Yu-Gi-Oh!: This is the real duel!

"What nonsense are you spouting?!" Jonouchi's face darkened, and he also revealed his Duel Disk. "Honda, Kyoko, since this guy is after me, you two should go support Yugi first. I'll catch up with you soon!!"

“But…” Kyoko was about to say something when Jonouchi interrupted her.

"Enough, Kyoko." Jonouchi's gaze was equally icy. "From the first time I saw this guy, I felt he looked familiar. Perhaps he's hiding some secret. In this duel, I'll make him spill everything he knows!!"

"Hmph, now you're playing the hero?" Baron sneered, turning to look at the conflicted Kyoko and Honda. "You two troublemakers, why aren't you getting out of here? I've said it before, I have no interest in you. If you don't leave, you can stay here and die with me!!"

"Damn it!!" Honda exclaimed. "Kyoko, you stay here, I'm going to find some games!!"

"Then, you have to be careful!" With no better option at the moment, Kyoko and Honda had no choice but to make this decision.

Honda nodded, then nimbly vaulted over the boulder and ran toward the battlefield where Youche was.

Beside the dust-swirling, chilly cliff, Baron and Jonouchi simultaneously activated their Duel Disks, beginning their battle!

Chapter 234 The Duelist Tortured by Fate

"Whoosh————————————————"

On the cliff, gradually dyed red by the rising sun, Raphael, with a resolute gaze, suddenly drew cards from his deck and began his counterattack against Yugi. However, he did not draw one card from the Duel Disk, but two!

This is the effect of the Guardian's Treasure Card activated at the start of the duel by discarding five cards from his hand. During each draw phase after this card is activated, the duelist's normal draw count will become two.

"My turn!!" Rafael roared, proudly slamming down an Equip Card. "Activate Equip Spell Card—Gravity Axe!!"

"Gravity Axe effect activated, Special Summon—Guardian Grall!!!"

"roar----------------"

A flash of light appeared as a gigantic lizard emerged from the intense light emanating from the giant axe. Its incredibly muscular physique made it remarkably similar in size to the strong Rafiru.

【Guardian Grall】

【Five stars】

[Earth Attribute/Dinosaur Race]

[Attack/Defense: 2500/1000]

“Guardian Ragnar is a monster guided by the Gravity Axe,” Rafael said in a deep voice. “Due to the effect of the Backup Guardian, the equipment magic is transferred to Guardian Ragnar!”

"At this moment, Guardian Ragel's attack power increases by 500, eventually reaching 3000!!"

"Go!! Ragel!!"

"A decisive slash!!!"

"roar----------------"

The giant dinosaur-like beast wielding a heavy axe roared once more. A flash of cold light appeared, and amidst the sudden gust of wind and air currents, an unstoppable slash came crashing down, cleaving the King-like fusion monster—Chimera—into pieces!

A powerful impact hit him head-on, and Wang Yang's expression changed slightly. While enduring the waves of pain, he was secretly amazed.

"Chimera... was it defeated so easily...?"

"But thanks to the Chimera's effect, I can Special Summon Baphomet from the Graveyard!!"

"Hmph, what's wrong, game?" Rafael remained unmoved, calmly saying in a cold voice, "What you're doing won't do any damage to my Guardian deck."

"A Guardian deck?!" Wang Yang frowned.

“That’s right,” Rafiru said. “My monsters will risk their lives to protect me, and I will protect these monsters in return.”

"In the game, it's true that there's some kind of bond between you and your cards."

"However, even so, you absolutely cannot imagine the strong bond between me and my monster!!"

"Because it is the existence of these cards that allowed me to struggle out of the abyss of death!!"

Upon hearing Rafael's words, Yugi subconsciously looked at the cards in Rafael's hand. At that moment, he finally noticed that every card used by this duelist was damaged to a certain extent.

However, it was clearly not intentional due to a lack of care for the cards, because the backs of each card had been meticulously re-attached. If Raphiel were truly a duelist like Pandora, he would never have done something so unnecessary.

What exactly happened with those cards?

Wang Yang's doubts increased his wariness of Rafiru once again.

“Ever since I learned of your existence, the sea in my heart has been churning uncontrollably,” Rafael’s gaze grew increasingly solemn. “We were both cruelly erased by fate, so why are you the one who has survived until now…”

"Do you know why I chose this place as the location for our duel?"

“Pharaoh, it’s because this place looks like the place where I lived with the monsters.”

"This is practically a deserted island floating on land!!"

"A deserted island?" Wang Yang subconsciously took a half step back. As the light of dawn gradually spread across the world, he suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

Rafiru said slowly, "Many years ago, my family and I encountered a shipwreck while traveling on a cruise ship."

"In the midst of a fierce storm, everyone perished except me, who was washed ashore on a deserted island."

"It was so sudden, fate snatched everything away from me in an instant..."

As he spoke, Rafael raised the Duel Disk in his hand, his eyes becoming even more profound.

"In order to find my family again, I did my best to survive on that deserted island while I still had a glimmer of hope. During those three years of extremely lonely life, it was these cards in my hand that accompanied and protected me."

"For three years, I did not speak to anyone and was unable to communicate with anyone."

"If it weren't for these cards, I probably would have already broken down and become a complete madman."

"Gradually, these cards became my friends and my family."

"I will fight with everything I have to protect them, and they will do their best to respond and help me!"

"In the game, you and your cards are only connected through card spirits as a medium."

"However, I share a bond and affection with these cards that have no spirits residing within them, a bond that transcends all else!!"

Wang Yang's gaze turned icy: "Raphiel, since you cherish cards so much, why did you insist on joining Doma? You can't possibly not know that everything Doma has done is pushing this world and the cards into an abyss of death!!"

“Nameless Pharaoh,” Rafael retorted coldly, “you couldn’t possibly be unaware of the darkness in this world!”

"After struggling on a deserted island for many years, I finally miraculously returned to human society. As a child, all I saw were the graves of my family members, and all I heard were the greedy lies of my relatives and friends!"

"During that time living alone, I even felt that the ugly human world was not as safe as that deserted island!!"

"I wandered aimlessly, asking myself countless times, 'Did I strive to survive just to return to this kind of world?!'"

"Nameless Pharaoh, why has your soul been able to be resurrected after thousands of years?"

Why did my loved ones vanish completely in an instant? Why am I the only one left in this chaotic world?

You probably can't answer that at all, right?

As he spoke, two streams of tears filled with complex emotions rolled down Rafael's face, and even King Yoshihiro, who still knew nothing about his past life, clenched his fists.

Suddenly, Rafael wiped away his tears with a wave of his arm, pointed at Yoshihiro and shouted, "To know the answer to fate, you must accept it and see where you will eventually drift to!"

"You and I are both people who fight against fate."

"But our fate only allows one of us to stay!!"

"Come, nameless Pharaoh, I have no intention of disappearing, so I will use all my power to duel you!!"

Wang Yang drew a card from the deck and said in a similarly stern voice, "Me too, then let's decide our final fate through a duel!!"

"My turn!! Draw a card!!"

"Whoosh————————————————"

Cliffs, boulders.

With the powerful combat strength of its special deck, Baron completely dominated Jonouchi on the field.

At this moment, his health points are as high as 4000, while the city only has less than 2000 LP.

Kyoko, watching the battle from the sidelines, watched this scene with bated breath: "This guy is so strong... It's only been a few rounds, and Jonouchi is already on the verge of collapse..."

A verdant array of light descended from the sky, trapping the two inside. Only one person could survive within the six-pointed star-shaped Orichalcos barrier.

"Tsk... What to do... I feel completely outmatched..." Jonouchi, who had just taken a heavy blow, gasped for breath, looking at the cards in his hand, trying to find a way out of the predicament. "Wait... I remember that a draw could also end this weird Orichalcos barrier, maybe... there's still a chance..."

On the boulder, the arrogant Baron heard what Jonouchi said, and his expression instantly turned into one of utter hatred and rage: "As expected, you cowardly fellow, all you ever think about when it comes to the crucial moment is running away!"

“No way!” Kyoko argued for Jonouchi. “Jonouchi is not a duelist who backs down easily. From Duel Kingdom to Duel City and now, he has always faced everything bravely, and he will never give up even in the most desperate situations! Jonouchi, don’t let that guy influence you, you can definitely turn the tide!!”

"Hahahaha!" Upon hearing this, Baron couldn't help but let out a mocking laugh. He sneered at Jonouchi, whose face was grave, "It seems you've been quite good at disguising yourself all these years. Jonouchi, none of your companions have seen through your true nature."

"But it won't be long before they all find out."

"You, Jonouchi, are nothing but a coward!!"

"Shut up!!" Jonouchi, his face ashen, finally snapped. "You bastard, you've been pretending to know me from the start, but in the end, you know nothing! You understand nothing! You're just saying all this to distract me!!"

"Really, Jonouchi?" Baron's gaze was icy as he retorted, "Do you think I'm the one who doesn't understand you at all?"

Jōnei and Kyoko were slightly taken aback.

Baron narrowed his eyes, standing on the boulder and looking down with utter disdain, saying, "So many years have passed, and you've really forgotten everything from before!"

"Well, that's fine too. Now I have even more reason to kill you, you shameless bastard!!"

"Jonnori, open your dog eyes wide and see who I really am!!"

These words left both Jonouchi and Kyoko completely taken aback.

Looking up at the duelists under the faint morning light, the castle felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

From the first time he saw this guy, from the first time he heard his voice and name, he felt that he had met this person somewhere before, but no matter what he did, he could never remember.

Just when Jonouchi couldn't find any clues no matter how hard he tried to recall them, Baron coldly revealed his surname. Upon hearing those words, Jonouchi's eyes widened in astonishment.

“Wait, Tireford…” Jonouchi asked in astonishment, “You mean, your full name is Baron Tireford?!”

"What exactly happened? What's going on inside the castle?" Kyoko was completely bewildered.

Baron sneered and said, "So you finally remembered? Jōnei."

"Since your friend doesn't want to leave and insists on staying to help you, then let her hear what kind of person you really are!"

"Once people know what you've done, I doubt anyone will want to be friends with a coward like you anymore!"

Cheng Nei didn't speak. He just silently looked at Balong standing on the boulder. There was no anger or resentment in his eyes. On the contrary, his eyes were filled with a hint of guilt.

On the dusty cliff edge, the rising sun gradually shines its light, but the patches of dawn are also cut into fragments by the broken cliff rocks.