penetration effect, it can easily break through almost any barrier.

For Kyo, who only has two monsters on the field, namely "Extreme Flame Swordsman" with 3500 ATK and "Fighting Flame Dragon" with 1600 DEF, "Cyber ​​End Dragon" is a huge threat, especially since he doesn't have a single face-down card in his back row at the moment!

However, even when faced with the [Cyber ​​Terminator Dragon] with an attack power of 8000, Kyo remained calm and composed, even taking in the [Cyber ​​Terminator Dragon], which, despite its compressed size, still filled almost the entire aisle, with great interest. It was as if he had once faced a monster with infinite attack power and was no longer afraid of any attack power.

"What an amazing combination! Although you'll have to take 4000 points of damage from the [Electronic Terminator Dragon]'s original attack power at the end of your turn, if you just go all in and concentrate all your power in one turn, even that short turn will unleash an almost eternal brilliance, right?" Katsuya commented. "I see. Although it's just a vague feeling, you must be like that. You crave a brief burst of excitement rather than a long period of calm. You're a passionate person who is completely opposite to your cold exterior."

Nodding approvingly, Katsuya suddenly said, "But while such a desperate gamble may bring dazzling brilliance early on, is it okay to sacrifice the future at that cost?"