Chapter 41: Scientific Dark Duel

What lay before them was undeniably a Dark Duel, but as far as You Xuan knew, while Ryuzaki was no great person, he was generally a serious duelist aside from being duped by Dartz during the Orichalcos arc; he typically avoided these life-or-death wagers.

It appeared both sides had been fighting for quite some time, their field zones completely empty. Both Life Points were critically low, and both men, covered in dust and grime, were barely holding themselves up as they gasped for air.

[Ryuzaki, LP 700]

[Fujimoto, LP 300]

The Dark Duelist Fujimoto panted for a moment before speaking in a deep voice: "As expected of a legendary duelist; to push it this far shows you have some skill."

Then his tone shifted, and he declared loudly: "However, I have sworn to use your soul to honor my fallen brothers, and I will not fall here!"

"Like I said, I've never even met this 'Ghost' whatever-his-name-is guy of yours!" Ryuzaki roared.

Risking his life for someone he had never even heard of made him feel more broken than ever before in his life.

"His name is Onizuka Genichiro, remember it well," Fujimoto shouted. "Because you are about to go to hell and apologize to him!"

"I'm telling you, I've never met him," Ryuzaki said in frustration.

Is this guy sick or something? Showing up screaming about revenge and refusing to listen to a word anyone says.

If he were to lose his life over such a nonsensical duel, Ryuzaki felt he would definitely die with his eyes wide open in injustice.

You Xuan fell silent upon hearing this.

Onizuka Genichiro... what a familiar name.

Come to think of it, that guy who blocked his path that night insisting on a duel did indeed say he originally intended to challenge Ryuzaki, but changed his mind after seeing Ryuzaki get crushed in a tournament match.

Could it really be such a coincidence?

Just then, a roar echoed from the sky, followed by swirling dust and a rushing windstorm. You Xuan instinctively raised his arms to shield his face, looking up toward the sound to see a white helicopter sweeping overhead, descending toward the nearest block at the alley's entrance.

The rotor blades sliced through the air, creating a turbulent storm with violent force, as if a giant dragon were churning in the sky. While still airborne, the helicopter door slid open with a clatter, and a figure leaped out, their trench coat billowing like a cape in mid-air.

The newcomer landed with a flashy superhero pose, crouching on the ground before rising with arms crossed, the trench coat fluttering wildly in the hurricane-force winds from the rotors.

Such an exaggerated entrance captivated even the two engaged in the life-or-death duel, causing them to simultaneously display looks of shock.

Ryuzaki: "It's you!?"

Fujimoto's face turned deathly pale: "The legendary duelist... Kaiba Seto!?"

You Xuan: "..."

Only Kaiba could make an entrance in a card-dueling scene like a superhero. Furthermore, his super-soldier-level physique, capable of jumping from such heights and landing unharmed, was equally baffling.

Could playing cards really build one's body into a superhuman?

"Brother!"

Mokuba quickly moved behind his brother, pointing at Fujimoto in the center of the field.

"That person! The sensors indicate the source of the Dark Duel is him!"

Fujimoto: "..."

At this moment, he desperately wanted to say, "It wasn't me, I didn't do it, you've got the wrong guy." However, being caught red-handed left him little room to argue.

"This foolish duel ends now."

Kaiba stepped forward, speaking in an icy tone.

"Bullying small fry is no accomplishment. If you want to play, I'll accompany you."

Ryuzaki snapped angrily: "Who are you calling small fry!?"

Kaiba completely ignored him.

Fujimoto swallowed hard.

Although both were called legendary duelists, challenging Ryuzaki was one thing, but facing Kaiba Seto was entirely another.

While everyone knew Kaiba's ace was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, it had been many years since his last public duel. Though the world hadn't seen him make a move in years, everyone also knew he possessed a top-tier research team working day and night to wildly develop new variants for his White Dragon; heaven knows how terrifying his printed cards had become by now.

"Hmph, haha."

Fujimoto decided to stall for time.

"Very well, I've long wanted to test the power of the Blue-Eyes myself. However, once a Dark Duel begins, it cannot be stopped. Let me finish off this scum Ryuzaki first..."

"Unnecessary."

Kaiba suddenly raised the Duel Disk in his hand.

Only then did everyone realize that the Duel Disk he wore was not a standard model, but some kind of advanced, high-end product clearly not available to the public—a custom-made device.

This pose and the design of the Duel Disk suddenly made You Xuan feel as though he had seen this scene before.

In the movie *The Dark Side of Dimensions*, the boss Aigami tried to use his artifact to skip the duel and send Kaiba directly to another dimension. Back then, Kaiba had struck this exact pose, raising his Duel Disk and claiming that it amplified his own consciousness, using the power of technology to neutralize the opponent's supernatural abilities.

The Duel Disk in Kaiba's hand right now looked somewhat similar to that one, and it was currently emitting a dazzling light.

Fujimoto frowned: "I don't know what you're trying to do, but I told you, once a Dark Duel starts, it cannot be stopped. Unless..."

"Nani!?"

The Dark Duelist's eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out of his head.

What was he seeing?

The barrier of the Dark Duel was actually dissolving under that light?

"Baka na! Arienasai!" (Impossible!)

Fujimoto was thrown into chaos.

He was a man who commanded the power of darkness!

Wasn't it said that times had changed, that metaphysics was supreme and science had become obsolete?

How could something like this even happen?

Although this was the first time You Xuan had witnessed such a scene, he remained calm about it.

While dueling was the one and only supreme rule in the world of Yu-Gi-Oh, it wasn't as if technology had been eliminated. The final bosses in *5D's*, for instance, came from the technological side, proving that science could also materialize Duel Monsters, achieve effects similar to Dark Duels, and even travel through time to destroy the world...

President Kaiba had suffered greatly at the hands of supernatural forces eight years ago and had never given up trying to use technology to unravel metaphysics throughout the DM era. It was only natural that he had made a breakthrough after eight years.

"This is the latest Duel Disk developed by Kaiba Corp, capable of maximizing the amplification of a duelist's spiritual energy, specifically designed to deal with fellows like you."

Kaiba sneered.

"Furthermore, it can also do this."

An even more dazzling blue light erupted from the Duel Disk, spreading out like a flow of azure data and rapidly occupying the entire area.

The ground beneath their feet and the stone walls on both sides of the alley vanished, replaced by a duel arena glowing with a dim blue light, with nothing else surrounding it.

"A holographic Duel Deathmatch Arena. And although it is a projection, the monsters we summon and the impacts they create will possess real mass!"

Such a grand display and that domineering aura had already started to make Fujimoto feel timid.

Others might not believe it if he said it, but he felt that today he had stumbled upon a Scientific Dark Duel...

(End of Chapter)