Let's play cards! In a fantasy world of swords and magic

Aisha: "Using two Normal Monsters as Fusion Materials to summon such a powerful dragon! Amazing! Fusion is amazing, and Mr. You Ling, who can use Fusion, is even more amazing!"

From the depths of You Ling's memories from his previous life, he had attempted a Fusion formula, and to his surprise, it actually worked.

"The counterattack starts now, Aisha."

After successfully summoning First of the Dragons, You Ling raised his arm to the sky, ready to battle.

"This is the strongest attack born from the potential of weak Normal Monsters!"

The result of fusing two Yado Karu, First of the Dragons, boasted an impressive 2700 ATK.

For Aisha and You Ling at this moment, this was a monster that surpassed Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Summoned Skull, making it their strongest monster yet.

"Target locked on Queen's Knight! Roar—『Primordial Dragon Shockwave』!"

"Roar——!"

The dragon's roar sent shockwaves across the battlefield, shaking the entire back mountain.

The Queen's Knight, targeted by the attack, saw its club-adorned shield shatter under the immense force, and the monster itself vanished from the field.

[Queen's Knight] destroyed.

Pharaoh LP: 4000 → 2800

Striking first, You Ling never imagined he'd be the one to deal the first blow in a duel against the Pharaoh.

Aisha's voice was filled with excitement. "We did it, Mr. You Ling!"

"Yeah, that attack was a success, but we can't let our guard down."

The opponent was the Pharaoh, the strongest duelist. Even if he was limiting his true power, You Ling couldn't afford to underestimate him.

A duelist's instincts were warning You Ling that this duel couldn't be won without giving it his all.

"I'll set one card and end my turn."

After successfully summoning First of the Dragons and breaking through the Pharaoh's defenses, You Ling cautiously set a card and ended his turn.

Glancing up at the roaring First of the Dragons in the sky, the Pharaoh slowly spoke as he drew his card for the turn.

"I see. First of the Dragons, huh? It's indeed a monster that perfectly suits Yuna's deck. You Ling, the potential you've shown through your monsters—I've seen it. My turn, draw!"

As his fingers brushed against the golden light, the Pharaoh's every draw felt like a destined top-deck.

This time, an overwhelming dark energy surged behind him as he drew.

"Heh, here it comes."

The Pharaoh's lips curled into an unparalleled confident smile.

"—Continuous Spell Card, Card of the Soul, activate!"

[Card of the Soul Continuous Spell Card Effect: If you Tribute Summon a monster by Tributing 2 or more monsters, you can draw 2 cards.]

A Continuous Spell Card that replenishes the hand when Tribute Summoning with two or more monsters. On the Pharaoh's field, it activated.

A Tribute Summon requiring two or more monsters meant it had to be at least a level 7 or higher monster.

The Pharaoh spoke solemnly, "The First of the Dragons, born from the Fusion of Normal Monsters, undoubtedly embodies the will of Normal Monsters. As a manifestation of that will, it cannot be destroyed by Effect Monsters."

Slowly taking the card he had drawn this turn, the Pharaoh revealed it, surrounded by an intense dark aura.

"If it can't be destroyed by Effect Monsters, then its weakness lies in the same place as its will—Normal Monsters! I Tribute the King's Knight and Jack's Knight on my field to Tribute Summon!"

The knights, J and K, raised their swords high, guiding the trajectory of dark magic.

"Come forth, my strongest servant!—Dark Magician!"

[Dark Magician ★★★★★★★ (7 stars) Dark]

[Spellcaster-Type ATK: 2500 DEF: 2100]

Emerging from the light of the Tribute Summon, the Pharaoh's most trusted ace monster, Dark Magician, stood tall on the battlefield, staff in hand.

"Dark Magician, huh? A Normal Monster with 2500 ATK."

Aisha: "Even though it's a Normal Monster, First of the Dragons has higher attack power, Mr. You Ling!"

"Em…"

You Ling was also very familiar with the Pharaoh's Dark Magician.

Although its base ATK was only 100 points higher than Red-Eyes Black Dragon and equal to Summoned Skull, it could synergize with various Spell and Trap Cards to create powerful combos.

The Pharaoh continued, declaring the effect: "When I Tribute Summon using two monsters, the effect of Card of the Soul activates, allowing me to draw 2 more cards!"

While its ATK was the same as a single-Tribute Summoned Skull, the fact that Dark Magician required two Tributes became an advantage, triggering Card of the Soul.

Drawing two cards, comparable to Pot of Greed, the Pharaoh's hand replenished from 3 to 5 cards, and he drew the key card needed to break through.

"—Equip Spell Card, Magic Formula, activate!"

[Magic Formula Equip Spell Card Effect: Equip only to "Dark Magician" or "Dark Magician Girl." The equipped monster gains 700 ATK.]

A specialized Equip Spell Card, Magic Formula, opened before Dark Magician, revealing mysterious magical text.

After a quick glance, the dark magic surrounding Dark Magician intensified, fueled by the power of knowledge.

[Dark Magician ATK: 2500 → 3200]

Aisha exclaimed in shock, "3200 ATK! Hey, hey, that's even higher than Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

It seemed like Blue-Eyes White Dragon had been dragged out multiple times tonight as a benchmark for power.

"With my strongest servant, Dark Magician, I'll destroy your First of the Dragons!—『Dark Magic Attack』!"

The dark energy gathered at the tip of Dark Magician's staff formed a explosive black orb, containing destructive power surpassing even Burst Stream of Destruction, and launched it toward the massive First of the Dragons in the sky.

"Counterattack, First of the Dragons!"

Even though the attack power was inferior, You Ling pressed on, betting on his set Trap Card and a key card in his hand.

"Then, I activate my set Trap Card—Trick Strategy!"

[Trick Strategy Trap Card Effect: Discard 1 monster from your hand, then target 1 face-up monster on the field; that target loses ATK equal to the original ATK of the discarded monster.]

Although it was only a D-grade Trap Card, it was one You Ling had carefully selected from the vast pool of low-rarity cards.

Even a D-grade card could be a game-changer at the right moment.

"We can't lose here, First of the Dragons!"

You Ling discarded the monster with the highest ATK in his hand, Volcanic Rat, to activate Trick Strategy.

"I discard Volcanic Rat (ATK: 500) from my hand, reducing Dark Magician's ATK by 500!"

[Dark Magician ATK: 3200 → 2700]

[First of the Dragons ATK: 2700]

"—『Primordial Dragon Shockwave』!"

The flames of the dragon clashed with the dark magic, creating a shockwave that shook the heavens and the earth.

The powerful impact even reached the students of Fusion Academy in the distance, who looked toward the back mountain in awe.

"Hey, hey, look! What kind of monster is that?"

"I've never seen such a huge dragon before!"

"Who's dueling out there?"

"That's the aura of a strong duelist. Could it be related to the rumors of the Egyptian God Cards?"

"Wait, wasn't that just a chat log?"

To be continued...