Duels should be played with a smile.

As it turns out, the professor now tells Leyou that the powerful figure he sought was Manjoume, and that he hasn't been able to contact him yet.

Although the professor's reliability in the anime is somewhat inconsistent, Leyou is now seriously wondering if the reason why Jaden in this world became the Overlord Jaden after undergoing "special training" and card enhancement is because he had even more unreliable teammates than in the anime.

If even the relatively reliable professors have failed, it's hard not to suspect just how incompetent the other competitors are.

"Um... Mr. Rakuyu, you may have learned some information about Manjoume from other places, but most of your information is outdated. I have a reason for contacting Manjoume!"

"With Asuka and Caesar both leaving the academy because of their own issues, and John and Edward both seriously injured and only recently awakened, Manjoume is basically the strongest duelist besides Jaden himself!"

The professor probably knew he had messed up a bit, and his tone was somewhat hesitant, but when he mentioned Manjoume, there was a hint of pride in his words.

"I do believe the professor's statement, but now is not the time to choose the best among the worst. If Manjoume only became the strongest because the other strong people are not here, then it is hard to say whether he is actually capable of fulfilling the role."

Manjoume in the anime is too comedic. Although he grows a lot later on, considering the situations that might arise, Leyou really doesn't dare to make a decision lightly.

If all else fails, let the Snow Woman help out. Anyway, she'll probably be slacking off at that time. Then let Ella be the backup, and Philvo oversee everything... Wait, doesn't that seem a bit like being a kept woman?

Forget it, it doesn't matter. I'm living off my wife because of my own abilities. Others don't even have that opportunity yet!

"After obtaining the Three Phantom Demons, Wan Zhang's strength has become extremely powerful," the professor suddenly said.

"Huh? What? The Three Phantom Demons?"

For a moment, Leyou almost thought he had misheard.

What kind of SuperMaskChange is this? Has the Disruption Trio directly upgraded into the Three Phantom Demons?

The professor's face, which was wrinkled like a chrysanthemum, was now beaming with joy. He had an expression that said, "I knew it," and with a light press on the Duel Disk, a piece of information was sent to Leyou's Duel Disk.

The information above clearly states that during the dimensional upheaval, the three Phantom Demons sealed in the back mountain of the academy broke free, and Manjoume, Jaden, and Caesar defeated them together.

"So how did the cards of the Three Phantom Demons end up in Manjoume's hands? It couldn't have been to disrupt the three brothers' Mega Evolution, could it?"

"How did you know?" The professor looked at Leyou in surprise. "Back then, the three Phantom Demons, who had become incredibly powerful due to dimensional turbulence, had nowhere to vent the massive amount of spirit energy they had absorbed after being defeated. They almost caused another massive explosion that could destroy the dimension. In the nick of time, Jaden used some unknown method to fuse that massive amount of energy with the three Disruptors in Manjoume's hands."

"The three Disruptors' cards not only had spirits, but the three spirits themselves were also quite special, so somehow it worked. From then on, Manjoume could turn the three Disruptors in his hand into the Three Phantom Demons when necessary."

"However, it wasn't until later, when the Overlord used that ultimate power again, that we understood what that power really was."

Leyou was speechless.

"It's a bit outrageous... but if it's hyperfusion, it seems... not impossible?"

"So, I understand the logic, but where is Wan Zhangmu, the person you're looking for?"

Chapter Sixty-Eight: The professional commentators are ready, just waiting for the match to begin!

"Um... if you don't mind, I think I can provide you with some information about Manjoume's possible whereabouts..."

"Who?!" Professor Chronos instantly became alert. He had confirmed before coming that no one else was following him, but now that a strange voice had suddenly appeared, he couldn't help but be wary.

"It's me! You pot of greed!"

The sound of flapping wings came from behind Leyou, and Leyou himself looked back, only to find that a rather arrogant-looking crow had quietly slipped out at some point.

"You...you are that sealed demon! Leyou, run! I'll hold it off here!"

The moment the professor recognized Yata, his body tensed up, and his hands moved with swift and decisive action. He had already gripped an Ancient Mechanical Giant in his hand, ready to summon it at any moment to deal with this guy whose origins were unknown but who gave off a very dangerous feeling.

The next second, his hand holding the Ancient Gear Giant was pecked hard by Yata, and the card he was holding instantly disappeared, returning to his deck.

"What...what kind of power is this?! Wait a minute?"

The "reminder" from Yata-U wasn't too serious, which made the professor slightly more alert. He paused for a moment, put away his duel disk and deck, and looked up to meet Leyou's amused smile.

And the little bird, standing obediently on Leyou's shoulder, completely devoid of its previous arrogance.

"Leyou-san...you really love playing pranks on people!"

Because he saw Yata-u, the "demon" who had been touted as something extraordinary, once again, the professor hadn't even remembered that he had already been subdued by Leyou.

Leyou grabbed the Yata-Uru from his shoulder and tossed it aside, shrugging and saying, "Professor, relax~ You look so tense and flustered, I just wanted to help you relax, you're welcome~"

"This guy just said he might be able to help you find Manjoume, so I gave him a chance to peek out."

The professor's expression was somewhat uncertain. He trusted Leyou quite a bit, after all, he had easily defeated him twice, but he had no trust in Yata U.

Things sealed in the same place as the Three Phantom Demons are probably not good things either.

Yata's power was quite unique, and he instantly saw through the professor's thoughts, shouting, "Hey! What kind of look is that! Those three pieces of waste paper were sealed because they did evil. I'm harmless and have never done anything bad!"

"I'm here to help you out, so don't be ungrateful!"

If it weren't for Leyu being there, Yata-U would probably have launched a tense and exciting duel against the professor, letting him experience what it means to have most of his deck filled with war criminals.

As a veteran in the dark room, Yata-U's temperament wasn't very good. It was only after being thoroughly tormented by Leyou a few times that he toned it down a bit.

"Alright, stop talking nonsense. If you're going to help, then hurry up. If not, go back to playing cards with the anaconda."

Leyou caught Hachita, who was about to cause trouble again, and casually tossed him to the professor.

"I think he was imprisoned in a similar place to the Three Illusion Demons before, and was able to sense their aura to search for the whereabouts of Wan Zhangmu. I'm too lazy to say more. In short, take him with you and go find him."

"Don't let his bad temper fool you, he's actually quite obedient once you beat him."

Yata nodded at the little bird's head, indicating that Leyou was right. In a sense, he was indeed a fellow prisoner of the Three Phantom Demons, and with his own special abilities, he could be used as a tracker.

Of course, the main reason was to avoid the wind. I played cards with the anaconda every day, and I was really sick of it.

As an old-fashioned remnant, how could he possibly have the same cunning and tricks as a war criminal from another era like the anaconda? Once his tactics were figured out, his chances of winning a duel with the anaconda were already plummeting.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down the professor's forehead. He felt a sense of danger just by looking directly at Hachita-u, let alone having to withstand that pressure to defeat someone who might be of a higher rank than the Three Phantom Demons.

"Since you've said that... I'll believe you then. Anyway, there's no other way now."

The professor didn't seem very confident, but after Leyou glared at Yata-Uru and waved a skill draw card in front of him, Yata-Uru calmed down and flew to the professor's shoulder to give him directions.

So what if it's an old-school banned card? Just throw a draw card at it, and it'll be obedient, won't it?

With Yata and Luca protecting him, Leyou doesn't need to worry about the professor encountering any strange situations that might cause trouble. This allows him to relax and do some very enjoyable things.

……

"This is...a bit embarrassing."

"Yeah... I never thought we'd be defeated so easily, and now we're even lying in the same hospital room."

Ed and John exchanged a glance, and a wry smile appeared on their faces.

One was a renowned professional player, the Hero, and the other was an outstanding student, the Jade Master. Yet, they were both easily defeated, which was truly embarrassing.

Not to mention that their serious injuries forced them to postpone some tasks that should have been handled by them, simply having to spare some manpower to take care of them is a waste of human and material resources.

Because the Faceless Ones choose their targets very randomly, the only condition being whether the target is a powerful duelist.

They don't care whether the target is in good condition or not. It has happened before that a person had just woken up in the hospital and recovered to the point where they were ready to duel, only to be immediately challenged to a second duel and then sent back to the hospital a second time.

John and Edward's importance during these turbulent times is self-evident, and assigning special personnel to protect them is a last resort.

"Do you have any clues about this incident?" Ed asked John, recalling some details from before, somewhat uncertain.

"Did you discover something? I personally don't have any particular feeling, but my companions told me that this time the Faceless Ones are very different from those we've encountered before. They're hitting harder, and their strength seems to have improved compared to the past."

John's companions are his group of Gem Monsters. Although the power of Gem Monsters may be slightly inferior as Duel Monsters, their power as Spirits is by no means weak. Moreover, as long as all the Gem Monsters gather together, they can summon the Rainbow Dragon at any time.

This is also John's most important point, aside from his dueling ability.

Even today, those who returned from the other world still remember the bridge of salvation that connected the two worlds.

“Then it seems it wasn’t just a misperception.” Edward nodded slightly, having some guesses in his mind: “In my opinion, something crucial may have happened, causing a fundamental change in the Faceless Ones, who weren’t a big threat before… After we’re discharged from the hospital, there’s a place you can go with me. I have some ideas that I need to verify.”

"Oh? Then let's pray we get discharged from the hospital soon. Speaking of which, it's been so long since I've seen Judai. He should be attending that competition, right? If your idea isn't too urgent, I hope we can see Judai first, and then go to the place you mentioned."

Speaking of being discharged from the hospital as soon as possible, John also felt as if time was passing by. Although it hadn't been that long since his journey to the other world, he always felt that his mind and body were aging rapidly.

Before they graduated, including when they were in another world, even if they were seriously injured, they would only need to rest for a day or two to recover and would be as lively and energetic as ever, able to fight hundreds of rounds with their enemies.

Sometimes he would fight enemies even when he was injured and still be able to defeat them cleanly and decisively. But now, just being defeated by a Faceless One once is enough to keep him in the hospital for more than a week. The difference between these two situations is too great.

This reminded him of the cartoons he watched as a child, where the main characters were full of energy and vitality, but when the sequel aired, the original main characters who reappeared were incredibly weak.

His current situation gave him a subtle sense of déjà vu.

Among his gem beast companions, there are gem beasts that can heal him, but when he wanted a gem beast to heal him and Edward so they could recover as soon as possible, the answer he received was that it was impossible to heal them.

To put it more vividly, their maximum health points were reduced this time, and they can only recover by resting.

Their bodies hadn't recovered and they couldn't move. As wounded, they couldn't overuse their brains either. Since they couldn't find anything to do, John and Edward both chose to close their eyes and rest. But not long after, they opened their eyes again.

"You sensed it too?" Ed's lips curled up slightly. He sensed the situation outside and recalled some things from the past. Even he, who was usually quite serious, couldn't help but smile.

“How could I not feel it?” John smiled as well, sensing the arrival of a former comrade from the strong aura outside the ward.

"This kid... is still so high-profile." There was a hint of helplessness in Edward's words, but more of a teasing tone.

"There's nothing we can do about it... that's just his personality, and the people he's with aren't exactly low-key either."

Before John could finish speaking, a distinctive shout rang out from outside the door.

"indivual!"

"ten!"

"Hundred!"

"thousand!"

"Manjoume—Lightning!"

"Ouch!"

The extremely high-profile slogan was followed by a pathetic cry of pain.

Mr. Manjoume was reprimanded by the on-duty caregiver for shouting at the hospital.

Manjoume was a well-known figure in the academy, but the guards entrusted with the important task of protecting John and Edward were practically hidden masters—most of them were former teachers from the academy, and even Manjoume wouldn't dare to act recklessly.

"As expected of you, Manjoume! Even after becoming the wielder of the Three Phantom Demons, you still haven't changed your comedic nature!"

When facing Manjoume, Edward naturally had a slight advantage, as Manjoume had once served under Edward as a comedian for a time. However, due to a fortuitous encounter, Manjoume acquired the power of the Three Phantom Demons, transforming from a comedian into a powerful duelist.

Upon hearing the teasing, Manjoume instinctively wanted to retort, but when he looked up and met Edward's ambiguous gaze, his momentum immediately weakened. After a long pause, he muttered with a hint of dissatisfaction, "It's Mr. Manjoume!"

"Yo! It's been a long time, Mr. Manjoume!"

"Hmm! Long time no see, John."