"You're laughing at what?"
The sudden outburst of laughter made the thick brows under Titan's mask furrow, his tone turning low and questioning.
"The Millennium Item 'Millennium Puzzle'—you? Don't make me laugh!"
The only genuine Millennium Puzzle in the world had been taken by Uncle Atem back to the afterlife, hanging from his neck. As for the oversized guy named Titan, what he was holding was clearly a replica. And this so-called "Dark Duelist"? Give me a break. This guy didn't have even a trace of dark energy on him. Most likely, all those past "dark duels" were just simulated using modern tech.
"…Whether it's real or not—why don't you experience it for yourself!"
As he spoke, Titan raised the Millennium Puzzle replica high. A dazzling golden light instantly burst from the "Eye of Anubis" symbol on it, lighting up the underground chamber like daylight.
"Oh~ Flashy light, I'll give you that. But that supernatural dark energy? It's not something you can fake with a bit of tech!"
Snap!
With a crisp snap of You Ye's fingers, a bang echoed from Titan's direction. For some reason, the fake Puzzle in his hand suddenly exploded, scattering into pieces on the floor.
"Ki-sama…!"
Seeing his lie exposed, Titan glared at You Ye in fury—though thanks to the mask, no one could see the fire in his eyes.
"Big guy, let me show you what a real Shadow Game feels like!"
Snap!
Another snap of the fingers. The spirit energy within You Ye resonated with the inexplicably abundant dark energy in the basement. A shadowy dome enveloped them both, flashing with violet-black electricity—an energy field in the shape of a hemisphere from the outside.
"Thick black mist… oppressive air… my legs feel like they're weighed down with lead…"
Feeling the discomfort spreading through his body, Titan finally started to panic. Just like You Ye said—he had only ever simulated dark duels using advanced technology. Even his black outfit and hat were deliberately chosen to look the part of a "Dark Duelist."
"I won't make things too hard for you. In this Shadow Game, the loser just has to get down on all fours and bark like a dog three times, then leave Duel Academy on their own."
You Ye wasn't some cruel villain—at most, his punishment for the loser was something like that. Of course, if his opponent were a true villain, or not even human, that would be another matter entirely.
"Alright, big guy—activate your Duel Disk and face me! If you want to escape this Shadow Game without accepting the punishment I mentioned, then beat me!"
"…Hmph! I'll make you regret this, kid!"
Relieved that the penalty wasn't a life-or-death wager, Titan let out a small sigh, though he still put on a fierce front.
"Duel!"
Sakaki You Ye: 4000 LP
Titan: 4000 LP
"My turn first. I draw!"
Glancing at his starting hand, You Ye picked one card and slid it into his Duel Disk to activate it:
"I activate the Spell Card 'Graceful Charity'. I draw three cards from my Deck, then discard two from my hand."
Drawing three cards in one go, Yuuye glanced at the cute little purple monster card in the center. Smiling slightly at it, he discarded it along with another card and Graceful Charity to the Graveyard.
"Then I set one monster face-down and set two cards in my back row. I end my turn."
Once again, he chose to set a monster on his first turn! Unless under special circumstances, whenever Yuuye uses his Elemental HERO deck, he always chooses to set a monster face-down instead of summoning one during his opening turn.
"My turn! Draw!"
Looking at the Spell Card he had drawn, especially the dart-shaped cross symbol on the upper right corner, Titan couldn't help but burst into laughter. As expected, he was the chosen one! Even though this was a true Shadow Duel, the goddess of luck and the goddess of victory had not abandoned him!
"I summon 'Teleporting Fiend' in Attack Position!"
As Titan placed the card into his Duel Disk, on the field appeared a skinny, bamboo-like demon with purple skin, flapping its skeletal wings while clutching a green, parrot-like bird in its arms.
"Teleporting Fiend's effect! Once per turn, during my Main Phase, I can discard one Fiend-Type monster from my hand to increase its ATK by 500 until the end of the turn!"
As the discarded Fiend-Type monster was sent to the Graveyard, the stick-like body of Teleporting Fiend bulked up. Its pencil-thin arms thickened to the size of a human's.
(Teleporting Fiend, Level 4, ATK: 1500 → 2000, DEF: 500)
"Next, I activate the Spell Card 'Monster Reborn' from my hand! I resurrect the Fiend monster that was discarded for Teleporting Fiend's effect — Blitz Demon Lord – Skull Fiend!"
Amid golden lightning, the white skeletal demon descended onto Titan's field. It was one of the many "reskinned" versions of the classic monster "Summoned Skull" once used by Uncle Yugi. You could say it was the evil evolution of "Summoned Skull," transforming from a Normal Monster into an Effect Monster.
(Blitz Demon Lord – Skull Fiend, Level 6, ATK: 2500, DEF: 1200)
"Skull Fiend… As I suspected, you're using a Fiend-themed deck centered on the 'Demon' archetype, aren't you?"
Just from seeing Teleporting Fiend and Skull Fiend, Yuuye had already deduced the archetype of Titan's deck. After all, his family specialized in card production. In this academy, there wasn't a single person who could surpass him — or even match him — in card knowledge, aside from that person.
Of course, not all archetypes came from his family's printing. Some decks were unique to individuals — obtained through special means from outside this world — and those, he naturally couldn't be familiar with.
"However, if I'm not mistaken, Fiend archetypes with the 'Demon' tag usually require a cost to keep their monsters on the field. At the start of your turn, during your Standby Phase, you have to pay a certain amount of LP to maintain them, right?"
With only 4000 Life Points, if there weren't any recovery effects, a monster requiring LP to stay on the field would cost around 1000 LP within just two turns. That's not even counting the LP paid for activating certain Spell and Trap effects, or battle damage and effect damage dealt in the duel.
"Cost? Under the power of this card, paying LP is no longer a concern!"
As he spoke, Titan pulled out a card and slammed it into the Field Zone of his custom Duel Disk:
"Field Spell — Pandemonium – Lair of the Demons — activate!"
Under the 3D projection, a demonic cathedral adorned with bone decorations rose from the ground with a thunderous roar, instantly turning a portion of the Shadow Duel arena into a chilling blood-red landscape.