Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

[Future Integration]

"I already reduced your base score by 2400 points with [Black Flame Bullet], and although [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] cannot attack because of this, [Red-Eyes Dark Dragon] will not be restricted by this effect."

With a wave of her hand, Fubuki ordered, "Let me wake you up! Ryo, enter battle phase, followed by a direct attack from [Red-Eyes Dark Dragon]!"

"Sorewadoka? When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack, I discard this card from my hand to activate its effect!"

Caesar drew a card from his hand and discarded it, then sneered, "[Quick Attack Scarecrow], negate that attack and end the battle phase immediately!"

A scarecrow made of scrap metal leaped out of the card in Caesar's hand and stood in front of him. The black flames spewed by the Red-Eyes Dark Dragon instantly engulfed it, but failed to harm Caesar in the slightest.

"【Quick Attack Scarecrow】? I've never seen you use that before, Liang."

Despite having her battle phase abruptly ended, Tenjouin Fubuki was not discouraged. After all, she had Red-Eyes Dark Dragon on the field, so she wasn't so easy to defeat. Even if Caesar summoned the same Armored Black Dragon that had defeated Banjou before, it wouldn't matter, even though Caesar's graveyard was already filled with a considerable number of cards due to Future Fusion.

"I set a card to the back row, then activate the Continuous Spell Card [Nightmare Mirage], and that's how I end my turn."

[Tenjōin Fubuki: 4000LP, 0 cards in hand]

【Red-Eyes Dark Dragon】【ATK3600】

【Nightmare of the Mirage】【GaiKa】

"【Nightmare of the Mirage】? Then the card you set up will be 【Extraordinary Food】?" Looking at the card Fubuki played, Caesar couldn't help but think of the classic combination of 【Nightmare of the Mirage】 and 【Extraordinary Food】.

"Who knows? It could be [Extraordinary Food], or it could be [Explosive Armor]." Fubuki joked, not intending to tell Caesar what her card was. "No, it might be [Troublesome]."

However, in reality, Fubuki's face-down card is just a Trap Card called "Life's Bond" that can only be activated by discarding all cards in your hand when your monster is destroyed by battle. Its effect is to increase the ATK of the destroyed monster by 800 points and then Special Summon it back to the field. His previous statement was just a bluff to make Kaiser unsure whether to destroy his face-down card in the back row.

His [Red-Eyes Dark Dragon] is somewhat special because it is a card born from the power of "Darkness". Although it is Special Summoned by releasing [Red-Eyes Black Dragon], it is not limited to "only being Special Summoned in this way". There is even a precedent of Special Summoning it with the effect of [Red-Eyes Soul], not to mention [Life's Bond].

On the surface, [Life's Bond] only increases the attack power of the destroyed monster by 800 points, and Fubuki, who currently has no cards in hand, can't even pay the cost of [Life's Bond] and therefore can't activate it. However, in reality—

"My turn, draw a card."

Just as Marufuji Ryo was drawing a card, Fubuki announced: "[Nightmare Mirage]'s effect: During the opponent's Standby Phase, I draw cards from my deck until I have four cards in my hand."

"Since I have no cards in hand, I can draw four cards at once, Draw!"

Looking at the four Dragon-Type monster cards in her hand, Fubuki was secretly delighted, because this meant that once she activated the effect of "Nightmare Mirage", the attack power of the resurrected "Red-Eyes Dark Dragon" would not only be increased by 800 points, but also by 1200 points from the four Dragon-Type monsters sent to the Graveyard, which would be a full 2000 points.

Even if the [Red-Eyes Dark Dragon] is destroyed at the beginning, its attack power will soar to a full 5600 points after it is revived. Even if it is bright, it cannot defeat me in one turn!

Just as Fubuki was pondering, Caesar pointed to the only card stuck in his Duel Disk and said, "It's not just your [Nightmare Mirage] that has an effect during the Preparation Phase; my [Future Fusion] that I activated last turn will also take effect at this moment."

(I couldn't find a high-resolution version of the old card image, so I'll just have to make do with this one.)

"During the turn this is activated, [Future Fusion] has already sent the Fusion Material Monsters from my Deck to the Graveyard. Then, during this turn's Standby Phase, using [Cyber ​​Dragon] (sent to the Graveyard from my Deck), and five Machine-Type monsters—[Cyber ​​Dragon], [Cyber ​​Dragon II], [Cyber ​​Dragon III], and [Cyber ​​Dragon IV]—as Fusion Material, [Chimera Overload Dragon] will descend under the power of [Future Fusion]!"

As he spoke, Ryo Marufuji had already taken out a Fusion Monster card and placed it on the Duel Disk.

Behind him, a massive mechanical synthetic dragon is about to appear, and its attack power has begun to change due to the six fusion material monsters it uses, each of which provides it with a full 800 points of attack and defense bonus.

【Matching Overload Dragon】【? /? →4800/4800】

“You didn’t really like using this card before, did you? But now you’ve summoned it. But Akira, even so, I remember the effect of [Chimera Overload Dragon] very clearly.” Having been classmates with Kaiser for over a year, Fubuki hadn’t forgotten the effect of Kaiser’s card despite what had happened in the past year. “Although it’s very powerful, using [Chimera Overload Dragon] carries a great deal of risk.”

"When [Chimera Overload Dragon] is successfully Fusion Summoned, its own effect will be forcibly activated, sending all other cards on your field that are highlighted to the Graveyard. In other words, [Chimera Overload Dragon], which is summoned by [Future Fusion] and requires [Future Fusion] to exist, will send [Future Fusion] to the Graveyard the moment it is summoned, thus causing itself to disappear!"

As Fubuki finished speaking, the massive body of the [Chimera Overload Dragon] pressed down and shattered [Future Fusion]. At the same time, it seemed to have truly overloaded, its entire body crackling with electricity, before exploding and self-destructing.

"Blindly pursuing victory, even abandoning the dignity you once cherished most. Wake up, Liang!"

Hearing Fubuki's words, Caesar smiled nonchalantly: "I am very clear-headed, extremely clear-headed. I clearly see what lies ahead on the path I am on, and I also clearly see you being annihilated by my attack!"

"Spell Card [Overload Fusion] activated! This card can only be used to Fusion Summon a DARK Machine-Type monster. Banish a monster from my field or Graveyard as Fusion Material, and Fusion Summon that Fusion Monster from my Fusion Deck!"

Caesar boldly retrieved seven cards from the graveyard, including the [Chimera Overload Dragon] which he had just sent there, and declared, "I will banish the [Cyber ​​Dragon] from the graveyard, along with these six Machine-Type monsters, as Fusion Material—"

"Descend once more, [Chimera Overload Dragon]!"

The discarded parts that had just disintegrated on Caesar's field hadn't even had a chance to disappear before they were reassembled by the effect of the [Overload Fusion] he activated. A second entity, [Chimera Overload Dragon], even more powerful than the previous [Chimera Overload Dragon], descended onto his field!

【Matching Overload Dragon】【? /? →5600/5600】

"Entering battle phase, use [Chimera Overload Dragon] to attack [Red-Eyes Dark Dragon] —"

"Evolutionary Convergence Shockwave!"

In an instant, the attack emanating from one of the dragon heads of [Chimera Overload Dragon] shattered [Red-Eyes Dark Dragon], dealing a staggering 2000 points of damage to Tenjouin Fubuki. Accompanying this was the faint electrical damage caused by "Reverse Electron Flow" from Marufuji Ryo's deck.

"Ugh!" Fubuki involuntarily took a half step back, clutching her chest and panting as she felt a sharp pain in her heart from the electric shock. "Was this the kind of electric shock that Manjoume felt before? It was just like a dark game."

[Tenjoin Fubuki: 4000→2000LP]

“But Ryo, you won’t defeat me so easily. I’m activating the face-down card, ‘Life’s Tsuna’!” Fubuki said, enduring the pain as she pressed the button to activate the face-down card. At the same time, the faint voice in her ears grew louder and louder, the seduction of “Darkness” sleeping in the Red-Eyes deck.

Shaking her head to ignore the sounds, Fubuki sent the four cards in her hand to the graveyard without hesitation, saying, "When a monster on my field is destroyed by battle, I can only activate this card by discarding all cards in my hand. [Red-Eyes Dark Dragon] gains 800 ATK and is Special Summoned back to my field."

"At the same time, because all four cards in my hand that were sent to the graveyard were Dragon monsters, Red-Eyes Dark Dragon's ATK increases by an additional 1200 points!"

【True Red-Eyes Dark Dragon】【ATK2400→3200→5600】

“In that case, both sides are in the same situation. Although the [Chimera Overload Dragon] still has the effect of additional attacks, once it attacks, it will only perish together with the [Red-Eyes Dark Dragon].” Fubuki looked at Caesar and said, “Remember now, Ryo, for this I am willing to fall into darkness with you…”

"But why, even now that I'm so deep inside, can I still not see you?"

As the attack power of the card "Red-Eyes Dark Dragon," which is almost the embodiment of "Darkness," increased, the black power spread from the card on the Duel Disk toward Fubuki's arm, coiled around his head, and vaguely gathered into the image of a half-mask, which was only outlined.

Chapter 1320 My Darkness!

As the mask on Tenjouin Fubuki's face gradually materialized, his thoughts fell silent, but the voice in his ears grew clearer and clearer, chanting something he could not understand.

Because of the towering black flames unleashed by the resurrected Red-Eyes Dark Dragon, Caesar couldn't see what was happening on Fubuki's side. However, he heard everything Fubuki had said clearly and assumed that Fubuki's condition was normal.

"Red-Eyes Dark Dragon with 5600 ATK? You think you can use that to block Chimera Overload Dragon?" Caesar glanced at the cards in his hand and drew one without hesitation. "Monsters with the same ATK will destroy each other when they fight, but your plan is completely useless!"

"Quick-Play Spell Card [Limit Removal] activated! Double the ATK of all Machine-Type monsters on my field, therefore [Chimera Overload Dragon]'s ATK is increased to 11200!"

【Interlocking Overload Dragon】【ATK5600→11200】

With his arms outstretched, Caesar laughed wildly as the attack power of his Chimera Overload Dragon surged: "Although the Chimera Overload Dragon, empowered by Limit Removal, will self-destruct at the end of my turn, I have already won before that, Fubuki!"

"Let him be cast into the hell of the losers and wail in despair! [Chimera Overload Dragon] can attack with the number of Fusion Material Monsters. If the material monsters are seven, my [Chimera Overload Dragon] can attack six more times!"

The overwhelming aura of [Chimera Overload Dragon] and Caesar pressed down on Fubuki's nerves, gradually swallowing his vision completely by darkness. He murmured sorrowfully, "What deep darkness have you fallen into, Ryou..."

In a daze, Fubuki was about to lose consciousness, and the "Darkness" that had been waiting for this moment for so long finally erupted completely. Not only did the mask become a solid object and stick to Fubuki's face, but it also disliked Fubuki's overly frivolous beach shirt and used its already limited power to cover him with a vaguely visible black trench coat.

Taking advantage of Fubuki's use of the "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" deck to awaken Kaiser and her repeated enhancement of the "Red-Eyes Dark Dragon" created by it, which is considered the embodiment of her power, "Darkness," which was previously defeated by Jaden and sealed into a card by Dark Game, has resurfaced and taken over Fubuki's body thanks to the damage from Kaiser's "Reverse Cyber ​​Stream"!

Seeing the Chimera Overload Dragon about to launch its attack, Darkness, wearing a mask, sneered.

'That's it! Attack relentlessly! Use your overwhelming power to completely annihilate the essence of this body, and then my dark game will utterly shatter its consciousness, turning it back into my puppet!'

'Humans are truly useless. They borrowed so much power, yet failed to cause Kobayashi Hayato the slightest trouble. I shouldn't have so easily trusted that human named Kagemaru to provide him and his subordinates with power. The emperor of Atlantis schemed against me in this way, and now humans are just as cunning!'

'But it doesn't matter. Now I'll acquire a body to operate in the human world and personally take action! When the time comes, I'll make that damned Kobayashi Hayato taste the bitterness of hell, and then kill him!'

A treacherous smile graced the lower half of her face, which was not covered by the mask. Fubuki, whose consciousness had been taken over by "Darkness," was even more excited as she watched [Chimera Overload Dragon] unleash its attack!

The darkness of the world, the shattered future, human evil, the outflow of the source. These are all the formidable names I, Darkness, once held. Each one stronger, each one higher than the last.

This is me—the greatest being in the world. Since my birth, the Earth that nurtured me has continuously poured the power accumulated by its civilizations into my body, making me stronger and more powerful!

No one in this world can compare to me, no one can be compared to me, because the existence of civilization is the source of my power. Even if civilization tries to surpass the trials I set, it will only reach the end of destruction and offer up everything it has worked so hard to accumulate to me.

This is my way, my path.

How could I, the strongest and most powerful being, be wrong? How could I, who have continued from the beginning of time, be wrong? The only fault lies with the civilization that conceived me and nurtured me into such a powerful being. Even if there is fault, it can only be the fault of civilization, the fault of humanity, the fault of the ignorant and foolish, and the fault of the weak.

Without my insurmountable trial to destroy civilization, life within it would only perish in agony, rather than be annihilated by me without pain. This was true of Atlantis ten thousand years ago, and it is true of humanity today!

Therefore, civilizations on Earth should love me, be loyal to me, respect me, and worship me!

Appreciate the darkness of my world, surrender to my shattered future, my human evil, the outflow of my origins...

I...I...I...I'm Darkness!

Enjoying the prospect of advancing his plans while hidden among humanity, eliminating troublesome obstacles like Hayato Kobayashi, and then destroying the future of human civilization, Darkness witnessed the attack of [Chimera Overload Dragon] instantly disintegrate just a meter away from his body, as if passing through something, turning into countless scattered electric currents that fell around him without causing any damage to his fundamentals.

Not only that, the bodies of [Chimera Overload Dragon] on Kaiser's field and [Red-Eyes Dark Dragon] on Darkness's field flickered a few times like a faulty light bulb, and then suddenly disappeared. It seemed that the virtual projection system had been forcibly shut down. Even the Duel Disk suddenly turned off all the lights and locked all areas, making it impossible to take out or play cards.

At the same time, a man emerged from the woods and loudly proclaimed, "Both sides, sheath your weapons! Do not be disrespectful before the King!"

Seeing that neither Caesar nor Darkness, whose Duel Disks he had remotely shut down, made any move or tried to reactivate them, Hayato nodded with satisfaction: "Hmm, that's more like it."

"Did you do this, Principal Hayato? Just to suddenly appear out of nowhere and say some nonsensical lines?" Caesar frowned and said with great dissatisfaction upon seeing Hayato's appearance.

Although there is no evidence to prove that the duel was interrupted due to the malfunction of the Duel Disk, according to the well-known "danger" law in the Duel Academy—when there is danger, Kobayashi Hayato will repel any danger, and when there is no danger, Kobayashi Hayato is the greatest danger—it can be inferred that if there was a special situation and the principal happened to be present, it must have been Kobayashi Hayato who did it!

Unforgivable, Hayato Kobayashi! You snatched a victory that was within your grasp from someone else!

Do you know how despicable it is to snatch victory from someone else's hands?

"I know that kind of thing better than anyone else, okay? I'll remember what that bastard Kaibanella did for the rest of my life!" Hayato said, speaking in a way that Jaden and the others, who hadn't experienced Duel City, couldn't understand at all. He looked righteous and indignant. "But I have my reasons for doing this. My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror, and everything I do is for justice!"

As he spoke, Hayato turned around and pointed at Fubuki, who hadn't said anything at the beginning, but had just suddenly ripped off her mask and crushed it like a student caught smoking in the bathroom by the homeroom teacher, and quickly dispelled the black mist forming her black trench coat so that Hayato wouldn't "smell the smoke": "If you had continued attacking just now, Caesar, an annoying bug would have found a chance to crawl out from underground."

You've been spying on me, haven't you, Darkness!

Upon hearing Hayato utter "Darkness," Fubuki flinched in fright, but managed to feign composure, saying, "Kobayashi... cough, I mean, Principal Hayato, you must have misunderstood. I am Tenjouin Fubuki herself."

"Do you think you can still hide now? Let me tell you, I can tell a person's character by their smell." Hayato looked at "Fubuki" and sneered, "From a distance, I could smell your awful stench. You reek of something worse than vomit, even worse than a durian that fell from the eighteenth floor, smashed on the ground, was run over three times by the Yunyun, and then sun-dried for five days!!"

“That stench, Anubis doesn’t have it, Dartz doesn’t have it, not even Zorc doesn’t have it, only you, Darkness, only you have I ever smelled such a physiologically repulsive stench!”

After a pause, Hayato suddenly shouted, "Now! [Predatory Plant - Spikeleaf Vine Trident Hellflower]!"

"I'm waiting for the setup to finish, what are you waiting for?"

As he spoke, several vines suddenly rose from the soil around Darkness and shot towards him. They didn't intend to pierce Fubuki's body, which was occupied by Darkness, with the sharp claws at the ends of the vines; they only wanted to bind her.

(Predation Plan)

The four-legged, winged, three-headed, two-armed predatory plant—the Predatory Plant-Spike Vine Three-Pointed Hellflower—burst from the ground, unleashing a barrage of vines at Darkness, catching him completely off guard. He never expected that Hayato Kobayashi could be so certain that he was controlling Fubuki Tenjouin, nor did he expect that Kobayashi could launch such a relentless attack on his own student!

Doesn't he care about the stares of the other students? People with extraordinary abilities are often rejected and isolated by a civilization made up of ordinary people!

Darkness used Fubuki's body to perform a nimble backflip to dodge the first wave of vine attacks. He crushed the Duel Disk, which was locked and unusable, with his bare hands to retrieve the deck inside, and threw out the card of "Red-Eyes Dark Dragon".

Without activating the Duel Disk, the card wrapped in black energy that was thrown out instantly transformed into a physical [Red-Eyes Dark Dragon], blocking the vines that were about to attack Darkness. Tenjouin Fubuki's face, which was no longer covered by a mask, also turned much paler.

But despite its pale appearance, Darkness, who controlled Fubuki's body like a certain pure-love war god sorcerer controlling a prison guard to pilot a Gundam, felt no discomfort whatsoever. Instead, it sneered at Kobayashi Hayato and said, "Since you've figured it out, I won't pretend anymore. That's right, I've returned from hell again, Kobayashi Hayato!"

"You think that just because you repelled me once in the past, you can successfully continue human civilization? You only delayed my destruction of the world by a little bit. Your days of lingering on are over!" Darkness laughed arrogantly, no longer hiding his true nature. "Learning from the lesson of your sneak attack last time, I will not expose my true form to you so easily this time. What you attacked was just my puppet."