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Chapter 868: The Final Wish
Chapter 868: The Final Wish
Leaning against the corner, Sato-sensei tilted his head back and took a deep breath.
He then looked up at the sky.
"It seems I've lost after all."
Shaking his head, he wore a look of regret.
You Xuan stood silently in front of him for a moment before walking over and sitting down beside him.
"From your tone, it seems you already knew the outcome, didn't you?" He turned to Sato.
Sato let out a bitter laugh, "You are the undefeated king in the world of dueling, with countless strong opponents defeated by you. As for me, I don't even remember the last time I stepped into a real dueling arena. Was there ever any doubt about the result?"
You Xuan had previously sensed the influence of dark fluctuations from Sato, which he knew was mostly due to Yubel. However, that fluctuation had now disappeared.
He could feel that Sato had returned to normal, though it was only the influence of the dark power that had been dispelled. Whether his mental state was truly normal was another matter.
Sato noticed his scrutinizing gaze and waved his hand dismissively, "No need to look at me with suspicion, You Xuan. I'm already too weak to duel, and I can't even..." He coughed, "...drag this broken body around to trouble you."
As he spoke, he shook his head and looked at You Xuan with a hint of resentment.
"But you really are a master of tactics, You Xuan. The Black Scorpion Bandits and the Storm Summoner, were they monsters you intentionally gave me?"
"You knew about the Wound Scab Knight's ability from the start and understood my dueling style. You deliberately chose those traitorous monsters for me, only to use my monsters' abilities to help you achieve your fatal COMBO."
You Xuan remained noncommittal.
"Haha, no wonder you're the king," Sato said. "Even if you say my lessons are worthless, even if you claim my dueling is outdated, it's you, the king of skipping classes, who understands me the most, who comprehends my dueling and tactics..." He coughed, "...the best."
Shaking his head, he let out another bitter laugh.
"How ironic."
Strictly speaking, You Xuan didn't consider himself a class-skipper, as his free choice of classes was permitted by the school. However, he didn't bother correcting or arguing about it.
Sato-sensei was now truly experiencing firsthand why this sunny student had gained the renowned reputation of the Cloaked Master within the academy.
Sato-sensei, who had played Minotaur cards his entire life, had never encountered a situation like today's, where a ten-year veteran of Minotaur dueling was pushed to the point of becoming a Pure Love Warrior.
It left such an impression that he would hesitate to casually duel against Minotaur players in the future.
Although it seemed cruel to this dedicated teacher, the fact was that his teaching methods were outdated. In the anime, aside from Generation Ten, fewer and fewer students attended his classes as time went on, eventually reaching a point where almost no one showed up.
Even the most exemplary student in the entire school, Maiyan Asahina, eventually skipped his classes. Even she found his lessons too dull and uninteresting.
Sato tilted his head back and looked up at the sky, "It seems you've proven yourself right, You Xuan."
"What?"
"Regarding me," Sato said as he gently closed his eyes, "whether as a teacher or a duelist, I'm just...a failure."
Saying those words seemed to require immense courage.
"No one attends my classes, and I'm rejected by my students, not because of you or any other student. It's because of me. I've failed, and no matter how hard I try, I can't meet expectations or be needed. That's why..."
He shook his head.
"I just needed a reason to blame someone else for my failures. I blamed you, but in truth, it wasn't like that. This is my failure as a teacher, nothing more."
You Xuan sat beside him, patting his shoulder as if they were close friends.
"Perhaps I didn't like your lessons, teacher, but what I said earlier was just trash talk during the duel.
"So, even in professional tournaments, this is often used to disrupt your opponents, right?"
"When I said your dueling style was outdated and had no merits, it wasn't entirely true. You're an excellent duelist, Teacher. By looking at the state of that Wound Knight, I could understand the expectations you placed on that monster and your fighting spirit as a duelist."
"It's a pity that you can't continue due to health reasons. If it weren't for that, Teacher, you would have gone much further in your professional career."
Sato glanced at him with a sideways look, and after a moment of staring, he suddenly burst into laughter.
"I didn't expect this, Yuxuan. I never thought I'd hear such comforting and encouraging words from your mouth."
Yuxuan: "..."
Hearing Sato's words, Yuxuan couldn't help but feel a sense of disbelief, as if an elephant couldn't fit in a dog's mouth.
"Never mind." Sato shook his head and said calmly, "I know I'm unlikely to beat you, but I still came. On one hand, I was... persuaded by someone, and it's true."
"Professor Cobra, is that so?" Yuxuan asked.
Sato smiled, "It seems nothing on this island can escape the King's notice. You already know."
After a brief pause, he continued, "On the other hand, it's because... in the final moments, I wanted to settle things with you, no matter what. Whether as a teacher or a duelist."
He picked up the Wound Knight card in his hand and smiled.
"In the very end, if I never got to duel you, my old friend probably wouldn't agree either, would he?"
As Yuxuan listened, he saw the phantom of the Wound Knight spirit appear and hover beside Sato, quietly observing him with a hint of resentment in its eyes.
Yuxuan furrowed his brows slightly.
"Teacher, you mentioned the final moments?"
"Ah, yes."
Teacher Sato slowly raised his head and looked at him.
"My time is running out. It's probably due to the old injuries I accumulated from the intense, continuous battles in the professional circuit back then, which have now become an incurable illness."
Yuxuan pondered for a moment and said, "The medical technology under the Seahorse Group has become very advanced. Although I don't know what illness you have, there might still be a way."
Sato shook his head.
"It's useless. This is the fate of a warrior, isn't it? A warrior who carries countless expectations and heavy hopes into battle will eventually have to fall.
But before that..."
He took a deep breath and handed the card in his hand to Yuxuan.
This time, Yuxuan was a little surprised.
He looked at the Wound Knight in Teacher's hand but didn't reach out to take it. Instead, he frowned and said, "Isn't this your most important card, Teacher?"
"Yes," Sato nodded and smiled, "I heard that the King loves to collect the cards of his defeated opponents as proof of victory, right?"
Yuxuan shook his head and pushed his hand back.
"Not this time, not against you, Teacher."
"Then I must persist even more," Sato said seriously. "I've said it before; I'm done for. And even if I miraculously survive, with this body, it'll be difficult to return to the arena for the rest of my life.
But I don't want and can't let the Wound Knight go down with me. He's a warrior, and he should return to the arena... No, I want him to reach the top of the world.
And among the people I know, only you, Yuxuan, can make it happen. So, as my last wish as a teacher, please, can you do it?"
Yuxuan looked at the card he was offering and met his sincere gaze.
After a moment of thought, Yuxuan reached out and took the card.
"Okay."
(End of Chapter)
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