Chapter 28: Three Consecutive Victories, The World Stunned (2)

With a crisp swish, both sides simultaneously drew their opening hands of five cards.

"They chose to go first again..."

Li Guanqi could hardly believe that while playing [Yubel], he was being forced to go first for the second consecutive time. He muttered to himself, his gaze sweeping over Juliette. He had no intelligence on this woman; Qin Dongzhu had only described her as an external reinforcement, a trump card of the Thousand Peaks Palace with no previous match records. However, since Fanaria was a Vampire stronghold, her deck was likely Undead or Fiend-type.

Li Guanqi looked down at his hand and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Huh? Still didn't draw them?"

Three [Knights], three [Nightmare Dragons], and three [Tormentor Giants]—he hadn't drawn a single one of these top-tier "brick" cards in three games. Even the trap card [Eternal Favorite] hadn't shown up in his opening hand. It defied logic. Is this really the kind of luck I should have?

He opened his palm and felt a faint, peculiar connection between himself and the cards. It felt like flying a kite—a subtle sense of tension; if he pulled too hard, he feared the connection might snap. A bold thought bloomed in his mind: In this world, can a duelist influence their opening hand?

He refocused on the duel and played a card. "I activate the Continuous Spell—[Mature Chronicle]."

"Each time a [Yubel] or a monster mentioning its name is Special Summoned, place one Chronicle Counter on this card."

"I activate the Field Spell, [Nightmare Throne], to destroy [Yubel Spirit] in my deck."

Having [Throne] in his opening hand for three games in a row was something he wouldn't have dared to dream of before.

"When [Yubel Spirit] is destroyed, I Special Summon—[Yubel]."

A dark purple summoning circle emerged, and the demoness Yubel stepped out. She sneered, spreading her wings, her eyes flashing with cold, murderous intent.

"Level 8 Spirit?" Juliette’s pupils constricted. The Yubel card spirit exerted immense pressure. Low-level spirits were motionless and expressionless, mid-level spirits had movement but no emotion, while high-level spirits were like living beings, possessing gestures, expressions, and emotions.

*Ding!*

Chronicle Counters: 0 -> 1

"I summon—[Samsara Lotus]!" Li Guanqi continued his play. "The effect of [Samsara Lotus]: I tribute this card to Special Summon—[Yubel Spirit]!"

Li Guanqi smirked, placing the card down gently. The demonic figure reappeared, the air in the arena dropping another three degrees, and [Mature Chronicle] lit up again.

Chronicle Counters: 1 -> 2

"I activate the effect of [Yubel Spirit] upon its arrival to set [Eternal Favorite] from my deck to the field."

After setting the card, he continued his sequence without hesitation. "I activate the Continuous Spell—[Nightmare Pain]."

Countless green thorns spread across the surroundings. Juliette frowned, looking slightly unsettled. The fans of Thousand Peaks Palace collectively shuddered; [Nightmare Pain] had such a formidable presence that Qing Ji felt as if her very dress were filled with sharp thorns.

"I activate the effect of [Pain]," Li Guanqi declared with a wave of his hand. "Destroy [Yubel Spirit] to add [Hellgrave Squirming] from my deck to my hand. Since [Yubel Spirit] was destroyed, I Special Summon—[Yubel]."

"There's no 'once per turn' on that graveyard effect," Juliette remarked. "This new archetype of yours is truly shameless."

Li Guanqi shrugged. "That’s how it is."

"I chain the effect of the Field Spell [Nightmare Throne] to add [Yubel - The Loving Defender Forever] to my hand, and then—I Special Summon it, ignoring its summoning conditions!"

*BOOM!*

A bolt of thunder struck from the sky, a gale swept through the arena, and the low roar of a demon dragon echoed through the air.

Chronicle Counters: 2 -> 3 -> 4

"Huh?" Zicai was the first to notice something off. "Player 0748’s moves differ from the second game. He’s actually summoning [The Loving Defender Forever] on the first turn? What about the mandatory negative effect in the End Phase? Just destroying his own field for nothing?"

Something was wrong. Juliette became hyper-vigilant, scanning the field with a cautious gaze, suspecting there was something nasty at play.

"Four counters..." Li Guanqi murmured, looking at the projection of [Mature Chronicle]. Suddenly, he looked up at Juliette and offered a ghostly, wicked smile.

"Ms. Ju... Juliette, just to confirm."

"You are the last one from your team, right?"

Every sign pointed to this being the match point, but since it was his first time in the Otherworld League, he wanted to be certain. Juliette looked at him suspiciously. The question sounded too amateurish. She wasn't sure if there was some hidden meaning. Was there really someone in this world who didn't know the league rules? If she didn't know better, she'd think he was an alien.

Juliette narrowed her eyes and said in a low voice, "That’s right, I’m the last one. Also, my name is Juliette Ancillica..."

"Thanks," Li Guanqi interrupted. He slowly curled his lips into a smile that grew increasingly arrogant, like a true villain.

"Hehehe..."

"Then I don't need to pretend to be a gentleman anymore!"

He revealed a card from his hand and slammed it onto his duel disk. "I activate the effect of [Hellgrave Squirming] from my hand! This card is Special Summoned, and then, I destroy [Yubel - The Loving Defender Forever]!"

Terrifying bandages flew out from the void, strangling the two-headed demon dragon.

"When [The Loving Defender Forever] leaves the field, I Special Summon—[Yubel - The Ultimate Nightmare]!"

The sky over the arena suddenly darkened, clouds gathered, and a sorrowful, indignant dragon roar resounded. The demon dragon reappeared. However, because it was rarely summoned and had low spirit, it was merely a projection with no oppressive aura.

"Meaningless," Juliette muttered. "Doesn't that still leave you with no interruptions?"

"That’s not necessarily true." Li Guanqi’s lips curled in a trendy, cynical fashion. "With the successful Special Summons of [Hellgrave Squirming] and [The Ultimate Nightmare], [Mature Chronicle] gains two more counters!"

*Ding!*

Chronicle Counters: 4 -> 5 -> 6

"What exactly are you trying to do?" Juliette felt a sudden pressure, her voice turning cautious.

"I activate the effect of [Mature Chronicle]!" Li Guanqi raised one hand high, an imposing momentum surging upward. "I remove five Chronicle Counters... to add [Super Polymerization] to my hand!"

"What?!" The entire audience and the commentators widened their eyes in shock.

*Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!*

Several crisp chimes echoed through the air. A card automatically ejected from the deck, floating in mid-air and vibrating slightly. Li Guanqi waved his hand, adding the card to his hand. A surge of overwhelming power spilled out from the card, whipping up a miniature hurricane.

Zicai was the first to react. "Player 0748 has searched for the legendary lost card—[Super Polymerization]!"

The live broadcast screen reflexively popped up the image and detailed effects of [Super Polymerization].

"Holy sh*t!!!" The forty thousand spectators, friend and foe alike, reached a collective climax.

[Thousand Peaks Palace uses a timeout]

[09:59]

The coach of Thousand Peaks Palace pressed the once-per-team timeout button and pulled Juliette aside to whisper instructions. Qing Ji’s pupils trembled as she clenched her fists. "This guy... he was really hiding it!"

She knew the effect of [Mature Chronicle], but she never expected the deck to contain [Super Polymerization]. That was a card lost to ancient history.