Chapter 852: The Reason for Dueling

Doubting Sayer?

Now that she thought about it, Akiza's mind hadn't been completely devoid of doubts.

The child who had just joined the Arcadia Movement, Sayer said the child left because their philosophies didn't align, but later when Akiza went to ask, she couldn't find any news about that child.

Sometimes some members would suddenly disappear, not knowing where they went.

And she had stayed in the Arcadia Movement for so long that even if Sayer wouldn't say some things in front of her, she could occasionally hear a few words. In her memory, there were times when Sayer was talking about something seriously with others, but when others signaled that Akiza was coming, Sayer would immediately stop talking and turn to give Akiza a gentle look.

Was there something she couldn't know? Could it be that Sayer didn't actually trust her?

These questions hadn't been absent, but they were quickly cast to the back of her mind.

Perhaps it was indeed that Sayer had done something to her spirit. Sayer was a master of mental suggestion and manipulation; if he wanted you to ignore the doubts, you would naturally ignore them.

Or maybe...

Maybe it was really as "Goodwin" said, people only believe what they want to believe. She hadn't been without doubts, she just never thought about them.

Yeah, this was already her only home. She didn't want to believe that Sayer was hiding something from her, nor did she want to think too much. Thinking or whatever, Sayer could just think for her...

No, that couldn't be. Sayer didn't lie to her, it was this guy, it was this white-haired bastard before her. Not only did he kill Sayer, but he also tried to smear him, and now he was even trying to invade her spirit.

Unforgivable!

"Activate face-down card! Trap card 'Damage Vaccine Ω MAX'!" Akiza said, "When I take battle or effect damage, I recover Life Points equal to the damage taken!"

【Akiza, LP 200 -> LP 4000】

"Oh? You dealt with The Big Saturn's self-destruction," Fujiki You Xuan praised, "Well, even if you recovered Life Points with a card effect, your body and spirit being able to withstand such damage is indeed commendable. Not bad, not bad."

He revealed another card in his hand.

"Activate the Spell card 'Magical Mallet'. Shuffle any number of cards from my hand, including this card, back into the Deck, then draw the same number of cards." (Original effect)

Fujiki You Xuan stuffed his hand back into the Deck, automatically shuffled, and drew again.

"Spell card 'Treasure of Burial Spells'. Banish the three Spell cards 'Adversity's Treasure', 'Prototype Replacement', and 'Forced Activation' from the Graveyard, and draw two cards."

Fujiki You Xuan drew the cards and then immediately sent one card from his hand to the Graveyard.

"I send the Level 8 Machine-Type 'Machina Megaform' from my hand to the Graveyard, and activate the effect of 'Machina Fortress' in the Graveyard."

"Fortress can be Special Summoned from the Graveyard by sending Machine-Type monsters from my hand to the Graveyard with a total Level of 8 or higher."

"Special Summon 'Machina Fortress' in Defense Position!"

Fortress's effect has no once-per-turn restriction, as long as there are enough Star-level Machine-Type monsters in the hand as a cost, it can be revived continuously.

After a dull sound of metal operation, the fortress rose from the ground with a rumble, standing tall on the field. But this time it restrained its long guns and short cannons, adopting a defensive posture.

【Machina Fortress, DEF 1600】

"I won't lose, and I can't lose. I must avenge Sayer, and I must... because if I don't..."

Akiza bit her lip, her voice filled with tears.

"If I don't, then what else can I do? What am I going to do in the future?"

It was clear that she had begun to waver.

"What to do?" Fujiki You Xuan laughed, "What? You're living for Sayer, without Sayer, are you not even a duelist anymore?"

Akiza: "I..."

"Even before meeting Sayer, you didn't give up dueling," Fujiki You Xuan said, "Knowing that dueling would likely hurt people again, hating your own power, tired of the life of being called a 'witch'."

"If that's really the case, why not just give up dueling? As long as you don't duel, never touch cards for the rest of your life, you could have been an ordinary girl and lived an ordinary life."

"But you didn't do that, why?"

"Because you enjoy hurting others? Because you are a witch who finds happiness in pain?"

Akiza swayed and took two steps back: "I don't, I don't, I'm not..."

She subconsciously lowered her head, and Fudo Yusei's firm eyes from the previous duel flashed through her mind.

"You have to think for yourself, learn to love yourself!"

Fudo Yusei said that to her.

"You deny the happiness you get from hurting others in your heart, you who have this heart will definitely be able to do it!"

Akiza: "..."

"Dueling is a process of collision of duelist hearts. Yusei understood you through dueling, so he understood. I have felt your dueling, so I also understand."

Fujiki You Xuan chuckled and continued to guide her.

"Tell me, why don't you give up, why do you insist on dueling even like this?"

"I... I..."

Akiza lowered her head and looked at her toes.

Of course, from her perspective, she probably couldn't see her toes.

Memories flashed through her mind again. That was something sealed for a longer time, long before her ability awakened.

At that time, she still had a warm and harmonious family, and hadn't broken with her parents yet. Young Akiza was in her mother's arms, watching the heroic figures of those legendary duelists on TV, her eyes shining.

"Mom, Mom!"

Little Akiza tugged at her mother's sleeve.

"Can I also become a duelist as amazing as that?"

"Of course you can."

Her mother hugged her dotingly.

"As long as Akiza wants to, she can definitely become the best duelist in the world."

"..."

That's it.

She couldn't give up. No matter what she became, no matter what situation she was in, she just couldn't betray dueling.

In her childhood memories, a certain King with a colorful starfish head stood at the pinnacle of the world, surrounded by countless fans cheering for him.

It is said that he was not only the strongest person in the dueling world, but also a hero who had saved the world. The dueling world... no, people all over the world admired him because of this, even if his figure had disappeared for a long time, his prestige still spread far and wide.

That scene of the crowd cheering for the King, for the hero, was deeply imprinted in Akiza's young mind.

Yes, she didn't want to be any witch, didn't want to be excluded, didn't want to find happiness by hurting others.

The reason she couldn't give up dueling was because what she truly wanted in her heart was...

"I am... a duelist."

Akiza raised her tear-stained face, and for the first time, light other than revenge appeared in her apricot-colored eyes.

"Then prove it to me."

Fujiki You Xuan nodded and said.

"A true duelist's life is never defined by others. Even if the road ahead is a dead end, you can open up a new path with your own hands."

"If you can do it, then prove it to me, Akiza Izinski!"

Fujiki You Xuan said, and finally drew two more cards from his hand.

"Continuous Spell 'Mirage of Nightmare', during the opponent's Standby Phase, I can draw cards from my Deck until I have four cards in my hand."

"Finally, set one card, turn end!"

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 853 =====