The Duel Disk gave one final electronic tone.
DUEL OVER.
Lazar stood still.
The holographic image of The Last Warrior from Another Planet faded from the street, leaving only the wreckage of the duel behind.
Jamal's Duel Disk displayed:
0 LP
Lazar's displayed:
2550 LP
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Then Lazar lowered his arm.
"Guess that's that."
Jamal looked at him.
"You got lucky."
Lazar raised an eyebrow.
"Did I?"
Jamal opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Lazar had lost monster after monster during the duel.
Goblin Attack Force had been sacrificed to stop Lord of D.
Freed had been destroyed.
Command Knight had been destroyed.
Makyura had been destroyed.
And somehow, he'd still managed to turn the duel around.
Jamal clicked his tongue and looked away.
"Whatever."
A notification appeared on Lazar's Duel Disk.
DUEL RESULT CONFIRMED.
WAGER: 100 DUEL POINTS
WINNER: LAZAR
A second message appeared.
100 DUEL POINTS TRANSFERRED.
Lazar looked at the number.
1,420 → 1,520
One hundred points.
It wasn't much.
But in this world, one hundred points could mean food.
Water.
Supplies.
Another few days of survival.
The fact that a children's card game had become a currency for staying alive still bothered him.
Lazar looked back at Jamal.
"You should probably leave."
Jamal frowned.
"You're not taking anything else?"
"I won the wager."
Lazar turned away.
"I'm not interested in taking your whole supply."
Jamal stared at him.
"You're letting me go?"
Lazar stopped.
He glanced over his shoulder.
"You lost a duel."
A pause.
"You didn't lose your life."
Jamal didn't answer.
Lazar walked away.
The girl he'd originally stepped in for was still standing nearby.
She hadn't moved much during the duel.
She was around fourteen, perhaps fifteen. Her clothes were worn from weeks of surviving on her own, and she still had the small backpack she'd been carrying when Jamal stopped her.
Now she was gripping its straps tightly.
Lazar approached.
"You okay?"
She nodded.
Then shook her head.
Then nodded again.
Lazar stared at her.
"That was convincing."
She gave him a small glare.
"I'm fine."
"Good."
He turned to leave.
"Wait."
Lazar stopped.
The girl hesitated.
"Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me."
"Yes, I do."
She looked toward the street where Jamal had disappeared.
"He would've taken everything."
Lazar's expression became more serious.
"How much?"
She lowered her eyes.
"Thirty-seven."
"Duel Points?"
She nodded.
Lazar looked at his Duel Disk.
Thirty-seven points.
Not much to someone who had just won a hundred.
But to someone with almost nothing, it could matter.
Lazar reached toward his Duel Disk.
"Here."
She looked at him.
"No."
"Take it."
"But you just won those."
"Exactly."
"I can't."
"You can."
She hesitated.
Then finally accepted the transfer.
Her Duel Point total increased.
She stared at the number.
"Thank you."
Lazar nodded.
"What's your name?"
"Emily."
"Lazar."
"I know."
He blinked.
"You know?"
She pointed at his Duel Disk.
"It literally says your name."
Lazar looked down.
"Right."
Emily glanced at the cards still loaded into his Duel Disk.
"That Fusion Monster…"
Lazar looked at her.
"What about it?"
"I've never seen anyone use it before."
Lazar gave a small shrug.
"Neither have I."
Emily frowned.
"You had it and never saw it?"
"Long story."
He didn't elaborate.
Instead, he looked down the street.
Something about the area felt different now.
Too quiet.
"What?"
Emily was staring in the same direction.
"There are more people like him."
Lazar looked back at her.
"How many?"
"I don't know."
"That's reassuring."
"I mean it."
Emily tightened her grip around her backpack.
"Jamal wasn't alone. There are groups around here. Some control stores. Some control places where people can get food. Others force people into duels."
"So Jamal wasn't just some random guy."
"No."
"Then why was he alone?"
Emily hesitated.
"He wasn't."
Lazar's expression changed.
"What?"
"He had people watching."
Lazar looked around.
The streets were empty.
At least, they appeared to be.
Several blocks away, someone was sitting on the roof of an abandoned building.
A boy.
Seventeen years old.
Dark hair fell messily across his forehead, and he wore a black jacket that had clearly seen better days.
His Duel Disk rested against his arm.
Another teenager stood beside him.
"You sure that's him?"
The boy didn't answer immediately.
His eyes remained fixed on Lazar below.
"Yes."
"The one who beat Jamal?"
"That's what I said."
The other teenager folded his arms.
"He doesn't look like much."
The boy finally looked at him.
"Neither did Jamal."
The other teenager went quiet.
The boy returned his attention to Lazar.
He'd watched enough of the duel.
He'd seen Lazar sacrifice Goblin Attack Force.
He'd seen the Trap.
He'd watched him summon monster after monster.
He'd watched Lazar lose his field and rebuild it.
Then, when the opportunity appeared—
He'd finished the duel with a Fusion Summon.
A strange deck.
Not perfectly polished.
Not built around one obvious strategy.
But Lazar adapted.
That was what caught his attention.
Not the victory.
The way he'd reached it.
The boy smiled.
"What's his name?"
"Lazar."
"Lazar…"
He repeated the name quietly.
Then he stood.
"I want to duel him."
The other teenager looked at him.
"Why?"
The boy grinned.
"Because I want to know if he's actually good."
"And if he is?"
The boy's grin widened.
"Then I'll have someone worth competing with."
Lazar and Emily continued down the street.
Lazar kept glancing around.
He didn't like the feeling of being watched.
"You said there are groups."
Emily nodded.
"Yeah."
"Any of them have a name?"
"One."
She lowered her voice.
"The Kings."
Lazar stopped walking.
"The Kings?"
"They control most of the area east of here."
"What do they want?"
"Duel Points."
"Obviously."
"No."
Emily looked at him.
"They don't just want them."
Lazar waited.
"They want people to owe them."
That made more sense.
The Duel Point system hadn't just created a currency.
It had created debt.
If someone couldn't afford food, they could borrow.
If they couldn't repay it—
They could be forced into duels.
And if they kept losing…
Eventually, they would have nothing left.
Lazar looked at his own Duel Point total.
1,520.
It suddenly didn't feel like much.
Emily continued walking.
"We should go."
Lazar followed.
"Where?"
"My group has a place nearby."
"You have a group?"
"Yeah."
"How many?"
"Eight."
"Armed?"
Emily looked at him.
"With what?"
"Fair point."
She almost smiled.
They continued walking.
Then a voice came from behind them.
"Lazar."
He stopped.
Emily stopped too.
Footsteps approached.
The boy from the rooftop walked toward them.
Seventeen.
Dark hair.
Black jacket.
Duel Disk strapped to his arm.
He stopped several meters away.
Lazar looked him over.
"Do I know you?"
"No."
"Then you have an advantage."
The boy grinned.
"I'm Marcus."
Lazar waited.
Marcus pointed toward Lazar's Duel Disk.
"I watched your duel with Jamal."
Lazar's expression immediately became more cautious.
"From where?"
"Across the street."
"You were watching the whole time?"
"Most of it."
"And?"
Marcus shrugged.
"You're pretty good."
Lazar blinked.
That wasn't the reaction he'd expected.
"You walked over here just to tell me that?"
"No."
Marcus smiled.
"I walked over here to challenge you."
Emily looked between them.
Lazar stared at Marcus.
"You're serious?"
"Very."
"You know I just finished a duel."
"Yeah."
"I could be tired."
Marcus shrugged.
"Then I'll try not to embarrass you too badly."
Lazar gave him a flat look.
Marcus laughed.
"Relax. I'm joking."
"You're not very good at it."
"I thought it was pretty good."
Lazar shook his head.
There was something strange about this guy.
He wasn't trying to intimidate him.
He wasn't acting like Jamal.
He genuinely seemed excited.
Not because winning would give him Duel Points.
Because he wanted to duel.
Lazar noticed that.
"You really like this game, don't you?"
Marcus's expression softened.
"Yeah."
He looked down at his Duel Disk.
"Before everything happened, people played because it was fun."
He looked back at Lazar.
"Now most people only play because they have to."
His grin returned.
"I'd like to keep at least one thing normal."
Lazar was quiet.
Then he looked toward Emily.
"You can go ahead."
Emily's eyes widened.
"You're actually doing this?"
Lazar shrugged.
"He's been asking."
Marcus raised a finger.
"Technically, I've been asking politely."
"You've been standing here for thirty seconds."
"Very politely."
Lazar sighed.
"Fine."
Marcus's eyes lit up.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah."
Marcus immediately activated his Duel Disk.
"Now we're talking."
Lazar activated his own.
Two fields projected between them.
4000 LP
4000 LP
Marcus looked at the numbers.
"Standard?"
"Standard."
"No special rules?"
"No."
"Good."
Marcus smiled.
"I'd hate to beat you and have you blame the rules."
Lazar stared at him.
"I already dislike you."
"You'll get used to me."
Lazar almost smiled.
Almost.
They took their positions.
Marcus drew his opening hand.
Lazar did the same.
Neither showed the other their cards.
Marcus looked at Lazar.
"Who goes first?"
Lazar looked at him.
"You challenged me."
Marcus nodded.
"Fair."
Lazar placed his hand over his Duel Disk.
"I'll go first."
The Duel Disk confirmed the turn.
TURN 1 — LAZAR
Lazar drew.
He looked across the field at Marcus.
Marcus was smiling.
Not because he knew what Lazar had.
Not because he knew how the duel would end.
He was simply excited to find out.
Lazar placed his first card onto the Duel Disk.
The duel began.
Lazar drew his opening card and looked over the hand he had been dealt.
Across from him, Marcus stood with an easy grin, his Duel Disk already humming.
Lazar didn't waste time.
He slid a Spell Card into his Duel Disk.
"I activate Reinforcement of the Army."
The card projected itself above the Duel Disk before dissolving into light.
"Its effect lets me add one Level 4 or lower Warrior monster from my Deck to my hand."
Lazar searched through his Deck, pulled out a monster, and revealed it.
"I'll add Marauding Captain."
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
"Starting with a search? Not bad."
Lazar gave him a sideways glance.
"You challenged me. Don't complain because I brought a strategy."
Marcus laughed.
"Wouldn't dream of it."
Lazar placed the newly searched monster onto his Duel Disk.
"I Normal Summon Marauding Captain!"
The armored warrior appeared on Lazar's field, weapon in hand.
Marauding Captain — ATK 1200
Lazar immediately followed up.
"When Marauding Captain is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Warrior monster from my hand."
He looked at the remaining cards in his hand.
"I Special Summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!"
A second warrior emerged beside Marauding Captain, clad in heavy metal armor.
Gearfried the Iron Knight — ATK 1800
Marcus's grin widened.
"Two monsters on the first turn."
"I'm not here to admire the scenery."
Lazar took one more card from his hand and placed it face-down in his Spell & Trap Zone.
"I'll set one card."
The card appeared face-down behind his monsters.
Lazar looked across the field at Marcus.
"That's all."
He ended his turn with Marauding Captain and Gearfried the Iron Knight standing side by side, with one face-down card protecting them.
Marcus stared at the field for a moment.
Then his grin returned.
"Alright."
He raised his Duel Disk.
"My turn."
TURN 2 — MARCUS
Marcus drew his card and looked across the field.
Lazar had already established two monsters: Marauding Captain and Gearfried the Iron Knight.
Marcus smiled.
"Starting strong, huh?"
Lazar shrugged.
"You challenged me."
"Fair enough."
Marcus placed a Spell Card onto his Duel Disk.
"I activate Fire Formation — Tenki!"
A blazing formation appeared behind him.
"I can use its effect to add one Level 4 or lower Beast-Warrior from my Deck to my hand."
Marcus searched his Deck and pulled out his chosen monster.
"I add Coach Soldier Wolfbark."
He shuffled his Deck and placed it back into his Duel Disk.
"Now let's see how you handle this."
Marcus activated another Spell Card.
"I activate Final Inning."
Lazar narrowed his eyes.
Marcus discarded a card from his hand.
Beast-Warrior Puma.
"Final Inning deals 500 damage for every monster you control."
Lazar had two monsters.
"That's 1,000 damage."
The effect struck Lazar.
Lazar LP: 4000 → 3000
Lazar steadied himself.
Marcus pointed toward his Graveyard.
"And now I'll make use of the card I just discarded."
He Normal Summoned Coach Soldier Wolfbark.
Coach Soldier Wolfbark — 1700 ATK
The Fire Formation surrounding Marcus's field strengthened his Beast-Warriors.
"Wolfbark's effect lets me Special Summon a Level 4 Beast-Warrior from my Graveyard."
He pointed toward Puma.
"Come back."
Beast-Warrior Puma returned to the field.
With Tenki's effect, its ATK increased.
Beast-Warrior Puma — 1700 ATK
Marcus then placed another Spell Card onto his Duel Disk.
"And now I'll equip Puma with United We Stand!"
The Equip Spell strengthened Puma based on the number of face-up monsters Marcus controlled.
Marcus controlled two monsters, so Puma gained another 1400 ATK.
Puma: 1700 → 3100 ATK
Marcus pointed directly at Marauding Captain.
"Puma, attack Marauding Captain!"
Puma charged forward.
Lazar immediately flipped his face-down card.
"Dust Tornado!"
A violent gust tore across the field, destroying United We Stand.
The enormous ATK boost vanished.
But Dust Tornado hadn't negated the attack.
Puma's ATK simply returned to 1700.
Marauding Captain had 1200 ATK.
The two monsters collided.
Marauding Captain was destroyed.
The remaining force struck Lazar.
Lazar LP: 3000 → 2500
Lazar stared at the empty space where Marauding Captain had stood.
Marcus grinned.
"Didn't stop the attack."
Lazar looked back at him.
"No. Just made it hurt less."
Marcus laughed.
"That's more like it."
The field now belonged to two monsters.
Gearfried the Iron Knight — 1800 ATK
Coach Soldier Wolfbark — 1700 ATK
The duel had suddenly become much closer.
TURN 4 — MARCUS
Marcus drew his card.
His eyes moved toward Gearfried.
Then he smiled.
"Time to bring out something bigger."
He placed a Spell Card onto his Duel Disk.
"I activate Cost Down!"
Marcus discarded one card from his hand.
"For this turn, the Levels of all monsters in my hand are reduced by 2."
He reached into his hand.
"And now I Normal Summon Rude Kaiser!"
Rude Kaiser appeared on Marcus's field.
Its Level had been reduced enough by Cost Down to allow the Summon.
Then Tenki's effect strengthened it.
Rude Kaiser — 1900 ATK
Marcus now had two monsters.
Coach Soldier Wolfbark — 1700 ATK
Rude Kaiser — 1900 ATK
Marcus looked toward Lazar's Gearfried.
His grin widened.
"Now let's see what you've got."
He entered the Battle Phase.
"Rude Kaiser, attack Gearfried the Iron Knight!"
Rude Kaiser charged forward.
1900 ATK vs. 1800 ATK.
The two monsters collided.
Gearfried was destroyed.
Lazar took 100 points of battle damage.
Lazar LP: 2500 → 2400
Marcus wasn't finished.
He pointed toward Lazar.
"Wolfbark, attack directly!"
Wolfbark charged across the field.
The attack struck Lazar directly.
Lazar LP: 2400 → 700
Lazar staggered backward from the impact.
His field was completely empty now.
Marcus lowered his arm.
"That's 1,800 damage this turn."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Marcus looked at Lazar.
"You're awfully calm for someone who's down to 700."
Lazar wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked back at him.
"I'm still standing."
Marcus's grin returned.
"Then this duel isn't over."
The two duelists stared across the field.
Marcus had Wolfbark and Rude Kaiser.
Lazar had nothing.
But Lazar still had his Duel Disk raised.
And seven hundred Life Points left.
The next turn belonged to him.
TURN 5 — LAZAR
Lazar drew his next card.
He looked at it.
A small smirk appeared on his face.
Marcus noticed immediately.
"What?"
Lazar placed the card onto his Duel Disk.
"I Normal Summon Absolute Crusader!"
A heavily armed warrior appeared on Lazar's field.
Absolute Crusader — 1800 ATK
Marcus glanced between the monster and his own field.
"You're attacking already?"
Lazar's smirk widened.
"Why wouldn't I?"
He pointed toward Marcus's Rude Kaiser.
"Absolute Crusader, attack Rude Kaiser!"
Absolute Crusader charged forward.
1800 ATK vs. 1900 ATK.
The two monsters rushed toward each other.
Rude Kaiser's greater ATK would normally destroy Absolute Crusader.
But Lazar had been waiting for exactly that moment.
Just before the monsters collided, he slammed another card onto his Duel Disk.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Rush Recklessly!"
The Spell erupted with energy.
"I target Absolute Crusader!"
Power surged through the warrior.
Absolute Crusader: 1800 → 2500 ATK
Marcus's eyes widened.
Lazar pointed forward.
"Now finish it!"
Absolute Crusader crashed into Rude Kaiser.
2500 ATK vs. 1900 ATK.
Rude Kaiser was destroyed.
Marcus took 600 points of battle damage.
Marcus LP: 3900 → 3300
Absolute Crusader remained standing.
Lazar's Life Points remained unchanged.
Lazar LP: 700
Marcus stared at the destroyed Rude Kaiser before looking back at Lazar.
"So that's why you were smiling."
Lazar lowered his arm.
"Figured you'd appreciate the surprise."
Marcus's grin returned.
"Yeah."
He glanced at Absolute Crusader.
"I definitely appreciate it."
Lazar looked at the card remaining in his hand.
He decided not to overextend.
Instead, he placed another card face-down in his Spell & Trap Zone.
"I'll set one card."
Then he raised his hand.
"I end my turn."
As Lazar's turn ended, the temporary power granted by Rush Recklessly wore off.
Absolute Crusader: 2500 → 1800 ATK
The warrior returned to its original strength.
Lazar LP: 700 (1 card in hand)
Marcus LP: 3300(2 cards in hand)
Marcus looked at the field and smiled.
"My turn".
TURN 6 — MARCUS
Marcus drew his card and looked across the field.
Lazar's Absolute Crusader stood at 1800 ATK, with a single face-down card behind it.
Marcus grinned.
"Let's see if that little warrior can keep you alive."
He raised a card from his hand.
"I activate Star Blast!"
Marcus paid the required cost.
Marcus LP: 3300 → 2300
He revealed Lycanthrope from his hand.
"Star Blast lowers the Level of a monster in my hand by 2."
Lycanthrope's Level dropped from 6 to 4.
Lazar's eyes narrowed.
Marcus immediately followed up.
"Now I activate my Ritual Spell—Synthesis Spell!"
A ritual circle formed across the field.
"I'll Tribute Coach Soldier Wolfbark!"
Wolfbark vanished from the field as the Ritual Summoning began.
"I Ritual Summon Lycanthrope!"
The Ritual Monster emerged onto the field.
Lycanthrope — 2500 ATK
Its base 2400 ATK was increased by 100 thanks to Fire Formation — Tenki.
Marcus pointed toward Lazar's Absolute Crusader.
"You were waiting for this, weren't you?"
Lazar didn't answer.
Marcus laughed.
"Don't bother pretending. I know exactly what you were planning."
He pointed toward Absolute Crusader.
"Your Crusader can Tribute itself when a Level 5 or higher monster is Special Summoned, negating the Summon and destroying it."
Marcus tapped Lycanthrope.
"But thanks to Star Blast, Lycanthrope is Level 4."
Lazar's expression tightened.
"If I hadn't lowered its Level, you could've Tributed Crusader and stopped my Ritual Summon."
Marcus grinned.
"But I did."
He pointed forward.
"Lycanthrope, attack Absolute Crusader!"
Lycanthrope charged forward.
2500 ATK vs. 1800 ATK.
Lazar waited until the last moment.
Then he flipped his face-down card.
"I activate Reinforcements!"
The Trap surged into effect.
"Absolute Crusader gains 500 ATK!"
Absolute Crusader: 1800 → 2300 ATK
Marcus laughed.
"Still trying to survive?"
The monsters collided.
2500 ATK vs. 2300 ATK.
Absolute Crusader was destroyed.
Lazar took 200 points of battle damage.
Lazar LP: 700 → 500
Marcus pointed at Lazar.
"You're still alive?"
He shook his head with a laugh.
"Seriously? You're making me work for this!"
Then Lycanthrope's effect activated.
Marcus's grin returned.
"Oh, right."
He pointed toward Lazar.
"Lycanthrope's effect gives you another 200 damage for every Normal Monster in my Graveyard whenever you take battle damage involving it."
Marcus gestured toward his Graveyard.
"I've got two."
Rude Kaiser.
And Wolf Axwielder, the card I discarded for Cost Down."
"Two monsters."
400 additional damage.
The effect struck Lazar.
Lazar LP: 500 → 100
Marcus stared at the Life Point counter.
Then he burst out laughing.
"ONE HUNDRED?!"
He pointed at Lazar.
"You're actually still standing!"
Lazar steadied himself.
Marcus's grin became almost impossible to hide.
"This is great!"
He spread his arms.
"You know what? I was going to finish you quickly."
He pointed at Lycanthrope.
"But now I want to see what you've got."
Marcus looked down at his empty hand.
"Because I've got nothing left."
He looked back up at Lazar.
"No cards in my hand. One monster on my field. And you've got 100 Life Points."
His eyes gleamed with competitive excitement.
"So come on, Lazar."
Marcus pointed directly at him.
"Don't you dare lose yet."
He lowered his arm.
"I end my turn."
Lazar LP: 100
Marcus LP: 2300
Lazar drew for his turn.
Marcus grinned.
"Your move."
TURN 7 — LAZAR
Lazar stared across the field.
His LP were down to 100.
Marcus stood opposite him with 2300 LP, while Lycanthrope towered over the field at 2500 ATK.
Marcus had already spent his entire hand.
For the first time since the duel began, he looked completely confident.
"It's over, Lazar."
Lazar slowly drew his card.
He looked at it.
Then smiled.
"Monster Reborn."
Marcus's expression changed.
Lazar raised the card.
"I activate Monster Reborn."
A burst of light erupted from Lazar's Graveyard.
"Come back."
A familiar warrior emerged from the light.
Gearfried the Iron Knight.
Marcus narrowed his eyes.
"You're bringing back a monster with only 1800 ATK?"
"I'm not bringing him back to attack."
Lazar placed another card onto the Duel Disk.
"I Tribute Gearfried."
The warrior vanished from the field.
"And in his place…"
A wave of golden light exploded across the battlefield.
"I Tribute Summon Kuraz the Light Monarch!"
Kuraz descended onto the field.
Kuraz — 2400 ATK.
Marcus's eyes widened.
Lazar pointed toward Lycanthrope.
"When Kuraz is Tribute Summoned, I can destroy up to two cards on the field."
He raised his hand.
"I'll destroy Lycanthrope…"
A blast of golden energy struck the massive beast.
"…and Fire Formation — Tenki."
Another blast shattered the glowing formation beneath Marcus's monsters.
Both cards disappeared.
Marcus stared at his empty field.
Then his Duel Disk chimed.
"Since Kuraz destroyed two of my cards…"
Marcus drew two cards.
Lazar looked at his opponent.
"…you get to draw two."
Marcus slowly looked down at his new hand.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Lazar stepped forward.
"Which means there's only one thing left to do."
He entered the Battle Phase.
Marcus looked up.
"Wait…"
Lazar raised his arm.
"Kuraz the Light Monarch!"
Kuraz's body began radiating golden energy.
"DIRECT ATTACK!"
Marcus's eyes widened.
"Kuraz—"
Lazar shouted across the field.
"LIGHT EMPEROR'S JUDGMENT!"
Kuraz lunged forward.
2400 ATK.
The attack struck Marcus directly.
Marcus LP: 2300 → 0
The Duel Disk released its final tone.
DUEL OVER.
For several seconds, Marcus simply stood there.
Then he looked at Lazar.
Lazar was still standing at 100 LP.
Barely.
Marcus laughed.
"…You were seriously planning that?"
Lazar glanced down at Kuraz.
"I was planning on surviving."
Marcus shook his head, grinning despite the loss.
"Same difference."
Lazar looked at the two cards Marcus had drawn.
"Besides…"
He turned away from the field.
"You gave me the opening."