"My turn—draw!"
Jounouchi's fingers trembled as he pulled the card. Not from fear—he realized that immediately.
Am I scared? No… it's the opposite. When you duel someone truly strong… that pressure turns into excitement.
He grinned.
"Jounouchi looks pretty happy," Honda muttered.
"I get it," Yami Yugi said quietly. "That tension when you face a top-tier duelist… it's addictive."
"Let's just hope he doesn't lose too badly," Mai teased—though deep down, she was rooting for him.
"Go, Jounouchi!" Shizuka called out.
Jounouchi slapped a card down.
"I activate Red-Eyes Insight! I send Red-Eyes Slash Dragon—Fiendish Thunder Emperor from my Deck to the Graveyard, then add Red-Eyes Fusion to my hand!"
He didn't hesitate.
"Next, I activate Red-Eyes Fusion! I send Red-Eyes B. Dragon and Paladin Knight Ishzak from my Deck to the Graveyard—Fusion Summon!"
He thrust his arm forward.
"Come forth—Red-Eyes Slash Dragon!"
A black dragon sheathed in steel erupted from the floor, crimson eyes locking onto Aoi like a challenge.
Red-Eyes Slash Dragon (ATK 2800 / DEF 2400)
"No way… first turn and he's already on Slash Dragon," Honda breathed.
"He has to," Otogi said. "Against Aoi, if you don't start at full power, you don't get a second chance."
Jounouchi pointed straight at her field.
"Battle! Red-Eyes Slash Dragon attacks Darklord Ixchel!"
Anzu blinked. "Wait—Ixchel's DEF is higher!"
"Anzu," Yami Yugi warned, "you're forgetting Slash Dragon's effect."
Right on cue, Jounouchi barked over the gale.
"Slash Dragon's effect! When a 'Red-Eyes' monster declares an attack, I can target a Warrior in my Graveyard—equip it to Slash Dragon as an Equip Spell, and it gains 200 ATK!"
He raised the chosen card.
"I equip Paladin Knight Ishzak! Slash Dragon gains 200!"
Red-Eyes Slash Dragon (ATK 3000 / DEF 2400)
"ATK 3000!" Anzu blurted, pumped.
Aoi's eyes went cold—sharp enough that Jounouchi felt it in his spine.
"You think I'll let that resolve?" she said, voice flat.
"What—" Jounouchi's grin cracked.
Aoi flipped a card with a crisp snap.
"I activate Darklord Enchantment."
Black feathers erupted like blades, spiraling around Slash Dragon.
"This card: I send one 'Darklord' monster from my hand or field to the Graveyard—then I target one Effect Monster. Its effects are negated until the end of the turn, and I gain Life Points equal to that monster's ATK."
She didn't blink.
"I send Darklord Superbia from my field to the Graveyard. I negate Red-Eyes Slash Dragon, and I gain 2800 Life Points."
Superbia's body shattered into shadow—those shadows wrapped Slash Dragon like chains, strangling its power.
Aoi LP: 3000 → 5800
Aoi lifted her chin.
"Jounouchi—your attack declaration can't be rewound."
Ixchel spread her wings and caught the dragon's assault, turning its force back across the field.
Jounouchi LP: 4000 → 3900
Yami Yugi exhaled. "Aoi read him perfectly. She didn't just negate the effect—she refueled her Life Points."
Otogi nodded. "Which means she can keep paying 1000s for Darklord copies without flinching."
Jounouchi's jaw tightened.
Misplay… but her monsters still can't just run over mine. I'm not dead yet.
He set two cards.
"I set two. End turn." (Hand: 3)
"My turn—draw!"
"Now!" Jounouchi slammed his palm on the Duel Disk.
"I activate Continuous Trap Red-Eyes Armor Spiral! Since I control a 'Red-Eyes' monster, I target a Normal Monster in my Graveyard—Special Summon it!"
He grinned hard, like forcing momentum back into the match.
"I Special Summon Red-Eyes Slash Dragon—Fiendish Thunder Emperor in Attack Position!"
A hulking thunder-armored Red-Eyes roared onto the field.
Fiendish Thunder Emperor (ATK 2500 / DEF 1200)
Aoi's gaze narrowed—only slightly.
"Armor Spiral… annoying," she said. "Then I'll just build higher."
She lifted a card.
"I activate Darklord Amduscian's effect. I discard this and one 'Darklord' card—then I add one 'Darklord' Spell/Trap from my Graveyard to my hand."
She discarded Amduscian and Darklord Nergal.
"I add Darklord Contact."
She didn't pause.
"Then I activate Darklord Contact—Special Summon Darklord Superbia from my Graveyard in Defense Position!"
Darklord Superbia (ATK 2900 / DEF 2400)
"And Superbia's effect—Special Summon Darklord Nergal from the Graveyard in Attack Position!"
Darklord Nergal (ATK 2700 / DEF 2500)
Aoi's tempo didn't slow. She Normal Summoned without ceremony:
"And I Normal Summon Darklord Descent."Darklord Descent (ATK 0 / DEF 1600)
Yugi's eyes sharpened. "She's setting up a tribute line…"
Aoi's voice stayed calm—almost clinical.
"Descent's effect—during either Main Phase, I can perform an additional Tribute Summon of a Fairy."
She spread her arms slightly.
"I Tribute Darklord Descent and Darklord Superbia—and Tribute Summon from my hand…"
The air dropped in temperature.
"Darklord Lucifer."
An eight-winged archangel descended, black sword in hand, armor like a coffin made of night.
Darklord Lucifer (ATK 3000 / DEF 3000)
"ATK 3000?!" Jounouchi snapped, eyes wide.
Aoi's smile was thin.
"If you're surprised now, you're behind."
Then her gaze slid over his monsters—like reading numbers off a ledger.
"Look at your attack values."
Jounouchi's blood ran cold. He checked.
Red-Eyes Slash Dragon: 1300 / 900Fiendish Thunder Emperor: 1000 / 0
"What—why did they drop?!" he demanded.
The spectators went silent, disbelief rolling through them.
Aoi answered without sympathy.
"When Darklord Descent is sent to the Graveyard, all monsters you control lose ATK/DEF equal to 500 × the number of Fairy monsters on my field until the end of the turn."
She raised one finger per monster.
"I have three 'Darklord' Fairies. So your monsters lose 1500."
Jounouchi swallowed—hard.
On the throne-like backdrop of the white castle hall, Aoi looked utterly in control.
And now, with her Life Points swollen and his board crippled, the duel's second beat began—no longer a clash of engines…
…but a question of whether Red-Eyes could survive the turn Lucifer decided to swing.
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 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 155)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter200)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter110)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter230)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 200
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 180
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 230
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 220
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 120
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 135
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 110
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 100
My Harem Is Indescribable 90
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 95
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 80
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 70
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 75
Checking In in Demon Slayer 80
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 85
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 70
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 65
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 70
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 70
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 65
Why did they assign me to Uma 65
MYGO Beauties 65
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 55
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 65
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 45
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 45
The Uma Musume Who Became 40
I'm Definitely Not the King of 45
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin