Chapter 15: The Final Match

“Dear viewers, welcome to the finals of the Moonlight Cup. I am commentator Xiao Du.”

“And I am commentator Sasaki.”

The tournament logo flashed briefly across the live broadcast screen, and the two commentators appeared on the scene for the pre-match warm-up.

“After days of fierce battles, the competition finally reaches its climax today. Honestly, this tournament has brought us quite a few surprises,” Xiao Du remarked.

“Indeed,” Sasaki agreed. “The legendary Duelist Ryuzaki, who had been absent from the scene for years, has returned with an unstoppable force and has stormed his way into the finals, which I believe no one finds shocking.”

“But what no one expected initially was that the challenger facing this legend in the finals wouldn’t be any of the seeded players predicted before the match, but our No. 39, Yugen Fujiki—a newcomer with no prior record at all.”

Xiao Du nodded. “And as many of you already know, this player not only lacks any competition experience, but his Duelist rank is only one star.”

“To be honest, when I first saw his name on the roster, I thought it was a mistake,” Sasaki confessed. “I was like, ‘A one-star player? Are you kidding me?’”

“Later, I checked the system, and it really was true…”

“Sometimes, it’s not unheard of,” Xiao Du said. “There have been precedents—players who never appeared in arenas or showed themselves, possibly training in seclusion for years, suddenly burst onto the scene with a bang.”

“True, but it’s rare. We’re lucky this year to witness the rise of a dark horse. In previous tournaments, he might have even won the championship. But unfortunately…”

Sasaki caught himself just in time, realizing he almost jinxed it.

He took a deep breath. That sort of pre-match curse or malicious manipulation is not the conduct of a professional commentator.

Even if what he thought was what most people believed.

No matter how dark a horse this is, could it really defeat the legendary Ryuzaki in a flash?

In a small tournament like this, encountering a legend like Ryuzaki is a rare occurrence. Usually, such a top-tier player wouldn’t bother with lower-level contests. One could assume Ryuzaki, after years of seclusion, wanted to test the waters with something simple.

But for the Moonlight Cup, the presence of such a titan was an overwhelming advantage.

Though the newcomer’s skills were impressive and had clearly prepared thoroughly to seize this opportunity and make a name for himself, fate was simply not on his side when matched against such a godlike opponent.

Sometimes, besides skill, luck matters just as much.

“Alright, the match countdown has begun. Both players should now be entering their pre-match preparations,” Xiao Du announced. “Will the dark horse continue its surprise run, or will the legend return triumphant? Let’s wait and see!”

...

Yugen stood on the stage, facing the legendary Ryuzaki, shuffling their decks.

Indeed, the man before him was somewhat different from the character he remembered from the anime. Back then, Ryuzaki and his close friend Yuuga were both short and underdeveloped, probably only reaching his waist in height. But since the end of Duel Monsters, Ryuzaki must have been well-nourished and grown quite a bit.

Now, he could barely reach Yugen’s chin.

Though Yugen had to look up to meet his gaze, Ryuzaki’s aura was no less imposing, radiating the quiet confidence of a seasoned master.

Yugen was studying how Ryuzaki’s appearance had changed, but Ryuzaki noticed his gaze and, with a slight smile and the air of a champion, said, “No need to be nervous. Just play as you normally would. Don’t carry any burdens; the important thing is to participate and show your spirit.”

Yugen was momentarily taken aback, quickly realizing Ryuzaki probably thought he was under psychological pressure facing a legend.

And the phrase “the important thing is to participate” sounded as if Yugen was already out of contention...

Still, Yugen smiled and replied in kind, “Thank you, but I’m fine. It just reminded me that when I couldn’t duel back then, I used to watch you battle in the Duel Kingdom tournaments on TV...”

Ryuzaki’s eyes brightened, feeling somewhat honored. He straightened his posture a bit. “Haha, so I guess I’m somewhat your dueling mentor.”

“Yes, yes! I was especially impressed by your ace, the ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon.’ The legendary Red Dragon of possibility left an indelible mark on my young heart,” Yugen said earnestly.

But the moment he said that, Ryuzaki’s face darkened.

Damn, he’d just touched a sore spot.

The Red-Eyes Black Dragon had indeed been his pride and joy, but anyone who’d watched the Duel Kingdom matches would know that Ryuzaki lost that card in the very first duel to the infamous gambler Kyouya Jounouchi.

He didn’t believe Yugen was unaware, so bringing it up now was basically a slap in the face, as if saying, “Your beloved ace was great, but it ran off with someone else...”

Ryuzaki grimaced and quietly grunted, falling silent. He was probably already thinking about how to show this reckless rookie just how brutal dueling between true masters could be.

“Oh, and later you moved on to the Duel City tournaments. I followed those matches as well,” Yugen continued.

His eyes shone with sincerity, almost convincing himself.

“Especially your summoning of the ‘Evil Knight Dragon’ in Duel City—it was so cool...”

Ryuzaki’s expression darkened even further.

He was now certain Yugen was deliberately messing with his mind.

The Evil Knight Dragon was indeed his ace in Duel City, but he lost it in the first round to the duelist known as “Super Joujou,” who controlled “Android Soga.”

Once again, a double slap in the face: “Your second ace was great too, but she ran off with someone else...”

He had to stay calm.

Ryuzaki took a deep breath.

The mindset was crucial for masters in duels. Even pre-match trash talk was part of professional competitions sometimes. He mustn’t lose his cool before the duel even began.

He would use the duel to show this guy just how formidable he was.

“Duel!” they both shouted.

【Yugen, LP 4000】

【Ryuzaki, LP 4000】

The choice of who goes first was randomly given to Yugen, who didn’t hesitate to take the first turn.

“I’m going first. Draw.”

Yugen drew three cards at once.

“I’ll set one monster face-down in the front row, and two cards face-down in the back row. End of turn!”