"I'll go first. Draw," the Arbiter said.
Koyo focused, watching intently.
The Arbiter was new to him, but he could sense this person was no ordinary foe.
Perhaps even stronger than the dark duelist who'd ambushed him the night he became champion. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novel_fіre.net
It was only after that defeat that he realized: the peak he'd reached was just the limit of what most people could see.
The appearance of that dark duelist proved the world of dueling was far broader than he thought. The true strongest and most dangerous didn't care about glory in competitions.
That night, he'd glimpsed just a corner of the hidden dark world.
Now, he'd seen and felt firsthand the terror of Shadow Duels. But even so, he would not back down.
He was a pro duelist, long resolved to dedicate his life and all he had to dueling. No matter how dangerous the road ahead, he'd never turn back.
Koyo glanced at the sidelines, catching Jaden's eye.
Oddly, Jaden wasn't excited or cheering, just met his gaze with a worried expression.
Jaden had a bad feeling, especially after watching the last duel and what happened afterward.
Even he could sense the opponent was dangerous.
"I set one monster in face-down defense position," the Arbiter said calmly, placing a card.
"Then set two cards face-down and end my turn."
Kaiba watched the Arbiter closely.
"Koyo Hikibi, the world champion… he should be enough to test that guy's strength," Kaiba muttered.
If he had to say, this was the opponent he most wanted to face in this tournament.
Kaiba Seto hadn't lost to many, and those he couldn't get revenge on were even fewer. Dartz was gone, but the Serpent God's avatar was an old rival.
Koyo also noticed that even when facing him, the Arbiter's eyes seemed to drift to the audience.
There were only two people he truly cared about—Kaiba, and Kira, who'd taken the Sealing Device and left him uncertain.
"So, you don't even see me as an opponent," Koyo said darkly.
"I'll make you regret that. My turn—draw!"
He immediately played a card.
"I summon Elemental HERO Stratos!"
The famous Sky Guy from the real card game; when he appeared, tornadoes swirled. But right now, he was just a decent vanilla.
[Elemental HERO Stratos, ATK 1800]
Stratos could halve his attack to attack directly, but Koyo glanced at his opponent's field, then aimed at the monster.
"Stratos attacks the face-down monster!"
Direct attack would only be 900 damage—better to probe the opponent's monster.
"Trap Card—'Negate Attack.'"
The Arbiter raised his hand, releasing a vortex from the trap card that swallowed Stratos's attack.
"Protected that monster?"
Koyo frowned, reviewing his options.
"Then I'll set three cards. Turn end."
The Arbiter waved his hand.
"I flip summon the face-down monster—'Des Lacooda,' in attack position."
The card flipped, revealing a sinister zombie camel wrapped in bandages.
[Des Lacooda, ATK 500]
"When Des Lacooda is flip summoned, I can draw a card."
The Arbiter drew, immediately playing the card.
"I tribute Des Lacooda to tribute summon—Guardian Sphinx!"
Des Lacooda vanished in golden light, replaced by a towering golden sphinx.
[Guardian Sphinx, ATK 1700]
"Sphinx," Kira murmured.
Not a common ace, but he had that card too. Sphinx can bounce all monsters when flip summoned, a strong effect for this era.
The card was rare in this world, but for a Doma leader, it's easy to get.
"So the new Doma leader uses a flip-effect deck?" Mokuba mused.
"You're all trying to analyze my deck and tactics," he said. "But soon you'll realize it's all pointless.
You can't comprehend my tactics, just as mortals can't grasp the mind of a god.
What a god shows mortals isn't all he has—only what he wants them to see. ."
He slowly drew a card.
"I activate the Spell Card 'Polymerization'! I fuse 'Elemental HERO Avian' and 'Elemental HERO Burstinatrix' from my hand!"
Koyo was stunned too.
"Wind and fire fuse, the phoenix's power is born—Fusion Summon!
—Elemental HERO Phoenix Enforcer!"
[Elemental HERO Phoenix Enforcer, ATK 2100]
"Eh?!" Jaden exclaimed, "Avian and Burstinatrix fuse to summon Phoenix Enforcer? Wasn't it supposed to be Flame Wingman…?"
"Elemental HEROes can fuse the same materials into different monsters," Kira explained, smiling.
"Jaden, you may not care for theory, but you should at least know your own series."
Jaden scratched his head.
"Elemental HERO?" Mokuba was confused. "Doma's leader uses Elemental HEROes?"
"No, I don't think so," Kaiba said, eyes narrowed.
"He's just doing it because his opponent is the strongest HERO Duelist, Koyo Hibiki."
Mokuba paused, then realized.
This was open provocation—or absolute confidence.
PS: Bonus chapters at 2000 PS