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Walking along the path in search of food, You Xuan reflected on his approach and realized there might have been a problem with how he'd gone about things.
Take other schools of thought, for instance—the Electronic Stream from the anime. Those duelists relied on relentless training, day and night, honing their card-drawing techniques with unwavering dedication. Only through such sincere effort could they hope to awaken the spirits of powerful cards like Cyber End Dragon.
But here, the Silent Magician was probably wondering how she'd ended up with such an eccentric Master—one whose method of summoning her involved pestering her into submission...
However, looking at it from the perspective of results, well, he had managed to summon her, hadn't he?
It seemed he needed to rethink the proper way to build a bond with his spirit.
Lost in thought, You Xuan suddenly noticed something unusual.
The narrow alleyway he was walking through was tucked away behind the neon lights and bustling streets—a shortcut leading to the commercial district. It was only about six or seven hundred meters long, with rows of street food stalls and late-night eateries just ahead.
The air was damp, tinged with an unidentifiable odor. The uneven stone pavement beneath his feet glistened faintly under dim lamplight, while the cool breeze rustled through the old tree at the alley's entrance, creating a soft, eerie whisper.
After walking just a few steps forward, the dim light ahead illuminated what appeared to be a dead end.
A wall.
You Xuan frowned.
This didn't make sense. According to his predecessor's memories, this path was supposed to be clear. Could there have been some mix-up during the memory transfer? Had he taken a wrong turn?
Puzzled, he turned around and retraced his steps. But when he reached the other end, he discovered something even stranger.
Under the faint glow of the lamplight, another wall greeted him. Though he had reversed direction, the wall looked identical to the one he'd just seen. On closer inspection, even the surrounding environment seemed eerily familiar.
Could this be the legendary phenomenon known as "ghost walls"?
Fear crept in naturally, and every shadow around him began to resemble lurking vengeful spirits or grotesque demons.
Still, You Xuan quickly forced himself to calm down.
In any other dimension, encountering such supernatural phenomena might spell certain doom. But this wasn't just any world—it was Yu-Gi-Oh!.
In this world, whether facing celestial beings or ghostly apparitions, if someone wanted to take your life, wouldn't they still need to do it through a card game?
Standing firm, You Xuan scanned his surroundings cautiously. Suddenly, a deep, guttural roar echoed out of the darkness, followed by an invisible wave of energy slicing through the shadows like a blade.
Startled, You Xuan instinctively raised his Duel Disk to shield himself, retreating half a step. A flash of white light erupted from his Duel Disk, forming a translucent, crystalline magic circle that solidly blocked the unseen attack. The invisible shockwave spread outward, carving cracks into the ground and walls.
From beside him, a transparent figure emerged—Silent Magician, her white robes shimmering like snow, her staff glowing coldly as it spun in her hand.
You Xuan let out a long sigh of relief.
Once again, he confirmed that having a spirit companion was absolutely essential for survival. Without at least two or three spirits in your deck, stepping outside felt downright reckless.
"So you're a Spirit Wielder too?"
A gruff voice emerged from the darkness. A cloaked figure stepped forward, materializing from the mist-like surroundings.
"And not just any spirit—a high-level magician spirit... Heh, looks like I've hit the jackpot today."
You Xuan narrowed his eyes. He couldn't make out the man's face, but he could see green glimmers flickering beneath the hood.
"A Shadow Duelist?" he ventured cautiously.
He was fairly certain this wasn't a character from the original series. After all, the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! was teeming with countless Shadow Duelists, and the anime had only scratched the surface.
"Heh, seems you're not entirely clueless, kid."
The cloaked man sneered, unfolding his Duel Disk. The design was unfamiliar to You Xuan—pitch black, with five square sections spiraling down to form the Monster Zones.
"If you know the rules, then we can skip the formalities. Yes, I am a Shadow Duelist, and…"
He slowly lifted his hood, revealing a weathered face with dull green eyes that gleamed ominously. An aura of dominance radiated from him as though carried by an invisible force.
"I am Onzuka Genichiro."
You Xuan racked his brain but couldn't recall ever hearing the name. "Sorry, should I know who you are?"
Onzuka Genichiro: "…."
An awkward silence hung in the air.
"Ahem." Genichiro frowned. "I reached the top 64 in the third Duel City Tournament in New Domino City, known as 'Dinosaur Tyrant' Genichiro. Ring any bells?"
Duel City Tournament… Sorry, the anime only covered the first one, and You Xuan hadn't seen the later ones.
And besides, if we're talking dinosaurs, wouldn't Ryuuji Tagawa, who was just defeated recently, come to mind first…?
"When I rose to prominence, that legendary duelist Ryuuji Tagawa had already vanished without a trace. Some ignorant fools claim that if Tagawa were still around, I wouldn't stand a chance against him… Hah! Ridiculous!"
Genichiro sneered coldly.
"I now wield the power of darkness, unmatched by any duelist. When I heard that Tagawa might be making a comeback, I immediately saw my opportunity."
Genichiro declared loudly.
"I am the strongest Dragon Tamer! As a relic of the previous generation, he is destined to be consumed by darkness and destroyed!"
You Xuan: "…."
Well, why don't you go find Tagawa then? Why are you blocking my way?
"Uh, good luck with that, buddy," You Xuan replied. "I've got places to be, so I'll take my leave…"
"It's useless. You cannot escape this domain. Only one of us will leave here alive."
Genichiro spoke coldly.
"I saw it—I saw how you crushed him, that Dinosaur Tagawa, with absolute dominance. He never even touched your LP throughout the entire match.
That's when I changed my mind. You're worth defeating far more than Tagawa. You're also worth sacrificing to the darkness. If I can consume your soul into my shadow realm, I'll undoubtedly ascend further as a Shadow Duelist!"
You Xuan: "…."
"There's no point in talking anymore."
Genichiro had already activated his Duel Disk.
"Once a Shadow Duel begins, it won't end easily. We'll settle this—not just to decide who's stronger, but who lives and who dies! Come, stake your soul as a duelist!"
Based on his knowledge of the original series, You Xuan knew that Shadow Duels weren't entirely impossible to stop. If someone with significantly greater mastery over dark powers intervened, they could forcibly terminate the duel or even alter the stakes. For example, the Pharaoh's Millennium Puzzle could do just that.
Or there were special cases, like during Riding Duels—if you were about to lose, you could always unscrew a bolt and flip the cart, ending the match prematurely...
But it seemed there was no escaping this one. You Xuan took a deep breath and unfolded his Duel Disk.
"Duel!" x2