"I won, that was an interesting duel!"
Judai strikes a pose.
Marufuji Ryo: "..."
"...I really wanted to say that, but you probably don't think so, right?" Judai said.
So you knew it after all.
Marufuji Ryo took a deep breath, adjusted his mindset, and stood up, gently closing his eyes.
"Well played. You've made incredible progress over the past six months, you're definitely stronger now, Yuki Judai."
"Well... I wouldn't say that." Judai scratched his head, "How should I put it... I kind of felt like in this duel, Caesar, you weren't really going all out, were you?"
Marufuji Ryo frowned: "If you think I was holding back, you're mistaken. It's disrespectful to the opponent, and as a duelist, I would never allow myself to do that under any circumstances or against any opponent."
"No, no, that's not what I mean." Judai waved his hands repeatedly, "Hmm... How do I say it, it felt like even though you were dueling me, your true opponent in your heart was someone else..."
Marufuji Ryo pondered.
Is there someone else I consider a rival in my heart?
"It felt like duels with Caesar used to be different, you couldn't invest fully, nor bring out your best state, it's a pity...
But Caesar is still very strong, you'll definitely adjust soon... no, you'll become stronger than ever."
Judai smiled and extended his hand to him.
"Let's duel again then."
Marufuji Ryo was silent for a few seconds before shaking his hand.
"...Alright."
The internal Academy battle ended, and there was an unusual match in the top eight that didn't end in fatality. The medical staff on standby outside rushed in like sprinters the moment the player's life points hit zero, initially wanting to carry Marufuji Ryo away on a stretcher, but the player refused politely.
The medics were a bit surprised. Wow, this time nobody died playing cards.
Marufuji Ryo, on the other hand, said he might need a psychologist...
The third match quickly began, and finally, it was time for the legendary duelist Seto Kaiba to take the stage. Everyone present was very curious because most people hadn't had the chance to witness the elegance of President Kaiba over the years and wanted to see what his dueling style had become.
The lottery machine did not disappoint, as this match was directly a grudge match.
His opponent was the last member of the Doma Three Musketeers, Loren, who seemed to harbor a deep hatred for him.
The two stood on stage.
"Finally, do you have any idea how long I've waited for this moment, Seto Kaiba?" Loren said coldly.
"No, and I don't care." Kaiba retorted coldly, "But since you're here, fight like a duelist... Hmph, or are you scared? You still have time to back out."
"You!"
Kaiba's arrogant attitude only fueled Loren's anger.
"Fine... fine. Let's settle this with a duel; it's exactly what I wanted."
Both sides activated their Duel Discs.
"Duel!" x2
"I'll go first, draw!"
Loren made his move without hesitation, raising the card in his hand.
"Field Spell - Orichalcos Barrier!"
The hexagram barrier unfolded directly, with domineering green light shooting into the sky. The swirling green light enveloped both combatants, forming an impenetrable barrier that isolated them from the outside.
The Judge laughed lightly, watching the scene, seemingly licking his lips.
"The Orichalcos Barrier, nothing more needs to be said." Loren said coldly.
"Of course." Kaiba sneered, "Isn't it just a grave you've dug for yourself."
"No, this is the embodiment of my revenge fire, the hellfire that will burn your arrogant soul to ashes!" Loren declared, "Activate the Magic Card 'Angel's Charity', draw three cards from the deck, then discard two cards from the hand."
Loren discarded two cards, then played a monster card.
"Defense Position - Summon 'Little Horned Dragon'!"
[Little Horned Dragon, Defense Power 200]
"Hmm?" Yugen couldn't help but speak out.
"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this monster?" Judai asked.
"No... it's nothing." Yugen shook his head silently.
Little Horned Dragon... Sure enough, this is a card that appeared in the GX anime.
The effect of this card is that if it's destroyed by an effect and sent to the graveyard, you can Special Summon any Dinosaur-type monster with four stars or less from the deck.
Who would've thought this card, overlooked in ancient times, would one day become a game-changer limited to one in the future...
"Then I set the remaining cards..."
Loren grabbed all the remaining cards in his hand.
"Set four cards and end my turn!"
"Four set cards?"
Judai was surprised.
Suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu from Yugen...
"This duel is the entire meaning of my life now." Loren stared straight at Kaiba, "If it weren't for you guys, I might be just an ordinary person, living a simple life with an average but warm family..."
"My turn, draw." Kaiba unemotionally interrupted his monologue.
"You don't even care to ask who I am or why I want revenge?" Loren exclaimed.
"Hmph, why would you think I would bother to know the backstory of every stray dog?"
"You..." Loren was so angry he nearly stopped breathing.
He was about to enter the memory mode to accuse the other of his crimes, but Kaiba's words stopped him in his tracks.
He simply didn't care.
"Fine... have it your way, let's settle this with a duel." Loren shouted, "Activate the Trap Card 'Burgess Bloodsucker: Mar Trilobite'!
You can send a Trap Card from the deck to the graveyard!"
"Burgess Bloodsucker?" Kaiba frowned.
Another archetype he hadn't heard of.
But he knew that New Doma had its own card-manufacturing methods and that its influence extended across various dimensions of the Elf Realm, so they naturally had many cards unknown in this dimension.
"I'll send this Trap Card from the deck..."
Loren revealed the card he searched for.
"Send the Trap Card 'Survival Realm' to the graveyard."
Another card he'd never heard of.
As one of the world's largest card manufacturers, Kaiba was confident that even if he didn't have all the cards available, he would have known about them, so he was sure that these cards didn't exist in the Dueling Realm yet.
"Interesting." Kaiba chuckled lightly.
For him, such opponents made things interesting.
"Now for the effect of 'Dragon Dominator - Dragon Tyrant' in my hand. This card can be Special Summoned by sending one 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' from the deck to the graveyard."
Kaiba sent a White Dragon from his deck to the graveyard, which he automatically searched for.
"Special Summon 'Dragon Dominator - Dragon Tyrant'!"
[Dragon Dominator - Dragon Tyrant, Attack Power 1200]
Loren also recognized this avatar: "The evolved form of Seto Kaiba's frequently used 'Dragon Dominator' series? It seems to have troublesome follow-up effects..."
The Dragon Tyrant can revive a Blue-Eyes monster from the graveyard by discarding a Blue-Eyes or any card with 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' in its card name.
"Then let's get rid of your troublesome monster right away.
From the graveyard, activate the Trap Card 'Survival Realm'!"
Keihei was shocked: "Activating a Trap Card from the graveyard!?"
"The 'Survival Realm' in the graveyard can be banished from the game, allowing you to destroy a dinosaur-type card on your field and a card on your opponent's field simultaneously." Loren declared.
"Of course, what I'll destroy is my 'Little Horned Dragon' and your 'Dragon Dominator - Dragon Tyrant'!
Let's perish together, Seto Kaiba!"