“I stand up!
My Vanguard!”
“I stand up!
My Vanguard!”
The two players revealed their starting units.
The thief smirked.
“Let’s get this over with.”
Kai merely looked at his cards, without any reaction.
The fight had begun.
Not that Katsumi cared much beyond getting his deck back.
He was currently hanging upside down from the monkey bars while observing the match from a respectable distance.
Not too close.
Not too far.
Just enough to clearly see the cards.
The two fighters drew.
They rode their Vanguards.
They called units.
Attacks flew back and forth.
Damage accumulated.
Hands expanded and shrank.
Turn after turn passed.
And after several minutes, Katsumi noticed something.
‘They’re both using Kagero.’
‘Kagero?’
Blue sounded curious.
‘A clan of dragons.’
‘Then…
are they brothers?’
‘I sincerely hope not.’
Adjacent to Katsumi’s internal conversation, the fight slowly approached its climax.
Kai was currently at four damage and had almost no field presence.
The thief was in a much stronger position.
His field was packed with units.
His hand, however, was nearly empty.
A sharp contrast to Kai, who still held six cards.
Every attempt at aggression from the thief had been countered through carefully timed guards and intercepts.
The difference in skill was becoming obvious.
Yet the thief didn’t notice.
“I WILL WIN THIS TURN!
FINAL TURN!!”
The thief shouted his battle cry, practically declaring victory.
Kai’s expression didn’t change.
Then a smirk appeared.
Not a playful one.
Not a mocking one.
It looked more like the grin of a predator that had finally cornered its prey.
“I ride…”
His hand slammed onto the Vanguard Circle.
“Dragonic Executioner!”
Dragonic flames erupted around the circle.
The image of his previous Vanguard vanished beneath a pillar of crimson fire.
Within the inferno stood a massive dragon warrior clad in burning armor.
Its eyes glowed like molten gold.
Its claws dripped with heat.
“With the support of my rear-guard, my Vanguard attacks your Vanguard!”
The thief rested his units.
Dragonic Executioner surged forward.
Flames trailed behind its blade as it charged toward Kai’s Vanguard.
Dragon Knight, Nehalem.
“I guard.”
Kai calmly placed down several cards.
A barrier of draconic energy formed before Nehalem.
The attack crashed against it.
The shockwave scattered leaves across the park.
“Grr!
Drive Check!”
The thief flipped the first card.
“No trigger…”
Second card.
“No trigger!”
His face immediately darkened.
The crowd murmured.
No triggers.
Again.
“I-I end my turn.”
“Heh.”
Kai finally showed some emotion.
A faint chuckle escaped him.
“I stand and draw.”
The thief immediately felt a chill run down his spine.
The kind that warned someone they had made a terrible mistake.
Swoosh!
The wind suddenly intensified.
Even the leaves around the playground began swirling.
Several spectators instinctively looked upward.
“Reduce all to ashes…”
Kai slowly placed a card onto the Vanguard Circle.
“The Eternal Flame…”
The flames returned.
This time they were different.
Bigger.
Wilder.
More violent.
Nehalem disappeared within the inferno.
Wings of fire spread outward.
The silhouette within the flames grew larger and larger.
A tyrannical presence descended upon the battlefield.
“I ride…”
The flames exploded outward.
“…Dragonic Overlord!”
ROOOOAR!!
The dragon’s appearance shook the imagination of everyone watching.
Massive crimson scales.
Black armored plating.
Wings capable of blotting out the sky.
Eyes that burned with endless destruction.
Dragonic Overlord had arrived.
“Dragonic Overlord!?”
“No way!”
“That’s one of Kagero’s strongest cards!”
“The legendary Overlord!”
The crowd instantly erupted.
Even Katsumi raised an eyebrow.
‘Is it really that rare?’
‘Of course.’
Blue sounded offended.
‘Dragons are majestic creatures.
Naturally they are rare.’
‘Pretty sure rarity doesn’t work like that.’
‘It does for dragons.’
‘…Sure, Blue.’
For Katsumi, rarity had always been a questionable concept.
Others were complete garbage.
The Ojama cards still haunted him to this day.
Kai ignored the commotion.
“I move Bahr behind.”
The small dragon shifted positions.
“And I call another Dragon Knight, Nehalem in front of Bahr.”
The field was rebuilt.
The momentum had shifted.
The hunter had become the hunted.
“I attack your Dragon Monk, Gojo with Dragonic Overlord.”
The dragon’s wings spread.
Fire gathered around its body.
“And I activate Overlord’s skill.”
Kai turned three cards in his damage zone sideways.
“Counter Blast three.”
The crowd immediately reacted.
“He’s using the skill!”
“Five thousand extra power!”
Dragonic Overlord roared.
The flames surrounding it intensified.
Its power climbed dramatically.
The pressure alone caused the thief to tense up.
“I-I don’t guard.”
A mistake.
A very big mistake.
“Drive Check”
He flipped the top card.
“No trigger.”
Yet Kai’s expression never changed.
‘That was a mistake.’
Blue suddenly spoke.
His voice had become unusually serious.
‘What mistake?’
Katsumi asked.
‘That dragon is relentless.’
‘How so?’
‘Watch.’
The answer came immediately.
The attack connected.
Dragon Monk, Gojo was engulfed by flames.
The unit disappeared.
Sent directly to the drop zone.
“The second part of Dragonic Overlord’s skill activates.”
Kai’s voice remained calm.
“When Overlord’s attack hits a rear-guard, it stands.”
The crowd exploded.
“No way!”
“It can attack again!”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Dragonic Overlord rose once more.
The dragon’s wings expanded.
Its eyes glowed brighter.
The Eternal Flame had not finished burning.
“I attack Lizard Soldier, Raopia.”
Another attack.
Another victim.
Raopia was consumed by flames and vanished.
The thief’s field continued collapsing.
Piece by piece.
Unit by unit.
The dragon advanced relentlessly.
The thief stared in disbelief.
His carefully built field had been dismantled in seconds.
“And now…”
Kai pointed directly at him.
The dragon turned its gaze toward the enemy Vanguard.
The thief froze.
The killing blow was coming.
“I attack your Vanguard.”
The words felt like a verdict.
The thief looked at his hand.
Empty.
Looked at his field.
Destroyed.
Looked at Dragonic Overlord.
Hopeless.
“I…”
His voice cracked.
“…don’t guard.”
The crowd fell silent.
Even Katsumi stopped swinging on the monkey bars.
“D-Damage Check…”
The thief flipped the card.
“No trigger…”
His shoulders slumped.
The card entered the damage zone.
The thief slowly looked down at the only card remaining on his field.
Dragonic Executioner.
Alone and broken.
Standing before it was the ruler of Kagero itself.
Dragonic Overlord, The Eternal Flame.
Kai stared silently at his opponent.
Then he spoke.
“Do you feel it?”
The thief blinked.
“W-What?”
“The hopelessness.”
The words struck harder than any attack.
The thief’s eyes widened.
For the first time since the fight began, confidence completely disappeared from his face.
Kai slowly raised his hand.
“Your actions brought you here.”
The wind swept through the playground.
Several spectators unconsciously held their breath.
“You stole.”
His gaze turned to the cards besides the thief.
“You lied.”
“You bullied others because you thought nobody could stop you.”
Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“And now you’re experiencing the result.”
The thief clenched his fists.
“Karma.”
The single word echoed heavily.
Then Kai pointed forward.
“And now it ends.”
He rested another card.
“I attack with Dragon Knight, Nehalem!”
The armored dragon knight lowered his lance.
“Boosted by Embodiment of Armor, Bahr!”
ROAR!
Bahr spread his wings and unleashed a burst of crimson fire behind Nehalem.
The knight surged forward like a flaming spear.
Dragonic Executioner attempted to stand its ground.
But it was already exhausted. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Already broken.
The dragon knight pierced through the remaining resistance.
The impact sent sparks and flames scattering across the imaginary battlefield.
Dragonic Executioner staggered.
Cracks spread across its armor.
Then the entire image shattered into countless fragments of light.
The final attack had connected.
“Damage Check…”
The thief’s voice sounded hollow.
Gone was the arrogance.
Gone was his confidence.
Only dread remained.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
He flipped the top card of his deck.
Everyone watched.
Even Katsumi had climbed down from the monkey bars at some point during Blue’s cryptic warnings.
Now he stood nearby with his arms folded.
Waiting.
The card turned over.
The thief stared at it.
His shoulders fell.
“No…
trigger.”
The card slipped from his fingers.
It landed in the damage zone.
Six damage.
Game over.
For a brief moment, nobody spoke.
Then the realization spread through the crowd.
“He lost…”
“Aw man…”
“Dragonic Overlord is insane…”
The whispers rapidly turned into excited chatter.
Meanwhile, the thief remained frozen in place.
Staring at the battlefield.
Staring at the six damage.
Staring at the card he could no longer protect.
Across from him, Kai quietly began gathering his cards.
As if defeating him had been inevitable from the very beginning.
Dragonic Overlord faded from the field.
‘Not bad.
That dragon can fight.’
‘Better than you, at least.’
‘Na na na na.
I am the strongest dragon there ever was and ever will be.’
Teasing Blue slightly, Katsumi decided to get down to business.
“Aye, man.
You lost.
Now give it back.”
Holding out his hand in front of the thief, Katsumi demanded his cards back.
“…O-okay…”
The thief handed them over.
Then, after glancing discreetly at the master of Dragonic Overlord, he turned and ran away.
“Bye-bye, I guess.”
Katsumi scratched his head as he watched the thief’s fading figure disappear into the distance.
“Listen, kid.”
The newcomer’s voice rang out.
“What?”
Katsumi turned around.
The newcomer had already packed up his deck and looked ready to leave.
“Don’t get your things stolen again.
You’re lucky I was there.”
“Thank you, I guess?
Though I could’ve gotten them back regardless of your help.”
Katsumi bowed slightly.
“Oh?”
One of the newcomer’s eyebrows rose in curiosity.
“And how exactly would you have done that?”
Katsumi answered without hesitation.
“I would’ve stolen them back.
Simple.”
“…”
The park wasn’t empty.
Children were still playing.
Birds were still chirping.
Yet the silence that followed felt deafening.
“Hahaha…”
The newcomer suddenly laughed.
“Quite the interesting choice of action.”
Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a card.
“Here.”
He held it out toward Katsumi.
“I don’t have much use for it, but judging by your collection, I think it’ll be more useful to you.”
Katsumi accepted the card and examined it.
Blaster Blade.
His eyes blinked once.
Then twice.
It was definitely a card.
A very good card, in fact.
“It’s good, but I don’t really—”
Katsumi looked up.
“Hey!
Where are you going!?”
The newcomer had already started walking away.
The wind blew gently across the park, causing his hair to sway.
Without turning around, he raised a hand.
“Take it.”
His voice remained calm.
“I have a feeling you’ll need it someday.”
And with that, he left.
Katsumi stared at the card in his hand.
Then at the retreating figure.
Then back at the card.
“…Weird guy.”
‘Father.’
‘What?’
‘That one possesses good taste.’
Katsumi looked down at the Blaster Blade again.
‘How exactly?’
‘He recognized greatness and gave his tribute.’
‘That’s not what happened.
And how do you know about tribute?
Weren’t you new to life?’
Whistle…
Katsumi rolled his eyes.
Somehow, Blue managed to make everything about himself.
Still…
His fingers tightened slightly around the card.
Blaster Blade.
A strange gift from a strange person.