Yu Ye's words left both An Chong and the black-robed man completely stunned.
What kind of card had he just drawn—to make him so confident as to declare that next turn he'd be in complete control?
At this point, even if he drew Effect Veiler, it wouldn't help. His Extra Monster Zone was already occupied by Muning—there was no way he could make a 1+9 Synchro to bring out Baronne de Fleur. The best he could do was a 1+3!
Unless… he had a Level 4 monster for a tricolor negate Synchro?
The black-robed man's face darkened.
There was one Level 4 tricolor negation Synchro Monster he knew of. His voice turned low and grave as he looked toward Yu Ye.
"You… you managed to get Herald of the Arc Light?"
"Oh? You know Herald? That's impressive," Yu Ye replied, a little surprised. "But no—I don't have that card."
The black-robed man fell silent again, lost in thought.
Then Yu Ye's voice broke the quiet once more.
"Still… you're not far off. It is a tricolor negation monster. But unlike Baronne, it doesn't just negate once per turn."
"Once per turn?" The black-robed man lowered his head slightly, saying nothing.
If anyone else had said that, he'd have slapped them for talking nonsense. With only a Level 3 monster and a Link-2 monster on the field, how could he possibly summon something that negated once per turn?
But Yu Ye's dueling knowledge was on another level. Even the black-robed man didn't dare question him.
An Chong, meanwhile, was grinning slyly, staring at the Skill Drain set in his back row.
Yu Ye might be strong—very strong—but he wouldn't be summoning anything once that trap flipped. Even if Little Knight left the field next turn, he could activate Skill Drain again on his own turn.
Victory was already in his grasp.
"I'll set one card and end my turn," An Chong said. "Little Knight's effect resolves now!"
Little Knight and Naturia Beast returned to their owners' fields—Little Knight to Yu Ye's main monster zone, not the Extra Monster Zone. Muning's effect also triggered, restoring Yu Ye's Life Points by 1000.
Yu Ye LP: 4800 → 5800
"My turn—draw!" Yu Ye looked down at the card he'd just pulled.
Across the field, An Chong's smirk widened. Yu Ye's own smile deepened in response.
"Go straight to Main Phase 1?" Yu Ye asked casually.
"No objections," An Chong replied.
"Then I Normal Summon Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring."
As he spoke, a small girl in a white kimono appeared in Yu Ye's field. Trembling slightly, she darted forward and clung to Yu Ye's chest. Yu Ye gently patted her hair. "It's okay."
"...???"
"You even have Ash Blossom?!" The black-robed man's eyes flashed a bright green, his voice trembling with excitement.
That card was every Earth-tier duelist's dream—a hand trap far rarer and more versatile than Effect Veiler, and the mark of true power. Almost every Heaven-tier Dark Duelist had one—or even two or three!
If Yu Ye joined them, just having that card alone would raise their organization's collective strength dramatically.
"Yes," Yu Ye nodded, smiling faintly. "It's an original copy."
He glanced at the black-robed man expectantly. In his mind, Dark Duelists were walking bags of coins—two just weren't enough. He needed more bait. The more that came, the more he could farm.
And just as he hoped, the moment he dropped that piece of bait, the black-robed man looked as though he could barely restrain himself from jumping in and defeating Yu Ye right then to claim the card.
But that was impossible. The laws of this world placed dueling above all else. During a duel, no one—human or otherwise—could interfere.
"An Chong," the black-robed man said after a moment, eyes still fixed on the girl. "If you defeat him, the organization will promote you to Earth-tier within six months."
"Hahaha! Boy, you really are my lucky star!" An Chong's laughter grew wild.
He had joined the Dark Duelist organization because he'd been stuck at Mystic-tier for nearly fifty years. It was his only hope of breaking through.
Just last night, he'd finally been given a chance: if he defeated Yu Ye, he'd reach Earth-tier within three years. Now? That promise had shortened to half a year.
In six months, he'd be one of the elites!
"Ever consider," Yu Ye said dryly, "that I might be your curse instead?"
An Chong blinked.
The irony of it all—he'd soon be defeated, erased by the Duel Rules themselves, yet he called Yu Ye his benefactor. Did a single set trap really give him that much confidence?
He clearly didn't understand—Yu Ye had told him what he was going to summon precisely because he knew An Chong couldn't stop it. Primitive minds truly were fascinating.
"Hahahaha, you'll understand soon enough!" An Chong laughed, his tone dark and mocking.
Yu Ye caught the glint in his eye and glanced at the face-down card. His expression turned odd. Just one Trap Card was supposed to stop him?
If it were a Counter Trap, fine—it could delay him a turn or two at best. But just that?
"Fine then." Yu Ye's tone cooled. It was time to end this duel.
"I use Muning and Ash Blossom as Link Material—link arrows, set! From the forbidden list, awaken—Link-2: Predaplant Verte Anaconda!"
As his voice fell, Muning and Ash Blossom dissolved into twin arrows of light. A massive emerald serpent coiled forth from the portal, its fanged maw dripping venom as it hissed furiously toward An Chong.
"How dare you drag my chosen one into a Dark Duel?" it seemed to roar.
"Easy, Anaconda," Yu Ye said gently. "With your help, this duel's about to end."
At his words, Verte Anaconda coiled protectively beside him, eyes locked on An Chong with cold, predatory focus.
An Chong stared at the creature. Its attack wasn't that high, its appearance not particularly terrifying—but a crushing, primal pressure rolled off its scales, making his knees weak.
Even the black-robed man felt it. The green light in his eyes flickered rapidly as he tried to recall which effect could make Yu Ye call this "a tricolor negation monster."
"Verte Anaconda's effect," Yu Ye declared. "By paying 2000 LP, I can send one Fusion Normal or Quick-Play Spell from my Deck to the GY, and this card's effect becomes that Spell's effect. After activation, I can't Special Summon any more monsters this turn."
"I pay 2000 LP and send Red-Eyes Fusion from my Deck to the GY to activate its effect!"
Yu Ye LP: 5800 → 3800
"Red-Eyes Fusion…?"
Both An Chong and the black-robed man blinked in confusion.
What was he planning? Monsters from that card were strong, sure—but not that strong. What did this have to do with "tricolor negation"?
An Chong almost didn't bother chaining anything, letting it go through—until the black-robed man suddenly shouted—
"Wait—WHAT?! HIM?!"
The moment he saw the realization flash in the black-robed man's eyes, An Chong froze.
He didn't understand what kind of monster could make a high-ranking Earth-tier duelist react like that—but he knew one thing.
He had to stop it.
"I chain!" he shouted. "I activate my face-down Trap—Skill Drain! Targeting your Verte Anaconda—its effects are negated until the end of this turn!"
His tension melted away instantly, replaced by laughter.
"Hahahaha! Your biggest mistake was telling me what you were going to summon. If you hadn't, I might've actually let it resolve!"
"Or," Yu Ye said, his grin turning eerie, "maybe I told you because I knew you couldn't stop me."
"...What?"
An Chong and the black-robed man stared blankly. He knew there was negotiation on the field, yet he'd still declared his summons?
Impossible. Little Knight already had two absurd effects—there couldn't possibly be a third. And Runick Spells didn't negate Traps. So why was he so confident?
Yu Ye's smile deepened.
"You two," he said, "don't actually understand Little Knight's second effect, do you?"
"Little Knight's effect doesn't target one monster on each side. It simply targets any two monsters on the field—banishing them both until the End Phase."
The realization hit them like a thunderbolt.
"Oh no—!"
Too late.
Because Skill Drain targeted Verte Anaconda directly—if that monster disappeared from the field before resolution, the Trap would fizzle entirely.
"I chain again!" Yu Ye shouted. "Little Knight's effect—target herself and Verte Anaconda! Both are banished until the end of the turn!"
Chains resolved:C3: Little Knight's effect resolves successfully—Little Knight and Verte Anaconda are banished until the End Phase.C2: Skill Drain loses its target and fails to resolve.C1: Verte Anaconda's copied Red-Eyes Fusion effect activates—sending Dark Magician and Red-Eyes Black Dragon from the Deck to the GY to Fusion Summon—A crimson magic circle exploded on Yu Ye's field, spewing flames and arcane light that merged into a dragon's roar and a magician's incantation.
"Fusion Summon! Dark Magician the Dragon Knight – Red-Eyes Dragoon!"
The black and scarlet dragon knight descended, spear blazing with black fire, eyes burning through the smoke.
Red-Eyes Dragoon has entered the battlefield.