Cries of shock immediately rose from the crowd around the field. That thing again. Even the spectators could feel it in their bones, and their fists tightened on their own, because the disgusting card Judai Yuki had worked so hard to remove had been recovered again in the blink of an eye.
"Hah, just as I thought, Yugen won't let me off that easily."
But unlike the people outside the field, Judai Yuki was still full of fighting spirit. "But I have a counter too. I activate my set Trap Card, 'Mind Crush'!"
"Nani?!!!?"
The onlookers were even more stunned, and one after another they shot to their feet. No, wait. Why did Jellyfish Hair's Deck have the opponent's card in it too? Wasn't this the Yellow-Clad Lord's trap?
"Mind Crush lets me declare a card name. If that card is in the opponent's hand, they have to discard it. If not, then I discard one random card from my own hand."
Judai Yuki paused, then smiled. "Of course, the card I declare is Non-Fusion Area!"
"Ah, what bad luck. I just happened to have that card in my hand."
Yugen put on a regretful expression, revealed the trap he had just recovered, and then sent it to the Graveyard. Judai Yuki flashed a cooperative V sign, his bright and happy face full of dueling momentum. "Lucky. I actually guessed right. Then please discard that card, Yugen."
The spectators were speechless. No, what were these two doing, putting on a double act here?
They had each started by pulling out a "Charge of the Light Brigade," and now Judai Yuki had suddenly played the other side's trap too. Watching from outside, the crowd suddenly felt like they were seeing fellow disciples dismantling each other's moves.
Ryo Marufuji folded his arms and smiled. "So it wasn't my imagination. That Judai Yuki has changed a lot compared to before."
"Yeah..." Asuka Tenjoin nodded, but her expression was a little strange. She just did not know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.
**
While Asuka Tenjoin and Kaiser Ryo were still analyzing the duel and watching the exchange, Yugen's next move nearly made both of them lose their composure.
"Summon Cyber Valley!"
Cyber Valley, ATK 0
"Cyber Dragon?"
Asuka Tenjoin froze in surprise and instinctively turned to Kaiser Ryo. Ryo Marufuji was startled at first as well, but he quickly regained his calm. "The true treasure that represents Cyber Style was always Cyber End Dragon. The other cards are uncommon, but they are not especially rare."
After all, many apprentices had come from their Cyber Style Duel Dojo. Ryo Marufuji was the only one who had ultimately inherited Cyber End Dragon, but everyone else in Duel Dojo also used Cyber Style Deck. Everyone knew Yugen was now one of the hottest researchers at Duel Academy, collaborating with both major card manufacturers, so it was not strange for him to pull out a card from the electronic LV Series.
"Oh, is Yugen going to use Cyber Style too?" Judai Yuki asked, sounding excited again.
"Not that," Yugen replied with a smile.
Adding a few unusual cards or a small combo was fine, but cramming several completely unrelated Deck together still felt too forced for his taste. Back then, Cyber Valley had actually been a common tech card in competitive play. It could block attacks, force the Battle Phase to end, Card Draw cards, and recover resources from the Graveyard, so its utility was excellent and it had felt very smooth to use in the early days.
"Effect of Cyber Valley. By banishing itself and one other Monster on my field, I Draw two cards from the Deck."
Yugen spoke calmly. "I banish Cyber Valley and Mask of Darkness on my field, and draw two cards."
Golden light rose from Cyber Valley and enveloped both it and Mask of Darkness. The two cards turned into specks of light and vanished together. Yugen drew two more cards, then revealed one of them.
"Next, the effect of Performage Trick Clown in my hand. This card can be Special Summoned directly." (ANIME EFFECT)
Performage Trick Clown, ATK 0
"Then I offer the Spellcaster Type Performage Trick Clown as a tribute."
The clown dissolved into particles of light, and a white translucent magic circle spread across the ground. As its glow intensified, Yugen raised his voice. "Wing of Silence that holds hope, Magician of Light, appear here. Silent Magician, Summon!"
A storm of light magic surged upward, and a white-robed mage appeared within the shining Mystical Space Typhoon. Her long pale legs could be faintly seen beneath the robe as the wind stirred its hem, and the swirling magic condensed into a pure white staff in her hand.
Silent Magician, ATK 1000
"So many ace cards are appearing one after another in a single turn," Judai Yuki said with a grin.
"Silent Magician gains ATK equal to the number of cards in my hand times 500," Yugen said. "I have three cards left, so her ATK rises by 1500."
Silent Magician, ATK 1000 -> ATK 2500
"Silent Magician, attack Elemental HERO Avian! Silent Magic Burst!"
A milky white Magic Bolt crashed down. Elemental HERO Avian was blown apart instantly and vanished into white light. "Then I set three cards in the Back Row and end my turn."
Silent Magician, ATK 2500 -> ATK 1000
"So instead of ATK, he values resistance in the Back Row more? That really does feel like Yugen's style," Judai Yuki said.
"All right, then I can't lose either! My Turn! Draw!"
Judai Yuki drew, then immediately pulled a card from his hand and raised it. "I activate this card from my hand. Spell Card R - Righteous Justice! Based on the number of Elemental HERO on my field, I can choose and Destroy that many Spell or Trap Cards on your field."
"Good!" Sho Marufuji said. "Against Yugen, the biggest threat really should be the Back Row."
"True," Daichi Misawa said with a smile. "But would the Student Council really be so easy to break through?"
Yugen said, "Then I activate the effect of Silent Magician. Once Per Turn, when my opponent activates a Spell Card, I negate the activation and Destroy it. I negate the activation of R - Righteous Justice and Destroy it."
The staff of Silence lifted, and the spell was chanted in silence. Its magic was bound in place almost instantly, then shattered into scattered light under a white glow. Judai Yuki laughed. "Haha, yeah, it really isn't that easy."
"Then I continue with I activate a Spell Card! Cost Down. I send a monster other than an effect Monster from my field to the Graveyard and draw two cards. I send Elemental HERO Burstinatrix to the Graveyard and draw two." (ANIME EFFECT)
Judai Yuki drew two cards, and Yugen responded at once. "Then I chain to Cost Down and activate my set card, Continuous Trap Appropriate. It activates when the opponent draws outside the Draw Phase."
"After that, every time the opponent draws outside the Draw Phase, I can also Draw two cards from the Deck."
In the real card game, this had always been a neglected niche card that few people cared about. But after testing it once before, Yugen had realized that in this anime world, full of filtering and extra draws, it was unexpectedly strong. Sure enough, Judai Yuki immediately revealed another card from his hand.
"I activate a Spell Card! Legacy of a HERO. If there are two or more Level 4 or higher Hero Monster in my Graveyard, I draw three cards from the Deck!" (ANIME EFFECT)