Chapter 406: Shattered Memories
Chapter 406: Shattered Memories
The sun, a molten gold orb, dipped towards the horizon, casting its warm glow upon the azure seas as a massive vessel slowly sailed into port.
The Dueling Ship had arrived.
Everyone rose and made their way onto the deck, eager to catch a glimpse of their final destination for this tournament's climax.
The island, silhouetted by the setting sun, was a spectacular sight, with its colorful buildings nestled along the coastline. A towering Ferris wheel, designed with a Treebell head pattern, reached for the clouds, sparkling brilliantly in the fading light. The entire island resembled a fairyland with its kaleidoscopic lights, and a holographic White Dragon soared through the skies, letting out a majestic dragon's cry.
"White Dragon Paradise?" Yu Xuan asked, puzzled.
"A place that exists between fantasy and reality?"
"Indeed," Gui Ping boasted. "This is the newest White Dragon Paradise, not yet open to the public, and it's far from ordinary. This is 'White Dragon Island,' purchased by the Kaiba Corporation, and it symbolizes the evolution of the White Dragon Paradise project to an entirely new level."
Yu Xuan: "..."
As expected of President Kaiba, even going so far as to name an island after Blue-Eyes.
At this rate, it's only a matter of time before Blue-Dragon City becomes a reality.
The finals were set to take place in the heart of this yet-to-be-opened attraction, the most prestigious dueling arena in the world. The duelists disembarked and made their way through the vast arena to the stage, where a White Dragon slot machine determined the final dueling order.
In the first semi-final, to everyone's surprise, Judai faced off against the Arbitrator.
Yu Xuan wasn't optimistic about Judai's chances, but he'd already voiced his concerns.
Nevertheless, Judai stepped confidently onto the dueling arena and faced the Arbitrator.
"Shall we begin?" the Arbitrator said with a light laugh.
"Judai Yuki, I must admit I underestimated you before. You're quite an intriguing duelist," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Let this duel be an opportunity for me to uncover the secrets you hide."
"I don't know what you're babbling about," Judai replied, "but when it comes to dueling, I always give it my all!"
"Hehehe, nothing could be better," the Arbitrator smiled.
"Duel!" x2
[Judai: LP 4000]
[Arbitrator: LP 4000]
"I'll start. Draw!"
The Arbitrator drew a card and, after a brief glance, played it without hesitation.
"I normal summon 'End Knight.' "
A knight clad in black armor, as if forged from shadows, appeared. Its long hair danced in the sunset, and a red mask concealed most of its face. It wielded a chillingly sharp longsword.
[End Knight: ATK 1400]
"When End Knight is successfully summoned, I can send one DARK attribute monster from my deck to the graveyard."
A golden light shot out from the Arbitrator's deck, almost as if it were drawn to his hand automatically.
"I'll send 'Hellroad Patrolman,' a DARK attribute monster, to the graveyard."
The monster card slid from his dueling disk into the graveyard.
"End turn."
The Arbitrator narrowed his eyes, a green glint flashing in them as he sized up Judai.
"Your turn, Judai. Show me your dueling skills and the secrets you hold."
As their eyes met, Judai suddenly felt a strange dizziness wash over him.
It was a sensation he'd experienced before.
His temples throbbed oddly, and he felt lightheaded. Images flashed through his mind—chaotic and blurry. His instincts told him these fragments were important, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make out their specifics.
Judai shook his head, trying to dispel the peculiar feeling.
A fusion of wind and fire, a vortex of flames erupted, as if the air had been heated to its boiling point.
A blazing fire dragon emerged from the vortex, and a figure spun within the flames, transforming into the heroic entity that landed upright. Its snowy white wings spread, and the dragon's head in its hands breathed fire, its green body standing tall before Judai.
[Elemental HERO Flame Wingman: ATK 2100]
"He's already starting with a Flame Wingman," You Xuan muttered.
In the anime, this seemed to be the standard opening move for Judai, later known as "Twenty-second," when he had reached his full potential. Judai had definitely improved from his earlier days of simply Normal Summoning a vanilla monster and ending his turn. However, with a hand size reduced by three, it was difficult to evaluate his current situation.
"Elemental HERO Flame Wingman, attack 'End Knight'!" Judai ordered. "Flame Wingman, attack! Flame Shot!"
Flame Wingman took to the skies, performing a graceful spiral in mid-air while enveloping itself in flames, resembling a fiery meteor diving downward.
End Knight raised its sword to block, but it was futile against Flame Wingman's assault. The flames easily pierced through the sword, penetrating End Knight, and exploding into a massive fireball.
[Arbitrator: LP 4000 → LP 3300]
"It's not over yet!" Judai declared. "Flame Wingman's monster effect activates! When it destroys a monster in battle, inflict damage to my opponent equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster!"
Flame Wingman descended from the sky, landing before the Arbitrator. The fiery dragon's head in its hands opened its mouth, spewing flames that erupted from the black maw, scorching the Arbitrator.
[Arbitrator: LP 3300 → LP 1900]
The Arbitrator calmly took the fiery blast from Flame Wingman, his long hair and cloak billowing with the flames.
Then, looking at Flame Wingman as it returned to Judai's side, he said meaningfully, "That was an effective attack. But, is that your beloved monster?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"Are you sure?"
"What?" Judai asked, puzzled. "Of course, what are you talking about...ah...!?"
He stumbled, suddenly feeling a sense of dizziness wash over him again.
More incomprehensible visions surged from the depths of his mind.
He saw an ancient castle, a kindly old man with a white beard, smiling at him.
There was also a delicate and beautiful face, bathed in dazzling sunlight, smiling at him as if saying something.
But he couldn't hear any sound.
Strange, it felt like these memories should be important.
The person before him should also be someone important, yet why couldn't he remember anything? Judai forced himself to shake off the chaotic visions once more, feeling as if he had struggled free from a powerful vortex, finally returning to reality.
This wasn't an opponent he could defeat with a distracted mind. He had to focus all his attention on the duel.
". . . I set a card and end my turn."
(End of Chapter)
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