Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

Not only at the Duel Academy, but also in various places at home and abroad, countless eyes were watching the two duelists, while gambling operations were being carried out in secret.

"Kaiser Ryo and Ed Phoenix... I never expected that the two who made it to the finals would be people we know." Looking at the messages displayed on the screen, Yusei leaned back on the sofa and fell into deep thought.

After the last duel, Ed told them that she would be using her real deck in the next duel.

And through this opportunity, everyone was able to catch a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg of her true strength.

"Hmph! This kind of duel... could have been declared over before the match even started. The outcome was obvious. Even Jaden couldn't beat Edward, let alone Caesar."

With his arms crossed, Manjoume looked bored, as if he had known the outcome beforehand.

Anyway... Ed will also fall under the flames of the Electronic Terminator Dragon.

In any case, she could never be a match for the invincible Caesar.

Perhaps only a monster like Yusei, who doesn't play by the rules, could defeat Kaiser Ryo head-on.

"...Manjoume, have you forgotten? When you fought me, the deck that Edward used was just a hastily put-together deck, not her real deck... The strength she displayed was also not what we could have predicted..."

Recalling that inexplicable victory, Jaden Yuki frowned slightly: "After all, she clearly had such a huge advantage back then, but she talked about some kind of destiny guiding her, and then simply gave up the duel... What was she thinking? Could it be that the duel was just a form of entertainment for her?"

"...Ed Phoenix's real deck?"

Upon hearing Judai's words, Manjoume was taken aback. After realizing what he meant, Manjoume's brows furrowed in unison.

That silver-haired girl who hardly ever comes to the Duel Academy except for classes, and whose whereabouts are practically unpredictable—could it be that she was hiding her strength all along?

Why did she do that?

Could it be... that he wants to prove himself thoroughly on a big stage and gain more attention?

With her record of entering the professional league at such a young age, she certainly doesn't lack any so-called fame, right?

Is it really necessary to do such an unnecessary thing?

But if not for this reason, then what is it for?

Manjoume: "..."

Yuki Judai: "..."

Just as the two were looking at each other in silence, the television screen suddenly changed, switching from introductions of Edward and Caesar to the interior of the Seahorse Dome, where the duel was about to begin.

Just like the Duel Academy arena, this oval-shaped arena is filled with a huge number of seats for the audience, as well as VIP rooms for the rich and powerful to watch.

In the center of the ceiling, a large number of screens are also suspended to display battle images from various angles.

In this situation, no matter where you are in the venue, you can quickly see the real-time status of the duel arena and won't miss even the slightest bit of the players' brilliant performance.

"Well then, Kaiser Ryo... we look forward to your continued success. As you continue to win, our company's reputation as a sponsor will also rise accordingly."

Backstage at the venue, a company CEO dressed in a black suit patted Caesar on the shoulder and offered words of encouragement.

He was filled with confidence in the victory of Caesar and his group of young dark horses.

Therefore, he also invested a large amount of money in the gambling dens offstage beforehand.

Even if Caesar's opponent today is Ed Phoenix.

"Yes, I will try my best not to disappoint you." Caesar, still wearing the blue and white uniform of the Duel Academy and not much different since entering society, nodded and responded calmly.

Then, he waved his hand casually, turned around, left the room, and stepped onto the grand stage for the duel.

……

"I see it, your fate is sealed..."

Backstage, in a pure white room, the King of the West, who serves as Ed Phoenix's agent, pulls out a tarot card lying upside down on the table and begins to recount Ed's fate.

"It's a chariot, right? A chariot standing upright, which means... this duel will end with my victory, and a complete victory at that."

Before the King of the West could finish speaking, Edward spoke first, in a relaxed tone, revealing the King's inner thoughts.

After saying these words, a confident smile appeared on her lips.

"Oh? Edward... Could it be that you, like me, possess the power to foresee the future?" Raising an eyebrow, Saiou was quite curious about the girl's reaction behind him.

To be able to read his mind... it seems Edward has indeed grown during this time!

“No, Ou Sai.” With a slight flicker in his eyes, Edward spoke expressionlessly, “In the divination you performed for me, only the card of the [Chariot] appeared. In other words, all you could predict was my victory or defeat!”

King of the West: "..."

Edward: "Back when I was dueling with Jaden Yuki... you made me lose that duel on purpose, even though I could have won... Indeed, your prophecy has shown me the shortest path to becoming the strongest duelist, but I don't think that a duelist of Jaden Yuki's caliber could help me grow."

"To be honest... going to that so-called dueling academy is a complete waste of my time."

Playing with the ends of her loose hair, the silver-haired girl gazed disdainfully at the distant sky: "My goal is to completely dominate the professional league, stand at the top of the world... and thereby find the murderer who killed my father, and vent all the anger in my heart on him!"

"I……"

"Edward! Calm down!!!" Seeing the girl's face gradually turning into a raging inferno, Saiou quickly stopped her from saying what she was about to say: "The future I see will never be wrong... After you truly defeat Jaden Yuki, you will surely achieve the growth you desire."

“…Alright.” Ed pursed his lips, regaining his composure, and turned to walk towards the exit of the room: “After the battle with Caesar, I’ll go and resolve this remaining issue as soon as possible.”

……

"Oh!!! It's finally starting, the duel between Caesar Ryo and Ed Phoenix!"

Airships used for broadcasting streaked across the sky as spectators gradually entered and took their seats.

With the host's resounding voice, this highly anticipated battle of the century officially began.

On one side is the dark horse, Kaiser Ryo, who has never lost a match in ten games since his debut.

On the other side is Ed Phoenix, a young prodigy who made a name for herself at a young age with a brilliant record of thirty undefeated battles, and recently even entered the TOP10 of the Duel League.

Both of them are undeniably powerful.

Today, the true champion will be decided between the two of them, advancing to the next season's dueling tournament.

"You are... Ed Phoenix?"

Gazing at the silver-haired beauty across from him, dressed casually with delicate features and twin ponytails, Caesar, who had been standing with his arms crossed and an aloof expression, couldn't help but soften his expression slightly: "I've always wanted to have a real duel with you, one that goes all out, but unfortunately... I missed that opportunity at the Duel Academy."

Before this, Caesar's opponents were almost all men.

In the grand arena of professional dueling, a young and beautiful female duelist like Edward is almost unheard of, unseen, and unimaginable.

Therefore, when suddenly faced with such an opponent, even someone as powerful as Caesar couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

"Phew... Please have mercy, senior~"

Still sporting that relaxed, obedient expression, Edward put his deck into the Duel Disk and a happy smile immediately appeared on his face.

Facing Caesar, she felt the powerful aura emanating from him.

However... there wasn't even the slightest hint of tension on her face.

That relaxed and cheerful attitude made it seem as if he had already foreseen his victory, full of composure, which made people feel a little angry.

Of course... since the person displaying this attitude was a rather striking young girl, not some rough old man, this negative feeling was quickly dissipated.

Instead of evoking any negative feelings towards her, it further highlighted her personal charm.

"Then, without further ado, let's begin our duel."

"Ah! That's exactly what I was thinking."

"DUEL!" ×2

With shouts emanating from both sides simultaneously, the duel between Edward and Caesar officially began.

The audience, witnessing this scene, erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

(Ed Phoenix LP: 4000)

(Caesar Light LP: 4000)

"My turn, draw a card!"

Edward, who took the initiative, drew a new card from the top of the deck.

Watching her movements, everyone couldn't help but wonder what kind of monster she would summon.

"This is the guy I need to summon!"

With a smile, Edward flipped the card in his hand over and pointed it at Caesar: "Come on! Winged Warrior (Attack Power: 1000)!"

Caesar: "What...?!"

Everyone: "It's... Winged Knight? Could it be that Edward's deck... is also a Hero deck?!"

The green-furred winged warrior, responding to Edward's call, flapped his wings and came to her side.

However, the winged warrior summoned by Edward was somewhat different from the one summoned by Jaden Yuki.

As if draped in a dark coat, his appearance was dark green.

"Ed... your deck, could it be a Hero deck?!"

Caesar Liang's eyes widened slightly as he lowered his arms, a clear look of surprise on his face.

“That’s right, my deck… is the same hero deck as Jaden Yuki.” Edward gave an affirmative answer to Caesar’s question.

After observing the surprised looks around her, she drew two new cards and inserted them into the back row of the Duel Disk: "Two cards are buried. End of turn."

"Oh my god! I never imagined that Ed Phoenix's ultimate weapon, which has been hidden until now, is actually a Hero Deck!" Even the host, who was used to big events, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise when he saw the monster that Ed summoned.

You know... Caesar's deck is the Cyber ​​Dragon deck, known for its explosive power!

Thanks to the synergy with his deck, he can almost always summon the [Cyber ​​Dragon], which has doubled its attack power to 8000 and has the ability to penetrate defense.

Edward simply attacked, indicating that he was summoning a Winged Warrior with an attack power of 1000, without performing any fusion summoning or other similar operations.

Could it be that she's already giving up?

Or... does she have some special plans?

"Hehe... I never expected such a strange thing to happen." Looking at the hero monsters summoned by Edward, Caesar Liang's lips couldn't help but curl up slightly.

At this moment, he couldn't help but recall the events that had happened at the Duel Academy, and the various entanglements between him and those two hero envoys.