Chapter 41: A Dark and Scientific Duel
Chapter 41: A Dark and Scientific Duel
What lay before them was undoubtedly a Dark Duel, but according to You Xuan's knowledge, Longzaki was a decent duelist. Aside from being tricked by Doma during the Orichalcum arc, he usually stayed away from life-or-death gambling.
Both sides seemed to have been at it for a while, as their mutual field lay barren. With barely any Life Points remaining, they looked disheveled and were barely holding themselves up, breathing heavily.
Longzaki: LP 700
Fujimoto: LP 300
Fujimoto, the Dark Duelist, paused to catch his breath before speaking in a low voice, "As expected of a legendary duelist, to be able to hold out this long. You've got some skills."
Then, he changed the subject and said loudly, "However, I have sworn to sacrifice your soul to avenge my fallen brothers! I will not fall here!"
"I'm telling you, I've never even heard of that friend of yours, Gui what's-his-name!" Longzaki roared.
He felt utterly frustrated that he had to risk his life for someone he had never met nor heard of.
"His name is Guizuka Genichiro. Remember it," Fujimoto shouted, "because you're about to go to hell and beg for his forgiveness!"
"I'm telling you, I've never met him," Longzaki said, feeling glum.
Was this guy insane? He came out of nowhere, ranting about revenge, and wouldn't listen to a word he said.
If he were to lose his life because of this absurd duel, Longzaki knew he would never rest in peace.
You Xuan fell silent upon hearing this.
Guizuka Genichiro... What a familiar name.
Now that he thought about it, that guy who blocked his way and insisted on dueling the other night had mentioned something about originally intending to challenge Longzaki. But since he saw Longzaki get crushed in a match, he changed his mind.
Could it be a coincidence?
At that moment, a loud roar filled the air, accompanied by flying dust and a sweeping storm. You Xuan instinctively raised his arm to shield himself and looked up. A white helicopter was flying overhead, descending towards the nearest street from the alley.
The propellers cut through the air, creating a turbulent storm. The wind was fierce and powerful, like a dragon swirling in the sky. Even before it landed, the cabin door slid open, and a figure leaped out, their windbreaker billowing like a cape.
The newcomer made a dramatic superhero landing, crouching as they touched the ground, then rising with their arms crossed. The windbreaker fluttered wildly in the propeller's wake.
Even Longzaki and Fujimoto, who were in the midst of a life-or-death duel, were drawn to this extravagant entrance, their faces reflecting their surprise.
Longzaki: "It's you!?"
Fujimoto's face turned even paler: "The legendary duelist... Kaiba Seto!?"
You Xuan: "..."
It was quite something to make such a superhero-like entrance at a dueling scene. And to be able to jump from that height and land unscathed—that level of super-soldier-like physical ability was perplexing.
Could dueling also strengthen one's body and turn them into a superhero?
"Big brother!"
Gui Ping quickly approached his brother and pointed at Fujimoto in the field. "That man, the sensors show that he's the source of the Dark Duel!"
Fujimoto: "..."
He really wanted to say, "It wasn't me; you've got the wrong guy." But being caught red-handed like this didn't leave him much room for argument.
"This foolish duel ends here," Kaiba said as he stepped forward, his voice cold as ice.
"Bullying weaklings isn't impressive. If you want to play, I'll accompany you."
Longzaki angrily retorted, "Who are you calling a weakling!?"
Fujimoto swallowed hard.
Although they were both considered legendary duelists, challenging Longzaki was one thing, but going up against Kaiba Seto was an entirely different matter.
Everyone knew that Kaiba's signature monster was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, but it had been many years since he had dueled publicly. Though the world hadn't seen him in action for a long time, it was common knowledge that he had the top scientific teams working tirelessly to create new support cards for the dragon, and who knew how terrifying the card pool had become over the years.
"Hmph, ha ha!"
Fujimoto decided to stall for time.
"Well then, I've been wanting to experience the power of the Blue-Eyes myself. But once a Dark Duel starts, it can't be stopped. Let me finish off Longzaki first."
"There's no need for that."
Kaiba abruptly raised the Duel Disk in his hand.
Everyone then noticed that the Duel Disk he was wearing was not a standard model but rather a more advanced, high-end product that wasn't available on the market—a custom-made, state-of-the-art device.
The pose Kaiba struck and the design of the Duel Disk suddenly reminded You Xuan of something familiar.
In the movie "The Dark Side of Dimensions," when Boss Aigami tried to use his divine artifact to send Kaiba to another dimension without dueling, Kaiba had assumed a similar pose as he raised his Duel Disk, claiming that it amplified his self-awareness and that he could use the power of technology to counter Aigami's supernatural abilities.
The Duel Disk in Kaiba's hand now seemed to have a similar design and was emitting a dazzling light.
Fujimoto furrowed his brow. "I don't know what you're trying to do, but I'm telling you, once a Dark Duel starts, it can't be stopped. Unless..."
"What?!?"
The Dark Duelist looked like his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.
What had he just seen?
The barrier of the Dark Duel was actually dissolving under that radiant light?!
Batana! Ari yen! (Impossible!)
Fujimoto was flustered.
He was a man who wielded the power of darkness!
Wasn't it supposed to be a new era where mysticism reigned and science had become obsolete?
How could this be happening?
You Xuan was witnessing this for the first time as well, but he remained calm.
In the world of Duel Monsters, while dueling was the ultimate law, it didn't mean that technology was obsolete. The final boss in 5D's, for example, was a product of technology, and it proved that science could also give physical form to Duel Monsters, achieve effects similar to Dark Duels, and even travel through time to destroy worlds.
Kaiba had suffered at the hands of supernatural forces eight years ago in the DM arc, but he never gave up on trying to use technology to counter mysticism. So, it was only natural that he would have made some breakthroughs after all these years.
"This is the latest Duel Disk developed by Kaiba Corp., specifically designed to amplify a duelist's spiritual energy to deal with people like you." Kaiba explained with a cold smile.
"And it can do this as well."
A more dazzling blue light erupted from the Duel Disk, and a torrent of data, like a flowing blue stream, quickly spread and enveloped the entire area.
The ground beneath their feet and the stone walls on both sides of the alley disappeared, replaced by a dueling arena glowing with a blue aura, empty of any surroundings.
"A holographic Duel Deathmatch arena," Kaiba continued. "Although it's a projection, the monsters we summon and the impacts they make will gain actual mass!"
The spectacle before them and Kaiba's domineering aura were already starting to intimidate Fujimoto.
No one would believe him if he told them, but he felt like he had stumbled upon a scientific Dark Duel today.
(End of Chapter)
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