The matter of leadership was put aside, unlike before, the room fell into silence for a while.
No one mentioned anything stupid like "I'll go grab the first prize."
The last person who said that was Night Shadow, and Night Shadow rushed to their own grave. Now, he's reported to their lord, the Snake God.
The remaining few, although not daring to say they don't want close contact with the Snake God, given a choice, they'd prefer to cherish their lives.
When they first heard this person was a student from Duel Academy, they had contemptuous thoughts that have now vanished without a trace.
This person took down Night Shadow in just a few rounds, using those clowns known as the Black Scorpion, making them believe he wasn't really exerting himself.
The duel footage hardly has any practical reference value; the opponent's trump card remains unknown even after the duel.
Who knows, will you be the next Night Shadow if you go up against him?
"No one wants to go up... hehe, it seems like there's no choice then."
The leader in a black robe slowly stood up from his chair.
The others turned to look, surprised.
Could it be the leader has decided to personally take action?
They had heard stories about this branch leader.
Before joining New Doma, the leader was a brave man, a rising star in professional circles. He fought battles and won, gaining high expectations in the circle.
But too much anticipation and praise caused him to swell, leading him to think he's invincible, mere old legends like Seto Kaiba were nothing. Had he been born a few years earlier, the title of Duel King might not have been for Yugi, and the Three Phantom Gods could have changed hands.
This attitude persisted until he got a chance to challenge the legendary Seto Kaiba in private.
A duel of aces, point against point, an epic-level battle between the professional star and the old-time legend...
…He originally thought it should be like that.
But once they engaged, he quickly realized his naïveté.
Whatever duel of aces, if anything, that duel was hitting a rock with an egg.
He didn't even get to see the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon; he was shattered on the XYZ Divine Dragon Cannon...
From then, the leader's performance dropped sharply, losing in later professional competitions, eventually quitting the circle and falling from grace.
Until he encountered New Doma, regained his past form… even stronger than before.
Now, in the Underground World, he is respected by Dark Duelists as the "Undead," and his true name is forgotten. Every time he strikes, a powerful soul is harvested.
The crowd held their breath.
Could the Undead himself decide to take down this one?
"I have an idea." Someone suddenly spoke.
Several people's eyes turned simultaneously.
The speaker was a member codenamed Black Flame.
"You must have heard of the legend underground, the legendary Dark Duelist Malik." Black Flame said gravely, "He once unleashed Joey Wheeler against Muto Yuugi, almost taking down the Duel King. You know this?"
Several people nodded.
"Of course. But so what?"
"Hehe… Since dealing with this Fujiki Yugen seems tricky, why not emulate the predecessor's method?" The black-robed person smugly chuckled.
"Oh?"
The Undead frowned, asking.
"You mean…?"
"I've already investigated ahead; Fujiki Yugen didn't come alone to the tournament."
That black-robed person said confidently.
"He has a friend from Duel Academy, apparently a very close friend. My informer said it was this Fujiki Yugen who specially applied to Kaiba Group's review committee to secure a participant spot for this student."
"So, it seems they must be very close friends." The Undead nodded, "If we can control this person, maybe we can indeed imitate Mr. Malik's approach."
Back then, Malik used the Thousand-Year Silver Staff to brainwash Joey and had the darkened Joey and Yugi bet with Life Bet Card. Joey naturally couldn't beat Yugi, but Yugi couldn't really strike Joey to win.
If you can't ensure winning against an opponent, let the opponent willingly forfeit victory. It's not a bad idea.
As for whether this violates card ethics…
They're doing shady business anyway. Serving the Divine Cult by any means, the process does not matter as long as they fulfill the Snake God's will.
"But if Fujiki Yugen is hard to deal with, would his friend be easier?" The Undead asked.
"Don't worry, I've investigated. This person is named Yuki Judai, a student from Osiris Red Dormitory at Duel Academy."
"Osiris Red Dormitory, huh." The Undead nodded.
He'd heard it's notoriously the gathering place for incompetent students at the academy.
"Right. I even checked his grades; it seems even among Osiris Red, he's at the bottom, completely nothing to worry about."
Black Flame confidently patted his chest, ensuring the action is foolproof.
"Taking him down is a piece of cake. We'll secure him, brainwash him, and grant him the power of Orichalcos, letting him initiate a duel against Fujiki Yugen…"
"Good idea."
A cohort quickly applauded in praise.
"If brainwashed, he'll attack unwaveringly, leaving Yugen constrained by friendship, unable to resist. Then, it's only a matter of time before he's taken down under his friend's continuous attacks…"
"Indeed." Black Flame sneered, "Moreover, even if the plan fails, leaving Yugen to face his defeated friend will certainly leave a dark imprint in his heart.
And then…"
"Our Divine Cult excels in exploiting inner darkness, using it as a breakthrough to breach defenses."
The Undead nodded.
"Right. Even if he survives this test, his state will be drastically affected, and his strength won't perform at a tenth. By that time, we strike— isn't it a sure thing?" Black Flame laughed.
"It's a decent plan, but I want to make slight adjustments."
The Undead spoke.
"As you know, Malik launched Joey Wheeler against Yugi, you should also know the result was a failure."
Black Flame pondered: "Not sure of the specifics. But I heard it might be due to the Millennium Puzzle's power breaking the mind control?"
"Unclear. Anyway, I believe brainwashing isn't the most secure method, there's a risk of duelists waking during the duel… like the probably awakened Joey Wheeler."
"Then what do you mean…"
"Simply put, seize the soul through a duel and then control the shell for dueling." The Undead chuckled, "This way, there's no risk of similar errors."
"Brilliant!"
"Moreover, this time, just in case…"
The Undead paused, his eyes flashed a dangerous green glow.
"…I'll personally make the move."
...
...
"Elemental Hero Wingman's direct attack!" Judai shouted.
"Uwaa!!!"
[Professional Nobody, LP 0]
A duel participant from the lower professional ranks knelt on the ground, doubt etching on his face.
Lost.
Even from the lower professional ranks, he's still a professional. Losing to a Duel Academy student, a red uniform...
He blankly looked up at Judai.
Has professional standards dropped below graduation pass level at Duel Academy now?
Yet, Judai wasn't stopping after the opponent's Life Points were zero, continuing his pursuit.
"Won! That was a fun duel!"
Judai struck a classic pose.
The pro guy immediately clutched his chest, feeling an intense heartache…
"Haha, dueling is the best, tournaments are the best!"
The victorious Judai happily stretched his arms, walking outside.
"Wonder how Yugen and Caesar are doing…"
He shook his head, patting his cheeks hard.
"Okay, I can't lose either. Let's find the next opponent! Duelist, duelist, let me see where the duelists are…"
A sinister voice suddenly echoed behind him.
"You're Yuki Judai… right?"