"Duel over!" Ishizu's voice didn't carry here—this was Isono, and he announced it with a sharp shout.
"Because Jounouchi Katsuya and Aoi Kisaragi were the first two duelists whose Life Points reached zero, the semifinal pairings are now decided!"
Good. Kaiba's eyes narrowed with satisfaction. This is the bracket I wanted.
By the time Aoi's elevator capsule reached the top, Jounouchi was already waiting.
"Looking forward to it," Aoi said with a smile.
"Y-yeah…" Jounouchi answered, but the look in her eyes wasn't warmth. It was… cruel, like she was staring at prey.
"So I really won't get my match with Yugi…" he murmured.
"The first semifinal will be Aoi Kisaragi vs. Jounouchi Katsuya. The second semifinal will be Yugi Muto vs. Seto Kaiba."
Kaiba turned his attention to Yugi, voice cutting.
"Yugi—Aoi keeps telling me you're an outstanding duelist. This time, I'll test your skill myself."
Yami Yugi didn't bother replying. Internally, his only wish was that Jounouchi could somehow reach the finals—though the odds were brutal.
Isono raised his hand.
"Open the duel gates!"
At his command, the topmost doors split apart.
"Then the capsules will be launched toward the final duel stage!"
All four elevator pods fired like arrows—straight for the apex.
"They're moving!" Honda blurted.
"Hey—this way. We're going up too!" Mokuba waved everyone along.
All four duelists arrived almost simultaneously. At first, the "final stage" looked bare—just a duel field, nothing else.
"This is the final stage? Kinda… bleak," Jounouchi complained.
Aoi actually nodded. "Yeah. It's not exactly inspiring."
Kaiba smirked. "If you want atmosphere, then—"
He snapped his fingers.
The arena transformed into a Roman coliseum, packed with cheering spectators chanting:
"Aoi! Aoi! Aoi!"
Aoi froze—face burning red. "That's… humiliating!"
"You don't like it?" Kaiba asked, dead serious.
Of course I don't, Aoi thought. I'm not you. If I liked this, I'd be a freak.
"Turn it off. I want to duel in peace."
Kaiba snapped again.
The coliseum dissolved into a pure-white castle hall—quiet, elegant, with a pristine throne behind Aoi. Under the soft light, she looked like the owner of the palace… and Jounouchi looked like a servant standing before her.
Kaiba nodded, satisfied. "This is better."
Aoi hesitated, then sighed. "Fine… we'll go with this."
Anzu and the others arrived at the spectator area.
"So pretty," Anzu, Mai, and Shizuka breathed at once.
"This is the duel setting my brother prepared especially for Aoi," Mokuba said proudly. "She's probably really happy."
Honda scratched his cheek. "Kaiba's wallet is basically a superpower…"
Mai folded her arms with a half-smile. "Losing before the duel even starts—poor Jounouchi."
"Hey! I don't like that!" Jounouchi barked, eyes blazing. "Watch me beat Aoi today!"
Yami Yugi smiled gently. "Even if your chances aren't great—fight hard. I'll be waiting for you in the finals."
"Why is even Yugi saying it like that…" Jounouchi's eyes stung.
Isono stepped between them.
"Semifinal Match One—Aoi Kisaragi vs. Jounouchi Katsuya—begin!"
"DUEL!" ×2
Aoi LP: 4000Jounouchi LP: 4000
"Jounouchi—I'm taking first turn."
"My turn—draw!"
In that battle royale, I didn't show the Darklords' full strength… I saved it for this exact moment.
Aoi lifted a card.
"I activate Darklord Ixchel's effect—discard this card and one other 'Darklord' card from my hand to draw two."
She pitched Darklord Ixchel and Darklord Superbia to the Graveyard, then drew.
From the stands, Honda nodded. "She's still on Darklords. Jounouchi's seen this deck already—he should have a decent idea what's coming."
"No," Yami Yugi said quietly.
Anzu blinked. "Yugi—what's wrong?"
"The way she played earlier—she was deliberately hiding what the Darklord engine can really do."
Mai's eyes widened. "You're saying that earlier 'summon three bosses in one turn' was still holding back?"
Otogi exhaled. "Aoi doesn't fit normal logic…"
Aoi continued.
"I activate Banishment of the Darklords—add one 'Darklord' card from my Deck to my hand."
"I add Darklord Contact!"
"Then I activate Darklord Contact—Special Summon one 'Darklord' monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position."
"Rise—Darklord Superbia!"
Darklord Superbia (ATK 2900 / DEF 2400)
"And Superbia's effect—when it's Special Summoned from the Graveyard, I can Special Summon another Fairy from my Graveyard."
"I Special Summon Darklord Ixchel in Defense Position!"
A beautiful six-winged fallen angel appeared, radiating decadent charm.
Darklord Ixchel (ATK 2500 / DEF 2900)
Mai's jaw dropped. "Two boss-class monsters in one turn—again?!"
Aoi's gaze didn't waver.
"Now I use Darklord Ixchel's effect—pay 1000 Life Points to copy the effect of a 'Darklord' Spell/Trap in my Graveyard. After resolution, that Spell/Trap is shuffled back into the Deck."
"I pay 1000. I copy Banishment of the Darklords."
She displayed the card from her Graveyard, then returned it to the Deck.
"I add Darklord Uprising to my hand."
Aoi LP: 4000 → 3000
Yami Yugi's eyes sharpened. "Darklords can effectively reuse their Spells/Traps multiple times per duel by copying them through their monsters…"
Honda frowned. "But she loses 1000 LP each time. Is her LP really going to hold?"
Aoi calmly set two cards.
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)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter110)
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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