Chapter 4: Duelists Are Forbidden From Fighting Off the Stage
Chapter 4: Duelists Are Forbidden From Fighting Off the Stage
A true duelist should possess an unwavering calm, unperturbed even by the collapse of Mount Tai. Regardless of the circumstances, one must always remain composed and never let impulsiveness cloud their rational judgment.
With his eyes closed, Sato Koji took deep breaths, constantly reminding himself of this principle—
—It is against the rules to physically attack your opponent.
It was challenging to keep this in mind when facing the brat before him.
With only two cards left in his hand, Sato Koji could do nothing but grit his teeth and end his turn. And so, it was You Xuan's turn again, the time for his torment to continue.
"Draw." You Xuan drew a card from his deck.
At this moment, Sato Koji's field was empty, as innocent as a young maiden tempting someone to commit a crime. In this era, where the game of Duel Monsters had not yet been tainted by the hand traps, an empty field was akin to running naked. It invited your opponent to strike without any psychological burden.
Without further ado, You Xuan played the monster card he had just drawn.
"I summon 'Chief Zarug' in attack position!"
A weathered, one-eyed warrior with a patch over his eye appeared in You Xuan's front row.
[Chief Zarug, ATK: 1400]
"Direct attack." You Xuan commanded, "Have Chief Zarug attack the player directly."
The warrior obeyed, drawing two revolvers and firing away like a gunslinging eagle. A string of projected bullets tore through Koji, sending him reeling from the intangible impact.
The latest Dueling System developed by KaibaCorp featured more than just stereoscopic projections of monsters on the Duel Disks. It also incorporated tactile impact devices that simulated the sensation of impact and provided a mild pain stimulus to enhance the immersive dueling experience, without actually causing any real harm to the duelists.
[Koji: LP 4000 → LP 2600]
Taking the direct hit, Koji drew in a sharp breath.
Thankfully, it was just a measly 1400 ATK monster, and he could still withstand it. But then, a smile curved on You Xuan's face as he spoke, "Chief Zarug's effect activates. When this card inflicts battle damage to my opponent, I can choose one of two effects to activate.
One, my opponent randomly discards a card from their hand.
Two, the top two cards of my opponent's deck are sent to the graveyard."
Koji's eyelids twitched.
"Wait, you're not going to… you're not going to…"
His face began to contort, his expression turning from fear to sheer terror as his body involuntarily backed away, driven by instinct.
"Indeed, I choose to activate the first effect." You Xuan stated, "Discard another card from your hand."
As he finished speaking, Zarug raised his revolver, and a gunshot rang out. One of the two remaining cards in Koji's hand now had a projected hole in it.
Gritting his teeth, Koji sent another card to the graveyard, his eyes widening in fury.
Now, he only had one card left.
This wasn't the only loss he'd ever faced in his life, and You Xuan wasn't the strongest opponent he'd ever encountered.
But this was definitely the duel that made him want to punch someone the most.
How was it possible that he hadn't been able to play a single card yet?
"I set two cards face-down, and end my turn."
You Xuan added two more face-down cards to his back row.
This time, when Koji saw those two additional abyss-like face-down cards, his attitude changed from contempt to sheer anxiety, his breathing almost stalled.
Again? Please, no.
Please let me play a card this time.
The turn of events had clearly caught the spectators off-guard as well. The students on both sides exchanged glances, their faces reflecting their confusion and inability to comprehend what was happening.
How should one describe this duel?
It felt strange, very strange.
If you were expecting a fast-paced exchange of attacks and a display of power, you'd be disappointed. Here, there was only a duelist intent on breaking his opponent's spirit.
If you were hoping for a high-speed summoning and the reveal of powerful monsters, you'd be let down as well. Here, there was only a duelist who, having broken his opponent's spirit, now wore a satisfied smirk.
Up to this point in the duel, one player hadn't been able to play a single card, so there was no tactical analysis to be made. As for the player who had been playing cards, each step and each card played seemed to be guided by two words—
—revenge.
Or more specifically, revenge against society.
Not summoning a single monster, not reducing his opponent's life points, his entire strategy seemed to be a silent proclamation: "I may not win, but I'll make sure you don't get to play Duel Monsters today."
Wasn't this revenge against society?
"What you're doing, junior, is not how a duelist should behave."
Koji tried to maintain the image of a gentle senior, but his twitching facial muscles and quivering voice betrayed the strain he was under.
You Xuan smiled but remained silent, politely gesturing for his opponent to continue with a "please" gesture. It was, after all, Koji's turn to play Duel Monsters.
That was true, but any seasoned duelist knew that Duel Monsters was a cruel game. If one player was able to play uninterrupted, that was often enough.
Reluctantly, Koji raised his Duel Disk once more.
"My turn."
He clenched his jaw.
With only one card left in his hand, and that being an equip spell card, he couldn't even summon a monster. It was useless.
Sato Koji believed in the bond between himself and his deck!
With his fingers on his deck, he took a deep breath and silently chanted.
"Come on, draw me a four-star monster!"
With a flourish, he performed a soul-infused draw, the card arcing gracefully through the air.
As he opened his eyes to glance at the card, Koji's pupils shook with excitement, and he nearly burst out laughing.
It was here!
Not only had he drawn a summonable monster, but it was also 'Red-Eyes B. Dragon', a four-star with 1850 ATK. It perfectly surpassed by a mere 50 points of ATK those quality 1800-ATK beaters currently in high demand on the market, making it the strongest low-level monster in his deck.
Indeed, his deck had responded to his heart's desire!
However, just as Koji's lips curled up in a triumphant smirk, about to sound the horn of counterattack, his smile froze.
Trap Card - Drop Off, No. 2.
Activated during the opponent's draw phase, the card the opponent draws is sent directly to the graveyard.
Sato Koji: "..."
"According to the effect of Drop Off," You Xuan said politely, "Please discard that card as well."
Koji nearly bit his lip bloody. With a hideous expression, he sent the crucial 'Red-Eyes B. Dragon' to the graveyard. Looking down, he saw that the only remaining card in his hand was that lonely Equip Spell.
"End of turn," Koji declared glumly.
"Then, it's my turn to draw," You Xuan said.
He glanced at the card he drew, another Trap.
You Xuan had so many Trap Cards that he could afford to discard some, but it was clear that Sato Koji had no cards left to play. So, You Xuan added this card to his hand and casually waved his hand, "Have Chief Zarug attack directly."
【Sato Koji: LP 2600 → LP 1200】
"Activating Chief Zarug's effect again. And, of course, it's the first effect."
You Xuan pointed to the last card in Koji's hand.
"Discard that one as well."
Sato Koji watched as his last hand card went to the graveyard, suddenly realizing that he should have set that card on the field during his previous turn, even if it wouldn't have made much difference, but at least he could have kept the card.
His mindset had crumbled, and he completely forgot about this.
Although it didn't seem to have much impact on the situation.
"End of turn."
"My turn to draw now."
This time, Koji drew a card but didn't even bother to look at it. Instead, he stared straight at You Xuan's back row.
As if asking, "No more Traps, right?"
"Can I draw now? Am I really drawing?"
You Xuan smiled and signaled for him to proceed.
Finally, Koji managed to get past the draw phase and entered the preparation phase of this turn, feeling like he could almost cry with relief.
In the past, he might never have imagined that drawing a card could be such an extravagant luxury.
Looking at the card he had just drawn, his spirits lifted.
Vengeful Marionette, a four-star with 1600 ATK.
Usually, it was just an ordinary monster, but at this moment, its 1600 ATK could save his life. Because even though Chief Zarug's effect was annoying, its ATK was only 1400.
Finally, he could take down that damn Sword-Vault that discarded his hand each turn!
Sato Koji eagerly declared, "I summon 'Vengeful Marionette' in attack position! Attack 'Chief Zarug'! Go, go, go!"
"Calm down, calm down, my friend. Take it easy, remember, a duelist should always smile," You Xuan cheerfully reminded him.
"And hold on, you're rushing ahead. Before that, we're still in the Main Phase. Because just now, I activated a Trap Card."
He pointed to a face-down card that had been set on his field.
"Trap Card - Compulsory Escape Device. Return one monster on the field to its owner's hand.
I'll return your 'Vengeful Marionette' to your hand."
The Trap was activated, and the cursed marionette, just about to take a stand with its axe, transformed into a golden light and flew back to Sato Koji's hand.
Sato Koji: "..."
This was his only hand card.
And he had just used up his one Normal Summon for this turn.
So, it was clear that he had no more moves to make.
What would happen next was obvious. He could do nothing but end his turn, and then that damn Zarug would attack him again, discarding his last hand card.
No, wait, he wouldn't even make it to that point. Because with only 1200 LP left, one more hit would finish him off.
However, in the end, You Xuan didn't get the chance to reduce Koji's LP to zero.
Because before the next turn could begin, Sato Koji, in a fit of rage, tried to physically attack You Xuan during the duel and was quickly restrained by the surrounding students, resulting in his immediate disqualification.
(End of Chapter)
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