Who Let Him Play Yugioh? (Re-Upload)

Tenma took a deep breath.

His Life Points were down to 500, and the field was almost empty. Meanwhile, his opponent still had the legendary ”Envoy of the Beginning”—a Duel Monsters icon—on the field. It was as unfavorable as it could get, an almost hopeless situation.

But why?

Why couldn’t he stop trembling?

That’s it. This feeling.

Standing before a top-tier opponent, burning everything he had as a duelist—this thrill of giving it his all in battle.

Mokuba had been right. Back then, after dueling Yugi Muto, he’d helped shake off the mind control of the Three Wicked Gods, but right after that, he’d felt his limit.

For years, he’d felt unable to surpass his limit, as if he’d reached his potential. But that’s exactly why he craved powerful opponents.

Only by fighting the strong could he be pushed to break his limits and reach new heights.

And now, unexpectedly, against a first-year at Duel Academy, he found that feeling again.

No doubt, this was an opponent worth giving his all to try and break through!

Even though he was the one with the ”Legendary Duelist” title, and the other was just a student, Tenma naturally placed himself as the challenger.

He would cross this chasm, and achieve his breakthrough!

”My turn, draw!” Tenma declared. ”I activate the Spell Card ’Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards!”

After drawing, Tenma squinted and couldn’t help but smile.

It seemed he’d drawn the reversal he needed.

”First, I activate the Spell Card ’Level Award!’” Tenma continued. ”I select a monster I control and change its Level to any value from O to 8!” (Original manga card).

He’d also used this card against Yugi in the manga.

”I choose my ’Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon’ and raise its Level to 8!”

[Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon, LV5 → LV8]

Mokuba raised an eyebrow. ”A Level-adjusting card?”

”That’s right, this is the final setup for the arrival of my new power!”

Tenma slowly drew a card from his hand.

”This is the first time I’m using this new power in front of anyone. I never thought it would be in a situation like this.”

Kira frowned a little.

What was with this card-suspense-like action?

”But you are indeed an opponent worthy of my full strength, so watch closely—the evolved form of the King of Divine Beasts!

I tribute my Level 8 ’Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon’ to Special Summon from my hand!”

He raised the monster card high above his head. Even before the summon, it felt as if a storm was rising.

”The heartbeat of the divine beast shakes the earth, crossing the river of time—

—Beast King Barbaros, Summon!!”

The earth trembled, and the divine beast emerged from the storm, its golden mane gleaming as if wrapped in a divine halo. Its eyes shone sharp as blades. The sphinx-like giant beast slammed its claws into the ground, sending swirling dust and sand into a vortex.

King Beast Barbaros, summoned!

Kira eyed Barbaros’s new skin.

Tenma truly hadn’t been idle—he’d given his ace a new form.

[King Beast Barbaros, ATK 3000]

”This card is Level 8, but it doesn’t require two tributes to Normal Summon. You can Special Summon it by tributing monsters with a combined Level of 8 or higher!”

Tenma declared.

”And, once per turn, ’King Beast Barbaros’ can banish ’Barbaros’ monsters from your field or graveyard to destroy up to two cards your opponent controls!”

Mokuba was shocked. ”What a powerful effect!”

”That’s right! This is the evolved form of the Beast King. If you want to defeat my final trump card, go ahead and try!” Tenma said. ”I banish ’Beast King Barbaros’ from my graveyard to destroy ’Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning’ and your set card on the left!”

Kira immediately responded. ”Counter Trap—Divine Wrath! By discarding a card, I negate and destroy the effect of an Effect Monster!”

Tenma was startled.

Even at this point, he’d still hidden such a trap.

He’d used up all his resources; King Beast was both his ace and his last card. If Barbaros got countered here, he’d have no way back.

No way!

”Counter Trap—Destruction Jammer!” Tenma’s backrow activated. ”Discard a card to negate and destroy a card that would destroy monsters on the field!”

Divine Wrath’s thunder crashed down but struck only a transparent shield. The ripples spread, and the backlash destroyed Divine Wrath itself.

Counter successful!

”King Beast’s effect goes through!” Tenma cried. ”Destroy Black Luster Soldier and that set card!”

The King Beast’s thunder swept the field, instantly clearing Kira’s side. Black Luster Soldier exploded in the lightning, and the set card—a ”Magic Cylinder”—was also destroyed.

”And the card I discarded was ’Card of Compensation,’ which lets me draw two cards when sent from hand to graveyard!” (Manga card)

”You had Divine Wrath and a Magic Cylinder on your field. That’s some solid defense,” Tenma said. ”But now, your defenses are wiped out!”

Even the watching card professors seemed to think the duel was decided.

”But to push Lord Tenma this far…” Tilla commented. ”And he’s just a student. What a scary boy.”

This one would surely go far.

But Tenma didn’t relax.

Is it over?

No, as long as you have Life Points, never let your guard down.

He could sense this opponent was different.

He’d only removed the obvious defenses—the opponent might still have countermeasures.

”I activate the Spell Card ’Exchange!’” Tenma said. ”We reveal our hands and each take a card from the other’s hand!”

The card professors were stunned.

Hadn’t he already won?

Why swap cards now?

”Such terrifying intuition…”

Kira revealed his hand.

Tenma narrowed his eyes.

Just as he thought.

Kiteroid!

By discarding it from your hand, you can block direct attack damage—a last-resort defense.

A card professor gasped. ”He still had a counter in hand!”

”Lord Tenma even predicted that…”

Tenma: ”Then I’ll take your ’Kiteroid’!”

Kira: ”I’ll take your ’Gaap the Divine Soldier’.”

A card Tenma had used in the manga—a Level 6, 2200 ATK Fiend. Not that useful, but he had nothing else; Tenma only had that left.

”He even removed Kira’s last defense. This guy’s impressive,” Mokuba muttered.

He glanced at Kira again.

Was this… the end for him?

Well, to bring Tenma this far was already quite something.

”King Beast Barbaros, direct attack!”

Tenma raised his hand and shouted.

The finishing blow, his final offensive!

But he had a strange feeling.

Even after all this, maybe this attack… was still one step short.

Sure enough, just as the King Beast’s blow landed, a surge of electricity erupted from Kira’s side—like a transparent shield, magnetic repulsion forced the King Beast back.

Kira: ”From the graveyard, ’Electromagnetic Turtle’s’ effect! Once per duel, during the opponent’s Battle Phase, I can banish it to immediately end the Battle Phase.”

Tenma let out a long breath.

Somehow, though it was a little disappointing the attack didn’t go through, he wasn’t surprised.

”When did you send it to the graveyard?” Tenma asked.

Kira: ”’Morphing Jar.’”

”I see.” Tenma mused. ”So you set up such a deep defense so early…”

He smiled and shook his head.

”Then, my turn ends.”