Chapter 37: Versus Kaiba's Deck

"My turn, draw."

Youxuan waved his hand.

"I flip the monster I set face-down. The monster I set is this—Dragon Rider, Flip Summon!"

[Dragon Rider, ATK 700]

"Dragon Rider's flip effect," Youxuan said. "When this card is flipped, until the end of the turn, I can take control of one face-up Dragon-type monster on your field. Therefore, I take control of your 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon'!"

AI Kaiba: "!?"

*What the hell? Why are you even carrying that thing around? What kind of nonsensical card is that?*

The knight in the red cloak leaped forward, expertly mounting the back of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. In the blink of an eye, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon followed the skilled rider onto Youxuan's field.

The students in the audience erupted in a commotion.

"He actually stole the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Hehehe, brothers, I'm so excited!"

"As expected of Boss Youxuan, he did something we wouldn't even dare to dream of so easily..."

AI Kaiba: "You bastard..."

Of course, from the perspective of the onlookers, the more they watched, the more entertained they became. They had never seen such an interesting duel. The audience had gradually forgotten that they were trapped in the venue by a system lockdown, watching with great interest. Some strangers even started cheering for Youxuan.

As it turns out, there are troublemakers and fun-seekers in every world. Who wouldn't enjoy such an amusing spectacle?

After transmigrating and experiencing consecutive duels and studying the environment, Youxuan quickly discovered that the duelists of this world had an inexplicable obsession with Dragon-type monsters.

This was natural, of course. From a realistic standpoint, Konami had always been "dragon-obsessed," and Kaiba, the leader who guided the dueling world, was also a dragon-obsessed enthusiast. Since Dragons were inherently cool and powerful, it was inevitable that they would become a popular archetype.

Consequently, when Youxuan selected his side deck, he threw in a bunch of anti-dragon specialty weapons. Since there was no limit to the side deck, stuffing it with these cheap, weird, and obscure cards didn't really matter.

As the saying goes, it is better to be safe than sorry, and today, they had come in handy.

Take this next move, for example.

"Although I've gained control of the Blue-Eyes, because 'Dragon Capture Jar' is still on the field, no Dragon-type monsters can change their battle positions, including the ones on my own field. Therefore..."

Youxuan drew another card.

"I will Tribute the 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' for an Advanced Summon!"

I don't know if it was just his imagination, but at that moment, he seemed to hear the sound of AI Kaiba's teeth grinding.

"You son of a..."

If there was anything more infuriating for the CEO than having his "white bride" stolen, it was having her stolen and then Tributed. And if there was anything more infuriating than having her Tributed, it was that the monster summoned by that Tribute was practically screaming that it was designed specifically to target him...

"Advanced Summon, Level 6, Dragon-Slayer!"

[Dragon-Slayer, ATK 2000]

"Dragon-Slayer's effect: When this card is successfully summoned, destroy one face-up Dragon-type monster." Youxuan pointed at Kaiba's field again. "Destroy 'Crystal Dragon'!"

The blue-green demon glared forward, roaring as soon as it saw the Crystal Dragon, as if declaring, "I'm here to hunt dragons!"

With a boom, the Crystal Dragon shattered into icy fragments, pulverized completely.

In truth, Youxuan didn't think this card was that great. It required a Tribute Summon to destroy a Dragon, and a Level 6 monster with only 2000 ATK wasn't impressive. The "Raiza the Storm Monarch" from the Monarch archetype was Level 5 with 2400 ATK and could destroy any monster regardless of attribute or type.

Of course, the Monarch series were probably rare cards he hadn't encountered yet. All in all, Youxuan rated this card as decent for countering dragon-users in this early environment, but not particularly strong.

However, its main advantage was its taunting name, "Dragon-Slayer," and an effect that practically screamed, "I'm here to ruin your day." In other words, when used in conjunction with other anti-meta cards, it had a better chance of breaking the opponent's spirit before emptying their Life Points.

The AI on the other side fell silent, as if it had been rendered speechless. It was likely pondering: *I may not be human, but you are truly a jerk.* Just look at these cards—are these the kind of things a decent human being would carry?

"Dragon-Slayer, direct attack!" Youxuan ordered.

But the AI had a counter: "Activate face-down card! Trap Card—Counter Gate! When an opponent's monster attacks directly, negate that attack, and draw one card from my deck!"

A transparent defensive gate appeared before him. The full force of the Dragon-Slayer's strike slammed into that defensive line, the energy absorbed and transformed into golden light that flowed into the AI's deck.

"Attack negated, and I draw a card!"

"Then, 'Dragon Rider' attacks directly," Youxuan said.

Having lost its mount, the Dragon Rider's combat effectiveness plummeted, but it still raised its sword and slashed down at AI Kaiba's head. The AI's holographic image flickered with distortion.

[AI Kaiba, LP 4000 → LP 3300]

"Then I set three cards face-down in my back row. Turn end."

Three more dark, face-down cards appeared with golden visual effects, and the onlookers couldn't help but gasp again. This person was already so devious by the second turn, and now he had another three cards set in his back row...

Before the three cards were even activated, the crowd felt a faint chill, as if the entire venue had grown colder.

"Who is this young man? To think he could suppress Kaiba's deck to this extent..." a bystander wondered.

"Wait, I think I've seen him before... this is the champion of this year's Moon Flower Cup!"

"What? The newcomer who beat the legendary duelist Rex Raptor in the finals?"

"Are we dealing with a true master here? This is too strong..."

"... "

It was AI Kaiba's turn: "Draw!"

The AI looked visibly agitated, as if it no longer had the heart to spout lines like "Full speed ahead!" or "Third-rate duelist" that the real Kaiba would say.

"Activate Spell Card from my hand, 'Melody of Awakening Dragon'!" AI Kaiba said. "Discard one card, add up to two Dragon-type monsters with 3000 or more ATK and 2500 or less DEF from my deck to my hand!"

Just hearing the effect, it sounded like a card printed specifically based on the Blue-Eyes' credentials.

"I add these two cards from my deck to my hand..."

AI Kaiba drew the two cards he searched, tossing his arm in a stylish yet exaggerated manner.

"I add another 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' and one 'Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon' to my hand!"

Youxuan frowned slightly. So, he already had the Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon.

"Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon's effect! This card can be Special Summoned by revealing a 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' in my hand to the opponent. Therefore, I reveal this 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' I just searched!"

AI Kaiba slammed the card onto his virtual duel disk, and at that moment, an endless blue brilliance erupted from the device.

"Let that light illuminate the void, let its power shake the heavens! Appear now—Level 8, Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon!!!"

A dazzling blue light emerged from the projected sky, accompanied by a dragon's roar—a majestic, thunderous sound that echoed like the heavens themselves.

The dragon burst forth from the light, its wings spanning like two massive blue veils. The roar felt as if it had pierced through three thousand years of time.

Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon, Summoned!