Duelists Never Surrender!

Yukikaze's trembling hand rested on her Deck.

I can't draw.

My hands are shaking so badly I can't even draw a card?

Is it because of the injury from before?

No, it's because I'm afraid.

Yukikaze knew one thing for certain.

There's no card in my Deck that can turn the duel around with a single card.

No matter what I draw, I can't reverse this situation.

So, what should I do?

Someone, please tell me what to do now?

"Aren't you fine? You still have 500 LP."

A familiar voice echoed in her mind, and like a lost traveler in the desert finding a clear spring, Yukikaze's anxious heart instantly calmed.

Right, if it were Hara Shichi, what would he do?

Yukikaze closed her eyes, and images flashed before her. Yes, if it were Hara Shichi, no matter the situation, he would always be calm and composed, fighting tenaciously until the very end, never giving up, right?

Think, don't rush. There must be a power in my Deck that I haven't noticed yet...

All forty card images spread out, appearing in Yukikaze's mind as she constantly combined, arranged, and calculated.

Then, Yukikaze found the answer.

Yukikaze opened her eyes, her trembling hands now steady. "My turn, Draw!"

Here it comes!

"I enter my Main Phase. I Normal Summon Lone Fire Blossom. I Tribute Lone Fire Blossom to Special Summon Rosemary of the Six Flowers from my Deck. I activate Rosemary of the Six Flowers' effect to add Cyclamen of the Six Flowers from my Deck to my hand."

"Next, I activate Snowdrop of the Six Flowers' effect from my hand, Tributing Rosemary of the Six Flowers on the field to Special Summon Snowdrop of the Six Flowers from my hand along with Cyclamen of the Six Flowers in Defense Position!"

"Then, I activate Cyclamen of the Six Flowers' effect to add the Spell Card Six Flowers Brilliant from my Deck to my hand!"

"I end my turn like this!"

Without the slightest hesitation, as if she had practiced it thousands of times, Yukikaze completed her intended moves flawlessly.

"That's it?" the woman who had been silent all along couldn't help but speak up. "You went through all that fancy stuff, and all you managed was to barely maintain your defense?"

Yukikaze didn't reply, standing in place with a blank expression. Her azure eyes were filled with determination.

"Heh, a dying struggle," the woman sneered twice. "How boring. Let me crush your hopes."

"My turn, Draw!"

Chapter 80: The Dagger Revealed

With a casual glance at the card she drew, the woman impatiently launched her offensive against Yukikaze. "I enter the Battle Phase. I attack Snowdrop of the Six Flowers with Maestro Schubert!"

The masked noblewoman thrust her slender silver sword towards the girl holding the ice-blue umbrella. With a pained cry from the girl, Cyclamen of the Six Flowers dissolved into white snowflakes in the air.

"Next, I attack Snowdrop of the Six Flowers with Flower Diva!"

Yukikaze: 1200 → 500 LP.

"Boom!"

Yukikaze took the heavy blow without a sound, but the girl's slender legs remained firmly planted on the ground, rooted like a blade of grass in the soil.

"She actually tanked it?" Seeing Yukikaze's stubbornness, the woman's eyes widened in surprise.

In her experience, most Duelists would be overwhelmed by fear and fall into deep despair when faced with such a predicament.

Yukikaze, despite her youthful appearance, possessed such strong willpower that even her opponent couldn't help but admire her.

"If you hadn't met me, you would definitely become a remarkable Duelist in the future," the woman murmured. Of course, this wasn't out of any sense of pity; on the contrary, she felt immense pleasure, as if her brain were trembling.

This is great.

Such a determined Duelist.

Such a young Duelist.

Such a talented Duelist.

And I'm about to crush her in the cradle!

"I end my turn like this. It's your turn." The woman's calm tone carried a hint of impatience. She hadn't even entered her Main Phase before ending her turn.

Yes, she was eager to savor the moment she personally snapped this young sapling.

"During your End Phase, I activate the effect of Rosemary of the Six Flowers from my Graveyard, Special Summoning it to the field." Perhaps due to her injuries, Yukikaze's voice had lost its previous softness and sweetness, emitting a low, hoarse sound from her throat.

"I'm sorry, human, I've been holding you back." The Duel Spirit behind Yukikaze showed a look of guilt. Although she didn't quite understand dueling, she could tell that Yukikaze's situation was dire.

"It's okay." Yukikaze's slender fingers touched her Deck, her eyes lowered as she whispered softly, "Everything is over now."

"My turn, Draw."

What card I drew no longer mattered; the duel was decided last turn.

"First, I activate Rosemary of the Six Flowers' effect to add one Flower Princess from my deck to my hand. I add the second Leaf Peony to my hand," Yukikaze said, placing the newly drawn Leaf Peony directly onto her Duel Disk. "I activate Leaf Peony's effect, Tributing Rosemary of the Six Flowers on the field to Special Summon it from my hand in Attack Position."

Attack Position? Why Attack Position?!

Shouldn't she be focusing on defense right now?

The woman's heart leaped as if squeezed by a giant hand, a profound sense of unease slowly rising within her.

"Next, I activate the Spell Card—Dark Hole." Yukikaze inserted the unused Dark Hole into her Duel Disk. "It destroys the monster with the highest DEF on your field. Since your two monsters have the same DEF, I can choose which one to destroy. I choose Maestro Schubert on your field."

"BOOM!"

Cracks suddenly appeared on the flat ground, and a hole opened beneath Maestro Schubert's feet, causing her to fall unexpectedly into the bottomless abyss.

"As expected." The woman's expression remained unfazed. Maestro Schubert, a mere vanilla with no resistance, had been destroyed countless times in her hands. But what was the point of destroying it now? Could she really destroy my Flower Diva?

No, absolutely not.

If it could be destroyed, it would have been by now. It wouldn't have remained hidden until now.

But then, what was this instinctive unease in her heart?

The woman subconsciously glanced at Yukikaze. The girl had her head lowered, white strands of hair clinging to her cheeks, messy like a madwoman, yet surprisingly calm. It was like... the sea before a storm—calm on the surface, but with raging waves hidden deep beneath, unseen!

"I activate Leaf Peony's effect again, adding Six Flowers Blizzard from my deck to my hand," Yukikaze said unhurriedly. "I activate the Continuous Spell Card—Six Flowers Blizzard."

"I continue by activating the Spell Card—Six Flowers Brilliant, Tributing Leaf Peony on the field to add Cyclamen of the Six Flowers and Primrose of the Six Flowers from my deck to my hand."

What was it? What made her so calm? What was her trump card?!

For some reason, the woman felt her mouth go dry. Even though she kept telling herself the opponent was just bluffing, feigning composure, her body couldn't help but tremble.

"Then, when Leaf Peony on my field is Tributed..." At that very moment, Yukikaze suddenly looked up, drawing the hidden blade she had kept concealed and swinging it straight at the woman: "The Continuous Spell Card—Six Flowers Blizzard's effect activates!"

"If a 'Six Flowers' monster on your field is Tributed, you can activate this. Your opponent must Tribute 1 monster on their own field!"

"What?!" All the blood drained from the woman's face, leaving it gaunt and ugly. She stumbled back two steps in a daze, then collapsed powerlessly onto the ground.

The blade pierced the woman's heart perfectly!

"Impossible! My Flower Diva is invincible!" the woman cried, a mixture of rage and fear in her voice. "You can't destroy her! You can't!"

"I indeed cannot destroy her," Yukikaze said calmly. "I merely activated Six Flowers Blizzard's effect, requiring you to Tribute one of your own monsters."

The woman looked at Melodious Diva Flower on her field, the only monster remaining, and shook her head blankly. "No, I don't want to."

"Please choose one monster on your field to Tribute," Yukikaze repeated coldly.

"No! I don't want to!" the woman shrieked hysterically, venting her frustration. She clutched her hair tightly, raking her scalp fiercely with her sharp nails, as if trying to escape through the pain.

"Please... choose one monster on your field to Tribute." Yukikaze simply watched the woman's pathetic state in silence, saying nothing more.

"..."

"I... I choose to Tribute Melodious Diva Flower on the field." As a Duelist, the woman finally extended a trembling hand and sent the monster on her Duel Disk to the graveyard.

"Since I haven't used my Normal Summon this turn, I Normal Summon Cyclamen of the Six Flowers." Yukikaze placed the monster she had just retrieved onto her Duel Disk and changed Snowdrop of the Six Flowers on the field to Attack Position. "I enter the Battle Phase."

"Cyclamen, Snowdrop, deliver the final blow."

"Ahhhhhhhh!" With a scream, the woman flew away like a kite with a cut string, crashing heavily onto the ground.

1700 + 2300 = 4000.

Win: Yukikaze!

"Finally... I won..." Yukikaze looked at the black mist that had enveloped the woman, her head suddenly feeling heavy. The accumulated exhaustion hit her like a wave, and she felt herself about to collapse.

Just then, a pair of warm arms caught her. The girl tilted her head slightly, and a familiar face came into view.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Yukikaze said, seeing who it was. The ice on her face seemed to melt like spring breeze, blooming into a brilliant smile.

Then, she sank into the person's embrace.

"Yes, I'm so glad you're okay," Hara Shichi said softly, brushing the hair clinging to the girl's cheek.

Chapter 81: How can ugly humans compare to cute Duel Spirits!

When Yukikaze woke up, she found herself leaning against a large, sturdy tree.

She looked up and saw, under the beautiful sunset glow, a group of fairy-like girls with bare, tender feet playing and frolicking on the soft, green grass.

"Did I... arrive in paradise?" Yukikaze rubbed her eyes, feeling a bit dazed.

"You're awake? How do you feel?" Hara Shichi crouched down.

"Huh?" Yukikaze turned her head in shock and reached out to pinch Hara Shichi's cheek. "Did you lose your Dark Duel too, Hara Shichi?!"

"What are you talking about?" Hara Shichi said weakly. "Don't you remember who caught you at the end?"

Yukikaze blinked, then quickly let go, a blush creeping onto her fair cheeks.

So it wasn't a dream. She had really won the Dark Duel, and then... then she had fallen into Hara Shichi's arms.

"Looking at you, you should be fine," a cool voice said. Julie appeared before them, carrying a pile of fruit. "Eat something. Duels are very draining."

"Senior Julie!" Yukikaze stood up abruptly, her small face flushed, about to say something, but her mouth was gently covered by soft fingertips.

"If you're here to apologize, then you can shut up," Julie said impatiently. "I don't think what you did back then was wrong. Besides, as long as I keep walking the path of a Duelist, I can't avoid Dark Duels. On the contrary, this Dark Duel gave me a lot of useful experience, and I'm satisfied."

"But I didn't follow your orders and acted on my own..." Yukikaze mumbled.

"Stop dawdling. I'd look down on you if you hadn't done that," Julie said, shoving the red fruit in her hand into Yukikaze's arms. "Here, take it. This is a thank-you gift from the Duel Spirits."

"So, Sera-senpai is okay too, right?" Yukikaze asked, looking at the two of them.

Julie turned her head away.

Hara Shichi clutched his face in pain.

A heavy atmosphere spread between the two, and Yukikaze's fair face instantly lost its color. "Could... could it be..."

"Sigh," Hara Shichi sighed deeply and patted Yukikaze's shoulder. "It might be hard to accept, but that's the truth."

"Forget her, Yukikaze. It's better for all of us," Julie's voice carried a hint of weariness.

"How could this happen?" Yukikaze couldn't help but take a step back, her soft head hitting the rough, hard tree trunk.

"This is how it is."

"Don't be too sad."

"Hey! Why are you two talking like I'm dead?!" Sera's small head popped out from between the three of them, huffing indignantly.

"Tsk, not dead, huh," Julie clicked her tongue.

"I think it would be better if you disappeared into the river of our memories, Sera-senpai," Hara Shichi said expressionlessly.

"Huh?! Sera-senpai, you weren't dead?" Yukikaze exclaimed in surprise. "What in the world is going on?"

"Simply put, she committed the sin of greed," Hara Shichi said, looking down at Sera.