Judai and Chazz had never seen the man before them.
Yet, strangely enough, even though they had never met him, an instinctive sense of unease arose within them, as if they were inexplicably familiar with him.
A sense of alarm surged in their hearts, as if every cell was instinctively terrified. It was as if the mere presence of the man exerted an enormous pressure, making their souls scream to flee.
But Judai and Chazz were not ordinary students and quickly suppressed their instincts, standing firm.
By now, Judai had considerable experience; he had crossed paths with powerful adversaries possessing dark powers in the Elf Realm, and life-and-death battles were no longer few. During this time, he not only honed his card techniques but also greatly improved his perception and understanding of the extraordinary.
Therefore, at the first moment of facing this person, he realized that this guy was extremely powerful.
If ranked by the current levels of Dark Duelists, this person would likely be at the top tier of the pyramid.
The body standing before them belonged to Professor Mackenzie from the American Duel Academy. However, the owner controlling this body was Tragodia, a being from three thousand years ago.
At this moment, the impatience within Tragodia was difficult to suppress.
Finally, so close.
Three thousand years, a full three thousand years had passed. Weak and shamefully sealed, a raging fury that grew with time yet had nowhere to vent...
After a long wait, today was finally coming to an end.
Every grievance has its cause, every debt its owner. The annoying priests from back then were gone, but their elves and powers had been passed down to this day. They were both the key to his resurrection and his targets for revenge.
Especially that Feathered Chestnut Ball.
Tragodia's gaze fixed menacingly on the Feathered Chestnut Ball floating beside Judai, with killing intent in his eyes.
Three thousand years ago, it was this elf that took his heart, directly leading to his many years of sealing.
Today, he would disembowel this elf, retrieve his heart from within it, break the seal of three thousand years, and become whole again.
"The two of you can come at me together."
Tragodia sneered, activating his Duel Disc.
Judai and Chazz exchanged a look, their expressions grave. Each took a step back, raising their Duel Discs, feeling that this might be the strongest opponent they had ever faced.
But before they could begin the duel, a voice came from above.
"For a relic that's slept for three thousand years, you seem pretty lively. Mind if I join in?"
As the voice faded, a silhouette descended from the sky. Yugen landed in a half-squat before Judai and Chazz, blocking Tragodia's path.
Tragodia's expression changed slightly.
"You!?"
Judai's face showed delight: "Yugen?"
"Yeah, it's me." Yugen stood up to face Tragodia. "Sorry, but I remembered I left soup simmering at home, so I'm making a quick exit. Hope I didn't ruin your show?"
Tragodia bit his lip, his expression turning darker.
The attack on Kaiba Company, manipulating Kaiba's old rival, was partly because Tragodia took an interest in the company that ruled half of the Dueling Realm. He did have plans to visit Kaiba personally and seize his empire once fully revived.
The other part, as Yugen said, was to keep the Duel King busy, ensuring he wouldn't return to the Academy that night.
But who would've thought that this guy would ignore the clues and rush back here, catching him off guard.
"What? Weren't you talking about a duel?" Yugen smiled. "Or can you only bully the novices and lack the courage to face someone your own level?"
This seemed to hit Little Lobster's sore spot.
No courage? Me?
He suddenly tilted his head back and laughed heartily, as if hearing an absurd joke.
"Very well." Tragodia said coldly, "I've never feared anyone. Not the Pharaoh back then, not those priestly impostors, and certainly not a mere Duel King now.
Then I shall personally see how powerful this so-called king is today."
He activated his Duel Disc.
"Duel!" x2
[Yugen, LP 4000]
[Tragodia, LP 4000]
Judai: "..."
He initially wanted to say that the opponent was clearly looking for him, but someone else took over... but he thought he'd just get used to it.
Of course, Yugen wasn't just craving a duel and snatching Judai's opponent. He knew that Judai most likely wasn't up to the challenge now.
In the manga, even near the climax, Judai wasn't a match for Tragodia, despite having a deck combining the Elemental Heroes given by Momiji and his own Masked Heroes, at their peak.
Yet even then, he couldn't defeat even Ice, controlled as a puppet by Tragodia, much less Tragodia himself, who was much stronger.
It's only the end of the first academic year now, and Judai is still in his early stage of growth. Even though he's grown faster than in the original story, he still doesn't have Neos or Masked Heroes yet, and the Overlord's Power and the Back Spirit Yubel haven't awakened yet. None of his late-game advantages are here, so it's impossible for him to be a match for Little Lobster.
If Little Lobster managed to defeat Judai and retrieve his heart, his power might become even stronger, making it more troublesome to deal with then.
"I'll go first, I draw a card."
Tragodia took the first move.
But in his first turn, he didn't summon any monsters. Instead, he waved his hand without a second thought.
"Set two cards, end turn."
Judai and Chazz exchanged a puzzled look.
No monster summons, only set cards?
Why does it feel like watching one of Yugen's duels...
But Yugen wasn't surprised. A turn with only traps, just like in the manga, was the same opening Little Lobster made.
However, if Little Lobster really stuck to the manga's opening lineup, he'd already be a goner.
"My turn, I draw a card."
Yugen revealed a card from his hand.
"Activating the Continuous Magic 'Power of Triangle Array'," said Yugen. "After activating this card, I can select two 'Power of Triangle Array' cards from my deck to activate." (Original Card)
Suddenly, his backfield was filled with three Continuous Magic Cards.
Continuous Magic Cards with seemingly no other effect besides summoning two identical cards from the deck. At first glance, they might look insignificant, but they clearly had their purposes.
"I send the three Magic Cards 'Power of Triangle Array' to the Graveyard."
Yugen slowly raised a card in his hand.
"Appear in the chaos of Celestial Thunder—
——Thunder Emperor Harmon!!!"