Who Let Him Play Yu-Gi-Oh!

PS: I forgot to add schedule for this one yesterday. my bad.

A match is decided, a soul is reaped. This is the rule of Seak of Orichalcos—an absolute law that even the highest members of the organization cannot change.

From this perspective, New Doma could even be considered a relatively honest villain; compared to some later villains who act arrogant when they win and pretend nothing happened when they lose, he's practically a moral model.

In the end, Luca collapsed to his knees, his consciousness fading, eyes emptying. Yet, he still seemed unable to fully accept reality.

Losing the duel was one thing—the confidence he had in his own invincibility, his ambition, all crushed by the student before him.

And then there was the fact he couldn't accept losing in this way, to this opponent.

If he had a choice now, he'd definitely pick a head-on fight with Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Why could someone turn even the Black Luster Soldier into a shut-in?

He even wondered if, in this person's hands, even the Blue-Eyes—the embodiment of power in the dueling world—might go astray.

Luca's instincts warned him such things could happen in the future. But, unfortunately, he'd never see it.

The now-faded Black Luster Soldier floated nearby, casting a complicated look at Kira.

Logically, discovering a new way to use his power should be a good thing.

But he suddenly had an odd premonition.

If he followed this master long enough, would he, the once-great Pioneer, end up with a reputation as a shut-in in both the dueling and spirit worlds?

Even as his soul was drawn away, Luca stared daggers at Kira, eyes bloodshot.

For some reason, seeing that look in the eyes of a dying man, Kira felt a strange "even in death, I won't forgive you" resentment.

But it didn't matter.

After all, this was the world of Yu-Gi-Oh—so what if you became a vengeful spirit? If you want revenge, you'll still have to duel.

If you couldn't beat me alive, you think you'll suddenly get better after you're dead?

"Don't get cocky—too soon," Luca said darkly.

"The last swordsman, and the master... they're both ready. The Duel City finals will become a bloodbath. You... don't stand a chance."

He barely finished before the green light faded, his soul was drawn out, and he slumped to the ground, unmoving.

"He's dead," Kira said.

He walked over, bent down, and took Luca's deck.

Worm deck: GET.

Kira pocketed the deck, then glanced at Luca's collapsed body.

"I feel stronger again," he muttered, looking at his hand.

Especially compared to his first encounter with Doma swordsman Shell, he felt much more at ease now. The first semester at Duel Academy had paid off.

But he wasn't sure exactly how much he'd improved.

That was fine, though. In a few days, Duel City's tournament would resume, and the top 8 bracket would be decided.

The top 8 should be tough opponents; logically, anyone making it this far wouldn't be weak.

Especially since the remaining Doma swordsmen and that so-called Arbiter cheat snake would be participating—along with Kaiba himself.

With this, the tournament should reveal his limits.

Kira raised his arm and looked at the deck on his duel disk.

"How strong am I now?"

His mindset was different from when he first arrived. Back then, he was cautious for every duel, preparing for every opponent.

Now, while he still prepared out of good habit and to increase his chances, he rarely worried about losing due to lack of preparation.

Honestly, even he was less and less sure of his own limits.

A duelist only senses their strength by facing powerful opponents. But after dueling so many, his only takeaway was: he still didn't know his limits.

So when people asked what his full power was, or where his limit lay, all he could do was answer helplessly—

—I'd like to know that too.

Unfortunately, most of his opponents just weren't up to par; most lost before they even got serious.

"Duel City GX, huh."

He left the power station, mounted the motorcycle waiting at the evacuation point, and muttered.

Hope this time will be different.

Before dawn, he returned to the station.

But this time, he didn't go in. He met Mai Valentine at the entrance and handed her a card.

Mai flipped it over and almost dropped it.

It was an Orichalcos soul seal card, showing Iwao chained and clawing at the edge of a cage.

Mai gasped, "You took him out!?"

"Uh, do I look like an Orichalcos minion?" Kira replied, exasperated.

Mai frowned, studying him.

This sunny aura, and remembering the ruthless tactics she'd seen him use—reminded her of that once-sunny boy Marik, who'd left her with psychological scars.

She hadn't thought of it before, but now that he mentioned it...

He really did resemble him.

"...So Iwao was taken by Orichalcos," she said, sighing.

"Shame. I only knew him a couple days, but he seemed like a good guy..." She looked again at the sealed card. "But maybe there's hope."

"Maybe," Kira replied.

He knew what she meant. Mai was familiar with Orichalcos' methods—she'd once joined Doma in pursuit of power, even losing her soul and being sealed, just like this.

But when Orichalcos' god was defeated by the Egyptian Gods, she and the other sealed souls were released and restored.

The souls sealed by Orichalcos didn't vanish immediately; they were more like stored for the serpent god's consumption. If you were unlucky, you'd be eaten. If you lasted long enough and the serpent god died, you'd return.

"But the plan worked," Mai said.

"The power station is back online, the system's up, and the train leaves in ten minutes. Coming with us?"

"I'll pass. You all go on ahead."

Kira shook his head with a smile.

"I've learned what I needed to here, so I'll take my leave."

"Makes sense. A duelist with powers like yours—this place couldn't hold you anyway."

"What about you, Miss Mai? Any plans?"

"I'll keep looking for that missing guy," she grumbled.

"Joey, huh."

Kira now knew the culprit here was the little dark crayfish. If Joey disappeared from here, maybe it's connected.

"Alright. If you get any leads, or need help, contact me," Kira said. "He's got plenty of friends worried about him."

"Many friends, huh. That suits him," Mai smiled gently. "I'll keep that in mind."