"On the surface it's a free-for-all," Otogi said, "but in reality it's two-versus-two."
"Right," Mai agreed. "Kaiba and Aoi want to meet in the finals, so they won't clash in the semifinals. Yugi and Jounouchi want to duel each other in the semis, so Yugi is protecting Jounouchi at all costs."
Aoi glanced at Kaiba's irritated expression and sighed.
"Seto. Calm down. The duel's only just begun."
Kaiba clicked his tongue, but his breathing steadied.
"End my turn." (Hand: 3)
"My turn. Draw."
This only decides the semifinal matchups… I'll hold back a little.
"I Normal Summon Darklord Nasten in Attack Position!"
A one-winged female Fallen Angel materialized, radiating a gloomy pressure.
Darklord Nasten (ATK 0 / DEF 1600)
"Darklord Nasten's effect—during my or my opponent's Main Phase, I can perform an additional Tribute Summon of a Fairy monster."
"So you get a second Tribute Summon on top of your Normal Summon?" Yami Yugi's eyes narrowed.
"Correct."
Aoi's voice stayed calm as she executed the sequence like a surgical procedure.
"I Tribute Darklord Nasten and Darklord Ukoback. I Tribute Summon Darklord Asmodeus!"
A towering fallen sovereign descended, oppressive and regal.
Darklord Asmodeus (ATK 3000 / DEF 2500)
Mai's eyes widened. "She summoned a 3000 ATK monster instantly…"
Otogi muttered, half-awed. "Asmodeus… one of the kings of hell."
Aoi didn't react. Her stare stayed fixed on the field.
"Asmodeus's effect—once per turn, during my Main Phase, I can send one Fairy monster from my Deck to the Graveyard."
"I send Darklord Nergal."
Then she flipped a card with zero theatrics.
"I activate Continuous Trap Call of the Haunted. I Special Summon a monster from my Graveyard in Attack Position."
Yami Yugi's gaze sharpened.
She sent a high-level Darklord to the Graveyard on purpose—so this was the line.
"Come back—Darklord Superbia!"
A six-winged fallen angel returned, dazzling and dangerous.
Darklord Superbia (ATK 2900 / DEF 2400)
"And Superbia's effect—when Special Summoned from the Graveyard, I can Special Summon one other Fairy from my Graveyard."
"Rise—Darklord Nergal!"
A third towering angel joined the formation.
Darklord Nergal (ATK 2700 / DEF 2500)
Otogi stared. "Asmodeus sends Nergal… Call revives Superbia… Superbia revives Nergal… She assembled three boss monsters in one turn."
Aoi's lips barely moved.
This isn't even what the Darklords can really do.
"Battle. Darklord Asmodeus, direct attack on Jounouchi!"
Jounouchi's face drained. "WHAT?!"
Asmodeus's shadow fell like a guillotine.
Jounouchi LP 3700 → 700
His elevator platform shot upward, almost brushing the ceiling.
Honda clenched his fists. "Bad—if she hits him again, Jounouchi's done!"
Aoi's eyes flicked to Kaiba's set cards and she allowed herself the smallest, private smile.
If I want to choose opponents, I need a clean way to drop my own Life Points… and Seto's back row is exactly that.
"Darklord Superbia, attack Yugi's face-down monster!"
"Wait—she's not finishing Jounouchi?" Anzu blurted.
Yugi's set monster flipped: Big Shield Gardna.
Aoi's voice remained precise. "While Darklord Nergal is on my field, when my Fairy monsters attack Defense Position monsters, you take piercing damage equal to the difference."
The impact landed.
Yami Yugi LP 4000 → 3700
Yugi's platform rose slightly.
"Last—Darklord Nergal attacks…" Aoi's gaze shifted to Kaiba.
Kaiba met her eyes for a fraction of a second and gave a faint nod.
"…Kaiba's Spear Dragon."
Mai's brows jumped. "She's attacking Kaiba? Aren't they aligned?"
Kaiba flipped instantly—no hesitation, like he'd been waiting for that exact cue.
"I activate Trap Ring of Destruction! Destroy that monster, and we both take damage equal to its original ATK!"
A grenade-ring snapped around Nergal's throat.
"And I chain Quick-Play Ring of Defense—I take zero damage from that Trap!"
BOOM!
Nergal was annihilated.
Aoi absorbed the blowback alone:
Aoi LP 4000 → 1300
Her platform surged upward—now Aoi and Jounouchi were the two highest.
Anzu swallowed. "So the top two right now are Jounouchi and Aoi…"
Honda blinked, finally getting it. "So you don't necessarily have to win this duel—losing on purpose lets you pick your matchup."
Yami Yugi's eyes narrowed.
So she used Kaiba's trap as a controlled self-damage lever… She's selecting a bracket.
Aoi calmly set one card.
"I set one. End my turn." (Hand: 1)
"At the end of your turn, I activate Trap Magician's Navigation!"
A black stone gate flared open.
"By its effect, I Special Summon Dark Magician from my hand!"
Dark Magician (ATK 2500 / DEF 2100)
"And then I can Special Summon one Level 7 or lower DARK Spellcaster from my Deck."
"Come forth—Dark Magician Girl!"
Dark Magician Girl (ATK 2000 / DEF 1700)
Honda exhaled hard. "Finally—Yugi's signature monsters are out."
The battle royale's "teams" were now visible on the field… but the motives underneath were sharper than any alliance.
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 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 155)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter200)
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I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter230)
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 200
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 180
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 230
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 220
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 120
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 135
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 110
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 100
My Harem Is Indescribable 90
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 95
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 80
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 70
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 75
Checking In in Demon Slayer 80
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 85
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 70
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 65
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 70
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 70
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 65
Why did they assign me to Uma 65
MYGO Beauties 65
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 55
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 65
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 45
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 45
The Uma Musume Who Became 40
I'm Definitely Not the King of 45
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
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