Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"In the duel against Manjoume, your [Cyber ​​Dark] demonstrated this common characteristic of 'Equip Monsters'. Although I didn't make any special adjustments to the deck before the match, it's because I had already included this card that targets [Cyber ​​Dark] in the deck!"

Fubuki pointed at Caesar's field, "【Ascension】is a card that destroys all monsters equipped with Equip Cards without targeting. Therefore, even if your 【Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Dragon】is equipped with 【Strengthened Support Machine - Heavy Armor】, which grants it resistance to being targeted by your opponent's effects, it will be destroyed by the effect of 【Ascension】!"

Or perhaps...

"—Or, I could send the [Reinforced Support Mech - Heavy Armor] to the graveyard and reactivate the effect of [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Dragon], thus negating and destroying the activation of [Ascension]!" Caesar continued, waving his hand as he finished speaking. "Since you're so eager to force me to use the effect of [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Dragon], then so be it!"

"Dark Electromagnetic Cannon - Triple Shot!"

Because it had been bombarding the same spot three times in a row, this time [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Dragon] didn't even need to aim, skillfully firing its "projectiles." Meanwhile, [Enhanced Support Machine - Heavy Armor] once again transformed into a meteor, launched by [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Dragon] and striking the [Ascension] card, shattering it.

【Armored Dragon - Electronic Dark Dragon】【ATK5000→4000】

"Finally, the equipment cards for [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Dragon] have been completely depleted." Asuka breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Fubuki finally exhaust Caesar's counters. No matter how much they bickered when they were together, Fubuki was still Asuka's brother. In his duel with Caesar, if Asuka had to choose, she would definitely choose to stand on Fubuki's side and cheer him on.

Of course, if you were to ask whether Asuka would be able to make such a decisive choice if the duel were between Fubuki and Jaden, she might hesitate a little, then decisively abandon her unreliable and annoying brother and support Jaden.

"However, even without all the equipment cards, [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Dragon] still boasts a whopping 4000 points, comparable to [Cyber ​​Terminator Dragon]. Besides, Caesar has a mysterious face-down card in his back row, while Fubuki-senpai only has two cards in her hand." Marufuji Sho worried for Fubuki, "Will they win?"

However, instead of "you'll win," Sho Marufuji received Asuka's question: "Huh? Marufuji, shouldn't you be cheering for Caesar?"

“Well, it’s a bit complicated, but you’ve seen Caesar’s state. Sho doesn’t approve of that kind of Caesar.” Jaden scratched his cheek in distress. “Although he believes that Caesar is still the same Caesar, it seems a bit much to ask him to cheer for that kind of Caesar.”

"And you, Judai, do you support... no, do you think Caesar or your brother have a better chance of winning?" Asuka asked.

"Judging from the situation on the field, Caesar has a clear advantage, but I have great respect for Fubuki's strength. He probably has some incredible tricks up his sleeve, otherwise he wouldn't still be maintaining such a relaxed attitude, right?" Jaden said, looking at the field. "That's what my amazing intuition says. I'm afraid a reversal will happen soon."

"So, big brother, you also support Fubuki-senpai?"

Marufuji Sho was a little curious, but Judai decisively said, "No, my amazing wisdom tells me that Caesar will win in the end. After all, he made a promise with me to fight in the final of the exchange competition."

“In that case, I’ll support Caesar too.” Asuka said decisively when she heard that Judai supported Caesar.

“Me too.” Although he still rejected the current Caesar, since Judai chose to support Caesar, Marufuji Sho was also willing to believe in Judai.

On the field, Fubuki was unaware that his already small number of supporters had dwindled even further because of Jaden's words. He watched as the attack power of Kaiser's [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Dragon] stopped changing and said, "4000 attack power, what a strange number. It's exactly the same as the attack power of your ace monster [Cyber ​​End Dragon]?"

"Ha, when was that topic? For the sake of victory, I have long since abandoned everything, including 'old friends' like [Electronic Terminator Dragon]."

Is that really the case?

Hearing Caesar's reply, Fubuki shrugged. "Whatever. But since you've been using a 'new friend' like [Cyber ​​Dark], shouldn't I go along with it and bring out the same 'new friend'?"

"To activate the effect of [Red-Eyes Black Steel Dragon] in my hand, I can reveal this card to my opponent. Set one [Metalize] Trap Card from my Deck to the field, and then return this card to the Deck."

Fubuki took a card from her deck. "The card I set face-down is this [Metallization - Enhanced Reflective Armor]."

"Huh? That card isn't..." Yugi glanced at Jonouchi with some surprise. He remembered that Jonouchi had taken out this brand new card during his duel with [Sword King Battle - Frode]. He didn't expect to see it again in the hands of that boy who also used [Red-Eyes].

"Didn't Hayato ask me to find that boy and help him dispel the remaining dark power within him? During the process of helping him communicate with the Red-Eyes Pokémon, it should be called 'resonance,' right? Although the evolution paths are different, that card was born from the combined power of my Red-Eyes and that boy Fubuki's Red-Eyes."

Jonouchi had a rather favorable impression of Tenjōin Fubuki, who used both the Winged Beast deck and Red-Eyes, making her seem like a combination of himself and Mai. This was especially true given her difficult past of breaking free from darkness and the fact that she was even a fan of his—if only her hairstyle wasn't Kaiba's.

"One of your 'Red-Eyes' styles is about constantly evolving yourself, while the other is about fusing with other monsters. I don't know where your 'Red-Eyes' styles resonate with each other," Mai the Peacock complained from the side.

"Ahem, there's no need to get to the bottom of Duel Monsters," Hayato concluded. Having missed Jonouchi's duel earlier, he glanced at the list of cards that could drop from dueling with Jonouchi and found that several new cards had indeed been added. He decided to play a few more rounds with Jonouchi after watching the finals to get the new cards.

While it's not just [Red-Eyes Black Steel Dragon], Hayato discovered that [Devil-Zoa] is also connected to [Metallic Reflect Armor], a card previously used by "Thief" Keith, and also used by Edogawa Yuri, who was defeated in one round during his duel with Jaden in the quarterfinals. Just as [Devil-Zoa] can transform into [Metal Devil-Zoa], the new card [Devilmon-Zoa], connected to [Metallic Reflect Armor], can evolve into [MetalDevilmon-Zoa X].

Putting aside strength and such, Hayato can be used, but he can't be without!

Thinking of this, Hayato's gaze towards Jonouchi became unusually intense, and Jonouchi suddenly shivered, feeling as if he were being stared at by something filthy.

With a card face down on the back row, Fubuki slowly flipped the last card in her hand over to Caesar: "Whether it's me or you, we're both completely out of cards now. In that case, it's the perfect time to use this card."

"Spell Card [Heavenly Treasure]: Both players draw cards from their decks until they have six cards in their hand." Fubuki drew her card first from her deck. "Since I have no cards in my hand, I can draw six cards at once!"

【Tenjōin Fubuki: 4000LP, hand size 1→6】

“Although you drew six cards at once, powerful cards often come with great risks. I can also draw six cards.” Not much slower than Fubuki, Caesar also drew six cards. Seeing the cards he had drawn, he sneered and looked at Fubuki, saying, “You’ve given me a large number of cards at once. Are you so confident that you can defeat me this turn without giving me a chance to play the cards in my hand?”

[Ryo Marufuji: 2000 LP, hand 0→6]

"That's why I said, nothing beats a try. I didn't know the outcome before I drew the card. Even the [Metalized Reflective Armor] that I placed face down in the back row was just a decoration that couldn't be activated."

Fubuki didn't lie at all, smiling as she spoke her true thoughts. Looking at [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Dragon], although she still had a smile on her face, the emotion expressed in her smile gradually transformed into full fighting spirit: "The real battle has only just begun."

"Activate the Spell Card 'Dragon's Heart', send three Dragon monsters from my Deck to the Graveyard, and increase the ATK of all Dragon monsters I control by 1000 for this turn only. As a trade, I cannot Summon monsters during the turn I activate this card."

Playing a card whose cost was clearly more frightening than its effect, Tenjouin Fubuki continued, "But my main purpose was to send the cards to the graveyard. The cards I sent to the graveyard were [Black Hole Dragon], [Eclipse Wyvern], and [Dark Lord Diablos]!"

"Then, if 'Eclipse Winged Dragon' is sent to the Graveyard, its effect is activated, banishing one LIGHT or DARK Dragon monster of Level 7 or higher from my Deck. If 'Eclipse Winged Blade' in my Graveyard is banished, the monster banished by this effect is added to my hand."

Taking a card from her deck, Fubuki solemnly declared, "The monster I'm banishing is—[Red-Eyes Black Dragon]!"

Chapter 1385 FB...Kaiba Watching You

"Excluding the [Red-Eyes Black Dragon]?"

Caesar watched Fubuki's actions and raised an eyebrow. "So, because of resistance, you've abandoned the power of 'Darkness,' Tenjōin Fubuki?"

"No, quite the opposite, I have completely mastered the power that 'Darkness' forced upon me." Fubuki discarded a card from her hand and activated a spell card. "Then I will use this spell card, 'Ruby's Treasure Card,' to send a Level 7 'Red-Eyes' monster from my hand to the Graveyard to activate this card."

“I draw two cards from my deck, and then I can send a Level 7 Red-Eyes monster from my deck to the graveyard.” Fubuki showed a card in her hand. “The monster I sent to the graveyard is this Red-Eyes Black Dragon. After drawing two cards, I send one Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my deck to the graveyard.”

In an instant, all three of Fubuki's cards in his deck were either banished or sent to the graveyard, but he quickly used the cards he played at the same time to tell Caesar why he did so.

"Although I can't perform a Normal Summon, there are other ways to summon monsters. The effect of the [New Emperor Soaring Dragon] in my hand allows me to discard this card and one monster card from my hand, target one Normal Monster in my Graveyard, and Special Summon that monster to my field."

With her hand reduced from five cards to three, Fubuki raised her arm and shouted, "Send the [Black Dragon's Hatchling] and [New Emperor Soaring Wind Dragon] from my hand to the graveyard."

"Then revive, [Red-Eyes Black Dragon]!"

First came [Black Hole Dragon], then [Diablos the Dark Lord]. These cards were used by Fubuki during her time as "Darkness," and they once gave Jaden a tough fight. They were also a painful microcosm of the short but seemingly endless year that Fubuki had endured.

However, Fubuki incorporated them all into his deck, mastering and utilizing the power that "Darkness" had forced upon him, as he himself stated. The final result was—the [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] rising from Fubuki's graveyard, bathed in flames!

【True Red-Eyes Black Dragon】【ATK2400】

"It's not over yet! When [New Emperor Soaring Wind Dragon] is sent to the Graveyard, its second effect is activated—"

The sci-fi-themed Rising Wind Dragon, which was abandoned by Fubuki and materialized to help Red-Eyes resurrect from the graveyard, did not dissipate immediately after Red-Eyes Black Dragon's resurrection. Instead, it circled once above Fubuki's field before swooping down towards Kaiser's field.

Just like how Caesar used [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Dragon] to repeatedly fire equipment cards as cannonballs and then make them self-destruct, [New Emperor Soaring Wind Dragon] also self-destructed at the very moment it was about to hit the ground!

[Electronic Lighthouse] [0/2100]

[Electronic Dragon Core] [400/1500→0/1500]

[Electronic Loongson] [100/100→0/100]

【Armored Dragon - Electronic Dark Dragon】【ATK4000→3500】

Affected by the self-destruction of [New Emperor Soaring Dragon], the attack power of all the monsters on Kaiser's field—except for [Electronic Lighthouse], which already had an attack power of 0—dropped instantly.

"--Attack power decreases by 500 points until the end of the round." Only now did Fubuki slowly reveal the effect of [New Emperor Soaring Wind Dragon].

Although the monster's attack power was reduced, the 500-point reduction was negligible. Caesar sneered, "Weak, weak, weak, weak! A mere 500-point reduction in attack power is nothing. The [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Dragon] with 3500 attack power is still an insurmountable wall for your [Red-Eyes Black Dragon]!"

"Whether or not you can scale the high wall isn't up to you to decide, Ryou. Don't forget the effect of the [Dragon's Heart] card I activated earlier," Fubuki reminded him. "The attack power of [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] will increase by another 1000 points this turn!"

Although the cost is obviously more terrifying than the effect, the effect of [Dragon Heart] should not be underestimated. The power of the dragon monsters that Fubuki sent to the graveyard rose up and was absorbed by [Red-Eyes Black Dragon].

[True Red-Eyes Black Dragon] [ATK2400→3400]

"We're getting closer! The gap in attack power between us and [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Dragon] is narrowing!" Manjoume exclaimed excitedly from the stands. "That's right, just like that! Let's increase our attack power even further and take down that monster!"

"Although you say nice things like 'past hardships only temper me and make me stronger,' Manjoume, you really still hold a grudge against Caesar for defeating you." Judai stood up excitedly when he saw Manjoume and teased him.

"Stop talking nonsense! And also, it's Mr. Manjoume!"

"Okay, all-seeing lightning!"

In contrast to Manjoumu, who was merely a spectator, Caesar on the field showed little reaction to Fubuki's [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] attack power continuing to approach [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Dragon], merely raising an eyebrow: "Oh? So you really have mastered and controlled the power of darkness."

"However, this is far from enough, far from enough to snatch victory from my hands! Reducing the attack power of my monster and increasing the attack power of your monster—none of this process matters. Only the final result matters, and the result now is that the attack power of your [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] is still below that of my [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Dragon]!"

The essence of Duel Monsters is cruel; effort and desperate struggle are meaningless. Even though Red-Eyes Black Dragon's attack power is now close to that of Cyber ​​Dragon, only 100 points away, it still can't compete. In fact, all that effort will be in vain after Fubuki's turn ends. Red-Eyes Black Dragon's boost from Dragon Heart only lasts for one turn, while Cyber ​​Dragon's attack power, weakened by Neo Emperor Gale Dragon, will recover at the end of the turn.

He looked at the three cards remaining in Fubuki's hand. "The process is meaningless. What matters is the final result, the final victory—even just one card. Do you have any cards in your remaining three hands that can further increase your monster's attack power, Tenjouin Fubuki?"

"Of course there are—well, I was thinking of saying it in a cool way, but there aren't any." Looking at the two spell cards and one monster card in front of her, Fubuki shook her head, but then smiled slyly. "But who says you can't win a duel without cards that provide attack power to your monsters?"

"Principal Hayato said it well: 'The attack power of a Duel Monster is not the key to determining the outcome of a duel.' If the outcome of a duel could be determined simply by comparing the attack power of monsters, then Seto Kaiba, who used the Blue-Eyes White Dragon deck, would have already defeated our principal and become the Duel King."

(The seahorse spying on the scene from the surveillance camera: ?)

Selecting a spell card in front of her, Fubuki activated it while saying, "Ultimately, the most common way to win in Duel Monsters is to reduce your opponent's Life Points to 0. That way, it doesn't matter if I leave your monsters on the field, as long as I can clear out your remaining 2000 Life Points!"

"Spell Card [Black Flame Bullet] activated!"

Fubuki played a seemingly ordinary card that was actually quite terrifying in today's 4000-point environment. He pointed to the Red-Eyes Black Dragon on his field and said, "To activate the Black Flame Bullet, you need to pay the price that the Red-Eyes Black Dragon on my field cannot attack during the turn this card is activated. You can only activate this card by targeting one Red-Eyes Black Dragon in my Monster Zone."

"The damage dealt to the opponent's duelist [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] is equal to its original attack power. Although the attack power boost from [Dragon Heart] is not included, the original 2400 attack power of [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] is enough to wipe out your remaining 2000 life points!"

"You've tasted the bitter fruit of activating [Power Combination] to maximize the monster's attack power, Ryou!" With a wave of her hand, Fubuki shouted, "Take this [Black Flame Bullet]!"

A surge of black flames erupted from the mouth of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, gathering strength before it until the suppressed flames expanded into a massive energy blast almost as tall as the Red-Eyes Black Dragon itself. Only then did the Red-Eyes Black Dragon roar and unleash it.

Fubuki kept a close eye on the face-down card in Caesar's back row, wary of him activating it, but the card didn't activate until [Black Flame Bullet] successfully hit Caesar's body and exploded into a sea of ​​fire.

"They didn't activate that face-down card?" Looking at the dark sea of ​​fire with some doubt, Fubuki subconsciously asked, muttering to herself, "It's resolved just like that?"

However, as is well known, whenever this flag appears, it is often the case that the "no harm from smoke" rule comes true. The black flames burning the things they touched burned for a moment and then slowly went out, revealing the monsters that still existed on Caesar's field, and Caesar's life points did not drop to zero as a result.

"How could this be?!" Upon double-checking and finding that the face-down card behind Caesar was still there, Fubuki was quite surprised. "It survived the Black Flame Bullet attack even though it didn't activate a face-down card?"

"Although it was a feint to test my card, it also carried a deadly danger. The duel with you is indeed incredibly exciting, Tenjouin Fubuki. This duel, dancing on the edge of a knife with a dark aura, is truly exhilarating!" Caesar glanced at his duel board, where his Life Points were down to only three digits, but his fighting spirit was even higher than before. He grinned excitedly, "That's it! This pain gives me the real feeling of struggling to fight for victory. Enjoy more of the fun of hell with me!"

"Trap Card [Damage Reduction]! Chained with your [Black Flame Bullet], I banished this card from my Graveyard to activate its effect, reducing the effect damage I take this turn to half!"

Caesar pressed his hand to his heart, which was pounding faster due to the electric current emanating from the deck, and exclaimed excitedly, "Therefore, the effect damage from [Black Flame Bullet] is not 2400 points but 1200 points, which is not enough for you to take my victory!"

Because it was in a virtual world, although the pain from the electric current was still reproduced, it was far less harmful than in reality. This made Caesar even more pleased, and he laughed loudly: "Hehe, hahahahaha, you made me bleed, Tenjouin Fubuki."

"However, I will not hand over victory, because all I respect is victory, and that is the struggle I have made for it!"

[Marufuji Ryo: 2000→800LP, 6 cards in hand]

"It's [Damage Slimming]? When did that card end up in the graveyard?" Although Fubuki hadn't expected that a single [Black Flame Bullet] could easily defeat Caesar, the sight of [Black Flame Bullet] successfully hitting but failing to trick Caesar into revealing his face-down card had given him a glimmer of hope. However, he never expected that he would be defeated by this [Damage Slimming] card that suddenly appeared in the graveyard.

Recalling Caesar's actions from the previous turn, starting with [Angel's Charity] and going through all the opportunities Caesar had to dump cards into the graveyard, Fubuki quickly remembered exactly when [Damage Reduction] entered Caesar's graveyard: "I see, it was during that [Cyber ​​Dark Chimera]? When he discarded a Spell/Trap Card to search for [Power Bond]?"

"Powerful cards often come with great risks, and the card 'Power Fusion' is the best example of this. The stronger the monster I summon with it, the greater the burden it will place on me. At the same time, I am dealing with a deck like 'Red-Eyes' that has a lot of effect damage cards. When my Life Points drop to the point where 'Black Flame Bullet' is about to finish me off, you will inevitably use that card to try to bypass the monsters on my field and take the victory directly."

Although he gives off a "darkened madman" vibe, Caesar, who used to be an excellent student, doesn't lose his mind because of the change in his thinking. With a contemptuous smile on his lips, he said his thoughts, "Sure enough, the [Damage Slimming] card came in handy at this time."