With the troublemakers Shrimp and Kagemaru handled, the threats to Duel Academy temporarily came to an end.
However, they caused quite a stir, leaving a considerable mess for all parties involved in the incident.
After Tragoedia was defeated, the second-generation Duel King, Hibiki Koyo, who had been inexplicably comatose in the hospital for more than half a month, finally woke up.
The news somehow spread, and soon sharp-nosed reporters caught wind of it. Overnight, a mass of reporters gathered at the hospital gates, inquiring about the condition of the Duel King.
A few days later, with his health basically restored, Hibiki Koyo voluntarily accepted interviews from the reporters.
In the interview, he first expressed appreciation for the concern from his fans and revealed his desire to make a return to the arena once his recovery was complete.
After all, it had been a while since he claimed the Duel King title, and he hadn't stepped into the arena for years. The environment in the dueling community had changed significantly since he became the king of the arena.
The new environment and the emergence of numerous new strong players posed a challenge to Hibiki Koyo now.
Undoubtedly, he was a person who loved dueling. He enjoyed facing off against strong opponents, welcomed challenges, and wasn't afraid of failure.
The world of dueling developed rapidly, with the turnover rate of top players sometimes unimaginably fast. Even Hibiki Koyo himself doubted that his comeback could be as dominant as before, but that only motivated him more.
"However, the two Duel Kings before you—the so-called strongest of the first-generation kings, haven't participated in a formal large-scale professional tournament for many years either,"
a reporter mentioned during the interview.
"Many in the Duel World feel that their era has passed, and even if they return to the arena now, they may not have the same dominance they once did.
Mr. Hibiki Koyo, do you think if you return to the arena and face these predecessors, do you have the confidence to win?"
Hibiki Koyo clasped his hands, remained silent for a moment, then solemnly faced the camera: "No doubt about it."
"Oh? So confident?" The reporter's eyes lit up, sensing the potential for a fierce rivalry.
Then they saw Hibiki Koyo raise one hand, with five fingers extended.
The reporter believed they understood his meaning, holding their breath: "You plan to challenge them within five days?"
As the second-generation Duel King's comeback, challenging predecessors with bigger names seemed indeed a good option, quickly creating buzz and boosting his popularity again.
But then Hibiki Koyo shook his head: "No, I mean I might lose within five turns."
Reporter: "..."
"I haven't had the chance to meet Mr. Muto Yugi yet, but I did have a brief encounter with Mr. Youyu. Although at the time, my... condition wasn't very good.
But Mr. Youyu's dueling is completely different from anyone else I've ever seen. If he goes all out, I certainly wouldn't be a match for him now."
Although he was brainwashed by Shrimp during their last encounter, since Shrimp retained Hibiki Koyo's consciousness, he hasn't forgotten that duel.
He was genuinely grateful to Youyu for liberating him from that long and despairing entrapment—if he had the chance, he'd very much like to thank him in person.
But at the same time, it made him realize the gap in their abilities.
Considering it was well-known that Duel King Youyu's true strongest asset was the Three Egyptian God, Hibiki Koyo also realized that the duel back then wasn't even Youyu's full strength.
So he judged that if they were to truly face off, he might be defeated in at most five turns.
Nevertheless, Mr. Hibiki Koyo is quite straightforward, saying this directly to the camera, which surprised the interviewing reporter.
In the professional circles, strength has always been respected, and only skillful players could attract fans and attention. Most contestants would boast with all their energy, pretending they could beat Yugi with their fists and kick Youyu with their feet—boasting didn't cost anything, after all, so they could create buzz and garner attention.
If you end up facing them and lose... well, that's a problem for later.
Yet Hibiki Koyo, even before the fight, declared he couldn't win.
What's this move? A reverse jinx attempt to topple them with flattery?
After the news of Hibiki Koyo's recovery and potential comeback caught the dueling world's attention, this wave of interviews once again garnered significant focus. Even Youyu's name began appearing more frequently in search engines, inexplicably stirring up another buzz.
But Youyu, as the person involved, had no time for any of this.
Youyu was quite busy.
As the principal, he had to personally address the series of impacts that Shrimp and Kagemaru brought to the academy, such as the Seven Stars captured after losing and imparting their experience...
...well, mainly referring to Camilla here.
Youyu had no idea what had gotten into this Vampire, a supposedly aged crone hellbent on sticking to him as his maid.
Camilla pitched herself with full vigor, showcasing her chest and long legs. You had to admit it; they were indeed impressively large and fair...
...but, of course, that wasn't the main point.
Noticing Youyu seemed uninterested, Camilla swiftly changed her tactics, claiming she was not just a pretty face but also highly skilled.
She declared that she was born into vampire nobility, raised with an artistic flair, multi-talented, proficient in song and dance, and adept at various styles!
At this, Youyu was already getting up to leave, with an "I don't watch these" look, which made Camilla suddenly anxious.
In a stroke of cleverness, the Vampire lady hastily pulled out a card deck from somewhere, declaring it as her family heirloom Vampire Deck! It not only had the extremely powerful elite Vampires, but also a Forbidden Card that could rewrite the duel's situation with a single card!
It turned out that she seemed to have found the right approach this time. Youyu, who had already reached the doorway, heard this and was immediately drawn back to his seat like a magnet sensing a pole.
Camilla, understanding, promptly handed over the card deck to Youyu, her face brimming with an adorable, well-behaved expression.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
Luckily, she'd previously gathered plenty of information and knew what piqued the Duel King's interest. Otherwise, she might not have had a chance this time...
Seeing the card deck, Youyu sat back, fiddling with the deck in his hands, finally giving this Vampire a proper look over.
Seizing the opportunity, Camilla puffed her chest with great effort, as though participating in some talent show.
"You're a Vampire."
At Youyu's shake of the head, Camilla's heart skipped a beat, feeling a chill.
"I can't have a subordinate I can't trust."
Camilla quickly interjected: "But didn't you take in Quine? She's a Vampire too!"
"She lost to me in a Dark Duel, and the contract of victory binds her from betrayal."
Camilla's eyes sparkled.
"That's easy! Let's have a Darkness Game right now, and I'll forfeit immediately! If I lose, I'll belong to you, Mr. Youyu!"
The Vampire said this while blinking vigorously.
Youyu: "..."