Chapter 82

"The first move will be chosen by the challenger."

Watanabe Shuichi-senpai was very generous, looking like he wanted to show the composure of a senior and an expert.

"Come on, do you want the first move or the second move?"

Fujiki You Xuan was naturally not polite: "Then I'll take the first move, draw."

He drew three cards in one breath.

"Set one monster on the field, then set two cards in the back row. Turn end."

"An opening mainly based on consolidating defense." Shuichi-senpai nodded slightly, commenting, "But can you withstand the insect-based offensive of mine?

My turn, draw!"

That's right, according to the information Fujiki You Xuan checked, Watanabe Shuichi used a deck mainly based on Insect-type monsters. The most famous user of the Insect theme was naturally the former national champion, the legendary duelist Insector Haga, but it was rumored in the world that Haga was 'exploded/killed' by the first Duel King Muto Yugi many years ago and had since washed his hands and never touched cards again, and no one had seen him for a long time.

But he did set off an insect craze when he won the championship, and also drove the development of many new insect series cards. Now that the old man was gone, there were still many duelists using Insect-types.

Watanabe Shuichi: "Activate Continuous Spell 'Big Tree Ocean'!"

Although it was a Continuous Spell, the activation effect was similar to a Field Spell. I saw a green ocean sweeping across the field, generating a spring-filled field; green vines and trees rose from the ground, forming a warm bed for the insect tribe to inhabit.

"Then Summon 'Pinch Hopper'!"

【Pinch Hopper, Attack 1000】

"Pay attention, junior, I won't go easy just because it's a recruitment assessment!" Shuichi said, "Activate Spell Card 'Dark Hole'! All monsters existing on both sides of the field are destroyed!"

The power of the destructive celestial body, Dark Hole, opened on the field, and the overbearing gravity destroyed everything. The locust on Shuichi's own field and the monster Fujiki You Xuan set on the field were both shattered.

"The monster I set is 'Sangan'." Fujiki You Xuan said, "When this card is sent to the Graveyard, add a monster with 1500 or less attack power from the deck to the hand.

I will take this card from the deck..."

He showed the searched monster card.

"...'Magical Beast Cerberus' with 1400 attack power added to my hand."

"Then I also use the effect of 'Pinch Hopper'." Shuichi-senpai also said, "When Pinch Hopper is sent from my field to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Insect-type monster from my hand!

Therefore, I Special Summon this guy!

Deep in the dark forest, the reaper of death, now appears here—

—Death Sickle Killer, Summon!"

The six-legged insect killer, holding a sickle like the Grim Reaper, descended majestically into the tree ocean.

【Death Sickle Killer, Attack 2300】

Some freshmen outside the arena couldn't help but say: "Summoned an ace-level monster right from the start!"

"Using 'Dark Hole' to clear the opponent's field and trigger the effect of 'Pinch Hopper' at the same time, worthy of being a Duel Club main force..."

Watanabe Shuichi: "It's not over yet! The effect of Continuous Spell 'Big Tree Ocean', when an Insect-type monster on my field is sent to the Graveyard, add an Insect-type monster with the same level from the deck to the hand.

I add another 'Pinch Hopper' from the deck to my hand."

He pulled out his deck, unfolded it, picked out the second 'Pinch Hopper', shuffled the deck, and re-inserted it into the duel disk.

"Go, direct attack from 'Death Sickle Killer'!"

The insect killer launched a charge, and the deadly sickle was about to fall. Fujiki You Xuan calmly flipped over one of the set cards in the back row.

"Open set card, Trap Card - Raigeki Break! Discard one card from my hand, destroy any one card on the field. Destroy 'Death Sickle Killer'!"

Watanabe Shuichi: "!"

Dark clouds churned above the field, a demonic hand reached out, and the fingertips thunder roared down. With just one strike, the green insect was blown into ashes in front of that incomparable power.

"Tsk, setting such a trap..."

"And the card I just discarded from my hand was 'Witch of the Black Forest'; when this card is sent to the Graveyard, I can search for a monster with 1500 or less defense power from the deck."

The witch and Sangan had both experienced two castrations; the recent one added the 'the searched card cannot activate its effect this turn' restriction, while the earlier one modified 'as long as it is sent to the Graveyard, the effect can be activated' to 'needs to be sent from the field to the Graveyard to activate the effect'.

The duo in the anime naturally matched the early physical card version that had long been out of print, having a universal search function that was definitely at the forbidden card level. Whether sent from the hand or even the deck to the Graveyard, the effect could be triggered.

"I add 'Don Zaloog' with 1500 defense power from the deck to my hand."

"Then the Battle Phase ends."

Watanabe Shuichi hummed: "If you think I will reveal an empty field opening because of this kind of thing, you underestimate me too much... Activate Spell Card 'Monster Reborn'! Revive the monster in the Graveyard.

Return to my field, Death Sickle Killer!"

【Death Sickle Killer, Attack 2300】

"Then I set one card on the field, turn end."

"My turn, draw." Fujiki You Xuan said, "Activate Spell Card 'Graceful Charity', draw three cards from the deck, then discard two cards from my hand."

Two cards were sent to the Graveyard, but the image of one of them soon appeared.

"One of the discarded cards is 'Compensated Treasure', when this card is discarded from the hand to the Graveyard, draw two cards from the deck." (Original card)

With the help of forbidden cards and the crazy draw engine unique to the anime, he passed through a wave of cards, but after the new hand was drawn, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

Actually, when he exchanged cards from the academy department yesterday, he happened to find a legendary Combo from the early years and intended to test it today. But it seemed that his 'God Draw' ability still needed improvement; despite passing through cards continuously, the components still couldn't be gathered immediately.

So he had to pull out a Spell card to calm his shock first.

"Spell Card 'Spike God's Insecticide'." Fujiki You Xuan said, "All Insect-type monsters existing face-up on the field are destroyed!"

Watanabe Shuichi: "???"

You activated... what the hell!?

A huge hand reached out from the black vortex, holding an insecticide spray. The spray was released, sweeping the whole field, Death Sickle Killer cracked on the spot, and Shuichi-senpai almost cracked along with it.

No...

How could you still carry this thing with you!?

He held back his ugly expression for a long time, and only then could he not help but ask: "That... junior, do you usually carry this thing in your deck?"

Fujiki You Xuan answered decisively: "Of course not."

Why would I be bored enough to carry this thing?

Insect-types are so niche, you won't encounter one in ten matches; wouldn't I be bricking my hand if I put this thing in?

"Then..."

"Of course it's because I temporarily put it in to fight senpai." Fujiki You Xuan didn't hesitate.

A gentleman is open and honest, daring to do and daring to act.

However, Shuichi-senpai felt like he had been hit by a muffled hammer when he heard this, and his eyes went black.

For a moment, he just wanted to say that you kid are actually quite honest...

The surrounding students were all silenced for a while, and some didn't know what to say. Only Manjoume-kun showed a long-lost smile.

He knew, he knew it!

He looked at that guy and knew something was wrong when he studied the information of those arena-defending members before going on stage. He chose this member named Shuichi definitely not by chance; there was a conspiracy!

Although on the surface it seemed that this senior had the best resume and seemed to be the strongest among the arena-defending members, Fujiki You Xuan checked and analyzed and found that only this senior's deck was the purest.

After all, everyone plays 'pile' these days, and it's common for a deck's race, attribute, and series to be very mixed, so it's really not that everyone's deck is easy to target. So Fujiki You Xuan scanned it and found only this one person whose deck was the purest, all insects, which immediately reminded him of the things he carried in his side deck of hundreds of cards.

So he decisively chose this lucky senior as his assessment object.

Manjoume's younger brother B couldn't help but speak again: "Aniki, your smile is a bit twisted again..."

Manjoume: "... Shut up."

(End of chapter)