Duels should be played with a smile.

"Forget it, I won't think about it anymore. Of course, I have to return what I borrowed from others!"

After a struggle with his thoughts, Jonouchi, who had been hesitant, finally made up his mind, left his room, and walked to another door not far away next door.

I gently knocked on the door.

"Within the city?"

The woman inside was somewhat surprised by the young man's visit, but when she saw the card in his hand, her surprise turned into a complex emotion.

Some happiness, some disappointment, some relief, and some... self-abandonment?

"Um... I borrowed your card before, I'm here to return it to you."

clumsy.

This is the evaluation of the castle by the Peacock Dancer.

cute.

This is also her assessment.

"Oh, I see... I thought it was something else entirely."

Even though she had clearly seen the card being held in someone's hand a long time ago, Mai Kongque still pretended to have just realized something.

"Other things... to be honest, there really are some other things."

The boy scratched his head, somewhat afraid to meet the intense gaze. He turned his head back and forth, his eyes following the gaze, but after several turns, he still couldn't bring himself to focus his attention on the peacock dancer.

At the very least, he now dared not look directly at Kong Quewu, even though he was actually much taller than her, he still seemed somewhat weak.

"Oh? What is it?"

Peacock Dance's eyes held a hint of expectation and hope.

"Uh...that...is..."

"I'm here to...I'm here to thank you! I'm here to properly thank you, I thank you, and everyone else...no, what am I saying...anyway, I'm very grateful for your help..."

The voice inside the castle grew softer and softer, and his face became increasingly red.

He didn't know why he was blushing, but he just felt like he couldn't stay there any longer.

"Anyway, thank you very much. Here's your card, I'll return it to you. Goodbye!"

After handing the card to Mai, Jonouchi, who could no longer stay, quickly turned and left.

He didn't realize that, in order to let Kongque Mai hold the card properly, he also took the opportunity to shake Kongque Mai's hand as he handed over the card.

It was gripped a little too tightly.

"Tch...really...really..."

"Hey..."

"What a dense fellow."

"You returned the card to me, but did you return the other items as well, or did you leave them with me?"

……

In the passageway atop the tower, a figure in a trench coat blocked Leyou's path.

There's no need to guess; apart from Kaiba, no one has the time or inclination to stand in the way when the duel is about to begin.

After all, the referee is from his family, and the referee can't just declare him the loser before he arrives.

"That person from before, wasn't that you?"

It was a question, but the tone was one of certainty. That power, which he had never seen before and was so strong that it excited him, was exactly what he had always longed for and pursued.

However, this power, which belonged to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and was his own, was something he only witnessed through the means of others.

That unparalleled power captivated him, but when that power vanished like a fleeting flower, all that remained was endless emptiness.

Even the colossus, which was even more powerful than that force, could not free him from the void.

While watching the battle, he was focused on the duel between the two, but in his heart he kept calling out for the Blue Eye. He didn't know if he could recreate that power before his duel with Leyou, but he knew that every bit of power he gained would increase his chances of defeating Leyou.

Leyou didn't seem to care too much, and simply shrugged, replying, "You've already stopped me, how could I possibly deny it?"

To be honest, he actually wanted to give the seahorse something even more exciting, but... but DogK didn't print it out!

The Duel Chronicles record all the cards, but they can't just be made up out of thin air.

Besides, it's impossible for Leyou to tell Kaiba that the possibility of his Blue-Eyes White Dragon has come to an end, and that he should just wait for DogK to print new cards. If they really want to print cards, Kaiba can do it much faster than DogK.

"This time, are you planning to use a future duel against me? Will you go all out, or will you just do it the same way as last time?"

"Forget it, that's not important. No matter what methods you use to deal with me, I will crush you with my invincible Blue Eye and God Card!"

After asking and answering his own questions, the seahorse turned and left without giving Leyou any time to respond, disappearing at the end of the passage.

"Good grief, you've come here to provoke me for no reason, huh? Well then, I'll have to make sure you get things sorted out."

Five cards suddenly appeared in Leyou's hand. One of them was put into the Extra Deck, and the other four were added to the Main Deck.

After shuffling his deck, Leyou took this deck, which wasn't originally designed for any particular strategy, and headed to the arena.

"I say, aren't you going a bit too far?" Philvo, who appeared out of nowhere, smiled helplessly. "In the era of Axe King's duels, you've added him into it. You're trying to kill him and then destroy his spirit."

"You can't blame me for this. I was just going to casually show off my Blue-Eyes White Dragon, but since this guy is going to get angry, you can't blame me for being ruthless!"

"You, you, I'm starting to feel sorry for the seahorse now."

"Instead of sympathizing with the seahorse, why not make arrangements for the possible appearance of Dartz in advance? I'm the one who carries the virtual world now, so it shouldn't be too difficult for you to do this, right? Speaking of which, I've forgotten what happened next. I only remember that the three Egyptian Gods were snatched away in an instant, which was quite outrageous."

"Well... you'll see when the time comes. Let me enjoy your Axe King duels for now!"

"Oh dear~ What an unlovable older sister~"

"Hehehe, what an unlovable little brother~"

……

Five minutes later, Leyu and Kaiba stood on opposite sides of the dueling platform. Iso, the referee, was conducting pre-match checks. Once everything was ready, he would give the order to begin the duel.

"Speaking of which, it seems none of us know what deck Leyou will use. The deck he used before was clearly abnormal, and when deciding the match order, he also..."

Xingzi couldn't continue speaking before she finished, as she also found Leyou's previous behavior of giving up somewhat speechless.

Let's assume his slack performance is a way of hiding his deck and tactics?

He easily mingled with his friends and family. Philo smiled when he heard this: "I don't know the deck he used this time, but before he came, he prepared a big meal for Kaiba."

“Jonnori, is that right?” Philvo asked, turning his head.

"Oh? Oh, is there something you need?"

"I remember you were quite resentful of the seahorse, right? You can see for yourself how he targets the seahorse later."

Upon hearing this, Jonouchi immediately perked up.

If you talk about that, I won't be sleepy anymore!

"Oh my god! I'll definitely watch carefully and write down every single operation!"

"...No need for that, whatever makes you happy."

On stage, after some confirmation, both players shuffled their decks and placed them into their duel disks; the match was about to begin.

Back in the real world, Leyou's Duel Disk was not as flamboyant as before, having concealed all its sharpness. It was only vaguely recognizable as a sword shape, but it could still unleash a Soul Draw Sword attack if necessary.

"Duel City Semifinals, Match 2, now begins!"

The moment Isono announced the start, Philo secretly manipulated the cameras already installed on the Duel Tower, broadcasting the duel to every city in the world.

For other summoning methods to appear, in addition to some necessary conditions, the most basic requirement is the popularity and audience of Duel Monsters itself. Without enough people who like Duel Monsters, the progress of developing and promoting Duel Monsters-related products will not be so fast.

Moreover, only by casting a wide enough net can one ensure that they will not fail.

As for which fish you catch, that's not so important.

Dartz? The Light of Destruction? Darkness? Or perhaps some other boss whose name I can't remember?

It doesn't matter.

Anyway, this is a world where everything can be resolved through duels. Even the most terrifying world-destroying monster will have to be beaten up if he can't win a card game.

Moreover, in addition to the powers they are each granted, the Whispering Spirits also have a common ability: to witness, or rather, to supervise.

If a duel witnessed by them results in a pact, then regardless of the nature of either party, they must abide by it.

This is a gift from that being.

"First strike is mine! My turn! Draw!"

With overwhelming momentum and speed, he seized the initiative. After glancing at his hand, Kaiba did not immediately begin to play, but instead looked at Leyou.

"Fighting you now is not what I expected, but since things have come to this, there is only one answer!"

"I will defeat you in this duel, and then stride into the future!"

"I activate the Spell Card [Pot of Greed]! Draw two cards!"

"Then activate the spell [Angel's Charity]! Draw three cards and discard two."

"Then activate the Continuous Spell Card [Magic Sanctuary]!"

"Both players draw one Spell Card from their Deck, and as long as that card is on the field, both players can activate their Spell Cards during their opponent's turn!"

"Next, I will show you my strength and my will!"

Chapter 76 Why are you using someone else's Xth generation card?

[Seahorse Hand Cards: 7]

"This battle is a battle between gods! Whoever summons the God Card first will gain an absolute advantage!"

"【Bloody Beastman Emperor】's effect: When I have no monsters on the field, I can Special Summon it from my hand!"

[Dark 5-Star · Beast Warrior · Attack 1900 · Defense 1200]

With an attack power of 1900 and the ability to be Special Summoned, it's considered a pretty good monster in this era. Moreover, its effects are relatively good as well. In addition, Kaiba usually Special Summons it by hand, so it can be considered a mini-ace monster.

"Then Normal Summon [Magic Lamp], and through its effect, Special Summon [Lamp Spirit] from your hand!"