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"After a moment of silence, Rafael shook his head.
"Is that so? You don't want to talk about your past?" Yugi noticed the look of reminiscence in Rafael's eyes. "Then, I continue my turn."
"Although Dark Magician Girl's ATK is lower than Backup Gardna's DEF, because of the effect of Curse of Fiend you just activated, I will activate this card from my Hand!"
Saying this, Yugi drew a card from his Hand. "Quick-Play Spell, Forbidden Dress!"
As Yugi inserted the card into the Spell & Trap Zone, a white holy robe appeared on Dark Magician Girl on his Field.
The card Forbidden Dress itself has the ability to "decrease a monster's ATK by 600 points, make the monster unaffected by Spell/Trap effects and also prevent it from being destroyed by effects." But the Forbidden Dress appearing on Dark Magician Girl at this moment not only didn't become a burden for her magic, but instead boosted Dark Magician Girl's power with its own sacred aura!
[Dark Magician Girl: ATK 2000 → 2600]
Rafael wasn't confused by this, only impressed by Yugi's adaptability. "Because I used the effect of Curse of Fiend to turn Goddess Bow's ATK-increasing effect into an ATK-decreasing effect, are you now conversely utilizing the Curse of Fiend I used to increase your own monster's ATK?"
"That's right. The original ATK increase reversed to decrease, so the ATK-decreasing effect will therefore also reverse to increase ATK. A True Duelist is someone who can even utilize the restrictions created by their opponent," Yugi replied with a smile, waving his hand forward. "After the ATK increase, Dark Magician Girl's ATK has already surpassed Backup Gardna. Go attack, Dark Magician Girl!"
"Dark Magic Attack!"
Magic power gathered in Dark Magician Girl's hand, forming a purple sphere. Like a meteor falling from the sky, it heavily smashed down from above Backup Gardna's head. And this time, Backup Gardna couldn't make any effective counter, and was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard.
However, because it was in Defense Position, Backup Gardna being destroyed did not cause Rafael any damage.
And just then, Rafael activated the last card in his Spell/Trap Zone. "Don't think you can destroy my monster like this, Nameless Pharaoh. I said, I won't let you destroy my monster!"
"I Flip my Set Card, Time Machine! This card can only be activated when both players have a monster destroyed. Special Summon that destroyed monster on its controller's Field in the same position!" Rafael Summoned the Backup Gardna that was just Sent to Graveyard again. "Revive, Backup Gardna!"
[Backup Gardna: DEF 2200]
Yugi looked at the Backup Gardna revived on Rafael's Field, not quite understanding why Rafael would spend so much effort on a lower-Level monster.
It's not that Yugi looks down on lower-Level monsters; there are many low-Level monsters that have powerful effects, and Yugi himself also really likes to use lower-Level monsters. But, the act of spending a lot of resources to protect one monster made him unable to understand.
It's almost like that monster is his important partner, so he doesn't want it to be destroyed no matter what.
Thinking of this, Yugi's eyebrows couldn't help but raise, because if he tried putting himself in their shoes by substituting the monsters on his Field with Hayato, Téa , and the others, he might also make the same play as Rafael.
However, that kind of premise would have to be a Dark Game. For example, if a monster hosting the soul of his partner was in the Graveyard, it would be hunted by the Reaper (Reaper's Hunt) or something similar. Only with such conditions forcing Yugi would he likely make the same choice as Rafael.
But, although Uria, Lord of Searing Flames was wagered in this duel, this duel between Yugi and Rafael was just a simple duel. Rafael's play seemed quite confusing to Yugi.
"Enter my Main Phase 2." Unable to figure it out for a moment, Yugi temporarily pushed the confusion to the back of his mind. "I activate the Spell Card in my Hand, Graceful Charity. This card allows both players to replenish their hands until they have six cards."
"Because my last card in hand was Graceful Charity, so I can draw six cards."
"Then, I can draw five cards." Seeing Yugi draw cards extensively, Rafael also revealed one of his cards in hand, and drew five cards from his Deck.
After Yugi drew six cards into his hand, he drew two cards from them. "Because of Cotton Ball's effect, if it is added to my hand by a card effect, I can Special Summon it directly to the Field. Then, since I haven't performed a Normal Summon this turn, I Normal Summon Magical Merchant in Attack Position."
Beside Chaos Magician and Dark Magician Girl, the soft and fluffy Cotton Ball and the jester-dressed magician, Magical Merchant, appeared on the Field. And as soon as they manifested, Magical Merchant smirkingly formed a spell seal, and a magic circle spread out from under his feet, surrounding itself and the panicked Cotton Ball beside it.
"Magical Merchant's effect is while it exists in face-up position on the Field, I can Tribute Summon one Spellcaster-Type monster in face-up Attack Position during the Main Phase, in addition to my Normal Summon. And the monster I will summon is this one."
Along with the explanation, Yugi held the card in his hand high. And the Magical Merchant and Cotton Ball on his Field, after only a few seconds of appearing, turned into particles and dispersed, leaving the Field.
And looking at the card in Yugi's hand, Rafael's gaze narrowed. "That card is... Is it coming? Nameless Pharaoh's ace monster!"
"My most loyal servant, and the strongest magician among Duel Monsters, appear by my side!" Yugi slammed the card in his hand onto the Duel Disk. "Tribute Summoning with Magical Merchant and Cotton Ball as Tribute, Dark Magician!"
"Alright! It's Yugi's ace card, Dark Magician!"
"He's here! The second Master!"
Accompanied by the cheering of Joey Wheeler and Dark Magician Girl, the particles from Cotton Ball and Magical Merchant leaving the Field gathered into a magic circle, and Dark Magician's figure manifested from it, coolly swung the staff in his hand and struck a cool pose.
However, after seeing Chaos Magician who appeared earlier, Dark Magician almost dropped his staff while swinging it, especially noticing that he, who had changed into a new set of clothes, was actually still holding a pair of long swords.
Dark Magician, who also has a heart for close combat, in short, was just jealous in various ways.
[Dark Magician: ATK 2500]
"As a standalone magician, Dark Magician's ATK is the top-tier 2500 points. But, now that the Battle Phase has passed, even if you summon Dark Magician, it cannot attack."
Rafael did not lose his composure because of Dark Magician's appearance. Keeping a straight face and showing no emotion, neither Yugi nor Joey Wheeler could see through his thoughts.
"Ah, I know that too." Yugi nodded.
Theoretically speaking, if you want to maximize the battle results within this turn, activating Graceful Charity during Main Phase 1 seems like the most suitable choice. After all, if Dark Magician, who just appeared now, were moved to Main Phase 1, there would be one more monster that could be used for attack during the Battle Phase, at least Backup Gardna could be destroyed.
But, if Rafael's three cards in the Spell/Trap Zone aren't cleared, Yugi wouldn't activate Graceful Charity. Yugi had already suffered a loss in this aspect when he faced Rafael in the previous KC Cup.
At that time, Yugi, who didn't get the first turn, looked at Rafael's three cards in the Spell/Trap Zone. After one field setup without dealing with the Set Cards, he rashly chose to activate Graceful Charity. As a result, all his hand cards were banished by Rafael's Card Destruction, and also took 1400 damage points because of the Spirit Swordsman of Tippani he drew.
1400 damage points is not a light injury. Moreover, the card used to replenish his hand became ineffective, and also replenished the opponent's hand to 6 cards. Six of his own cards were banished. This led to Yugi's next few turns in that duel being quite difficult.
It was precisely to guard against this and not want to suffer a loss again, Yugi held onto Graceful Charity tightly and refused to activate it. Even the card that Chaos Magician actively destroyed was a Set Card in Rafael's Spell/Trap Zone instead of directly destroying Backup Gardna. Only after all the cards in Rafael's Spell/Trap Zone were used did Yugi activate Graceful Charity.
Looking at Rafael, Yugi suddenly had a strange feeling. There seems like a very wonderful aura about him. That kind of aura Yugi had only felt on a very few people.
Yugi always felt, Rafael seems like a True Duelist. But, Rafael, who is doing things that hurt others, is he really the kind of Duelist Yugi thought? Yugi couldn't make a judgment.
"If Magical Merchant is sent to the Graveyard from the Field, add to my hand one Spellcaster-Type Normal Monster from my Deck or Graveyard. I select another Dark Magician from my Deck."
Sizing up Rafael with a scrutinizing gaze, Yugi searched a card from his Deck and added to his hand. Pondering for a moment, Yugi drew two cards, and hesitantly said to Rafael: "Although I'm not sure if it's my illusion, but Rafael, I can feel, you seem like a True Duelist."
"Despite not having a complete duel with you, despite always feeling you are avoiding dueling me with your full power, but I can still perceive the resonance happening between your duelist spirit and mine."
Listening to Yugi's words, Rafael couldn't help but meet his gaze. "Nameless Pharaoh..."
"Rafael, you have a truly existing duelist's dignity. I believe in my intuition, and I also believe that with such noble self-esteem, you have no reason to hurt others." Setting two cards, Yugi firmly said, "I Set two cards and end my turn."
"Then, please, Rafael, let me see your duelist's glory."
[Yugi: 3800 LP, Hand 2]
[Chaos Magician (Goddess Bow): ATK 2000 → 3000]
[Dark Magician Girl: ATK 2600 → 2000]
[Dark Magician: ATK 2500]
[Set Card (Eternal Soul)] [Magician's Restage] [Set Cards] X2
"My duelist's dignity..." Rafael's gaze showed a moment of confusion, seems like he recalled some past, but feeling the weight of the green gem pendant on his chest, Rafael reached out and touched the pendant, his gaze became firm again.
"I'm sorry, Nameless Pharaoh, so-called duelist's dignity, if it is to achieve That Individual's goal, I don't have such a thing."
"My turn, Draw!" Looking at the card he drew, Rafael said coldly, "Nameless Pharaoh, do you know why before I didn't activate Sakuretsu Armor to destroy your Chaos Magician?"
"The answer is, I will use the Goddess Bow equipped to Chaos Magician as a springboard, summon the ace card in my Deck!"
—————————Scene Transitioning—————————
The duel between Yugi and Rafael is still ongoing, and at the same time, the domain surrounding the entire Kaiba Dome Venue is still operating.
Although the KC Cup is hosted by KaibaCorp, and Industrial Illusions is cooperating in hosting it, but compared to the fun-loving Pegasus, and Kaiba, whose main purpose is simply dueling, the one who least wants any accident to happen at the KC Cup venue is actually the State Government. The Governor is counting on this performance to get votes for his political career afterwards.
Therefore, after learning about the large-scale audience mass fainting incident at the KC Cup venue from the broadcast TV channel, because the early promotion had already made it impossible to separate himself from the KC Cup, the Governor immediately ordered people to handle this matter.
However, the famous American system speed, even if the Governor ordered, it couldn't speed up much.
"Damn it!" Angrily put down his mobile phone, Tristan said annoyedly, "This is already the third phone call. 911 over there fundamentally only uses boilerplate language to prevaricate, saying things like 'Still arranging work'. Too bureaucratic!"
Beside Tristan , Marik also ranted: "You can say it's very American system. Even 911, which is responsible for life-saving work, is playing the same game as the officials above."
Leaning back in the chair, compared to Téa and the other people, although Marik was also very weak, but at least he still had the strength to move and didn't directly faint. Looking at Tristan who hung up the phone, Marik was quite confused: "Strange, why can't other people's phones make calls? But you can make calls normally?"
"Probably because someone destroyed the surrounding Signal Towers. Mine is a satellite phone." Big Spender Tristan shrugged. "Don't know about Yugi's side..."
"Bang!"
A gunshot interrupted Tristan 's words. Everyone's line of sight collectively turned towards the direction the sound came from. Only to see in a Safety Passage not far from them, a man in black clothes walked out while wiping the bloodstains on his sunglasses that obscured his line of sight, beside him followed a Machine monster whose appearance was like a canine but whose head was a revolver—Blowback Dragon.
And after the man in black walked out of the Passage Entrance, he scanned left and right, quickly noticed Tristan 's side.
"Is that so? You don't want to talk about your past?" Yugi noticed the look of reminiscence in Rafael's eyes. "Then, I continue my turn."
"Although Dark Magician Girl's ATK is lower than Backup Gardna's DEF, because of the effect of Curse of Fiend you just activated, I will activate this card from my Hand!"
Saying this, Yugi drew a card from his Hand. "Quick-Play Spell, Forbidden Dress!"
As Yugi inserted the card into the Spell & Trap Zone, a white holy robe appeared on Dark Magician Girl on his Field.
The card Forbidden Dress itself has the ability to "decrease a monster's ATK by 600 points, make the monster unaffected by Spell/Trap effects and also prevent it from being destroyed by effects." But the Forbidden Dress appearing on Dark Magician Girl at this moment not only didn't become a burden for her magic, but instead boosted Dark Magician Girl's power with its own sacred aura!
[Dark Magician Girl: ATK 2000 → 2600]
Rafael wasn't confused by this, only impressed by Yugi's adaptability. "Because I used the effect of Curse of Fiend to turn Goddess Bow's ATK-increasing effect into an ATK-decreasing effect, are you now conversely utilizing the Curse of Fiend I used to increase your own monster's ATK?"
"That's right. The original ATK increase reversed to decrease, so the ATK-decreasing effect will therefore also reverse to increase ATK. A True Duelist is someone who can even utilize the restrictions created by their opponent," Yugi replied with a smile, waving his hand forward. "After the ATK increase, Dark Magician Girl's ATK has already surpassed Backup Gardna. Go attack, Dark Magician Girl!"
"Dark Magic Attack!"
Magic power gathered in Dark Magician Girl's hand, forming a purple sphere. Like a meteor falling from the sky, it heavily smashed down from above Backup Gardna's head. And this time, Backup Gardna couldn't make any effective counter, and was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard.
However, because it was in Defense Position, Backup Gardna being destroyed did not cause Rafael any damage.
And just then, Rafael activated the last card in his Spell/Trap Zone. "Don't think you can destroy my monster like this, Nameless Pharaoh. I said, I won't let you destroy my monster!"
"I Flip my Set Card, Time Machine! This card can only be activated when both players have a monster destroyed. Special Summon that destroyed monster on its controller's Field in the same position!" Rafael Summoned the Backup Gardna that was just Sent to Graveyard again. "Revive, Backup Gardna!"
[Backup Gardna: DEF 2200]
Yugi looked at the Backup Gardna revived on Rafael's Field, not quite understanding why Rafael would spend so much effort on a lower-Level monster.
It's not that Yugi looks down on lower-Level monsters; there are many low-Level monsters that have powerful effects, and Yugi himself also really likes to use lower-Level monsters. But, the act of spending a lot of resources to protect one monster made him unable to understand.
It's almost like that monster is his important partner, so he doesn't want it to be destroyed no matter what.
Thinking of this, Yugi's eyebrows couldn't help but raise, because if he tried putting himself in their shoes by substituting the monsters on his Field with Hayato, Téa , and the others, he might also make the same play as Rafael.
However, that kind of premise would have to be a Dark Game. For example, if a monster hosting the soul of his partner was in the Graveyard, it would be hunted by the Reaper (Reaper's Hunt) or something similar. Only with such conditions forcing Yugi would he likely make the same choice as Rafael.
But, although Uria, Lord of Searing Flames was wagered in this duel, this duel between Yugi and Rafael was just a simple duel. Rafael's play seemed quite confusing to Yugi.
"Enter my Main Phase 2." Unable to figure it out for a moment, Yugi temporarily pushed the confusion to the back of his mind. "I activate the Spell Card in my Hand, Graceful Charity. This card allows both players to replenish their hands until they have six cards."
"Because my last card in hand was Graceful Charity, so I can draw six cards."
"Then, I can draw five cards." Seeing Yugi draw cards extensively, Rafael also revealed one of his cards in hand, and drew five cards from his Deck.
After Yugi drew six cards into his hand, he drew two cards from them. "Because of Cotton Ball's effect, if it is added to my hand by a card effect, I can Special Summon it directly to the Field. Then, since I haven't performed a Normal Summon this turn, I Normal Summon Magical Merchant in Attack Position."
Beside Chaos Magician and Dark Magician Girl, the soft and fluffy Cotton Ball and the jester-dressed magician, Magical Merchant, appeared on the Field. And as soon as they manifested, Magical Merchant smirkingly formed a spell seal, and a magic circle spread out from under his feet, surrounding itself and the panicked Cotton Ball beside it.
"Magical Merchant's effect is while it exists in face-up position on the Field, I can Tribute Summon one Spellcaster-Type monster in face-up Attack Position during the Main Phase, in addition to my Normal Summon. And the monster I will summon is this one."
Along with the explanation, Yugi held the card in his hand high. And the Magical Merchant and Cotton Ball on his Field, after only a few seconds of appearing, turned into particles and dispersed, leaving the Field.
And looking at the card in Yugi's hand, Rafael's gaze narrowed. "That card is... Is it coming? Nameless Pharaoh's ace monster!"
"My most loyal servant, and the strongest magician among Duel Monsters, appear by my side!" Yugi slammed the card in his hand onto the Duel Disk. "Tribute Summoning with Magical Merchant and Cotton Ball as Tribute, Dark Magician!"
"Alright! It's Yugi's ace card, Dark Magician!"
"He's here! The second Master!"
Accompanied by the cheering of Joey Wheeler and Dark Magician Girl, the particles from Cotton Ball and Magical Merchant leaving the Field gathered into a magic circle, and Dark Magician's figure manifested from it, coolly swung the staff in his hand and struck a cool pose.
However, after seeing Chaos Magician who appeared earlier, Dark Magician almost dropped his staff while swinging it, especially noticing that he, who had changed into a new set of clothes, was actually still holding a pair of long swords.
Dark Magician, who also has a heart for close combat, in short, was just jealous in various ways.
[Dark Magician: ATK 2500]
"As a standalone magician, Dark Magician's ATK is the top-tier 2500 points. But, now that the Battle Phase has passed, even if you summon Dark Magician, it cannot attack."
Rafael did not lose his composure because of Dark Magician's appearance. Keeping a straight face and showing no emotion, neither Yugi nor Joey Wheeler could see through his thoughts.
"Ah, I know that too." Yugi nodded.
Theoretically speaking, if you want to maximize the battle results within this turn, activating Graceful Charity during Main Phase 1 seems like the most suitable choice. After all, if Dark Magician, who just appeared now, were moved to Main Phase 1, there would be one more monster that could be used for attack during the Battle Phase, at least Backup Gardna could be destroyed.
But, if Rafael's three cards in the Spell/Trap Zone aren't cleared, Yugi wouldn't activate Graceful Charity. Yugi had already suffered a loss in this aspect when he faced Rafael in the previous KC Cup.
At that time, Yugi, who didn't get the first turn, looked at Rafael's three cards in the Spell/Trap Zone. After one field setup without dealing with the Set Cards, he rashly chose to activate Graceful Charity. As a result, all his hand cards were banished by Rafael's Card Destruction, and also took 1400 damage points because of the Spirit Swordsman of Tippani he drew.
1400 damage points is not a light injury. Moreover, the card used to replenish his hand became ineffective, and also replenished the opponent's hand to 6 cards. Six of his own cards were banished. This led to Yugi's next few turns in that duel being quite difficult.
It was precisely to guard against this and not want to suffer a loss again, Yugi held onto Graceful Charity tightly and refused to activate it. Even the card that Chaos Magician actively destroyed was a Set Card in Rafael's Spell/Trap Zone instead of directly destroying Backup Gardna. Only after all the cards in Rafael's Spell/Trap Zone were used did Yugi activate Graceful Charity.
Looking at Rafael, Yugi suddenly had a strange feeling. There seems like a very wonderful aura about him. That kind of aura Yugi had only felt on a very few people.
Yugi always felt, Rafael seems like a True Duelist. But, Rafael, who is doing things that hurt others, is he really the kind of Duelist Yugi thought? Yugi couldn't make a judgment.
"If Magical Merchant is sent to the Graveyard from the Field, add to my hand one Spellcaster-Type Normal Monster from my Deck or Graveyard. I select another Dark Magician from my Deck."
Sizing up Rafael with a scrutinizing gaze, Yugi searched a card from his Deck and added to his hand. Pondering for a moment, Yugi drew two cards, and hesitantly said to Rafael: "Although I'm not sure if it's my illusion, but Rafael, I can feel, you seem like a True Duelist."
"Despite not having a complete duel with you, despite always feeling you are avoiding dueling me with your full power, but I can still perceive the resonance happening between your duelist spirit and mine."
Listening to Yugi's words, Rafael couldn't help but meet his gaze. "Nameless Pharaoh..."
"Rafael, you have a truly existing duelist's dignity. I believe in my intuition, and I also believe that with such noble self-esteem, you have no reason to hurt others." Setting two cards, Yugi firmly said, "I Set two cards and end my turn."
"Then, please, Rafael, let me see your duelist's glory."
[Yugi: 3800 LP, Hand 2]
[Chaos Magician (Goddess Bow): ATK 2000 → 3000]
[Dark Magician Girl: ATK 2600 → 2000]
[Dark Magician: ATK 2500]
[Set Card (Eternal Soul)] [Magician's Restage] [Set Cards] X2
"My duelist's dignity..." Rafael's gaze showed a moment of confusion, seems like he recalled some past, but feeling the weight of the green gem pendant on his chest, Rafael reached out and touched the pendant, his gaze became firm again.
"I'm sorry, Nameless Pharaoh, so-called duelist's dignity, if it is to achieve That Individual's goal, I don't have such a thing."
"My turn, Draw!" Looking at the card he drew, Rafael said coldly, "Nameless Pharaoh, do you know why before I didn't activate Sakuretsu Armor to destroy your Chaos Magician?"
"The answer is, I will use the Goddess Bow equipped to Chaos Magician as a springboard, summon the ace card in my Deck!"
—————————Scene Transitioning—————————
The duel between Yugi and Rafael is still ongoing, and at the same time, the domain surrounding the entire Kaiba Dome Venue is still operating.
Although the KC Cup is hosted by KaibaCorp, and Industrial Illusions is cooperating in hosting it, but compared to the fun-loving Pegasus, and Kaiba, whose main purpose is simply dueling, the one who least wants any accident to happen at the KC Cup venue is actually the State Government. The Governor is counting on this performance to get votes for his political career afterwards.
Therefore, after learning about the large-scale audience mass fainting incident at the KC Cup venue from the broadcast TV channel, because the early promotion had already made it impossible to separate himself from the KC Cup, the Governor immediately ordered people to handle this matter.
However, the famous American system speed, even if the Governor ordered, it couldn't speed up much.
"Damn it!" Angrily put down his mobile phone, Tristan said annoyedly, "This is already the third phone call. 911 over there fundamentally only uses boilerplate language to prevaricate, saying things like 'Still arranging work'. Too bureaucratic!"
Beside Tristan , Marik also ranted: "You can say it's very American system. Even 911, which is responsible for life-saving work, is playing the same game as the officials above."
Leaning back in the chair, compared to Téa and the other people, although Marik was also very weak, but at least he still had the strength to move and didn't directly faint. Looking at Tristan who hung up the phone, Marik was quite confused: "Strange, why can't other people's phones make calls? But you can make calls normally?"
"Probably because someone destroyed the surrounding Signal Towers. Mine is a satellite phone." Big Spender Tristan shrugged. "Don't know about Yugi's side..."
"Bang!"
A gunshot interrupted Tristan 's words. Everyone's line of sight collectively turned towards the direction the sound came from. Only to see in a Safety Passage not far from them, a man in black clothes walked out while wiping the bloodstains on his sunglasses that obscured his line of sight, beside him followed a Machine monster whose appearance was like a canine but whose head was a revolver—Blowback Dragon.
And after the man in black walked out of the Passage Entrance, he scanned left and right, quickly noticed Tristan 's side.
