Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
How could an archetype with King-rank potential fail even to reach Earth-rank?!
Wang Yu roared in disbelief.
Even though logic told him that You Ye was telling the truth, he still refused — no, was unwilling — to believe it.
If You Ye could casually take in a servant with King-rank potential, then didn't that mean…
That even if he wanted to become You Ye's servant, he wouldn't even be wanted?
Seen that way, his decision to abandon the Dark Duelists just to avoid becoming a servant had cost him everything he should have gained.
And now he was about to die.
Wasn't that just being a complete sucker?
While Wang Yu felt like the world's biggest loser, Ye Bufan and the other two were instead pondering why Ouyang Yanyan was so strong.
They had already received intelligence on the Snake-Eye archetype.
At present, its displayed strength had indeed surpassed the Eldlich archetype, and it did show a faint possibility of reaching King-rank.
But easily reaching King-rank?
Its current power level shouldn't be enough — at least not yet.
Still, questions were questions. None of them asked.
If you hadn't said anything, it meant he intended to hide part of Ouyang Yanyan's strength.
Asking recklessly would at best yield no answer — and at worst offend You Ye.
That wasn't worth it.
Whether it was You Ye or Ouyang Yanyan, it was obvious they weren't walking the same path as them.
Heaven-rank was the ceiling for people like them.
For You Ye and Ouyang Yanyan, Heaven-rank was merely the starting line.
"If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do about it.
After all… You won't live to see Yanyan reach King-rank anyway."
You Ye, smiled indifferently.
Whether Wang Yu believed him or not was of no concern to him.
With that, You Ye Special Summoned the three Horus monsters from the GY, entered the Battle Phase, and wiped out Wang Yu's LP in one clean sweep.
The duel ended.
Wang Yu vanished amid despairing screams.
At the moment of death, regret consumed him.
If he had followed the Dark Duelist leader's plan, then even if You Ye had rejected him as a servant, he could have lived on comfortably, still holding a position of immense power, second only to one person.
As Wang Yu disappeared completely, the Duel Room returned to its normal state.
"You Ye, Senior, you're incredible.
You tanked two Counter Traps from Wang Yu and still won so easily.
When I faced his counters before, I suffered badly."
Quan Lin spoke up, his eyes carrying a trace of regret for Wang Yu — but far more admiration for You Ye's dueling strength and rule mastery.
"That's just basic play.
If he'd obtained Rivalry of Warlords and Skill Drain and gone first, the outcome would've been hard to say.
At the end of the day, it was his own lack of ability — he didn't complete his card pool."
You, Ye, waved his hand dismissively.
With those two floodgates plus Counter Traps, even he would've struggled greatly.
Unfortunately for Wang Yu, among all known duelists below Heaven-rank, no one except You Ye had obtained those two cards.
Quan Lin nodded silently.
"Senior, I apologize.
It was my oversight — I failed to provide you with information about Wang Yu.
Next time, if the Ye Family obtains any intelligence you need, we'll notify you immediately!"
Ye Bufan stepped forward and bowed deeply, speaking with sincere apology.
He had wanted to compensate, but his family had already shown You, Ye, their entire card pool yesterday.
Everything you wanted had already been taken.
With nothing material to offer, all he could do was apologize verbally.
"I'll look forward to it."
You Ye, smiled faintly and said no more.
Ye Bufan sighed inwardly.
He understood that while You Ye wasn't blaming them, their level of trust could no longer compare to that of the Bai Family.
"Uh… Senior, would you be interested in visiting the Quan Family?
We've collected many primitive cards, especially highly generic ones."
Seeing Ye Bufan's apologetic expression, Quan Lin cleared his throat and extended an invitation.
Just as You Ye showed a hint of interest, a voice — unfamiliar yet oddly familiar — spoke up:
"You Ye, before you go to the Quan Family, would you mind having a chat with me?"
As the voice fell, a man who looked almost like a walking skeleton entered through the Duel Room doorway.
"Bone King?!"
The moment You Ye saw him, confusion filled his face.
In contrast, Ye Bufan and the other two stared at the man in sheer terror.
"Bone King… the King-Road Dark Duelist of Hai City?"
Hearing the exclamation, You Ye recalled the information the Bai Family had provided about Hai City and looked at the man with interest.
"So… you were also involved in the Zeng Family incident last time?"
"Yes. As long as you didn't feel we were meddling unnecessarily, that's enough."
The Bone King nodded and gave a faintly friendly smile.
"My name is Cao Gu.
I'm one of the people in charge of Dark Duelists in Hai City.
I came this time to warn you that Wang Yu might attack you."
He paused, seemingly sensing what had just occurred.
"But it seems I'm late.
Wang Yu… should already be dead, right?"
"Yes."
You Ye nodded, then spoke seriously:
"I don't need servants from you.
To be blunt, the servants you give me are useless to me."
"Understood.
Then, as compensation, I'll share information you'll be interested in."
Cao Gu spoke slowly.
"According to my intel, many organizations are collecting the deck builds you originally sold.
Some organizations have already completed them."
"And what does that have to do with me?"
You Ye, remained expressionless.
He already knew they were being collected — the Inspection Bureau and Duel Association had told him long ago.
"Normally, it wouldn't concern you."
"But do you think a lunatic like Wang Yu — someone whose mind completely collapsed — is the only one?"
Cao Gu's reminder carried a deep implication.
"Oh? They've formed an organization?"
You Ye grew curious.
He wasn't surprised.
Mental collapse cases were bound to be many, and lunatics were unpredictable.
"Whether it's an organization or not is unclear."
"But according to the Inspection Bureau, they suspected me — or Dark Duelists — were behind it, so they came to warn us.
In truth, we don't know either."
Cao Gu spread his hands helplessly.
"What?!
Are these lunatics planning to attack Hai City?
How dare they?!
There are four King-Road powerhouses openly stationed here!"
Ye Bufan exclaimed in disbelief.
Quan Lin's expression also darkened slightly — his family hadn't received this information either.
"What are you thinking?
Do you think the four of us would dare duel inside Hai City?"
Cao Gu shot Ye Bufan an annoyed glance.
"If we fought those lunatics inside the city, do you have any idea what would happen?"
Ye Bufan flushed with embarrassment.
From Earth-rank onward, duels already affected the surroundings.
City duels required authorization or specialized arenas.
If King-Road duelists fought inside Hai City, the monsters alone would nearly materialize — the environmental destruction would be catastrophic.
"You mean… some of these people possess decks I sold?"
You Ye pondered and concluded.
"Yes.
And if nothing goes wrong, people from the Duel Association and Inspection Bureau should already be here."
Cao Gu answered, then paused and smiled.
As his words ended, Yang Xuequn from the Duel Association and Cheng Ting from the Inspection Bureau appeared in the Duel Room.
They glanced at Cao Gu, then turned to You Ye, bowing with bitter expressions.
"Cao Gu has already told you.
We'll be straightforward — Hai City needs your help.
You can state any conditions. We'll do our best to accommodate."
"Judging by your expressions… those lunatics have already begun?"
You, Ye, asked calmly.
"Yes.
The strongest among them uses a deck you sold — Chimera Phantom Fiend.
They've gone completely berserk.
All Earth-rank duelists we sent were defeated."
Cheng Ting fell silent briefly, then spoke bitterly.
Sending Heaven-rank duelists wasn't a guaranteed solution — and if they failed, the collateral damage would be unacceptable.
"Chimera Phantom Fiend?
That's normal."
You Ye wasn't surprised.
It was the strongest deck he had sold early on.
Even without the Branded engine, its power far exceeded what ordinary Earth-rank duelists in this world could handle.
"Normal…"
Yang Xuequn and Cheng Ting's faces darkened.
That was not the answer they wanted.
"You're not planning to help?"
Cao Gu asked from the side.
"No interest."
You Ye replied plainly.
This wasn't cold-heartedness — the Inspection Bureau and Duel Association simply didn't want to pay the price.
If they did, the problem could be solved.
They also couldn't morally coerce You Ye.
You Ye had merely sold deck concepts — there was nothing wrong with that.
And even Tian Nan had explicitly told them to treat You Ye, well.
Still, Cheng Ting and Yang Xuequn felt miserable.
Without Ye's help, how many losses would it take to resolve this?
"I think it'd be better if you helped."
Cao Gu suddenly spoke.
Cheng Ting and Yang Xuequn looked at him in surprise — they hadn't expected him to support them.
"Explain. This is what you meant by owing me, right?"
You Ye looked at Cao Gu.
"Yes.
After the Inspection Bureau contacted me, I investigated Wang Yu and discovered something interesting."
"He did suffer a mental collapse — but after that, someone guided him to challenge you."
"You mean these lunatics?
Lunatics have that kind of influence?"
"Lunatics don't — but someone behind them does.
More precisely… not a human.
A Spirit."
"An… Spirit?"
You Ye murmured, genuinely surprised.
"Are you saying a Spirit is manipulating everything from behind the scenes?"
Yang Xuequn and Cheng Ting asked simultaneously, their expressions grave.
"Yes.
We don't know which Spirit it is, or its goal."
Cao Gu's gaze turned toward You Ye.
"Either to become your Spirit… or to kill you.
Given how Wang Yu was guided, I lean toward the latter."
"Oh? Kill me? Why?"
You Ye was puzzled.
In his view, aside from yesterday's incident, he'd been quite friendly to Spirits.
"There are Spirits that don't seek peace.
Some harbor extreme malice."
Cheng Ting explained.
"When such Spirits learn of a powerful human Duelist — and can't find the corresponding archetype Spirit in their realm — they come to the human world to challenge or eliminate that Duelist."
"Then I'll go."
At last, Muning, who had been silent the whole time, spoke.
"I'll teach that Spirit some manners."
Dueling You Ye — human or Spirit — was one thing.
Trying to kill him was another.
Thanks to You Ye, her favorite floodgate archetype, Runick, had finally come online.
It was time to make certain Spirits understand something.
Not just anyone was qualified to come after You Ye.
"At least… not Spirits I can't even beat."
"Wait."
You Ye, stopped Muning and looked at Cheng Ting.
"What happens if I don't show up?"
"If we can't resolve it… that Spirit will use every method possible to force you out."
Cheng Ting hesitated, then added:
"That includes… targeting people around you."
You Ye frowned slightly.
This was the first time he truly understood why Spirits were monitored by the Inspection Bureau and Duel Association.
If Spirits could act like this, surveillance would be completely justified.
You, Ye, had little attachment in this world, but if the Bai Family or the old principal who had cared for him were implicated, he would feel guilty.
"No need."
"They're already coming for me — I'll go meet them."
"It's time they learn how outdated it is to rely on Fusion Spells to fuse."
"Where are they?
I'll go now and end it.
If possible, I'll find that Spirit and deal with it as well."
You Ye looked at Cheng Ting and Yang Xuequn.
"We know. We'll take you there."
Both of them smiled in relief and immediately agreed.
"So… it's finally happening?"
In an unknown residential area of Hai City, a man with a twisted face watched as Inspection Bureau and Duel Association duelists suddenly backed away.
He understood what was coming.
"Finally… you guessed right."
At that moment, You Ye glanced at Cao Gu beside him.
"Hahaha, just a lucky guess."
Cao Gu laughed modestly.
You Ye, turned his gaze toward the man.
Despite the twisted face, You Ye instantly recognized him.
Li Si.
The name was forgettable, and he had been one of the people who bought You Ye's deck concepts early on.
The same person who couldn't collect the Branded engine led protests against You Ye, got expelled, and later reported him to the Hang City Inspection Bureau.
"So you finally stopped hiding behind the Inspection Bureau and Duel Association?"
Li Si laughed maniacally.
"Tell me where the Spirit behind you is."
You Ye spoke calmly.
"You want to know where my lord is? Fine!"
"Duel me. Use your so-called Tearlaments.
If you win, I'll tell you where my lord is."
"I'll show you how the strongest Fusion deck, built from your ideas but perfected by me, turned someone stuck at the bottom of Profound-rank into an Earth-rank Duelist in just half a month!"
Li Si issued the duel challenge.
"The strongest Fusion deck?"
You, Ye, felt like you'd just heard the best joke of your life.
Calling yourself the strongest Fusion deck in front of Tearlaments?
Ridiculous.
If it weren't for the fact that no one had obtained the Albaz archetype or the Diabellstar engine yet, he might've taken this seriously.
But now—
"Come on.
Let me see your 'strongest.'"
You Ye (8000 LP) vs Li Si (8000 LP)
Li Si chose to go first.
Both drew five cards.
The duel began.
"I Normal Summon Mirror Swordknight.
Its effect — once per turn — I Tribute it to Special Summon a monster from my Deck that lists 'Chimera Fusion,' except Mirror Swordknight."
"I Special Summon Big-Winged Berfomet in Defense Position.
Its effect — once per turn, when Special Summoned — adds 1 Level 4 Beast monster and 1 Chimera Fusion from the Deck to my hand."
"I add Gazelle, the Phantom Beast King, and Chimera Fusion.
After this, until the end of the turn, I can only Special Summon Fusion Monsters from the Extra Deck."
"I activate Chimera Fusion, fusing Big-Winged Berfomet and Gazelle —
Fusion Summon Phantom Beast King Chimera!"
"Phantom Beast King Chimera's effect — when Fusion Summoned — during the End Phase this turn, randomly send 1 card from your opponent's hand to the GY."
"…You're serious? You activated that?"
You Ye looked at him with a bizarre expression.
Everyone knew he was playing Tearlaments — and he still dared to trigger a hand-rip effect?
Because You Ye's deck wasn't complete yet, he hadn't even exploded on the opponent's turn so far.
Did people in this world think Tearlaments couldn't play on the opponent's turn?
Milling and ripping against Tearlaments?
Not just You Ye — Cheng Ting and the other King-Road duelists all twitched at the corner of their mouths.
Helping Tearlaments mill — what kind of genius was this?
"What? Scared now?"
Li Si hadn't realized the severity of his mistake at all.
"No. I just think your play is incredible."
You Ye gave him a thumbs-up.
"Not even collecting intel before dueling."
Even in Master Duel's BO1 high ranks, people ran counters — let alone real tournaments.
Li Si's complete lack of preparation was astonishing.
"Gathering intel? Hahaha!"
"That's what weaklings do.
Just watch my chain!"
Li Si grew even more smug.
"C2 — Gazelle's effect: when sent to the GY as Fusion Material, add a Fiend monster from the Deck.
C3 — Chimera's effect when sent to the GY: Special Summon a Fiend monster from the GY.
I target Mirror Swordknight."
You Ye, did not chain.
Chain resolution:
C3 resolves;
C2 resolves;
C1 resolves.
"I activate Chimera Fusion's GY effect — once per turn during the Main Phase, I can return it to my hand."
"Hand effect of Cornfield Feathered Serpent God: discard it to add a monster that lists Chimera Fusion — I add Gazelle."
"I set three cards and enter the End Phase.
Hand rip — one!"
Li Si stared eagerly at You Ye.
After the mill, You Ye's expression grew even stranger.
"Glow-Up Bulb? What trash!"
Li Si cursed after seeing the card sent.
"My turn. Draw."
You Ye looked at his hand and began.
"I activate Primeval Planet Perlereino—"
"I chain Ash Blossom, negating your search!"
Li Si didn't hesitate.
"Oh? Thought you weren't scared? Then why Ash my field spell?"
"Not scared doesn't mean stupid."
"You'll stop smiling soon. Feel the power of the strongest Fusion deck!"
Li Si fumed.
"I continue. I activate Perpetual Chord."
"Wait — I chain, Tributing Mirror Swordknight to Special Summon a Chimera monster."
"And then C3 — I chain the ultimate card granted by my lord:
There Can Be Only One!"
"As long as this card is on the field, each player can control only one monster of each Type!"
"Die, You Ye!"
You Ye looked at the chain, then at Li Si — increasingly convinced he was a true idiot.
Tearlaments alone spanned Aqua, Warrior, and Fiend Types.
This card hurt himself more than You Ye.
Even the three King-Road duelists present showed strange expressions.
The Spirit behind Li Si was powerful — granting a Heaven-rank floodgate.
But clearly… didn't understand Tearlaments.
Chain resolution:
C3 There Can Be Only One resolves;
C2 resolves;
C1 resolves.