Wang Cheng, as both the Deputy Director of the Duel Enforcement Bureau and the Branch Chief of the Duel Association, had seen his fair share of unusual duelists — players with bizarre combos or mind-bending logic. Because of that, he'd memorized the effects of even the weakest archetypes — Heralds, Cyber Angels, and all.
That was exactly why, when You Ye said earlier that a properly built Drytron deck could "strip the opponent of their right to play," Wang Cheng understood completely.
Anyone who had ever read Herald of Ultimateness's effect would agree without hesitation.
That card's power was absurd — a "tricolor negate" with no chain restriction. As long as you had enough Fairy monsters in hand, you could keep negating indefinitely.
To put it simply: unless your deck had something like Forbidden Droplet, Dark Ruler No More, a Kaiju, or a counter trap that Herald couldn't chain to, you had no way to play. If your opponent had enough "ammo," you were already dead — you just hadn't realized it yet.
Of course, a card that powerful wasn't easy to summon. Herald decks had very few starters, and even achieving three negates was considered the absolute limit — a feat most duelists could only dream of.
But You Ye was different.
Even with what he called a "compromised setup," he'd already produced four negates.
If Wang Cheng didn't already know a bit about You Ye's background, he'd have thought the whole thing was a hallucination.
"Old Wang, what's with that face? You look like you've seen a ghost," Luo Hao asked, noticing Wang Cheng's grim expression. As an Earth-tier Duelist, Wang Cheng was rarely unsettled — so that look meant something serious.
"You're… not going to get another turn," Wang Cheng said quietly, taking a slow breath.
"What?" Luo Hao frowned. He didn't understand.
Sure, you, Ye, had two monsters on the field — Herald of Ultimateness and Drytron Alpha Thuban — but how could that alone spell his defeat?
He had four playable cards in hand, and Cyber Dragons were all about burst damage.
Even with Herald's 2800 Defense, if he got rolling, he could crush that board in seconds!
Mu Ning and Chang Xingge were equally puzzled. If this were a "compromise board," why did Wang Cheng look like someone at a funeral?
Still, both of them chose not to argue. Wang Cheng wasn't one to exaggerate.
Then You Ye smiled. "All right, I'll disable the effect text lock on Herald so you can all read it."
The others leaned forward. On the screen, the effect appeared:
When your opponent activates a monster effect, Spell, or Trap:
You can send 1 Fairy monster from your hand to the GY; negate that activation, and if you do, destroy it.
"...What kind of monster is this?" Chang Xingge gasped.
Both she and Mu Ning instantly understood.
You Ye still had four Fairy monsters in hand — that meant four negates.
And Luo Hao himself had said he had four playable cards.
Four to four. No chance.
Mu Ning finally realized why You Ye had once said that unless someone had a specific counter like Forbidden Droplet, not even her Runick deck could break through. If this were a compromise board with four negates, then what about a full combo — five? Six? There was simply no way through.
Chang Xingge, on the other hand, was thrilled.
Sure, you, Ye, hadn't used much of the Drytron core this duel, but from his words and setup, it was clear: Drytron was the main engine.
That meant if she just managed to collect the Herald and Cyber Angel components, she could replicate this deck — and finally climb past Earth-tier herself!
Her heart was pounding with excitement.
"So," You Ye said lightly, looking at the silent Luo Hao, "still planning to play your next turn?"
"Of course! A true duelist never backs down!" Luo Hao said, forcing a confident grin.
He was betting on two things:
1️⃣ Maybe You Ye only had three Fairies in hand.
2️⃣ Even if there were four, maybe his next draw wouldn't be another Fairy.
If he got even a single opening, his Cyber Dragon could still swing for lethal. After all, he had over 11,000 LP — even Herald's 3800 combined with Alpha Thuban couldn't finish him off next turn.
Wang Cheng and Chang Xingge exchanged knowing looks.
"My turn's over," You Ye said calmly. "Go ahead."
Luo Hao drew, moving straight into Main Phase 1.
"I activate Cyberdark Cannon from my hand! I discard it to—"
"Too long," You Ye interrupted, cutting him off mid-sentence. "Chain 2 — Herald of Ultimateness! I discard Herald of Orange Light to negate and destroy your effect."
Luo Hao: "???"
Wang Cheng, Chang Xingge, Mu Ning: "…"
Was he serious? He didn't even listen to the effect before negating it?!
The chain resolved. Cyberdark Cannon was negated and destroyed.
"I activate my Spell Card — Triple Tactics Talent! I'll—"
"Don't bother," You Ye interrupted again. "Chain 2 — Herald of Ultimateness! Discard Cyber Angel Benten. Negate."
"I Normal Summon Cyber Dragon Core—"
"Discard Diviner of the Herald. Negate."
One by one, each attempt was shut down before it even began.
Luo Hao's mouth twitched as he stared at You Ye's final card.
"This… this has to be your last hand card," he said cautiously. "I activate Cyber Emergency! I'll search—"
To his surprise, You Ye didn't respond.
For the first time, Herald stayed silent.
Luo Hao's eyes lit up. "He's out of ammo!" he thought. Victory was possible again!
But before he could celebrate, Chang Xingge spoke up in confusion.
"Senior, why didn't you negate that? That's probably his last combo starter! If you stop Cyber Emergency, he's done for!"
Mu Ning and Wang Cheng both nodded — it seemed obvious. Why let him play?
You Ye smiled faintly. "For the sake of the gods, I'll teach you a little duel theory."
He pointed at the screen. "Look closely. Herald's text says:
'When your opponent activates a monster effect, Spell, or Trap: negate that activation and destroy it.'
Chang Xingge blinked. "Isn't that the same thing as 'negate its effect'? What's the difference?"
You Ye chuckled. "Normally, there isn't much. But in the case of Cyber Emergency, there is."
He raised a finger. "First—if I negate its activation, that means the effect never successfully activated. So if he has another copy of Cyber Emergency in hand, he can immediately use it again."
"Second—if Cyber Emergency's activation is negated and it's sent to the Graveyard, it has a second effect that lets him discard one card to return it to his hand."
"In short, if I negated it, he could just recycle it and use it again."
The room went silent.
Four heads — three humans and one Duel Spirit — all turned blank.
Their brains itched like they were growing new folds.
"This," You Ye said with a grin, "is the beauty of the duel system—"
He paused dramatically. —No, the beauty of KaibaCorp's rules themselves.