"Battle—Red-Eyes Black Dragon, direct attack! Black Fireball!"
Red-Eyes unleashed a dark crimson energy blast that slammed straight into Rex.
"AAAGH—!"
Rex: LP 4000 → 1600
"And now—Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning, direct attack!"
Rex clenched his teeth. "No choice—I activate the Trap Card Survival Instinct!"
"This card's effect lets me banish any number of Dinosaur monsters from my Graveyard. For each one banished, I recover 400 Life Points!"
"I banish Dark Trigon Pteranodon, Evilswarm Salamandra, and Giant Rex—that's three monsters! I recover 1200 LP!"
Rex: LP 1600 → 2800
"And because of Giant Rex's effect—when it's banished, it can Special Summon itself, and its Attack increases by 200 for each banished Dinosaur!"
Giant Rex reappeared on Rex's field, crackling with renewed power.
Giant Rex(ATK 2600 / DEF 1200)
Rex sneered. "Joey, you said you'd beat me this turn—but looks like you can't!"
"No," Joey said, eyes steady. "My declaration hasn't changed."
"What?!" Rex's face twitched.
"Keep attacking! Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning, attack Giant Rex!"
"Joey, what are you doing?! His monster has higher Attack!" someone shouted from the side.
Rex burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Joey—did you finally snap? Fine! I'll counterattack—Giant Rex, destroy Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning!"
Giant Rex swung its tail like a battering ram—smashing the Archfiend apart mid-charge.
And that was exactly what Joey wanted.
"I activate the Trap Card Red-Eyes Burn!"
"When a face-up Red-Eyes monster I control is destroyed by battle or card effect, I can target that monster—both players take damage equal to its original Attack!"
Joey's voice sharpened like a blade.
"That means we both take damage equal to Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning's original Attack—2500!"
"WHAT?!" Rex shouted.
Rex: LP 2800 → 300
Joey: LP 3950 → 1450
Rex staggered back, panting—but forced a grin. "So what? I'm still alive! You can't finish me this turn!"
Joey's eyes didn't move.
"Didn't I tell you? You don't get a next turn."
He slapped a card down.
"I activate Monster Reborn from my hand! I revive Red-Eyes Soul from my Graveyard!"
Red-Eyes Soul(ATK 900 / DEF 2000)
Kisaragi smiled. "This duel's already over."
Joey pointed across the field.
"Now I activate Red-Eyes Soul's second effect—on either player's turn, I can target my Red-Eyes Black Dragon… and deal damage to you equal to that monster's original Attack!"
"I target Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
"Rex—I'm dealing you 2400 damage!"
"H-How…?!" Rex's voice cracked.
Rex: LP 300 → 0
Joey Wheeler wins! (Metal Stars: 4)
Rex fell to his knees, still not processing the loss.
Just like with Weevil, three black-clad guards stepped in and hauled Rex away.
"Wait!" Joey sprinted up. "Per our agreement—your Red-Eyes Black Dragon is mine!"
He snatched it straight from Rex's deck the moment the words left his mouth.
"Joey… I can't believe you got this strong!" Téa said, wide-eyed.
Joey scratched the back of his head, grinning. "Heh—thanks. It's all because Kisaragi gave me the Red-Eyes package!"
Then Joey turned, smug as ever.
"Well, Kaiba? See my real strength now?!"
"Hmph," Kaiba replied. "You've improved… a little."
"You—!!" Joey bristled.
Kisaragi stepped in smoothly. "Alright, Kaiba. That means you can join our plan now, right?"
Kaiba didn't answer—but silence was basically consent.
"Good," Kisaragi said, decisive. "Kaiba agrees. From here on out, we duel the way I said—use our combined Stars to speed-run the count, get into the castle, and rescue our people."
Everyone nodded.
Inside Pegasus's Castle
Pegasus swirled red wine in his glass, watching the footage of Yami Yugi's and Joey's duels.
"So they've both gotten quite a bit stronger," he mused. "Thanks to you, I presume… Miss Kisaragi."
He turned slightly toward his attendant.
"The moment that group begins another duel… notify me immediately."
"Yes, sir."
The Plains
The group arrived at an open stretch of grassland where duels were happening everywhere. But the moment Kisaragi showed up, duelists began backing away in whispers.
"Hey, didn't you say you'd challenge her if you saw her?! Go on!"
"Are you crazy? That was just talk! Someone at my level challenges her and I'm basically a walking ATM!"
Then a tall woman with big blonde curls stepped in front of Kisaragi, posture confident, eyes sharp.
"You're Kisaragi Aoi, champion of the National Duelists Tournament?" she said. "And you even defeated Seto Kaiba?"
Joey's voice instantly lit up. "Whoa… she's gorgeous!"
Kisaragi's eyes brightened. That hair… that presence…
Mai Valentine.
Kisaragi cleared her throat. "That's right—it's me. And you are?"
"My name is Mai Valentine," the woman said, showing the stars on her Duelist Glove. "I didn't enter that tournament for personal reasons. But as a fellow female duelist… I have my pride."
"So I'm challenging you."
"Six Metal Stars…" Yugi murmured, impressed. "She already collected six."
"Fine," Kisaragi said. "I accept."
Then she turned to Kaiba.
"Give me one Metal Star."
Kaiba didn't hesitate. He removed one star and placed it in her hand.
Téa blinked. "Why only one? Why not two?"
Yugi explained, "If your glove has zero stars, you're considered eliminated. To avoid unnecessary risk, the safest play is for Kaiba to keep one."
Mai narrowed her eyes slightly. "You're adding Kaiba's star to your wager?"
"Correct," Kisaragi said evenly. "Your required wager increases—but if you win, your reward increases too. It's fair. And the rules never said you can't use another duelist's stars."
Mai's lips curled into a confident smile. "I see. No objection."
"Then let's begin."
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 120)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 95)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 85)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter85)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter81)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter60)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter66)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 40
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 50
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