Chapter 286: Fujiki You Xuan is Best at Turning the Tables

"Valley of the Sleeping King, activate!"

"The Valley of the Sleeping King is the sacred ground of the Gravekeeper clan. For generations, we have guarded this holy site with our lives, and in return, the site grants us power!"

The Gravekeeper Chief shouted.

"While the Valley of the Sleeping King is on the field, the ATK and DEF of all Gravekeeper monsters increase by 500!"

【Gravekeeper's Chief, ATK 2800 → ATK 3300】

"He reached an attack power of 3300 so easily!" Marufuji Sho couldn't help but exclaim.

Watching this scene, Fujiki You Xuan momentarily fell into thoughtful silence.

However, what surprised him wasn't that the Chief had so easily surpassed the attack power of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, but rather, "What? The King's Valley actually has a hidden effect?"

As a notorious "netherworld" field card active in the competitive environment for over a decade, whenever players deployed this field, ninety percent of the time they only utilized its "graveyard lock" effect. Consequently, this primary effect had gradually become a "hidden effect" among duelists, automatically ignored by most.

"Of course, 'Gravekeeper's Heretic' is also a Gravekeeper monster, but while the Valley of the Sleeping King is on the field, the Heretic is unaffected by any card effects," the Gravekeeper Chief stated solemnly. "This includes the effects of 'Valley of the Sleeping King' itself, so the Heretic's attack power will not increase."

【Gravekeeper's Heretic, ATK 1800】

Fujiki You Xuan glanced sideways.

Being completely immune even to his own King's Valley effect was indeed heretical enough.

"Battle!" the Gravekeeper Chief roared. "After your eternal slumber, repent forever in this sacred valley for the sin of trespassing into forbidden grounds! 'Gravekeeper's Chief', direct attack!"

Fujiki You Xuan, unhurried, replied, "Then I activate the trap card 'Absorb Shield'. The opponent's monster's attack is negated, and I gain Life Points equal to that monster's attack power."

A rainbow-colored barrier constructed like water ripples formed before him; the Chief's lethal strike slammed into the iris-like shield. The force was instantly fully absorbed, transformed into nourishment and drawn into his body.

A rainbow-colored barrier, constructed like a water-flowing iris, stood before him; the High Priest's lethal strike crashed upon this iris shield, its power instantly absorbed entirely and drawn into his body as nourishment.

"It seems it's not yet time for my eternal slumber, Chief," Fujiki You Xuan smiled.

"Tch." The Gravekeeper Chief snorted coldly. "Then 'Gravekeeper's Heretic', direct attack!"

Empowered by the King's Valley, the Heretic's strength was likewise not to be underestimated; it leaped across the entire field, striking directly at his face.

Of course, for Fujiki You Xuan, who had just absorbed a huge chunk of Life Points, this attack was merely a scratch, yet he had no intention of letting it pass unchecked.

"Then, I activate a monster effect from my graveyard—"

"Useless!" the Gravekeeper Chief shouted sternly. "While 'Valley of the Sleeping King' is on the field, all effects that affect cards in the graveyard are negated, and cards in the graveyard cannot be removed from play!"

"That's not necessarily true," Fujiki You Xuan smiled.

"That is not necessarily so," Fujiki You Xuan smiled.

"The Valley of the Sleeping King restricts only the use of effects *on* cards in the graveyard," Fujiki You Xuan explained. "The valley you guard prohibits communication with the deceased in any form, but the deceased don't necessarily think the same way."

"The Valley of the Eternal Slumber restricts only the activation of effects targeting cards in the Graveyard," Fujiki You Xuan said. "The valley you guard forbids all forms of communication with the departed, but the departed do not necessarily share that view."

"I mean, while you cannot activate effects targeting cards in the graveyard, the effects of the cards in the graveyard themselves can still be used." Fujiki You Xuan waved his hand. "The effect of 'Kite Machine' in my graveyard. While this card is in the graveyard, once per turn, battle damage from a direct attack becomes 0." (Original anime effect)

If it were the modified effect from Duel Links, Kite Machine would need to remove itself from the graveyard from play to activate, which would violate the taboo of the King's Valley. But the original anime version does not require this, thus it is not restricted by the Valley of the Sleeping King.

Thus, the Heretic's full-power strike hit the transparent kite barrier, failing to break through once again.

"Oh oh, perfectly blocked! As expected of Fujiki You Xuan," Judai chuckled. "Kite Machine... it's a bit like my 'Necroguardian'; both are very powerful monsters."

"And Fujiki You Xuan-kun also really likes Submarineroid and Bicycleroid," Hayato remarked. "Thinking about it, the 'Roid' archetype is truly a deck with considerable potential."

Marufuji Sho held his head: "Stop roasting me, stop roasting me..."

"And classmate Fujiki You Xuan also quite likes the Submarineroid and the Bicycleroid," Hayato spoke up. "Thinking about it, the Roid archetype is truly a deck with considerable potential."

"You blocked even that?" the Gravekeeper Chief stated grimly. "Fine, then I'll let you live one more turn. Battle Phase ends. I activate the Spell Card 'Gravekeeper's Stele', adding two 'Gravekeeper' monsters from my graveyard to my hand."

"Furthermore, this effect cannot be negated by the effect of 'Valley of the Sleeping King'."

A burst of golden light emanated from the graveyard zone of the duel disk; the Gravekeeper Chief drew the two cards emerging from it and added them to his hand.

"I return 'Gravekeeper's Priest' and 'Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier' from my graveyard to my hand." He added the two cards to his hand. "Naturally, at the same time, 'Gravekeeper's Chief' loses 400 ATK because the number of Gravekeeper monsters in my graveyard has decreased."

【Gravekeeper's Chief, ATK 3300 → ATK 2900】

"To dig up graves so blatantly within the sacred Valley of the Sleeping King." Fujiki You Xuan shook his head repeatedly. "Where is the honor of your Gravekeeper clan? Your bottom line? Your principles?"

This counter-question, turning the tables on the accuser, left the Gravekeeper Chief speechless. He paused for a moment, then said, "We, the Gravekeeper clan, bear the duty of guarding the sacred valley, and simultaneously we are granted special powers..."

After all, the Gravekeeper deck itself operates with "Valley of the Sleeping King" as its core field; the archetype possesses means such that "your own graveyard is unaffected by Valley of the Sleeping King," focusing precisely on a one-sided lockdown.

"Blasphemy, truly blasphemy; even I, an outsider, cannot bear to watch." Fujiki You Xuan shook his head repeatedly. "You show such disregard for the law, such lack of respect for the deceased, casually entering and exiting this sacred place of slumber to disturb the rest of the departed... Sigh."

As he spoke, he actually sighed with an expression of regret.

After all, the Gravekeeper deck itself operates with the field spell "Necrovalley" as its core; one's own house possesses means to ensure "your own Graveyard is unaffected by Necrovalley," focusing precisely on this one-sided lockdown.

Deep down, he felt what this person said was wrong, but having inadvertently allowed the opponent to seize the moral high ground, he momentarily didn't know how to refute it.

And being unable to voice a refutation, he immediately felt that even the gazes of his own Gravekeeper clansmen watching from the surroundings had become somewhat doubtful, as if they were starting to think this person might have a point.

What was worse, even the Gravekeeper Chief himself realized he was feeling somewhat guilty under the opponent's words...

"My turn, draw," Fujiki You Xuan said. "First, during the Standby Phase, 'Assault Snake' in my graveyard returns to my hand. Then, I set one card on the field."

A face-down card appeared before Fujiki You Xuan.

"Then I activate the Spell Card 'Pot of Greed from Suffering'. (Original card) If there is a Special Summoned monster on your field and no monsters on my field, I draw two cards."

"Since you have 'Gravekeeper's Heretic' on your field, which was Special Summoned from the graveyard, I draw two cards."

However, before that, he immediately revealed another card from his hand.

"Quick-Play Spell 'Continuous Magic'! When I activate a Normal Spell, I discard my entire hand, and this card's effect becomes identical to that Spell's effect."

"Therefore, the effect of 'Continuous Magic' becomes the same as 'Pot of Greed from Suffering', meaning I draw two more cards from my deck. In total, I can draw four cards from my deck!"

The Gravekeeper Chief frowned: "Replenishing his hand through such means..."

"It's not over yet. Next, I activate the Trap 'Goblin Secret Art'," Fujiki You Xuan said. "I draw from my deck a number of cards equal to the number of 'Goblin Secret Art' in my graveyard plus one, then I select one card from my hand and return it to the bottom of my deck."

Goblin Secret Art was a card whose potential was easily overlooked, but in the early days, it was the core of the explosive card-drawing combo known as the "Management Draw Engine," with decks even developed around it.

The specific usage had already been demonstrated by Tenma Tsukuyomi earlier; roughly speaking, it involved combining Goblin Secret Art with "Very Useful Food" for violent card drawing. In the ideal state, three copies of Goblin Secret Art combined with Very Useful Food could draw twelve cards from the deck in one breath, then return three cards to the deck.

Fujiki You Xuan also ran this combo, though he hadn't drawn all the pieces yet.

The Gravekeeper Chief frowned: "A combo for massively accelerating card filtration?"

"Not only that," Fujiki You Xuan smiled. "I activate the last face-down card from the previous turn, the Quick-Play Spell 'Chain Summon'. This can only be activated at Chain Link 3 or higher; this turn, I can conduct up to three Normal Summons."

The Gravekeeper Chief frowned slightly but said nothing.

After the effects resolved, Fujiki You Xuan drew his cards. However, after drawing, he did not immediately make his next move, merely lifting his eyes to look calmly at his opponent.

"It seems you have already forgotten the honor of the Gravekeeper clan... In this state, you cannot defeat me."

"You certainly know how to talk," the Gravekeeper Chief said, still trying to stabilize his footing. "But all you can do now is talk tough. Your graveyard is sealed, and I still have the Chief on my field. With no graveyard resources available to you..."

"That's not necessarily the case," Fujiki You Xuan smiled, interrupting him. "Then let me show you. The retribution incurred by betraying the duties of a Gravekeeper, by you, the guardian, disturbing the slumber of the departed."

"I activate this card from my hand, the Spell Card 'Obedience of the Divine Voice'!"

"Pay 2000 Life Points and declare a monster card name. If that monster exists in the opponent's deck, that card can be added to my hand or Special Summoned to my field ignoring its Summoning conditions!"

【Fujiki You Xuan, LP 7300 → LP 5300】

"The card name I declare is—"

Fujiki You Xuan pointed at the Gravekeeper Chief's deck.

"That is not necessarily the case," Fujiki You Xuan smiled, interrupting. "Then let me show you: the retribution incurred by betraying the Gravekeepers' duty, by you, the warden, disturbing the slumber of the departed yourself."

The Gravekeeper Chief: "?????"

Pay 2000 Life Points and declare one Monster Card name; if that monster exists in your opponent's Deck, add that card to your hand, or Special Summon it to your field ignoring its Summoning conditions!

【Fujiki You Xuan, LP 7300 → LP 5300】

"The card name I declare is..."

Fujiki You Xuan pointed at the Gravekeeper's Chief's deck.

"... Gravekeeper's Chief!"

Gravekeeper's Chief: "?????"

(End of Chapter)