Want to play cards? I'll use my King's Deck!

Unlike ordinary ritual spells, "Sprout of the Super Warrior" has one advantage: it can not only use monsters from the deck as materials, but also perform ritual summons on ritual monsters in the graveyard.

Four white stars and four black stars flew out from Yuki's hand and deck, colliding in pairs in mid-air to create a chaotic field.

Then a dazzling blade of light flashed, cleaving the entire field in two, and the strongest warrior who had created the world stood there quietly.

Unlike its "Super Warrior" form, the "Legendary Gladiator" reverts to its original golden armor, but instead of the shield it always carries, it wields only a sharp blade that accompanies it. The aura emanating from it isn't particularly strong, yet its presence is impossible to ignore.

"The legendary gladiator?"

"This is the real trump card that can turn the tide, Captain Yanxiao. Enter battle phase!"

Yuki waved forward and shouted, "I'll attack 'Volcano Deer Bullet' with 'Legendary Gladiator'!"

"Attack the 'Volcano Deer Bomb'? Are you sure you're not mistaken, Yuki?"

Yan Xiao wondered if he had misheard You Xi's declaration: "Entering the 'Volcanic Deer Bullet' into the tomb will give you 500 points of effect damage."

Given You Xi's life points, he should never have done something so suicidal.

"Will not."

You Xi would never commit such a suicidal act.

He dared to do this because he had something to rely on. That reliance came from his trump card.

"One of the effects of 'Legendary Gladiator' is that as long as this card is in the Monster Zone, your opponent cannot activate any card effects during your Battle Phase."

"What?!" Yan Xiao's face showed undisguised surprise. "It has this kind of effect?!"

This way, there's no need to worry about the threat of "Volcanic Deer Bullet". His trap card "Flame King's Knot" that could summon a bunch of "Flame King" monsters has also been sealed, and even his hidden trump card "Volcanic Counter Beast" has no use.

"Furthermore! When this card, which uses a Normal Monster as Ritual Material, destroys an opponent's monster with an attack, all cards on the opponent's field are returned to the Deck! [Reverse Light Chaos Sword]!"

The legendary swordsman gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, placing it horizontally at his waist, and then...

A light appeared before my eyes.

The extreme blade light ripped through the atmosphere, ignoring the barriers of space, instantly shredding "Volcanic Deer Bullet" into fragments. Then, the torn space released a terrifying suction force, devouring all the cards on the Flame Sky Field.

But Yuki's attack was not over yet.

"The 'Chaos Warrior,' created using the 'Knight of the Frontier' as ritual material, can only launch another attack once per battle after destroying a monster. Go straight for Captain Flamelight, 'Legendary Gladiator'!"

"Ahhh!"

[Yanxiao LP: 7000→4000]

Having just cleared the area with a single strike, he turned and swung back, the next blade slicing through Yan Xiao's body, inflicting massive damage.

"Then, the 'Super Magus - Black Magician and Apprentice' launched a direct attack!"

The black magician master and his apprentice, who had been eager to try since earlier, crossed their staffs and fired a magic missile forward.

Yan Xiao, whose hands and feet were bound by the "legendary swordsman," was naturally unable to withstand this attack.

"However, that's still not enough, Yuki!"

Yan Xiao wiped his mouth with his finger, facing the approaching magic missile, his eyes still burning with the desire for victory.

"You can only reduce my health to about the minimum, you still can't defeat me!"

So what if they've been cleared out? As long as he's alive, these losses can be made up for immediately. There's still a fight to be had!

"Not necessarily."

Yu Xi put her last card into the Duel Disk, and the materialized emerald green card revealed the final answer to Yan Xiao's duel.

A sword appeared in the hands of the "black magician and his apprentice".

This is the first card that "Isolde" sent to the graveyard, and it will determine the final victory in the duel.

"Quick-Attack Spell: 'Armored Regeneration'! Equip the 'Sword in the Stone' from the graveyard to the 'Dark Magician and Apprentice,' doubling their attack power."

"Super Archmage - Dark Magician Master and Apprentice, ATK: 2800→5600"

"That's it, [Black Burst Destruction Magic]!"

"Ah ah ah ah ah!!"

[Yanxiao LP: 4000→0]

Hit by the magic missile that instantly grew to more than twice its size, Yan Xiao was engulfed in the flames of the explosion.

——WINNER: Yu Xi.

Chapter 256: The Duel for Yu Xi?

"Yay! Yuki won!"

Seeing the "Black Magician and His Apprentice," whose power was doubled by the "Sword in the Stone," blast Yan Xiao away with a single blow, causing him to be engulfed by the flames of the explosion, the bunny-eared loli couldn't help but cheer loudly.

Her excited voice was drowned out by the host and the roar of the 100,000 audience members, like a splash of water in the ocean, nothing particularly remarkable. But it was still clearly audible in the VIP preparation room reserved for Xingfeng Academy.

"I knew it, Yuki wouldn't lose to that guy from Feng Huo. Things turned out just as I thought."

"Yes, yes, congratulations, Makoto."

Wendy, who had been defeated by Yuki earlier, stared at her teammate. If someone who didn't know the inside story heard Kaiba Mashiro's words, they would think that Kaiba Mashiro was one of Yuki's team members.

However, she and Saki knew perfectly well why Kaiba Mashiro was so happy: "In this way, Yuuki has advanced to the finals first, and now it's your turn."

"You're right!"

Kaiba Mashiro hugged him with her slender white arms, her eyes full of anticipation; "As long as I replicate Yuki's experience in Group B, I can play cards with him in the finals!"

The bunny-eared loli seems to already envision herself and Yuki burning with the spirit of duelists in the finals, but whether they will succeed is not on her mind.

What a joke! She's Kaiba Mashiro! One of the most outstanding geniuses in the history of Star Peak Duel Academy. Her loss to that guy Makoto last time was purely accidental. Now that she has undergone a complete evolution, she won't lose to anyone.

Seahorse True White has this confidence, and it also has the support to back it up.

On the other side, Kiyosumi's team had a similar reaction after Yuki won.

"Great! Xiaoxi has advanced to the finals, Xiaoxue. Now it's your turn."

"Yes, I will do my best to win the game."

Izayoi Yuki nodded earnestly to Hoshinobu, making her promise.

To be honest, Izayoi Yuki never imagined that Kiyosumi's team would get to where they are today.

Although her goal was to win the Star Cup, she knew it wouldn't be easy. In fact, Izayoi Yuki had already mentally prepared herself to spend her entire high school years working hard for it.

Who would have thought that, on their very first participation, they would not only encounter the terrifying attack of the "Doomsday Bell," but also actually make it to the finals.

All of this is because I have two great teammates.

Meeting Youxi and Xingyewu must have used up all the good luck in my life.

Izayoi Yuki thought to herself, then her eyes hardened.

—In that case, if possible, she should certainly try to do things to the best of her ability.

And what could be better? It would be if she also successfully advanced from Group B and met Yu Xi in the finals. With the Qingcheng team taking the championship and runner-up spots, what could be more perfect than that? You know, even the Xingfeng team in the past rarely managed to sweep the top three positions.

After welcoming back the victorious Yu Xi, the Group B matches began in the afternoon after a halftime break.

In the first battle, Izayoi Yuki had a relatively easy time, facing ordinary members of Team Hyoyo. She used a "Cactus Closer" card, which restricts Special Summoning, to suppress the entire field, and then used other beta cards to completely defeat them.

The battle between Mashiro Kaiba and Ranpo Jonouchi was more violent.

Perhaps it's because "Blue-Eyes" and "Red-Eyes" are inherently incompatible. As Ranpo Jounouchi's "Red-Eyes" monsters appeared one after another, Mashiro Kaiba also summoned his own "Blue-Eyes" monsters one by one.

This is also the first time that the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" has been used by the Seahorse Mashiro in the public eye.

Since the real duelist was killed, most of the Rhea cards he stole from various powerful duelists have been returned to their rightful owners. With the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" back, Mashiro Kaiba no longer needs to use "Blue-Eyes Alternate White Dragon" as a substitute and can finally unleash the full power of the "Blue-Eyes" deck.

Like many members of the Kaiba family in the past, Mashiro Kaiba possesses exceptional talent and near-perfect synergy in the "Blue-Eyes" deck. This makes everyone vaguely recall that the symbol of the Kaiba family is indeed the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon," and nothing else.

Five years later, the dragon with the azure eyes has finally returned to its loyal Starsword City.

then--

"It's over! When 'True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon' is in the Extra Deck, it can attack 3 times during one Battle Phase: 'True Ultimate Blast - Triple Strike'!"

"Ah ah ah ah ah!"

【Jouchi Ranpo LP: 3600 → 0】

Not even lasting a third attack, under the bombardment of the three-headed silver dragon's beam cannon, Jonouchi Ranpo's ace, "Dark Demon Dragon," died in less than a second. Then, the torrent of light engulfed Jonouchi Ranpo, instantly reducing his still relatively healthy base score to zero.

At this point, both Fenghuo and Bingyang, two long-established powerhouses, can be considered to have been eliminated.

"No way, I actually lost!"

Ranpo Jounouchi was somewhat unable to accept this result. He slammed his fist on the floor in frustration, almost biting his lip until it bled.

After preparing and working so hard for this moment, how can anyone accept being a complete loser?

"Hmph! You don't need to blame yourself too much. In fact, you have already tried your best. It's just that I am stronger."

With her bunny-ear scarf swaying on her head, Kaiba Mashiro, who had just won a resounding victory, was beaming with pride. Hands on her hips, she said to her defeated opponent, "In short, with your current strength, it's too early for you to think you can beat me. Go back and train for another two years."

"hateful!"

Ranpo Jounouchi was very unhappy with Mashiro Kaiba's attitude; he hadn't liked this bunny-eared loli from the beginning.

He really wanted to say something harsh, like, "It's no big deal if you beat me, but Xingfeng's championship this year isn't that secure," but in the end, those words just lingered in his throat and he didn't say them.

Regardless, he's the one who lost. Saying such harsh words now just feels a bit low and meaningless.

Dejected, Jounouchi Ranpo walked back to the Fiery Restroom after leaving the dueling arena.

Upon returning, he saw Yan Xiao waiting there, along with a group of his fellow members from the Beacon Fire Team.

"I'm sorry, Captain. I lost."

Ranpo Jounouchi lowered his head in shame. He was supposed to shoulder the responsibility of the rise of the Beacon Team, but he lost in the very first duel.

As he lowered his head, a warm, large hand was placed on his head and rubbed it roughly.

"team leader……"

"I thought you were going to say something else, but it's just this little thing."