Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

"..."

One side shouted the start of the duel, while the other remained silent.

An invisible pressure began to spread around the two of them.

(Asuka LP: 4000)

(Mysterious Man LP: 4000)

"..."

The mysterious figure, who had hidden two cards in his back row without saying a word, waved to signal the end of his turn.

Next, it was Asuka's turn.

"...Two face-down cards? You're not planning to summon any monsters?" Asuka stared intently at the mysterious man's endgame, a look of doubt on her face. After a moment's thought, she drew a new card from her deck: "My turn, draw."

"I Normal Summon 'The Sorceress of the Proclaimer' from my hand in Attack Position and activate her effect to send 'Old God Nutz' from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard..."

The priestess with braided pigtails appeared before Asuka with her eyes closed, accompanied by iridescent light.

She gently raised her arms in a prayer gesture.

After that, the phantom of an ancient god, holding a spear and a great shield, appeared behind her.

"If [Old God Nutz] is sent to the Graveyard, you can activate her effect by targeting one card on the field and destroying it directly."

Asuka, with a slight smile, sent the [Old God Nutz] to the graveyard.

Then she patiently waited for the effects of the Old Gods to activate.

"...?"

However, to her surprise, the [Old God Nutz] placed in the graveyard was automatically ejected, and the Duel Disk emitted a warning sound, seemingly reminding her that her actions did not comply with the rules of the duel.

And naturally, the effect of [Old God Nutz] was not successfully activated.

"What's going on... Why can't my monster be sent to the graveyard?"

With these questions in mind, Asuka turned her gaze back to the mysterious person.

Then, she saw a monster wrapped in bandages suddenly appear in front of the mysterious man, and the hidden card that had been opened at some unknown time—[Great Universe]!!!

That card has the effect of locking down the graveyard; it's an extremely powerful trap card specifically designed to counter mainstream decks!

-

【Big Universe】

(Continuous Trap Card)

effect:

①: As part of the effect processing when this card is activated, you can Special Summon 1 "Primal Sun Helios" from your hand or Deck.

②: As long as this card is in the Spell & Trap Zone, cards sent to the Graveyard are banished.

-

"Cards sent to the graveyard... will be banished immediately?!"

Asuka's eyes widened as she carefully examined the text description on the card.

No wonder... my Duel Disk issued that warning.

It turns out that his own grave had long been sealed off by the vast universe...

"In that case, even the [Dragon's Radiance] deck can't expand anymore..." Looking at her hand, Asuka, who was stuck because of the card [Cosmos], couldn't help but sigh in frustration.

The mysterious figure opposite her, as if mocking her futile efforts, stretched out his arm again and opened another card in the back row—[Thousand Checks, Ten Thousand Differences]!

-

[Check carefully and distinguish]

(Continuous Trap Card)

effect:

While this card is in the Spell & Trap Zone, each player can only have 1 face-up monster of the same type on their field.

If both players control two or more monsters of the same type, they must send them to the Graveyard until only one monster of the same type remains.

-

Asuka! : "...!!!"

The vast universe, coupled with countless other factors, directly blocked any possibility of Asuka's development.

The mysterious person who used the newspaper group has directly started a pathetic, despicable act of giving up!

In this way, even if Asuka is willing to consume a lot of resources, she will no longer be able to summon two monsters of the same type from her Special Summon hand at the same time to stack them together.

Asuka: "Oh no, if this happens..."

Looking at the situation on the field, Asuka, who was on the defensive, couldn't help but feel a sense of panic.

As she gazed at the mysterious figure shrouded in darkness opposite her, her brows furrowed involuntarily.

Mysterious man: "..."

Seeing that his tactics had dealt a devastating blow to Asuka, the mysterious man's face, hidden beneath his mask, began to distort.

Although no sound was made, one could imagine that the mysterious man's face was filled with immense pride...

……

...

The outcome of the ensuing duel was already obvious.

Without any of the various "winds", Asuka's trump card, the Declarer + Takumi Ryuki, fell to the invincible universe!

It was impossible to proceed, nor could it effectively interfere with or harm the mysterious figure.

After her last bit of health was depleted by the mysterious figure, Asuka, with a look of resentment on her face, could only collapse sadly onto the ground in front of her, filled with immense regret...

As she fell, the key to the Seven Star Gate also disappeared from her neck and appeared in the mysterious man's palm.

The cards that were originally placed in the Duel Disk scattered all over Asuka's body like a shower of flowers.

"..."

Looking at the rare cards scattered all over the ground, the mysterious man made no further moves.

Instead of picking up the card from the ground and keeping it for himself, he took out a thick, emerald-green book with an eye pattern on the cover from his pocket, opened the cover, and pointed it at Asuka.

Then, Asuka, enveloped in a golden light emanating from the book, was sucked into the book and disappeared without a trace.

After doing all this, the mysterious man put the book away again, then turned around without hesitation and strode into the depths of the forest...

Only the cards still scattered on the ground testify to the fierce duel that once took place here...

……

Night falls.

On the other side of the forest, at the temporary resting place for Yusei and his group.

The group of people sitting around the fire began to think about their next steps.

Yusei: "...I haven't found anything unusual on my end, nor have I seen any suspicious people."

Jaden Yuki: "So... you didn't find anything useful, is that it?"

Marufuji Sho: "Well... this is just the beginning, bro!"

"Now that I think about it... Master Daitokuji was really a very free-spirited person."

Looking up at the pitch-black night sky, Judai Yuki, hearing his younger brother's comforting words, couldn't help but show a look of reminiscence on his face: "Me, Yusei, Sho, Hayato, Manjoume... In this past year or so, everyone has received more or less the care of Master Daitokuji..."

"Tenth generation..."

“I always feel that… without Daitokuji-sensei’s Osiris Red, it’s not Osiris Red at all.”

Reflecting on his past memories, Jaden Yuki's face revealed unwavering determination: "Therefore, no matter what, I want to confront him and ask him directly about the truth behind all of this... If he really is..."

Meow~~~~!

Just as Jaden Yuki was expressing his feelings, a familiar meow suddenly echoed through the silent forest.

"Hmm? That voice is... the Pharaoh?!"

"Really? If we find the Pharaoh... then we can follow the clues to find Master Daitokuji, right?"

"...Ughhhh!!! What are we waiting for? Let's get going!"

Upon hearing the sudden meow, everyone who had come to their senses stood up in unison, took out the flashlights they had prepared beforehand, and began to scan the surrounding scene.

"Hey! Pharaoh!"

"Where are you~~~ Fat Cat?"

"Moshi moshi~~~ We have delicious dried fish here! Want some?"

"...Pharaoh!"

The sound seemed to be coming from all directions.

Seeing this, the team leader, Manjoume, immediately suggested, "How about this, we divide the work and search for that fat cat in different directions!"

Pointing in a certain direction, Manjoume continued, "I'll go over there, and then you guys go find the other locations."

“Hmm, I think that’s a good idea.” Nodding at Manjou’s suggestion, Yusei added, “...If we discover any trace of the Pharaoh, don’t rush to alert him. Gather here, or send a message via mobile phone.”

The fat cat named "Pharaoh" has an agility that is disproportionate to its size.

Upon thinking about this, Yusei uttered these words.

Instead of catching it directly, we followed behind it and traced its owner's trail.

"Then let's go!"

Clenching his fist tightly, Jaden Yuki, having finally found a clue, revealed an impatient expression on his face: "We'll find Master Daitokuji soon... soon!"