Tachibana Ikaku knelt on the ground, his eyes vacant and expression dazed, questioning his existence... His posture resembled that pained look of a culprit exposed at the end of each Conan episode.
It's not that he hasn't lost before; he had already grown accustomed to it. After all, it was because he seldom won in card games that he sought the God of Death's power... Well, maybe not accustomed, as this was indeed his first defeat since acquiring the Power of Death God.
But merely losing wasn't strange. His opponent was the Duel King, and Tachibana Ikaku wasn't so arrogant to believe that obtaining the God of Death's power meant dismissing even the Duel King. Perhaps he would lose, but he didn't care. He just wanted to test this power, to prove his Card Deck.
As long as he could have the chance to duel with the Duel King, to test the limits of this power, the possibility of failure wasn't something he hadn't considered.
But even in defeat, he never dreamed he would lose while executing his most cherished Iaido Drawing.
Isn't this just a performance-like entertainment deck?
Isn't it precisely because he loved this deck so much despite its overly acrobatic nature—leading to repeated failures and ridicule—that he finally and desperately turned to darkness, selling his soul for the God of Death's power?
If he didn't need to sell his soul to perform acrobatics, wouldn't he have sold it pointlessly?
This was the first time in his life he encountered an opponent using Iaido Drawing, leaving him bewildered in the end.
Some onlookers were just as puzzled as he was, if not more.
Yugen performing acrobatics was normal, nothing unusual. But Iaido Drawing? Even Yugen had never been seen using it before.
Nobody used it before, never after; only today, against this Death God Duelist, it was hard to say it wasn't intentional.
What's the meaning? Did it trigger a passive effect like "returning the favor"?
Then Judai stepped forward, smiling, and patted Tachibana Ikaku on the shoulder. The student only then came to his senses, looking at him somewhat vacantly.
"How do you feel?" Judai asked with a smile.
"Feel? What feel?"
Tachibana Ikaku slumped on the ground, staring in mutual confusion with the hovering God of Death beside him.
They stated that by trading one's soul, one could gain victory. Now that the card game was lost, the honest God of Death, ever the upright businessman, seemed too embarrassed to claim the soul, thus merely exchanging bewildered glances with him.
Tachibana Ikaku: You promised that selling my life would ensure victory, right? Is it working or not? Your trick isn't effective enough.
God of Death: I've ensured that every draw is successful, what more do you want? Losing like this, isn't it because you're unskilled?
"..."
Judai cheerfully said to Tachibana Ikaku, "Of course, it's the insight gained from the duel. Facing the Duel King, not everyone gets such an opportunity.
Besides, haven't you noticed?"
"Noticed what?" Tachibana Ikaku asked in puzzlement.
"What Yugen was trying to tell you through this duel," Judai said, "You wouldn't think he usually uses this kind of deck to duel, would you?"
Tachibana Ikaku was taken aback.
The Duel King was trying to tell me something through this duel...
"Your Card Deck is fantastic, especially the 'One Hit Kill! Iaido Drawing,' there's simply no cooler way to win!"
Judai said excitedly.
"When you go through the trials and finally create a miracle with a crucial draw, that moment is exhilarating, isn't it?"
Tachibana Ikaku reflected.
Indeed. He was initially captivated by this card due to the joy that came with a successful draw—the adrenaline rush, the boiling blood. It seemed as if that one draw could create a whole new world, that feeling was truly addictive.
That's why he was so obsessed with Iaido Drawing.
"At first, you definitely didn't choose this deck to win, right?" Judai said, "But for the thrill of surprising your opponent when you draw that card, to let everyone witness and acknowledge your amazing deck."
Tachibana Ikaku couldn't help but nod.
Indeed. When constructing the deck initially, he didn't prioritize winning or losing. As long as he could showcase his dream Card Deck to everyone, have everyone cheer for that Iaido Drawing moment, nothing else mattered.
Even if he lost, it had to be a magnificent defeat.
But dreams are beautiful, reality is harsh. Reality didn't always allow him to gracefully disregard victory or defeat, especially as a duelist with professional dueling as his goal, winning and losing often carried a heavy burden.
Moreover, he wasn't always able to find applause and cheers as envisioned. On the contrary, as his performance in the Academy worsened, repeatedly failing to draw key cards in important duels, repeatedly facing defeat, he gradually became a laughingstock, a topic of casual conversation among other students, a symbol of failure at Duel Academy.
Duel Academy advocated for elite education, leaving no room for underperformers. Poor students with lower performance were already subject to various forms of marginalization and disdain, not to mention those labeled as performing acrobatics with no substantial success rate.
Thus, his mindset subtly changed.
He wanted to win, and he had to win using his Soul Card. He needed to prevent those who looked down on him from having anything to say, to force everyone to acknowledge his Card Deck.
Yes, since when did everything start to change...
"That's what Yugen was trying to convey through the duel!" Judai guided, "If it's not achieved through your own strength, then it has no meaning, does it?"
"The victory achieved by sacrificing your own life, is it really your victory, or the God of Death's?"
"How many times have you successfully executed Iaido Drawing? Ten times? Twenty times?"
"But even if you could execute it perfectly every time now, how long has it been since you last felt the thrill of drawing that card?"
Tachibana Ikaku: "!"
He suddenly looked up in shock at Yugen.
The Duel King was trying to tell me these things through the duel?
Indeed. Winning a duel this way, was the victory truly mine, or was it the God of Death's?
Is it really worth sacrificing life for such a hollow victory?
"I understand now!"
He stood up, speaking excitedly.
"Even without relying on the God of Death, I can accomplish seemingly impossible combos, just like how Mr. Yugen demonstrated.
Either trust in my own Card Deck, handling each draw with care and accumulating through countless practices.
Or develop more stable tactics, constructing a 100% possibility using intellect and wisdom..."
The more he spoke, the more moved he became.
This is the Duel King.
Suddenly, he felt depending on the God of Death, indulging in such false power, was laughable. Thinking he stepped into the circle of the strong by relying on external forces, little did he know, he was straying further from the path of the strong.
"Right?"
Judai smiled at Yugen.
"Did I understand correctly? Is there anything else Yugen wants to add?"
Yugen smiled and indicated no.
What else is there to say?
The class representative is right.
"I totally get it now, Mr. Yugen. From now on, I will devote myself to nurturing the bond with my Card Deck, exploring new possibilities for Iaido Drawing!"
Tachibana Ikaku declared firmly.
"I will not give up, nor will I rely on the God of Death's power again. From now on, I will rely on my own strength to become an independent duelist like you and bring my Card Deck to the world stage!"
"You surely can achieve that."
Yugen encouraged the junior, pausing before continuing.
"In that case, you probably won't need the card with the power of the God of Death anymore, right?"
Tachibana Ikaku was taken aback: "Ah, that's right..."
"The power of this card is too dangerous, deeper than you can handle."
Yugen said.
"Why not hand it over to me?"