the echoes of Rami's victory over Leo still vibrated through the rafters of the Grand Arena. On the massive digital bracket displayed above the center court, the name RAMI shifted from the outer rim into the Top 64, glowing with that strange, uncatalogued gold light.But as Rami descended from the platform, he didn't find a path to the locker rooms. Instead, he found a wall of black-suited men.At the center of the blockade stood a man who looked like a more weathered, bitter version of Vance. This was Corvus Sterling, Vance's father and the primary financier of the Silver Ridge League. Beside him was the Head Tournament Arbiter, a man named Henderson who looked as though he had swallowed a lemon."Stop right there," Corvus commanded. His voice wasn't a snarl like his son's; it was a cold, iron weight. "Hand over the deck, boy."Rami paused, his hand instinctively hovering over the leather pouch at his hip. "The duel is over. My rank was validated by your own Pillar.""The Pillar was compromised," Henderson interjected, stepping forward with a pair of white silk gloves. "Your cards produced a frequency that disrupted the holographic grid. We have reason to believe you are using 'Counterfeit Ancient' technology—illegal signals meant to mimic the lost relics of Egypt. Under League Directive 12, we are seizing the deck for a forensic inspection.""Forensic inspection?" Maya's voice rang out as she pushed through the crowd to stand by Rami's side. "You mean you're going to lock his deck in a vault until the tournament is over so Vance doesn't have to face him! This is a setup!"Corvus Sterling didn't even look at her. His eyes were fixed on the Millennium Puzzle box in Rami's bag. He knew what it was. He didn't just want the cards; he wanted the power."Rami," Corvus said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You can give us the deck and walk away with your scholarship intact. Or, you can resist, and I will ensure that neither you nor your grandfather ever sell so much as a postage stamp in this city again. Choose."Rami felt the eyes of the entire arena on him. The cameras were rolling. The other sixty-three duelists were watching, some with pity, others with the same greedy hunger as Corvus.Fight... a low, resonant hum vibrated from the puzzle.Rami looked Corvus in the eye. "If you want to test the deck, test it on the field. If your arbiter thinks these cards are illegal, let him prove it in a 'Judicial Duel.' If I lose, you take the deck. If I win, the League officially recognizes the 'Ancient Tier' and grants me immunity from further harassment."The crowd gasped. A Judicial Duel was a relic of the old rules—a high-stakes match where the League's own enforcer would test a player's deck for stability.Corvus smirked. This was exactly what he wanted. "Very well. Henderson, call for The Executioner."Ten minutes later, Rami stood on a secondary, darkened stage. Across from him stood a man wearing a mask of hammered silver. He was the League's official "Deck Breaker," a man whose only job was to dismantle the strategies of those who dared to cheat.[JUDICIAL DUEL START][Rami: 5000 LP][The Executioner: 5000 LP]"I represent the law of the game," The Executioner droned, his voice muffled by the mask. "I play the Incarceration Deck. Your 'Ancient' monsters will find no mercy in my cells. I go first."The Executioner slid a card into his disk. "I activate the Field Spell: Iron-Barred Asylum. While this card is active, no monster with 'Ancient' or 'Legacy' in its name can declare an attack the turn it is summoned."A massive, rusted cage materialized around the entire duel platform. The bars hummed with a blue electrical current."Then, I summon Warden of the Deep. And I set three cards face down. Your move, boy. Let's see how your 'spirits' handle a cage."Rami drew. He felt the Sentinel in his deck surging with a protective fury."I summon The Weaver of Veils," Rami said.As she appeared, she reached out and touched the iron bars. A sizzling sound echoed as the "Asylum" tried to suppress her power."I activate her effect," Rami continued, his voice growing stronger. "I add Sandswept Sentinel to my hand. And now, I activate the Spell: Erosion of Law! By discarding one 'Ancient' monster, I can negate the effects of a Field Spell for one turn."The iron bars began to rust and crumble, turning into fine, golden dust."I Special Summon the Sentinel from my graveyard by banishing the Warden of the Deep's target!""Not so fast!" The Executioner shouted. "I activate my Trap: Chain of Command! It negates your Special Summon and deals 1000 damage!"[Rami: 4000 LP]Rami felt a sharp jolt of pain in his arm. This wasn't a standard duel. The Executioner's Duel Disk was tuned to a higher voltage. They were trying to physically break him."I'm not finished," Rami gasped, clutching his arm. "I activate the Union Monster: Steel-Core Beetle! I equip it to my Weaver of Veils. And because she is equipped with a Union monster, she is unaffected by your Trap cards!""What?" Henderson shouted from the sidelines. "That's not a standard Union interaction!""It's an Ancient interaction," Rami corrected. "Weaver, attack the Warden! Moonlight Shatter!"The Spellcaster raised her staff, and a beam of silver light pierced through the Warden's armor.[Executioner: 4200 LP]"You think a small sting matters?" The Executioner growled. "I activate my second Trap: Mass Incarceration! Since you dealt damage, I can Special Summon three 'Guard-Dog' tokens to the field. Each one prevents you from drawing more than one card per turn."Three snarling, mechanical hounds surrounded Rami's Weaver.Rami looked at his deck. He was being boxed in. The Executioner was playing a "Stall-and-Burn" strategy, the most frustrating style in the game. But Rami remembered what Solomon had said: The stars on a card don't dictate the heart of the player."I set two cards face down and end my turn," Rami said.The duel became a grueling war of attrition. For twelve turns, neither player moved. The Executioner kept summoning more "Wardens" and "Sentinels of Law," while Rami used his "Sand-Trap" effects to keep his Life Points from dropping to zero.[Rami: 1200 LP][Executioner: 3500 LP]"This is the end, boy," The Executioner said, drawing his final piece. "I activate the Spell: The Final Sentence. Since I control five 'Law' monsters, I can reduce your Life Points to zero instantly. You lose. The deck is ours."A massive, spectral gavel appeared in the air above Rami, prepared to crush him."I don't think so," Rami said. A calm had settled over him—the kind of calm that comes just before a desert storm. "I activate my face-down Trap: Legacy of the Fallen! Since my Life Points are below 1500, I can activate a 'Skill' directly from the heart of my deck."The Millennium Puzzle flared with a light so bright that Henderson and Corvus had to shield their eyes."Skill Activate: Destiny Draw!"Rami didn't just draw a card; he reached into the light itself. The card he pulled was glowing with a literal fire."I discard my entire hand to the graveyard!" Rami shouted. "To activate the Ultimate Ancient Spell: Wrath of the Pharaoh's Sands! It destroys every card you control and deals 500 damage for each one!""That's impossible!" The Executioner screamed as the spectral gavel shattered.The sand rose from the floor, a towering wall of gold that consumed the mechanical hounds, the iron bars, and the Executioner himself.[Executioner: 0 LP]The holographic field collapsed. The Executioner fell to his knees, his silver mask cracked down the middle.Rami stood in the center of the stage, his chest heaving, his eyes burning with a defiance that made Corvus Sterling step back."The deck is legal," Rami said, his voice echoing through the silent arena. "The duel is recorded. If you touch my cards, you break the very laws you claim to protect."Corvus narrowed his eyes, his fists clenching at his sides. He had lost the battle, but the war was just beginning. He looked at Henderson and gave a sharp, subtle nod."Fine," Corvus spat. "Keep your trinkets, boy. But the next round is the Top 32. And the 'Top 32' aren't League enforcers. They are killers. Let's see if your 'destiny' can save you from them."Rami walked off the stage, his legs shaking. Maya caught him before he could fall."Rami, that was... that wasn't just a game," she whispered, looking at the charred marks on the duel platform."No," Rami said, looking at the 40 pieces left to solve. "The Shadow Games are coming, Maya. I can feel them."Tournament Standing: Rami is officially in the Top 32. The world is watching.
