Duelists Never Surrender!

"Waaah, I just wanted to make friends with the Duel Spirits and seal them into cards. Isn't that something every duelist does? Why did you two tie me up?" Sera said tearfully.

"Idiot," Julie said, pinching Sera's slippery cheek fiercely. "This is their territory. If you seal Duel Spirits into cards right in front of them, we'll never be able to leave this forest."

"We would never do anything so ungrateful to our savior," a gentle voice rang out. Following the sound, they saw a woman with long white hair, holding an ice-blue umbrella, approaching with several other women.

"It seems familiar," Yukikaze muttered.

The umbrella in the woman's hand was exactly the same as the ones held by the Flower Princesses in her deck. Could it be... she was also a Flower Princess?!

"You're the duelist who saved these children, aren't you?" The silver-haired woman came before Yukikaze, lowering her head and speaking softly. "Please allow me to thank you here."

Behind the woman, a group of young girls, led by a pink-haired child, stepped forward and said to Yukikaze, "Thank you for saving us, big sister."

"As a token of our gratitude, I'd like to host a banquet for you. Would you be willing to attend?" the silver-haired woman continued.

Hara Shichi glanced at the disappearing sunset and nodded. "If it's possible, we'd like to camp here for the night."

"Of course," the silver-haired woman smiled.

And so, night fell.

Under the starry night sky, a warm bonfire blazed. The Duel Spirits sang unknown songs around the fire, hand in hand, dancing joyfully.

Yukikaze sat on the ground nearby, gently tapping her foot, her expression somewhat dazed.

"What's wrong?" Hara Shichi asked.

"It feels like... they're like real people," Yukikaze couldn't help but voice her inner thoughts.

"Wrong! How could unsightly creatures like humans be compared to Duel Spirits?!" Sera exclaimed, gnawing on fruits and vegetables, unconcerned about the juice staining her mouth. "Compared to arrogant, greedy, selfish humans, the pure-hearted Duel Spirits are practically angels!"

"If not for the blessings of the Goddess of Duels, humans might have already been wiped out by the Duel Spirits."

"Enough talk, I'm going to get closer to the Duel Spirits." Sera said, quickly wiping her mouth with her hand and shamelessly smearing the juice on Hara Shichi's clothes before joining the girls' dance, arm in arm with the Duel Spirits.

"She really says anything," Julie said, drinking the juice from a wooden cup.

"Sera-senpai's words are biased," Hara Shichi shook her head, not entirely agreeing with Sera's statement.

"What do you think, Hara Shichi-chan?" Yukikaze asked again.

"Ultimately, Sera-senpai's words are explained and elaborated from a 'human' perspective, and they are merely her personal opinion." Hara Shichi looked at the shy pink-haired girl peeking over from not far away. "If you're truly curious, why not try interacting with them yourself?"

With that, Hara Shichi and Julie stood up from the ground amidst Yukikaze's confused gaze, leaving her behind.

Soon after, Yukikaze saw a small, tender hand reaching out in front of her.

"Um... big sister, can you dance with me?" the little girl mustered her courage.

Yukikaze placed her hand in the little girl's palm, feeling its delicate softness, no different from a human's, and smiled. "Okay."

Chapter 82: Dark Duels Are Profitable

"Look, even though we're somewhat close companions, I never said I'd share this clubroom with you," Sera said, puffing out her cheeks in dissatisfaction as she looked at the three people who had barged into her clubroom.

They had even brought a small wooden table and some cushions, placing them on the wooden floor and occupying a small part of the room.

"Sera-senpai, you're joking again," Hara Shichi said, looking at Sera. "If we hadn't joined your undeservedly named 'Game Club,' this clubroom would have been forcibly reclaimed by the school long ago."

"If you don't come over, the three of us will start without you," Julie said, pulling out a stack of cards from her pocket.

Two days had passed since they returned from the forest. After resting, they decided to celebrate properly and have a friendly card exchange.

In other words, dividing the spoils.

"Honestly, as a price, you all have to help me clean this clubroom every day," Sera said, unhurriedly approaching the table.

"Who do you think is responsible for how clean this clubroom is?" Julie glanced at Sera and continued, "Since everyone's here, let's begin."

"For me, besides my Flower Princess deck, I only have one Melodious deck. I don't know if it'll be helpful for everyone's decks," Yukikaze said first.

"Don't forget, your Fiend deck is still with me," Hara Shichi reminded her.

"No, that deck... I really don't feel like I can use it. Plus, I don't know how to Xyz Summon or anything, so you can keep it," Yukikaze said with a forced smile, waving her hand.

"Huh? Hara Shichi, do you have any other Xyz Monsters? Let me see?" Sera asked curiously, reaching out her small hand towards Hara Shichi.

Hara Shichi handed Sera Fiend Death God Thanatos, which she hadn't taken out in a long time.

"Ew, it's so ugly," Sera said, looking at Thanatos's card with disgust. "And it requires two DARK monsters. My Aroma monsters are EARTH-type, so they won't work."

Sera then looked at Julie. "Julie, aren't most of your Zombie-Type monsters DARK-attribute?"

"Even so, gathering two Level 4 monsters is troublesome, and I don't need it either," Julie said lazily, resting her chin on her hand. Compared to before, her desire for Xyz Monsters wasn't as strong. Even if an Xyz Monster was rare, if it didn't fit her deck, there was no point in including it.

"Isn't it because neither of you, like Yukikaze, actually knows how to Xyz Summon?" Hara Shichi asked, sounding a bit puzzled.

Sera & Julie: "..."

Hara Shichi actually said that?!

Yukikaze quickly looked at her two seniors' expressions. She noticed a clear look of anger on Sera's cute little face, and the veins on Julie's clenched fist were bulging, as if she were ready to strike at any moment.

"Let me make it clear, it's not that I don't know how to Xyz Summon. It's just that I don't have many Xyz Monster cards, so I haven't Xyz Summoned. Once I have an Xyz Monster that suits my deck, I'll naturally Xyz Summon," Sera said, tapping the table with her finger, her cherry-red lips pouting in dissatisfaction.

"Ah, yes, you've guessed it. I don't know how to Xyz Summon. You're so skilled at it, why don't you teach me?" Julie said, pretending to be affectionate as she wrapped an arm around Hara Shichi's neck. Secretly, she tightened her grip, her slender arm pressing hard against Hara Shichi's neck.

"My neck... cough cough Stop! I admit I'm wrong, I'm guilty... Let go, I can't breathe!" Hara Shichi had no choice but to beg for mercy.

"I'll let you off for now." Julie rolled her eyes prettily at the sight.

The exchange continued.

"I have a Fiend deck here, a Fusion deck focused on Vanillas, a Synchro deck, a Skull King deck, and some loose cards I printed." Knowing his words had displeased the two, Hara Shichi took out all the decks he had besides his Marincess deck. The decks were piled together, occupying the center of the table.

"You have four decks besides Marincess?!" Julie exclaimed in slight surprise. Most students at the academy only had one deck and some miscellaneous cards.

"Basically, I got them all for free from Dark Duels," Hara Shichi said.

"Getting a whole deck for winning one match sounds like a great deal," Sera grumbled, holding her head.

"If you lose, you lose your life," Julie retorted, tapping Sera. "Don't get any such ideas."

"Didn't those who initiate Dark Duels ever consider the consequences of losing?" Yukikaze still felt a lingering fear recalling a Dark Duel from a few days prior. If she hadn't had a flash of inspiration and found a way to break through, wouldn't everyone be attending her funeral right now?

"Ah, about that, Dark Duels seem to be addictive," Julie said. She had gone to the library again yesterday to research Dark Duels and found something in a book titled "Testimonies of Dark Duelists." "It says that once a duelist voluntarily initiates a Dark Duel, their soul is watched by a 'Lesser God.' Before every duel, they can't help but initiate a Dark Duel. If they try to resist, their whole body feels like it's being pricked by needles."

"What's a 'Lesser God'?" Hara Shichi asked curiously. "Are there many gods on Duel Continent?"

"There are countless legendary gods, like the 'Egyptian Gods,' 'Creator God,' 'Earthbound God,' 'Quetzalcoatlus'… they are mostly myths passed down in various regions, and no one knows if they truly exist. The only one confirmed to exist in this world is the Goddess of Duels," Julie explained.

Hara Shichi looked at Ai in mid-air. Although Ai immediately put on a stern face the moment Hara Shichi looked at her, he still noticed the slight upturn of the little girl's lips.

The Goddess of Duels is so cute.

"Then, will there be any problems if we use these Dark Duelists' decks?" Yukikaze asked with some concern.

"There shouldn't be any problems. I've used them several times anyway," Hara Shichi replied.

"I only have a newly won Magician of Silence deck, which includes Honest and Black Hole, along with two Mystical Space Typhoons and a Pot of Greed," Julie added, taking out the deck she had won.

"Pot of Greed... If you don't need it, could you give it to me?" Hara Shichi inquired. With only one Tiramisu of the Tiara, it might be problematic without Marincess Castle to recycle it. Adding a Pot of Greed would be a good insurance.

"Sure."

"I have a Gladiator Beast deck here, with a Polymerization and a Monster Reborn. Does anyone want them?" Sera said.

"Everyone has Monster Reborn, right?" Hara Shichi looked at the Spell Card in Sera's hand.

"I don't," Julie said mournfully.

"..."

"Does anyone want this?"

"Julie senpai, do you want Dark Temptation?"

"Rival Appears… never mind, this card is probably useless."

"Wait, I think I have a Thunder King here."

"It's strong... but I don't really need it."

"Give it to me, give it to me!"

"..."

"I feel like our decks have gotten much stronger. Now, I even feel a bit more confident about dueling the third-year students," Yukikaze said with a light laugh, feeling the weight of her deck in her hands.

"Ah, I feel the same way," Sera nodded with satisfaction. "Maybe even Crimson Lotus isn't my match anymore."

"Speaking of which, did we forget something?" Julie suddenly said.

"I have that feeling too," Hara Shichi agreed.

"Forget something?" Yukikaze tilted her head, furrowing her brow in thought.

Then, her face suddenly stiffened, and she weakly raised her hand. "I remember, we were supposed to have a five-on-five match with the senior students, right?"

"Yes, yes."

"But there seem to be only four of us..."

They looked at each other, realizing they had overlooked an important detail.

They were one person short for the match.

Chapter 83: Senpai, I paid for my own meals back in the day.

"We're one person short for the match?"

The next day on the way to school, Ghost Ogre heard about it and immediately offered to help Hara Shichi. "If Master doesn't mind, I can fill this spot."

Hara Shichi looked at Ghost Ogre in astonishment. "You can duel?"

After all, dueling was a human-exclusive skill on this continent. As a Duel Spirit, Ghost Ogre shouldn't be able to duel.

"As long as Master gives me a deck, dueling isn't a problem," Ghost Ogre said confidently. "However, I can't use a Duel Disk to duel, so I can only duel on the table."

I get it. You can't control Duel Power, but you know how to play cards, right?

"I appreciate your offer, but Ghost Ogre, you just need to stay by my side. I'll figure out the match," Hara Shichi said, patting Ghost Ogre.

Ghost Ogre was slightly taken aback, and a faint smile crossed her lips. "I understand, Master."

"If that doesn't work, why not just grab a random passerby?" Ai suggested from the side. "For a team match, you only need to win three games. So, it's okay to lose one."

"That might be true, but if we lose, won't we face retaliation from the Crimson Lotus Society?" Hara Shichi shook his head. "There's no reason for someone to get involved without cause."

That's right. Judging by the attitudes of the other clubs before, most students were angry but afraid to speak out about the Crimson Lotus Society's actions. Besides their own lack of strength, there was another reason.

It's that while the Crimson Lotus Society is arrogant and overbearing, they are still just a club and can't possibly provoke all the students.

In other words, many students actually harbored the侥幸心理 (jīxìng xīnlǐ -侥幸心理) that with so many people in the school, the Crimson Lotus Society guys might not necessarily target them.

"Since that's the case, then give them some benefits," Ai said, waving her finger as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "As long as the benefits are big enough, someone will definitely be willing to take the risk."

"I don't have money," Hara Shichi said directly.

"Idiot! Benefits aren't just about money," Ai said, tapping Hara Shichi's head.

"Give them powerful cards? I wouldn't part with the really powerful ones, and if they aren't strong enough, no one will take the bait," Hara Shichi frowned.

"Think again. If you win this duel, what will you gain?" Ai coaxed him.

"The reputation of defeating the school bullies?" Hara Shichi blinked. "Gaining the respect and admiration of classmates wherever I go?"

"No," Ai shook her head.

"My dueling skills will be honed? After all, the opponents are the five strongest people in the academy," Hara Shichi continued to ask.

"No one would consider that a benefit," Ai pulled at the corner of her mouth.

"Then what is it?" Hara Shichi wasn't planning on getting any benefits from this, so he was stumped for a moment.

"Sigh, think about it. What are the identities of those five people from the Crimson Lotus Society?" Ai sighed.

"The five strongest in the academy, the main players for our school's National High School Tournament team... Wait, you don't mean..." Hara Shichi's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Ai, who was swaying like a flower in mid-air, a glimmer of understanding dawning on him.

"Heh heh, you get it now, don't you?" Ai said, covering her mouth with a laugh.