Chapter 102: Please, begin your performance

"It's better to use this deck when dueling you."

Fujiki You Xuan casually drew a deck from the card box behind him and slotted it into his Duel Disk.

"Heh, it doesn't matter what you use." The beetle-man was quite confident. "In the face of the power bestowed upon me by the True God, any deck is equally feeble."

"Through the ritual of battle, become an offering to my Lord!"

"Duel!" x2

"I'll take the first turn. Draw." Fujiki You Xuan said. "First, I activate the Spell Card 'Pot of Greed' to draw two cards from my deck."

"Then, I set a monster on the field. And then, I activate this card—"

The image of a Spell Card appeared before him.

"Spell Card—Foolish Burial!"

"Send one monster card from my deck to the Graveyard."

Fujiki You Xuan drew the card that popped out of his deck.

"I send 'Killer Snake' from my deck to the Graveyard!"

He then drew two more cards.

"I set two cards on the field. Turn end."

Beetle Knight: "Then it's my turn, draw!"

"I activate the Spell Card 'Hand Destruction'. Both players discard all cards in their hands to the Graveyard, then draw the same number of cards discarded."

The Beetle Knight drew again, then revealed a card in his hand.

"Next is the effect of this guy in my hand."

He displayed a monster card in his hand.

"Giant Drill Bug! By banishing an Insect-type monster from the Graveyard, I can Special Summon it directly!"

The Beetle Knight drew a card that popped out of his Graveyard.

"I banish the 'Dragonfly' I just discarded into the Graveyard to Special Summon 'Giant Drill Bug'!"

The soil beneath the field loosened, and a hideous giant insect wriggled its body as it broke through from below, revealing a gruesome mouthpart wrapped in slime.

【Giant Drill Bug, ATK 1900】

"Then I activate the Spell Card 'Monster Reborn'! Revive a monster in the Graveyard!"

"I will revive this card I discarded to the Graveyard!"

"Revive 'Resonance Insect'!"

【Resonance Insect, ATK 1000】

Fujiki You Xuan raised an eyebrow.

Regardless of the strength of the opponent's deck, this "Resonance Insect" was a good item.

When Resonance Insect is sent from the field to the Graveyard, one can search the deck for an Insect-type monster of Level 5 or higher. And when this card is banished from the game, one can select an Insect-type monster from the deck and send it to the Graveyard.

Seeing this card, Fujiki You Xuan naturally thought of Senior Watanabe Shuichi's soul card, Demon Shovel Bug. Actually, although Insect-types are relatively niche, in the early environment, Demon Shovel Bug was a high-level attacker that could jump out directly by banishing two Insects from the Graveyard, and its quality was quite good.

If Resonance Insect is sent from the field to the Graveyard, one could directly search the deck for the Level 8 Demon Shovel Bug. Then, Demon Shovel Bug's effect could banish the Resonance Insect in the Graveyard to Special Summon itself, gaining a 2880 ATK attacker while also performing another deck-to-Graveyard dump.

Hmm, although Fujiki You Xuan had no interest in Insect-themed decks, as the saying goes, it's better to be prepared; there's nothing wrong with keeping one of these free items.

Anyway, after this duel was over, it would likely become ownerless property.

"Battle! First, I use 'Giant Drill Bug' to attack the face-down monster!"

The Drill Bug dove into the ground, and only a second later, it broke through from Fujiki You Xuan's half of the field. The face-down card flipped over, and the projection that appeared on the field was surprisingly a small penguin holding a sword.

"Penguin Soldier's effect." Fujiki You Xuan waved a hand. "When this card is flipped, I can select up to two monsters on the opponent's field and return them to the owner's hand."

"I choose 'Giant Drill Bug' and 'Resonance Insect' to return to the hand!"

Beetle Knight: "!"

Both monsters returned to the hand, and his field suddenly became an empty expanse.

"Tch, it's actually a return-to-hand effect..."

The two insects he summoned instantly weren't just for attacking; the effect of "Resonance Insect" was also his hidden backup plan.

Whether destroyed by battle or effect, as long as the opponent defeated Resonance Insect, he could search his deck for the trump card monster bestowed by God, "Demon Shovel Bug," and launch an all-out attack.

But since they were bounced back to his hand, his subsequent setup was ruined.

But it didn't matter.

"I haven't performed my Normal Summon this turn." The Beetle Knight said. "I set a monster on the field, then set one card. Turn end."

He set "Resonance Insect" back on the field, and the effect remained the same.

The Beetle Knight looked at his opponent with a sinister expression, sneering inwardly.

Come on, destroy my Resonance Insect.

That will become the fuse for your defeat.

"My turn, draw." Fujiki You Xuan said. "At this moment, the effect of 'Killer Snake' that I discarded to the Graveyard last turn activates."

"When this card exists in the Graveyard, it can return to the hand during my Standby Phase." (Old version effect)

It seemed like just a weak monster, but the effect of self-recovery every turn provided it with the possibility of infinite resource gain, making it very active in various decks at one time, and it was eventually listed as a Forbidden card.

In the physical card game, it wasn't until 2015 that its effect was weakened so that it would be banished from the game the turn after self-recovery, only then seeing the light of day again.

However, the Killer Snake in this world was, of course, the old version, and it looked like a trash card that no one cared about. Fujiki You Xuan didn't spend much effort to easily buy three copies.

"Spell Card 'Graceful Charity'. Draw three cards from the deck, then discard two cards from my hand."

Fujiki You Xuan sent two cards from his hand to the Graveyard.

"Next, the effect of the discarded 'Witch of the Black Forest'. When sent to the Graveyard, I can add a monster with 1500 or less DEF from my deck to my hand."

"What I want to add to my hand from the deck is this card—"

Fujiki You Xuan drew a card and displayed it.

"The 1300 DEF 'Abyss Soldier'."

The deck in the Duel Disk automatically shuffled. He first added Abyss Soldier to his hand, then revealed another card in his hand.

"Continuous Spell 'Water Barrier'!"

"Once per turn, if there are no monsters on my field, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Water-attribute monster from my hand."

"I Special Summon 'Abyss Soldier' from my hand!"

【Abyss Soldier, ATK 1800】

The Beetle Knight remained calm on the surface.

Come on, attack quickly, attack my Resonance Insect...

"The effect of 'Abyss Soldier' activates." Fujiki You Xuan said. "Once per turn, discard a Water-attribute monster from my hand, select one card on the field and return it to the owner's hand."

"I discard the Water-attribute 'Killer Snake' from my hand to return your face-down monster to your hand."

Beetle Knight: "!?"

Back to the hand again?

Twice on the field and twice off, watching the Resonance Insect turn into a golden light and fly back into his hand again, his mouth couldn't help but twitch.

Is this broken bug of mine just not going to stay down today?

Fujiki You Xuan: "Next, I Normal Summon the second 'Abyss Soldier'."

【Abyss Soldier, ATK 1800】

Again!?

The Beetle Knight's gaze sharpened.

That won't do!

"Activate face-down card, Trap Card 'Trap Hole'!" The Beetle Knight shouted. "Destroy a monster with 1000 or more ATK when it is summoned!"

"Muda."

Fujiki You Xuan calmly flipped over his back row.

"Continuous Trap—Royal Decree! All Trap Cards on the field are negated!"

Beetle Knight: "Nani (What did you say)!?"

So he could only widen his eyes, watching helplessly as his Trap Hole was bound by that irresistible trap power, and with a 'pop', it shattered into fragments.

Even the bystander Yugi couldn't help but show a strange look.

How rare, Fujiki You Xuan would actually bring this kind of thing himself...

Wouldn't that mean even he himself couldn't use traps?

Wouldn't that be very uncomfortable for Fujiki You Xuan's style?

"Battle, direct attack with two 'Abyss Soldiers'!"

Both soldiers flew out, brandishing the tridents in their hands. The tridents dragged the trajectory of water currents as they slashed across the beetle, and the latter let out a pig-like scream as it was chopped to the ground.

【Beetle Armored Knight, LP 4000 -> LP 400】

"In... in one breath, he hit him down to only four hundred life points..."

Yugi's eyes were practically glowing as he looked at Fujiki You Xuan's back.

So amazing.

I want to duel him even more now...

"Damn brat..."

The Beetle Knight got up in a sorry state, blood gushing from where he had been slashed.

"My Battle Phase is over, but my turn isn't over yet."

Fujiki You Xuan revealed another card in his hand.

"I activate the effect of the second 'Abyss Soldier'. By discarding a Water-attribute monster from my hand, I select one card on the field and return it to the owner's hand. I discard the other 'Killer Snake'."

Yugi: "?"

Beetle Knight: "?"

Both were stunned at the first reaction.

Still want to bounce back to the hand?

But the Beetle Knight's field had already been swept clean by him; the front row and back row combined were as clean as a blank sheet of paper, with no cards left to bounce...

"'Abyss Soldier' can not only bounce the opponent's cards back to the hand, but cards on my own field can also be targeted."

"Therefore, I return my own Continuous Trap 'Royal Decree' to my hand!"

Yugi: "!"

Beetle Knight: "!!!!!"

Na... Nani!?

Watching that sinister-looking trap in the back row return to Fujiki You Xuan's hand, even if this beetle was slow-witted, he realized the severity of the issue.

When he wanted to use traps, the opponent would activate "Royal Decree" to pin his back row, but once Fujiki You Xuan wanted to use traps, he would use the effect of "Abyss Soldier" to bounce the Decree back to his hand...

The Beetle Knight had already started to panic.

Doesn't that mean only he couldn't use traps?

"Set three cards on the field. Turn end."

One face-up Decree in the back row, plus two unspeakable unknown back row cards.

Fujiki You Xuan smiled and made a 'please' gesture.

Come, please begin your performance.

(End of chapter)