After watching Yugen face Rex Raptor in the finals, he had expected a Machina opening. Seeing nothing but sets made him wonder if that deck had not even been the main one.
"Just setting cards?" Onizuka Genichiro sneered. "Such slow dueling will turn you into a sacrifice for the dark very quickly."
"But at the end of your turn, I activate this set card."
One of his back row cards flipped up. "Quick-Play Spell, Flames of the End. I can special summon two Black Flame Token to my field."
Two Black Flame Token appeared in defense position, each with 0 defense. They floated silently beside the field.
"I can't summon other monsters the turn I activate this," Onizuka Genichiro said. "But this is your end phase anyway, so it doesn't matter."
"Now it's my turn. Card Draw."
After drawing, he paused and glanced at the four set cards on Yugen's back row. His smile sharpened as he raised a card from his hand.
"Maybe you're trying to stall with traps, but that won't work on me. I activate the Spell Card Night Shot!"
Golden light rippled as the card appeared before him, then shot forward like a blade aimed at one of the face-down cards. The beam locked onto the middle card in Yugen's back row.
"Night Shot lets me target and destroy one of your set Spell or Trap Card Cards," he said. "And once it's targeted, that card cannot be activated."
"Destroy the middle one!"
Yugen waved a hand calmly. "Then at this moment, I activate a set card."
"It's useless," Onizuka Genichiro said with confidence. "I already told you, the targeted card can't respond to Night Shot."
"You're right," Yugen replied. "But I'm not activating the targeted card. I'm activating the one next to it."
Another back row card flipped open. "Trap Card, Magic Jammer. When you activate a Spell Card, I can pay 1000 LP to randomly discard one card from your hand."
Yugen's LP dropped from 4000 to 3000. The instant it fell, his heart seemed to miss a beat, and a sharp pain stabbed through his chest.
It felt as if something inside him had been pierced, draining away strength through an invisible wound. His body swayed slightly, and he let out a short gasp.
Silent Magician appeared beside him, her quiet eyes filled with concern. He shook his head and forced a breath.
"I'm fine," he said softly. "It's just the first time."
The pain faded enough for him to steady himself. The cost of LP in a Shadow Duel truly felt like losing life itself.
"Hahaha, you felt it, didn't you?" Onizuka Genichiro laughed loudly. "That pain is the joy of Shadow Duel. Keep suffering, let the darkness eat away at you little by little!"
Yugen said nothing.
There was no doubt that Shadow Duel awakened twisted urges in certain people. Some did not seek power or gain at all, but simply enjoyed watching others hurt.
Yugen quickly adjusted and continued. "Magic Jammer's effect. Discard a random card from your hand, the one on the far left."
"Do whatever you want."
Onizuka Genichiro casually sent the chosen card to the Graveyard. He then pointed back at the beam of light.
"But according to Night Shot's effect, the card you set is still destroyed."
"It won't be," Yugen said, snapping his fingers. "At this moment, I activate the card you targeted."
"Trap Card, Raigeki Break."
Onizuka Genichiro stared at him as if he had lost his mind. "Are you stupid? I told you, a card targeted by Night Shot can't be activated. Do you not understand human language? Nani?!?"
Yet the targeted card flipped open anyway. Onizuka Genichiro's green eyes went wide, filled with disbelief and confusion.
"Read your own card again," Yugen said evenly. "Night Shot only says the targeted card can't be activated in response to Night Shot. My Raigeki Break didn't chain to your Night Shot. It chained to my own Magic Jammer."
For a moment, Onizuka Genichiro looked utterly lost. His face clearly said he was not sure if he had just been tricked.
"…Is that so?" he muttered, doubt written all over him.
"You don't understand this and you're betting lives?" Yugen said, eyes half-lidded.
"I understand it," Onizuka Genichiro replied quickly. "I was just testing you. Yes, that's it."
Even if he did not fully get it, the field had already resolved that way. He could only accept it.
"Now for Raigeki Break's effect," Yugen continued. "I discard one card to destroy any card on the field."
He sent a card from his hand to the Graveyard. "I destroy your Dark Triangle Wyvern Dragon."
Dark clouds churned above as a massive hand formed from the shadows, lightning crackling at its fingertips. The bolt struck the Dark Triangle Wyvern Dragon, shattering it into pieces.
"Also, the card I discarded was the Spell Card Card of Compensation. When it's sent from hand to the Graveyard, I draw two cards."
The draw felt smooth and satisfying, the Card Draw engine flowing without pause.
"Tch. Even Night Shot couldn't save my dragon."
Watching his boss monster vanish before it ever attacked made Onizuka Genichiro click his tongue. Still, he did not look truly worried.
He set one card from his hand. "I set another card, then I activate the Spell Card, Card of Demise."
Yugen's eyes widened.
Card of Demise was the same extreme draw engine favored by Seto Kaiba. Drawing until five cards at the cost of discarding everything five turns later was absurd, and in a duel, five turns was an eternity.
Later versions had been heavily restricted, yet even then they were playable. Seeing the original here made it hard to look away.
Yugen had searched for this card before and never found one. He never expected to see it now.
But that was fine.
If he won this Shadow Duel duel, Onizuka Genichiro would lose everything, including his soul. A deck without an owner was fair game, and letting such cards rot would be a waste.
As Onizuka Genichiro prepared to draw, his hand paused. A strange unease crept over him.
For some reason, the look in Yugen's eyes had suddenly become hungry.
"By the effect of Card of Demise, I draw from my deck with Card Draw!"
Onizuka Genichiro drew a card and immediately revealed one from his hand.
"I tribute the two tokens summoned by Flames of the End on my field and perform a Tribute Summon!"
A storm of sacrificed energy rose, and a massive shape flickered within it. Onizuka Genichiro paused for a brief moment, then spread his mouth into a smug grin.
"Hah, that idiot Rex Raptor once owned this card, but he lost it in Battle City! I will never allow it to leave my deck. Watch closely. From the crossing of light and shadow, a dragon that dwells in the heart of an evil knight. Level seven, Evil Knight Dragon, I summon!"
Evil Knight Dragon appeared with an attack power of 2350.
Yugen Fujiki thought to himself that of course it would not leave the deck, because he planned to take everything anyway. Still, he gave his opponent some face and put on a look of surprise.
"That's Evil Knight Dragon! Rex Raptor's former ace, a Rare Card second only to Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"