Chapter 181: Yugi Muto's Gift

A victorious start: Tenjou Hikari secured the first win, yet this victory evoked entirely different feelings on both sides.

After losing, Yugo wasn't particularly discouraged; after all, losing a single duel was no big deal. He had lost to Rin and Yusei countless times in the past. However, the moment he lost, security guards swarmed up, dragging him away by force while cursing under their breath, spouting remarks like, "Those Satellite Zone trash are useless," which made him furious.

He struggled incessantly, wanting to punch them, but this time the security guards had learned their lesson. Not only had they assigned their two strongest men, but others also struck him with batons. With such an arrangement, even Yusei would have struggled to break free, let alone children who hadn't yet grown up.

"Hey, you lot! How can you treat children like this?!" Judai, unable to stand the sight, rushed forward to stop them, but someone grabbed his hand. Turning around, he saw John, who was also clenching his fists but hadn't moved forward. Gradually, Judai calmed down.

Yes.

Ultimately, they belonged to two different worlds; this was not a matter they should interfere in.

Otherwise, when they eventually left this world, what kind of retaliation would these people face?

They could play the hero and walk away scot-free, but what would become of those left behind?

This was merely their first contact; there was very little they could do! Even if they truly wished to bring about change, they needed more interaction first!

On their side, the remaining crowd was still mostly in shock. The opposition might not have felt much, but witnessing the "Super Magician Swordsman" had left them utterly stunned.

Especially since, this time, Tenjou Hikari hadn't used any cards to "substitute Fusion Materials" for the Fusion Summon; he had directly used a genuine Dark Magician!

That was one of the most precious cards in the world!

Although there should still be a dozen or so copies in existence, without exception, every single one was a top-tier collector's item, symbolizing the ace monster of the original Duel King!

Yet, beyond the shock, many among them began harboring other thoughts.

The Taylor sisters exchanged a glance, seeing shock—and speculation—in each other's eyes.

Within the Fusion Army, their status was extremely high; as the "strongest" tag duelists, they knew many secrets of the organization.

The Dark Magician Tenjou Hikari had used earlier, though it flashed by in an instant, reminded them of the "Dark Magician" the organization had previously lost.

The two exchanged another glance, spotting excitement in each other's eyes.

If it were true, wouldn't that make things even more interesting!

As for the others, after a brief moment of shock, they gathered around Tenjou Hikari, eager to catch a glimpse of the real "Dark Magician." After all, most of the time, one could only see replicas of the Dark Magician in exhibition halls. As for the genuine articles, they were all kept under the strictest security. Tenjou Hikari seemed to be the first duelist in recent years to include a real Dark Magician in his deck and use it in a duel, so naturally, they were extremely curious about what the real card looked like.

Even though its color differed from Mr. Yugi Muto's Dark Magician, it was still a Dark Magician!

"That was a great duel, Hikari. Um, could I take a look at that Dark Magician?" This was Judai, speaking directly.

"Ahem, Tenjou, you know, my master is that person, so... I've always wanted to duel against a Dark Magician, so..." This was Manjoume, who was now learning to be tactful.

Besides them, acquaintances and strangers alike—not just duelists, but many staff members as well—rushed over, wanting to catch a glimpse of the real Dark Magician.

"A splendid duel." Just as they were enthusiastically celebrating Tenjou Hikari and concocting various excuses to see the Dark Magician, a person approached.

Hearing this voice, they quickly turned their heads. Upon recognizing the newcomer, they hurriedly cleared a path for him.

Yugi Muto!

He glanced at Tenjou Hikari, then briefly at Tierra standing beside him. The moment Tierra was seen, she instinctively hid slightly behind Tenjou Hikari, while Yugi offered a shy, slightly bashful smile.

"I watched your entire duel; it was magnificent." He simply offered this pure praise to Tenjou Hikari, then silently reached into his pocket, drew a card from the deck box at his waist, and said with a light chuckle, "This card is for you."

Tenjou Hikari opened his mouth in shock, carefully extended his hand, took a look at the card, then raised his head to gaze at Yugi Muto, hastily expressing his gratitude: "Thank you very much, Mr. Yugi!"

As expected of Yugi Muto—he really gives when he gives!

Handing out a rare card just like that!

Gaia the Fierce Knight!

Yugi nodded lightly at them, then smiled and turned to leave. Kaiba, watching this scene from afar, deeply etched Tenjou Hikari's image into his memory.

Although he had already taken notice of Tenjou Hikari previously, he hadn't personally intervened in his affairs. But now, seeing that Tenjou Hikari had actually used a Dark Magician and even received a card gifted by Yugi, Kaiba's level of attention toward him instantly multiplied several times over.

"Wow..." The remaining crowd watched this scene, unable to forget it for a long time.

Soon after, they suddenly realized something else.

"Hey, hey, hey! Does that mean if we perform well..."

"Maybe! Didn't that kid named Jokichi also receive a card from Mr. Yugi earlier!"

"Mm-hmm—Let's go, let's go!"

Some excitedly remarked that coming here was truly the right choice; others were already fantasizing about gaining Yugi Muto's approval, reaching the peak of their lives, and becoming stars in their hometowns; while others had already begun studying their decks, silently cheering themselves on.

Before they arrived, Kaiba Corporation hadn't told them what prizes were available this time.

But—

If they could receive a card from Yugi Muto just like Tenjou Hikari did, who would care about any other prize?

Indeed, just a single word of praise from him would instantly make one a hot topic at their own school, wouldn't it!

On the other side, Yugo was dragged by two officers into an iron enclosure and thrown onto the ground like trash. Rin and Yusei hurried to help him up. Fortunately, he was tough enough; although he had taken a severe beating, he wasn't too badly hurt. After stretching a bit, he stood up again.

"Sigh, what a pity, I actually lost..." He sat cross-legged on the ground, hands behind his back, lamenting.

"You did very well already," Yusei encouraged him. "It's just that your opponent was better prepared than you."

Yugo was still young; Yusei could see he had much to learn, so losing wasn't strange. After all, their opponents were excellent students from the Other-Dimensional Duel Academy, while Yugo wasn't even old enough to attend such a school.

He frowned, deeply dissatisfied by this.

They had explicitly requested that children of this age not be sent to fight, yet they themselves sent out children. Did the people of the Upper District have no sense of responsibility whatsoever?

Just as he was trying to comfort Yugo, a voice came from outside.

"Number One! Who is Number One? Come out immediately!"

Yusei glanced over and instructed the two children: "Rin, I'm going to duel; you look after Yugo."

"Don't worry, Yusei, he'll be fine!"

Yusei nodded, picked up his Duel Disk and deck, and silently walked toward the outside of the enclosure.

Meanwhile...

In the Upper District, inside the Security Bureau, a man standing with his hands behind his back quietly watched him step out of the enclosure.

Chapter One

My stomach felt a bit uncomfortable, so the update is a bit late.

Damn it, fuck Konami, they really deserve to die. Twin alternate art super rares, huh? Born scum.

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(End of Chapter)