"Huh? I actually misjudged someone for once?""That's because Rebecca isn't just a naïve girl anymore," Wutong teased."Ugh, you really have a knack for lame jokes!" Rebecca huffed, pouting in annoyance.
"Alright, I'll stop teasing you. Rebecca, it's getting late—you should rest up. Tomorrow's battles won't be easy," Wutong said as he threw more firewood into the campfire, brightening the flames.
"Fine. I can't afford to lose to Reiji. After all, early sleepers have smoother skin…" Rebecca muttered to herself as she climbed into the RV.
The moon hung high in the sky. From the forest, the occasional hoot of an owl echoed softly.Just then, a winged silhouette cast a sharp shadow near the fire.
"…You came, just as expected," Wutong murmured as he tossed the last log into the fire and stood.
A silver-haired duelist with piercing blue eyes and a sleek white suit slowly approached the campfire."You knew I would come… As I thought, you too are guided by destiny," said the man in white.
"Destiny? I've never believed in destiny or fate. Sorry—I'm an atheist," Wutong replied with a smile as he turned to face him. "And you're really something, Aster Phoenix—only showing up in the middle of the night!"
"If you know who I am, then it's destiny that brought us together," Aster said as he extended his left arm, revealing a Duel Disk and his deck.
"Did Sartorius tell you that you were destined to lose tonight?" Wutong asked, smirking confidently.
"What? You know Sartorius?" Aster's eyes widened in shock.
"No, I don't know him personally. I just know how this story ends," Wutong replied with a mysterious, omniscient air that made Aster slightly uneasy.
"No wonder Sartorius warned me to be cautious… You really are an anomaly!" Aster loaded his deck into his Duel Disk.
"Hmph, dueling without a proper introduction? You're quite the obedient little pawn—polished, presentable, and well-used!" Wutong said as he mirrored Aster's movements, slotting his deck into his own Duel Disk.
"Whether I'm a pawn or not doesn't matter. Once I defeat you, I'll know exactly who you are," Aster replied solemnly.
"No—tonight, it's me who will enter the castle. As for Sartorius's so-called 'Light of Destruction,' his plans and prophecies can wait a little longer," Wutong said, glancing back toward the sleeping camp. "Let's move to the open area over there. No need to disturb the others."
They walked to a clearing near a large boulder by a gravelly beach.
"DUEL!"
Aster LP: 4000Wutong LP: 4000
"I'll let you go first, Aster. Traveling between tournaments all day must be exhausting," Wutong said calmly.
"…So even that didn't escape you," Aster muttered, drawing his card.
"There's no secret to it. You publicly announced your participation in this tournament. Given the overlap with the WCS schedule and the limited number of seaplanes traveling between the island and the mainland, it was easy to deduce. And challenging someone in the middle of the night? That could only be you. Nothing mysterious about it."
"…Your intel is impressive. But it's unfortunate for you—tonight, I'm your opponent!" Aster slapped a card down onto his Duel Disk. "I activate the effect of Vision HERO Vyon! By discarding one HERO monster from my hand, I Special Summon it!"
Vision HERO?Wutong stopped his sarcasm and focused.
In the manga, Aster used Vision HEROes—some even included Planet Cards. He wondered which variant he would face tonight.
"Don't space out! This is a duel!" Aster reminded him. "I activate Vyon's second effect—send one Vision HERO from my deck to the graveyard!"
Seeing Aster's smooth plays, Wutong gestured politely, indicating no interruptions.
"Next, I activate the effect of Vision HERO Increase, which I just sent to the grave! I tribute my HERO on the field to Special Summon Increase!"
A tall warrior in deep blue armor with silver-gold trim materialized on Aster's field.
"Then, Increase's effect activates—bringing out Vision HERO Multiply Guy from the deck!"
A dark violet warrior clad in purple-black armor appeared beside him.
"Multiply Guy's effect activates upon being Special Summoned—sending another HERO from the deck to the grave!"
Aster's chain of plays earned Wutong's rare admiration. "Well done! As expected of a winning pro duelist—you've got the moves!"
"This is basic stuff, really. But thank you," Aster replied with gentlemanly grace, impressing even Wutong.
For once, Wutong spoke sincerely: "Looks like I've got a lot to learn from you, Aster."
"No—you'd be better off not following my path," Aster replied solemnly. "Now, I set a monster in Defense Position—Vision HERO Witch Raider, and set two back row cards. Turn end!"
A red-robed magician clutching a ruby staff knelt in Defense Position.
Aster's field: 3 monsters, 2 back rowHand: 1 cardLP: 4000
"Wow, three monsters in one turn? Your defenses are airtight, Aster," Wutong praised again.
He couldn't help it—when he first watched Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, he had admired this alternative HERO user and now found himself face to face with him.
"My turn! Draw!" Wutong's eyes sharpened. "Aster, try not to be too shocked!"
He slapped down a card:"I activate the Spell The Melody of Awakening Dragon! I discard a card to add two Dragon monsters with ATK ≥ 3000 and DEF ≤ 2500 to my hand—two copies of Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon!"
"Blue-Eyes?!"Aster squinted at the cards—blue Ritual Monsters?
"The show's just getting started!" Wutong continued."I activate Advanced Ritual Art from my hand! I use Normal Monsters in my deck as material to Ritual Summon—Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon!"
A shimmering dragon covered in gemstone scales with radiant blue wings and a sleek sapphire tail slowly emerged, radiating an awe-inspiring aura.
"Wait—isn't that Seto Kaiba's card?" Aster asked, surprised.
"No. This is my own card—completely different from Kaiba's," Wutong replied with a smirk. "And I'm not done! I activate another Spell—Preparation of Rites! I add the 7-star Ritual Monster Sauravis, the Ancient and Ascended to my hand, and return Advanced Ritual Art from the Graveyard!"
"Recycling the Ritual Spell?!" Aster was genuinely surprised. Just one Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon was already difficult to deal with—and now a second Ritual Summon was coming?