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The atmosphere in the arena had grown increasingly tense, though You Xuan remained as calm and composed as ever. Across from him, the examiner—still wearing his signature sunglasses—stood rigid, his expression unreadable but faintly strained.
By now, the examiner was beginning to understand why this particular examinee had asked such an unusual question before the duel began: whether the examiner's emotional state could affect his exam results.
Because if it could, the examiner would have been sorely tempted to draw a big, red "X" on the candidate's file and tell him to get lost.
It was only the first turn, and already half of the examiner's hand was gone, his field was completely empty, and one of his cards—a powerful trap that could destroy an opponent's monster during an attack, Trap Hole—had been discarded without even being set. The card hadn't even had the chance to fulfill its purpose before being banished to the shadow realm...
Of course, this thought only flashed through his mind for a brief moment.
The examiner took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to act on his frustration.
Calm down, he reminded himself. I'm a professional examiner. No matter what happens, I must remain composed.
You Xuan, bearing the number 001, had entered with the highest level of attention among the current candidates. After this single turn, even more eyes turned toward their arena. Many spectators were now curious about him.
"That boy, You Xuan, is this year's top scorer?" Asuka Tenjoin leaned against the railing. "To be honest, his dueling style... feels quite different from what I imagined a top scorer would be like..."
"..."
Meanwhile, near Sho Marufuji:
Lackey A: "Here we go again! That You Xuan is at it once more!"
"Yeah! This is exactly it!" Lackey B chimed in. "This progression, this flow... Even Sho-sama was sent into an abyss of despair!"
"You're exaggerating too much," Sho muttered under his breath.
He had managed to struggle for a few turns—at least before descending into the abyss.
Then, a dark, ominous smile spread across his face.
"But if they think this is all there is to it, they're dead wrong. For someone like that dog, this is only the beginning..."
The two lackeys exchanged sympathetic glances.
"Sho-sama really has experience..."
"Yeah, he knows how to make people feel sorry for him..."
Sho: "Urusai (Shut up)!"
"..."
"My turn. Draw."
You Xuan calmly inserted another card into his duel disk.
"I activate the magic card Mischievous Twins. By paying 1000 life points, I randomly discard one card from your hand, and then you choose another card from your hand to discard."
[You Xuan, LP3000 → LP2000]
Two mischievous demons—one blue, one red—emerged, each grabbing a card from the examiner's hand. They laughed mockingly as they disappeared into thin air.
Examiner: "......"
Secret Technique: Hand Erasure.
The examiner adjusted his sunglasses and glanced at the last remaining card in his hand.
[Continuous Magic - Spirit of Chivalry
Effect: When a monster on your field battles with a monster of equal attack power, neither monster is destroyed.]
A completely useless card at this point.
Rounding it off, he was effectively out of playable cards.
If this were an anime scene, steam would already be erupting from the examiner's head like an overheating volcano.
The only things keeping him from flipping the table and storming off were his professionalism and constant mental reminders.
I'm a professional. I can't get angry. I must stay calm...
You Xuan: "I summon Black Forest Witch in attack mode."
[Black Forest Witch, ATK 1100]
"Black Forest Witch, direct attack."
[Examiner, LP4000 → LP2900]
The examiner stood motionless, enduring the attack with a grim expression, as if building up a reservoir of rage.
"End of my turn."
"..."
In the stands, Lackey A whispered: "Just like Sho-sama said."
Lackey B shook his head, feeling a growing sense of pity for the unfortunate examiner.
Sho remained silent, but as he watched the duel unfold, an involuntary smirk began to creep onto his face.
"Hmph... Hmph-hmph-hmph..."
His lips curled upward uncontrollably.
Honestly, he wasn't sure why this was happening. But seeing the examiner suffer below brought back memories of his own ordeal just yesterday.
And strangely, it filled him with a sense of vindictive satisfaction.
Only then did he realize—when he wasn't the one on the receiving end, watching these shadowy duels could actually be... enjoyable.
Lackey B, observing Sho's increasingly exaggerated grin, couldn't help but whisper: "Sho-sama, your smile is kind of creepy..."
"..."
"My turn! Draw!"
The examiner steadied his breathing, focusing all his attention on the duel.
"From my hand, I activate the magic card Silent Dead. I can revive a normal monster from my graveyard in defense position, but monsters summoned this way cannot attack.
I'll revive this card that was discarded to the graveyard last turn..."
The examiner retrieved the card ejected from the graveyard zone of his duel disk.
"Millennium Shield!"
A massive shield emerged from the underworld vortex, towering over the examiner's field.
[Millennium Shield, DEF 3000]
"It's the Millennium Shield!"
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
Legend had it that this shield originated from the royal family of ancient Egypt. It was said to be indestructible, capable of withstanding even the Burst Stream of Destruction from the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
"End of my turn."
Though he wanted to do more, the examiner was out of cards to play. Still, the Millennium Shield boasted the defensive power of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Surely, it wouldn't fall so easily.
He just needed to hold on until the next turn.
"My turn," You Xuan declared. "From my hand, I activate the equip spell Magic Wand. Only Spellcaster-type monsters can be equipped with it.
I'll equip it to Black Forest Witch. The equipped monster's attack increases by 500."
[Black Forest Witch, ATK 1100 → ATK 1600]
"Next, I activate the second effect of Magic Wand. By sending the equipped monster and this card to the graveyard, I can draw two cards.
I'll send Black Forest Witch and Magic Wand to the graveyard and draw two cards."
After drawing two new cards, You Xuan pulled out his deck and began chaining effects.
"Black Forest Witch's effect. When this card is sent from the field to the graveyard, I can add a monster with 1500 or less defense from my deck to my hand.
I'll add this card to my hand."
He held up a card for all to see.
"Mahabale Piguru, DEF 1400, added to my hand." You Xuan continued, "Next, I summon Mahabale Piguru in attack mode."
[Mahabale Piguru, ATK 1550]
Mahabale Piguru—originally part of Yugi Mutou's deck—was later gifted to Anzu Mazaki. It had played a crucial role in several key moments in the anime.
"Then, from my hand, I activate the equip spell Explosive Shot."
You Xuan inserted another card into his duel disk, and the image of the magic card appeared on his back row.
"The equipped monster's attack increases by 400 points," You Xuan explained. "Additionally, when the equipped monster attacks a defense-position monster, if its attack exceeds the defender's defense, piercing damage is dealt."
The examiner nodded in understanding. "So that's the plan. Boost attack power with equipment, break through defense monsters, and deal piercing damage, huh?"
But the Millennium Shield boasted a defense of 3000. Breaking through it wouldn't be easy, let alone dealing effective damage. To pierce the shield and secure a direct win, the student would need to stack up 5700 attack points—an almost impossible feat...
"Who said I'm equipping it to my monster?"
You Xuan smiled faintly and pointed at the examiner's Millennium Shield.
"The target of my equipment is... Millennium Shield!"
[Millennium Shield, ATK 0 → ATK 400]
Examiner: "?"
Equipping it to the opponent's monster? What's the meaning of this?
Does this guy think the game isn't just about allocating resources to yourself but also to your opponent?
"Then, I activate the quick-play spell Cyclone, which can destroy one spell or trap card on the field." You Xuan declared. "I'll destroy my own Explosive Shot."
Examiner: "??"
This sequence of moves was becoming increasingly perplexing.
Was this some kind of taunt, offering free cards because he felt confident in his victory?
A black whirlwind engulfed You Xuan's Explosive Shot, and a bolt of lightning struck it, shattering it into pieces.
"This is meaningless," the examiner couldn't help but comment. "Even if you do this, my Millennium Shield will..."
"...Nani!?!"
His eyes widened in disbelief as he realized his field was now completely empty.
The Millennium Shield was gone.
Not...
Where's my shield?
That enormous shield?
Unable to contain his confusion, he blurted out: "Where's my shield?"
You Xuan smiled. "I sent it to the different dimension."
Examiner: "???"
What nonsense? Do you want me to send you to the different dimension?
Seeing the examiner teetering on the brink of rage once more, You Xuan patiently explained: "The equip spell Explosive Shot not only boosts the equipped monster's attack and grants piercing damage but also has a side effect, Sensei.
When this card leaves the field, the monster it was equipped to is removed from the game."
At this revelation, the crowd erupted in murmurs.
"This... equipping the opponent's monster with a beneficial spell, only to exploit its side effect to remove it from the game..." Asuka's expression grew complex. "It's impressive, no doubt, but..."
She struggled to find the right words.
But deep down, her thoughts could be summed up in just two words.
Shadow Realm.
"This is exactly the kind of combo that guy would come up with."
Though Sho was initially surprised by this combination, he quickly accepted it as plausible.
Mm-hmm, because the person standing opposite is a dog.
Thinking of tactics like this, using them in such a way—it seems only natural.
You Xuan calmly revealed two more cards.
"I activate the equip spells Demon Axe and Sorcerer's Power, equipping them both to Mahabale Piguru."
On the field, the black magician slowly opened her eyes. A demonic axe floated beside her, and golden energy enveloped her entire body.
"The effect of Demon Axe: increase the equipped monster's attack by 1000 points.
The effect of Sorcerer's Power: for every spell or trap card on my field, increase the equipped monster's attack by 500 points. I have two equipment cards, so it increases by 1000 points.
Combined, the two equipment cards increase attack by 2000 points."
[Mahabale Piguru, ATK 1550 → ATK 3550]
"Then, Mahabale Piguru's own effect!" You Xuan pointed at the magician on the field. "For every card equipped to her, her attack increases by 500 points.
Since she has two cards equipped, her attack increases by 1000."
[Mahabale Piguru, ATK 3550 → ATK 4550]
Another wave of gasps swept through the examination hall.
"Attack power... 4550!?"
One candidate, Sho Marufuji, who had yet to take his exam, was stunned. "Higher than the legendary Obelisk... no, higher than the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's attack power!"
This was the highest attack value seen in today's examination arena.
"Can this guy really reach such high attack values so casually?"
Lackey B nearly fell out of his seat.
Sho wasn't particularly surprised, but his expression grew darker.
Yes, he had already figured it out. That dog wasn't just about setting traps.
Sho had long suspected that the psychological torment was simply something he enjoyed.
Or rather, messing with his opponent's mindset was part of his strategy.
But even setting that aside, this guy...
...was strong.
"Mahabale Piguru," You Xuan snapped his fingers. "Direct attack."
[Examiner, LP2900 → LP0]