Who Let Him Play Yu-Gi-Oh! novel Chapter 423

Chapter 423: Chapter 422: MVP of the Duel

Endless radiance—a shining white dragon, like a blue-white sun rising to the sky. The sacred dragon’s body appeared again in that light!

[Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, ATK 3000 → ATK 4800]

"Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon is back!" Mokuba cheered.

"Another comeback...!" Jaden was stunned.

Kira had summoned Black Luster Soldier, thinking a double attack would seal the win. But at the last moment, Kaiba had another ace, reviving his invincible Shining Dragon.

Shining Dragon ignores all effects. Black Luster Soldier can’t overpower it, and banishing doesn’t work. Next turn, Kaiba can counterattack for a comeback.

Kaiba turns the tables.

And now Kira has lost his trump card, Buster Blader, the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman, against Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon.

With things like this, what hope is left...?

"In that case, battle rewinds, attack canceled. I won’t attack," Kira said. "End of Battle Phase."

With that, they entered Main Phase 2, and Kira officially gave up on attacking this turn.

Zane breathed a sigh of relief.

Looks like even Kira was powerless at this point.

"...I activate the Spell Card ’Pot of Avarice’," Kira declared.

"I shuffle five monsters from my graveyard back into my deck, then draw two cards."

Five monster cards were displayed, then shuffled back into the deck.

"Of course, ’Buster Blader, the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman’ is a Fusion Monster, so it goes back to the Extra Deck, not the main deck."

"Oh?" Kaiba smirked. "Recovered your Buster Blader, huh?"

Everyone fell silent.

It was true. To defeat Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, only the dragon-slaying expert could do it.

Such a god-tier dragon—ordinary monsters stood no chance.

Buster Blader, the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman was his only shot.

"But even so, it’s just back in the deck," Zane frowned. "Relying on just one draw to get it back out..."

He didn’t finish, but everyone felt the same.

At this point, Kira’s chances were slim.

No one would blame him, though. Even losing here, he’d already amazed everyone. To duel Seto Kaiba to this point, he was no longer just the king of Duel Academy—he was now one of the world’s top duelists.

But even so, to rely on just one draw...

"He can do it," Jaden suddenly said.

Zane looked at him in surprise.

"I believe in Kira," Jaden smiled. "Because Kira is unbelievably strong."

Kira didn’t draw right away, but locked eyes with Kaiba.

"So it all comes down to the draw... Kaiba, you really are something," Kira shrugged. "Honestly, I rarely find myself in this position."

"Hmph."

Kaiba feigned indifference, but couldn’t hide the upward curve of his lips.

He’d heard plenty of compliments before, but praise from a worthy rival—especially one who could push him this far—was different. Even Kaiba appreciated it.

Not that he’d ever admit it.

"If you think this will make me go easy, you’re dreaming," Kaiba said. "In a duel, you always give your all, until only one stands."

"Of course. But one way or another, this is probably my last draw."

Kira closed his eyes.

"Getting to this point was beyond my calculations and plans. Win or lose, it’ll be decided by this draw alone."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Are you afraid to see the answer?"

"No."

Kira smiled, reopening his eyes.

There wasn’t a hint of doubt in them—the look of someone boldly facing the future.

Kaiba thought, even if he himself were one step away from victory, he probably couldn’t be so calm.

"Trust your deck, put your soul into every draw," Kira said softly.

The golden pendant on his chest gleamed.

"Don’t overthink it. Just feel it. Just hope..."

Forge the future with a draw, create miracles.

That’s the way of a duelist.

"I accept Pot of Avarice’ effect—draw!!!"

A Jaden-style godly topdeck, but the card is something so... sinister...

Both luck and darkness in one!

"And not just that," Jaden added. "Lava Golem inflicts 1000 damage to its controller during their Standby Phase."

[Kaiba, LP 1000]

Not a point more or less: exactly 1000.

And by the way, the 3000 Kaiba lost earlier was also from a Lava Golem punch.

If there were an MVP for this duel, Lava Golem would be it—100% of the team’s output, the real star of the match.

"But it’s not over yet," Zane said. "Lava Golem’s effect activates in the Standby Phase, so Kaiba still gets to draw a card before that."

It’s a slim chance, but if it’s Seto Kaiba, maybe...

"This turn isn’t over, so Makyura the Destructor’s effect is still in play," Kira said. "I can still activate Trap Cards from my hand.

So I activate this—"

Kira swept his hand.

"Trap Card—’Time Seal’! Skip your opponent’s next Draw Phase!"

Everyone: "..."

Kaiba: "..."

Of course, as someone who’d thoroughly studied his old rival’s deck—including countless AI copies—Kaiba instantly recognized the card.

Another one of Yugi’s damn cards.

"So, Kaiba’s Draw Phase is skipped—he can’t draw, and immediately proceeds to the Standby Phase," Kira declared. "And in the Standby Phase, Lava Golem deals 1000 damage to its controller."

Kaiba looked at Kira again, still seeing the glow of the pendant, as if seeing an old friend.

But as the searing heat of Lava Golem washed over him, he snapped back to reality.

Looking again, there was no old friend—only his opponent.

The duelist who had finally handed him a long-overdue defeat: Fujiki Kira.

And nothing more.

[Kaiba, LP 1000 → LP 0]

PS: Poor Kaiba got cooked literally by Lava Golem.