"My turn, draw a card!"
Once again it was Tenma Yako's turn. His gaze moved past Youyu's empty field and landed on the only Set Card at Youyu's feet.
"Are you planning to rely on this Set Card to withstand this round of attacks?" Yako said, "But such a strategy is ineffective against me!
First, I'll play another 'Pot of Greed', allowing me to draw two more cards from my deck."
Yako drew two cards and then revealed one of them from his hand.
"Magic Card - Graceful Charity, draw three cards from the deck, discard two to the graveyard. Next is this card... The Rock Spirit! This monster can be Special Summoned by removing an Earth Attribute monster from the graveyard from play!"
A golden light illuminated Yako's graveyard, and the "Giant Rat" from the previous turn reappeared.
"I remove 'Giant Rat' from play, and Special Summon The Rock Spirit."
A burly warrior clad in ancient armor, wearing a helmet and wielding a wooden club appeared on the field, his eyes blood-red.
[The Rock Spirit. ATK 1700]
"Next, I'll use 'The Rock Spirit' as a tribute... Tribute Summon! Level six, the most powerful Fiend-Type in my deck—
—Gaap the Divine Soldier!"
The mighty body of The Rock Spirit disappeared in a white whirlwind, replaced by a demon resembling an insect emerging from the darkness. It had sharp claws, a sinister gaze, and an aura of malevolence as if ready to devour its prey.
[Gaap the Divine Soldier, ATK 2200]
"Hey, hey, this isn't looking too good, is it?" Honda asked, "The opponent has monsters with 3000 and 2200 attack power, while Youyu's side has nothing!"
Jonouchi: "Don't worry, this is Youyu we're talking about! He definitely must have some plan in mind..."
"Battle!" Tenma Yako shouted, "Gaap the Divine Soldier, direct attack on the player!"
The demon seemed unable to restrain itself even before given the command, its dark body lunged towards Youyu, its sharp claws slicing through the air, carrying a chilling wind towards Youyu's face.
Of course, Youyu had a countermeasure: "Activate Set Card, Counter Trap - Negate Attack! It negates the attack of one of the opponent's monsters, then forcibly ends the Battle Phase!"
"I told you, this level of strategy is useless!" Yako waved his hand and shouted, "Counter Trap Dark Bribe! Negate and destroy the effect of the Magic Trap Card, then the opponent can draw a card."
The whirlwind of Negate Attack had just begun to stir when it was torn to pieces by a beam of light from the cards on Yako's field. The Negate Attack card was also shattered into fragments at the same time.
"Now the obstacle is gone, attack continues!" Tenma Yako said, "Gaap the Divine Soldier, continue direct attack!"
The demon's sharp claws descended, leaving a silver-white trail in the air, like three sharp beams of light slicing across Youyu. Under the virtual impact, Youyu took a half step back.
[Youyu, LP 4000 → LP 1800]
"Even the Negate Attack was nullified!" Honda exclaimed, "Hey, this really is bad now, isn't it?"
Clearly, compared to the unfamiliar Tenma Yako, Yugi and his companions were more inclined to cheer for Youyu.
Even Jonouchi also began to feel anxious: "Youyu..."
"There's something I forgot to mention." In the middle of the battle, Yako suddenly spoke.
Youyu: "?"
"Mr. Pegasus also said... compared to Muto Yugi, Youyu, your style is more similar to mine as a Duelist," Yako said slowly, "Like you, I adopt a style focused more on meticulous control.
I consider various possible scenarios and pre-plan strategies to deal with them. The key to my duels' success is always being a step ahead of my opponent."
Youyu said nothing.
"Now it seems, comparatively, my considerations might be more comprehensive," Yako gently closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, the calm eyes were now filled with a warrior's fervor.
"Continue the battle! Beast King Barbaros, direct attack!" Yako commanded, "Let's end this duel!"
The huge body of Beast King Barbaros charged forward like a majestic mountain, and his spiraling red spear lunged fiercely towards Youyu.
Boom!!!
A powerful impact, a strike with 3000 attack power pierced through Youyu, erupting in smoke and dust upon hitting the ground.
Even though they were only holographic images, the impact and momentum compelled the spectators to reflexively close their eyes and raise their arms protectively in front of them.
"Youyu!" Mokuba was the first to shout out in concern.
Tenma Yako's calm expression finally showed cracks of barely contained joy and excitement.
It... succeeded?
He defeated the Duel King, whom even his "perfect" brother willingly submitted to and whom foster father Pegasus esteemed highly...
Of all the players, only a few remained calm.
Calm down, calm down, don't be so startled.
Haven't you ever heard of smoke without fire?
[Youyu, LP 1800]
"What?" Upon seeing Youyu still standing, Yako couldn't hide his disappointment and surprise, "Why? There should not have been a card left in play on your field..."
"Indeed, but I still had a backup in my graveyard." Youyu smiled, revealing a card that had just popped out of the graveyard area, "'Necro Gardna'. When this monster is in the graveyard, I can remove it from play to negate an opponent's monster attack."
The invincible Necro Gardna, a classic from Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. This Divine Card has saved Yuki Judai as many times as Kuriboh has saved the King.
Tenma Yako squinted his eyes: "I see, you've already set up this clandestine line of defense from the beginning, haven't you?"
He gently closed his eyes: "I was arrogant, it seems this time you calculated one step further ahead than I did."
"And due to the effect of 'Dark Bribe', I draw a card from my deck." Youyu added a card to his hand.
"I set two cards face-down and end my turn," Yako said.
Although his supposedly foolproof move was neutralized, Tenma Yako did not lose heart.
As one of Pegasus' most prized disciples, determined to surpass his "perfect" brother, Yako had devoted unimaginable effort to dueling.
Not only was he excellent in foresight and strategy, but his adaptability also left many strong contenders in Industrial Illusions astounded.
Tenma Yako always steps ahead during duels, and whenever unexpected events occur, he is the first to implement backup plans.
Anyone who thought they had broken through Tenma Yako's defenses would ultimately face even stronger suppression, with no chance to resist.
Tenma Yako glanced at the two Set Cards at his feet, then lifted his head to look directly at Youyu.
"Mr. Youyu, you may find this sudden," he began, "but for this duel... I have a reason I must win."