Duelists Never Surrender!

"Here I come," Nero said, inserting her drawn card into her Duel Disk. "I activate the Spell Card Bargain, sending Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand to the Graveyard, and drawing two cards from my Deck."

"Then, I Normal Summon Hand of the Six Samurai, and activate its effect to add 1 Ritual Monster or 1 Ritual Spell Card from my Deck to my hand," Nero stated.

"I add Ritual of Descension to my hand."

"Does she have another Hane-Kujaku, the Soulbird God?" Mina couldn't help but exclaim, watching Nero add that Spell Card to her hand once more.

"Maybe she's just bluffing?" Aoshi tried to comfort her. If she summoned Hane-Kujaku again in this situation, Yukikaze would be in a very bad spot.

"Next, I activate the effect of Chaos Magician Illusion in my hand. I can activate this by showing this card to my opponent. Add 1 'Dark Magician' or a monster that lists that card name from your Deck to your hand, excluding Ritual Monsters. After that, return 1 card from your hand to the top of your Deck."

"I add Magician's Souls to my hand, and then I choose one card from my hand to return to the Deck."

"Next, I activate the Ritual Spell Card Ritual of Descension, banishing Hane-Kujaku, the Soulbird God from my Graveyard, and Ritual Summoning from my hand—Hime-Kujaku, the Spirit Bird."

"This is... another Spirit Bird?" Yukikaze frowned slightly, looking at the beautiful woman who appeared on the field.

"I activate Hime-Kujaku's effect. When this card is Ritual Summoned: You can target up to 3 Spell/Trap Cards on your opponent's field; return them to the owner's hand. After that, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Spirit Monster from your Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions."

"I return Marincess World from your field to your Deck, and then Special Summon Amanogawa from my Deck in Defense Position."

Deprived of Marincess World's boost, Yukikaze's monsters' ATK returned to their original values.

"But Hime-Kujaku's ATK is only 2500, while Hellebore's ATK is 2600!" Yukikaze looked at the Amanogawa on the opponent's field and immediately understood everything. "And the two cards in your hand have already been revealed to me, they are Magician's Souls and Chaos Magician Illusion, right?"

"You are correct. It seems your basic Dueling knowledge is quite good." Nero casually displayed the two cards in her hand, which were indeed Magician's Souls and Chaos Magician Illusion.

"She actually guessed it? Why did Yukikaze know what cards Nero had in her hand?!" Mina asked in surprise.

"So that's how it is, I understand now too," Aoshi began to feel a bit parched. "I never expected it to be like this. It seems this Duel has only just begun!"

"What's going on? Tell me quickly!"

"..."

"I enter the Battle Phase. Hime-Kujaku attacks your Snowdrop of the Six Flowers," Nero commanded.

Yukikaze: 4000 LP → 2700 LP.

"Then, I end my turn," Nero said, taking Hime-Kujaku from her Duel Disk back into her hand. "At the end of the turn this card was Special Summoned: This card returns to its owner's hand, and if it does, Special Summon 2 'Spirit Bird Tokens' (Winged Beast/WIND/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1500) to your field."

As soon as she finished speaking, two Tokens appeared on the field.

"What is this? She acts all high and mighty, and then just runs away?" Mina pouted. She could tell that despite Nero's calm demeanor, she was actually at a disadvantage. Hellebore's ATK, which was 100 higher than Hime-Kujaku's, had become an insurmountable obstacle for Nero at that moment.

"It's just a stalling tactic," Aoshi explained. "Nero's Deck definitely has cards to resolve this situation. Right now, she's just consolidating her defenses to prevent herself from being OTK'd. Now it's up to Yukikaze. If Yukikaze can defeat her quickly before Nero draws her key card, this Duel will be Yukikaze's victory. But if Nero manages to stall Yukikaze, then Nero's plan will succeed."

"Tch, so annoying. If you have the guts, face me head-on."

"This is what we call 'kiting'."

"My turn, Draw Phase!" Yukikaze had a premonition that in this Duel... she could win!

"I enter my Main Phase and Normal Summon Lone Fire Blossom!" Yukikaze slammed the card she just drew onto the Duel Field. "I activate Lone Fire Blossom's effect... Huh? I can't activate it?"

"Amanogawa's effect. As long as this card remains in the Monster Zone, neither player can activate the effects of monsters other than Spirit Monsters," Nero's clear voice rang out.

"In that case, I banish Breakthrough Skill from my Graveyard to negate Amanogawa on your field." Yukikaze sent Breakthrough Skill to the banished zone. "Then, I Tribute Lone Fire Blossom to Special Summon 1 Plant monster from my Deck. Come forth, second Hellebore!"

As another Hellebore appeared on the field, the Duel atmosphere reached its climax.

"Two monsters with 2600 ATK! Is Yukikaze this strong?!"

"Is she really going to win this time?"

"Unless the opponent draws another Ritual preparation, there's no way out."

"I enter the Battle Phase. My two Hellebores will attack your Hand of the Six Samurai and Token respectively!" Yukikaze declared.

Nero: 4000 LP → 2800 LP.

"Aren't you going to destroy Amanogawa?" Mina couldn't help but ask when she saw this.

"Amanogawa doesn't just lock down Yukikaze's monster effects; it also locks down Nero's monster effects. If she draws Hand of the Six Samurai again next turn, she won't be able to activate it because of her own Amanogawa's effect!" Aoshi said with some excitement. "Now she has three cards in hand that pose no threat to Yukikaze. It's a clear disadvantage!"

"I'll end my turn like this. It's your turn."

Nero looked at the remaining Amanogawa on the field. The expressionless little face couldn't help but smile.

"I take back what I said earlier, White Hara Yukikaze. You are not a coward; you are an excellent Duelist. Therefore, I will go all out to defeat you."

"My turn, Draw Phase!"

Chapter 37: The True Ace Monster

"I activate the Spell Card—Ritual of Descension! I send Thunderclap Emperor Zaborg from my hand to the Graveyard, and Ritual Summon—Hime-Kujaku, the Spirit Bird!" A childish voice emanated from Nero's young body. As soon as she finished speaking, a woman in a peacock costume appeared on the Duel Field, smiling at Nero.

Nero excitedly shouted at the middle-aged man opposite her, "Dad! I succeeded!"

"Mm, well done. What reward do you want? How about some new cards?" The middle-aged man nodded slightly, a satisfied smile on his face.

"I want to go to school!"

The middle-aged man's originally gentle face instantly turned cold. His thick eyebrows seemed to stand on end as he asked, "Why do you want to go to school?"

"Because... Ah-Xing and Xiao Qi are both going to school," Sensing something was wrong with her father's expression, Nero's voice became much smaller.

"Ah-Xing? Xiao Qi? Who are they?"

"He's a friend I made at the park."

"No need, Nero," the middle-aged man said calmly. "You don't need to go to school. The education there will only waste your talent."

"But Ah Xing said I can make a lot of friends at school, and I want to play with my friends..." Nero clutched the hem of her clothes with her small hands, tilting her head and pleading.

"Play?!" The middle-aged man's dark eyes looked down at Nero coldly. "Do you know how many resources the family has invested in you? Do you know how many people are looking forward to your growth? Who do you think you are?!"

"You are Nero.Arisa! The youngest daughter of the Arisa family! Your future must lead to the pinnacle of the dueling world and make you a Duel King!"

"And now you're telling me you want to play with friends?!" The middle-aged man placed his hand on Nero's slender, frail shoulder. "Can't you feel it? The family's expectations and sacrifices for you, the responsibility and burden placed upon your shoulders?"

"But... but..." Nero looked at her father's stern face, her teeth chattering, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. "If it's for dueling practice... I can duel with my friends too..."

"Meaningless!" the middle-aged man interrupted. "Dueling with weak duelists will be of no help to you! The family will arrange for professional duelists to practice with you. From today on, you don't need to go to any park. Just stay at home, understand?"

Nero's throat felt choked, as if something wanted to come out, but in the end, she lowered her head and said in a deep voice, "Yes, I understand... Father."

"Very good. That's the child of our Arisa family."

"..."

Dueling with weak duelists is meaningless.

Then, dueling with strong duelists should be fine, right?

Nero looked at Yukikaze, a hint of hope in her eyes. I'll go all out next, so... please, you have to defeat me.

"I offer the Amanogawa and the tokens on the field as a Tribute, for an Advance Summon—Thunderclap Emperor Zaborg!"

"It's an Advance Summon? And it has 3000 attack points!" Nero, who had been performing Ritual Summons, suddenly switched to a normal Advance Summon, surprising everyone. Yet, they couldn't pinpoint anything wrong with it.

Advance Summoning was, after all, one of the most basic summoning methods.

"An attack power of 2800?" Yukikaze murmured, looking at the giant monster on Nero's field. She hadn't expected her opponent to so easily break through the advantage she had painstakingly built. Now, it was her turn to figure out how to deal with Nero's monster.

"Next, I activate Thunderclap Emperor's effect. When this card is successfully Advance Summoned, target 1 monster on the field and activate its effect. Destroy that monster."

"Oh no, this way, all the monsters on Yukikaze's field will be destroyed!" Mina exclaimed anxiously.

However, Nero's next move stunned everyone. Without hesitation, she sent her own Thunderclap Emperor to the graveyard. "I choose to destroy Thunderclap Emperor on my field."

"Huh? Is this... a bad play? This is definitely a bad play, right?"

"What kind of play is that? Did she get hit on the head?"

"Boring. I was just getting hyped up, and this is it?"

"No... it's not like that." Yukikaze, standing on the dueling field, shook her head as she looked at Nero's small figure. Only by standing here could she feel the dangerous pressure emanating from her, the absolute confidence and calmness that wouldn't falter no matter the situation.

Nero.Arisa was strong, stronger than she was now. Her plays would never involve such a low-level mistake!

"Because the destroyed monster is LIGHT attribute, according to its effect, both players must send a number of cards from their Extra Deck to the Graveyard, equal to that monster's original Level or Rank."

Here it comes, it was for the effect after all!

"But... I don't have any Extra Deck monsters?" Although Yukikaze had won an Xyz Monster from a Dark Duel, she had given it to Hara Shichi because it didn't fit her deck's attributes.

"But I do." Nero sent three cards from her Extra Deck to the Graveyard. "I send two Herald of the Rainbow Light and one Old God Nuit to the Graveyard. Then, I activate their effects."

"According to Herald of the Rainbow Light's effect, when this card is sent to the Graveyard, you can activate it. Add 1 Ritual Monster or 1 Ritual Spell Card from your Deck to your hand. Since I sent two Herald of the Rainbow Light to the Graveyard, I add Chaos MAX Dragon and Advanced Ritual Art from my Deck to my hand."

"Next, due to Old God Nuit's effect, I can choose one card on your field to destroy. I choose to destroy one card on your field. I choose to destroy your Hellebore."

"Extra Deck monsters can have their effects activated even when sent to the Graveyard?!" Mina was shocked.

"So this was Nero's goal? If Yukikaze also had monsters in her Extra Deck that activate their effects when sent to the Graveyard..." Aoshi saw the drawback of Thunderclap Emperor at a glance. While the monster helped with graveyard setup, it was also "aiding the enemy."

But there were no "ifs." Most of the students here didn't have many Extra Deck monsters. Even if they did, they wouldn't be the kind of Extra Deck monsters whose effects could be activated when sent to the Graveyard.

"This kind of duel... you can't learn anything from it," one of the observing students suddenly said in a deep voice. "Ritual Summoning? Extra Deck monsters whose effects activate in the Graveyard? What a joke! I don't even have any Extra Deck monsters!"

"But your opponent does," the instructor, who had been watching, stood beside the student at some point, patting his shoulder. "You have to accept this reality and make corresponding strategies."

"Dueling is such a cruel thing."

As he spoke, the instructor pointed at Yukikaze on the dueling field. "Only those who admit this and dare to face it can become excellent duelists."

"Student Yukikaze hasn't complained once since the duel began."

Yukikaze certainly wouldn't complain. She had simply understood what Teacher Nafili had said at the time.

"'No matter who the opponent is, no matter whose deck it is, I will win'? Nonsense! Of course, I will win! As a duelist, you should have that kind of arrogance. Someone has to win, why can't it be me?!"

That's right, I will win. No matter who the opponent is, no matter what the deck is, in this duel, I will win!

"I said I would go all out," Nero said calmly. "So, let me show you... my true Ace Monster!"

"I activate the Spell Card—Advanced Ritual Art! I send one Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my Deck to the Graveyard, and perform a Ritual Summon..."

"Chaos MAX Dragon!"

Chapter Thirty-Eight: My Turn, Draw.

How could one describe the monster on the field?

Even the most magnificent words piled upon it would only seem redundant.

Therefore, it only needs to be described thus.

Perfect, invincible, the strongest!!!

"I enter the Battle Phase! I'll use Chaos MAX Dragon to attack the Six Flowers Hellebore on your field!" Nero declared.

A massive energy blast surged towards Hellebore on Yukikaze's field. Immediately after, Hellebore dissipated on the dueling field.

"Ugh!" Yukikaze was sent flying by the powerful impact, landing on the ground. But she quickly gritted her teeth and stood up.

Yukikaze: 2700 LP → 1300 LP

"I end my turn like this. It's your turn," Nero said.

Chaos MAX Dragon's power wasn't just its formidable 4000 ATK. More importantly, Chaos MAX Dragon cannot be targeted by effects, nor can it be destroyed by effects. Many Duelists, even if they emptied their entire Deck, couldn't break through this barrier!

Come on, Yukikaze, defeat my Chaos MAX Dragon!

"How is she supposed to win now? Yukikaze has no cards in hand, no monsters on the field, and no Spells or Traps. Meanwhile, the opponent has a monster with 4000 ATK on their field," Mina said, looking at Yukikaze's empty Duel Disk with concern.

"Believe in Yukikaze. She hasn't given up yet."

"Huh? Aren't you..."

"..."

"End Phase. I activate a Chain! Rosemary of the Six Flowers from the Graveyard."

Just then, a clear, ethereal female voice echoed in Yukikaze's ear.

Yukikaze blinked slightly, then realization dawned on her. "During your End Phase, I activate Rosemary of the Six Flowers!"

"If this card is in the Graveyard, and you control no monsters, or if all monsters you control are Plant-Type monsters, you can activate this card during the opponent's End Phase. This card is Special Summoned!"

The cute, blue-haired little girl reappeared on the dueling field, grinning and holding her crystal-clear little umbrella once more.