A true duelist should remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, keeping his composure no matter the situation. Never let impulse gain the upper hand and impair rational judgment.
Koji Sato had his eyes closed, taking deep breaths as he repeatedly tried to remind himself of this—
—beating people up was against the rules.
Because it was honestly a little difficult to remember that when facing this little bastard in front of him.
His remaining two cards could not do anything, so Koji Sato could only grit his teeth and declare the end of his turn. Then it was Kira's turn again, and happy hour began once more.
"Draw." Kira drew a card from his deck.
At this point, Koji Sato's monster zone and back row were completely clean. He was practically like a little girl inviting people to commit crimes. In this era, before Yu-Gi-Oh! had been plagued by an abundance of Hand Traps, an empty field was basically the same as running around naked—if someone could pin you down and have their way with you, they would not feel the slightest psychological burden.
So Kira did not waste any words and directly slapped down the monster card he had just drawn into hand.
"I Normal Summon 'Head Zaluug' in Attack Position!"
A weathered, one-eyed warrior appeared in Kira's monster zone, with an eyepatch over one eye.
Head Zaluug, ATK 1400
"Direct battle." Kira gave the order. "Head Zaluug, Direct Attack."
Following the command, the warrior pulled out two Revolvers and transformed into Yan Shuangying, firing off a barrage of shots. A string of projected bullets pierced through Koji, and the invisible impact made him stagger half a step back.
In KaibaCorp's latest dueling system, the monsters summoned by Duel Disks were not merely holographic projections. They also came equipped with Haptic Feedback Devices. While they would not cause real injury to duelists, they could simulate realistic impacts and a certain degree of pain, enhancing the immersive experience of dueling.
Koji, LP 4000 → LP 2600
After taking that point-blank damage, he took a deep breath.
Thankfully, it was only a measly 1400-ATK scrub. He could still take it.
But then Kira smiled. "'Head Zaluug's' Effect Activation. When this card inflicts Battle Damage on the opponent, I can choose one of two effects to activate.
First, the opponent discards one random card from their hand.
Second, the top two cards of the opponent's deck are Sent to Graveyard."
Koji's eyelid twitched violently.
"Wait, don't tell me you... you're going to..."
His face began to twist, his expression gradually turning horrified as his body instinctively backed away beyond his control.
"That's right. I choose Effect One." Kira said. "Eradicate another one of your cards."
As soon as he spoke, Zallug raised his Revolver. With a bang, another of the two remaining cards in Koji's hand gained a holographic bullet hole.
Gritting his teeth, Koji sent another card to the Graveyard, his eyes practically splitting with rage.
Now he had only one card left.
This was not the only game he had ever lost in his life, nor was the opponent before him the strongest opponent he had ever faced.
But this was absolutely the game where he most wanted to beat someone up.
He had played this long without even getting a single card onto the field. Could you fucking believe that?
"I Set two more cards and End Turn."
Kira had two more Set Cards in his back row.
This time, when Koji saw those two additional abyss-like Set Cards, his attitude was utterly different from his earlier contempt. His breathing nearly stopped.
Again? Please, no.
Please, just let me play a card.
This development had clearly exceeded the expectations of the onlookers as well. The students on both sides looked at one another, all wearing expressions of utter bewilderment.
How should they put this duel?
It just felt strange. Extremely strange.
Want to see fast-paced exchanges and contests of power? There were none. There was only an Underworld Player preparing to destroy someone's mental state.
Want to see rapid summons and dazzling powerful monsters? Also no. There was only an Underworld Player with a satisfied expression after wrecking someone's mental state.
Anyway, up to this point, one side had not managed to put down a single card, so there was no strategy to analyze or evaluate. As for the side that had played cards, every move and every card seemed faintly linked by two words—
—Revenge Deck Strategy.
In other words, taking revenge on society.
This bastard had not summoned a single monster from the start and was not even trying to reduce the opponent's LP. His entire playstyle seemed to silently proclaim: I might not win, but you are absolutely not playing Yu-Gi-Oh! today.
Wasn't that revenge on society?
"Junior Disciple, dueling like this is wrong..."
Koji tried hard to maintain the image of a gentle senior, but his twitching facial muscles and trembling voice seemed on the verge of breaking down.
Kira merely smiled without saying anything, politely making a "please" gesture to indicate that it was his turn to play Yu-Gi-Oh! again.
That said, every card player knew that Yu-Gi-Oh! was a cruel game. As long as one side got to play, that was usually enough.
Only then did Koji reluctantly raise his Duel Disk again.
"Then, i-it's My Turn."
He clenched his teeth.
He only had one card left in hand, and it was an Equip Spell. Since he could not even summon a monster, it was obviously useless.
This draw would decide his fate.
But a true duelist would never back down here. Just as the legendary Duel King Yugi Mutou had said, trust your deck, and your deck would surely answer you.
He believed in the bond between himself and his deck!
Koji Sato placed his finger on the top of his deck and silently chanted in his heart as he took a deep breath.
Please! Give me a Level 4 Monster!
Then he drew with a flourish as though he had poured his soul into it, tracing a handsome arc through the air.
The instant he opened his eyes and glimpsed that card, Koji Sato's pupils shook, and he nearly threw back his head in laughter.
It was here!
Not only had he drawn a monster he could summon, it was also "Lizard Soldier of Greed," a Level 4 monster with 1850 ATK. Its ATK was a perfectly taunting fifty points higher than the 1800-ATK beaters currently so sought after on the market, making it the strongest Lower-Level Monster in his deck.
Sure enough, his deck had answered his heart!
However, just as a curve formed at the corner of Koji's mouth, as though the horn of his counterattack was about to sound—
When he looked up and saw a Set Card in the opponent's back row that had somehow been flipped up again, his smile instantly froze.
Trap Card—Drop Off, second copy.
Activate during the opponent's Draw Phase. The card they drew was sent directly to the Graveyard.
Koji Sato: "..."
"According to Drop Off's effect," Kira said courteously, "please discard that card as well."
Koji nearly bit his lips until they bled. With a savage expression, he threw the key to his comeback, "Lizard Soldier of Greed," into the Graveyard. Looking down, he saw that he still only had that lonely Equip Spell in his hand.
"End... End Turn," Koji declared gloomily.
"Then it's My Turn again. Draw."
Kira glanced at the card he drew. It was another Trap.
His hand was overflowing with so many red traps, but the opponent clearly did not have any cards left to trap. So he added it to his hand and casually waved again. "Head Zaluug, Direct Attack."
Koji, LP 2600 → LP 1200
"Zallug's effect activates again. Of course, Effect One again."
Kira pointed at the last card in Koji's hand.
"Throw that one away too."
Watching his final card go to the Graveyard, Koji Sato suddenly thought that perhaps he should have Set it last turn. Though it would not have meant much, at least he could have kept the card.
His mental state had collapsed. He had completely forgotten about that.
Though it seemed like it would not have changed anything anyway.
"End Turn."
"Then it's My Turn. Draw."
This time, after drawing, Koji did not even look at what he had drawn. Instead, he stared fixedly at Kira's back row.
It was as if he were asking, No traps, right?
I'm drawing, okay? I'm really drawing?
Kira smiled and gestured for him to go ahead.
After finally struggling through the Draw Phase and entering this turn's Standby Phase, Koji Sato nearly cried.
Before today, he might never have dreamed that drawing a card could be such an extravagant happiness.
When he saw the card he had drawn, his spirits rose even further.
Grudgeful Retaliator, Level 4, ATK 1600.
Normally, it was just an unremarkable monster, but its 1600 ATK could save his life at this moment. Head Zaluug's effect was disgusting, but it only had 1400 ATK.
At last, he could take down that Sword Tomb bastard who discarded his cards every turn!
Koji Sato could not wait any longer. "I summon 'Grudgeful Retaliator' in Attack Position! Attack 'Head Zaluug'! Beat the fuck out of him! Die, die!"
"Don't get so worked up, buddy. Calm down. You should duel with a smile."
Kira reminded him with a grin.
"And don't rush yet. It isn't the Battle Phase yet. Because at that timing, I activated a Trap Card."
He pointed to a Set Card standing in his back row.
"Trap Card—Compulsory Evacuation Device. Return one monster on the field to its owner's hand.
I return 'Grudgeful Retaliator' to your hand."
The trap took effect. Before the axe-wielding cursed doll could even steady itself, it turned into a flash of golden light and flew back into Koji Sato's hand.
Koji Sato: "..."
That was his only card.
And he had already used his one Normal Summon for this turn.
So clearly, he had no cards left to play again.
What would happen next was obvious. He could do nothing but End Turn, and then that damned Zallug would attack him again and make him discard his final card.
Oh, no, it would not even get that far. His LP was only 1200, and one more hit would finish him off.
However, Kira ultimately did not get the chance to reduce Koji Sato's LP to zero.
Because before the next turn arrived—
Koji Sato attempted to directly attack the opposing duelist during the duel. The surrounding students hurriedly restrained him, and he was disqualified and declared the loser.
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