Just as expected, You Chen had already guessed it. True Silent Magician had something she needed his help with—otherwise, why would someone so taciturn be willing to explain so much to him?
"Mm." You Chen checked the time on his phone. There was still plenty of time.
Besides, dueling True Silent Magician was definitely more important.
"Come on! Pick a place."
But You Chen had another question.
None of these people could see True Silent Magician. They could only see him. Wouldn't it be strange if they dueled here?
It would look like he was playing Yu-Gi-Oh! alone.
Like he had gone completely nuts over the game.
Seemingly noticing You Chen's confusion, True Silent Magician clenched her magic staff in her slender hand and gave it a light wave.
A ray of light spread through the night. The next moment, a curtain of light seemed to isolate You Chen and True Silent Magician from the outside world.
You Chen could no longer see outside. All that remained around him was an illusory glow.
"Let's duel here."
"Duel start! Let me see what you're capable of."
True Silent Magician fixed her bright eyes on You Chen. Her silver hair scattered beneath a holy radiance. Spirits did not need Duel Disks; their cards automatically floated in the air.
She was very curious about just how much Dueling Acumen this guy possessed to be able to see her.
For all these years, she had wanted to find a human who could see her, yet she had never found one.
Naturally, she would not let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip away.
You Chen had already unfolded his Duel Disk, and he was getting excited as well.
This opponent was vastly different from those he had faced before. This time, it was a spirit—a spirit with maxed-out bonds, card printing, and miracle topdecks all rolled into one.
This was going to be hard to win.
But it was no big deal!
As long as he had enough cards whose purpose made no sense, the opponent would not be able to guess what he was trying to do.
Worth mentioning was that True Silent Magician had an effect that negated Spells once per turn, but his trap cards could conveniently avoid it.
However, he had not used the Warm Worm trap deck.
The Warm Worm trap deck might not be enough anyway.
If she had cards like Raigeki Break or Mystical Space Typhoon, then once Lure of the Dead was destroyed, it would be difficult for the deck to get going.
So You Chen had chosen another deck, one with unexpectedly powerful effects.
He happened to be lacking another soul card deck, too!
True Silent Magician was perfectly suited for it.
"Enough talk!! Duel start!" You Chen did not waste any words.
A coin fell.
This time, it landed heads. You Chen went first.
"First, my turn. Draw!"
"I Set one monster from my hand in face-down Defense Position."
"Then I Set three cards! End turn."
You Chen ended his turn decisively.
"That quickly?" True Silent Magician hovered in the air, blinking her bright eyes. Apparently, she had not expected him to end his turn so quickly.
Her suspicious eyes were filled with confusion.
She had watched countless duels in the human world. Most people could not wait to unleash everything in one turn. It was not unheard of for someone like You Chen to Set cards and pass, but that usually meant they had bricked.
"Looking at it that way, you must have bricked."
True Silent Magician pondered.
This time, True Silent Magician had actually guessed correctly. He really had bricked.
But it did not matter. Bricking was not a problem.
His deck had enough combo pieces and search cards to avoid bricking.
"Then it's my turn! Draw!"
As True Silent Magician spoke, six cards were neatly arranged before her. Each card was almost as tall as her slender figure.
"I Normal Summon Witch of the Black Forest from my hand."
True Silent Magician pondered for a moment, then swiftly waved her delicate hand.
A purple-haired girl in black nun's robes appeared in the Monster Zone. There was an eyeball on her forehead, and it seemed to make the girl look gloomy and depressed.
Witch of the Black Forest DARK Attribute / Level 4 / Spellcaster-Type ATK: 1100 / DEF: 1200
"Then, I Tribute Witch of the Black Forest on my field to Special Summon myself from my hand!"
"True Silent Magician!"
As True Silent Magician said this, she appeared in her own Monster Zone, personally entering the duel.
Now she was literally summoning herself and attacking with her own fists!
True Silent Magician LIGHT Attribute / Level 4 / Spellcaster-Type ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000
"Then I activate Witch of the Black Forest's effect. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: Add 1 monster with 1500 or less DEF from your Deck to your hand. For the rest of this turn, you cannot activate the effects of that added card or cards with the same name."
"Furthermore, True Silent Magician gains 500 ATK for each card in my hand."
"I have five cards in my hand, so it gains 2500 ATK!"
"My ATK is now 3500!"
"Now, enter the Battle Phase!"
"I'll attack the face-down Defense Position monster on your field!"
True Silent Magician's gaze sharpened. She swung the magic staff in her hand and let out a delicate shout as a wave of white magical energy crashed down from the sky!
"Boom—"
The monster on You Chen's field flipped over. It was Deep Sea Diver!
"I activate its effect. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, at the end of the Battle Phase, choose 1 monster from your Deck and place it on top of your Deck."
True Silent Magician frowned. Was he going to search for something?
"I'd like to see what you search for."
"I Set two cards and end my turn!"
The instant True Silent Magician finished speaking, You Chen's effect immediately resolved.
"I'll place Assassin of Instant Kill on top of my Deck."
This was why You Chen needed search cards and inferior replacement cards to avoid bricking. Otherwise, how could a forty-card deck possibly open with a perfect hand every game?
That was why it needed balance, along with more connections that could lead into plays.
"What use could that card possibly have...?"
True Silent Magician did not think much of it.
"Then it's my turn. Draw."
"All right, my Tamashi has answered me."
You Chen liked to say that every time he drew a monster.
It did not sound like much at first, but True Silent Magician found it rather amusing. This human had clearly placed it on top of his Deck himself, yet now he was saying his Tamashi had answered him.
It was her first time seeing such a soulful human.
Treating his own search as a miraculous soul draw was even funnier.
A human this soulful seemed like someone she could only find in that world.
From that, if nothing else, this person was certainly very soulful. Maybe he really was a decent duelist candidate—though, how should she put it? The deck he used was a little too trashy.
Her deck had no idea how it could possibly lose.
Third update!!
Bonus chapter delivered!!
Before you continue