"Don't worry. I've got this," Fubuki sneered at the monstrous Dark World creatures before him. "Compared to the Netherworld, the darkness of the Dark World is laughable. Your so-called Dragon Lord? Barely a side dish for me!"
"Phew! Fubuki, you haven't changed a bit. Still full of hot air after a whole year," Karte scoffed. He stood tall and said, "That's my turn. I've got four monsters on the field—let's see how you're gonna bluff your way out of this one!"
"Karte, you're playing Dark World all wrong. What a waste of a good deck," Fubuki said coolly as he drew his card. "Besides, I've been dueling guys all day. I'm sick of it. Let's wrap this up in one turn, shall we?"
"Come on! You're full of it! You don't even have Dark Hole or Raigeki! How are you planning to break through my monster defense!?" Karte demanded.
"Let me show you the difference in power. In the face of red flames that can burn through anything, numbers don't matter," Fubuki declared as he slapped down a green Spell Card. "I activate Red-Eyes Fusion! I send Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact from my deck to the graveyard to Fusion Summon—Meteor Black Comet Dragon! (ATK: 3500)"
"WHAT?? What kind of monster is that!?"
A towering black dragon, engulfed in raging crimson flames, descended onto Fubuki's field like a demon from hell.
"First effect—when Meteor Black Comet Dragon is Fusion Summoned, I can send Red-Eyes Wyvern (ATK: 1800) from my deck to the graveyard to inflict half its attack as damage to your LP. Enjoy this appetizer—900 points!"
The blazing dragon flapped its wings, sending a fireball soaring past all four Dark World monsters—straight into Karte.
Karte LP: 4000 → 3100
"Whew… thank God for holograms. That fire looked real enough to burn me to a crisp…" Karte wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Second effect—since this Fusion monster is treated as Red-Eyes Black Dragon, I activate the Spell Inferno Fire Blast! You take damage equal to its ATK—3500!"
The flaming dragon unleashed a massive fireball. Karte's Dark World Dragon Lord raised its head in defiance, ready to take the hit.
But again, the inferno soared over all the Dark World monsters—and slammed directly into Karte.
Karte: "Oh NO!! Oh, my GOD—!"
Karte LP: 3100 → 0
Eyes wide with shock, Karte collapsed to his knees. A swirl of black smoke engulfed his Duel Disk, and the Dragon Lord of the Dark World roared one last time before vanishing.
"Thanks, Karte. I'll be taking that precious qualifying ticket of yours," Fubuki said as his Duel Disk projected eight rotating square passes.
Meanwhile, high above in the night sky, the Duel Blimp lit up:
The third Top 8 duelist has emerged: Tenjoin Fubuki!Remaining slots: 5
Then—BOOM! BOOM!Several fireworks launched from the castle, lighting up the night sky in vivid colors.
Inside the castle, Pegasus was lounging on a sofa, pondering life. When the fireworks burst, he turned to the blimp and grinned.
"Wow! Fubuki-boy made it into the castle first! Good job!" he cheered, gently swirling a glass of red wine.
Back at the campfire, Fubuki returned triumphantly.
"Let's go, Asuka and Shoko. We're heading into the castle. No more camping out for us tonight, hehe~"
He beamed with pride. Judai looked at him with admiration:"Fubuki-senpai is amazing! Already in the Top 8! No wonder he's one of the academy's legends alongside Kaiser!"
"Sorry, Reiji. Looks like I won't be staying with you tonight…" Fubuki added.
"Wow, cold much?" Reiji rolled her eyes.
"Oh well, I've got my cute little sister with me tonight anyway. I'll be heading off. Good night, everyone!" Fubuki waved.
But Asuka's response nearly knocked him over.
"Big brother, I'm staying here tonight. You go on ahead."
"Hmph! No way! As long as I'm here, I won't let my underage sister sleep out in the wild!" Fubuki barked, slipping into overprotective big brother mode. He grabbed Asuka and started dragging her toward the castle.
"Goodbye, sis-con Fubuki!" Reiji teased, waving at the sibling duo.
"Well, looks like it's just the three of us now," Judai said, glancing at Reiji and Wutong. "Do you think we still have a shot at making Top 8? Only five spots left…"
Wutong, who had remained quiet, finally spoke up:"I'm not interested in rankings. I'm more concerned with whether we'll get a good night's sleep."
"Yes. Let's hope those hyena-like duelists don't show up again tonight," Reiji yawned.
"You two get some rest. We'll take turns keeping watch—three hours each. It's going to be a long night." Wutong stood up.
In the distance, two beams of light bounced toward them, accompanied by the low hum of an engine.
"Those look like headlights… Seems like the girls won't need to sleep in tents tonight," Wutong said as he headed toward the lights.
Soon, Judai fell asleep soundly in his sleeping bag by the fire.
Reiji, still yawning, forced her eyes open long enough to see Wutong chatting with a driver, then guiding over a camper van.
"Huh? He actually got an RV to stop and camp with us? Not bad…" Reiji smirked.
Then she noticed someone inside the RV."Wait… that pipsqueak? What a small world."
Sure enough, Rebecca Hawkins had grown up—but the moment she saw Reiji's figure, she still puffed out her chest defiantly.
"Hmph. I may be small, but I'm already in the pro league. You're still stuck in school rolling around with amateurs!"
Wutong rubbed his temples. So they knew each other? Of course—they were both famous American duelists. They must've crossed paths often.
But clearly, they didn't get along.
Trying to ease the tension, Wutong asked, "So, Rebecca, where's Mr. Yugi traveling these days?"
Her expression darkened. "He still sends postcards from all over the world, but he never says where he is. Maybe he's searching for something… or hasn't figured out what to do yet. So he stays silent."
"I see. I'd hoped to duel the original King of Games myself one day. Guess that's out of reach."Wutong added, "Although everyone who challenged him lost, didn't they?"
Rebecca nodded. "Every single one."
"Still, I want to try. I don't give up easily," Wutong said with a smile.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Reiji already fast asleep.
He gently pulled out a blanket and covered her.
"She's lucky," Rebecca muttered. "Having her boyfriend by her side…"
"I'm still single, you know," Wutong replied with a helpless smile.