"Three thousand attack points..." Sawatari said, his ego and confidence not wavering in slightest.
"Battle!" Razz yelled. "Super Soldier, attack Sawatari directly! Celestial Chaos Slash!"
"Not so fast! I'm an elite LDS student!" Sawatari shouted, diving flat onto ground. An Action Card off a low ledge. "Action Spell: Parry! It negates your attack!"
"Man, you are fast and smooth on the ground for a guy wearing a fancy jacket," Razz joked, crossing his arms. "Fine, I set two card face-down and end the turn."
"LDS elite? You are just here and there because of your dad." Hokuto snorted.
"Heh, but that Sawatari is standing his ground well." Yaiba added.
"Certainly," Masumi said. "But he is still an idiot on battlefield."
"Now the real climax begins!" Sawatari shouted, leaping back to his feet and adjusting his rumpled collar. "You think you have me cornered? An elite duelist always adjusts his script! I activate the Pendulum Effect of Yosenju Shinchu R! By targeting Yosenju Shinchu L, its Pendulum Scale becomes 11 until the end of this turn!"
The wooden pillar on the left flared with an intense crimson aura, its floating scale number instantly shattering and re-assembling into a flashing red "11".
"Scale 11?!" Yuya gasped from the You Show cheering section. "That means he can summon monsters all the way up to Level 10!"
"With my Pendulum Scale fully intact from 3 to 11, I call upon my ultimate star!" Sawatari shouted, slamming a card onto his disk. "An executive level entrance! Pendulum Summon! Arrive on the grand stage, Mayosenju Daibak!"
A massive, gilded portal opened in the sky, crackling with blue lightning as a building-sized titanic demon dog dropped onto a rocky peak. Clad heavy winds.
[WIND / Beast / Pendulum / Level 10 / PS: 7 / ATK: 3000 / DEF: 300]
"The effect of Mayosenju Daibak triggers upon its Pendulum Summon!" Sawatari pointed triumphantly. "It returns two cards on your field straight back to your hand! Clear the stage for the lead actor!"
"Again..." Razz grumbled.
"Of course, this time, I will choose your Soldier and your field spell!"
A violent windstorm erupted from Daibak. Razz's Gateway to Chaos card and his majestic Black Luster Soldier - Super Soldier were caught in the gale, lifting right off the ground.
"Sorry, Sawatari, but my Super Soldier doesn't like being pushed around!" Razz yelled over the roaring wind. "Since Beginning Knight was used for his Ritual Summon, he grants my warrior a powerful quick effect! Once per turn, I can target one monster you control and banish it! I banish your Mayosenju Daibak right now!"
"What?!" Sawatari shrieked.
The legendary warrior swung his blade, slicing open a pitch-black rift in space that sucked the giant demon dog inside before the windstorm could finish. However, the leftover gale still blew across Razz's field, bouncing his face-down card and forcing his Black Luster Soldier - Super Soldier back into his hand. Both fields were left empty of monsters once more.
"Tch! You think you're safe?!" Sawatari barked. "I still have my Pendulum scales! I set one card face-down and end my turn."
Razz dropped to one knee, breathing heavily. His orange shirt was coated in thick red dust, and his life points were at 2500. But down in his deck holder, a deep, heavy pulse vibrated against his chest.
"The twilight breaks," a majestic voice echoed inside his mind.
Razz smiled, a genuine, joyful look that caught Sawatari completely off guard. "You put on a beautiful show, Neo New guy," Razz whispered, placing his fingers on his deck. "But a real protagonist always wins duel and hearts of the crowd in the final act. DRAW!"
The card left his deck with a bright golden trail of light. It was Super Soldier Synthesis.
"I activate the Ritual Spell Card: Super Soldier Synthesis!" Razz shouted, his eyes flashing with fire. "This card lets me Ritual Summon a 'Black Luster Soldier'! I can Ritual summon by sending exactly two monsters whose total Levels equal eight—one LIGHT and one DARK, one from my Deck and one from my hand—directly to the Graveyard, I can call forth the ultimate warrior of chaos!
"From my Deck, I send the LIGHT monster, Evening Twilight Knight! And from my hand, I send the DARK monster, Beginning Knight!"
The canyon columns vibrated violently as two contrasting beams of cosmic light—one white as solar flare, one dark as pitch black night—intertwined in mid-air to forge a sacrificial gateway. Razz forcefully slammed his choice from his hand onto his duel disk.
"Reclaim your throne at the center of chaos! Ritual Summon! Descend, Black Luster Soldier - Legendary Swordsman!"
From the roaring vortex of twilight, a brand-new legendary warrior descended from the sky. Regal swordsman draped in pristine, flowing white robes over polished gold-and-silverish blue plated armor, carrying a long, elegant sword and shield that glowed with a soft, holy radiance.
[EARTH / Warrior / Ritual / Level 8 / ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2500]
"Again?!" Sawatari yelled, his jaw dropping so low it practically hit the canyon floor. "You just summoned a completely different version of your previous monster?!"
"And this one is packing an inherited skillset!" Razz pointed forward, his voice cutting through the wind. "Because Evening Twilight Knight and Beginning Knight were used as the tributes for his Ritual Summon, my Legendary Swordsman gains new power! Via Evening Twilight and Beginning Knight, once per turn, I can target two cards you control and banish them! Say goodbye to your Pendulum monster!"
A blinding wave of solar light rushed across the arena, wrapping around the monsters in light pillars like absolute chains, dissolving the titan into pure white code and banishing it to the outer dimensions. Sawatari's field was now completely clear of monsters.
"No! My star performers' managers!" Sawatari shouted. "But it doesn't matter! My Life Points are completely untouched at 4000! Your warrior only has 3000 attack points—even if you strike me directly, my script survives with a thousand points to spare! Plus, I still got my set cards!"
"You don't tell what useful cards you got." Ryo said from where he was standing, his voice only audible to Reiji.
"Who says I'm attacking with his base stats? Plus, you forgot his native ability!" Razz countered with a wide grin. "When Black Luster Soldier - Legendary Swordsman declares an attack, your cards and effects cannot be activated during the Battle Phase!"
"Shit...!" Sawatari grumbled.
"Battle! Black Luster Soldier, attack Sawatari directly!"
Sawatari panicked, turning on his heel to sprint toward a nearby rope bridge where a glowing Action Card sat on a wooden plank. "If I can just get to that card—!"
Vance's closed eyes' gaze locked onto the fray from the shadows of the concrete entryway. His deep voice heard by Razz once more. "Underneath the second plank of the rope bridge. Grab that one, Razz."
Razz didn't hesitate for a second. He sprinted forward, his legs moving with incredible speed. He lunged across a broken stone slab, sliding low under the bridge ropes and snatching the Action Card right out from under Sawatari's outstretched hand.
"I found it!" Razz yelled, flipping it over mid-air. "Action Spell: Extreme Sword! It boosts my attacking monster's ATK by exactly 1000 during damage calculation!"
Black Luster Soldier - Legendary Swordsman ATK: 3000 → 4000
Sawatari's eyes went wide as he stared at the crimson digital readout flaring on his duel disk. "Four thousand attack... a perfect, absolute calculation?!"
The legendary warrior descended from the sky, his elegant blade absorbing the energy of the Action Spell, causing the holy light to extend into a massive, glowing crescent of force. He cut straight through Sawatari, triggering a massive, blinding shockwave that shattered the holographic canyon into thousands of dissolving pixels and cleanly dropping Sawatari's life points to zero in a single, flawlessly executed strike.
Sawatari: 0 LP
WINNER: RAZZ
The stadium lights returned to normal as the holographic field faded away. The crowd remained silent for a brief second before erupting into a massive cheer.
"The match is decided!" Nico Smiley screamed into his microphone, his voice full of theatrical passion. "What a breathtaking display of raw spirit! Both duelists bared their souls on this field, proving that entertainment isn't just about the applause—it's about the fire inside!"
Down on the field, Shingo Sawatari was sitting on his knees, staring at the floor in disbelief. Razz walked over, extending a hand down to the fallen duelist.
"Hey," Razz said, his tone surprisingly soft, devoid of his usual dramatic touch. "That was a hell of a show. Those wind weasels of yours... they really had me running for my life."
Sawatari looked up at Razz's hand, then slowly took it, letting the traveler pull him up to his feet. He dusted off his jacket, his expression was different now. The hollow arrogance was gone, replaced by the genuine exhaustion of someone who had fought with everything he had.
"You... you completely ruined my script," Sawatari muttered, though a smile touched his lips. "But I suppose a true star has to know how to share the stage. Your Chaos warriors... it has a real soul inside it."
"Yeah," Razz grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "It does! Let's do it again sometime, Neo New Sawatari."
"Guess you aren't just a country bumpkin." Sawatari said with a genuine smile.
Down in the crowded staging lane, Sawatari walked back toward the competitor lockers, his hands deep in his pockets. His lackeys trailed closely behind him, their massive banners lowered but their voices hushed in a mix of awe and disappointment. Razz had already turned toward the opposite exit, his figure disappearing into the shadows of the metal corridors.
Up in the audiance, the dust from the Solid Vision deletion had finally settled. The Youshow Duel School crew leaned over the railing, their eyes tracking the empty arena floor.
"Wow..." Futoshi whispered, his usual energetic bouncing completely stilled. "Sawatari actually lost. Even after pulling out those giant monsters all at once."
"It wasn't just a loss," Tatsuya said, his fingers flying across his tablet to analyze the match records. "Look at the logistics of that final turn. Sawatari's strategy was executed perfectly according to LDS standard theory. He cleared Razz's entire field and had three consecutive attacks ready. By all corporate formulas, his win rate was over 94%."
"But Razz didn't play by the formulas," Yuya said, his eyes catching the overhead arena lights. He leaned his forearms against the cold metal railing, his expression serious. "Sawatari's Pendulum Summon is incredibly strong. Being able to bring out multiple high-level monsters like Mayosenju Daibak in a single breath... it's a style that forces the opponent to play entirely on the defensive."
"Yeah, but that boy didn't look defensive at all," Shuzo noted, crossing his thick arms and nodding firmly. "His hot blood didn't simmer down for a single second! He stood his ground."
Yuzu tapped her hands against the railings, her brow furrowed in thought. "What bothers me is how Razz handled those Action Cards at the very end. At first, he was stumbling around like he didn't even know what the traditional oath meant. But that final card—Extreme Sword—he didn't just find it by accident. It felt like he knew exactly where Sawatari was heading before Sawatari even turned around."
"It's more than that, Yuzu," Yuya said, his gaze shifting toward the dark tunnel where Razz had exited. "When he drew his final card, did you see his face? He wasn't guessing. He looked like he was answering someone. It's the same feeling I get when i Pendulum summon—like the deck is moving in sync with your heartbeat."
"An interesting interpretation." A heavy, deep voice boomed from behind them.
The group turned to see Noboru Gongenzaka standing at the top of the stairs, his massive frame wrapped in his traditional white dōgi, his arms crossed over his chest like solid oak.
"Sawatari did fought with the pride, utilizing the corporate cards given to him to create a flawless offensive cycle," Gongenzaka stated, his voice resonant and unyielding. "His execution was honorable. But this guy, Razz... he duels with an unsettling weight. He does not rely on steady footing or the traditional logic of the field. He relies on a raw, survivalist bond with his cards. This, man Gongenzaka, is honoured to see Sawatari duel with pride and the other duelist, Razz!"
Gongenzaka closed his eyes, his expression darkening slightly as he recalled the final clash. "But there is one thing. Razz didn't master the Action Field's play style through practice. He mastered it through pure, desperate instinct. A man who can talk to the soul of his blade while his life points are on the brink of destruction is not an amateur. He is a warrior who has survived much worse than an arena match."
Yuya looked back down at the empty field, his hand instinctively reaching up to touch the cool, sharp edges of his pendulum crystal hanging around his neck. The tournament had only just begun, but the boundaries of the championship style were already beginning to fracture.
"A soul inside the cards..." Yuya whispered to himself, a small, determined smile returning to his face. "If he's a main character, then we'll just have to make sure our next performance is completely unforgettable."
Everyone agreed cheering together, with Yuya.
Meanwhile, blocks away, the atmosphere was entirely different.
In the sterile, high-tech observation command center of Leo Corporation, the massive primary monitor finished playing the match.
Sitting behind his sleek desk, his hands clasped precisely beneath his chin, Reiji Akaba watched the screen through the reflection of his light-catching glasses. Ryo stood in a corner.
"Incredible," Nakajima, Reiji's top aide, muttered as he frantically tapped away at his tablet, analyzing the duel data. "Shingo Sawatari was utilizing a highly optimized Pendulum deck provided directly by our R&D department. The predictive algorithms gave him an 87% win probability after his second turn. For a completely unknown duelist to bypass those Pendulum defenses and achieve a clean, calculation attack..."
Reiji closed his eyes before saying. "Take those cards back from Sawatari. We'll have a complete analysis from their codes and data. And we'll mass create Pendulum cards with that information."
"Yes!"
"The Pendulum summon is a powerful tool, Nakajima, but it is not infallible," Reiji said, his voice a calm, smooth baritone that carried a chilling weight. He didn't look away from the screen. "Sawatari relies too heavily on his plan. He thinks everything will go accordingly to plan." He turned his head. "Now, what do you think, Ryo? Did it satisfied your curiosity?" He asked with a intrigued smile, corner of his lips curled up.
Reiji adjusted his glasses, his sharp eyes narrowing as the playback showed Razz sliding under the rope bridge to snatch the Action Card.
"What interests me isn't just the Ritual Summoning," Ryo said, a faint, intrigued smile touching the corner of his mouth. "It's his spatial awareness. He anticipated the location of that Action Card before it even came within Sawatari's line of sight. He didn't just win a duel; he knew where the duel and field is heading... The stage is getting larger, and it seems we have a very interesting new actor. This might be fun while we have time, Reiji."
Reiji leaned back in his chair, the screen reflecting off his lenses as it faded to black.