The Deck searched once more, and a card snapped out into his hand. "I add 'Jinzo' to my hand."
"Jinzo," Keith muttered.
The card stirred an old memory. In the Duelist Kingdom, it had delivered another crushing blow, knocking him out and pushing him deeper into ruin, all at the hands of Katsuya Jonouchi. At the time, Joey Wheeler had not even owned that card, but after his rise, Jinzo became one of his iconic Rare Card as a Legendary Duelist. Even without facing him directly, the association alone left Keith irritated.
"Bad memories?" Yugen asked calmly.
As the Deck finished shuffling, he watched his opponent closely. "None of your business," Bandit Keith replied coldly. "Sooner or later, I will drag everyone who stepped on me into the dark with my new power. But first things first. I will deal with you. Now continue the Duel."
"As you wish," Yugen said.
"True Silent Magician gains ATK equal to my hand size times 500. With Jinzo added, I have six cards in hand. That means her ATK increases by 3000."
The six cards in his hand seemed to release invisible waves that poured into Silent Magician. She swept her staff, and unseen force burst outward, lifting her skirt and forming a firm barrier around her.
True Silent Magician's ATK rose from 1000 to 4000. Bandit Keith frowned. "Starting out with an Obelisk-level monster."
Only now did he fully realize it. After a full LV Series sequence of drawing, searching, and summoning his ace, Yugen still held six cards in hand. In a single turn, he had created a powerful Obelisk-level monster.
Keith understood it then. This opponent was anything but ordinary.
Author: Name Taken
Yugen gave the order without hesitation. He moved straight into the battle phase and pointed forward, his voice steady as he commanded the attack.
"True Silent Magician, attack the face-down monster."
Silent Magician spun her staff lightly twice, and a white magic circle spread beneath her feet. Surging white light gathered into her hands and then burst forward like a rushing tide, sweeping flat across the opposing field.
The face-down monster flipped open, revealing a huge tomato with a wide, vicious grin, crouched in defense position. Mystic Tomato, DEF 1100.
A tomato like that had no chance of withstanding Silent Magician's power, and the massive stream of light blasted it apart into dust in an instant. Fragments scattered before dissolving completely.
"Heh, fell right into it!" Bandit Keith shouted. "At this moment, my set card activates too!"
A card in his back row flipped up with a sharp motion, the projection of a Trap Card rising into the air. Its light flickered as its effect was declared.
"Trap Card - Just Desserts! When a monster is sent to its owner's Graveyard, you can destroy one monster on the field!"
With a cold grin, Keith pointed straight at Yugen's side of the field. His voice carried sharp malice as he gave the order.
"That annoying magician leaves the stage here. Destroy 'Silent Magician'!"
Golden light burst from the Trap Card, and the destroyed Mystic Tomato seemed to fire out in ghostly form. Like a wailing spirit, it lunged toward Silent Magician, dragging with it a sense of violent force.
"Then I activate the Quick-Play Spell 'My Body as a Shield' from my hand!"
As Yugen swung his arm, rolling streams of data formed the image of a Spell Card in front of him. The effect resolved immediately, cutting into the flow of the attack.
"When the opponent activates an effect that includes 'destroy a monster on the field,' I pay 1500 Life Points to negate that activation and destroy it!"
The spell took effect, and the tomato's ghostly force veered sharply away from Silent Magician before crashing straight into Yugen. He staggered back half a step, wincing as the impact landed.
Yugen, LP 4000 to LP 2500.
"So this really is a Shadow Duel. The pain feels real," he muttered.
Seeing her master take the hit meant for her, Silent Magician froze in shock. She clutched her staff and looked at him with clear concern, her expression caught between worry and confusion.
"Oh?" Bandit Keith sneered coldly. "A Duelist taking damage for his own monster? Cards are just weapons, just tools. A real strong one knows how to use every piece on the board."
He paused, then laughed under his breath, lips curling upward. His tone was thick with contempt.
"The strong rule the weak. That is an unchanging truth. A so-called Duelist is just a warrior who can enslave the strongest creatures. Victory means paying any price. Everything except the king who commands can be thrown away!"
Yugen narrowed his eyes at him, silently thinking that this guy had serious problems. If he had not blocked the attack, his field would have been empty next turn anyway.
Then another thought struck him, and he realized this was a perfect chance to build rapport. He immediately put on a strained expression, gritting his teeth as if enduring pain while he spoke.
"You're wrong. A Duelist is someone who trusts their monsters and trusts their Deck. Every card is chosen from countless possibilities, connected to the soul, and irreplaceable. Someone who can't understand that doesn't deserve to be called a Duelist, no matter how much power they gain!"
He reflected that while he had never been good at writing essays, he had never missed a generation of Yu-Gi-Oh! anime. Speeches about bonds and trusting one's deck were everywhere, and copying one on the spot was easy.
The result seemed effective. When Silent Magician looked at him again, her normally icy face was filled with emotion. Yugen guessed that if affection could be measured, there would be a huge increase right about now.
Higher bonds might even make future draws more precise, he thought with satisfaction. He almost felt like thanking Bandit Keith for the unexpected opportunity.
"So annoying," Bandit Keith muttered, his face dark.
"This, that, all of it. You're exactly like those disgusting people. Honor of a Duelist, trusting cards, heart and bonds. It's unbearable. People like you are the worst."
Yugen guessed he was talking about Yugi Muto and Joey Wheeler. After losing to Maximillion Pegasus back then, Keith had fallen completely, willing to do anything to win. Before the Duelist Kingdom tournament, he had even tried to steal Joey Wheeler's entry card, and during the Duel he had resorted to cheating methods like hiding cards in his sleeve.
"Then I'll bury your naive ideas along with your so-called partners!"
Bandit Keith shouted, raising his voice.
"At the moment Mystic Tomato was destroyed, its effect had already activated! When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can special summon a DARK monster with ATK 1500 or less from my Deck in face-up attack position!"
"I special summon 'Stealth Sniper'!"
Stealth Sniper, ATK 1500.
"Then I set one card, and end my turn."
True Silent Magician, ATK 3000.
"My Turn! Card Draw!"
After this Card Draw, Bandit Keith's movement clearly stalled. There was a brief silence, and then the muscles in his face twisted as his mouth curved upward uncontrollably.
"Heh. Heh heh. Hahahaha!"
That reaction immediately put Yugen on guard. It looked like he had drawn something dangerous.
"Heh, it's over, Yugi Muto, kid," Bandit Keith laughed loudly. "I've drawn this card, the ultimate manifestation of god-given power. Watch closely. I'll use it to awaken the darkness in my heart!"