Duelists Never Surrender!

"Ghost Ogre, could you please lead the way?" Hara Shichi said to the Ghost Ogre behind him.

"Leave it to me," the Ghost Ogre replied, stepping forward.

"Huh… this Duel Spirit…" Nafili frowned, looking at the Ghost Ogre's retreating back, as if recalling something. "The Duel Spirit from ten years ago who tried to trick me into participating in that trial?"

"Clang!" Just as the Ghost Ogre was about to draw her sword, Hara Shichi grabbed her hand.

"Calm down, don't bother with someone like him," Hara Shichi whispered into the Ghost Ogre's ear.

"Hmph!"

The Ghost Ogre snorted and said to the door at the end of the space, "The mechanism here has already been destroyed. You can just push the door open."

"Got it."

Hara Shichi pushed the door open and found that the area behind it had become a ruin. Many mechanisms lay broken on the ground. On a high pile of rubble sat a youth with green hair, lounging lazily.

"It seems those two idiots ahead are already dead. To lose to you, a mere brat, is truly embarrassing," the youth said, leaping down lightly with a grin. "But it's good that I'm here; I was getting bored waiting."

"Now, let me hunt your soul!"

Black mist appeared once more. However, this time Hara Shichi was prepared. He immediately shouted, "Ghost Ogre!"

"Snap!"

A flash of silver sword light streaked out, and the youth was instantly sent flying, embedding himself in the wall like a fresco.

"You… why… no duel!" the youth exclaimed, eyes wide, before his head lolled and he fainted.

"Who's dueling you, idiot," Hara Shichi said, rummaging through the youth's pockets and pulling out a card case, which he pocketed.

Honestly, he now understood why that second person in black had engaged in dark duels. Winning a whole Deck was a massive profit, after all.

"Why did you knock him out?" Nafili, who had caught up, asked, scratching his head. "I was hoping to get some information from him."

"No need for that," the Ghost Ogre said, pointing forward. "Cross one more trial, and beyond that is where the sealed Duel Spirit is. The leader of this group must be there."

"A sealed Duel Spirit," Nafili murmured. "Is someone really breaking in for something so nonsensical?"

"Clang!"

"Calm down, calm down," Hara Shichi soothed the Ghost Ogre.

The Ghost Ogre's red eyes glared fiercely at Nafili. If looks could kill, she would have killed him thousands of times over.

"You haven't seen that Duel Spirit, so you don't understand its power. If the old Dean hadn't intervened back then, the entire Duelist Academy would have turned to ash!"

"So, do you know the name of that Duel Spirit?" Hara Shichi couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"Too much time has passed, and I've forgotten its full name," the Ghost Ogre shook her head. "But I heard the old Dean say it was an extremely powerful Fusion Monster."

"I think it was called… something like Quintet… something Knight…?"

Chapter 20: Strongest Self

"Never heard of it," Nafili said, shaking his head.

Hara Shichi, however, exchanged a look with Ai. They both saw shock in each other's eyes.

Hara Shichi's throat felt dry. "I… could it be that the Duel Spirit's name is Quintet Magician - Red-Eyes Dragon Knight?"

"I'm not sure, it sounds like it might be, but also not," the Ghost Ogre said, as it happened decades ago and she didn't remember clearly.

"Let's not delay, we should keep moving forward," Hara Shichi said urgently, realizing the seriousness of the situation.

"Wait," the Ghost Ogre tugged at Hara Shichi's sleeve. "Even though the first two trials were destroyed, the third one cannot be tampered with. You should be cautious."

"What is the third trial?" Yukikaze asked curiously.

"The trials are divided into three stages. The first is the Theory Trial, where you pass by solving a solved game. The second is the Combat Trial, where you advance by defeating pre-designed automatons. The third is to break through your limits, where you must defeat your strongest self to complete the entire trial."

"Defeat your strongest self?" Yukikaze blinked. "What happens if you lose?"

"Your memories of the trial grounds will be erased," the Ghost Ogre replied.

"Then… if someone passes the first two trials but doesn't want to participate in the third trial yet and turns back, what happens?" Yukikaze asked.

"No one would do that," the Ghost Ogre said coldly. "Because I neither told them the trial content in advance nor will I tell them the consequences of failure."

"You mean, if you don't have confidence in yourself, it's best to stop here?" Hara Shichi keenly perceived the meaning behind the Ghost Ogre's words.

The Ghost Ogre didn't speak but nodded slightly.

"I'm not interested in the trial. If possible, I'll wait here," Julie said suddenly, who had been silent until now.

"Then I'll wait here too," Yukikaze said after a moment's hesitation.

"I get stronger every second. Defeating myself is a matter of minutes, right?" Nafili scoffed.

"Ghost Ogre, please protect them," Hara Shichi instructed.

"Are you going?" the Ghost Ogre asked, looking up.

"Yes, I have to," Hara Shichi replied.

"If it really is Quintet Magician, we can't let it fall into the hands of someone with ulterior motives!" Ai said seriously.

"Understood, I'll be waiting here for good news," Ghost Ogre said, lowering her head.

"Then, let's begin, the third trial!"

Hara Shichi pushed open the door. First, there was a blinding white light. After the light dissipated, he saw an endless azure sky and continuous white clouds floating around him. He felt as if he were standing in this sky, or rather, on a crystal-clear mirror surface?

"What do you think of this sky?" a clear, cold voice rang out. Hara Shichi noticed a man who looked exactly like him sitting by a piano not far away, smiling at him.

"It looks a bit familiar, and also, I don't play the piano," Hara Shichi said.

"Neither do I, I'm just posing," the man said, snapping his fingers. The black piano instantly turned into a white table, and then he produced a chair from somewhere and placed it opposite the table.

"Sit down, aren't we dueling?" the man said, taking out his Deck Case and Playmat and placing them on the table.

"I thought you were going to duel me holding up our Duel Disks," Hara Shichi said, sitting down opposite the man.

"Seriously, wouldn't it be tiring to stand there holding a Duel Disk for twenty minutes?" the man complained. "Besides, I don't have any cheat abilities like you do, no Duel Power at all."

"Hurry up and shuffle, I'm almost done."

"By the way, why are you using transparent sleeves? Where are your waifu sleeves? What's the point of playing Yu-Gi-Oh! without waifu sleeves?"

"Are you really me?" Hara Shichi asked doubtfully. "Do I talk this much?"

"Of course I'm you," the man said, raising an eyebrow. He casually flipped over the top card of his Deck, and a familiar card face met Hara Shichi's eyes.

"Besides you, who else plays Marincess and opens with Mailman in their opening hand?"

"..."

"You're just seeing an identical version of yourself, and you're instinctively trying to maintain your sanity by being taciturn. Don't argue, I know myself."

"That's correct," Hara Shichi said with a wry smile.

"I've shuffled," Hara Shichi said, handing the man's Deck back after a simple cut.

"I've shuffled too, you roll the dice," the man said, handing Hara Shichi a 20-sided die.

"11," Hara Shichi said, casually rolling.

"5, tsk," the man clicked his tongue. "You choose who goes first."

"I'll go first," Hara Shichi said, drawing five cards.

"Any chains during the Main Phase?"

"No."

"Then I'll Normal Summon Madolche Puddingcess," Hara Shichi said, placing Madolche Puddingcess from his hand onto the table.

"Chain, Infinite Impermanence," the man said without hesitation, activating the Trap Card.

"Seriously, isn't that a bit much?" Hara Shichi twitched the corner of his mouth. "With my Deck build, you're using hand traps?"

"I told you, I'm the strongest you, so of course I'm using your strongest Deck. It's only natural to use hand traps, isn't it?"

"Then I'll set three," Hara Shichi said, reluctantly setting three cards.

"Then it's my turn, draw. Any chains during the Draw Phase?" the man asked, drawing a card.

"No. Oh, and where's Ai?" Hara Shichi asked. He hadn't felt Ai's presence since a moment ago.

"Her signal is being jammed," the man said. "Don't cheat when you're playing games, okay? Stop thinking about pulling cards out of thin air."

"Then continue."

"Alright, anything during the Main Phase?" the man asked again.

"Nothing, go ahead, go ahead."

"I'm not going anywhere, I'll get rid of this crappy Deck eventually and play meta," the man said irritably. "I'll Normal Summon Mailman, can I proceed?"

"After I helped you shuffle your Deck, you can still draw it? Proceed, proceed, continue," Hara Shichi said, suppressing a laugh.

"You know your bond with Mailman better than anyone," the man said, rolling his eyes. "Then I'll enter the Battle Phase. Can Mailman attack Madolche Puddingcess directly?"

"Yes, there is," Hara Shichi said, flipping over a Set Card on his right. "I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, negating your attack."

"Fine, I'll end my turn."

"Then it's my turn, draw," Hara Shichi said. "Any chains during the Draw Phase?"

"Pass."

"Then I'll chain Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your Set Card in the backrow."

"Here."

The man sent the Set Card in his backrow to the Graveyard. It was a Marincess Trap Card that Hara Shichi didn't have at the moment – Madolche Promenade.

"Then I'll enter my Main Phase. I'll activate Madolche Puddingcess's effect, Tributing it to Special Summon a Marincess from my Deck."

"Wait!" the man suddenly sent a card from his hand to the Graveyard. "Let me throw a G first."

"..."

Chapter 21: Strongest? Weakest?

You can guard against everything, but hand traps are hard to defend against.

This is a popular saying among Duelists.

Many have even concluded: "If a deck can't be compatible with hand traps, then it has no competitive ability!"

Regardless of whether this conclusion is right or wrong, the saying indirectly proves the power of hand traps.

And at this moment, Hara Shichi was facing such a situation. The man before him used a hand trap called "Proliferating G," which allowed him to draw a card from his deck every time Hara Shichi performed a Special Summon.

"I Special Summon Owl in Defense Position," Hara Shichi said cautiously.

"Then I draw a card," the man drew a card and looked at Hara Shichi mockingly. "Do you want to continue your combo?"

"No, I'll end my turn like this," Hara Shichi shook his head.

"Then, it's my turn. Draw." The man casually drew a card from his deck and immediately said, "I enter my Main Phase and Normal Summon Owl."

"Next, I activate Owl's effect, banish Proliferating G from the Graveyard, and Special Summon a Madolche monster from my deck. I choose..."

"Chain!" Hara Shichi suddenly flipped over his Set Card. "Forbidden Chalice! This card can be activated by targeting 1 face-up monster on the field. That monster gains 400 ATK until the end of this turn, and its effects are negated. I choose Madolche Pâtissière - Hotcake Owl!"

The man was silent for a moment, then smiled. "I see. No wonder you dared to enter this trial. Is this your way to victory?"

"After all, I know myself very well," Hara Shichi said self-deprecatingly. "If we're talking about the strongest me, then his deck must be very 'weak.'"

"Because Madolche is weak," Hara Shichi said lightly. "It doesn't have the overwhelming board-setting ability of combo decks, nor the strong control and disruption capabilities of trap-heavy decks. As a mid-range deck, it lacks the necessary support.

"For such a deck to win, it can only target the meta. If there are many combo decks in the meta, I'll include many Effect Veilers and Nibirus. If there are many decks that rely on Graveyard resources, I'll include Yashiki or Crow. If there are many beatdown decks, I'll include many Tornados... The entire deck is adjusted according to the slightest shifts in the meta. Only then is there a chance to win."

Hara Shichi explained, "If you're not strong enough yourself, you can only rely on external factors. Fortunately, the Madolche engine isn't very large, so I can include many, many tech cards."

"But the downside is that once you encounter a deck or build that's outside the meta, some of your tech cards become useless dead cards!" Hara Shichi gazed at the pile of cards in the man's hand. "It looks like you have a lot of hand resources, but how many of them are truly useful to me?"

"You're right, but don't forget, the deck you're holding now can't even be called a competitive deck. It's just a hastily assembled wreck, and you only have one card in your Extra Deck. With such a deck, do you really think you have a chance of winning?" The man said as he placed a card face-down. "I'll set one card and end my turn."

"My turn, draw!" Hara Shichi's eyebrows twitched slightly as he looked at the card he drew. It seemed the equation for victory was almost complete.