Masuzu swung her arm with a wide, sweeping flourish.
She commanded Number 39: Utopia, with its 2500 ATK, to strike down Insect Queen, which possessed a mere 2200 ATK. The damage difference was 300, and as the opponent's monster shattered into pixels, their Life Points (LP) plummeted to 3700.
Masuzu followed up immediately, ordering her two four-star Daybreakers, each with 1700 ATK, to launch a relentless secondary assault.
3700 – 1700 – 1700 = 300.
The opponent's LP now flickered like a dying candle in a gale.
Masuzu remained merciless. On her second turn, she summoned yet another four-star monster and performed a Triple Overlay using Utopia and all her Daybreakers to call forth Number C39: Utopia Ray.
She expended three Overlay units to skyrocket Utopia Ray's ATK from 2500 to 4000, delivering a final, crushing blow. The loser immediately collapsed to the ground in agony. However, the defeat was hardly shameful, considering he was facing the former Yu-Gi-Oh! Champion, Masuzu herself.
Masuzu flicked her silver-white hair and walked away with effortless style. These people were far too boring; they couldn't even survive more than two turns. Thinking of this, Masuzu was reminded of Akasaka Ryunosuke, the one person who had once defeated her, and the corners of her lips curled upward.
"If that guy were here, maybe the matches wouldn't be this tedious, would they?" Masuzu mused to herself, then shook her head. "Ah, forget it. If he were here, I might not even be able to win..."
Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted from the neighboring arena. Driven by curiosity, she looked up at the massive screen broadcasting the live match next door. Her pupils instantly constricted.
"Akasaka Ryunosuke!!!" Masuzu clutched her head and shrieked hysterically. "Why is this guy here?!!!"
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
On the other side, Ryunosuke was still in the heat of battle. On his field sat a one-star Sonic Duck in defense position and a two-star Sonic Warrior. It was clear this duel had been going on for some time. Ryunosuke's opponent was last year's runner-up, so it was only natural that he couldn't be defeated in an instant.
Now it was Ryunosuke's turn. "Draw!"
"I summon Junk Synchron!" (Note: In line with the text where the Level 3 monster summons a Level 2 monster).
"When Junk Synchron is successfully summoned, I can special summon one Level 2 or lower monster from the graveyard in defense position. Arise, Speed Warrior!"
"Next, because there is a Tuner monster on the field, I can special summon Quillbolt Hedgehog from my graveyard."
By now, Ryunosuke had gathered five monsters on the field. He swung his arm with conviction.
"I am Tuning the Level 2 Sonic Warrior with the Level 3 Junk Synchron!"
2 + 3 = 5.
"Gathering stars will awaken a new power! Become the path that is lit by light! Synchro Summon! Appear, Junk Warrior!!!" ATK 2300, Level 5.
"When Sonic Warrior is used as Synchro material, it increases the ATK of all Level 2 and lower monsters on the field by 400 points!!!"
Sonic Duck: 300 + 400 = 700.
Quillbolt Hedgehog: 800 + 400 = 1200.
Speed Warrior: 900 + 400 = 1300.
"And when Junk Warrior is successfully summoned, it gains additional ATK equal to the total ATK of all Level 2 and lower monsters on the field!!!"
2300 + 700 + 1200 + 1300 = 5500 ATK!
The opposing player immediately jolted in shock, as did Masuzu, who was watching from afar. However, Masuzu's lips slowly curved into a smile; she seemed to be greatly looking forward to a duel with him. Ryunosuke's opponent instantly lost his composure. "A five-star monster with 5500 ATK? What on earth is this?!!!"
Ryunosuke had no time for small talk and immediately launched a devastating attack. The match ended instantly. Masuzu turned back toward the next round.
After navigating the various preliminary rounds, both of them successfully advanced to the grand final. This was the last match. Because this was the deciding round, the rules were changed: players were only allowed to use decks from the first and second generations.
Simultaneously, Ai's company used newly developed projection technology to make the match more exciting and realistic. It was akin to Kaiba's projection technology, but this system could only recognize first and second-generation cards because their patterns were simpler. The deck restriction was actually created so the machines wouldn't overload from failing to identify overly complex cards.
Ryunosuke and Masuzu met again in the dueling arena. Masuzu greeted him warmly. "Yo! My cousin's boyfriend, long time no see!"
Seeing Masuzu reach out her hand in greeting, Ryunosuke instead replied firmly. "Give back Ai's cards!"
Masuzu immediately felt a twinge of guilt. Although she had given money when she took her cousin's cards, those cards were priceless rarities; she was still the one who benefited. She racked her brain, coming up with a mischievous idea, and then proposed a condition.
"I'll return them if you want. But you must promise: in this match, do not use The Winged Dragon of Ra. If you can win against me, I will agree."
Since only first and second-generation cards were allowed, the effect of The Winged Dragon of Ra was indeed too broken, so it had to be removed. Ryunosuke decisively pulled the Ra card from his deck, even showing the rest of his support cards to Masuzu.
"Eh?" Masuzu was stunned. "You agreed that quickly?"
Ryunosuke didn't waste words. "I only hope you keep your promise. If I win, you must return the cards."
Masuzu sneered, "You really spoil my cousin. Be careful, or she'll end up spoiled rotten."
Her tone carried a clear hint of jealousy. She envied her cousin for having such a capable boyfriend to stand up for her.
Ryunosuke turned to shuffle his deck and start the match.
Masuzu suddenly remembered something and shouted, "Wait! I'm adding one more condition: we shuffle each other's decks!"
Ryunosuke was confused but didn't think much of it. He handed his deck to Masuzu, completely unsuspecting that she would cheat. In her heart, Masuzu apologized to Ryunosuke.
(Sorry, but in war, there is no such thing as fair play. To win, I will do anything.)
Masuzu possessed the ability to memorize the order of all cards in a single glance, including her opponent's. They stood back-to-back while shuffling to prevent visual cheating.
Masuzu took that opportunity to flip through Ryunosuke's cards for just a split second—hardly a second or two—but she had already memorized everything.
She began to shuffle casually, deliberately placing Ryunosuke's worst cards at the top of the pile so his strategy would be in shambles. Meanwhile, for her own deck, she had already memorized the order; she could determine the position of her cards just by listening to the sound of the friction while shuffling with her back turned.
This was the reason why the Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship title Masuzu had previously earned was rumored to be impure. She played dirty...
👨🏻💻Support me by reading on my Patreon: Patreon.com/cw/transenden or bit.ly/4uObLvf
☕Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/lovefanfiction
🛍️Benefits:
🎁Access 210+ chapters: [Anime Crossover: Making Money in Classroom of the Elite]
🎁Access 30 chapters: [Journey to Planar Word]
🎁Access 130+ chapters: [Infinity Reincarnation]
📜Update Schedule:
📨Translated Fanfiction: 3 chapters per day
📨Original Fanfiction: 1-2 chapters per day
👍🏻Thank you so much for your incredible support, everyone!👍🏻