Duels should be played with a smile.

Having mentally blacklisted the Pendulum Dimension, Jaden donned his armor once more, a symbol of his dominance, and went to gather the spirits of the heroes and monsters still at the academy.

The manpower was so scarce that he had to send Hubert to find the people in the Pendulum Dimension and ask them to come up with a solution as soon as possible. Otherwise... even though he, the Tyrant Judai, was only a Tyrant of the Fusion Dimension, he would still like to have a good talk with the Pendulum Dimension.

"Sigh... I miss my teacher so much at times like this. When he's around, I never have to think about how to clean up these messes... But speaking of which, 'he' is also participating in this competition. If I see him, how should I face him?"

“He is not himself. He doesn’t have the same experience of spending so much time with me. And judging from his current age, he is actually my age. Can he still provide me with enough help like my previous teachers did?”

Silently considering the possible situations that might arise next, Jaden walked outside.

He didn't realize that his thoughts had already implicitly accepted that he would ask Leyou for help, and that Leyou would help him.

Even though he knew very well that the person he was about to meet was not entirely his former teacher.

……

"Chain the effect of the Witch of the Black Forest, activate the face-down trap card, [Level Barrier], and let's end this duel just like that."

In the lounge shrouded in black mist, Leyou opened one of her face-down cards.

Of his four face cards, one was a protective declaration of God, one was a last resort to provoke a snake, and the remaining two were his real purpose.

His goal was achieved the moment the witch of the Black Forest was destroyed.

"The effect of Level Barrier: You can only activate one card per turn. If a monster you control is destroyed by battle or an opponent's card effect, you can target that monster to activate this effect. I activate this effect by targeting my Witch of the Black Forest."

"Is there a franchise? If not, then you should invest."

The Faceless One standing opposite did not make a move, but Leyou's Duel Disk immediately indicated that the opponent had no chain.

"Then, I won't stand on ceremony."

"Special Summon any number of monsters from your Deck in Defense Position until their total Levels equal that of the monster. Negate the effects of the monsters Special Summoned by this effect."

Four stars flew out of the cemetery, waiting for Leyou to arrange them.

"I choose to Special Summon 4 Level 1 monsters from my deck."

"There's nothing to say, I'll Special Summon 4 different 'Sealed' cards to my field."

Four stars landed and instantly transformed into four ordinary monsters of unknown origin.

1 star, Mage race, Dark attribute, 300 defense, no effect.

It's obviously a standard weakling; it's too fragile to even be considered a shield monster.

After the special summon was completed, the effect of dealing with the witch was dealt with, and a 3-star monster with a somewhat unclear meaning was obtained by Leyou.

The Faceless One, which had been completely unresponsive and resembled a simple machine, finally made a move after seeing five inexplicable monsters appear.

He slowly lifted the hood off his head.

It revealed a face without features or a distinct appearance.

The almost contradictory feelings of strangeness and harmony appeared simultaneously on this faceless being, and the faceless face made Leyou feel uncomfortable for a moment.

It was no different from a normal person, except that it had no face, which gave Leyou a feeling similar to the "uncanny valley".

However, soon, ripples spread across the face like water, and after a moment, a face that Le You found somewhat familiar, but not particularly familiar, replaced the previous smooth and plain face.

"This is so damn awkward, it's disgusting!" Le You couldn't help but want to swear. "I know I'm pretty handsome, but can you fucking stop using my face on me?!"

"It's one thing to have my face, but with a smile, you could easily charm a bunch of pretty girls. Add some makeup, and it's not impossible for you to charm some Nan Tong too..."

"But what the hell is wrong with you having that Sima-like face?"

The face that was very similar to his own was exactly what the Faceless One looked like now—Leyou didn't usually look in the mirror, so it could only be said that it was similar.

He believed his face was several points more handsome than the fake one opposite him.

Moreover, he usually doesn't go into duels with a stern face; he's always smiling.

Leyou's profanity did not elicit any change in the faceless being wearing his own face, but his originally lifeless eyes finally lit up a little after being provoked by these words.

So that people won't mistakenly think that she has experienced something strange and thus lose her spotlight.

His expression remained blank, but his eyes began to observe the current situation. A few seconds later, the Faceless One, who seemed to have been suddenly possessed, spoke.

“It’s His card, but it doesn’t have His power, and you… are interesting.”

After making a casual comment, the Faceless One didn't give Leyou a chance to speak and continued, "Not bad acrobatics, but it's a bit of a waste of time. Exodia itself possesses infinite power, so it doesn't need to be so flashy."

"Using an Exodia deck but failing to draw 5 cards in your starting hand, do you not have His approval?"

Three question marks slowly appeared above Leyou's head.

Does not drawing five copies of Exodia in your starting hand mean you haven't gained Exodia's approval? What kind of logic is that? If you can guarantee five copies of Exodia in your starting hand every time, does that mean you have to donate all your lifespan to gain Exodia's approval?

And why does this guy seem to know Old Ai so well? Leyou remembers very clearly that in the last world, after Old Ai helped him take down some Orichalcos minions, he went off to play somewhere. But before he left, he did help out a little. How come in this guy's mouth, it's become that he still needs Old Ai's approval?

You're pretending to know so much, but I think you know absolutely nothing!

While silently cursing the guy in front of him, Leyou was also trying to contact his system and try to use his own power to find a way to keep this guy who had suddenly appeared.

The system was playing dead; no matter how much Leyou called, it wouldn't respond. However, he still had some special abilities that could play a role in this duel, which was essentially a dark duel.

He hadn't used it much before, so he wasn't very familiar with it. After all, he was just an ordinary card player and didn't often engage in dark duels.

While listening to the faceless man's self-talk, Leyou silently prepared himself, ready to deliver a ruthless blow at any moment.

Just as he was about to make his move, the guy opposite him made a new move, forcing Leyou to put his plans aside.

The guy opposite stared directly at Leyou's chest, and his previously stiff face now showed a slight smile.

“Interesting,” the Faceless One said meaningfully. “But it’s still lacking.”

"I haven't interfered with your duel in any way, so you don't need to use anything outside of the duel. As for what happens between you and Exodia, that's none of my business. Continue your duel, and I should continue to fulfill my duties..."

Seeing that the guy on the other side was about to slip away, Leyou ignored what the other person was saying and made his move directly.

Emerald-colored light spilled from the crystal on Leyou's chest and coiled towards the opposite side, but the light did not react at all when it landed on the Faceless One.

"I've already said that I haven't broken any rules. Even if you can use the rules of this world to force troublemakers to duel with you, it won't affect me in any way since I haven't broken any rules."

Just as if verifying the Faceless One's words, after failing, Leyou did indeed receive similar feedback in his mind.

As the possessed being prepared to leave, Leyou was filled with countless questions and became even more curious about what kind of monster the Faceless One was.

Even though the newcomer had his face on it, he knew very well that it wasn't him, nor was it some kind of time-space counterpart of his own; at least, that was his intuition.

Just as the possessed creature was about to completely depart, the Faceless One suddenly spoke again.

"I have to say, human imagination and creativity are always so boundless, they always manage to come up with something new..."

"Wait?! You created these Faceless Ones?" Leyou asked instinctively.

"No, or rather, not entirely."

"Wait?! Explain yourself! You're a riddle-maker, fine, but why are you only saying half of what you mean?! You idiot!"

Leyou's latest outburst didn't elicit any particular reaction from Faceless Man; he simply picked up the Duel Disk again.

It seems they really are gone.

"This is so boring... There are riddle people everywhere, it's really annoying. Let's take care of this lackey and go see what's going on with Ella and the outside world."

"Activate another Trap Card, [Retreat Command], and return all monsters on your field to your hand!"

"Because of this card's effect, I have all five Old Man cards in my hand, and I won this game."

Leyou had no mind to chant the summoning words for Old Ai's arrival. He was currently engaged in a duel, but his mind had already flown outside.

"Sigh, emptiness. I won using the Five Elders Ai's acrobatic skills, so why do I feel so empty?"

Chapter Ninety: My Dear, Former, and Hateful

"If nothing unexpected happens, this competition is going to have some surprises."

The Faceless One was easily defeated, and the black mist that filled the entire lounge disappeared as well. However, when Leyou called Philvo, there was still no response.

Unable to contact Philvo even in the virtual world, Leyou was hesitant to even imagine what had happened.

However, he doesn't have time to worry about Philvo's affairs right now; professional matters should be left to professionals.

Unless the matter over there can also be resolved through a duel, then Leyou wouldn't mind going over to help.

However, given the current situation, Leyou clearly doesn't have the time to help.

The moment he pushed open the door, he saw a faint black mist spreading along the ground.

When he returned before, there was no such commotion. In just a few minutes, the corridor, which was once bustling with staff, has become completely silent.

"Wow, although I had thought about it beforehand, this is still a bit beyond my expectations, isn't it? It seems that my plan really has a chance of being implemented this time. But before that, I need to clear away all the obstacles that are outside the plan."

As if sensing Leyou's presence, the black mist spreading on the ground began to gradually condense and take shape. Leyou knew without even thinking what was going to happen.

"So... in the virtual world, when Philvo isn't around, you're the most suitable person to resort to violence!"

"Descend! Persecutor of Philvo! The one and only ace monster designated for 2300! Decoder!"

Summoning the Decoder, a monster Philvo didn't particularly like, by placing it on the Duel Disk, Leyou chose to disregard martial ethics in a situation that wasn't exactly suitable for playing cards.

"Decoder, clear the way for me. I need to see what kind of mess these guys have made of me this time."

The warrior, clad entirely in dark purple armor, nodded silently, picked up his greatsword, and charged out.

Behind him, Leyou activated a Continuous Trap Card that could continuously monitor the surrounding situation. After confirming that his next move would not be seen, he also drew his sword from his chest and slashed his way out with the Decoder.

It's perfectly reasonable for someone to hit another person when they're not playing cards.

……

In the arena, Ella defeated a Faceless One with a blank expression. Then, using the black mist emanating from the Faceless One, she surrounded herself and the Faceless One, manipulating the power of despair to devour the Faceless One completely.

In the lounge, Ella didn't encounter the same situation as Leyou, so she arrived at the arena on time and waited for the match to begin.

But when the time came, she received no notification from Leyou, nor from a professional guide or staff.

Instead, several faceless beings suddenly appeared in front of her.

The moment the Faceless Ones appeared, Ella became alert and amplified her senses to gauge the reactions of the audience to their presence.

As expected, the audience was somewhat surprised, but there was no panic.

As a result, the voice of a professional commentator rang out at the opportune moment—he was explaining in a serious tone that all of this was pre-arranged and part of the performance segment before the final.

Ella immediately scoffed.