Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds: The Path of Evolution

"Huh?! Kill someone next time? Who will you kill next time? Me?!"

Allen shouted in disbelief, loudly trying to salvage his victory.

"Do you think you can kill me while I'm stuck with this piece of junk and two-headed dog? My monster attack power is 3200, how could I possibly lose?!"

"That's not necessarily true!"

The recluse directly declared the end.

"I usually summon the falcon of the Valley of Mist and equip it with a stimulant. Depending on the effect of the equipment card, its attack power increases by 700."

The brown-winged warrior circled downwards, landing to the left of Guan Bai like a hawk swooping down.

He pointed the longsword, which was emitting a white light, behind him, opened the equipment magic card inscribed with the potion, and the green liquid flowed into the warrior's body through the longsword.

The Falcon of the Valley of Mist

【Effect】

[Birds and Beasts/Wind]

[Four-star] 2000/1200→2700/1200

"Then, targeting your scrap metal two-headed dog, I'm activating the safe zone!"

"According to its effect, the monster that is targeted cannot be targeted by an effect, cannot be destroyed by battle or effect, and cannot be attacked directly."

Allen frowned and asked with a strange expression.

"Why did you set this trap on my monster? Do you think the restriction of not being able to attack directly is useful to me?"

Guan Bai smiled.

"Battle Phase!"

"To activate the effect of Valley of the Dawn's Falcon, he must return one of my cards to my hand before he can attack."

Guan Bai's smile grew even more excited.

"The card I want to return to is—the safe zone!"

Allen was a little confused; he didn't understand the meaning behind Guan Bai's actions.

Is it to taunt yourself by using a trap to buff your own monster, and then using the monster's effect to bounce the buffed trap card back?

Just as he was about to ask for clarification, a sudden change occurred on the field.

The two-headed scrap metal dog creaked under the strain before collapsing and exploding right in front of Allen!

"Impossible! What happened?!"

"That's entirely possible, because of the Safe Zone effect; once this Trap Card leaves the field, the targeted monster will be destroyed!"

Kanpaku, like a bystander providing commentary, explained the effects of his cards in a detached tone.

It's as if he wasn't the one who activated this card.

Allen looked at his blank forecourt and backcourt, then at the monsters' field attacks on the cleared field.

2700 + 1800 = 4500!

Now, he's the one who lost!

Without hesitation, Kanpaku ordered the monsters to launch a full-scale attack.

"Falcons of the Valley of Mist, next-generation turbines, all direct attacks!"

Let me show you the exhilarating combo skills of our righteous allies!

Amid the explosion, Allen was violently thrown into the air.

[Alan Green's LP: 4000 → 0]

Defeat a normal-level duelist

[Reward: DT Theme Card Pack 01 x 5]

"Ordinary level"... that assessment is quite accurate.

Cheers erupted from the crowd, with those who had placed bets on Kanpaku and those who were simply there to watch the duel shouting loudly.

The man who bet on Guan Bai, in particular, shouted with extraordinary excitement.

They didn't know the regent's real name, so they referred to him by the name of the monster he was associated with.

"Well done, Falcon!"

"My God, Lord Falcon, that's too cruel!"

"My meal money, my meal money is all back, hahaha!"

Feeling humiliated by their defeat, Alan and his accomplices quietly left amidst cheers.

Guan Bai caught a glimpse of the two people leaving and was somewhat surprised.

Judging from their expressions, they were frustrated and defeated, rather than angry and embarrassed.

Could it be that these thugs actually have the willingness to accept defeat, and that they are actually believers in the concept of "true duelists"?

Of course, it's also possible that if a disturbance breaks out here, a group of people will beat him up.

Since no one else stepped forward to challenge, Kanpaku became the winner of this street duel bet.

The guy collecting gambling money next to him handed a stack of 2,000 yen bills (exchange rate: Japanese yen) to the Kanpaku.

Looking at the bonus, which was roughly equivalent to 100 yuan, Guan Bai knew that for the foreseeable future, he wouldn't have to worry about food expenses.

By the time the game ended, it was almost completely dark.

After the crowd dispersed, Guan Bai walked alone into the alley.

……

The alleyway was pitch black.

Allen and his gangster friends are guarding this place.

The thugs kicked the base of the wall impatiently.

"Alan, what do you think the boss wanted us to do with that falcon from the Valley of Dawn?"

Allen stared straight at the barbed wire fence at the intersection, speaking without turning his head.

"He's a very powerful duelist. Boss, she must have seen great potential in him."

The thug exhaled a breath of foul air.

"Has the boss not given up on his dream of becoming a duel manager and moving into the top division?"

"To be honest, we're not cut out for duels! We can't even dominate the satellite region, let alone beat those celestial beings in the city!"

Allen shook his head.

"No, maybe this Falcon really can do it. He's unlike any opponent I've ever faced before."

"What's different?"

"During his duel, he showed no signs of fear or despair from beginning to end, as if everything was under his control."

Alan's voice was already like a dream.

He conceived in his mind a Kanpaku who was far more powerful than the Kanpaku himself.

The thug was somewhat surprised by Allen's extremely high praise.

"I don't know much about duels, is he really that good?"

Just as Allen was about to answer, Guan Bai's figure appeared in his field of vision.

"He's here, let's follow him."

"Wait for us..."

Before the thugs could react, Allen had already rushed several steps forward.

……

Kanpaku could already hear approaching footsteps.

He had been observing the thugs squatting there for a while, but they didn't notice him at all.

It wasn't that Guan Bai had a lot of stealth skill points; it was just that Guan Bai happened to see that group of thugs while wandering around some abandoned house.

Guan Bai only dared to show himself after listening to their conversation.

Otherwise, on such a dark night, who would dare to expose their safety to the eyes of a few unknown thugs?

"Mr. Falcon—"

The shouts echoed through the empty alley.

Guan Bai's lips twitched involuntarily.

Although there's no risk of revealing your real name this way, it does feel a little strange to be called a monster by its name.

The blond youth finally reached Guan Bai, panting as he managed to utter a few words with difficulty.

"Mr. Falcon, our boss wants to meet with you."

"Your boss?"

Guan Bai feigned curiosity and asked in return, appearing completely surprised.

Seeing that Guan Bai was willing to talk to him, Alan's tone was excited, but his words were short and nervous.

"Yes, our boss, Joel Seth, wants to discuss a duel with you."

Guan Bai feigned hesitation.

He wasn't without his worries; what if this was a trap?

But then I thought about it again. According to the way Yu-Gi-Oh! judges good people, as long as someone accepts defeat after losing a duel, they are likely a good person you can get along with.

So, Kanpaku nodded and accepted Allen's invitation.

The thugs behind them had just caught up with Allen when they saw Allen leading Guan Bai toward the Gray Snake Gang's lair.

They didn't even have time to catch their breath, and could only continue trying to keep up with Guan Bai and the other man.

Led by Allen, the group walked through a dilapidated barbed wire fence with large holes, passed several abandoned public buildings, and finally arrived at a relatively clean place.

From the outside, this place doesn't look like a gang base, but rather an office.

As soon as Allen opened the door, the hot air rushed onto Guan Bai's face through the opening.

What came into view was a tall, black-haired woman with fair and smooth skin, and delicate, three-dimensional features, especially her large and bright eyes.

If she sat still, Kanpaku might sigh and say that she looked like a beautiful girl from a cartoon.

Unfortunately, this person seemed to have a bit of ADHD; his actions were like performing in an opera, and a slightly neurotic aura emanated from him as he looked around.

Upon seeing Kanpaku's arrival, she clapped her hands excitedly and welcomed him with an aria that was far beyond his expectations.

"Mr. Falcon, I've been waiting for you for so long!!"