Priest Set!
Although his skin is a bit darker, his attire is a bit unusual, he's adorned with gold ornaments, with a Rune of Life marking on his chest, and he's holding what's presumably a "supernatural object" that modern-day President Haima would harshly criticize—a Millennium Rod...
...there's no doubt that this is President Haima from three thousand years ago!
It's not just a change of clothes and a slightly darker complexion. Just from Haima's highly distinctive voice and his intense aura, Youyu thought it couldn't be anyone else!
No mistake about it, it's Haima himself!
However, quite unfortunately, the President Haima from three thousand years ago clearly doesn't recognize them and even seems to harbor hostility.
Meanwhile, a squad of Egyptian soldiers appeared out of nowhere from some corner of the canyon, surrounding them with swords, spears, and other weapons. Priest Set crossed his arms, holding the Millennium Rod, and coldly questioned, "Who are you? How can you control monsters?"
Actually, one could hardly blame Set for having such an attitude. In his country, summoning monsters was something typically only royals could do. Some, like Set, who were born as commoners but had scholarly prowess (though no one knew his father was a priest), often were noticed by the royals and absorbed into their hierarchy even in their budding stages.
Among those who the royals hadn't noticed, although there were some like Kisara with a kind heart capable of controlling their own spirits, most were influenced by monsters birthed from their inner darkness and became those who relied on monster spirits to commit evil deeds and fulfill their own desires.
Suddenly encountering such a large group of people capable of freely summoning monsters unsurprisingly raised Set's alarm.
The fools were still immersed in the "Oh my god, it's the President" surprise, and no one answered for a moment. Youyu frowned slightly, stepping forward, "Is this golden item the legendary Millennium Item?"
"In that case, you must be the esteemed Priest?"
Set snorted as if acknowledging.
"We are travelers from afar, a distant eastern land..."
In that brief exchange, Youyu promptly fabricated an identity of foreign travelers for them. Set listened intently, frowning, but after examining them back and forth, seemed somewhat convinced.
After all, their appearance and demeanor were quite different from Ancient Egyptians, and their attire seemed novel and distinctive. Even without Youyu saying so, Set was already suspecting they were from a distant land.
Additionally, since they all appeared to have the ability to summon spirits flexibly, having traveled from afar wasn't especially unbelievable.
"But just based on this, I can't readily believe you," Set pondered for a moment.
"Then how can you come to trust us?"
Set deliberated for a bit before saying, "Spirits are not merely tools for battle, they are reflections of one's inner self. Those with kindness in their hearts will naturally birth spirits filled with kindness, while those with darkness in their hearts will birth creatures of mischief."
Listening to Set, Youyu quickly retracted the Masked Hero Dark Claw he almost unleashed just to make a statement.
He was worried that if Set saw Dark Claw, he would exclaim, "Such an evil creature!" and immediately attack, and no amount of explaining that it was a hero of justice would help...
"If Priest Kareem, holder of the 'Millennium Scale,' were here, with that item's power, he could immediately discern good from evil in a person's heart. But my Millennium Rod doesn't have that ability."
He paused for a moment, his gaze sharp, and with a swift motion of his arm, activated the golden armlet on his hand—an ancient Duel Disc.
"However, through the sacred Battle Ceremony, one can similarly gauge the opponent's depth. No one can hide their true nature in the ceremony; be it good or evil, it will be revealed face to face!" Set raised his volume.
Youyu: "..."
He understood what Set meant.
It roughly implied: I don't believe you! Unless... you duel me!
This immediately gave him a strong sense of déjà vu. For a moment, the image of the brown-skinned priest overlapped with that of the President Haima he interacted with regularly. Although their spoken words differed, the summary of their intention was simply—
—You↑yu↓! Duel me now!
Emphasizing a singular timeless addiction to dueling.
Nevertheless, Youyu understood it.
Isn't there an old saying?
Friends come from afar, should we not play a duel?
This Ganges.JPG.
And so, right here, outside the narrow canyon, Youyu found himself dueling with the President once again, not quite sure how many times it had been.
Having become well accustomed to accompanying the President in dueling, Youyu now enjoyed a fresh experience by facing the President from three thousand years ago instead of the one he was familiar with.
Additionally, theoretically speaking, Kisara hasn't become Set's spirit yet, so he shouldn't have the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
So, the question stands: What does a President without the White Dragon play with?
XYZ Dragon Cannon?
No, that's high-tech weaponry and would look too out of place in an Ancient Egyptian setting.
Surely he's not summoning the unstoppable Axe King to chop me to death? (Axe Raider, with 1700 Attack on a Normal Monster)
The answer soon unfolds.
[Youyu, LP 4000]
[Set, LP 4000]
"I take the first turn."
Youyu landed the first move, which was fortunate as this time he wasn't deploying heroes, so it wasn't a cumbersome start.
"Summon 'Gladiator Beast Hoplomus' in defense position."
We're playing Gladiator Beasts today!
The rhino warrior, clad in white heavy armor, lumbered onto the field in front of Youyu, crossing its arms like a steel shield to shield him.
[Gladiator Beast Hoplomus, Defense 2100]
"Equip Magic 'Gladiator Beast's Battle Archfiend Shield'," Youyu played the card, equipping the shield to the Gladiator Beast warrior in front of him. "Equips to a Gladiator Beast monster. When the equipped monster is destroyed by battle or effect, the shield can be destroyed instead.
"Set one card and end the turn."
The Priest Set, standing before five stone tablets, was astonished—how does he summon spirits with such a small tool?
Even without needing stone slabs?
But he quickly regained his composure, saying, "My turn."
A stone slab crashed in front of Set. Meanwhile, Youyu was diligently trying to remember what President plays without White Dragon.
No matter how hard he tried, his mind kept replaying...
...
"Hahahahahahahaha!!"
"Mighty! Invincible! The strongest! Smash! Shatter! An ovation!"
"My strongest servant, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
"My strongest servant's ultimate form, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
"My strongest servant's ultimate form after long evolution, Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
"..."
Alright, my head hurts, I can't recall.
Every recollection brings up all sorts of White Dragon alternatives and the President's various laughing poses.
"Use Magic—Pot of Greed, letting me call two stone slabs into my hand."
Youyu immediately saw the Pot of Greed from three thousand years ago—it indeed looked just as punchable as its future depiction.
Following that, he saw Set flip open a stone slab before him: "I activate the special ability of this creature, 'Thunder Dragon'! By discarding it to the graveyard, I can call two more 'Thunder Dragon' stone slabs to my hand!"
Youyu: "!?"
Wait a minute, wasn't there a president from the animation who used Thunder Dragon?
So does that mean he's using a... Thunder Dragon deck?