Chapter 396: As a Champion

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Duel Ship, contestant lounge, Hibiki Kouyou leaned against the wall and coughed violently.

He took out a tissue to wipe his mouth and got up to prepare to leave the room. Passing a full-length mirror in the room, he stopped unconsciously and turned to look at the mirror surface.

He saw the man in the mirror.

A thin and fragile man, as if a gust of wind could gently blow him away. That pale complexion was like the first snow in winter that had never seen the sun, without half a point of blood, with faint blue shadows hanging under his eye sockets.

Not like a duelist, but more like a patient.

He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"That's really not a good look." He laughed at himself, "Clearly, in front of the most important juniors, I have to show the appearance of a duelist..."

He adjusted his state, took a deep breath, and put his glasses back on.

But when he turned around, he found that his sister, Hibiki Midori, was already standing at the door, blocking the only exit of the lounge.

"Sister." Hibiki Kouyou said softly.

A few seconds of silence.

"You really haven't recovered, have you?" Midori said, "Ever since that duel..."

Hibiki Kouyou pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes."

That was already last year's matter.

It was the night Hibiki Kouyou won the world championship in the United States, when a mysterious duelist appeared in front of him.

"Congratulations, World Champion Mr. Kouyou."

That person said, and then showed a strange smile.

Then he raised his Duel Disk and inserted a deck into it.

"Can you accept my duel request?"

The duel came very suddenly. But Hibiki Kouyou was a card-addict type similar to Judai, and he was immersed in the joy of winning the championship at the time, so he didn't think much about the duel.

He felt that as a champion, accepting challenges was also part of his responsibility

And so, he accepted.

And that was the beginning of the nightmare.

The man's dueling was beyond his imagination. Not only was it ridiculously strong, but it was also exceptionally bizarre.

This was also the first time Xiang Hongye had come into contact with the legendary "Dark Duel." Every time he took damage, every time he lost Life Points, he could feel his true life force draining from his body, as if an invisible black hole were siphoning his soul away bit by bit.

And then he lost.

Or rather, he should have lost.

In the final turn, all his resources were exhausted, his Life Points were like a candle in the wind, and his consciousness was already blurring.

He could no longer see his opponent clearly, only hearing that person cackle gloomily: "As expected of a world champion, you are indeed stronger than most contemporary duelists.

Then, I will unceremoniously accept your soul and your Earth."

But just then, two golden beams of light pierced through like sharp swords, and the roar of a motorcycle approached rapidly.

The man's expression suddenly changed.

"Tch, to think you chased me all the way to a place like this, what a persistent guy. Forget it, my power hasn't recovered enough yet; it's not the right time."

As he spoke, he put away his Duel Disk and looked coldly at Xiang Hongye.

He smiled sinisterly.

"You've bought yourself a life, champion." The man sneered. "But don't be in a hurry to celebrate. You have basically already lost this duel to me. Although I'll leave this life with you for now and won't take it yet, it is already my possession.

From now on, every time you duel, your life will decrease along with that deck of yours, which is just like your 'fate.' Hehe, this description might still be a bit abstract, but it doesn't matter."

The man's face was shrouded in shadow.

"... You will understand soon enough."

Xiang Hongye lost consciousness, collapsed, and fell into a deep faint.

Just before his consciousness faded, he heard a motorcycle stop nearby, and someone running toward him at high speed.

"Hey! You over there, are you alright?"

"..."

"So, as I thought, you were lying to me, right?"

Xiang Lu looked at him.

"Saying things like you've already recovered and can return to the dueling arena..."

"Sorry, sister," Xiang Hongye said.

"But why? Even though your body is still like this..."

Xiang Lu stepped forward.

"And now, there is only one match left in the quarterfinals. The only ones who haven't dueled yet are you and that bizarre man.

You should have realized it too, this opponent..."

"Perhaps he is similar to the opponent who took me down in America, both being people who possess the legendary 'Dark Power'." Xiang Hongye nodded. "I know."

"You know, and yet... two people have already collapsed in the duels just now.

With your current body, even performing a regular duel is already extremely strenuous. If you fight that kind of guy, you might not even be able to last until the end of the duel..."

"I know."

Xiang Hongye nodded.

"Since that's the case, then why!?"

Xiang Lu walked up urgently, her hands supporting his shoulders.

"Listen to me just this once, Hongye, forfeit. There's still time, don't duel that kind of guy..."

But Xiang Hongye raised his head and smiled gently.

"When I entered this tournament, no matter what happened, I had already prepared myself mentally, sister. In that case, whether it's a Dark Duel or not... it doesn't really make a difference."

"Hongye!"

"I am a duelist, sister." Hongye shook his head. "Especially in front of important juniors, I want to show the demeanor of a duelist... not that of a deserter."

Xiang Lu: "..."

She lowered her head, speechless for a moment.

"Do you really... have to go?"

"Yeah."

Xiang Hongye smiled easily and patted her shoulder.

"And don't worry, sister, I'm very strong." He said confidently.

Xiang Lu took a deep breath.

"I understand. Then let's agree on this: just this one match, and it won't happen again. And..."

She stepped back, clearing the exit of the room.

"... Win."

Xiang Hongye walked out of the room, heading toward the arena along the corridor, while leaving her with a thumbs-up back without looking back.

"That goes without saying."

"..."

"Alright, so we have finally arrived at the final battle of the quarterfinals!"

The referee, Isono, stood in the center of the field. And the two sides of the duel, Xiang Hongye and the adjudicator who called himself the incarnation of the Serpent God, had already stood on the left and right of the field.

Xiang Hongye watched the man opposite him vigilantly, while the man opposite him only stood with his hands behind his back, eyes closed slightly, looking as if he didn't take his opponent seriously at all.

Xiang Hongye associated this with the previous match, what happened before Loren collapsed.

He didn't know the opponent's background, but there was no doubt that this must be a very terrifying guy, both inside and outside of a duel.

But no matter what kind of opponent he faced, he had never backed down.

"World Champion, the strongest hero, Xiang Hongye."

The adjudicator looked at him meaningfully.

"Let me see what you're capable of."

(End of chapter)