Duelists Never Surrender!

"You guessed right. I used Owl to banish an Angel from the graveyard, then Special Summoned Madolche Messenger from the deck. I activated Messenger's effect again to add Madolche Festival from my deck to my hand."

"Then, I Overlay my two Messengers on the field. These two monsters form an Xyz network. Xyz Summon—Madolche Queen Tiramisu!"

The elegant queen reappeared on the field, scepter in hand. She glanced at the two monsters on her opponent's field and offered a dignified smile.

"Is this Xyz Summon?" Nero felt the Xyz Particles in the air. Then, she lowered her left hand, which held her Duel Disk. "I concede this duel."

"So decisive?" Hara Shichi was a little surprised.

"I've seen you use Tiramisu's effect. It banishes two cards without targeting, right?" Nero sighed, looking at the Chaos MAX Dragon in her hand. "My Chaos MAX Dragon is unaffected by targeting effects, so it's perfectly countered by your Queen Tiramisu."

"The moment I failed to OTK, I had already lost this duel. I only continued to see Xyz Summon." Nero slowly walked over and placed her deck into Hara Shichi's palm. "Please take good care of it. If you ever decide to sell it, please let me know. I'll offer the highest price to buy it."

With that, Nero left the practice room without any hesitation.

"Wait, she just left like that?" Mina said incredulously.

"She lost, so why would she stay?" Aoshi chimed in.

"No, it's not that..." Mina frowned. "I just didn't like her smug face. I was expecting her to cry or beg after losing, but she just left so calmly?"

"Indeed, she was too calm," Aoshi agreed.

"Could it be that she's just not accustomed to showing her emotions?" Yukikaze said, watching the small figure walk away.

"Who cares? It's karma. Without her deck, let's see how she'll stand her ground," Mina said irritably.

Yukikaze blinked her clear blue eyes, got up from her chair, and walked over to Hara Shichi.

"Um... Hara Shichi, congratulations on your win." Yukikaze smiled slightly.

"It was just luck. If I hadn't known she had Chaos MAX Dragon, I might have instinctively declared defense and been instantly defeated by her Chaos MAX Dragon."

"Oh, I see." Yukikaze's eyes darted left and right. She bit her lower lip and, after much hesitation, said, "But your deck doesn't have any cards you need from Nero's deck, right? What are you planning to do with it? Are you going to sell it?"

"Sell it? I'm not short on money, why would I sell it?" Hara Shichi saw right through Yukikaze's intentions and couldn't help but tease her.

"But... but you don't know how to Ritual Summon, so it's useless to keep it." Yukikaze said softly.

"How do you know I don't know how to Ritual Summon?" Hara Shichi smiled. Although he didn't, Ai, as the Goddess of Duels, could surely perform Ritual Summoning with ease?

"Hmm..." Yukikaze began to frown and think, but soon, her forehead was lightly tapped.

"Idiot."

"I heard from Mina that Nero was the one who provoked you first. Why are you still speaking up for her?"

"I wasn't." Yukikaze shook her head. "Nero didn't do anything to me other than try to provoke me into a duel at the beginning. Mina must have exaggerated."

"Is that so?" Hara Shichi was taken aback. He didn't know the specifics and had only heard things from Mina.

"I did not exaggerate!" Mina jumped out to defend herself. "Isn't coming over to provoke you for no reason considered looking for trouble? Isn't using rare cards that only wealthy families have considered bullying? And she had the nerve to act so arrogant. I bet she wouldn't dare cause trouble without the rare cards from her family. Besides, those guys from the Crimson Lotus Society... none of them are good people!"

Hara Shichi silently looked at Ai beside him. He was using cards printed by a God... wasn't that also a form of bullying?

"Okay, okay, Mina, calm down." Aoshi quickly stepped in to mediate.

"I apologize, Mina is a bit emotional, but there's a reason for it," Aoshi said helplessly.

"A friend of Mina's was coerced by members of the Crimson Lotus Society into a duel where their deck was on the line. They lost their deck and dropped out of school."

"Although Mina's words are a bit extreme, I think she's right," Aoshi said, a hint of disgust in his eyes.

"None of those Crimson Lotus Society guys are good people."

Chapter 41: If you encounter trouble, naturally you find a teacher.

"So, what are you going to do?"

Ai tilted her head and looked at Hara Shichi. "Let me tell you beforehand, Ritual Summoning is such a simple thing, I can definitely do it."

"Didn't I already tell you the answer from the beginning?" Hara Shichi put his hands in his pockets, his expressionless face saying, "Someone who's always thinking about taking other people's decks is probably not a good person. I'm going to be a justice bringer and give them a punch to the face for character correction."

"So?"

"So, I came here." Hara Shichi looked at the sign that read "Dean's Office" and gently knocked on the door.

"Please come in."

Hara Shichi pushed the door open and saw Zhuxiu sitting in his office chair, writing something.

"Hara Shichi? Is there anything about life at the academy that you're not used to?" Zhuxiu stopped writing and looked at Hara Shichi with concern.

"Thank you for your concern, Teacher. There are indeed some things I'm not quite used to," Hara Shichi nodded.

"Tell me about it?" Zhuxiu asked. The academy was located near a deep mountain forest, and many things were not as convenient as in the city. Therefore, many students felt unaccustomed to it. This was quite normal. If it didn't cost much money, such as many insects, unfamiliar food, or needing to apply for some activities, Zhuxiu would listen to the students' opinions and provide help to some extent.

But if they felt the facilities were old, or if they wanted to build a botanical garden, then sorry, no money. He would just give them a few perfunctory words and send them away.

"I feel that the existence of clubs like the Crimson Lotus Society makes me uncomfortable," Hara Shichi said with a smile.

Zhuxiu couldn't smile. He frowned, his gray eyes scrutinizing Hara Shichi, and then he relaxed his brow. "This is an internal academy matter. We teachers will handle it."

"Can you tell me how you plan to handle it?" Hara Shichi asked calmly. "I almost lost my deck today."

"Impossible. The person who can defeat you wouldn't attack you, and the person who attacks you can't defeat you," Zhuxiu stated, completely dismissing the idea.

"Teacher, you think too highly of me," Yuan Qi sighed. "What if one day my luck runs out and I stumble?"

"Wait a little longer," Zhuxiu said, lowering his gaze. "The Dean is already handling this. I'm sorry, but you should lie low for a while."

"Is that what you tell every student who comes to you?" Yuan Qi suddenly asked. "To just swallow their pride and endure?"

"..."

Zhuxiu was speechless. If he could have rectified the academy's current atmosphere, he would have done so already.

Wait, if he couldn't act...

Zhuxiu turned his gaze back to Yuan Qi. "If you're truly willing to get involved in this mess, I might have a solution."

"I came here for this very reason."

"I've told you before why I don't deal with the Crimson Lotus Society, haven't I?" Zhuxiu stood up and poured Yuan Qi a cup of tea.

"Because of the board of directors?"

"To be precise, it was the previous national higher education academy tournament. Our academy suffered a crushing defeat against the Empire's Royal Duel Academy," Zhuxiu said, pushing up his glasses. "The academy lost a lot of funding and reputation after that loss, and the board of directors' interests were harmed."

"That's why the board of directors made a move, demanding a reform of the teaching plan, and the Crimson Lotus Society received their support," Zhuxiu explained slowly. "And the method to break this deadlock is very simple."

"The board of directors is doing this simply because they want to quickly produce powerful young duelists through this radical approach before this upcoming national higher education academy tournament."

"And all you need to do is defeat the official duelists they select from the Crimson Lotus Society. That will prove their method is wrong, and they will decisively abandon the Crimson Lotus Society and its ideology, then unhesitatingly choose you," Zhuxiu pointed at Yuan Qi.

"That's a bit absurd," Yuan Qi quipped. "As long as I win the duel, the board of directors will just abandon the Crimson Lotus Society?"

"To those people, no teaching method or style matters. What matters is winning. If you win, the Crimson Lotus Society will have no reason to exist," Zhuxiu said calmly. "If you're willing, I can give you an opportunity."

"Just one opportunity? What else?" Yuan Qi spread his hands. "I heard the board of directors also gifted cards to the members of the Crimson Lotus Society."

"We are handling that matter, so I don't really want students to get involved in conflicts," Zhuxiu said, feigning concern for Yuan Qi, but actually implying he hadn't planned on asking for Yuan Qi's help and he wasn't part of his plan at all.

"I'm not doing this for myself, I'm contributing to the academy," Yuan Qi raised an eyebrow.

"Fine... Take this card." Zhuxiu thought for a moment, feeling a bit unfair, and tossed a card to Yuan Qi.

"Crack!"

Yuan Qi caught the card and looked closely. A giant Kaiju appeared on the card – Gama the Kaiju.

"Huh? Just one? Give me a few more," Yuan Qi said, putting Gama into his card case.

"You need to understand one thing, Yuan Qi. I don't have high expectations for you," Zhuxiu said out of the blue.

"You mean you think I'll lose?" Yuan Qi asked.

"You are a very talented duelist, and few of your peers can compare to you."

"But?"

"But Crimson Lotus is stronger," Zhuxiu explained. "I don't think you can win against her, so I won't have too many expectations for you, and therefore, I won't give you much help... In fact, I'd advise you not to become her opponent."

"Encountering an opponent who is too powerful during your student days can sometimes lead to utter despair," Zhuxiu said, seemingly recalling something, his eyes flickering with an inexplicable light.

"You underestimate me too much, teacher. Even if my opponent is so strong that they are beyond my reach, I won't be crushed into despair," Yuan Qi said calmly. "I will advance step by step, and then, I will win."

Zhuxiu was slightly stunned, then looked at Yuan Qi with a strange expression and murmured, "No wonder Nafili thinks so highly of you."

"If that's the case, then go recruit your teammates."

"Huh? Teammates?" Yuan Qi didn't quite understand Zhuxiu's words.

"Don't you know? The national higher education academy tournament is a five-on-five elimination format. If you win against someone from the Crimson Lotus Society by yourself, the board of directors will only see your individual talent and simply put your name on the roster," Zhuxiu said, a little surprised that a student didn't know the rules of the tournament.

"If you want the board of directors to abandon the Crimson Lotus Society, you must assemble a team of five, and then in the five-on-five elimination match, defeat Crimson Lotus's five official members."

Chapter 42: This Child is Terrifyingly Powerful?!

"Five-on-five? I thought I only needed to win by myself," Yuan Qi was slightly taken aback and looked troubled. "I haven't been at the academy for long, so I can't possibly gather five people in such a short time. Do you have any recommendations, teacher?"

"No, the strongest students in the academy are basically all in the Crimson Lotus Society," Zhuxiu shook his head. "Crimson Lotus seems to have strong charisma. Not long after she founded the Crimson Lotus Society, she invited all the capable students in the academy to join."

"It's not charisma," Yuan Qi twitched the corner of his mouth. "If you join the Crimson Lotus Society, you can openly gamble cards. For those powerful students, this isn't gambling, it's outright robbery."

"I never expected so many students to choose such a crooked path," Zhuxiu was also perplexed. In his eyes, the students in the academy shouldn't have such poor morals.

No, it's not a matter of morals. The temptation of getting an entire deck by winning a single match... it's really too great, isn't it?

"In that case, I'll just find people myself?" Yuan Qi said.

"As you wish. Just report their names to me later, and I'll arrange it for you. But I'll say it again, Yuan Qi, I don't have high expectations for you," Zhuxiu repeated.

"Understood, teacher."

"Snap."

Watching the tightly shut door, Zhuxiu's brows furrowed once more.

Something is wrong. This student is very wrong.

He thought that a powerful monster like a Kaiju would have some backlash, or at least be difficult to control.

But he just calmly put it into his card case? He didn't seem to react at all. He remembered how much trouble he had controlling Kaiju back in the day, but with Yuan Qi, it was like handling a White Rabbit.

Wait! It's not that his Duel Power is too weak to be sensed, but rather... his Duel Power is so immense that I can't perceive it?!

A drop of cold sweat trickled down Zhuxiu's forehead. If that were truly the case, then this student couldn't be described with mere words like "terrifying."

After all, he had reviewed the profiles of all the dueling families in the empire these past few days, yet found no one matching Hara Shichi's identity. A young man who could already use Xyz Summon, possessed highly skilled dueling techniques, and even had many rare cards.

How could someone like this appear out of nowhere?

Or was he truly someone cultivated by a secret organization?

Impossible. Why would such a talented young man be sent out as a spy? They would surely train him relentlessly to become a top duelist.

"Something's not right, something's not right..."

But based on his current observations, Hara Shichi's behavior and demeanor were perfectly normal. And setting aside the mysteries surrounding him... he was indeed an excellent student.

He had even helped a classmate win back their Deck and wanted to rectify the academy's atmosphere. As for Nafili, while a bit unreliable, there was a tiny bit of credibility to him.

Yeah, about as much as the nail on a pinky finger.

"But if all his cards were truly self-printed, his dueling skills self-taught, and his Duel Power purely from innate talent... then my current actions are maliciously slandering an innocent student."

As a teacher, such thoughts were a profound failure.

If you can't trust your students, what kind of teacher are you?

But he wasn't just a teacher; he was also the Head Teacher of this academy.

ba yi si jiu ling san qi ba jiu

And his appearance at this critical juncture, wanting to actively involve himself in the struggle between the academy and the board of directors... it couldn't help but make him ponder deeply.

Zhuxiu rubbed his forehead, sighed at last, picked up the desk phone, and dialed a number: "..."