135. Master of Card Printing—Game!

"My turn, draw!"

Glancing at the card he had just drawn, Yugi activated it immediately.

"I activate the second 'Pot of Greed' from my deck to draw two cards... followed by the second copy of 'Graceful Charity' from the same deck."

As expected of Yugi; even with a depleted hand, he managed to draw the second copies of both "Pot of Greed" and "Graceful Charity" in succession.

"I activate the Spell Card 'Preparation of Rites' from my hand! This card allows me to add one Ritual Monster of level seven or lower from my deck to my hand, and then add one Ritual Spell from my Graveyard to my hand."

"Using this effect, I add the level seven Ritual Monster 'Magician of Chaos' from my deck, and the Ritual Spell 'Chaos Form' that was sent to the Graveyard by Graceful Charity earlier, to my hand!"

Trading one card for two, and securing the essential components for a Ritual Summon.

"I activate the Ritual Spell 'Chaos Form'! I offer the level one monster 'Kuriboh' and the level four monster 'Gamma the Magnet Warrior' on my field, along with two copies of the level one monster 'Ritual Raven' from my Graveyard, as Ritual Tributes!"

"Wait! How do you have two copies of 'Ritual Raven' in your Graveyard?"

Hearing the tributes for the Ritual Summon, Youyi remained calm at first, but his expression shifted sharply upon hearing about the monsters from the Graveyard.

"When I perform a Ritual Summon, I can banish 'Ritual Raven' from my Graveyard to substitute for the required level of a Ritual Tribute."

"As for why they are in my Graveyard? That is thanks to the two copies of 'Graceful Charity'!"

Seeing Youyi’s surprise, it was clear that he recognized the effect of Ritual Raven. However, considering Youyi was the president of Industrial Illusions, the world’s largest producer of Duel Monsters cards, it was only natural for him to be familiar with such effects.

*Ritual Raven... I never expected Yugi to include these in his deck! Especially since his deck isn't centered around Ritual Summoning as its core strategy...*

Analyzing the situation, Youyi could only reflect that because the duelist on the other side was "Yugi Muto," he would go to the lengths of stuffing two Ritual Ravens into his deck; for any other duelist, such a move would simply be a dead draw.

"Ritual Summon—Magician of Chaos!"

The ritual proceeded smoothly, and a new mage appeared on Yugi’s field. Clad in blue robes with purple textures, the figure featured five mage hats on its shoulders and back, serving as the ritual evolution of the "Dark Magician."

"When 'Ritual Raven' is used as a Ritual Tribute, the summoned Ritual Monster gains an immunity shield against Trap Card effects!"

Industrial Illusions had not yet released the Ritual Raven series. Though it was unclear where Yugi had obtained them, the fact that the Duel System allowed them to be projected confirmed they were authentic cards.

The Ritual Raven series shared a common trait: when used as a tribute, they could be banished from the Graveyard to fulfill the required level for a Ritual Summon, effectively reducing the number of sacrifices needed and allowing for reuse, while also granting the Ritual Monster additional effects.

In this case, the Magician of Chaos had gained immunity to Trap Card effects.

"Next, I activate the effect of the Effect Monster 'Magician's Souls' from my hand!"

Blue energy silhouettes of the two supreme spellcasters, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, appeared on Yugi’s field.

"While Magician's Souls is in my hand, I can send one level six or higher Spellcaster-type monster from my deck to the Graveyard to activate its special ability."

Because of another card in his three-card hand, Yugi chose to send his ace monster, "Dark Magician," from his deck to the Graveyard.

"I send Magician's Souls to the Graveyard to Special Summon 'Dark Magician'!"

The silhouette of the Dark Magician Girl dissipated, while the silhouette of the Dark Magician began to solidify until it fully manifested as Yugi’s ace!

"Next, I activate the Spell Card 'Bond Between Teacher and Student' from my hand! Come forth! The top student of the supreme mage—Dark Magician Girl!"

Under the bond of master and apprentice, the Dark Magician's star pupil—the only existing copy in the world, our adorable "Dark Magician Girl"—made her grand entrance!

*Master! Those Elemental HEROes look so strong!*

Looking at the two Elemental HEROes in defense and two in attack position across the field, the Dark Magician Girl adjusted her hat and whispered softly.

*Though the opponent is strong, our master is no slouch! As long as we work together, we will definitely be able to defeat them!*

*Yes!*

The master and apprentice conversed, though Yugi, focused on processing his card effects, could not hear them.

"After Special Summoning Dark Magician Girl, I can choose one of the following four cards from my deck and set it."

There was "Dark Magic Attack," which destroyed all of the opponent's Spell and Trap cards if Dark Magician was present; "Dark Burning Attack," which instantly destroyed all face-up monsters on the opponent's field if Dark Magician Girl was present; "Dark Burning Magic," which cleared the opponent's entire field if both were present; and "Dark Magic Twin Burst," which grew stronger based on the number of apprentices in the Graveyard.

Yugi agonized over the choice. If he chose a Normal Spell, he could activate it this turn, but it might not be enough to turn the tide. If he chose the Quick-Play Spell, he could clear the field next turn, but he feared that one of Youyi’s two face-down cards might be a trap capable of destroying his backrow.

How should he choose...?!

While Yugi struggled, Youyi was busy speculating, as he was fully aware of the effects of all four cards.

After what felt like an eternity, Yugi finally spoke.

"I choose to set the Spell Card 'Dark Burning Magic'!"

Yugi was gambling! He was betting that neither of Youyi’s two face-down cards were traps capable of destroying his backrow.

*He actually chose 'Dark Burning Magic,' which requires waiting until the next turn to activate... You’re lucky!*

Glancing at his two face-down cards, Youyi watched as Yugi set his card without taking any further action. Clearly, neither of his face-down cards could destroy the backrow.

*I won the gamble!*

Seeing Youyi remain still, Yugi let out a sigh of relief. To be honest, the current situation was far from favorable. Even though his Life Points were several thousand higher than Youyi’s, what good was that? In the previous exchange, a single "Elemental HERO Stratos" had knocked him down to around 4,000. If he hadn't activated "Mirage Protector" in time, he would have taken the full force of "Elemental HERO Sunrise," dropping to a dangerous 1,100 LP.

"Because of the activation of the Spell Card 'Bond Between Teacher and Student,' I activate the effect of the Ritual Monster 'Magician of Chaos'! Once per turn, when a Spell or Trap card is activated, I can choose one card on the field to destroy."

As Yugi pointed toward the face-down card at Youyi’s feet, the Magician of Chaos raised its staff, chanted a dark incantation, and fired a blast of black energy that instantly shattered Youyi’s set card.

*Trap card 'Defense Draw'... a decent card.*

As the card shattered into virtual fragments, Yugi’s sharp eyes caught a glimpse of what he had destroyed. It was "Defense Draw," a card Kaiba had used in the previous duel, which not only negated battle damage but also allowed for a draw.

"Entering the Battle Phase! Magician of Chaos, attack Youyi’s Elemental HERO Blazeman!"

*I’m sorry, Yugi!*

Hearing Yugi’s declaration of attack, Youyi’s lips curled into a smile. He apologized silently, knowing that the move he was about to make would likely bring this duel to an end on his next turn.

"At this moment, I activate my other face-down card, the Quick-Play Spell 'Instant Fusion'! I fuse 'Elemental HERO Blazeman' and 'Elemental HERO Liquid Soldier' on the field!"

Water Attribute monster + Elemental HERO = ?