Wanna Duel? I've Got the Pharaoh's Deck! [18]

The deadlock was broken.

The reason Yuuhi had been able to hold his own against Izayoi Yuki for so long—waiting for an opening—was the presence of [Valkyrion the Magna Warrior].

It was that powerhouse that kept Yuki’s aggression at bay. But now that his iron wall had crumbled, the girl had no reason to hold back.

“This turn will end it—[Red Dragon Archfiend], there’s no need to wait any longer. Attack. Overwhelm him with Absolute Authority!”

“ROARRR!!”

Flames surged, crimson and roaring. [Red Dragon Archfiend] let out a thunderous cry as its hellish claws swept down from the sky toward Yuuhi’s Set monster.

“When [Red Dragon Archfiend] attacks a Defense Position monster, after damage calculation, it destroys all Defense Position monsters your opponent controls. So even if that Set monster can’t be destroyed by battle—it’s pointless.”

Yuki’s explanation echoed across the field, trailing behind the violent assault of her dragon.

It was almost unnecessary.

Beneath [Red Dragon Archfiend’s] burning claws, Yuuhi’s Set monster was revealed.

It wasn’t some indestructible roach—it went up in flames almost instantly. But in the blaze, its dying soul still left behind a final will.

“The monster you destroyed was [Witch of the Black Forest]. Her effect lets me add [Jack’s Knight] from my Deck to my hand.”

“Then [Moonlight Rose Dragon], direct attack!”

With [Witch of the Black Forest] defeated, Yuuhi had no monsters left on his field. Yuki’s next command rang out—cool and resolute—summoning a shrill roar from [Moonlight Rose Dragon].

The dragon opened its maw, pink flames swirling in its throat, ready to consume Yuuhi’s frail silhouette whole.

“At this moment—I activate the effect of [Kuribohrn] in the Graveyard!”

“When your opponent declares a direct attack, banish this card: draw one card. If it’s a Monster, Special Summon it and redirect the attack to that monster instead.”

If he could just draw a monster with higher ATK than Moonlight Rose, he could block the blow.

“Draw!”

Yuuhi’s fingers slid across the card back, pulling it out in one smooth motion. His gaze flicked over it. “...I won’t be Special Summoning.”

“Then this is the end. This attack will wipe out your Life Points. Your Deck didn’t respond at your moment of need—that’s the difference between those who have Feel and those who don’t,” Yuki declared, her voice resolute.

Unless one’s Feel was completely suppressed, it was almost impossible for someone with Feel to draw a dead hand.

Had it been her in this situation, she’d definitely have drawn something useful. But Yuuhi…

“No. It’s not over yet!”

There was no despair in Yuuhi’s voice. That failed clutch draw hadn’t shaken him.

He reached toward his Graveyard, retrieving a card that had been resting there.

“Once per Duel, I banish [Electromagnetic Turtle] from my Graveyard—its effect activates! It forcibly ends your Battle Phase.”

Electric arcs surged across the battlefield, enveloping Yuki’s monsters. Violet lightning crackled between the rose-petal scales of [Moonlight Rose Dragon], freezing its body with a sudden jolt.

“That turtle... when did it get there?” Yuki started, then caught herself. “Wait—it was the monster you Tributed for [Solemn Warning]!”

“Exactly.”

Yuuhi nodded. “It was my backup plan—my insurance. As long as I had this card, I knew I wouldn’t lose this turn.”

“If that’s the case, why didn’t you use it at the start of the Battle Phase?”

Red eyes narrowed in confusion as Yuki asked, “If you’d used it then, your monster wouldn’t have been destroyed.”

And not just that. [Red Dragon Archfiend’s] mandatory effect would’ve triggered, destroying Moonlight Rose as collateral. For Yuuhi, that would’ve been a solid line of play.

“I could have, yes. But that would’ve only delayed the inevitable.”

Yuuhi admitted honestly, “You’re right—[Kuribohrn] is a one-off in my Deck. If [Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis'] burn effect went off again, I’d lose without even entering battle. So I made a gamble.”

“A gamble?”

“Ah—you mean the next draw,” Mai chimed in immediately, picking up on his intent from experience.

“[Kuribohrn] and [Witch of the Black Forest]—they’re both deck thinners. You’re trying to increase your odds of drawing what you need, right? Yuuhi-kun, you’re planning to end it next turn?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Before Yuuhi could respond, Yuki cut in with a frown. “He just failed a draw. You really think he’ll hit it next time? Don’t forget, Mai—he hasn’t dealt me a single point of damage. If he wants to win next turn, he has to break through [Red Dragon Archfiend] and [Moonlight Rose Dragon] and deal me 8000 LP worth of damage. You really think that’s possible?”

“Then why don’t we find out?”

A calm voice rose from across the field. Yuuhi looked up, meeting her eyes.

“Yuki-san, I might not have this thing you call Feel. But I believe in this Deck. Even without Feel—it answers me.”

“Unbelievable. You’re just gambling.”

“Maybe so.”

Yuuhi smiled. A quiet, inexplicable smile that Yuki couldn’t begin to understand.

“That’s the thing about Dueling—it’s the unknown that makes it fun. And besides, I’m already here. Might as well believe in something mysterious. Like… the bond between me and my cards. Whether I succeed or not—we’ll know soon enough.”

Snow, I want you to remember this.

In this world, Duels may govern fate—but what truly matters isn’t wealth, or knowledge, or even Feel. It’s the connection to your cards. The strength of your conviction.

“...Fine then. Let’s see what happens—if you can actually pull off your third miracle.”

Yuki seemed done arguing. She resumed her Duel in silence.

“I Set one card. End Phase: I banish one Plant from my Graveyard to revive [Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis]. Then [Red Dragon Archfiend’s] effect activates—since it didn’t attack, it destroys [Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis] and inflicts 800 damage to you.”

“Agh…”

[Yuuhi LP: 2200 → 1400]

The phoenix flames exploded, burning Yuuhi once more, dragging his LP closer to the brink.

Two more like that and he wouldn’t even need to be attacked to lose.

With three [Lonefire Blossoms] already in the Graveyard, Yuki had more than enough fuel for her phoenix.

“[Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis'] revival effect has no once-per-turn limit. I banish another [Lonefire Blossom] to revive it in Defense Position. Turn end.”

“With Yuki’s turn over, it’s back to Yuuhi-kun!”

Mai cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone, cheering him on as both judge and friend.

“You’ve got this, Yuuhi! This is it!”

“Right. My turn. Draw!”

Fueled by her encouragement, Yuuhi nodded, drawing with force. Just like before, he held it up for all to see.

“During my Draw Phase, [Heart of the Underdog] activates. I drew [Dark Magician], so I draw again.”

“Well? Did you get it—the card that’ll turn everything around?”

Yuki watched him stop at a single draw, not continuing the usual chain of Normal Monsters. She knew that meant he’d drawn something else.

“I didn’t. These cards alone aren’t enough.”

Yuuhi slid the two cards into his hand. Then, from the far right, he picked another card and placed it in his Duel Disk.

But even that small motion shimmered with the potential of something greater.

“—I activate the Spell Card: [Graceful Charity]!”

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This is a fan translation of 打牌吗？ 我王样卡组！by 夏日戏言 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!