Chapter 218: Preparations Before Battle (Part 1)
"That's right. Once we're dragged into urban warfare, the enemy will be prepared. They'll be in an advantageous position, able to attack or defend at will. But we have to protect the civilians, so we can't afford to retreat. If this continues, we'll definitely be worn down and defeated," Reiji Akaba calmly analyzed.
Silence fell over the room. Reiji Akaba was right; they still had civilians to protect and couldn't afford to play guerrilla warfare with the enemy.
"Therefore, we can only take the initiative and confront them head-on in the open areas on the periphery," Reiji Akaba said, pushing up his glasses and breaking the silence.
"It has to be this way. Including the comrades who came from Neo Domino City as reinforcements, the gap in our numbers isn't that large anymore. However, the enemy might receive reinforcements from the Fusion Dimension at any time, while our forces are finite," Yūga Hōzumi said with a sigh. How could he not understand what Reiji Akaba was saying? If it were the Leash Squad led by that good-for-nothing Aster Phoenix, Yūga Hōzumi would be absolutely confident in wiping them out in one go.
But their new commander, this world's counterpart of Hell Kaiser, was clearly a cut above Aster Phoenix in both tactics and strength. In this situation, if a full-scale war truly broke out, the outcome would be difficult to predict.
But Reiji Akaba was right; they had no other choice.
If they risked an all-out battle on open ground, they still had a chance of victory. But getting constantly worn down by the enemy in urban warfare would be their true undoing.
"The 5,000 warriors from Neo Domino City, along with Jack, Crow, and me, will be under your command," Bruno said, seeing the situation and patting Yūga Hōzumi's shoulder.
"The eight duelists of the Lancers, excluding Shun Kurosaki who was already one of your people, can also follow your arrangements. That includes me," Reiji Akaba said, pushing up his glasses.
"Thank you," Yūga Hōzumi said, looking at the two of them before standing up again. "Garros, pass on the orders. For the next few days, I want intensified training, especially on coordinating with our new comrades. In five days, it's all or nothing."
"Understood," Garros said, taking his leave. The others who remained continued to discuss the details.
...
By the time they finished discussing the specifics of the operation, it was already dawn the next day. His head throbbing, Yūga Hōzumi shook it to clear his thoughts. He called for Serena, who had been helping take notes, and the two of them walked toward the hospital.
Although he was exhausted, Sugihara Yo's current condition concerned him even more.
Halfway there, they saw Aunt Yoko from the Orphanage leading the children out for their morning exercises. As soon as the children saw the pair, they swarmed them excitedly.
After playing with the children for a while, Aunt Yoko seemed to sense that Yūga Hōzumi and Serena had business to attend to, so she led the children elsewhere.
Watching the children's retreating figures, Serena asked with a solemn expression, "We will win, right?"
"Of course," Yūga Hōzumi nodded. "For their sake, failure is not an option."
After speaking, Yūga Hōzumi seemed to remember something else and turned to look at Serena. "By the way, you're quite familiar with the children. Remember to keep a close eye on them, and don't let that guy named Yuya Sakaki get near them."
Hearing this, Serena recalled her memorable first meeting with Yuya Sakaki and nodded vigorously in agreement. This was indeed a point worth noting. It would be a disaster if that guy, who seemed a bit unhinged, ended up being a bad influence on the children.
Soon, the two arrived outside Sugihara Yo's infirmary. After greeting the doctor, they pushed the door open and entered.
But just as Yūga Hōzumi approached the peacefully sleeping Sugihara Yo, the Emperor's Key hanging from his chest lit up with a golden light.
Then, a wave of drowsiness washed over him.
"Are you all right?" Serena asked quickly, noticing Yūga Hōzumi's strange state.
"It's nothing," Yūga Hōzumi said, still somewhat conscious. He waved a hand and lay down on an empty nearby bed. "I guess some big shot wants to see me. If the doctor comes, just say I was exhausted and needed to rest for a bit..."
The moment he finished speaking, Yūga Hōzumi's head tilted to the side, and he fell fast asleep on the pillow.
In Yūga Hōzumi's consciousness, an aqua-blue door slowly appeared.
Without a second thought, Yūga Hōzumi stepped right through it.
Crossing the threshold, Yūga Hōzumi found himself in a garden filled with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers.
At a stone table not far away, Nash sat looking at him with a cryptic smile.
"What do you need from me?" Yūga Hōzumi asked directly. He was very busy, so he skipped the pleasantries.
"Actually, it's nothing major. I was just curious to see what kind of successor my dearest friend has found." With a wave of his hand, a cup of tea appeared on the stone table. Nash then gestured for Yūga Hōzumi to sit.
"How much longer until Yao wakes up?" Yūga Hōzumi asked after sitting down, ignoring the tea Nash had offered.
"About seven more days," Nash said. He snapped his fingers, and a spring overflowing with the essence of life appeared out of thin air on the ground. Sugihara Yo was floating horizontally within the pool of water.
"Seven days..." Yūga Hōzumi frowned. "That means Sugihara Yo won't be able to fight for the first three days?"
"If you're in a hurry, I can accelerate his transformation process, but it might have a slight impact on him," Nash said unhurriedly.
"Then never mind," Yūga Hōzumi refused Nash's suggestion without hesitation. A Sugihara Yo who had mastered the power of the Barians would certainly increase their chances of victory, but the guy's body wasn't great to begin with. Who knew what Nash's "slight impact" actually entailed?
"Is your situation that bad?" Nash asked.
"That's right," Yūga Hōzumi nodded. "Senior, are you planning to lend us a hand?"
"I cannot directly interfere with your world," Nash said, shaking his head.
"However, I can give you a little gift." Nash stood up and waved his right hand. The surrounding scenery changed in an instant. In the blink of an eye, the two were standing in a clearing. Five zones materialized from the armor on Nash's left arm. "But before that, you'll have to satisfy me."
Yūga Hōzumi: ...
He must've seen my Emperor's Key and gotten the itch to duel, huh?
However, Yūga Hōzumi didn't refuse. A gift from a max-level expert like him had to be incredible. For him, any sliver of hope that could increase their chances of winning four days from now was worth fighting for.
"Duel!" ×2
"My turn!" Nash declared, taking the first move.
"I summon Cutter Shark in Attack Position."
"I activate the effect of Cutter Shark! Once a turn, I can target a WATER monster on my field and Special Summon a Fish monster with the same Level but a different name from my Deck in Defense Position."
Hmph. A standard one-card combo for a WATER deck, starting with Cutter Shark.
But in response, Yūga Hōzumi just chuckled and sent a card from his hand to the Graveyard.
...
(end of chapter)