https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-54-A-Request-from-the-Sprite-World/12557061/
Chapter 55: Thief Bakura
Chapter 55: Thief Bakura
You Xuan narrowed his eyes, examining the newcomer.
"Thief Bakura?" he asked, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
"Well, well, it seems someone still recognizes good old me," the man said, removing his sunglasses and revealing a disconcerting smile.
Indeed, it was him.
Thief Bakura, a minor antagonist from the early seasons of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters. Once known as the "Card Professor" in the United States, he was a bounty hunter at the peak of his game, undefeated across America and hailed as the national champion. He was a promising Duel Monsters star with immense talent.
Until one day, he challenged the creator of Duel Monsters, Maximillion Pegasus. But Pegasus didn't duel him personally. Instead, he had a child duel in his stead while he sat in the audience, chatting casually with Seto Kaiba. Bakura never expected that the child would defeat him using nothing but a small piece of paper with strategies written by Pegasus himself. This crushing defeat shattered Bakura's pride, sending him down a path of darkness and corruption.
However, that was all in the distant past of the early seasons. Bakura should have been long gone from the story by now.
Though his appearance had changed over the years, his style of dress remained similar. It was only after he confirmed his identity himself that You Xuan was certain of who he was.
Yet, this didn't explain why Thief Bakura was in the Elf World.
"I can sense the power within you—a dark, consuming power," the Holy Elf said warily, eyeing Bakura. "You are an agent of the Evil God."
"Pfft, power is power. There's no such thing as evil power," Bakura scoffed.
He took a drag from his cigarette, lighting it with a flick of his fingers.
Exhaling a smoke ring, he continued, "Thanks to Yugi Muto and Joey Wheeler, I once fell into a swamp of despair. But with the power of the gods, I have been reborn from the ashes.
Thief Bakura is long dead. All that remains is the Swordmaster chosen by the gods."
He paused, taking another drag from his cigarette and pointing with the hand holding it at the engraved image behind You Xuan.
"And now, my mission is for that very image—the legendary warrior. We're taking the power of the elves. So, sorry, kid, but I can't let you leave this place alive. But don't worry, you won't die immediately."
Taking another puff on his cigarette, he blew out the smoke and grinned.
"To have made it here, you must be somewhat special. Your soul will make for fine nourishment."
Bakura tossed his cigarette to the ground, crushing it under his foot, and then dramatically unfolded his Duel Disk.
"Come on. One way or another, only one of us is leaving this place today."
"Thanks for the invitation, but I'll pass," You Xuan said, taking two steps back and standing his ground. His Duel Disk unfolded as well.
"You can keep the opportunity to be monster fodder for yourself."
"Duel!" x2
[You Xuan: LP 4000]
[Thief Bakura: LP 4000]
"I'll take the first turn," Bakura said. "I activate 'Greed Jar' from my hand, drawing two cards from my Deck.
Then, I Set a monster and a card face-down. My turn is over."
"My turn, draw!" You Xuan said.
With Bakura only Setting a monster and a card, there was no way to discern his tactics.
In the original story, Bakura made his appearance during the Duelist Kingdom arc, where the old-school rules of one Tribute per monster were still in play, and a simple beatdown strategy with Blue-Eyes White Dragon could carry the day. Nearly a decade had passed since then, and those old duels held little strategic value nowadays.
Moreover, the current Bakura seemed to have thrown his lot in with some other force, and it was unclear what kind of Deck he was using.
For now, You Xuan decided to focus on his own Duel.
"I Summon 'Summon Monk' in Defense Position!"
[Summon Monk: 1600 DEF]
Summoning monsters in face-up Defense Position was a feature unique to the anime. In the real world of Dueling, you could only Summon monsters in face-up Attack Position or face-down Defense Position.
However, for "Summon Monk," it made no difference. The monster had a special effect that stated, "When this card is Summoned, it must be Summoned in face-down Defense Position."
"I activate the effect of 'Summon Monk,'" You Xuan said. "'Once per turn, discard 1 Magic Card from your hand to Special Summon 1 Level 4 monster from your Deck.'
I discard a card from my hand to Special Summon 'Dark Witch of the Forest' from my Deck!"
[Dark Witch of the Forest: 1100 ATK]
"Then, I activate the Equip Spell 'Magic Wand' from my hand, equipping it to 'Summon Monk.'
"Upon being successfully summoned, 'Summon Monk' must be switched to Defense Mode," Thief Keith said indifferently. "What's the point of boosting its attack power?"
"Activate the second effect of 'Magic Wand'!" You Xuan waved his hand again. "By sending the equipped monster and this card from the field to the Graveyard, draw two cards from your Deck."
The Summon Monk and the Magic Wand in his hand dissolved into specks of light, converging into a beam of golden light that flew into You Xuan's Deck. He drew two cards in quick succession.
"Next, discard a Magic Card from my hand to activate the effect of 'Summon Monk'! I discard 'Silent Magic Burst' from my Graveyard!" You Xuan explained. "Remove 'Silent Magic Burst' from the game and add one 'Silent Magician' monster from my Deck to my hand."
"As a result, I add 'Dark Sage - Silent Magician' from my Deck to my hand."
The Duel Disk executed the search protocol, and the card automatically popped out. You Xuan drew it into his hand, and his Deck promptly shuffled itself in the slot.
"'Dark Sage - Silent Magician' cannot be Normal Summoned, but it can be Special Summoned by Tributing a Spellcaster-Type monster on the field.
Therefore, I Tribute the Spellcaster-Type 'Dark Forest Witch' on the field!"
The witch in the black robe dissolved into a golden light, and the energy gathered on the ground formed a white magic circle. The translucent, white magic took the form of a spinning storm.
"Wings of silence that carry hopes, magician of light, appear now—
—Dark Sage - Silent Magician, I summon you!"
The white robe billowed in the radiant storm, and her evenly toned, snow-white legs could be faintly seen beneath the robe. The silent maiden slowly opened her eyes, and the staff in her hand skillfully spun twice before she firmly grasped it.
[Silent Magician, Attack: 1000]
"And at this moment, the effect of 'Dark Forest Witch' is also activated." You Xuan waved his hand and said, "When the witch is sent to the Graveyard, add a monster with a Defense Score of 1500 or less from my Deck to my hand.
Therefore, I will add this card—"
The Deck automatically searched again, and another card popped out, which he drew into his hand.
"I add 'Android - Cyber Stein' with a Defense Score of 1500 to my hand!"
"Android..."
Keith lightly puckered his lips at the sight of the card, letting out a soft hum.
That card reminded him of an old acquaintance.
Jouji "Joey" Katsuya, who had dealt him a heavy blow during the Duelist Kingdom tournament, knocking him out and sending him spiraling further into an abyss of despair.
Of course, Joey didn't have this card back then. It was only after Joey rose to fame that the Android Solider became one of his signature rare cards as a legendary duelist. So, even though Keith hadn't actually faced Joey in a tournament, the mere association with his nemesis left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Bad memories?"
You Xuan drew the searched card from his Deck as it automatically shuffled, his cold eyes observing his opponent.
"None of your business," Thief Keith replied coldly. "Sooner or later, I will drag all those who have trampled on me into the darkness with my new power.
But one problem at a time; I'll deal with you first. Now, let's continue the duel."
"As you wish."
You Xuan remained calm and collected.
"The attack power of 'Dark Sage - Silent Magician' increases by 500 points for each card in my hand. And with the 'Android - Cyber Stein' I just searched, I now have six cards in my hand.
Thus, the Silent Magician's attack power increases by three thousand points!"
As he spoke, the six cards in his hand seemed to release invisible waves of energy, transforming into translucent magic that flowed into the Silent Magician's body. She lightly swept her staff, unleashing an invisible storm of magic that caused her skirt to flutter as if forming an impenetrable barrier.
[Dark Sage - Silent Magician, Attack: 1000 -> Attack: 4000]
"Right off the bat, a monster equivalent to Obelisk the Tormentor," Keith frowned.
Only now did he notice that his opponent had just performed a series of moves: drawing extra cards, searching his Deck, summoning a powerful monster, and still maintaining his original six cards in hand, all in one turn.
Keith was beginning to realize that this opponent was not to be underestimated.
(End of Chapter)
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