"Jōnouchi, what are you saying? You finally have extra Metal Stars—why won't you take them?" Honda demanded.
Jōnouchi didn't answer him. He looked straight at Mai.
"Mai… I helped you back then completely of my own free will. So you don't need to think about paying me back."
"And besides—I'm a Duelist. I want to win my Metal Stars through dueling… and enter Pegasus's castle!"
As he spoke, Jōnouchi pulled out his Deck and aimed it at Mai like a warrior raising his weapon in challenge.
Mai wasn't surprised by his gesture. If anything, Jōnouchi seemed even more impressive in her eyes.
"Mai—I challenge you! I'll win your Metal Stars!" Jōnouchi declared.
Mai smiled faintly.
"Jōnouchi, I accept your challenge. But if you lose… I'll take your Metal Stars too."
"Fine! If I lose, that just means I don't have the strength to enter Pegasus's castle!"
Jōnouchi and Mai walked toward a Duel Machine together, while Kaiba and Kisaragi stayed at the very back.
"Kisaragi… I'm leaving first," Kaiba said, turning as if to depart.
"Be careful—" Kisaragi's words made his next step pause for a split second, and then he continued toward the castle.
"I will," Kaiba murmured—so softly only he could hear it.
Yugi noticed Kaiba leaving, but he didn't call out. He only watched that unwavering back.
Jōnouchi and Mai stepped onto the Duel Machine and placed their Decks.
"DUEL!" ×2
Mai Valentine LP 4000
Jōnouchi Katsuya LP 4000
"Jōnouchi—I'm taking the first move!"
"My turn—draw!"
"I Normal Summon Harpie Lady in Attack Position!"
Harpie Lady (1300/1400)
"As expected—Harpie Lady!" Jōnouchi muttered.
"I set two cards. End turn." (Cards in hand: 3)
"My turn—draw!"
"I activate the Spell Cards of the Red Stone! By sending a Level 7 'Red-Eyes' monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I draw two cards, then I can send one 'Red-Eyes' monster from my Deck to the Graveyard."
"I send Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon from my hand to the Graveyard—draw two! Then I send Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my Deck to the Graveyard!"
"Then I Normal Summon Red-Eyes Wyvern in Attack Position!"
A black dragon appeared on Jōnouchi's field, its silhouette close to Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
Red-Eyes Wyvern (1800/1600)
"Battle! Red-Eyes Wyvern, attack Harpie Lady!"
"Jōnouchi—you walked right into it! I activate my Continuous Trap Mirror Wall!"
A mirror-like barrier rose before Harpie Lady, reflecting Red-Eyes Wyvern back at itself. The attack slammed into the reflected image—
"What?!" Jōnouchi shouted.
"Mirror Wall is a Continuous Trap that, when an opponent declares an attack, halves the attacking monster's ATK!"
Red-Eyes Wyvern (900/1600)
"Harpie Lady—counterattack! Claw Shatter!"
Harpie Lady spread her hooked talons and ripped Red-Eyes Wyvern to pieces.
Jōnouchi LP 4000 → 3600
"Mai's amazing… she shut down his attack so easily," Anzu said.
"Yeah. As long as Mirror Wall stays on the field, Jōnouchi's battle power gets dragged down hard," Yugi replied.
"Mai… you really are something," Jōnouchi said, setting a card. "I set one card. End turn!" (Cards in hand: 4)
"But at the end of my turn, I activate Red-Eyes Wyvern's effect in the Graveyard! During the End Phase, I can banish this card to Special Summon one 'Red-Eyes' monster from my Graveyard!"
"Come forth—Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)
"So he knew Mai had a trap waiting… and he used it to set up Red-Eyes Black Dragon," Bakura said.
So he's using my trap to bring out a higher-level monster… Mai thought. I did cut his Life Points—but the longer this goes on, the worse it gets for me.
"My turn—draw!"
"To keep Mirror Wall on the field, I pay 2000 Life Points!"
Mai LP 4000 → 2000
"Maintaining that trap is expensive…" Honda muttered.
"If she doesn't, Harpie Lady's ATK can't stand up to Jōnouchi," Yugi said.
"I send Harpie Queen from my hand to the Graveyard to add Harpies' Hunting Ground from my Deck to my hand!"
"Now I activate the Field Spell Harpies' Hunting Ground!"
The battlefield transformed into a circular arena.
"This card increases Winged Beast monsters' ATK and DEF by 200!"
Harpie Lady (1500/1600)
"Next, I activate the Spell Elegant Egotist! By its effect, I Special Summon Harpie Lady Sisters from my Deck!"
Harpie Lady flashed with prismatic light—then split into three differently styled Harpies.
Harpie Lady Sisters (1950/2100)
"I activate Harpies' Hunting Ground's effect! When either player Normal or Special Summons Harpie Lady or Harpie Lady Sisters, I can destroy one Spell/Trap on the field!"
"Jōnouchi—the card I'm destroying is your set card!"
Jōnouchi grinned.
"Mai—before you destroy it, I activate it! Trap Card: Red-Eyes Burn Bomb (Chained)!"
"When this card is activated, it equips to a monster and raises its ATK by 500!"
Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2900/2000)
"But even so, it'll still be destroyed by my effect!" Mai snapped.
"I know," Jōnouchi said. "That's why I'm using its second effect—when this card is destroyed by an effect while equipped, I can destroy one card on the field!"
"What?!" Mai gasped.
"The card I destroy… is Mirror Wall!"
A timed bomb appeared, hanging on the mirror barrier in front of the Harpies.
BOOM!
A violent explosion rang out—then the mirror wall collapsed in shards.
…
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 126)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter134)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 87
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 79
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 73
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 49
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 45
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 45
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 31
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 27
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 26
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