Chapter 302: The Lecture on Professions

The god descended.

The Serpent God let out a piercing roar, spewing a chaotic surge from its gaping maw—a black torrent sweeping across heaven and earth, tearing space apart wherever it passed.

But it was useless.

The apocalyptic surge struck the sacred flame. Golden light, like dawn's first rays, effortlessly dissolved and neutralized the darkness, as sunlight rends the night—gone in an instant.

Then the Sun God opened its mouth, its golden body blazing like a burning phoenix, flames swirling within its jaws.

Divine Flame Cannon!

The flame cannon's fire blazed like a scorching meteor slicing through darkness. Light and dark briefly intertwined, but the latter was swiftly crushed. The flame cannon pierced the Serpent God's massive body; from below, it looked as if night itself had been drilled through.

Its coiling body quickly ignited, as if torn from the chaotic torrent, falling from the night—burned to ash midair, reduced to nothingness.

After delivering this blow, the Winged Dragon of the Sun spread its wings and soared upward, emitting a shrill, piercing cry. It spun into the sky like a meteor, piercing the heavens, then dissolved into flame.

Fujiki You Xuan stared at where the Phantom God had vanished, frowning: "That was…"

"Rah's Winged Dragon of the Sun, the Sun God, the strongest of the Phantom Gods. But not quite."

The Chaos Warrior murmured.

"I think it was probably a state similar to that Serpent God."

Fujiki You Xuan nodded.

Right.

None of the Phantom God cards appeared. Without a card as a medium, even the strongest spirit could not unleash its true power. What they had just witnessed was likely only a residual afterimage of its strength.

A trace of residual Phantom God power, sealed via this derivative of the Millennium Puzzle, was designed precisely for emergencies like this. Only the divine artifacts left by the Pharaoh could command the Phantom Gods.

Though I may not be able to wield it now, this miniature puzzle is undoubtedly a formidable divine artifact. If I ever somehow obtain the card for Winged Dragon of the Sun, this might prove useful.

Even if I can't directly control it, using it as a battle flag would still be valuable. Perhaps the three Phantom Gods would see it and think it's a personal order signed by the Pharaoh himself?

Gods battling may seem to shake heaven and earth, but it all happened in an instant. In the blink of an eye, the entire valley stood empty—only Fujiki You Xuan remained standing.

All the cultists were instantly wiped out. Even funnier—they weren't killed by the enemy's Phantom God, but swallowed whole by their own Serpent God.

Fujiki You Xuan could only shake his head in pity for these misguided cultists, and solemnly inherited their collective legacy.

Through the card deck.

Don't underestimate this seemingly simple task. The Serpent God wiped out so many at once—pulling each card deck one by one was exhausting, and hauling them all back wouldn't even fit in a single trip.

Finally, there was this unexpected bonus: the spirit encountered along the way.

After finishing, Fujiki You Xuan pulled out the card of the Evil Emperor Gaius again. Black mist drifted out once more, coalescing into the Evil Emperor's form.

But this time, the Evil Emperor was quieter than last time, his expression oddly strained.

"Alright, now I'm free. We hadn't finished our last conversation—where were we?" Fujiki You Xuan asked. "Let me think… I recall you were saying I killed your duelist, and how bold I was, something like that?"

The Evil Emperor shook his head vigorously.

"No, you misunderstood."

"Huh? Not true?" Fujiki You Xuan tilted his head. "I got the impression you two were close, and you wanted revenge for him?"

"Hah. Ridiculous."

The Evil Emperor snorted, crossing his arms within the black mist, speaking with finality.

"We weren't familiar."

Fujiki You Xuan narrowed his eyes, thinking: I'm certain you didn't say that before.

"I was captured by the Orichalcos Serpent God and forced to serve under him. I've long despised that disgusting soft-bodied creature. Now, at last, I've encountered a true master—please allow me to pledge my loyalty, join your crusade against that evil god, uphold justice, and restore order to all realms!"

The Evil Emperor spoke with iron resolve.

Fujiki You Xuan fell silent.

Even if you claim you seek justice and oppose evil, you must realize your card's name is "Evil" Emperor, right?

Never mind. Details don't matter. What matters is that my goal of collecting the entire "Emperor" series is one step closer—I've acquired one of the strongest Emperors, and he's a spirit. All in all, it's a welcome gain.

If I had to nitpick, the only downside is that the Emperor spirit is the Evil Emperor. If I had a choice, I'd personally prefer the Wind Emperor.

Too bad I can't swap him.

Whatever. Evil Emperor is fine enough.

Thus, having declared his loyalty, the Evil Emperor quickly straightened his posture and retreated back into his card.

Joke's on him—how could he not be serious?

Though he'd sensed before that this kid was extraordinary, and that the power he'd shown was merely the tip of the iceberg, even that still fell far short of the truth.

The Sun God! The Winged Dragon of the Sun!

These gods, at the absolute pinnacle of Duel Monsters across all realms, obliterated Orichalcos's sneaky serpent with a single divine breath.

Compared to them, what was he—a mere Evil Emperor? A speck of dust.

So Gaius swiftly adjusted his position within the team. Still, he hadn't yet realized that the Winged Dragon of the Sun hadn't been summoned by Fujiki You Xuan, nor had it fought under his command.

In any case, the gains from this trip were substantial—visibly so. Fujiki You Xuan returned to reality with a new item, a new spirit, and a whole new deck of cards.

Though he might owe the CEO of Kaiba Corp an apology, he'd beaten everyone to the legendary "Sealing Artifact" whispered about among spirits.

He hadn't noticed it while wandering the spirit realm, but back in the real world, Fujiki You Xuan felt the mental exhaustion keenly. As soon as his consciousness returned to his dorm, fatigue washed over him.

So he collapsed into bed and slept, then woke up refreshed, took a shower, and went to the cafeteria to grab something to eat.

Dueling is exhausting—both mentally and physically. Back here, he wolfed down three full bowls in one go.

Sated and full, he wandered casually outside his dorm to stroll and digest. As he walked, he idly checked his student terminal—another unread message. It was from Gui Ping, reminding him to register for the Duelist Kingdom tournament.

Though the CEO had personally selected him as a mandatory participant, the registration process still couldn't be skipped.

Just as he thought he'd fill it out now that he had time, he heard footsteps running up behind him—clattering, rapid.

Fujiki You Xuan turned and saw it was again Tenjo, accompanied by his two inseparable roommates.

Though classes were over, the ferry to transport students wouldn't arrive until tomorrow, so most students were still on the island.

"Huh? Fujiki You Xuan?"

The trio briefly halted as they passed.

"Where are you in such a hurry?" Fujiki You Xuan asked casually.

"You haven't heard? Professional duelists! Professionals!"

"Huh?"

"A professional duelist is giving a lecture at the academy!"

Tenjo was ecstatic. Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Fujiki You Xuan's hand and dragged him onto a vehicle.

"Come on, let's go together!"

(End of chapter)