Impossible! Your Flower can't negate this!
My Main Phase 1 — I activate Dark Ruler No More.
Its effect: all face-up monsters you control have their effects negated until the end of the turn. Until the end of this turn, all battle damage inflicted to you becomes 0, and monster effects cannot be activated in response.
Even though Lao Lao already knew You Ye wasn't joking, he still couldn't accept it.
He immediately fired off Dark Ruler No More the moment Main Phase 1 began.
"Yes, Flower can't negate that…
But have you considered—Tearlaments has its own tricolor omninegate Counter Trap?"
The corner of You Ye's mouth curved upward.
As he spoke, the purple-gold glow around Lao Lao flickered—he was clearly shaken.
He did not want to believe.
But his instincts screamed that You Ye wasn't joking.
Tearlaments really had a main-archetype Counter Trap — a tricolor omni-negate.
Even the Virtual World didn't have anything like that!
"I chain with my backrow Counter Trap —
Tearlaments Cryme!
When I control a 'Tearlaments' monster, and a monster effect or Spell/Trap Card is activated:
I can negate that activation, return the card to the Deck,
and then I must send 1 monster from my hand to the GY."
Lao Lao had nothing to chain.
Chain resolves:
Cryme (Chain 2) resolves successfully → You Ye sends Abyssal Mermaid from hand to the GY
Dark Ruler No More (Chain 1) → negated and returned to hand
"Why didn't you use that when I activated Chain Lightning earlier?" Lao Lao couldn't understand.
But when he saw the smile on You Ye's lips, he understood instantly.
When You Ye had searched Cryme earlier, he didn't activate it because it wasn't needed.
Chen Honglei didn't even manage to trigger the safety measure.
Once Lao Lao realized this, You Ye continued calmly:
"Abyssal Mermaid's GY effect—
She fuses with the Red Mermaid in my hand to Fusion Summon Nymph Mermaid.
Nymph Mermaid's effect: add Red Mermaid from Deck to hand."
When the sequence ended, Lao Lao resumed his Main Phase.
"I activate in the GY — Virtual World Hime – Nyannyan.
I banish two monsters with different original Types and Attributes from my GY, except this card, to Special Summon it."
"I banish Virtual World Xiezhi – Jiji (EARTH / Wyrm)
and Virtual World Kirin – Lili (WIND / Psychic)."
You Ye allowed it without using Flower's negate.
Virtual World Shinshing appeared again.
"You're not negating this?"
Lao Lao looked at him, confused.
"What's the point?
You still can't move."
You, Ye, asked back calmly.
There were no meaningful starters left in Lao Lao's GY — only Shinshing.
No matter what he summoned, it didn't matter.
Banish?
He still had Tearlaments Grief on the field, which could "wash anything clean" freely.
And after washing, Nymph Mermaid would mill five.
Red Mermaid added another mill three.
Eight mills.
Enough to hit a main-deck Tearlaments to trigger a Fusion.
Rulkallos would appear with a free negate.
Lao Lao suddenly found himself speechless.
Because everything You Ye said was correct.
Even if Nyannyan recycled something, or Qinglong activated from GY—
Those pieces couldn't reconnect into a real combo.
Meanwhile, You Ye's backrow was face-up Tearlaments Sulliek—
And Lao Lao knew exactly how dangerous that card was.
"…I enter Battle Phase," Lao Lao said finally.
He had accepted that there was truly no hope.
You Ye responded:
"Sulliek targets Shinshing — send Nymph Mermaid to GY."
Nymph Mermaid milled Siren,
Siren fused into Rulkallos,
which triggered Kaleido-Heart's effect to shuffle Shinshing back into the Extra Deck.
Lao Lao's field was empty.
His GY had a card with a GY effect—
But it required a card in hand to activate.
He had nothing.
He had lost completely and utterly.
Understanding that, he immediately ended his turn.
Next turn, You Ye went straight into Battle Phase and closed the game—with zero hesitation.
The duel ended.
Lao Lao fell silent, replaying the duel in his mind.
You Ye simply smiled and didn't disturb him.
Ye Bufan, watching, almost couldn't contain his grin.
With You Ye defeating Lao Lao, the Ye Family would finally escape centuries of decline.
He and several elder Heaven Rank ancestors might even break through.
So many benefits…
How could he not be ecstatic?
He wanted to thank You Ye, but "thank you" wasn't enough.
Cards?
People?
Whatever You Ye wanted, he would give.
This was a life-saving favor.
It deserved everything.
"From start to finish… I never had a chance," Lao Lao finally said.
His voice, usually neutral, held disbelief.
Even without Infinite Impermanence, Flower would have destroyed Shinshing in battle, then used its effect to target Flower.
Flower would negate.
You Ye would counter-negate with his Flower.
Then Crystal Wing would negate again…
Complicated chain?
Yes.
Outcome?
Identical.
You Ye would still extend into Siren → mills → Tearlaments → a field identical to before, except maybe an extra Flower.
"How was I supposed to win?"
"Just luck." You Ye, smiled.
"I didn't brick this time.
If I had bricked, Shinshing restricting the GY might've been troublesome."
This wasn't false humility.
After the duel with the Egyptian Gods, his hand in that duel had been unplayably awful.
Only the traitor dragon saved the game.
Because of that, he tweaked his deck, removing all Three-Step Sins and adding one Transaction Rollback.
He still thought the card was bricky, but at least it was better than before.
To Lao Lao, though—this was clearly just You Ye being modest.
He looked at You Ye expectantly.
"You Ye, do you want the Virtual World archetype?"
"Give me one copy.
One day, I can summon one of the Five Sovereigns of Xyz."
You Ye, answered after thinking briefly.
Detached from its ecosystem, Virtual World wasn't something he was eager to use…
But as a fun deck?
He could use it to bully Beast Deities later.
"Five Sovereigns…?"
Since You Ye didn't explain, Lao Lao and Ye Bufan quietly memorized the term.
Then, after You Ye received the new field, he turned toward Ecclesia.
"Don't look at me!
I can't beat you!"
Ecclesia instantly panicked, tossing the turkey bone she was still gnawing on.
She'd seen his strength in the Dogmatika field.
He was even stronger now.
"Relax. I'm not asking you for a duel.
I just want you to contact Kit.
Have her help me reach the Spright archetype."
Seeing her panic, You Ye let out a helpless smile.
Was he really that scary?
"Spright? Not Dogmatika or something else?
Like Despia… or Fallen of Albaz?" Ecclesia asked, confused.
Compared to the little-known Spright archetype, Albaz and Despia were legendary in the Branded World.
"They're goals too—but not the priority.
And forget Dogmatika.
It's even worse than Swordsoul."
"…Okay.
I'll try contacting Kit, but don't get your hopes up."
Ecclesia agreed, though she didn't understand how You Ye even knew about Sprights.
"Why?"
"Because ever since you became Swordsoul's master, the entire Branded World is in chaos.
Dogmatika Nation has been under full lockdown.
I was literally locked in a room."
"Can I talk to the Dogmatika spirits?
Maybe we can reason it out."
"I doubt reasoning will work.
They know they can't beat you, but they won't walk over just to hand their necks over."
"Then tell them—
Running won't save them.
According to the Duel Association's estimate, I'll reach Heaven Rank within half a year.
When I do, the first place I visit will be the Branded World.
I'll wipe out the Dogmatika Nation myself."
"Okay."
Seeing he wasn't joking, Ecclesia nodded quickly.
In her mind, she marked him as a dangerous man.
Lao Lao and Ye Bufan exchanged glances.
They weren't surprised.
The Zeng Family incident wasn't a secret among peak Duel Spirits and top families.
Yes, You Ye was kind when treated as an equal…
But once a situation wasn't equal?
He would end it violently.
"I'll go now.
I'll pass on the Spright message."
Ecclesia disappeared into the Branded World.
"Senior, thank you.
If it weren't for you, we Ye Family don't know how many more centuries we'd have to wait for Virtual World."
After she left, Ye Bufan rushed over gratefully.
"Of course you'd need him.
You useless bunch couldn't even beat me, let alone him."
Lao Lao floated over, voice full of disdain.
"True.
How could we possibly compare to Senior You Ye?
Without him, we never could've earned Virtual World."
Ye Bufan accepted the jab calmly and doubled down on praising You Ye.
Watching this scene, You Ye thought:
Damn.
To go this far for your family…
This patriarch is something else.
"Senior, since it's still early, would you like to see the full Ye Family card vault?"
Ye Bufan asked decisively.
"Sure."
It was only a little past 8 p.m.
Plenty of time.
Soon after, You Ye followed Ye Lingling toward the vault.
Two people entered the duel room right after he left—
Both greeted him respectfully, and both gave off the same pressure as Ye Bufan.
Two Heaven Rank duelists.
You Ye silently praised the Ye Family's strength.
The Bai Family had only two Heaven Rank duelists, both over a thousand years old.
The Ye Family had three, and none even hit a millennium yet.
But that strength still wasn't enough to threaten him.
Ye Family Card Vault
Hidden at the center of the estate
ten meters underground
guarded by ten Earth Rank duelists
and one elderly Heaven Rank duelist.
The elderly Heaven Rank looked at You Ye with gratitude,
But when he looked at Lingling, there was… sadness?
Once inside, You Ye remarked:
"Your Ye Family isn't weak, but their vision is.
They were even regretting that your strength isn't high enough."
"Regretting my strength?
You mean Ancestor Ye Xun earlier?"
Lingling blinked, confused.
"Yes."
She lowered her head, embarrassed.
Munin sighed beside her.
"You Ye, is it possible they weren't regretting Lingling's field…
But regretting that her relationship with you wasn't progressing at all?"
Lingling's face instantly turned bright red.
The truth:
When Lingling said she'd escort You Ye home,
The whole family implicitly encouraged her to get closer to him—
Any kind of closeness would do.
But You Ye maintained a perfect, polite distance the entire time.
After returning, all the elders could tell.
Of course, they felt regret.
What else could they express?
They couldn't very well say it to You Ye's face.
"…?"
You Ye paused, then patted her shoulder.
"If one day I become interested in human women,
I'll consider you."
"…."
Lingling froze.
The phrase "interested in humans" hit her like a hammer.
She had predicted she might be rejected…
Just not like that.
Now she finally understood why You Ye had no human women around him.
He literally preferred spirits.
As for Ouyang Yanyan?
She was a servant, not living with him.
That didn't count.
After a moment, Lingling forced a smile, retrieved a tablet from the platform, and handed it to him.
"This is the full card catalog.
They're arranged by type.
Just take whatever you need."
"Good."
He swiped through the list.
To his surprise, the cards he needed were already grouped neatly.
Four cards were extremely valuable:
Arianna the Labrynth Servant (True Blood Duke equivalent)
Visas Starfrost (base form)
Level 4 armor form of Visas
Bystial Dis Pater (Chaos Double Wing)
These strengthened Tearlaments and gave him new lines and extenders.
The rest were minor filler—useful, but not game-changing.
Many he already had from the Duel Association and Enforcement Bureau anyway.
After checking his categories, he looked at the general vault list—
Branded World
Ecclesia returned to her room.
Fleurdelis stared at her sister, covered in meat grease, with a strand still hanging from her lips.
She sighed deeply.
As the Saintess of Dogmatika, Ecclesia was constantly monitored.
After the Swordsoul spirits collectively pledged themselves to a human, the restrictions tightened even further.
Before she could even scold Ecclesia—
"Fleurdelis! Something terrible has happened!
The duelist who took in all the Swordsoul spirits is going to overthrow the Dogmatika Nation!"
"…Hm?
Ah?"
Fleurdelis nodded automatically at first—
Then the meaning sank in.
Someone wanted to overthrow the Dogmatika Nation?
And it was the human who took all of Swordsoul as servants?
Her expression hardened immediately.
"You're serious?"
"He said it to me himself," Ecclesia nodded.
"That human is insane?
He got the entire Swordsoul field as servants, and now he wants to wipe out Dogmatika?
Does he want every field spirit to become his servant?"
Fleurdelis clenched her teeth.
She disliked the Dogmatika higher-ups, but civilians were still innocents.
If that human attacked recklessly, the whole nation would suffer.
"He's not after Dogmatika servitude.
Sister… you've seen him before."
"…The Ye Family wouldn't dare.
So… the duelist who used Evenly Matched and the Runick field?"
Fleurdelis analyzed quickly and arrived at the answer.
Runick was infamous—even among spirits outside their world.
Everyone cursed it.
Behind its back, of course.
No one dared say it to their faces—you couldn't beat them.
"So he's not trying to enslave Dogmatika?
Then why attack us?
Because we detained you?"
"No.
He asked me to find Kit.
He wants Sprights.
He said if I didn't help… he'd overthrow Dogmatika Nation."
"…"
Fleurdelis relaxed instantly.
That was easy to solve.
She tapped Ecclesia lightly on the head.
"Next time, explain things properly.
You scared me half to death."
"Ow!"
"Enough.
Let's go see the Divine Dragon Council.
If they agree, you'll go find Kit immediately.
We cannot let this blow up."
Fleurdelis wiped Ecclesia's greasy face with a silk cloth.
"You can't show up looking like this.
You'll get punished again."
"Yes, yes~ Thank you, Sister Fleurdelis."
One hour later—
The entire Dogmatika Nation went insane.
Even the higher-ups.
Fleurdelis was speechless.
She thought Ecclesia had told her everything.
She hadn't.
The chain of events was summarized as:
"Wait—
Is the Runick duelist the master of Swordsoul?
Swordsoul is useless—they chose a Yellow Rank human?"
"He only wants you to find Kit and contact Sprights?
He doesn't want Dogmatika to submit?
That's easy. Approved."
"Did he say anything about Dogmatika?"
"Yes.
That Dogmatika is even more garbage than Swordsoul."
"…"
Meanwhile, far from the chaos—
You Ye, discovered the Ye Family vault.
A surprise.
He found a numbered card—Awakening Series.
Combined with the Forbidden Proclamation and Gun King he previously acquired—
He could now assemble a permanent four-material No. 86: Heroic Champion – Rhongomyniad.
Not that he could use it yet.
Until Heaven Rank, his bond was insufficient.
Forbidden Proclamation + Gun King would stay in his Runick deck for now—
as a Runick Sticker Variant.
Five Extra Deck slots, six main deck bricks—
a nightmare for pure Runick.
But for Sticker Runick?
Fine.
The only downside:
Gun King required the opponent to control an Extra Deck monster to activate.
So he could only make it go second.
A pity.
Next Morning
Lingling brought good news.
Quanlin, the Burning Knucklers duelist, had arrived and was waiting in the duel room.
You Ye followed her.
As soon as he arrived, a massive man—nearly two meters tall—smiled warmly.
"You Ye, sir! I'm Quanlin, duelist of the Battlin' Boxer (Burning Knuckler) archetype.
You requested this duel, yes?"
"I did."
You Ye looked at his physique.
Very fitting for his archetype.
"I have a small request… if you would allow it…"
Quanlin's smile faltered into nervousness.
He watched You Ye's expression closely.
Seeing no displeasure, he sighed with relief.
"Speak."
"Senior You Ye… if I win…
Please allow our Quan Family to hold your Sky Court's original card for one month.
Any income generated during that month, we won't take a single coin.
We'll return the card and all profits after one month.
If I lose…
Please allow me one day to communicate with Sky Court."
Sweat dripped from his forehead.
He was terrified of upsetting You Ye.
Because You Ye thought he was "easy to talk to,"
But Quanlin knew:
The Zeng Family provoked him once—
and ceased to exist.
Their Quan Family was stronger than the Zeng Family—
But compared to the Enforcement Bureau or the Duel Association?
They were still ants.
No problem, You Ye said.
Choose a deck.
Tearlaments,
Tearlaments Horus,
Runick Sticker,
Pure Runick,
Runick Horus.
Quanlin stared at the five names.
And wanted to cry.
Five choices?
Just pick which way you want to die?
What kind of torture is this…?!