Chapter 4: The Strongest Monster!

Feeling down and frustrated, but without much to complain about, You Yu knew it was expected. After all, he chose to play a pure hero deck.

"Is there nothing I can do when all I have are weak monsters?" Pandora mocked, adding insult to injury. He grinned and drew the next card.

"It's my turn!" You Yu glanced at the card he drew and instinctively played it without hesitation. "I summon the Vengeful Killer Doll!"

A monster card materialized on the field, accompanied by special projection effects. The intertwining light and shadows formed the image of a sinister doll. Its dislocated jaw and small axe in hand created a creepy atmosphere as it let out a disturbing laughter.

[Vengeful Killer Doll, Attack Power 1600]

"First, destroy the weak monster you used for defense," Pandora declared, waving his arm to reveal his magician's red dress. "Killer Tomato, crush that feeble monster!"

The large red tomato jumped high and lunged at the Wingman.

A jumping and screaming tomato seemed oddly amusing.

Despite being a hero, Wingman found himself helpless against the tomato with its measly defense of one thousand points.

Gritting his teeth, Wingman tensed his muscles, trying to muster more strength. However, he was still knocked to the ground by the Little Tomato. The tomato then took a vicious bite on Wingman's arm, causing him to shatter like broken glass and vanish from the field.

"Now, you have no monsters to protect you," Pandora smiled and waved again. "Killer Doll, direct attack!"

The little puppet enthusiastically obeyed the command, rushing forward with its axe.

Oddly enough, the realistic three-dimensional image in the virtual world appeared visually impactful. The doll charged forward like a possessed toy from a horror movie, creating a heart-pounding scene.

Instinctively, You Yu raised his arm to shield himself. The little axe passed through his arm, creating a sensation of shock and pain.

According to the explanation in the Duel Monsters animation, this was the damage simulated by the Duel Disk. However, how the device worn on the hand simulated impact damage remained a mystery, a testament to the incredible technology of the Haima Company.

[You Yu, LP 4000 → LP 2400]

Luckily, this was a Duel in the early stages of the Duel Monsters period. Duels during this time were simpler, with fewer fancy mechanics.

If it were a late-game duel, You Yu would have struggled against any mainstream deck.

"Huh, just a third-rate duelist," Pandora sneered. With a wave of his arm, his cloak billowed. "My turn is over!"

"Here we go," You Yu announced, drawing another card. His expression changed slightly.

"Huh? Did you get a rare card?" Pandora sneered, noticing the change in You Yu's expression. "Well then, let me see your rare card!"

You Yu gave him a skeptical look.

"Fine, I'll show you my strongest monster!"

He drew a card from his hand.

"Come forth, Elemental Hero Sparkman!"

Countless electric currents surged, and a bright light emerged from the ground. A slender hero wearing a dark blue mask jumped out, surrounded by swirling blue electrical energy.

[Elemental Hero Sparkman, Attack Power 1600]

Pandora was stunned. He adjusted his mask under his hood and blinked, as if trying to confirm what he was seeing.

"This monster... is your trump card?" Pandora asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Yes, it is," You Yu replied seriously.

You Yu was honest and trustworthy, and he didn't lie. Among the four monsters in his deck, Elemental Hero Sparkman had the highest attack power, an impressive 1600 points. It was indeed the strongest monster in his deck.

The Sparkman on the field seemed to understand its master had called it the ace. Its entire demeanor changed, puffing out its chest and exuding an aura of invincibility.

"Go, Sparkman!" You Yu pointed at Killer Tomato. "Attack Killer Tomato!"

The little tomato's expression suddenly changed, and the leaves on its forehead looked as if they were about to fall off. Thunder Giant leaped high, and with a swift strike of its right palm, a blue lightning bolt shot through the tomato like a javelin, obliterating it on the spot.

[Pandora, LP 4000 → LP 3800]

Pandora's face remained expressionless as he retrieved his deck from the Duel Disk with one hand. He spread the deck out and began searching for cards while grumbling, "The effect of Killer Tomato... When it's destroyed in battle, I can remove it from the deck and summon a dark monster with an attack power of 1500 or less."

He found a second Killer Tomato from the deck, placed it on the Duel Board, shuffled the cards, and inserted the deck back into the Duel Disk.

[Killer Tomato, Attack Power 1400]

"My turn is over,"

You Yu announced the end of his turn, but Pandora didn't rush to draw a card. Instead, he stared menacingly at You Yu.

"You... don't you have a rare card?" Pandora asked, his eyes piercing into You Yu.

You Yu shrugged innocently. "I never claimed to have one."

Although he knew that others assumed he had a rare card based on the Duel Disk he possessed, You Yu was a destitute soul, a mere guy without any extraordinary cards.

Pandora's face darkened further, his gaze fixed on You Yu.

You Yu could roughly understand Pandora's mood. It was akin to a thief climbing a wall and knocking on someone else's window, only to find nothing of value inside. Frustrated, Pandora muttered about some poor ghost.

"In that case, don't blame me," Pandora threatened, placing his finger on the next card in his deck. "New rule: if you lose, I'll take your entire deck of cards, your Duel Disk... everything! It's my turn. Draw!"

Bruh.

He added the new card to his hand and stared at You Yu with an intense gaze.

"I want you to realize that I am the highest-level magician in the Duel Monsters world," Pandora declared, holding a card up dramatically. "Behold! My most powerful servant—the Dark Magician!"

Killer Tomato and the Vengeful Doll vanished in beams of light, replaced by swirling blood-red mist that spiraled into existence.

The Dark Magician appeared out of thin air, surrounded by the mist. He wore a red hat, armor-like robes, and held a dark green magic wand. With a confident smile, he gazed at his opponent.

[Dark Magician, Attack Power 2500]

This was Pandora's ace monster, the legendary Dark Magician of the Duel Monsters world. However, unlike Muto Game's Dark Magician, Pandora's version was dressed in dark red robes, and his complexion was darker.

You Yu couldn't help but find it tiresome. Muto Game's Dark Magician could be the reincarnation of an Egyptian priest, so perhaps Pandora's Dark Magician could be the chieftain of some African tribe...

"Dark Magician!" Pandora shouted. "Crush Him!"