Chapter 372
The screen was showing scenes of Placido's hometown in the past. "This is my village, my hometown! But Godwin wanted to resurrect the Red Dragon, so he used my village as experimental subjects, and in the end, my village was..."
Before he could finish speaking, a white light suddenly rose from the village, and the entire village was instantly blasted into a huge crater.
"Red Dragon..." Upon seeing this, Yusei frowned slightly and subconsciously looked at his right arm.
However, the dragon seal conveyed the Red Dragon's thoughts, indicating that it was not He who did it.
Placido's speech continued, "The entire village has disappeared, and my younger brother and sister are among them... Yusei, Jack, don't trust him, you can't hand the Red Dragon over to Godwin!"
"I want to end things with him myself, for the sake of my friends back home, for the sake of my beloved younger siblings, and so that this tragedy will never be repeated!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than, before Yusei could react, Placido mounted the tractor again and started it up, accelerating wildly on the track until it crashed off the track and flew towards the tower.
"Placido!!"
Boom--!!!
With a deafening roar, Placido's D-Wheel crashed into Godwin, who was watching from the tower.
Once the dust settled, a large section of the French windows was shattered, revealing a tractor inside and... Godwin and Placido being held captive by Godwin!?
It seems that in that split second, Godwin dodged the impact of the D-Wheel and also subdued a strong man like Placido. Clearly, Godwin's skills are extraordinary.
"Godwin, you bastard!!"
Placido roared, but unfortunately he couldn't break free of his restraints and was eventually taken away by the arriving police.
"Everyone in the meeting room, please rest assured. As the head of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, it is my responsibility to protect you all. No matter what happens, I will protect you, even if it costs me my life."
After Godwin made a few sanctimonious remarks, the hall erupted in enthusiastic cheers. Clearly, most people didn't think critically and simply dismissed Placido's ramblings.
However, through this incident, Yusei also realized how much power Godwin wielded here. If he wanted to rescue Larry and the others, he still needed to continue participating in the competition, and...
'Is Godwin's goal the Red Dragon? No wonder he resorted to any means to coerce me into participating in the competition...'
Yusei narrowed his eyes, looking at the composed Godwin atop the tower, trying to guess what the man's purpose was.
Seemingly noticing their gaze, Godwin turned and looked down at Yusei. 'Dragon Head... I didn't expect my brother's Dragon Mark to change. The Dragon Head has been given to Yusei Fudo... But it doesn't matter, the final victor will surely be me.'
Time flies. In the second semi-final, Aki Izayoi faced off against Mob. Aki easily advanced to the final, although the process was rather gruesome (referring to her opponent).
In the previous two matches, she revealed her identity as a witch, using mental duels to utterly defeat her opponents.
"YEAH~! The finals are finally here~! The future of this final is to gain the right to challenge the King~! Who will win the opportunity to meet the great King and achieve an upset victory~?"
"The first challenger, the Black Rose Witch, Aki Izayoi ~! And, the meteor from the Satellite District, Yusei Fudo ~!"
As soon as the Spiky-haired Host finished speaking, a large amount of dry ice was sprayed onto the stage, and two figures appeared one after the other.
Ryuuga: "Yusei, do your best!!"
Ryuusei: "Watch out for that person, Yusei!"
In contrast to the cheers and support for Yusei, Aki's side was filled with malicious boos and jeers.
"Let's teach that witch a lesson!"
"Take her down!"
"Beat her!"
"..."
However, unlike the audience's malice, Yusei did not follow the crowd. He simply stared at the woman in front of him without saying a word.
Qiu looked at him with a complicated expression and said softly, "I don't want to hurt you. Just admit defeat."
Yusei refused, saying, "I must rescue my comrades, so I will not admit defeat."
"A comrade? I understand, but I will not give up this duel so easily."
Qiu understood, so she tried her best to suppress her power, which could easily spiral out of control.
Soon, the two finally began their duel after the host's pronouncement.
Chapter Twenty-Three: I was exhausted from visiting the mountain yesterday! (;??д`)ゞ
"Duel!!" ×2
[Yusei Fudo: LP4000]
[Aki Izayoi: LP4000]
"My turn, draw a card!"
[Aki Izayoi's hand cards: 5→6]
After gaining the first move, Qiu quickly played a card. "I summon [Knight of the Night Rose] from my hand."
As she slammed the card onto the Duel Disk, a diminutive knight covered in black armor appeared.
"When this card is successfully summoned, you can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Plant-Type monster from your hand."
Just then, Yusei decisively revealed a card from his hand and shouted, "At this very moment, I activate the monster effect of [Effect Veiler] from my hand!"
"This effect can be activated by sending this card from your hand to the Graveyard. Each time your opponent Special Summons a monster this turn, you draw one card from your Deck. This effect can also be activated during your opponent's turn."
"What did you say?!"
Effect Veiler, commonly known as interrupted G.
To launch a successful offensive strategy, one must accept the risk of the opponent drawing a large number of cards; otherwise, one should minimize the number of Special Summons to create a compromise field, thereby indirectly disrupting the original strategy.
"Then I Special Summon [Large Rose Reopening] from my hand."
Immediately, a plant with three red roses was projected onto the screen, and three eyes appeared to open from the stamens of its flowers.
At the same time, due to the successful Special Summon of Monster Seven, Yusei replenishes his hand with five cards. 4ˉ≡=-
Qiu's Plant-type deck has poor combo potential, so minimizing combos is the right approach. Therefore, her actions for this turn should stop here. "Set one more card, end of turn."
[Aki Izayoi's hand cards: 6 → 3]
"My turn!"
[Yusei Fudo's hand: 5 → 6]
Yusei glanced at his hand and, without hesitation, threw out a monster card. "I summon [Junk Synchron] from my hand, and then, due to [Junk Synchron]'s effect, Special Summon all Level 2 or lower monsters in my Graveyard in Defense Position, including Level 2 [Effect Veiler]."
As the Junk Synchron was summoned, a burst of light immediately rose from the side, and a shadow instantly appeared, within which several pairs of eyes shone.
"Then, if you control a monster and have no monsters in your Graveyard, Special Summon [Mirror Moth] from your hand. The Level of [Mirror Moth] Special Summoned by this effect becomes the sum of the Levels of all your other monsters."
As soon as Yusei finished speaking, a ladybug with mirrored elytra appeared, and five stars appeared on its mirrored surface.
"Ooo~! Yusei Fudo summoned three monsters in an instant, about to begin his signature Synchro Summon!"
"I will activate the Continuous Spell [Synchro Chase] again..."
[Yusei Fudo's hand: 6 → 3]
After a Spell Card appeared beside him, he raised his voice and shouted, "I'm using a Level 5 [Mirror Moth] to level up a Level 3 [Junk Synchron]!"
Ryuuga: "Great! It's a level 8 Synchro Summon!"
Ryuusei: "Yusei's ace monster is coming!"
"May our gathered prayers become the shining stars of new life, and the path that shines brightly!"
"Synchro Summon! Fly, [Stardust Dragon]!!"
In an instant, dazzling, synchronized light rose, and a silver-white dragon enveloped in starlight broke through the light and descended onto the field in front of the Yusei.
'Roar--!!'
[Stardust Dragon: Attack Power 2500]
"Nangduo! This is the first time I've ever seen a dragon like this, with such a noble bearing!"
Upon seeing the dragon, Qiu's eyes widened slightly. 'This is a dragon from that era?!'
While she was still in surprise, Yusei continued his actions, "At this moment, the effect of the Continuous Spell [Synchro Chase] activates. If I Synchro Summon a [Warrior], [Synchron], or [Stardust] Synchro Monster, one of the materials from that Synchro Summon is Special Summoned to my field in Defense Position, and [Junk Synchron] from my Graveyard is Special Summoned."
After the Junk Synchron is revived, Yusei continues to synchronize, "I'll use a Level 2 [Effect Veiler] to synchronize with the Level 3 [Junk Synchron]!"
"Let the gathered stars awaken new life and become a shining path!"
"Synchro Summon! Appear, [Junk Warrior]!"
The next moment, the light of synchronization rose again, and the Split Warrior instantly passed through the light and landed in front of Yusei.
'Drink--!'
[Junk Warrior: Attack Power 2300]
Upon seeing Yusei summon two Synchro Monsters in succession, most of the audience immediately cheered.
'Ohhhhhh!!!'×N
"Very good, Yusei Fudo!"
"Let's defeat the witch in one fell swoop!"
"May this witch who only knows how to destroy disappear!"
"Defeat the witch!"
"..."
Yusei frowned slightly; the audience's reaction was displeasing.
Faced with the audience's insults and fear, Qiu lowered her head and clenched her fists, seemingly recalling many unpleasant memories, "I am a witch, a terrible woman who inflicts pain and finds pleasure in it..."
"Where are you looking, Aki Izayoi!"
Hearing Yusei's voice from the other side, Aki suddenly looked up. "What?"
"The duel is still ongoing, so don't focus on anything else. It has nothing to do with whether you're a witch or not; you're a duelist. If you're a duelist, then fight me seriously and don't think about anything outside of the duel."
"The battle has begun!"
"Yusei ..." Yusei's words disrupted Aki's thoughts, but quickly calmed her down. "I understand, as you wish... Activate the Trap Card [Emergency Tune]. This card can Synchro Summon as a Synchro Monster during the Battle Phase."
"I'll have the level four [Large Rose Reopening] adjust the star level of the level three [Knight of the Night Rose]!"
"The icy flames will engulf everything in the world. Black flowers, bloom!"
"Synchro Summon! Come forth, [Black Rose Dragon]!"
The next moment, a storm arose, and countless petals drifted in the wind. A giant dragon covered in red rose petals emerged from the light.
'Roar--!!'
[Black Rose Dragon: Attack Power 2400]
The moment the Black Rose Dragon appeared, the dragon marks on Yusei and Aki's right arms lit up simultaneously.
Yusei & Aki: "Uh..."
Qiu pressed her right wrist, suppressing the agitation emanating from the dragon seal, and shouted, "[Black Rose Dragon]'s effect: When Synchro Summon successfully, destroy all cards on the field! Black Rose Trick!"
In an instant, another storm arose, rapidly spreading from the Black Rose Dragon to the entire arena.
Yusei glanced back at the twins behind him and quickly shouted, "[Stardust Dragon]'s effect activated! By releasing [Stardust Dragon], negate the effects of cards on the field and destroy them! Sanctuary of the Sacrificed!"
Chapter Twenty-Four: Conquering the Witch
"Go, Stardust Dragon!"
Immediately, Stardust Dragon roared and flew off the Yusei, charging straight at Black Rose Dragon and giving it a loving hug.
The storm stopped the next second, and under the gentle power of the Stardust Dragon, the two dragons turned into specks of light and slowly disappeared from the field.
'The pain brought by the seal has disappeared. What a gentle power! That dragon is like Yusei...' Qiu thought, pressing his right wrist.
At this moment, seeing the arena completely empty, Yusei decisively swung his arm. "Battle begins! [Junk Warrior] attacks the player directly, Scrap Fist!"
With his command, the propulsion device on the back of the split warrior spewed flames, instantly sprinting forward and throwing a punch that slammed into the ground in front of Qiu.
Boom--!!!
"Uh...!"
[Aki Izayoi: LP4000→1700]
"Ooh! Yusei Fudo has dealt massive damage in an instant!"