Chapter 60: You Xuan

“Demon Machine Motor·Ω’s direct attack!”

Behind the crimson mech, engine exhaust flared as its blade was raised high, slashing straight toward You Xuan, who stood utterly exposed in the front field.

“This ends it now—surrender quietly, and hand over your soul!”

You Xuan, of course, had no intention of giving up: “Activate Zhang Gai! Trap Card—‘Sacred Barrier—Mirror Force’!”

“Even at this point you still had a Mirror Force hidden?!” Thief Kisi was stunned.

“That’s right—when your opponent declares an attack, Mirror Force destroys all attacking monsters!”

A pale blue barrier materialized before him, absorbing the full force of the crimson mech’s descending blade. The backlash surged from the shield, erupting into a rain of light that swept back across Kisi’s side of the field.

“Tch. Sacred Barrier, Holy Shield—these traps just keep coming.”

Kisi sneered.

Where’s the promise that every card in a deck is carefully chosen—the soul of a duelist?

Then I guess your soul’s a bit dirty.

“But that won’t do!”

Kisi barked.

“Counter Trap—Counter Revolution! When an effect would destroy two or more cards on the field, negate that effect and banish it from the game!”

You Xuan frowned. This card really existed? There was actually something like this?

Indeed, against opponents with strong fate power, conventional tactics lose effectiveness easily.

In the real card environment after 5DS, “Counter Revolution” was largely replaced by “Stardust Road,” a trap with similar effects that also let you freely summon Stardust Dragon—I vaguely remember how players in that era would open with four face-downs, only to have a single Storm of Destruction summon Stardust Dragon right away.

【Trap Card—Stardust Road. Negate and destroy any effect that destroys two or more cards on your field, then Special Summon one “Stardust Dragon” from the Extra Deck.】

Though Stardust Road didn’t yet exist in this era, Counter Revolution had nearly the same effect. The unbreakable Sacred Barrier cracked with a sharp snap, shattering into fragments.

“Thus, battle continues—Demon Machine Motor’s direct attack!” Thief Kisi raised his voice again. “This time, it’s truly over.”

“Entering the damage calculation step,” You Xuan revealed a card from his hand and swiftly sent it to the graveyard. “Effect of ‘Kite Man’ in my hand!”

“When your opponent declares a direct attack during damage calculation, discard ‘Kite Man’ from your hand to negate battle damage once.”

A semi-transparent kite-shaped image appeared, shielding You Xuan. The mech’s killing blow struck the phantom kite full-force—the blade could not cut down an inch further.

“How the hell is there still something like this?” Thief Kisi groaned.

“The Revolver Dragon’s effect has already activated this turn, so it can’t attack. My turn ends.”

“Looks like you’ve just gained another turn of life.”

You Xuan noticed that Kisi’s Demon Machine Motor didn’t activate any effect to summon a token at the end of the turn—but he quickly realized that in the original anime, Demon Machine Motor·Ω had no such effect.

In the real card version, Demon Machine Motor was redesigned as an effect monster with an ability to boost its own attack and a mandatory effect to Special Summon a Motor token during the End Phase. But in the original anime, this card was just a normal monster—no effects at all.

The Spirit of the Holy One, who had been watching with bated breath, finally exhaled. She felt this duel had given her a heart attack—when she saw You Xuan’s Sacred Barrier, she nearly cheered; when it was countered, she nearly fainted.

The Hero’s rollercoaster duel was simply too intense.

But she didn’t know that even if the Revolver Dragon could attack again, You Xuan’s graveyard still held another Kite Man ready to block one more strike.

What’s the true value of an old-school god-tier hand trap?

“To be honest, you’ve done well, kid,” Kisi said, failing to break through with his attacks and switching to psychological pressure. “But your tricks are all neutralized. Your Wangpai has already been crushed by this great man.”

“Even if you miraculously summon a higher-level monster next turn, it will be destroyed again the moment you enter the Battle Phase by ‘Revolver Dragon.’”

“Moreover, the Continuous Trap ‘Cannon Shot’ will chain to this, further disrupting your moves. Frankly, your win rate is now infinitesimally close to zero—resistance is meaningless.”

Kisi crossed his arms, smug.

“But it’s not your fault—you’re just too weak!”

You Xuan’s expression remained blank: “You’ve been beaten by a commoner.”

Commoner—the nickname Seto Kaiba once gave to Jounouchi, which spread after Jounouchi became famous.

Kisi’s face twitched with rage: “I’m the strongest card professor in America! The undefeated dueling expert of the entire continent!”

You Xuan calmly repeated: “You’ve been beaten by a commoner.”

“I was just unlucky back then!” Kisi gritted his teeth. “Now I’ve returned from hell—I’ll find that guy someday and take back what’s mine!”

You Xuan said: “You’ve been beaten by a kid that Pegasus hired.”

Kisi: “...”

Let’s just keep talking about commoners, shall we?

Thief Kisi’s face darkened further: “I know what kind of person you are—you’re no different from them. You think I’m a dishonorable duelist, don’t you? All that nonsense about ‘duelist dignity’?”

He clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead: “Those are just pretty words spoken by winners! Yugi Mutou, Jounouchi Katsuya—they don’t understand a thing!”

“The agony of falling from the top, being humiliated, mocked, your pride trampled into nothingness! Do you think I like this? But not everyone is Yugi Mutou!”

His eyes, glowing green, were filled with bloodshot veins.

“Not everyone can charge forward without hesitation. I’ve tried—I’ve struggled—but nothing changed! Isn’t that the truth for most people? Dueling only has one winner, one victor—the rest are just stepping stones.”

“It’s easy to speak noble words from the summit, but those left behind have no such luxury.”

He glared darkly at You Xuan.

“You look like a young prodigy, don’t you? You haven’t experienced what I’ve been through. When you learn what hell feels like after falling from the heights, you’ll understand me.”

“Then you’ll realize—duelist dignity, bonds with cards—they’re just childish nonsense. Only power, only victory, matters!”

“To win, you must do anything—cheat, ambush, even sell your soul to the devil. As long as you win, everything is acceptable!”

You Xuan: “...”

“What?” Kisi snarled. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No,” You Xuan said calmly. “In this world, even without Orichalcos, you’re already stronger than most duelists.”

“And you’re right—there’s only one champion at the top. Not everyone is Yugi Mutou. But there’s one thing you’ve misunderstood.”

“Before they were ‘winners,’ Yugi Mutou and Jounouchi Katsuya were first and foremost ‘duelists.’”

“Dueling isn’t merely a tool to decide victory. A true duelist must always believe in their own deck—not the relationship of a strong man enslaving the weak. Since you don’t even understand this, you’re unworthy to be called a duelist.”

The Silent Magician, already banished, floated nearby as a spirit, silent as ever—but his gaze toward his master grew increasingly moved. If there were a progress bar for affection, it would be climbing steadily.

You Xuan had intended to exploit the moment to boost the spirit’s affection—but these words were also his own genuine realization since arriving in this world.

In the Yu-Gi-Oh! world, seeking victory isn’t wrong—but pursuing it by any means only distances you further from the throne.

Thief Kisi was the perfect example. He had undeniable talent—he’d once dominated all of America—but he’d always approached dueling like a gambler. Hidden cards in his sleeves, stealing opponents’ entry tickets—he used every trick imaginable. But in this supernatural world, such disrespect for dueling would never take him far.

You Xuan had merely planned to seize the moment and gain some trendy favor with the spirit, maybe even slightly boost his fate power. But he never expected that, just as the atmosphere reached its peak, the carved statues on the rocks outside the duel arena suddenly glowed.

The sealed statues erupted in a blinding radiance, blinding all who looked. A powerful magical force burst forth, forming a towering storm of magic that engulfed the entire duel field.

After adjusting to the glare, both men could barely open their eyes—and saw that the images carved into the rock... had vanished.

Kisi’s pupils shrank—he instantly sensed something was terribly wrong.

This... could it be!?

As You Xuan looked down, he was even more shocked to see that the top card in his deck was glowing.

What the hell?

Had his heartfelt speech—meant for his Silent Spirit—somehow resonated with the spirit sealed here?

This moment, this atmosphere—it instantly reminded him of Kaiba’s legendary floor-draw scene.

He took a deep breath, his fingers resting on his deck.

Flash Draw—!

A card glowing golden arced gracefully from the deck. The instant it left, an explosive wave of energy erupted, spiraling upward in a vortex centered on You Xuan.

Kisi grew increasingly panicked: “That aura—that power—could that card be...!?”

Indeed, as You Xuan stared, the card he drew was unmistakably the legendary warrior of banished-card status—

—Chaos Warrior—The Messenger of Opening!

Yeah, he knew for certain his deck had never contained this card.

But since he’d already crossed over, drawing a card not in his deck was just like NTR—it was one of those unavoidable Yu-Gi-Oh! experiences.

This isn’t cheating. This is resonance with the spirit—the mark of a true duelist.

Yeah, that’s it.

As the card entered his hand, he faintly saw the spectral form of the noble warrior materialize, holding twin swords and bowing to him.

As if to say: My blade shall stand with you.

You Xuan nodded in silent reply.

“Then, Kisi!” he declared loudly. “Let me show you the strongest Wangpai of my deck—the soul of my cards!”

“Tch. So it’s the Legendary Warrior, huh? Bring it on—I’m not afraid!”

Kisi roared back.

“Then let me see it already!”

“Fine!”

You Xuan raised the card in his hand—its power radiated like boundless divine might.

“I now unleash the power of this card—”

Thief Kisi held his breath, gritting his teeth, waiting for the legendary warrior sealed in this sacred land to appear.

The Chaos Warrior’s spirit, sword in hand, stood ready, poised to descend the moment the card landed, wielding its blade to secure victory for its new master.

Then You Xuan continued: “Sacrifice your ‘Revolver Dragon’ and ‘Demon Machine Motor·Ω’ to Special Summon this powerful monster onto your field!”

“Awakened from the depths of molten lava—the power of destruction and rebirth—”

—Level 8, Lava Magician!

Thief Kisi: “???”

Chaos Warrior: “???”

What the hell did you summon???

Immediately after, the thief Kis widened his eyes as both of his two major mechanical Wangpai were swallowed by a geyser of rising magma, instantly melted into molten iron. Within the red-hot lava, a burning, grotesque palm slapped onto the field. A towering, burning giant slowly rose on his side, its massive form towering over Kis’s field, while a searing cage of flame locked Kis inside.

【Lava Demon God, DEF 2500】

“The effect of the Lava Demon God,” You Xuan said calmly. “This card can be Special Summoned to your opponent’s field by tributing two monsters they control.”

However, during the turn I use this effect, I cannot perform a Normal Summon.”

He paused, then smiled at Kis.

“This is a monster with attack power equal to Blue-Eyes White Dragon.”

I’m just handing you an eight-star giant monster outright!

Thief Kis’s mouth hung open, his jaw nearly hitting the ground.

What the fuck is equal to Blue-Eyes White Dragon? Get the hell out! Who the hell wants this ugly bastard?!

My Revolver Dragon, my Magic Motor…

Kis was completely shattered.

Wait, just now the atmosphere, the overpowered setup—wasn’t it obvious you were supposed to summon the legendary Chaos Warrior and have your Wangpai clash in a dramatic showdown?

What the hell is this Lava Demon God?! Why aren’t you following the script?!

Where’s your Wangpai ? Where’s your soul? Is your soul really this fucking thing???

The Chaos Warrior spirit, who had just been drawing his sword, froze in place, utterly bewildered by this turn of events.

Huh? You’re not summoning me?

Then the legendary warrior suddenly realized something.

By now in the duel, Thief Kis had no cards in hand, no field resources left, and every card in his graveyard was face-up—there was virtually no way he could mount any counterattack.

And the “Lava Demon God” had another effect besides devouring two of the opponent’s monsters.

【At the start of each of its controller’s Standby Phase, inflict 1000 damage to its controller.】

【Thief Kis, LP 500】

In other words, You Xuan didn’t need him at all—the duel was already won.

His grand entrance seemed pointless.

The legendary warrior fell into thought.

Should I just leave?

You Xuan smiled: “The effect of ‘Chaos Warrior – The Messenger of Creation’ in my hand. This card can be Special Summoned by banishing one Light-attribute and one Dark-attribute monster from my graveyard.”

“I banish the Light-attribute ‘True Silent Magician’ and the Dark-attribute ‘Cybernetic Mind Shock’ from my graveyard!”

Even though he’d already won, this spirit—rarely bound to him, and a high-tier legendary spirit—deserved a proper debut to avoid hurting its feelings.

As previously stated, by this point Kis had zero cards in hand or on the field, and every card in his graveyard was face-up—no matter how he won, it made no difference.

Or, if one must be precise, if he waited for the Lava Demon God’s effect to burn Kis to death next turn, Kis would still have one final draw. Though the odds were minuscule, there remained a theoretical chance he could cling to life.

But by delivering a lethal blow this turn, he could eliminate even that sliver of possibility.

The forms of the Silent Magician and the Cybernetic Mind Shock appeared in sequence, rising on either side of You Xuan, then hurtling into the air and vanishing into the chaotic vortex.

“One soul guides the light, one soul guides the darkness—the gate of Chaos opens here!”

You Xuan raised his arm.

“Heaven and Earth are sundered! Level Eight—

—Chaos Warrior – The Messenger of Creation, Summon!”

A powerful vortex of light and darkness surged forth. A heroic warrior clad in armor materialized on the field. His sharp blade cleaved through Chaos, radiating divine authority that even the emerald barrier trembled faintly under its force.

【Chaos Warrior – The Messenger of Creation, ATK 3000】

“‘Chaos Warrior – The Messenger of Creation,’ attack the Lava Demon God!”

The Chaos Warrior lunged forward, unleashing a sword strike like the birth of all things. The defense-positioned Lava Demon God was split cleanly in two, its body crumbling and melting.

“Chaos Warrior – The Messenger of Creation’s effect activates! When this card destroys an opponent’s monster by battle, it may perform a second attack!”

You Xuan raised his hand and commanded.

“Final strike! Chaos Warrior – The Messenger of Creation, direct attack on Thief Kis!

Spatial Blade – Dual Creation Slash!!!”

The Chaos Warrior soared into the air, spinning mid-flight. Golden light spiraled with the blade’s motion, converging into a blinding radiance of ten thousand rays—as if a sword had descended beyond time and space!

Facing the oncoming sword aura, as if countless sword shadows had materialized before his eyes, Thief Kis screamed in despair.

In his final moments, his mind overflowed with resentment, rage, regret, and boundless agony—all of it collapsing into a single phrase—

—What the FUCK is Lava Demon God!!!???

【Thief Kis, LP 500 → LP 0】

Eight-thousand-word update, finished.

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(End of Chapter)