Yu-Gi-Oh!: This isn't a duel!

"The purchaser must engage in a duel with the original owner of this card!"

"If you win, you can take this card for 100,000!"

"But if we lose... then we'll have to pay one million in 'compensation for emotional distress'!"

"Neuropathy."

Upon hearing this outrageous condition, a man wearing a golden lion mask sitting in front of You Yang muttered a curse under his breath.

He had already raised his hand to bid, but then slowly lowered it again.

Is this some kind of joke?

In a normal auction, a single Link Monster from the series would fetch around 400,000.

Is this guy trying to scam a million people with his mouth?

The auctioneer's face showed a hint of embarrassment; this was the first time she had ever heard of such a request.

There have indeed been a few auctions with preconditions in the past, but most of them involved exchanging cards or requiring buyers to complete a certain task.

This was the first time she had ever encountered such an outrageous demand.

However, the person who auctioned this card has a lot of influence behind them, and they are someone that even the black market dares not easily offend.

Moreover, the other party did not make any particularly difficult requests.

The conditions have been set, but there's no mandatory requirement for an auction, so at worst, the auction will fail.

They came according to the rules, so that person probably couldn't say anything.

She stared at the clearly displayed "Number of Participants: 0" on the screen in front of her and sighed helplessly, hoping that her boss wouldn't pin the blame on her.

"Is there anyone else who wants to participate in the bidding?"

The auctioneer spoke again, but the numbers on the screen did not change.

It seems this time it really is going to go unsold.

Just as the auctioneer was thinking this and preparing to pick up the gavel to announce that the item had failed to sell, the number on the screen, which was originally "0", suddenly jumped!

It turned into—"1"!

The auctioneer's face immediately lit up with delight, and her melodious voice once again resounded throughout the hall through the loudspeaker:

"Thank you to VIP number 83 for participating in the auction!"

"So, are there any other VIPs who would like to participate in this interesting auction?"

The once quiet auction room immediately erupted into an uncontrollable commotion.

All eyes, like searchlights, were fixed on seat number 83, where You Yang was located.

Those eyes hidden beneath the glamorous masks held undisguised disdain, pure curiosity, but mostly, schadenfreude.

"Congratulations to guest number 83 for successfully bidding for the duel right of the [Plant-eating Crassula anaconda]."

"Please follow our staff to the backstage area."

A waiter dressed in a pure white tailcoat walked silently to You Yang and made an elegant "please" gesture to him.

"Good luck!"

The woman wearing the silver butterfly mask who had spoken to You Yang earlier spoke again.

Her voice carried a hint of amusement.

You Yang stood up and calmly replied:

"I also wish you can capture what you want to capture."

The woman's eyes curved into a smile, and the corners of her mouth curved upwards into a beautiful arc.

You Yang followed the white-clad waiter through a quiet corridor and finally arrived at a dueling arena that had been set up backstage for VIPs to engage in duels.

There, a man dressed in a wide black robe and wearing a ferocious bull horn mask was already waiting for him, his arms crossed.

"It's you, are you going to take a picture of my card?"

The man's voice was rough and slightly hoarse, clearly indicating that he was an older person.

"Correct."

You Yang nodded, slowly pulled out a deck of cards from his pocket, and shoved it into the Duel Disk with a "click".

[Duel - Begin!]

Seeing that both sides were ready, the staff member who remained here waved his hand and loudly announced the start of the duel!

[Man with bull horns mask: LP 8000] [You Yang: LP 8000]

A virtual coin suddenly bounced up, spun rapidly in the air, and finally slowly flew into the sky, revealing the side with the hideous bull horn mask printed on it.

"First strike is mine!"

Following the choice made by the man with the bull horn mask, both You Yang and the other man drew five initial cards from their respective decks.

"Then, it's my turn."

The man in the bull-horned mask drew a card and slammed it heavily onto the duel disk.

"I summon the [Drosera Frilled Lizard] in my hand!"

A strange and ominous plant monster suddenly burst forth from the ground.

It has a bizarre body that writhes like a lizard, and its head is like a fully opened sundew, with countless purplish-red glandular hairs hanging with crystal-clear, yet deadly "dewdrops".

【Drosera-eating Frosty Lizard】【★2】【Dark/Plant Race】【Attack: 600 / Defense: 200】

The man in the horned mask pointed at the writhing sundew lizard on the field and continued:

"I activate the effect of [Predatory Sundew Lizard]!"

"You can only activate this during your Main Phase. Choose one Fusion Material Monster from your hand, field, and opponent's field with Predator Counters, which is determined by a DARK Fusion Monster Card, and send it to the Graveyard. Fusion Summon that Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck."

The man in the bull-horn mask drew a card from his hand and revealed it.

The card depicts a similarly ferocious monster, seemingly a combination of plant and wasp.

Then, he removed the [Drosera frilled lizard] from the Duel Disk and loudly proclaimed:

"I will send it, along with the [Glandular Vegetarian Wasp] in my hand, to the grave!"

"Initiate a fusion summon!"

The two monsters simultaneously let out a sharp screech, then transformed into two streams of deep purple and dark green light, which intertwined and swirled in front of him, forming a dark vortex filled with the aura of life and death that was constantly shrinking inward.

"It feeds on two thirsty souls that breed in the darkness!"

"Let your predatory power, even stronger and more terrifying, unleash itself here!"

He suddenly opened his arms wide, as if welcoming the arrival of a king.

Fusion Summon - Appear!

"A terrifying behemoth that devours everything—the Pineapple-eating insect-devouring whale!"

The vortex suddenly dissipated, and an unimaginably enormous creature descended onto the field!

Its body is as large as a legendary whale, but its body is made up of countless ferocious thorns and huge leaves of insect-catching plants.

At the top of the body, a huge pineapple-like flower bud stands tall.

A massive head emerged from the body, opening its abyss-like maw filled with sharp, tooth-like spikes, and unleashed a terrifying roar that could shake the entire scene!

[Plant-eating Pineapple Insectivorous Valley Spirit Whale] [★5] [Dark/Plant/Fusion/Effect] [Attack: 1000 / Defense: 2500]

"Next, I'll activate the entrance effect of [Plant-eating Pineapple Insectivor Whale]!"

"This card can only be activated if it is successfully Fusion Summoned."

"Add 1 'Predator Plant' monster or 1 'Predator' Spell/Trap Card to your hand from your Deck, Graveyard, and face-up Pendulum Monsters in your Extra Deck."

As the man in the horned mask spoke, a dim light illuminated his graveyard area.

Chapter 113 Let the most ferocious predatory flower bloom amidst the light of transcendence and fusion!

The face hidden beneath the bull horn mask revealed a triumphant smile!

"Next, the chain effect of [Plant-eating Pineapple Insectivor Whale] will appear!"

"I activate the [Predatory Plant Glandular Wasp] effect in the graveyard!"

"This card can only be activated if it is sent to the Graveyard."

"Add 1 'Predator' monster from your Deck to your hand, except 'Predator Glandular Wasp'."

"I've chosen to add the [Predatory Plant Bottle Ant] and the Spell Card [Predatory Activity] to my hand from my deck!"

Two dark purple lights shone simultaneously as the man in the bull-horned mask drew two cards from his deck and added them to his hand.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately and forcefully inserted one of the cards into the Duel Disk!

"Next, I activate the magic card from my hand—[Predatory Activity]!"

As the card was drawn, the entire duel arena was instantly filled with a damp and dark aura!

The solid metal platform seemed to transform in an instant into a dark, perilous primeval jungle.

Dark green vines grew wildly from the cracks in the floor, and unknown swamp plants emitting an eerie glow appeared on the ground.

"Only one card with this name can be activated per turn."

Special Summon 1 "Predator Plant" monster from your hand.

"After that, add one 'Predator' card other than 'Predator Activity' from your deck to your hand."

"Furthermore, after this card is activated, you cannot Special Summon any monster other than a Fusion Monster from the Extra Deck until the end of the turn."

"I choose to Special Summon the [Predatory Bottle Ant] that I just added to my hand!"

In the swamp in front of the man with the bull horn mask, which was made of illusions, the ground began to slowly undulate.

A plant with an extremely bizarre shape suddenly burst out of the soil! Its whole shape resembled a strange and dangerous dark purple flower.

But soon, several slender, insect-like segments covered with hard shells emerged from the roots of the plant, supporting its flower-like body as it slowly crawled across the ground, making a chilling "rustling" sound.