Chapter 347: The Secret Plan in Motion

"That means Fujiki You Xuan has already collected them all."

Wu Teng said.

"Yes," Fujiki You Xuan said. "Sorry, I took your chance."

Wu Teng smiled and shook his head. "No, we were always rivals. A duelist's path must be carved by his own hands—you won, so you deserve to advance first."

But he paused, then added, "But I don't plan to quit yet. I'll win the last two Puzzle Cards as soon as possible and reach the finals to face you there."

"Is that so? Good luck," Fujiki You Xuan smiled. "Though even then, I won't hold back."

"I couldn't hope for more."

Wu Teng waved goodbye, preparing to leave. He was now one Puzzle Card short—he needed at least two more consecutive wins and had to move quickly.

But as he turned to go, he suddenly stopped, remembering something.

"By the way," he turned back to Fujiki You Xuan, hesitated, then asked, "Did you develop Hybrid Fortress Dragon because you were certain of its latent potential?"

Fujiki You Xuan nodded. "Of course."

Wu Teng fell silent.

He himself owned Hybrid Fortress Dragon, though he rarely used it. Yet after holding it so long, he had never noticed it had other development branches.

So this is the gap in talent, then.

The original anime version of Hybrid Fortress Dragon doesn't require Fusion Magic to fuse. Its attack is 0, it cannot be destroyed by battle, and it deals 0 battle damage to its controller.

Its effect allows it to attack for a number of times equal to the number of Fusion Materials used. Though it seems meaningless, each attack declaration deals 400 damage to the opponent.

That means if you summon it using ten monsters as Fusion Materials, ten consecutive attacks can instantly deal 4000 damage and obliterate the opponent.

Hmm, but in actual play, it doesn't feel as strong as Fujiki You Xuan's modified version.

No, "strong" isn't the right word—it's more like a mind-breaker.

Though technically a Fusion Monster of Cyber Dragon, it's effectively a Cyber Dragon killer. It directly steals the opponent's monsters, fusing without cost or effort. Even now, recalling how I felt when I first faced it, my chest still feels tight.

It's practically a traitor within the Cyber Dragon family.

Such a sinister Cyber Dragon—truly, truly—

"By the way, do you have any more of the 'Hybrid Fortress Dragon' your lab developed?"

Wu Teng finally couldn't hold back and asked.

"I'd like to buy one."

Fujiki You Xuan chuckled.

So you're joining after losing, huh?

But from Wu Teng's perspective, thinking that way was only natural.

First, this is a brand-new Fusion form of Cyber Dragon. As a dedicated Cyber Dragon user, he could never accept that someone else had a card his own archetype didn't.

Second, Hybrid Fortress Dragon isn't just a Cyber Dragon killer—it's also a Machine-Type killer for any duelist using Cyber Dragons.

With this card, Wu Teng's Cyber Dragons would effectively gain the ability to "unconditionally devour any number of any Machine-Type monsters" the opponent controls.

That's why Hybrid Fortress Dragon changes the environment. Its two most devastating scenarios: first, when facing a Cyber Dragon player; second, when a Cyber Dragon player faces a Machine-Type player.

When the storyline later reaches the psychic dojo heir, Sei Shugetsu, who uses a full Machine-Type "Cyborg" deck and challenges the Cyber Dragon line, seeing his entire army of Cyborgs devoured in one go by Hybrid Fortress Dragon will be quite amusing.

"We don't have extras yet, but it's currently in development."

Fujiki You Xuan smiled.

"Our team discovered that Cyber Dragon holds unimaginable latent potential and vast room for development. I'd already considered this direction before."

He extended his hand to Wu Teng.

"If Kaiser is interested, we'd be glad to have you join our team."

Having just experienced Fujiki You Xuan's "latest achievement," Wu Teng didn't hesitate—he gripped the hand immediately.

"Alright."

Fujiki You Xuan was very satisfied.

With Kaiser joining, the future development of the Cyber Dragon line should progress tenfold.

By the way, isn't Director Principal Jiaodao the head of the Cyber Dragon dojo? We should probably go to him for funding and resources to support our cutting-edge research.

After this tournament ends, I'll have to go beg the old man for some coins.

Just as they shook hands and sealed the agreement, a thunderous crack split the sky, as if a muffled roar echoed behind the dark clouds.

Everyone instinctively looked up.

Is it going to rain?

"Weird," Fujiki You Xuan muttered. "Wasn't it promised no rain during the tournament?"

The weather forecast clearly said no rain these two days. And even if it did, Chairman Kaiba would surely launch a missile into the sky to stop it—this is his card-playing spectacle.

But then he noticed it wasn't just rain—it was wind too.

An exaggerated storm, like a furious beast, had silently closed in on the Duel City. The once-quiet streets erupted into chaos; wind howled and thunder roared, weaving into a symphony of destruction.

The deep blue sky rapidly turned heavy lead-gray; clouds churned like boiling water. Trees swayed violently, leaves torn into the air like green snow swirling in the gale.

Lightning suddenly split the black clouds, illuminating the entire city. Within the torn clouds, faintly visible were two enormous eyes—filled with unimaginable hatred and rage, gazing down upon all.

". So it's time already?"

A man stood on the dock, gazing up at the churning black clouds, speaking lazily.

He was of average height, solidly built but not visibly muscular. He wore a tailored dark suit, neatly cut, his tie loosely knotted and fluttering carelessly in the wind.

"Isn't this a bit early?" he said.

A voice came through his earpiece: "Not early. The upper command's expected window was always during this Duel City tournament—it's about time."

"The 'Judge' arrives in one day. All preparations are nearly complete."

"Complete? We don't even have the 'Seal Artifact' yet," the man said.

The voice on the other end replied: "That's precisely why we were summoned. We must complete it during this Duel City tournament, no matter what."

As he spoke, a cold voice sounded from behind.

"I don't know what you're planning, but I'm afraid it ends here."

The man turned, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Hah. Something interesting's happened. I'll call you back."

The voice on the other end asked: "What? Who's here?"

"Yeah. You won't believe it."

A faint smile curled the man's lips.

". Kaiba Seto."

Two chapters of transition—cards tomorrow.



(End of Chapter)