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

"My turn! Draw a card!"

"Activate the Spell Card - Pot of Greed!!"

"Using this card's effect, I draw two cards from my deck!!"

The addition of new cards to the hand brought a glimmer of hope to Jonouchi: two spell cards—Hurricane and Premature Burial.

Premature Burial is an Equip card that can revive a monster from the Graveyard and equip it to the Graveyard, while Hurricane's effect returns all Spell & Trap cards on the field to the hand.

The opponent's Ancient Gold Dragon can only have the ability to revive infinitely by relying on the Field Spell Card - Ancient Capital!

If we remove the Ancient Capital from the field and destroy the Ancient Gold Dragon, then this demanding monster will never have another chance to appear!

At the same time, a hint of hesitation flashed in the eyes of the man inside the castle.

but……

The effect of a hurricane will also return your own spell traps to your hand...

If you don't handle the order of the cards properly, something really bad could happen!

From the moment he began to enjoy the duel, Jonouchi's mood seemed to change as well.

This was the first time he had looked at these cards, which had been with him for so long, with such seriousness and appreciation. Suddenly, the description on one of the cards caught his attention.

The gazes of those inside the castle instantly lit up, and they belatedly slapped their foreheads in astonishment, exclaiming, "So, that's how it is?!"

"The stereotypes surrounding similar cards have always made me think that this card has those kinds of side effects, but actually, this card doesn't?!"

Suddenly realizing something, Jonouchi seemed to have seized a winning opportunity. He smiled sincerely and said to the rock mask opposite him:

"Masked bastard... no, Rock Mask!"

"Thank you. Your enjoyment of dueling and your appreciation for cards have also made me experience some things that are different from before..."

"I used to fight with all sorts of missions on my shoulders, but this time, I'm truly enjoying the game, putting all my effort into devising tactics and analyzing the cards!!"

"I haven't felt this way in a long time. The last time I had this feeling was when I first started learning to duel!!"

"I'm so happy... I almost forgot how this feels..."

"But!" Jonouchi's tone shifted abruptly, sharp and confident, "I will be the final victor in this battle!!"

"Here it comes!! I'll name this next tactic; I'll call it—'Jounouchi's Great Spring Breeze'!!"

audience:???

This "profound" skill in naming was finally revealed at this moment.

Yu Che and Wang Yang were sweating awkwardly, and they looked at each other. Everyone watching this duel was shaking their toes.

*Smack!*

You Che covered his face, unable to suppress his laughter at the "Great Spring Breeze Within the City" move.

In this world, because the people Malik fought against in the Duel City Tournament were Dark Bakura and himself, the classic "Jonnouchi Flame" did not appear. But what is bound to happen will happen. The level of absurdity of "Jonnouchi Great Spring Breeze" is definitely no less than that of "Jonnouchi Flame".

"Huh? What?!" The senior student, Muto Sugoroku, thought he had misheard.

But Jonouchi himself didn't feel ashamed at all. He confidently demonstrated this combo to everyone: "First, activate the Equip Spell Card from your hand - Premature Burial!!"

"Pay 800 LP to Special Summon Goblin Assault Force from Graveyard in Attack Position!!"

Goblin Assault Force

【Four stars】

[Earth Attribute/Warrior Race]

[Attack/Defense: 2300/0]

"Next, I'll activate the Spell Card—Hurricane!!" Jonouchi shouted. "With this card's effect, return all Spell & Trap Cards on the field to their respective owners' hands!!"

This action immediately shocked everyone.

Many viewers, unaware of the situation, couldn't help but complain:

"What kind of operation is this? 'Great Spring Breeze in the City'? This is utterly absurd!"

"Yeah! If we bury the cards too early and return them to our hand, then the Goblin Assault Force will have been summoned for nothing!"

"Huh?! Wait!! The goblin assault force wasn't destroyed!!"

"What?!"

"In other words... cards like Premature Burial and Cry of the Living Dead are different; they don't cause the resurrected monster to be destroyed when the card leaves the field!!!"

His words astonished everyone present.

Nearly 90% of the audience realized for the first time the uniqueness of this equipment magic card, and at the same time, they seemed to understand the tactical significance of "Jounouchi's Great Spring Breeze"!

Down in the audience, Yugi Muto, who had taken over the position of the card shop owner, smiled and remarked, "It seems that burying this card too early will increase its price."

You Che covered his face and kept chuckling to himself.

Even now, he still can't look at the name of that tactic the same way.

It's understandable that Jonouchi likened the hurricane that could revive monsters to a spring breeze that brings life and vitality.

But the poor student's writing skills are truly beyond praise...

"boom----------------"

A sudden storm swept all the cards on the field, including the Field Spell Card that guarded the Ancient Golden Dragon. The enormous temple vanished into thin air behind Muto Sugoroku.

As Jonouchi's dueling instructor, after sensing his thoughts, Muto Sugoroku nodded with satisfaction: "You've really improved rapidly after this training trip, Jonouchi."

With the help of the hurricane, Jonouchi successfully retrieved the prematurely buried card. Since this equipment card does not have a side effect such as "the equipped monster is destroyed when this card leaves the field", the Goblin Assault Force is still on the field.

Now, he can activate this card again to revive a second monster from the graveyard!

"Smack!"

"Second activation—premature burial!!" Jonouchi roared, "Come back!! Lightning Warrior Guilford!!"

After paying 800LP twice in a row, Jonouchi's life points dropped to the last 100.

The awakened swordsman once again stood shoulder to shoulder with the magnificent ancient dragon, but this time, he had a group of goblin thugs as his helpers!

【Lightning Warrior Guildford】

[Eight Stars]

[Light Attribute/Warrior Race]

[Attack/Defense: 2800/1400]

"Enter battle phase!!" Jonouchi launched the final attack, "Lightning Battle - Guildford! Perish together with the ancient golden dragon!!"

"Goblin Assault Force, launch a direct attack!!"

"Rock Mask, this duel is over!!!"

"boom---------------------"

The deafening explosion echoed through the dueling arena once again. In the instant that the two ace monsters were destroyed, the cunning goblin assault team swarmed in and beat Muto Sugoroku to a pulp with spiked clubs and hammers!

The moment the "Rock Mask" LP was reset to zero, the entire audience erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

This was the final match in the round of 32 to 16, but it was also the most exciting one!

Whether it's the incredibly rare Rock Mask card, described as "a miracle to be summoned," or the astonishing comeback by Jonouchi at the end, both left the audience breathless and amazed!

"The castle, the castle itself, actually won with its brains?!" Honda was utterly astonished and began to re-evaluate his best friend who was always up to no good.

Ryuji Otogi and Kyoko, who were standing nearby, seemed to have witnessed something extraordinary. It seemed that Jonouchi's victory through intelligence was even more outrageous than Sugoroku Mutou summoning the ancient golden dragon.

In an instant, shouts of "Jounouchi Daishunpu!" echoed throughout the audience, and the effect that had been almost completely ignored became the apple of the eye for countless dueling enthusiasts!

After the duel ended, Rock Mask smiled with satisfaction and took off his mask. When he saw that his defeated opponent was none other than Duel Master, Jonouchi's feelings were indescribably excited and complicated.

Outside the stands, Seto Kaiba sat at the control panel, nodding in surprise.

This battle gave him many surprises. Not only was this guy's strength now far superior to what it used to be, but more importantly, this incredibly exciting duel will surely be included in the "Top 10 of the Year," and this KC Grand Prix will definitely receive more attention.

The first round of elimination matches ended with "a great spring breeze in the city".

While the participants were regrouped, they were given a short break.

Taking advantage of this time, Seto Kaiba reorganized his thoughts and looked at the list of contestants again. The saboteur lurking among the contestants had not yet been found, and it was still unknown whether he would be eliminated or advance after one round of competition.

With the enemy in the dark and us in the light, Seto Kaiba must quickly devise a strategy to ensure the tournament remains unaffected. This competition is crucial to the future development of the KC Group, and absolutely no mistakes can be tolerated!

Just as Seto Kaiba was racking his brains but couldn't come up with a solution, his subordinate in charge of the investigation brought good news: "President Kaiba! We found them! Look at these three people!!"

Three reports were simultaneously handed to Seto Kaiba. Looking at the faces that bore an uncanny resemblance to several old acquaintances, Seto Kaiba couldn't help but let out a cold sneer: "The Five Giants, you really are persistent..."

The report contained the real identities of three contestants: Makino Soichiro, son of Ota Soichiro (one of the five giants); Kawakaze Chikuzen, nephew of Ooka Chikuzen; and Iiharu Konosuke, daughter of Oshita Konosuke.

Without exception, all three of them disguised themselves as contestants and made it into the top sixteen.

Seto Kaiba had no idea what methods these people intended to use, but one thing was certain: they were avengers, and they came with the aim of destroying or taking over the KC Group.

"President Kaiba... what do you think we should do next?" Time was of the essence, and the subordinate had to ask cautiously, "Judging from the data, these three are exceptionally strong, especially Makino Souichirou..."

"Has the group stage draw for the Round of 16 been released yet?" Seto Kaiba asked, glancing sideways.

"Oh! Here it is!" the subordinate quickly handed it over.

Seto Kaiba glanced at the results of the random groupings, then at the match schedule on the big screen, which had not yet been announced. Finally, he took out a pen from his pocket and readjusted the match arrangements for several players: "We will proceed with the round of 16 elimination tournament according to this new group."

His subordinate glanced at the table and found that apart from changing Makino Soichiro's opponent to Yu Che, almost nothing else had changed.

The person who dueled with Konosuke Iharu was also a female duelist—Vivian Wong.

The person who fought against Kawakaze Chikuzen was Yugi Muto.

Keihei Kaiba, standing beside him, asked with some concern, "Brother... is this really okay? And aren't we taking advantage of the situation a bit too much...?"

Seto Kaiba shook his head and pointed with his pen at Makino Soichiro's original opponent: "There's nothing we can do about it. Soichiro Ota's son's opponent was originally that genius boy Leon, but it's too dangerous to send a child to face such a ruthless enemy."

"Using the lever... that statement is not wrong either."

"However, I can only feel at ease when I hand over the most troublesome opponent to You Che."

"Don't worry, I will do everything in my power to ensure Youche's safety. At the same time, I will thwart all of these guys' schemes!"

Before long, the match groups were finally announced.