The crowd erupted the moment the duel began.
Cheers and thunderous applause rolled through the arena in waves, filling the air with electric anticipation. Students leapt to their feet, voices overlapping in excitement as the holographic field shimmered to life. Among the loudest of them all was Lovely Labrynth, who stood near the front with both arms raised high, shouting Syrus's name without a shred of restraint.
"SY-CHAN~!!! SHOW THEM WHAT YOU'VE GOT~!!!"
Her enthusiasm was infectious, drawing even more noise from the stands around her.
But not everyone joined in.
High above the arena floor, along the concourse overlooking the field, Zane stood in silence.
He did not clap.
He did not cheer.
He simply watched.
Arms crossed neatly over his chest, posture straight and composed, he stared down at Syrus with a gaze that was calm, sharp, and calculating. There was no visible emotion on his face, only the cool, detached expression expected of the top duelist of the academy.
Aniki...
The word surfaced in his mind without permission.
Zane's jaw tightened slightly.
He remembered how Syrus said those words... How happy Syrus look when he calls Mash that name. And how Syrus used to call him that with the same happy face.
For some reason that memory irritated him. Slightly.
And yet, for something so insignificant, it lingered. Over the past few days, the word had echoed through his thoughts again and again, as if lodged there. Like a persistent prick of a needle at the back of his skull.
Aniki...
His fingers curled subtly against his sleeve.
[Irrelevant.]
Zane thought, as he quickly dismissed those thought before it could linger. As always, he forced it down and bury it deep within his mind.
After all, he was the most accomplished student of the Cyber Art Dojo. Emotional control was not merely encouraged there, it was forged. Suppression was refined into instinct. Excessive emotions was a weakness to be recognized and eliminated.
He had mastered that long ago.
Unlike the time when he first entered the Cyber Art Dojo, high in the snowy mountains where the air was thin and the training was merciless.
Back then, he had been naïve.
Back then, he had believed he was a prodigy.
Oh... how wrong he was.
---
A few years ago at the Cyber Art Dojo...
"ARGH!"
Zane's groaned in pain as his cards were knocked from his hands by the opponent monster hitting a lethal direct attack, they were scattered on the floor. His Life Points plummeted to zero on his Duel Disk.
[Zane LP: 600 -> 0]
"Ugh…!"
He dropped to one knee, breath ragged, and vision swimming as the holographic monsters disappeared. Across from him stood another Cyber Art student, perfectly composed, a true example of a student of the dojo.
Zane who at this point is in the dojo for over a year, was already drowning in a brutal losing streak. He thought when he had received the invitation, he had believed it meant something. That he had been chosen because he was exceptional. Because he was different.
Because he was special.
But once he arrived, he realized something. Every student there had been invited. Every one of them had been called talented, promising, elite. After all, they were all top duelists from regional dojos across the country
All of them had been gathered here to compete for the honor of representing the Cyber Arts and to receive the famed legendary boss monster of the Cyber Dragons.
Because of that, They were all fast learners. They were all highly skilled. They were all "special."
And when everyone is special…
No one is.
Back on the dueling floor, the instructor's shadow fell over him.
"How disappointing."
The instructor's voice was flat, almost devoid of sympathy. His shoes tapped sharply against the wooden floor as he approached this pathetic of a student.
"When we recruited a non-dojo student, we expected him to astonish us," he continued, leaning down just enough for his words to be heard clearly by Zane.
"How wrong. We were."
Zane looked up, he looked exhausted behind his eyes, but a stubborn determination still hang on to his expression.
"I… I can still continue!" Zane shouted weakly.
"Continue?" The instructor scoffed. "At this rate, it will not be long before we have no choice but to kick you out!"
The words struck harder than the defeat itself.
"You duel like you are waving a flag that announces your every move!" the instructor barked. "When you are excited, it shows! When you hesitate, it shows! When you are frustrated, it shows! Your face and your body reveal everything!"
Zane's teeth clenched.
The instructor straightened and turned toward the rest of the students, he glares at all of them with a stern face.
"Remember this well!" The instructor shove his hand forward. "Our Cyber Art Dojo does not only teach you all about the Cyber Dragons, but we also teach you Discipline! If you cannot master both in our Dojo, then please step out of the dojo!"
"WE DO NOT NEED A WEAK STUDENT FOR US TO HOLD THEIR HANDS!"
"UNDERSTOOD!?"
"YES, SENSEI!" the students shouted in unison.
Zane remained kneeling long after their voices faded. The instructor teaching will not be forgotten, as Zane realized for IF he wished to survive here, if he wished to rise above the others, then something had to be sacrificed.
Something unnecessary.
Something burdensome.
Something weak.
Click!
He found it.
He found the something that he could discard without a second thought...
This emotions...
This attachment...
This image of being someone's dependable older brother...
All of it... are excess weight.
All of it... are liabilities.
So... He discarded them all.
He carved them out of himself, piece by piece, until nothing remained but pure focus, calculation, and absolute discipline.
From that day forward, the naïve boy who believed he was special disappeared.
In his place stood a new figure.
---
Zane the Kaiser.
He was more stoic and cold ever since that day, but in return, he become unstoppable. His dueling style had transformed, from the passionate skilled aggression into something far more discipline and suffocating.
It was as if one hand quietly gripped and restricted their breathing, cutting off any chance of escape, and when the moments came... he'll stab you with a knife for game.
It was clean, precise, and lethal.
But that was not the only thing that changed about him.
Three years later, when he finally returned home and dueled Syrus at the dinner table that night, he understood something else entirely.
Pressure creates diamonds.
The dojo had proven that truth to him. The relentless drills, the merciless defeats, the stripping away of hesitation and softness. All of it had crushed the naïve boy he once was and forged him into something sharper. Stronger. Controlled. It was that pressure that earned him the right to wield the famed Cyber End Dragon, awarded only to the top student of the Cyber Art Dojo.
He had become proof that suffering refined talent.
And then he looked at Syrus.
Not once, but three times, Syrus fell for the same bait that night. Three times he walked directly into the trap Zane laid before him. And not once, throughout the entire duel, did Syrus so much as scratch his Life Points.
It was pitiful.
It was infuriating.
It was unacceptable.
That was when Zane made his decision.
If pressure had created him, then pressure would create Syrus.
He had already discarded the warmth of being an older brother once in order to survive the dojo. Now he would wear that title again... but differently. Not as someone dependable. Not as someone gentle. Not as someone to lean on.
He would become the wall Syrus could not climb.
No more would he shield him. No more would he encourage him with soft reassurance. Instead, he would stand ahead of him, cold, distant, untouchable, so that Syrus would be forced to chase him.
Even if Syrus came to resent him.
Even if others misunderstood him.
It did not matter.
One day, Syrus would stand tall on his own, so that he could walk forward with confidence, knowing... not hoping, that he was strong.
If Syrus broke under that expectation, then he was not ready.
If he endured it, he would sharpen into a blade.
That had always been the plan.
And yet…
[Why... does he look so confident?]
Zane's eyes narrowed slightly as he observed the person below, Syrus Truesdale.
The same boy who used to fumble his cards under pressure and shrink beneath the weight of expectation. Zane had anticipated nerves. He had expected trembling hands, darting eyes, and the familiar signs of a boy bracing himself for failure.
And yes, Syrus did look nervous.
His shoulders were tense. His breath was visible in the subtle rise and fall of his chest. Anyone watching casually would have mistaken it for the same old stage fright from "Zane's little brother"
But Zane knew his brother better.
This was not the fragile nervousness that used to consume him, nor the kind that paralyzed him before he even drew his first card.
There was something else there now.
Beneath the nerves, beneath the tight grip on his cards... there was a sense of steadiness. A quiet resolve that refused to break. It was as though two forces were battling within him for control. There was the usual anxiety clawing at the surface, but also something stronger pushing back from underneath.
It was Confidence.
Although it was raw, almost new, and was quite unpolished. But it was still, real and solid confidence. And that creates a giant question mark inside of Zane's head.
[Where... did he get this confidence?] Zane asked himself.
But then he remembered the little conversation he had with Alexis two days ago.
---
At the island's lighthouse...
"Hey, Zane, have you noticed?" Alexis asked beside him, casually taking a bite of her drawbread.
"What?" Zane replied, though he did not look at her. His gaze remained steady on the sunset.
"It's about Syrus," Alexis said after swallowing. "He's been much more cheerful lately. He even smiles even more, too."
"Is that so…" Zane replied flatly. After a brief pause, he added, "Why?"
"It's because of Mash. He's been training Syrus personally for the upcoming tag duel," she explained. "I don't know the exact details since they train inside Mash's dorm room most of the time. But whatever they're doing… Syrus looks more confident now, which in turn, toned down his shyness."
Zane remained silent, listening.
"But," Alexis continued, leaning lightly against the railing, "Although confidence does help in lowering a person timidness... Confidence alone doesn't just fully erase his timidness like that. Not with Syrus's personality. So... I have a theory."
"I think he found himself an anchor."
The wind lifted a few strands of her hair as she glanced toward him thoughtfully.
"Someone he can lean on… but also someone who pushes him so he doesn't have to rely on them forever." Alexis said softly. "What do you think, Zane?"
"..."
Zane said nothing, though the words lingered in his head much deeper.
The lighthouse beam rotated slowly overhead, casting a sweeping arc of light across the ocean and briefly illuminating his face before passing on.
"Alexis," he said at last, turning slightly toward her.
"Yeah?" she replied.
"Has anyone ever told you that you could become a great psychiatrist?"
---
Back to present...
"Training with Mash, huh?" Zane murmured under his breath.
He replayed the conversation in his mind, aligning it with what he was seeing on Syrus, how although he was really nervous, he was steady with confidence.
And then he remembered something else, something that he overheard again.
With this deck that Mash gave me…!
Zane's gaze sharpened.
"I see."
The pieces slid into place with quiet precision.
"So that's it," Zane muttered. "Now everything makes sense."
He looked down at Syrus again.
"Fine," Zane said flatly. "Let's have it your way. Let's see whether you crumble under pressure... or not."
His fingers tightened slightly against his sleeve as his gaze locked onto the duel unfolding below.
"Just because you took a shortcut to power."
---
Back to the duel…
[Para Dox LP: 8000| Jay Sy LP: 8000]
All four contestants drew their opening five cards.
"Hey, Sy!" Jaden called out with his usual easy grin. "You wanna go first?"
Syrus turned toward him, caught slightly off guard. "Uhh… I think you should go first, Jay-"
"TOO SLOW!" Para cut him off abruptly. "I'll be the one going first! DRAW!"
He pulled his sixth card with dramatic flair, the motion exaggerated for the audience.
"What a shame… Sorry, Jay," Syrus apologized quickly, adjusting his glasses as he glanced back at his partner.
"It's chill, Sy!" Jaden shrugged, completely unfazed. "Besides, I think it'll be way more fun seeing your new cards last instead of first!"
Syrus blinked, then gave a small, reassured smile.
"Okay then."
---
At the spectator seat...
Click.
Alexis snapped her fingers. "I remember them. They're the pair of brothers who once used an unstoppable combination to make the King of Games suffer."
"What?!" Bastion stiffened beside her. "Then there's no way Jaden and Syrus can beat them!"
"What the hell are you talking about, Basty?" Lovely Labrynth snapped instantly, whipping her head toward him with a glare sharp enough to cut steel. Bastion visibly shrank into his seat.
"On the contrary, there's no way those baldies are beating them! Right, Darling~?" Lovely turned to Mash.
"Of course," Mash replied calmly, though his eyes never left the field. "We both know how strong Syrus has become after our training."
His voice carried certainty.
"If anything could ruin this perfect duel… it would be if someone from 'that' group handed those brothers a card from my-"
"I NORMAL SUMMON {LABYRINTH HEAVY TANK} IN ATTACK POSITION!!!" Para shouted, cutting Mash off mid-sentence.
And on the field, a blue tank with many crimson drills materialized on the field.
{Labrynth Heavy Tank|7 Star|Dark|Machine/Effect| ATK: 2400 DEF: 2400}
"Hey! How did you just summon a Level 7 monster without tributing?!" Jaden demanded, pointing at the field in disbelief.
"Heh, you fool!" Dox scoffed loudly. "It's because of one of its effects! This monster can be summoned without a tribute!"
"Although it cannot attack the turn it is summoned…" Para added with a widening smirk, spreading his arms theatrically. "THIS IS THE FIRST TURN! There's no need to attack at all!"
The crowd gasped.
"Whoa! He summoned something that strong just like that?!"
"As expected of someone who fought the King of Games! His cards are insane!"
"Go, Paradox Brothers!!! Show us more of your power!!!"
The spectators erupted into thunderous cheers, everyone was eager to see the power of someone who once faced off against the king of games. But in the middle of that frenzy, two people sat in stunned silence.
Mash leaned back in his seat, one hand dragging slowly through his hair.
Lovely stared at the field, her confident smile completely gone.
"Fuck..." Mash muttered under his breath, frustration tightening his jaw. "I really hate the butterfly effect…!"
"Me too..." Lovely added. "And if I remember correctly… Didn't Jay-jay say he wasn't going to use your cards, Mash?"
"Sigh…" Mash's expression flattened completely. His eyes sharpened as he recalculated the situation. "Syrus."
"You're going to have to clutch this out… alone."
Bastion glanced between them in confusion. "Wait, what are you two talking about? What do you mean Syrus has to 'clutch it alone'?"
"Can you three please stop talking?!" Alexis snapped at them three, which quickly silenced them.
Though... the confirmation that the Paradox Brothers were using cards from Mash's world... made her worried a bit. After all, she already know how powerful cards from Mash's world really are.
Back on the field, Para and Dox exchanged knowing smirks.
"Heh… the cards that 'kid' gave us really are something," Para said, his voice dripping with satisfaction as he glanced at the Heavy Tank dominating his side of the field.
"You said it, brother," Dox replied, folding his arms. "I almost feel bad using such overwhelming power against mere students. But punishment from us should never be gentle."
Para gave a slow nod before continuing his turn.
"Now I shall activate {Labyrinth Heavy Tank} effect! It allows me to place either Sanga, Kazejin, or Suijin from my hand or deck as a Continuous Spell Card!"
"A monster as a Continuous Spell?!" Syrus's eyes widened behind his glasses.
Para drew a card smoothly from his deck and held it up at them. "So I'll place {Sanga of the Thunder} on my spell and trap zone!"
As he slid the card into his Duel Disk, a chained coffin bearing the kanji for thunder materialized behind the Heavy Tank, crackling faintly with contained electricity.
"Sigh..." Para rubbed his cheek with exaggerated disappointment. "Hmm… what a shame."
"Hm?" Dox tilted his head. "What troubles you, brother?"
"It seems I may not be able to summon 'it' this turn… I'm sorry, brother." Para sighed dramatically. Then his expression sharpened. "Which is why I shall assist you instead!"
He slammed another card onto his Duel Disk.
"I activate the spell card {Dark Designator}!" Para declared. "I select one duelist and declare a monster name. If they have that monster in their Deck, they may add it to their hand!"
"Oho! Much appreciated, brother!" Dox gave a slight bow, clearly amused.
"It is nothing," Para replied grandly. "For it shall aid you in crushing these vermin!"
He thrust his arm forward. "I choose my brother, Dox, as the target! And I declare the monster name… {Suijin}!"
Dox let out a low chuckle as he searched his Deck. "And look what we have here…" He revealed the card with a grin. "It just so happens I have it."
Seeing this Jaden and Syrus can't help but grit their teeth.
Across the field, Jaden and Syrus both clenched their fists.
"Geez… no wonder these two managed to duel against the King of Games," Jaden muttered. "Their tag coordination is insane."
"Yeah…" Syrus said, steadying his breathing. His gaze sharpened. "But that won't faze us at all. Right, Jay?"
Jaden blinked in surprise.
That calm, firm, unwavering tone... was not the usual Syrus he remembered.
Jaden broke into a wide grin. "Man… hearing you say that? Now I really can't wait to see that new deck of yours, Sy!"
"I know, Jay…" Syrus replied flatly. "You've said that three times already today."
Para scoffed loudly. "Hmph! Enough prattle. I shall set one card and end my turn!"
A card slid face-down onto his field.
{Para hands: 2 cards| Para fields: 1 continous spell + 1 Set card + 1 monster}
"Now… IT'S MY TURN! DRAW!"
Jaden drew his card with his usual flair.
Only for his expression to darken.
He scanned his hand once. Then again.
His jaw tightened slightly.
"Uhm... I'll summon {Elemental HERO Burstinatrix} in defense mode and set a card."
In a flash of light, the red-suited heroine appeared on the field, kneeling with one arm braced against the ground as if preparing for impact. A single face-down card materialized behind her.
"And… that's all," Jaden admitted, scratching the back of his head with an uneasy laugh that didn't quite hide his frustration.
{Jaden Hands: 4 cards| Jaden fields: 1 set card + 1 monster}
"OH NOOO…! LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE JUST BRICKED HIS HAND IN A SUPER IMPORTANT DUEL!" Mash's voice boomed from the spectator stands, echoing obnoxiously across the arena.
"Oh no~ No Fusion Spell, Jay-Jay~?" Lovely added in with theatrical pity. "I thought you were the Go-Lucky Duelist~ But now you're being unlucky~ How sad~"
"Shut up, Mash!" Jaden shot back, throwing a glare over his shoulder. "This is because your bad luck is starting to rub off on me!"
"WHAT!? I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF BAD LU—GAHAK!"
Mash's protest was cut short as a fist connected cleanly with the top of his head.
"Quiet," Alexis said flatly, lowering her steaming knuckles.
Seeing this, Dox threw his head back and laughed. "Ha ha ha! Even your own friends is starting to doubt you! This duel is far too easy!" He drew his card with a flourish. "DRAW!"
His grin widened the moment he saw what he had pulled. "Just what I need."
He slapped the card down without hesitation. "Now I activate the Field Spell {Labrynth Wall Shadow}!"
As soon as the card takes effect, the arena trembled as towering concrete walls surged up around the outer edges of the field, twisting into an enormous maze. Shadows slithered along the stone like snakes, but then a monstrous silhouette swam through the walls, vanishing and reappearing in another wall, as though the labyrinth itself were alive and watching.
"Woah... this is creepy." Syrus commented.
"With this field in play," Dox explained smugly, "Level 5 or lower monsters cannot attack the turn they are summoned. But that's only the beginning, as once per turn, I can place Sanga, Kazejin, or Suijin from my hand or deck into my Spell and Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell!"
"And I'll place {Kazejin} in the spell and trap zone!" Dox shouted as he place a card.
A chained wooden coffin materialized in front of him, etched with the Japanese kanji for wind. It rattled violently as gusts howled from within, straining against invisible restraints.
"Next, I shall normal summon {Giga-Tech Wolf} and immediately use the spell card {Tribute Doll} to tribute the wolf and summon a level 7 monster from my hand!"
{Giga-Tech Wolf|4 Star|Fire|Machine/Normal| ATK: 1200 DEF: 1400}
On the field, a machine dog materialized on the field, before dark tentacle wrap around it from a knight-shaped doll nailed to a coffin dragging it beneath the stone floor as it dissolved into sparks.
"With that sacrifice...!" Dox declared triumphantly, "I Special Summon {Suijin} in Attack Mode!"
A towering blue monster erupted onto the field, its massive jaws opening wide as water churned within. The kanji for water painted on its forehead like a brand.
{Suijin|7 star|Water|Aqua/effect| ATK: 2500 DEF: 2400}
Para and Dox exchanged identical smirks.
"With Sanga, Kazejin, and Suijin assembled…" Para began smoothly.
"it's not too late to kneel before us!" Dox finished.
"Huh!?" Jaden and Syrus gasped.
Suddenly, the coffins of Sanga and Kazejin creaked open. Brilliant columns of light burst skyward, tearing through the shadowed maze. Suijin's body dissolved into radiant energy, rising to join the others in a swirling vortex above the field.
"By banishing {Sanga of the Thunder}, {Kazejin}, and {Suijin} from the field..." Para declared.
"We summon the ultimate ruler of this battlefield!" Dox declared.
Their voices rose together in eerie harmony.
"Elements of thunder, water and wind...!
Suijin, Sanga, Kazejin begin...!
Meld your power in eternal light...!
Show these fool your unstoppable might...!
He is pain beyond description...!
He'll mark the grave with your inscription...!"
"{GATE GUARDIAN COMBINED}!!!"
The vortex collapsed in a blinding explosion of light, and from it descended a colossal titan. It crashed onto the field with earth-shaking force. Sanga formed the upper torso and arms, lightning crackling across golden arms; Kazejin comprised the midsection, winds spiraling violently around it; Suijin became the legs, torrents of water cascading down with crushing weight.
All three faces glared down at Jaden and Syrus as one.
{Gate Guardian Combined|12 Star|Dark|Warrior/Fusion/Effect| ATK: 3750 DEF: 3400}
"Gate…!" Jaden breathed.
"Guardian!?" Syrus finished, stunned.
The crowd erupted instantly.
"Look! Look! It's the boss monster of the Paradox Brothers!"
"That thing's insane!"
"I'm going to go bald just to be like them!"
Para and Dox basked in the roar of admiration, their grins widening with every cheer.
Then Dox thrust a finger forward, pointing straight at Jaden. "Now, Gate Guardian! Crush that so-called hero to dust!"
From the command the giant guardian moved, Sanga charged his golden arms with lightning, Kazejin the belly inhale a large amount of wind, and Suijin opened it's mouth filled with a swirling sphere of compressed water.
"GO! DEMON GOD SHOCKWAVE!!!"
All three parts of Gate Guardian release their attack into one concentrated jet of attack.
Jaden reacted instantly. "Not so fast! I activate {Negate Attack} to stop Gate Guardian's attack!"
But before the trap could fully manifest, a bolt of lightning lanced down from Sanga's arm, striking the card and shattering it in a burst of sparks.
"WHAT!? What just happened!?" Jaden stared in disbelief.
"HA! You fool!" Dox laughed "It is because of {Gate Guardian Combined} effect! When an effect targets a card we control... it shall be negated and destroyed!"
"And we can do it thrice per turn...!" Para added.
The combined blast slammed into Burstinatrix, obliterating her in a storm of wind, water, and lightning. She shattered into holographic fragments that scattered like embers.
Jaden shielded his face from the fading glow. "Whew… Good thing I put her in Defense Mode, otherwise I'd be toast." he muttered, exhaling shakily. Though, his expression darkened as he looked up at the towering fusion. "Man... That boss monster effect is brutal! And with 3750 Attack Points it isn't exactly easy to get over."
"Jay…" Syrus glanced at him. "You good"
Jaden turned and met Syrus's eyes, his grin returning despite the pressure. "Sy… I'm counting on you."
Syrus paused for a moment, he can't believe that Jaden would utter those words at him. Jaden was trusting him, not as a tag-along, not as the weak link, but as a partner.
He straightened, resolve settling over him like armor. "I will,"
Dox scoffed at the display. "Pathetic. Do you really think you stand a chance?"
He slid two cards facedown onto his field. "I set two cards and end my turn."
{Dox hands: 0| Dox field: 2 set card + 1 field spell + 1 monster}
"Fuuh…"
Syrus closed his eyes and drew in a slow, steady breath. Then he opened his eyes with a determined look.
"Draw!"
He pulled a card from his deck and added it to his hand. He looked at his hand cards as he try to "Alright."
"First, I activate the effect of a monster in my hand!" Syrus declared, lifting the card high enough for everyone to see. "I activate the effect of {Speedroid Terrortop}! If I control no monsters, I can Special Summon it!"
On the field, a line of red top materialized on the field, the one in front has a blade around it sides.
{Speedroid Terrortop|3 Star|Wind|Machine/effect| ATK: 1200 DEF: 600}
In the stands, Alexis and Bastion leaned forward.
"I've never seen him use that monster before," Bastion observed thoughtfully.
"Of course you haven't," Alexis replied, eyes fixed on the field. "It's from the new deck that Mash gave him. He didn't show it to anyone cause Mash told him to keep it hidden for a surprise factor."
"Is that so…" Bastion nodded.
Nearby, Mash only smirked, arms crossed as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
"WOAAH!!! IS THAT YOUR NEW MONSTER SY?!!!" Jaden's eyes sparkled with genuine excitement. "That thing look fire, Sy!"
"Thanks, Jay," Syrus said with a small nod before continuing. "When Terrortop is Special Summoned, it allows me to add another 'Speedroid' monster from my deck to my hand."
"Ohh! So that's the archetype name is Speedroid?" Jaden leaned closer to the field, studying the spinning machine. "They really do look fast."
"I'll add {Speedroid Taketomborg} to my hand!" Syrus revealed the card briefly. "And since I control a WIND monster, I can Special Summon it!"
From the field, a blue humanoid machine with two yellow antennas appeared on the field.
{Speedroid Taketomborg|3 Star|Wind|Machine/Effect| ATK: 600 DEF: 1200}
"And I'll immediately activate Taketomborg effect!" Syrus declared. "By tributing it, it allows me to special summon {Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice} from my deck!"
Taketomborg dissolved into shimmering particles. In its place, a small golden die floated into view, an ancient eye symbol emblazoned upon the face marked one.
{Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice|1 Star|Wind|Machine/Effect/Tuner| ATK: 100 DEF: 100}
"I also activate Red-Eyed Dice's effect," Syrus continued steadily. "It changes Terrortop's Level."
The die hovered over Terrortop and began to spin rapidly before stopping on six. A pulse of light shine downward on Terrortop.
{Speedroid Terrortop: 3 Star -> 6 Star}
"And then I..."
"Pfft-!"
The sound cut him off. As Syrus glance over the field he saw that Dox was trying not to laugh by putting a hand on his mouth, though his shoulders were shaking.
"Y-you tributed a Level 3 monster… for that?" Dox snickered.
"HA HA HA HA!!! And you even use it effect to change the level of your other monster... AS IF IT DONE SOMETHING AHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Para clutched his stomach, as he can't stop laughing.
Their laughter spread like a virus, as it was not only them who was laughing but also the whole crowds. Some of them even point their fingers at Syrus.
"Look! He changed from cartoon vehicles to racing toys!"
"How childish! I mean he always look like one, so now he acts like one!"
"I mean compared to Zane... Syrus is always been..."
The whispers grew sharper, more cutting, as if each word were a blade.
Jaden's fists clenched. "HEY! Knock it off!" he shouted, but the jeers only grew louder.
Alexis's expression darkened. "Disgusting…" she muttered under her breath.
"Darling~" Lovely tilted her head sweetly, though something dangerous flickered behind her smile alongside her holding her giant Silver battle axe. "Should I remove all of their heads~?"
Mash didn't answer. Though he merely lifted a hand in front of her, as if telling her to wait.
On the field, Syrus stood frozen as the laughter pressed in from every side. The jeers tangled with his thoughts, and the confidence he had forced into place began to fracture. Anxiety crept back into his chest, cold and familiar, wrapping around his heart like a tightening chain.
He lifted his gaze instinctively toward the sidelines.
For a fleeting second, he saw Zane's face, stern and unreadable, though his sharp eyes was filled with disappointment, before long Zane turned to look away.
Syrus's fingers tightened around his cards until the edges bit into his skin.
[why... why am I doing this...?]
.
[Everyone's right... I'm nothing, I really am nothing...]
.
[I will never become like my brother... Or even someone of worth...]
.
[Maybe... Maybe I should just...]
.
.
.
"SYRUS!!!!"
The shout shattered the spiral.
Syrus's eyes snapped open. He turned toward the source of the voice and saw Mash standing on top of his seat, arms crossed, looking down at him with a fierce, unapologetic smirk.
"A-Aniki!?"
Mash cupped his hands around his mouth before screaming off the top of his lungs, "SEND THOSE BALD BASTARDS...!"
"STRAIGHT TO HELL!!!!"
The sheer force of it, so blunt, so unapologetically confident, cut through the haze in Syrus's mind. And with it came a memory of yesterday.
---
"Syrus!" Mash called him, flashing a toothy grin. "I'm giving you a title."
"A… a title?" Syrus had blinked in confusion. "F-for what?"
"Well, you know your brother, Zane," Mash replied casually. "He's got a title, right? Kaiser. Kaiser Zane, He earned it because of how powerful he is."
Syrus nodded slowly.
"And since you're now the third most powerful duelist in this school..."
"THIRD MOST POWERFUL!?" Syrus had nearly fallen out of his chair. "You're exaggerating! There's no way I'm stronger than my brother-"
"Pardon? Your brother?" Mash was confused. "What ranking are you even imagining?"
"Like this:"
1. Mash
2. Zane
3. Me
4. Jaden
Mash stared at the list, then smacked his palm against his forehead. "Let me fix that."
1. Mash
2. Jaden
3. Syrus
4. Zane
"There. More accurate." Mash said as if it was nothing.
"WHAAAT!!???" Syrus was flabbergasted. "T-there is no way that I'm-"
"Syrus," Mash had cut him off, his voice suddenly firm, "Since you are now the third strongest duelist in this academy, I shall bestow upon you a title for you to wear.
Mash leaned forward slightly. "From now on, you will be known as..."
"Tyrant."
"Syrus the Tyrant. Huh? It got a good feel to it, Syrus the Tyrant." Mash was amused.
Meanwhile, Syrus has his jaw gaped open.
"T-TYRANT!?" Syrus had pointed at himself in disbelief. "Me!? Why would I be called that? Look at me! Do I look like someone to be called 'The Tyrant'? My face and body is a hellish mismatch for the title!"
Mash had only smirked.
"You may not look like one now," he had said quietly. "But one day…"
"You WILL become a-"
---
"A tyrant."
Syrus whispered under his breath and his expression hardened as he tightened his grip on his cards.
"I am a Tyrant."
At once, Terrortop and Red-Eyed Dice began to glow in a shining emerald light.
"If Aniki wants me to become a Tyrant…!"
Syrus lifted his head and fixed the Paradox Brothers with a glare that no longer wavered. There was nothing timid in his eyes now, only intensity.
"SO BE IT!!! I WILL BECOME ONE!!!"
His glasses slipped from his face and clattered to the ground as a cyan flame ignited within his right eye, flaring outward and trailing back through his hair like a blazing comet.
"I'LL BECOME THE TYRANT OF THIS BATTLEFIELD!!! BRACE YOURSELF, YOU INSECTS!"
Para and Dox can't help but took a step back, as they felt a strange surged of pressure.
"AS I'LL...!"
Terrortop and Red-Eyed Dice erupted into streaks of emerald light, spiraling upward and converging into a towering pillar that split the air above the field.
"SYNCHRO SUMMON!!!"
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Hey everyone, IG here!!!
Now, since this is the 50th chapter of my fic I want you all to do me a favor...
Just comment what you all think about Syrus in my fic, and compare him to the anime version of it. It's really important.
After all, Syrus will be the first character who will get a glow up for this ensemble fic. And a little spoiler... Everyone will get a glow up.
Except for Chumley.
I really don't know what to do with this fatass.
I really want to get to that episode where he was sent off to work for Pegasus as his slave for the rest of his life.
Anyway, I hope you all have fun, I know I did!
ALSO I NEED YOU ALL TO SEND ME POWER STONE NOW!!! MY LAST 10 KG BATCH WAS JUST ALL USED UP 5 SECONDS AGO!!!
I NEED POWER STONE!!!!!
Chiao!
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