Chapter 150

Gokou Ruri was somewhat at a loss.

As a nationally popular card game, she, being a typical homebody, naturally knew about it and had even watched some of the anime. However, considering that collecting official card sets was too expensive and beyond the reach of her family, she had never played it.

'Also, Sato Yugo, that name sounds familiar. Have I heard it somewhere before?'

She was even more surprised.

"To ensure a fair duel, this battle will be conducted under the witness of the Eye of Ugarth. As for the deck, you will choose how to build it; that's where the card pool is."

Sato Yugo pointed to the side, where a strange eye emerged from the wall, beneath which were several wooden boxes containing various Yu-Gi-Oh!! cards.

"This is creepy... Something's off about this art style, isn't it? Am I overlooking something?"

Gokou Ruri glanced at that eye and immediately felt as if she were being stared at intently.

She pondered this question while assembling her deck.

Then, she had an idea.

The other party only told her what would happen if she won, but not what would happen if she lost.

"Can I ask what happens if I lose?"

Gokou Ruri installed the Duel Disk, placed the assembled cards inside, and asked casually.

"If you lose, you must leave behind your 'Duelist's Soul'!"

A ferocious look appeared on Sato Yugo's bloodless face.

'Oh no...'

Gokou Ruri had a bad feeling.

I initially thought it would be a typical fantasy story with a typical opening: encountering an unexpected event, receiving help from external forces like magical pets, accidentally resolving the incident, and then gradually becoming stronger, uncovering a larger world...

But now it seems that the difficulty of this first hurdle is not something a novice could easily overcome by accident.

"Duel!"

The two of them simultaneously began their opening sequence by imitating the style from the animation.

"By the way, can this thing really be materialized like in the anime?"

Gokou Ruri got the first move, picked up a monster card in her hand, and felt inexplicably excited.

For some card game veterans, being able to play such a game is worth the price of admission, even if it means dying.

When she watched the anime, she had imagined this day would come.

What I never expected was that this would actually happen, and that it would be such a terrifying, Dark Game.

Five minutes later.

"As expected, there's a difference between reality and fantasy..."

"I lost."

"Am I... not the main character?"

Sweating Gokou Ruri suddenly knelt on the ground, her cards scattered everywhere. The initial excitement of being able to summon monsters for battle was replaced by a pervasive sense of fear.

"As agreed, I will collect your Duelist's Soul!"

With vacant eyes, Sato Yugo stretched out his right hand, billowing black energy surging forth. Just as he was about to unleash his power to extract the girl's soul...

A flippant voice suddenly rang out in the hall, interrupting the process.

"Alright, it's my turn to play."

40 The strongest in modern times vs. the strongest in history (Yu-Gi-Oh!! players should not watch)

"Who are you? When did you get there?"

Sato Yugo's lifeless eyes seemed to reflect shock as well.

This is the 'Duelist's Domain' formed by its power; in other words, it is the master of this area. Although it is not at the level of a god, it can still control the entrance and exit.

Regardless of how the other party was able to enter, it still sensed the other party's presence after entering, which made it realize that the human in front of it was no ordinary person.

"You've been here for a while, but I saw you guys were playing cards, so I waited a bit... To be honest, I'd like to try it too."

Hasegawa Izumi said with a look of amusement.

Through his observations over this period, he has confirmed the true nature of 'Sato Yugo': a kind of rule-based anomaly formed from fragments of annihilated laws and the soul after death. Due to his obsession as a human, he has developed a special ability to materialize cards. However, due to its nature, this ability is also flawed, requiring the other party's consent to initiate a duel.

Such limited power was not of any concern to him, but he was very interested in the content of the field.

"Hasegawa, you, what are you doing here!?"

Gokou Ruri suddenly looked up, her expression one of surprise.

"We got impatient waiting for you to play here for so long, so I came over to check it out. I didn't expect you to be such a bad player, yet you dared to issue a challenge... It's good to be confident as a strong player, but not holding back your cards is still too clumsy."

Hasegawa Izumi, hands in her pockets, casually turned her head to the side and said.

'A trump card? Huh? There can be something like that!'

Gokou Ruri was stunned for a moment.

It's perfectly normal for ordinary people to feel powerless in the face of supernatural forces!

After the initial surprise, Sato Yugo's initial shock, which stemmed from his human nature, was quickly suppressed.

"I don't care what means you used to enter my domain, but my battle with her is over, and I will collect her soul as agreed."

His malice surged from his entire being as he continued the action he had just begun.

"I already said, it's my turn to play now, so... what you should be thinking about now is how to fight me, and whether you can win... although thinking about it is useless anyway."

In an instant, Hasegawa Izumi appeared in front of the girl, stretched out her right hand, and formed a semi-circular barrier of spiritual energy, repelling the surging black mist that could devour souls.

What?! There really are Ability User in this world!

Gokou Ruri almost cried out in horror, but her nearly despairing mood was suddenly revitalized.

"Oh? It seems you're special too."

Sato Yugo watched this scene and believed he had gleaned some insight into the other party's true nature.

With such abilities, it would indeed be difficult for him to overpower his opponent given the power he could control.

However, if we follow the rules of the game, then things might not be so simple!

"Based on what you just said, are you saying you also want to challenge me?"

His voice seemed to rise from the abyss.

"You seem to have misunderstood something. I need to clarify something... You are the challenger!"

Hasegawa Izumi smiled confidently and held up one finger.

"Arrogance will only bring you destruction. Do you think you're 'Mutou Yugi'? How dare you say such a thing? Let's see if your card skills match your stubbornness."

Sato Yugo's human anger was ignited in that instant, and negative emotions materialized into a dark aura that surged in all directions.

"Then I'll borrow the Duel Disk, Miss Kuroneko."

Without needing to say anything more, Hasegawa turned around and gestured, preparing to play cards.

"Oh."

Completely bewildered, Gokou Ruri took the Duel Disk from her hand.

"Wait, are you really going to play cards with that guy? I just suddenly remembered who he is. He's the modern-day Yu-Gi-Oh! -Gi-Oh!, a three-time world champion, undoubtedly the strongest!"

"You seem quite strong, and you even sneaked in undetected. Let's leave here first! We usually save our trump cards for desperate situations. The best strategy is to avoid getting ourselves into that kind of predicament, right?"

Suddenly, her expression changed, and she quickly tried to persuade him.

"Run away? There's absolutely no need. Didn't I tell you? I'm quite interested in playing cards, and this is a rare opportunity to try it out. Besides... if he's the 'strongest in modern times,' then I'm the 'strongest in history.'"

The smile on Hasegawa Izumi's face remained confident, unchanged.

Miss Kuroneko's idea was good, but she clearly misjudged the difference in strength between the two sides.

Perhaps this card player has reached an unparalleled level in his card-playing skills, but now... an enemy from outer space has appeared!

"Why."

Gokou Ruri sighed and stepped aside to watch the duel.

Although she didn't understand where Hasegawa got his confidence from, she could only place her hopes on him for now.

"Come on!"

She clenched her fist and silently offered her blessings.

"Duel!"

Both of them said that sentence in unison.

Hasegawa Izumi drew five cards from her deck and glanced at them.

"New Space Person: Dark Jaguar", "The Winged Dragon of Ra", "New Cosmic Expansion", "New Space Person: Water Dolphin", and "Swords of Revealing Light"... A perfect hand!

Before the duel began, the two sides had already decided the order of play by flipping a coin.

"I'm going in! My turn, draw!"

With a flick of his right hand, Sato Yugo removed a card from his deck, replenishing his hand to six cards.

"I will show you the 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' in my hand."

Sato Yugo's gaze was cold and piercing. He held the card between two fingers and extended it, presenting the front of the card to him.

"Oh? Is it coming?"

Hasegawa Izumi instantly realized what was going to happen next.

"Then, I Special Summon 'Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon' from my hand!"

Sato Yugo flicked his right hand in a very domineering gesture, which he clearly learned from a certain company president.

"Show yourself, Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon!"

With a whoosh, blue light burst forth from the ground, and a dragon-like creature with enormous wings flew out, its eyes displaying a unique cyan hue, its entire body covered in metallic scales that shimmered with a deep light.

"... I will Normal Summon another monster and set one card face down."

With that, his turn ended.

The summoned monsters usually appear from behind, giving them a mysterious appearance.

So, what card will it be?

"Summoning such a powerful monster right at the start, plus a face-down card, can Hasegawa handle it?"

Gokou Ruri's gaze sharpened, and she instantly felt worried for the people fighting.

"My turn, draw a card."

Hasegawa Izumi casually drew a card, and the card was -- "Super Electromagnetic Turtle".

He quickly made a plan in his mind, summoned the card face down, and then activated a spell card in his hand.

"I activate the Swords of Revealing Light."

A dazzling light appeared on the ceiling, and three ancient-looking lightsabers descended from the sky and landed on the opponent's field.

This card has two effects.

①: As part of the effect processing when this card is activated, if your opponent controls a face-down monster, all of those monsters are turned face-up.

②: As long as this card is in the Spell & Trap Zone, your opponent's monsters cannot declare an attack.

It was at this moment that the monster that Sato Yugo had set up on the back side revealed its true form—"The White Stone of Ancients"

It really was you!

"Round over."

He then immediately ended the round.

"Hmph, trying to block my attacks? Not so easy! My turn, draw a card!"