Chapter 447: The Duel King
Chapter 447: The Duel King
Duel Academy.
As the sun set, the glowing rays painted the boundless ocean with a shimmering glow, weaving a magnificent tapestry between the blues and golds of the horizon. A helicopter slowly traversed this vibrant skyline, approaching a meticulously prepared helipad by the coast.
The helicopter landed. Principal Ryuzo Otogi stepped out, his gleaming bald head reflecting the dazzling sunset, while his uniform's hem fluttered in the whirlwind created by the propeller.
As he disembarked, a flushed and panting figure rushed towards him.
"Principal! Principal Otogi, something big has happened!"
Chronos rushed up to him, hands on his knees, breathless from running to greet the principal.
It was common knowledge that Principal Otogi was often away on business; in the anime, he was never around when issues arose at the academy. He had just returned from an important trip and was now being intercepted by Chronos as soon as he stepped off the helicopter.
"Such haste is unbecoming of a professor's demeanor, Professor Chronos," Principal Otogi remarked with a smile, his tone calm and collected, befitting a master.
"What has happened?"
"It's about Duel City, the finals of Duel City today!" Chronos panted.
"Oh, the finals are today," Principal Otogi mused. "So that's why I sent Ryuji to participate. I wonder how he fared."
"Ryuji?" Chronos paused, "Come to think of it, he did make it to the top eight."
"Oh, he's in the top eight?" Principal Otogi's eyes lit up, and he nodded in approval. "Not bad, not bad at all. Ryuji has done quite well for himself."
Principal Otogi had a good understanding of his students' capabilities. While Ryuji was known within the academy as an undefeated Caesar, he was still a student champion. To have advanced to the top eight in the competitive arena of Duel City was an impressive feat.
As a mentor, Principal Otogi was highly satisfied with his heir apparent's performance.
Moreover, Ryuji had yet to graduate and formally enter the professional dueling world for further training and growth. His future prospects were indeed limitless.
Principal Otogi was delighted and decided to reward his star pupil upon his return.
"Yes, Ryuji performed well, but that's not the main point," Chronos shook his head, continuing excitedly, "The champion! The Duel King! We have a current student who is the Duel King! My goodness, this is unprecedented!"
The principal was bewildered by the professor's incoherent exclamation: "Slow down, what's going on? What king?"
"The Duel King! Kaiba Seto personally participated in this edition of Duel City, saying that he would once again put his title of Duel King on the line.
And our student won!"
Chronos exclaimed loudly.
"Fujiki You Xuan! You Xuan won!"
Principal Otogi blinked, as if he hadn't quite understood.
"You're saying You Xuan... defeated Kaiba?"
"Not only that, he became the champion!" Chronos shouted, "You Xuan is now... the Duel King!"
Principal Otogi's eyes widened, his expression frozen for a few seconds. His mouth slowly began to hang open, and he even felt the urge to join Professor Chronos in his enthusiastic shouting—
—My goodness!
Our academy actually has a current student who is the Duel King?
At that moment, the once quiet dojo had erupted into a frenzy.
Curator Takeuchi had watched the entire finals live with his apprentices, and there were several moments when he nearly had to use emergency heart medication.
And when the dust finally settled, and the invincible Serpent Deity was devoured by the Lava Golem, sealing the victory, Curator Takeuchi nearly fainted.
Duel King!
A title that only Mutou Yugi had achieved in the past, symbolizing the strongest duelist in the world.
In this world where dueling and deck-building are increasingly prominent, it was clear that the title also brought with it fame, fortune, and a position at the very pinnacle of the world.
He would become the person who was revered by tens of thousands, reigning supreme over all.
After their initial shock, the disciples in the dojo soon joined in the celebration.
Especially a certain student by the name of Satou Kouji; he now walked with his chest puffed out, as if he himself had undergone a transformation.
He couldn't wait to tell everyone he met, "I was beaten by the Duel King!"
With a bit of rounding up, he could also claim to be a legendary duelist himself!
As the saying goes, when one person achieves enlightenment, their entire clan benefits. Since You Xuan was from their dojo, his colleagues naturally felt proud, and almost every one of them could now boast about being "defeated by the Duel King."
However, there were also those with mixed feelings.
Back then, You Xuan's Hand Destruction technique had left the entire dojo questioning their life choices. They thought it was an unorthodox method, like a quick-fix evil art; it might seem powerful at first glance, but ultimately, its achievements were limited, and it wouldn't work against a true master.
Then, they watched as You Xuan, with this "unorthodox method," went on to crush everyone at Duel Academy, trounce professionals, and decimate legends, until he finally reached the pinnacle and became the new Duel King.
Suddenly, they felt a sense of foreboding for the future of the dueling world.
"Congratulations."
Keisuke jumped onto the stage and patted You Xuan on the shoulder.
"So, you're the new Duel King for now, at least." He said with a grin, "But even though you won this time, my brother won't give up that easily."
"Keisuke," Kaiba interrupted.
Keisuke stuck out his tongue and didn't continue.
"Okay, but seriously, you should also be careful now."
He turned to You Xuan and said, "Being the Duel King brings with it the highest honor, but it also comes with challenges, not just status and opportunities. It's been so many years since Yugi became the Duel King, and there hasn't been a new one since. This will definitely attract a lot of attention.
Even Yugi faced numerous challenges after becoming the Duel King. He had to fight his way to the top."
You Xuan nodded, "I understand."
Ever since Yugi became the Duel King, there were people challenging him for the title almost every day. This was depicted in the movies and side stories; every few days, a large group of people would show up at his school or his card shop, wanting to duel him and claim the title.
Although everyone knew that Mutou Yugi was the best in the world, there were always some people who were overly confident and thought their skills weren't that far off from Yugi's or Kaiba's.
After Yugi won the title, he had to continuously battle challengers from all over the world, but he successfully defended his title as the Duel King, and now the whole world acknowledged his strength.
Now, You Xuan had only taken the first step on the path that Yugi had walked before.
There would be even more challenges ahead.
"Mhm, I know."
You Xuan simply nodded.
Then, he flashed his signature sunny smile.
"Bring them on."
Seeing that warm smile, Keisuke suddenly felt a twinge of sympathy for the unknown challengers that awaited in the future.
(End of Chapter)
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