The protagonist of the Yu-Gi-Oh! world might be the same person.

The next moment, a flash of white light appeared, and the figure of the Phantom Gunner reappeared before him. At the same time, the earth behind him split open, and the mountain-like azure figure crawled out from underground and stood on the earth once more.

【Phantom Gunner: Attack Power 1100】

【Phantom Demon Emperor Rabiel: Attack Power 4000】

"The Phantom Demon has been resurrected!?" Franz's expression changed drastically upon seeing the giant Demon Emperor's resurrection.

At this moment, Pegasus, standing behind Jaden, pondered for a moment before reminding him, "Jaden boy~, I remember that monsters resurrected using [Puppet Master of the Dead] cannot attack this turn. What are you going to do?"

"Yes, yes, you still have 701 health points. If you can't defeat me this round, then I'll have a chance to turn the tables on you!"

"Of course I was prepared for this..."

As he spoke, Jaden drew another card from his hand and stared at the card image on it.

That was a card whose artwork also featured only Rabiel—[Phantom Demon Emperor Rabiel - Celestial Crushing Fist]!

This card is a hand trap specifically designed for the Phantom Lord, but unfortunately, the presence of [Binding God's Tomb] on the field interferes, preventing the Phantom Lord from being targeted by the effect, thus rendering this card's effect unusable.

But it doesn't matter...!

Jaden raised the card high and shouted, "This card, like [Phantom Emperor Rabiel], is Special Summoned from the hand by Tributing three monsters on your field."

"I will sacrifice the [Puppet Master Who Manipulates the Undead], the [Phantom Gunner], and the [Phantom Demon Emperor Rabiel] on the field..."

"Appear, [Phantom Demon Emperor Rabiel - Celestial Crushing Fist]!"

In an instant, a thick cyan demonic light shot into the sky, instantly engulfing the figures of the two demons and the Demon Emperor.

Before long, the light faded, and the two monsters had vanished without a trace.

The figure of the Illusion Demon Emperor was still in front of the three of them, but his claws were now glowing with a faint blue light.

【Phantom Demon Emperor Rabiel - Celestial Crushing Fist: Attack Power 4000】

[Yuki Jaden's hand cards: 3 → 2]

"【Phantom Emperor Rabiel - Celestial Crusher】is also Level 10, but this card wasn't summoned by the effect of 【Puppet Master Who Manipulates the Dead】, so I can use it to launch an attack this turn."

"Wonderful! What a simple and direct method! As expected of you, Judai-boy!"

That's right. Since we can't attack, we can just switch to something that can. It's quite simple and straightforward.

"But...but even if you destroy the [Chaos Core], I still have 300 health points, while you, as the controller of this card, will suffer 1000 damage and be defeated, hahahahaha!"

Franz seems to have gotten carried away playing cards and confused the terms.

"That's why I said you don't understand dueling. You are now the controller of the [Chaos Core], while I was the original holder. According to the effect of the [Binding God's Tomb], the controller takes 1000 points of damage, so you are the one who should lose!"

"this......"

Judai raised his arm and delivered his final pronouncement: "Take this! Labyrinth vs. Chaos Core Attack, Celestial Crushing Fist!"

At his command, the enormous demonic claw slammed down, instantly obliterating the Chaos Core into dust.

boom--! !

"Ughh ...

Franz: LP4300 → 0

He lost completely!

Witnessing all this, Pegasus thought with a touch of melancholy: 'Jaden Boy is also a duelist with unlimited potential. It seems he's the most likely candidate to become the new Duel King. Unless Edward Boy can find that lost [Ultimate D] card, he'll never be his match.'

'As for John Boy, it's a real shame he's missing the most crucial trump card in his deck.'

More than an hour later, Franz, who had fallen into a coma, was taken away by helicopter. Pegasus also said goodbye to Jaden after expressing his gratitude, and boarded the plane with Maeda Hayato to return home with the copy card of the Sun God.

After saying goodbye to Pegasus, Jaden returned to his dormitory.

Upon seeing his return, Asuka finally felt relieved.

......

After Duel Academy returned to normal, the GX tournament continued for some time, becoming increasingly intense as strong fighters from various regions emerged. Coupled with the spread of the God-Demon War, the influence of the GX tournament grew.

Two days later, Judai, Asuka, and Tenjouin Fubuki were summoned to the principal's office.

Principal Samejima received news that Ryo Marufuji had arrived at the Duel Academy!

“Ryo was once a disciple of my Cyber ​​Dojo. In Cyber ​​Dojo, we believed in respectful dueling and passed down the Cyber ​​End Dragon through generations. But for some reason, Ryo betrayed these beliefs and became too eager for victory, taking that forbidden Ryo deck from my dojo.”

Principal Samejima frowned as he spoke, glancing at everyone in the office.

"Rika deck? Could it be the [Cyber ​​Dark] series?" Jaden stroked his chin and guessed.

“Exactly. If that deck is used, Ryo’s heart will probably fall into even deeper darkness.”

"You are all Liang's good friends, and perhaps you can help him break free from the darkness, so I'm begging you!"

After he finished speaking earnestly, he stood up and bowed to everyone.

"We will definitely do our best!" everyone said.

Chapter 191 VS Hell Caesar

Beneath the lighthouse on the pier, a tall, slender figure stood quietly, gazing out at the sea.

At that moment, a voice rang out...

"I still enjoy being here as much as ever, Caesar!"

"Hmph~, I've been waiting for you for a long time, Judai!"

Upon hearing Judai's voice, the person turned around.

He wore a pitch-black trench coat, his face was cold and stern, and a faint, cold smile played on his lips as he looked at the arriving Judai and Tenjouin siblings.

"...You've changed a lot, Caesar."

The group had only not seen him for a few months, and his appearance hadn't changed much.

However, the temperament he exuded at this moment was completely different from that of the past. The former Marufuji Ryo was just taciturn and seemed a bit aloof, but in reality he was polite and had a gentle personality.

But the man of yesteryear is no longer visible. He now exudes a detached, almost childlike, aura, a sense of loss and inadequacy. He is a changed man, a man who has lost his youthful vigor and composure.

This change shocked and worried everyone.

Ryo Marufuji stared at Judai and replied, "That's right, after all, I've returned from hell!"

"Hell's Caesar...?"

Before Judai and the others arrived, they had investigated and found that Marufuji Ryo's dueling style changed drastically from a certain point onwards. He no longer respected his opponents, perhaps because his consecutive defeats in professional matches had driven him to disregard everything.

Indeed, this became a painful memory for Ryo Marufuji. From his initial high spirits to his later despondency, things only changed after he met a minor character and witnessed the dark underground duels in the underworld.

He struggled to survive until the very end, choosing to change himself into someone who desperately craved victory.

His close friend, Fubuki Tenjouin, advised him, "Ryo, if you encounter any difficulties, please tell us. We will help you share the burden! Don't be misled by the power of darkness. This is a path of no return. Think about what happened to those who fell into darkness. Do you really want to become like them?"

Marufuji Ryo remained completely unmoved by his friend's advice, offering no response whatsoever, instead staring intently at Judai with an unwavering gaze.

“It seems the only way is to use the simplest and most direct method…” Jaden also saw what the other party’s eyes were trying to express, so he unfolded the Duel Disk and said to Marufuji Ryo, “Come on, Caesar! Let me see how much you have improved in the cruel professional arena!”

As Judai had expected, Marufuji Ryo's eyes finally changed, and a long-dormant, frenzied fighting spirit was fully revealed.

"I've been waiting to hear you say that for a long time. This time, I won't lose to you again!"

Without wasting words, he immediately set up the Duel Disk.

"Duel!!" ×2

[Yujo Judai: LP4000]

[Ryo Marufuji: LP4000]

Nowadays, Ryo Marufuji no longer shows the same courtesy as before, and takes the initiative to act directly.

"I'll attack first and draw the card!"

[Marufuji Ryo's cue cards: 5→6]

He glanced at his hand and immediately revealed it: "I activate the monster effect of [Cyber ​​Dark Cannon] from my hand!"

"Discard this card from your hand and add a Machine-Type [Cyber ​​Dark] monster from your Deck to your hand. I added [Cyber ​​Dark Horn] to my hand."

After placing the searched card in his left hand, he revealed another monster card. "Next, I'll activate the monster effect of [Cyber ​​Dark Claw] from my hand!"

"Similarly, you can discard this monster from your hand and add a [Cyber ​​Dark] Spell/Trap Card from your Deck to your hand. Based on the effect, I chose [Cyber ​​Dark Inferno]."

After completing the search, Ryo Marufuji placed the monster card he had just obtained onto the Duel Disk: "Heh, I summon [Cyber ​​Dark Horn] in Attack Position."

hum!

A flash of white light appeared on the field, and a mechanical dragon head appeared on his field, with scythe-shaped, ferocious metal horns and metal wings on its body.

【Electronic Dark Horn: Attack Power 800】

[Marufuji Ryo's cue cards: 6→5]

Looking at the strange monster, Tenjōin Fubuki had a bad feeling: "What, that monster...?"

Asuka: "So that's Ryo's new deck... the Cyber ​​deck?"

Ryo Marufuji explained in a calm tone: "When you summon [Cyber ​​Dark Horn], you select one Level 3 or lower Dragon monster from your Graveyard as an Equip Card. I equipped [Cyber ​​Dark Claw] from my Graveyard to it."

A beam of light flew out of the entrance to his grave and stopped beneath the demon horn, transforming into a strange dragon with sharp scythes. Then, the lines on the two monsters connected and they became one.

"【Cyber ​​Dark Horn】increases the ATK of the equipped monster by 1. When attacking a defense monster, if the ATK exceeds the defense, it deals damage equal to that amount."

[Electronic Dark Horn: Attack Power 800 → 2400]

"Summoning a monster with 2400 attack power so easily...?"

"So strong!"

As the two siblings were marveling at this, Ryo Marufuji's lips kept curving upwards: "The special effect of [Electronic Dark Magic Horn] is that you can sacrifice this equipment card to replace one battle destruction."

He then placed another card that had been retrieved into the field zone: "It's not over yet, I'm activating the field spell [Cyber ​​Dark Inferno] from my hand!"

[Marufuji Ryo's cue cards: 5→4]

Swish!

As the Duel Disk read the field information, the surrounding scenery rapidly changed, and raging flames engulfed him and Jaden.

"As long as [Cyber ​​Dark Inferno] is on the field, [Cyber ​​Dark] monsters on your field that are equipped with an Equip Card cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects and cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects."

"Place one last card in the trap, end the turn."

[Marufuji Ryo's cue cards: 4→3]

Judai, without batting an eye, said, "The style has changed quite a bit..."

"My turn, draw a card!"

[Yuki Jaden's hand cards: 5 → 6]

Jaden's opening move was equally swift. Without hesitation, he inserted one of his cards into the Spell & Trap Slots of the Duel Disk. "Let's go, Caesar! First, I'll activate the Continuous Spell [EN Wave] from my hand!"

"Based on this card's effect, when your Elemental HERO monster is sent to the Graveyard as Fusion Material or banished from the game, Special Summon 1 Neo Spacian or Elemental HERO Neos from your Deck."

[Yuki Jaden's hand cards: 6 → 5]

Chapter 192 A Strike of Flame, The Rising Sun Hero

Marufuji Ryo listened to Jaden's explanation of the effect and sneered with amusement: "Hmph~, an unfamiliar card... Looks like your deck has evolved too. It seems a lot has happened while I was away from the academy!"

Judai shrugged upon hearing this. "You're not the only one making progress, Caesar."

"Hmph, that's how I deserve to beat you."

"Who wins and who loses isn't up to you to decide..."

As Judai spoke, he pulled out three cards from his hand and revealed them all at once.

"I activate the Spell Card [Fusion] from my hand, fusing Winged Man and Hot Girl from my hand!"

"The fusion condition is two [Elemental Heroes] with different attributes..."

Immediately, the two model heroes appeared on the field of Jaden, and were instantly swallowed by the fusion vortex and merged into one, radiating dazzling brilliance.