Chapter 328: Demon

"My turn, draw a card."

Fujiki You Xuan drew a card and smiled.

"The Legendary Deck of the Demon King, drawn from yao guai across myths and folklore. He earned the title 'Demon King' for his mastery in wielding the powers of various yao guai."

"Hahaha! Kid, you know your stuff."

The Demon King laughed heartily, then waved his hand.

"Those days are nothing worth mentioning. Heh, but to be honest, they called me Demon King for more than just that."

He paused, then eyed Fujiki You Xuan with a malicious glint, licking his lips.

"Well, you'll understand why once you lose."

Yucheng Shidai, though not fully grasping what was said, instinctively shuddered, a chill creeping up his spine.

Fujiki You Xuan: "A key trait of yao guai is their immortality—they can revive from the graveyard any number of times. And as yao guai revive from the graveyard, they enable diverse tactical expansions."

"Oh, you did your homework, kid." The Demon King grinned. "Good, good. I'm already starting to like you."

"Precisely. Accumulating yao guai slumbering in the graveyard, then unleashing relentless assaults through their constant revivals—that's the key to mastering yao guai."

"Naturally. Facing a renowned master like you, how could I possibly skip preparation?"

Fujiki You Xuan smiled, slowly drawing a card from his hand.

"Therefore, I activate this card—"

"—Continuous Spell: 'Dimensional Rift!'"

Electricity surged through the air; countless lightning bolts slashed like blades, violently tearing open space. A pitch-black fissure, like a wound carved into reality, split the center of the battlefield.

"As long as 'Dimensional Rift' remains on the field," Fujiki You Xuan said, "all monsters sent to either player's graveyard are banished instead."

The Demon King's grin lasted about one second.

Then it faded. His mouth slowly, uncontrollably opened wide—his shock reaching a hundredfold.

You... what did you say!?

Banished instead of going to the graveyard?

His brain took several seconds to process the implication. In that instant, the Demon King felt as if struck by five thunderbolts—his CPU nearly crashed.

Huh?

First card off the draw, and he just erased my graveyard outright?

Isn't this just a total meltdown?

What the hell am I supposed to do with a deck that has no graveyard?

"Next, I summon 'Dimensional Survivor.'"

【Dimensional Survivor, ATK 1800】

"Dimensional Survivor, attack 'Ox Demon.'"

Only then did the Demon King snap back from his shock. He gritted his teeth. "Tch, it's not that easy! I activate my face-down card!"

"Trap Card: 'Demon's Reinforcements!'"

A yao guai-exclusive trap—this card was never physically released.

"'Demon's Reinforcements': Pay 1000 LP to special summon two yao guai of 4 stars or lower from the graveyard!"

【Demon King, LP 4000 → LP 3000】

"I pay 1000 LP to revive the two yao guai discarded by 'Angel's Charity!'"

The Demon King swiftly drew the two cards from his graveyard.

"Rise again! Demon-Slaying Crow Tengu, and Yin Mara Ghost!!!"

【Demon-Slaying Crow Tengu, ATK 1400】

【Yin Mara Ghost, ATK 1200】

"Yao guai reach their peak power only when revived from the graveyard!"

The Demon King roared.

"The effects of Crow Tengu and Yin Mara Ghost both activate!"

"Crow Tengu, special summoned from the graveyard, destroys one of your monsters!"

He pointed at Fujiki You Xuan's field.

"Destroy 'Dimensional Survivor!'"

A sinister dark current swept across Fujiki You Xuan's field, engulfing the armored warrior. His body shattered instantly within the shadowy tide.

"Now, Yin Mara Ghost's effect!" the Demon King continued. "When this card is special summoned from the graveyard, I draw one card!"

"Eh, got blocked!" Yucheng Shidai muttered. "This guy's got some guts."

Fujiki You Xuan wasn't fazed. He smiled and drew four cards from his hand.

"I'll set four cards face-down. End my turn."

As he waved his hand, another pitch-black dimensional rift opened on the field. The armored warrior, whose body had just shattered and left the field, reappeared once more, cloaked in his hooded robe.

The Demon King gasped: "Dimensional Survivor... why? It should've been destroyed by Crow Tengu's effect!"

"Dimensional Survivor's effect," Fujiki You Xuan explained. "When this face-up card on my field is banished, it special summons itself during the End Phase."

【Dimensional Survivor, ATK 1800】

The Demon King's pupils shrank.

He was beginning to see the outline of Fujiki You Xuan's strategy.

With 'Dimensional Rift' active, both graveyards were effectively nullified—any monster sent there was banished.

His yao guai deck was now like a tomb obliterated. Most of his cards relied on the graveyard; his entire strategy was paralyzed.

Yet under the same conditions, 'Dimensional Survivor' and 'Dimensional Rift' formed an unkillable combo. Whether destroyed in battle or by effect, the Survivor was banished—and then revived by its own effect.

And it was clear: the opponent's deck likely consisted entirely of banish-based effects.

The result: his own graveyard was wiped out, while the opponent's banished cards became pure resources.

What kind of banish strategy is this!?

The Demon King's eyes turned red.

Only now did he finally understand what Fujiki You Xuan meant by having researched him and his yao guai deck. It wasn't some polite gesture of respect.

It was purely to dismantle his mindset.

"Your turn, Demon King," Fujiki You Xuan reminded. "Hurry up, or you'll run out of time."

"Tch, I know it's my turn. Draw."

The Demon King now realized he faced an extraordinary opponent. Though his graveyard was thin, he'd at least gathered a few resources in his first turn.

If this dragged on, his resources would dwindle while the opponent's banished pile grew—leaving him no room to fight back.

He had to think of something.

But as he drew, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Hahaha!" the Demon King laughed. "You think 'Dimensional Rift' shutting down my graveyard leaves me helpless? How naive!"

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: 'Windstorm,' destroying one spell or trap on the field!"

He grinned savagely, pointing directly at Fujiki You Xuan's back row.

"Disappear, 'Dimensional Rift!'"

(End of Chapter)