Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

The moment after [Solemn Radiance] was blown back into Asuka's deck by the strong wind, [Soul Bird God - Princess Peacock] flicked her long sleeves, and amidst the falling pure white and black-purple feathers, a "shrine maiden" dressed in a shrine maiden's robe and wearing sexy black stockings landed on the field of [Transonic Bird]. She had a pair of crane wings on her back, and carried a bow in her hand. The arrows that matched the bow were also quite beautiful peacock feathers.

However, what is even more striking is her head. Although the body is clearly that of a human female, black feathers begin to cover the hands, and the head directly reveals its true form—the crane from the famous story "The Crane's Gratitude."

【Soul Bird - Witch Crane】【4☆/Wind】

[Bird/Beast Race/Soul/Effect]

【1500/1500→2000/2000】

"Soul's pull! Under the effect of [Soul Bird God - Princess Peacock], I Special Summoned this [Soul Bird - Witch Crane] from my Deck. Although Soul Monsters generally have the restriction of not being able to be Special Summoned, the power of [Soul Bird God - Princess Peacock] can ignore the Summoning conditions and break through this restriction. As a result, [Soul Bird - Witch Crane] will not return to my hand during the End Phase of the turn it is Summoned or Flip Summoned, due to the common characteristics of Soul Monsters."

[Transonic Bird] said, proudly raising its head: "[Soul Bird God - Princess Peacock] with 3500 defense, [Soul Bird - Witch Crane] with 2000 defense, and finally me with 2400 defense. You, a mere human brat, can you break through this unbreakable lineup?"

"Heh, do you think I'm being looked down upon? How will you know if your combined defenses are truly unbreakable in front of me if you don't try?" Asuka wasn't angry. She glanced at the five cards she had left in her hand, drew one, and said, "Just as you guessed, I do have cards for searching—and you're familiar with them."

"【Preparation for the Ritual】Activated! I select one Ritual Spell Card from my Deck—this 【Solemn Prayer】, and then I select the Ritual Monster whose name is written on 【Solemn Prayer】—【Guardian of Solemn Prayer - Guardian of Law】, and add both cards to my hand!"

The same magic card appeared again in this duel, but this time it didn't appear on the field of [Supersonic Bird], but in the hand of Asuka, who also uses a Ritual Deck. Who wouldn't include a card that can unconditionally exchange one for two and precisely search for the opponent?

Adding the card to her hand, Asuka immediately played it out, saying, "You've already shown your Ritual Summon twice, so it's my turn now. I will activate the Ritual Spell Card 'Prayer of Solemnity,' and until the total Levels equal to or exceed the Level of the Ritual Summoned monster, I will Tribute LIGHT monsters from my hand and field, and Ritual Summon this Level 7 'Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law' from my hand!"

Seeing the card Asuka played, [Transonic Bird] tilted its head: "The [Solemn Prayer - Reason] on your field is just a Level 1 monster. That means that in order to perform a Ritual Summon, you have to tribute at least 6 LIGHT monsters with a total Level of 6 from your hand."

But Asuka shook her head: "No, my [Prayer of Solemnity - Reason] alone is enough, because she has the ability to use the combined value of a Warrior-Dragon LIGHT Ritual Monster as the Ritual Summoning stat, and [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law] is a LIGHT Warrior-Type monster!"

"The power that resonates with each other, the echo of the true voice within, radiating the power of purification—now unite as one! Witness—this sacred dedication!" Asuka shouted, reaching forward, "Come On! Named Judgment, named Purification, fighters who fight for protection!"

"Ritual Summoning, Level 7☆!"

"Execute the verdict! [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law]!"

[Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law] [7☆/Light]

[Warrior Race/Ritual/Effect]

[2050/2500]

Following immediately after the transonic bird's ritual summoning, Asuka also performed her own. Opposite the flock of birds, a sword-wielding guardian descended amidst clouds and falling feathers.

"Attack and defense are both 2050 points?" The first thing [Transonic Bird] confirmed was the attack power of [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law]. "This level of weak power is no match for me!"

"That's not necessarily true. [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law] is a warrior who uses the power of protection. It can unleash extremely powerful strength when protecting something important. As long as there is [Prayer of Solemnity - Reason] on my field or in my graveyard, the attack power of [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law] will directly increase by 2050 points, which means its attack power will double!"

[Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law and Reason] [ATK2050→4100]

In an instant, because Asuka had previously summoned the [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law] through a ritual, sending the [Prayer of Solemnity - Reason] to the graveyard, the [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law] instantly doubled in power, becoming an existence with an attack power of 4100 points, even stronger than the legendary [Obelisk the Tormentor].

"However, the power of [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law] is not limited to this - it's not only your [Soul Bird God] that can activate its effect when successfully Ritual Summoned. When I successfully Ritual Summon [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law], I can also activate its effect - add one [Solemnity] monster or one Warrior-Dragon Ritual Monster from my Deck to my hand."

"My choice is [The Solemn Dragon Sage - Safira]."

The card that protected Asuka during the hunt by the Harpies was searched and drawn by her using the effect of the Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law. This card has the ability to gather the Ritual Spell Card and Ritual Monster required for Ritual Summoning with a single card, which can further enrich Asuka's existing lineup.

However, Asuka immediately added, "It's not over yet! The chain of [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law]'s Special Summon, and the activation of its third effect—Special Summoning it back to my field—can only be done if [Prayer of Solemnity - Reason] is in my Graveyard and I have a LIGHT Ritual Monster of the Dragon or Warrior type on my field!"

"It was only after [Solemn Prayer - Reason] was on my field that [Solemn Guardian - Guardian of Law and Reason] became its complete form and unlocked the use of its third effect!"

Asuka did not tell Transonic Bird that the third effect of [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law] was a powerful tricolor saturation, but Transonic Bird's keen intuition had already gleaned enough information from Asuka's confident expression to make a judgment immediately.

"That's quite an impressive development. I think I underestimated you a bit, human? But no! The dead belong only to the graveyard. I can't allow you to so easily bring monsters that have already entered the graveyard back to the field!"

[Transonic Bird] flapped its wings, revealing a face-down card in the back row: "Continuous Trap Card [Bone Resurrection]! You can activate this card during the turn your opponent Special Summons a monster by targeting one monster in their Graveyard. The one I've chosen is naturally the only one in your Graveyard, [Solemn Prayer - Reason]!"

"What?!" Asuka looked at the open card in the opposite backcourt in surprise.

Just as Asuka's [Solemn Prayer - Ry] was about to be Special Summoned, a Bonehound suddenly jumped out from the [Bone Resurrection] card opened by [Transonic Bird], barged into Asuka's graveyard, and snatched her [Solemn Prayer - Ry]!?

After the Bone Dog placed the stolen card on the [Transonic Bird]'s Duel Disk, [Transonic Bird] proudly declared, "Under the effect of [Bone Resurrection], [Solemn Prayer - Reason] is Special Summoned to my field in Defense Position! Also, because you lost [Solemn Prayer - Reason] from your Graveyard, the second effect of [Solemn Guardian - Law Guardian] will be nullified, and its ATK will return to its original value!"

[The Solemn Prayer - Reason] [DEF2050]

[Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law and Reason] [ATK4100→2050]

Even Asuka couldn't have imagined that her powerful [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law] would be destroyed by the opponent in such a way, with its weakest point being the [Prayer of Solemnity - Reason] existing in her graveyard.

Not only is [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law] unable to use its second and third effects, becoming almost a "blank" card like the original [Guardian of Law], but even [Prayer of Solemnity - Reason] has been taken away and moved to the opponent's field.

"In the current situation, [Solemn Voice] seems to be deliberately targeted, and is at a stalemate..."

Asuka glanced at the four Defense Position monsters neatly arranged on the opposite side of the field, then drew a card from her hand—[Saphira the Solemn Dragon Princess] from her deck.

“In that case, we might as well squeeze every last drop of value out of [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law]!” Asuka declared, revealing the feminine card in her hand, “I will release my Warrior-Type monster, [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law], and Special Summon [Cyber ​​Ballet Skirt] from my hand!”

A "pure [Sound of the Void]" deck? It's actually a [Cyber] [Sound of the Void] deck!

Chapter 1456 The Rondo of Angels and Dragons

"I release [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law] from my field and Special Summon [Cyber ​​Ballet Practice Skirt] from my hand!"

As Asuka played her card, her [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law] vanished instantly, replaced by an energetic girl in an exaggeratedly styled ballet practice dress.

"Yay~" As she entered, the [Electronic Ballet Practice Skirt] greeted Asuka, "Today is another hopeful day!"

【Electronic ballet practice skirt】【5 stars/location】

[Warrior Race/Effect]

[1800/1600]

"【Cybernetic】? Isn't it 【Solemn Voice】?" 【Transonic Bird】 seemed to have failed to anticipate the change that was happening at this moment—which was to be expected, since Hayato had never told him about the deck Asuka used before obtaining 【Solemn Voice】, and this was the first time Asuka had used her original 【Cybernetic】 deck since obtaining 【Solemn Voice】.

It wasn't just Judai and his friends who practiced and improved themselves during the holidays; Asuka also made the most of this long period of self-training.

While Manjoume was arguing with someone on the forum about whether "releasing monsters is considered cold-blooded," Asuka was adjusting her deck; while Jaden was watching the weekly anime series, Asuka was testing her deck at the Duel Robots at Kaiba Park; while Fubuki was going to the amusement park with Riki Mackenzie, Asuka was reviewing and reflecting.

It's not that the former didn't work hard, but rather that Asuka remained on edge and unwilling to relax even during her vacation.

It wasn't just because she didn't want to fall behind the likes of Judai, but also because—the experiences of the previous school year were too rich for her, and made her clearly feel her own powerlessness.

When the Seven Stars attacked, he could only resist one or two of the weaker members and was powerless against stronger opponents like Master Daitokuji. When Loki unleashed Ragnarok, he could only follow the crowd to fight against the skeleton soldiers and could not participate in the "decapitation squad" consisting of only Judai and Manjoume.

He was easily taken hostage by a mercenary known as "Titan," unable to defeat the [Gravekeepers] clan, unable to save his brother, unable to resist the power of the "Phantom Demon," unable to...

This is Asuka's "sense of inferiority," which stems not only from living in the shadow of her outstanding older brother since childhood, but also from what Asuka discovered in the past school year—

—I can't do anything myself.

While Jaden did eliminate most of Asuka's sense of inferiority, her sense of powerlessness did not disappear. Instead, it spurred Asuka to keep pushing herself to become stronger, and now it seems time to show the results of her efforts over the past few months.

"While it's not the surprise I expected when I duel Jaden and the others again, it's acceptable to use it on you. Consider it the final test." Asuka said, looking at [Transonic Bird], "Ritual Spell Card [Ritual of the Mechanical Angel], activate!"

"I will Tribute monsters from my hand and field until my total Level is equal to or higher than the Level of the monster I Ritual Summon. I will Ritual Summon the 'Cyber ​​Angel' Ritual Monster from my hand." As she spoke, Asuka picked up a card from her hand and revealed it. "I will Tribute my Level 6 'Cyber ​​Angel - Benten-' from my hand until my total Level is 6 or higher!"

"The guardian deities of the Twenty-Four Heavens protect me with their mechanical bodies!"

A mechanical altar rose behind Tenjouin Asuka. As she placed the card [Cyber ​​Angel - Benten-] into the altar, the altar's mechanical device activated to perform a ritual summoning, and a strong, athletic female mechanical angel appeared on her field!

"Ritual Summoning, Level 6☆!" she cried out. "Charge! [Cyber ​​Angel - Idaten-]!"

【Electronic Angel - Idaten -】【6☆/Light】

[Angel Race/Ritual/Effect]

[1600/2000]

"Attack power of only 1600 points? How weak!"

[Transonic Bird] glanced at the attack power of [Cyber ​​Angel - Idaten-] and said with some disdain, "It would be better to keep [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law] on your field, at least its attack power is still 2050 points."

"And the monsters you have on the field right now only have 1600 and 1800 attack power, which can't even beat my [Soul Bird - Witch Crane] with the lowest defense. In fact, you only have two cards left in your hand."

Asuka calmly said, "If you just hold onto the card and don't use it when you need to, then there's no point in doing so."

"Besides, I only have two cards left in my hand right now, and I'll replenish them immediately." Asuka wasn't concerned about the depletion of her hand. After glancing at one of the cards, she waved her hand and said, "The released [Cyber ​​Angel - Benten-] and the successfully ritual-summoned [Cyber ​​Angel - Idaten-], both of these cards need to activate their effects at this moment!"

"When [Cyber ​​Angel - Benten-] is released, I can add one Fairy-Type LIGHT monster from my Deck to my hand. I choose this [Cyber ​​Angel - Nasatemi-].

"Next is [Cyber ​​Angel - Idaten -]. This card can only be activated if it is successfully Ritual Summoned. I can add one Ritual Spell Card from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand. I chose the second one in my Deck, [Ritual of the Machine Angel]!"

Seeing Asuka's hand grow continuously, [Supersonic Bird] opened its mouth and said, "She actually retrieved two more cards in one go? Tsk, she's quite capable."

"The real action is yet to come." After adding two cards to her hand, Asuka revealed another card. "This card, which was previously searched and added to my hand by [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law] - [Solemn Dragon Sage - Saphira], I discard it from my hand to activate its effect."

"Send one Ritual Spell Card from my Deck to the Graveyard, and then you can add one Warrior/Dragon LIGHT Ritual Monster from my Deck/Graveyard to your hand."

Asuka puts [Solemn Dragon Sage - Saphira] into the Graveyard of the Duel Disk, and then catches two cards that pop out of her deck: "I send the Ritual Spell Card - the third [Ritual of the Machine Angel] from my deck to the Graveyard, and then add [Ancient Saint Dai - First Dragon] from my deck to my hand."

[Tenjouin Asuka: 4000 LP, hand cards 2→4→4]

At this moment, Asuka's hand contains [Ancient Saint Dai - First Dragon], [Mechanical Angel's Ritual], and [Cyber ​​Angel - Nasatemi-], all of which are in face-up, fulfilling the conditions required for a ritual summon once again!

"I activate the Ritual Spell Card 'Ritual of the Mechanical Angel' again. I Tribute 'Cyber ​​Ballet Dress' on my field to bring my total Level to 5. I Ritual Summon this 'Cyber ​​Angel' Ritual Monster from my hand!"

"Angel of Light, who hides the power of healing, bring swift healing with your beautiful form!" Asuka picked up the card of the [Electronic Ballet Practice Skirt] on the field and placed it into the mechanical altar that rose again in front of her, and the ritual began again!

"Ritual Summoning, Level 5☆!"

"Raise your hooves! [Electronic Angel - Nasatimi]!"

【Cyber ​​Angel - Nasatemi-】【5☆/Light】

[Angel Race/Ritual/Effect]

[1000/1000]

The centaur, with four legs, four arms, and four eyes, [Cyber ​​Angel - Nasatemi-] appears on Asuka's field. At the same time, she reveals the [Cyber ​​Ballet Practice Skirt] that was just released from her graveyard: "When [Cyber ​​Ballet Practice Skirt] is released by Ritual Summon, target one Ritual Spell Card in my Graveyard and activate its second effect to add the target card to your hand."

"I chose the [Ritual of the Mechanical Angel] that was previously sent to the graveyard with the effect of [Solemn Dragon Sage Princess - Saphira]."

"The third monster is even weaker than the first two. Isn't this getting more and more ridiculous?" [Transonic Bird] showed a human-like disdain on its face. "1000 attack points, what can you do with that?"

"The prototype for 【Cyber ​​Angel - Nasatemi-】 is Nasatemi, one of the twin doctors and horsemen in mythology. She's not a combat-specific type, so it's normal that her attack and defense stats are low," Asuka shrugged. "If we're really going to compare combat strength, this card is better—"

"I activate [Ritual of the Mechanical Angel] for the third time! I release [Ancient Saint Dai - First Dragon] from my hand (Level 7) and [Cyber ​​Angel - Idaten -] from my field (Level 6), making their combined Levels exceed 8. I Ritual Summon this [Cyber ​​Angel] Ritual Monster from my hand!"

Having completely depleted her hand, Asuka revealed the last card she had been hiding and said, "O Skywalker bearing the name of a demon, respond with solemnity and bring me victory!"

"Ritual Summoning, Level 8☆!"

This was the first time Asuka had used two monsters in a ritual summoning, and the pressure emanating from the mechanical altar that rose before her was completely different from previous attempts. As Asuka raised the card in her hand, a four-armed Valkyrie emerged from the altar.

"Defeat, [Cyber ​​Angel - Dagini-]!"

【Electronic Angel - Dagini-】【8☆/Light】

[Angel Race/Ritual/Effect]