Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

After a pause, Jonouchi looked at the [Arcane Power VII - Chariot] on Saiou's field, "Speaking of which, I still don't know what effect that card will have when it's reversed."

"When 【Arcane Power VII - Chariot】 is upright, it can be Special Summoned to my field in the same manner after destroying an opponent's monster by battle. Conversely, when reversed, 【Arcane Power VII - Chariot】 destroyed by battle will be Special Summoned to my opponent's field in the same manner."

Saiou first explained the effect of his [Arcane Power VII - Chariot] on the field, and then said to Jonouchi: "In order to implement the plan I will soon be able to carry out, I originally did not intend to put my existence and power in a position that would be easily exposed to that man's sight. If it weren't for you repeatedly using despicable means to disgust me, how could I have used this trump card [Barrier of Light] so early!"

"But it doesn't matter. Fate has already set in the right track. It doesn't matter that you were stained white after losing in this duel of light and learned about the existence of the [Barrier of Light]. Because you will become a key piece for me to deal with that man. Such a gain is much greater than the ordinary students that a few cards can infect."

"Nonsense, I don't understand. How can a despicable guy call others despicable?" Jonouchi curled his lip. "Even if the effect of my [Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon] is negated, it doesn't mean that you can defeat him with that weak monster on your field with an attack of only 1700 points, which is less than half of his attack."

"Heh, the duel monster battles are indeed mainly about monsters fighting each other, but don't forget the essence of duel monsters, which is ultimately about wearing down each other's life points." Saiou sneered as he played a card. "It's okay if you don't destroy the monster. I'll activate the Spell Card [Sword A]. This card can be activated by selecting a face-up monster on the field, and then the upright or reversed position will be determined."

"When in its upright position, the effect of [Ace of Swords] is to inflict damage equal to the ATK of the monster targeted by the opponent, while when reversed, the effect is reversed, and I take the damage. However, within [Barrier of Light], I will be the absolute decision-maker, so the position of [Ace of Swords] is naturally upright!"

(I can't find which episode in the anime used it, so I'll just use the image from the encyclopedia for now.)

The card 【Sword A】 that appeared on the field after Saiou only spun once before stopping, right in the correct position. A sharp sword extended from the card image, pointing towards Jonouchi's field, its sharp, cold light shining into Jonouchi's eyes.

The target of [Sword A], besides [Arcane Power VII - Chariot], is only [Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon] on Jonouchi's field. When positioned correctly, [Sword A] will deal effect damage equal to the attack power of [Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon] to Jonouchi, which is a whopping 3500 points!?

Saiou once again used his power of foresight and clearly saw a scene in the future where Jonouchi Katsuya would suffer a staggering 3500 points of effect damage from the [Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon]!

You bastard! That's it, let this guy taste what pain is!

"Clang!"

The sword shot out, provoking an instinctive counterattack from the [Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon]. However, the black flames it spewed out not only failed to burn the sword in the slightest, but instead wrapped around [Sword A] and continued to shoot towards the city!

"boom!"

The sword struck Jonouchi's body, causing it to explode and kick up a cloud of dust. The black flames on it also hit Jonouchi's body at point-blank range. Upon seeing this, Saiou couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Hehe, hehehehehehe, to use an old foreign saying, 'an eye for an eye.' The damage you caused me with the Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon before, I can now return it to you in double form."

"Having taken 3500 points of damage in one go, Katsuya Jonouchi, how do you feel now? How do you feel?"

Hearing Sai-ou's laughter, Jonouchi calmly said, "How do I feel right now? I feel pretty good, don't I?"

[Jouchi Katsuya: 4000LP]

Upon hearing Jonouchi's words, Saiou frowned, glanced at his base score, and couldn't help but show a surprised expression: "Wait, your base score hasn't decreased? How is that possible!"

"That's entirely possible. I've dealt with far more bizarre decks than you can imagine, including some that don't want to fight at all and instead win by dealing effect damage. I already have strategies to deal with reducing life points, even without your guidance."

As Jonouchi finished speaking, his [Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon] flapped its wings, creating a gust of wind that dispersed the dust on his field, revealing a trap card that Jonouchi had flipped open in the back row.

"A counter-trap card with a spell speed of 3, [Damage Shield], this card can only be activated when an effect that inflicts damage is activated." Jonouchi clapped his hands and continued, "Neglect the activation and effect, and then both players draw a card."

[Within the city: 4000LP, hand 1→2]

Watching Jonouchi draw a card, Saiou also angrily drew a card from his deck, because [Damage Shield] was still a card that hadn't appeared in the future he had foreseen: "I've already used [Light Barrier], why are you still rewriting the fate I've decided?"

[Zaiwang: 3000LP, hand 3→4]

Without even glancing at the card he drew, Saiou played it into the magic trap zone. Although Jonouchi repeatedly defied Saiou's predictions about the future, at least for now, Saiou's own destiny remained in his own hands.

"The Spell Card [Mystic Reading] is activated. It gains different effects depending on the card's upright or reversed position. However, if I have [Light Barrier] on my field, I can choose one effect directly without considering upright or reversed position." Saiou said, drawing the card he had searched from the Duel Disk. "I choose the upright effect. I add one card from my Deck, other than [Mystic Reading], that has an effect that determines upright or reversed position to my hand. The card I added to my hand is this one, [Mystic Power XXI - World]!"

"It's not over yet! [Ritual Reading] has two effects, each of which can be used once per turn. I banish this [Ritual Reading] from my Graveyard to activate its second effect, and Normal Summon another [Ritual Power] monster from my hand!"

"Come forth, [Secret Ritual Power IV - Emperor]!"

The embodiment of the Major Arcana card, which signifies "domination," appears next to the "Arcane Power IV - Emperor." Both are depicted as mechanical tentacled monsters, and upon their appearance, a miniature "Arcane Power IV - Emperor" card begins to rotate above them.

This time, without Saiou needing to explain, Jonouchi retorted, "Here we go again. So all your [Secret Ritual Power] cards are gambling cards? But if you decide which side is facing up and which side is facing down, does that still count as gambling?"

"That's why I said long ago, this isn't gambling, it's my control over fate!" Saiou sneered and waved his hand. "The position of [Arcane Power IV - Emperor] is, of course, upright! And the effect of the upright [Arcane Power IV - Emperor] is to increase the ATK of all face-up [Arcane Power] monsters on my field by 500 points!"

【Secret Power IV - Emperor】【4☆/Light】

[Angel Race/Effect]

【1400/1400→1900/1400】

【Arcane Power VII - Chariot】【ATK 1700→2200】

"An increase of 500 attack power for everyone? If I'm not mistaken, the reverse effect would be a decrease of 500 attack power for everyone, right? It feels... not as good as [Unity of the Clan]."

In Jonouchi's opinion, all monsters with "Arcane Power" are Angel-type. As long as all monsters in the Graveyard have the same original type, "Unity of the Race" can increase the ATK of monsters of the same type on the field by 800 points. Isn't that much better than "Arcane Power IV - Emperor," which still requires luck? Moreover, as a Continuous Spell Card, it doesn't count towards a Normal Summon.

"Attack power of 2200 and 1900 is barely acceptable. If the previous [Sword X] and [Sword A] had worked, I might have been able to achieve an OTK in duels against duelists who don't pay attention to back row defense. But unfortunately, my [Meteor Dragon - Meteor Black Dragon] still has higher attack power."

Upon hearing Jonouchi's words, Saiou merely sneered and placed a card face down on the back stage, saying, "Individual strength and excellence are meaningless, because being different will only lead to exclusion and expulsion. This is the inherent weakness of humanity. Only fate, fate is the supreme being that rules over humanity. Even if your monster is powerful for a time, fate can still guide an even more powerful being to bring you destruction."

"After setting a card face down, I activate the Spell Card 'Choice of Fate,' allowing my opponent to randomly choose a card from my hand. If that card is a Monster Card, Special Summon it to my field!"

"Come on, Katsuya Jonouchi, your fate is sealed with only one outcome: a shattered future. Now, it is up to you to turn the gears of that self-destructive destiny!"

Although Saiou's words were quite alarming, Jonouchi couldn't help but retort, "You keep talking about fate, but you yourself aren't sure, are you? Otherwise, why did you cover up a card first and not give me a choice?"

It was said that Jonouchi should choose his own future, but at this moment, Saiou clearly only had one card left in his hand, so where was there any choice?

However, as a diviner, Saiō naturally had to be thick-skinned; otherwise, how could he calmly utter those charlatan-like pronouncements in front of others?

"Having no choice is also a choice. This is what I mean when I say your fate is sealed, with only one future." Before Jonouchi could choose the only card in his hand, Saiou played it, saying, "I only have this one card in my hand, so your fate has only one possibility: choosing it!"

"The pinnacle of the Major Arcana, the ultimate of Tarot divination, will reveal itself under the choice of destiny, Zavarudo!"

"Special Summon! [Arcane Power XXI - World]!"

(Sorry, wrong set)

An ominous white light emanated from the card held up by Saiou, and before Jonouchi's eyes, multiple phantom images of Earth simultaneously gathered within the [Barrier of Light].

As Saiou put down the card, multiple phantoms of Earth collided violently. The [Secret Power XXI - World], also a mechanical tentacle monster with an overall shape that was almost circular, appeared on Saiou's field!

【Arcane Power XXI-World】【8☆/Light】

[Angel Race/Effect]

【3100/3100→3600/3100】

"【Secret Power XXI - The World】is the pinnacle of the Tarot decks, flawless in both attack and defense, surpassing even the legendary 【Blue-Eyes White Dragon】." Saiou watched as 【Secret Power XXI - The World】stopped upright on its own, then coldly smiled at Jonouchi, saying, "And with the blessing of 【Secret Power IV - The Emperor】, even without using its effects, its power surpasses your 【Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon】!"

The terrifying effect of 【Secret Power XXI - World】is the ability to send two monsters on your field to the Graveyard during your End Phase, skipping your opponent's entire next turn. Faced with the power of "The World", your opponent won't even have a chance to fight back, and may even be defeated without realizing it. This is the absolute power of 【Secret Power】, and the absolute destiny-determining power that Tsusai Ou, the master of fate, has devised!

Jonouchi Katsuya has two monsters on the field. It doesn't matter what the monster in defense position is, because the existence of [Light Barrier] will block any monster effect activated anywhere, even Flip monsters like [Man-Eating Bug] cannot activate their effects.

First, he destroyed the monster in the back defense position, then he used [Arcane Power XXI-World] to defeat [Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon], and then the remaining monster directly attacked Jonouchi Katsuya, greatly reducing his Life Points.

As Jonouchi Katsuya was overjoyed to have escaped with his life, he was then told about the terrifying effects of "The World." This was punishment for Jonouchi Katsuya for daring to fool Kono Saiou Takumi, who was the one who guided destiny!

With a wave of his hand, Saiou declared: "Entering the battle phase, I will use [Arcane Power IV - Emperor] to attack the opponent's face-down Defense Position monster, then use [Arcane Power XXI - World] to attack [Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon], and finally, use [Arcane Power VII - Chariot] for a direct attack!"

"The Fist of Domination! Beyond Calamity! The Tentacle Cannon at the End!"

After issuing all the commands in one go, Saiou watched with satisfaction as the first to act, [Secret Power IV - Emperor], easily destroyed the monster lying horizontally in the castle with a single punch—[Red-Eyes Baby Dragon], which had the ability to activate its effect when destroyed in battle. However, due to the restriction of [Barrier of Light], the effect of [Red-Eyes Baby Dragon] was directly nullified and could not be used.

Then came Saiou's ace monster, [Arcane Power XXI - World], whose yellow laser beam shot from its eye, instantly striking Jonouchi's [Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon] on the field. Despite its attempt to fight back, [Arcane Power XXI - World]'s 100+ attack power overwhelmed [Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon], rendering it powerless to resist and sending it to the Graveyard.

【Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon】 originally had an effect that activated when a monster was sent from the Monster Zone to the Graveyard, but this effect was nullified due to 【Light Barrier】. At the same time, Jonouchi also suffered his first injury since the start of the duel.

[Jouchi Katsuya: 4000→3900LP]

However, at the very moment when all the monsters on Jonouchi's field were cleared, what should have been the direct attack of [Arcane Power VII - Chariot] on Jonouchi Katsuya was instead met with Saiou's failure to see the attack. Instead, a card on Jonouchi's back field was slowly revealed.

Why is Jonouchi not afraid of burn decks? Is it simply because his deck includes cards that mitigate effect damage, designed to counter cards like Hayato's "Summoning Exophysis"? Of course not. His greatest confidence in not being afraid of burn decks stems from the fact that "Red-Eyes" is actually a deck extremely adept at burn tactics.

The effect of the [Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon] activated upon entering the field is just an appetizer; the real killer move actually comes from the card that Jonouchi set face-down in the first turn!

Chapter 1235 This is actually my escape route, Prince Sai!

"The card name of the [Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon] summoned by [Red-Eyes Fusion] is regarded as [Red-Eyes Black Dragon]. This effect may not seem useful under normal circumstances, but there are always surprises in the strong."

Jonouchi moved his finger away from the button that activated the face-down card. "For example, right now, when a face-up Red-Eyes monster on my field is destroyed, the trap card Red-Eyes Burnout activates!"

"Both duelists take damage equal to the monster's attack power!"

Saiou's eyes widened suddenly as he looked at the arena inside the castle. The Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon, which had been destroyed by the [Secret Ritual Power XXI-World], had somehow managed to return to the arena, its body riddled with cracks and its surging power suppressed within, ready to erupt at any moment.

Previously, Saiou wanted to use the power of [Sword A] to inflict damage on Jonouchi equal to the attack power of [Meteor Dragon - Meteor Black Dragon]. However, now, with the activation of [Red-Eyes Incineration], Saiou is instead going to suffer damage from [Meteor Dragon - Meteor Black Dragon] instead?

Suddenly, Saiou remembered that in the future he had foreseen, there was indeed a scene where Jonouchi suffered 3500 points of damage from the [Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon]. Wasn't this the very moment?

But contrary to what Saiou had expected, why was he also injured?

As Saiou thought this, he saw the body of the [Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon] expand rapidly. Then, the power within the [Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon] transformed into red lasers symbolizing destruction, which then swept wildly around.

Prince Sai and the castle were both caught in the crossfire!

Just as Saiou was furious that Jonouchi's lack of martial ethics had prevented him from foreseeing that not only Jonouchi but also himself would be caught in the blast radius of "Red-Eyes Burning," the last face-down card that Jonouchi revealed on the back field nearly made him explode with rage.

"【Red-Eyes Burn】can wipe out all your Life Points, but it also inflicts the same damage on me. Although the 100 points of damage I just received felt insignificant, not even as powerful as Kaiba's 【Obelisk】..."

Jonouchi, who had once withstood the "God Fist Crushing Strike" with its infinite power without taking any damage but only felt a little tightness in his chest, scratched a small tear on his chest and commented on the attack power of the [Secret Ritual Power XXI-World] just now, saying, "It's just a pity about my two-hundred-yen street stall shirt."

"Anyway, I don't want to take too much damage in this so-called 'Duel of Light'. Even if nothing happens, if Kaiba finds out about this through the Duel Disk's backend data, he'll probably start mocking me again. So sorry, you're the only one who will take damage from 'Red-Eyes Incinerate'!"

"Quick-Play Spell Card [Defense Wheel] activated! It reduces the damage dealt to me by Trap Card [Red-Eyes Incinerate] to 0, but retains the damage dealt to my opponent!"

Once again, a future different from the destiny he had foretold appeared. Saiou stared wide-eyed in disbelief: "Impossible! Time and time again, how many times will you humiliate destiny, how many times will you not stop before you stop!"

"You mere Katsuya Jonouchi! You possess neither godlike talent that transcends your time nor a special reincarnation, so what gives you the right to repeatedly trample on the future I have guided!"

"I, Saiō Takuma! I, Saiō Takuma—!"

Before Saiou could finish his harsh words, the power of [Red-Eyes Incineration] was fully unleashed within [Meteor Dragon - Meteorite Black Dragon]. However, when it reached Jonouchi's front, a barrier composed of rotating shields extended from the [Defense Wheel] that opened in his back field, blocking part of the impact. But the remaining part still rushed towards Saiou's field without any reduction.

Even though Saio still had three monsters on the field, they were completely powerless against this power that only targeted duelists. Saio's remaining 3000 Life Points were instantly wiped out to zero, and he himself was instantly sent flying.

"Buga—!"

[Jouchi Katsuya: 3900→3900LP]

[Zaiwang Takuma: 3000LP → 0]

"What you said is really infuriating. Do you think you, a demon, would also call me a mediocre person?" Jonouchi said unhappily, pointing to himself with his thumb. "Although I am aware that I am not a genius, that does not mean that I can only watch Hayato and Yugi's figures and chase after them forever. On the contrary, we are partners who can fight side by side."

"Any lack of talent? I'll make up for it with my backbone and spirit!" With that, Jonouchi waved his arm and declared victory, "Victory belongs to Jonouchi-sama!"

The moment Saiou's life points reached zero, the [Barrier of Light] disappeared as the duel ended, and the white light barrier attached to the exhibition hall wall naturally shattered and dissipated as well. However, the moment Jonouchi confidently declared his victory, he saw Saiou's only unattacked [Secret Power XII - Chariot] unleash an attack that was fully charged but had nowhere to be released.

The target of the attack was not the city itself, but the exhibition hall walls that were not protected by the white light barrier.

The tentacle cannon easily ripped a large hole in the solid concrete wall, and then, incredibly, Saiou, who had been blasted away, "just happened" to fly in the direction of the hole. Following the hole in the wall, Saiou took the opportunity to fly out of the exhibition hall, whose only exit was blocked by Jonouchi!

"You've been tricked, Katsuya Jonouchi! This is the escape route I, Takumo Saiou, devised!" Smashing through the glass of the outer corridor and escaping to the outside of the building, Saiou flew backwards, seemingly still furious that Jonouchi had won and was trying to regain some face by uttering harsh words, "When it comes to strategy, you still can't beat me, Takumo Saiou!"

While Jonouchi was still in a daze, Saiou had already been sent flying dozens of meters away by the impact of the [Red-Eyes Extinguishing], and was still increasing the distance between himself and Jonouchi, who was still lingering in the exhibition hall. Even if Jonouchi started to chase after him now, he probably wouldn't be able to catch up!