https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-335-Battle-for-the-Title-of-Academy-King-/12557459/
Chapter 334: Kaiser of Duel Academy
Chapter 334: Kaiser of Duel Academy
"Sheesh, you'd think a Doma outpost would have better stuff than this."
As You Xuan exited the dimly lit base and stepped back into the sunlight, he began to take inventory of the illicit goods they had confiscated.
To be honest, he wasn't very satisfied.
It wasn't that there weren't any rare cards, but most of the rare cards these people possessed were the ones considered powerful and valuable by the locals yet held little value in his eyes.
Take, for example, the "Electric Blade Insect," a four-star card with an impressive 2400 attack points, accompanied by the "trivial" side effect of making your opponent draw a card during battle.
It could fetch a pretty penny, though.
With this, the New Doma forces stationed locally had been eradicated.
"But... are you sure it's fine?"
Judai still felt a bit worried.
He hadn't thought much about it while they were dueling, but now that they had finished and were leaving, the intelligence they had heard earlier made him feel uneasy.
"They mentioned something about people from headquarters arriving in Duel City, right?" Judai looked at You Xuan. "Sounds like they're pretty formidable."
He thought of Sherr, one of the Three Musketeers of Doma. Back then, it had taken the two of them working together to defeat him.
If they were up against an opponent like that, the level of threat was obviously on a whole different scale compared to the ones they had just faced at the outpost.
"Who knows, maybe," You Xuan shrugged. "We've done what we could for now. We'll just have to take things as they come. How are you doing with the puzzle cards?"
"Oh."
Judai reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of puzzle cards.
"I have four," he said. "Just need two more."
"Ha, I already have five," You Xuan said, pulling out his collection.
This raid on the New Doma forces had not only yielded cards and eliminated a threat but had also won them quite a few puzzle cards. Most of the people in the large outpost who had qualified for the tournament were already defeated, and the rest were just cannon fodder without any puzzle cards.
"Alright, then it's time to find our final opponent." You Xuan waved his hand and smiled. "See you in the finals. We'd better hurry, though. It would be embarrassing if we don't even make it to the playoffs."
The two bumped their fists together and then parted ways.
"Just one more duel to go," You Xuan muttered as he strolled down the street, looking around.
In reality, it wasn't easy to find another participant in a city this large.
Most of the participants tried to conceal their identities. During the Duel City tournament, wandering around with a Duel Disk was like presenting yourself as prey. Others could easily tell that you were a duelist and assess whether or not to challenge you.
However, if you hid and observed discreetly, you became the hunter. You could wait to strike when you spotted an easy target, and if you gauged that an opponent was too strong, you could choose to lie low.
So, for You Xuan and Judai to have obtained five cards each after dueling in a hotspot was already quite fast. Others who were just wandering the streets might not find opponents easily.
Not to mention that even if most duelists had the opportunity to duel multiple times, it was challenging to maintain a winning streak. The more renowned and skilled a duelist was, the more likely they would face opponents of equal or greater strength. Others would recognize their identity and steer clear.
Therefore, even though it seemed like they were just one duel away, finding that final opponent might not be as easy as it seemed.
After walking down a street without encountering any other participants, You Xuan decided to grab a bite to eat as he had been busy all morning.
As the saying goes, the things you search for are often found when you're not looking. As he pushed open the door to a restaurant, he came face to face with someone.
Kaiser Ryo, or Marufuji Ryo, from Duel Academy.
Both men froze for a moment.
Their eyes met, and they knew they had found who they were looking for.
Half a second later, You Xuan smiled. "What a coincidence. You're here for a meal too?"
"Yes," Marufuji Ryo smiled back, asking casually, "How many cards do you have?"
"Five," You Xuan replied, showing his puzzle cards.
"Just one more to go," Marufuji Ryo said.
"What a coincidence," You Xuan remarked.
Marufuji Ryo smiled and pulled out his puzzle cards as well. He also had five.
You Xuan guessed that it had something to do with his school uniform. While Marufuji Ryo was one of the strongest characters in GX, his reputation as Kaiser was mostly confined to the academy, and he wasn't well-known outside of it before graduation.
Many of the participants in Duel City might not have heard of him, and seeing him in his academy uniform, they probably assumed he was just a student who hadn't graduated yet and was there to experience the tournament atmosphere—an easy target.
"Yes." Marufuji Ryo's eyes glinted with a battle-ready light as he replied, "Looks like one of us will be advancing right here and now."
"Oh, right here?"
"Well, if we're all aiming to keep advancing, we're bound to meet on the dueling field sooner or later. Besides, we never got the chance to duel each other back in the academy, but it was always going to happen eventually, wasn't it?"
"Mmm, that's true."
You Xuan smiled. "Indeed, since we have this opportunity right now..."
Marufuji Ryo nodded and took a couple of steps back, preparing to set up his Duel Disk.
But You Xuan raised his hand, signaling for him to stop.
"Wait a moment," he said, his expression turning serious. "I need to eat something first."
Marufuji Ryo: "."
A few minutes later, You Xuan sat down in the restaurant and began to eat, while Marufuji Ryo patiently waited with his arms folded across his chest.
"This place is so-so. The beef is a bit tough. Want some?" You Xuan asked, offering some to Marufuji.
Marufuji Ryo waved his hand in refusal. "No, thanks. I just ate."
"It's fine, we can order more. Let me treat you," You Xuan insisted politely.
"No, really, it's okay." Marufuji Ryo smiled.
"By the way, it's impressive that you've also won five duels so quickly. You're amazing," Marufuji commented.
"Hehe, just lucky, I guess," Marufuji Ryo chuckled. "I just give my all in every duel and fight with everything I've got."
You Xuan nodded in understanding. "I get it."
He knew Marufuji's philosophy, which was also the character's most notable trait in the early part of the story—the concept of "respecting your opponent in a duel" that he had learned from Samejima.
Marufuji Ryo represented the traditional, idealistic dueler in the anime, a very positive figure who highly valued the honor of dueling, perhaps even more than his desire to win.
His bond with his deck, his respect for his opponents, and the duel itself were what he strived for. As seen in the original story when he reflected on his beliefs while facing a life-or-death situation in the underground duels, he used to think that as long as he respected his opponents, victory didn't matter as much.
This belief both made him strong and became his weakness.
In the academy, he was unstoppable as the Kaiser, even defeating Judai Yuki, who had the protagonist's aura, without ever tasting defeat. Because he had never lost, he didn't yearn for victory as much; it came easily to him and thus seemed mundane.
However, when he entered the professional dueling circuit and was all but toyed with and defeated by the prodigy, Edo Phoenix, he felt a desire to win burning in his heart for the first time in his life.
But because of his past mindset, he consciously suppressed that desire. He kept telling himself to stick to his beliefs and tried to suppress the thought of wanting to win at all costs. As a result, the inner conflict caused his "momentum" as a dueler to completely collapse.
This further proved that in the world of anime, once a dueler loses their confidence, their cards seem to lose their power as well. Even someone as strong as the Kaiser, after losing to Edo and having his confidence shattered, went on to lose every single duel he played in the professional league, even against lower-ranked opponents.
It wasn't until later, when he turned to underground dueling and faced life-threatening situations, that his long-suppressed desire finally erupted. He completely abandoned his previous philosophy of "respecting his opponents" and started using any means necessary to pursue victory.
However, in You Xuan's opinion, although he knew that his perspective might be considered heretical in the eyes of mainstream duelists, he preferred the path taken by the "Hell Kaiser" over the idealistic Kaiser from the early part of the story.
Dueling was inherently cruel, and there could only be one winner. He couldn't agree with the notion of "respecting your opponent and not caring about winning or losing." In this world, the outcome of a duel decided everything, and the loser could end up losing it all.
You Xuan narrowed his eyes as he sized up Marufuji Ryo.
The so-called Kaiser, Marufuji Ryo, was originally one of the strongest characters in GX. Unfortunately, he went crazy later on and his body was left in a debilitated state, becoming one of the few competent teammates in the period where most of the team was underperforming.
If he could use this duel to enlighten Marufuji about the cruelty of the dueling world, perhaps he wouldn't have to wait until he entered the professional league to be taught a lesson and end up in a slump. With this guidance, there was a chance that their side could gain a significant power boost later on.
With his decision made, You Xuan wiped his mouth and stood up. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's get started, then."
This duel is going to be a long one.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
