Chapter Twenty-Two: Falcon Sea Emperor—Extend Your Dominant Hand

The next day, in front of the castle at the very center of Duel Kingdom Island.

“Welcome to my Duel Kingdom, duelists from all over the world!”

Beckus, a tall silver-haired man with one eye and a sharp sense of humor, stood on the castle terrace, overlooking the duelists gathered at the castle gates. His single eye swiftly scanned the crowd; he quickly spotted the few duelists he cared most about—Ryuzaki, who hadn’t slept all night; Moth, whose eyes were still dark and shadowed; the barely clothed Kajiki Gyota, wearing nothing but shorts; and Yugi Mutou, who stared at him with hatred.

‘Finally, we meet, Game boy.’

“Master Beckus!”

“Oh—!”

Beckus uttered just a single sentence, yet the crowd below erupted with enthusiastic cheers. Among those who had made a name for themselves in the Duel Monsters realm, at least eight out of ten were passionate about the game itself. Naturally, Beckus, the very creator of Duel Monsters, was deeply revered by them.

“This Duel Monsters tournament requires no dedicated arena, because the entire island is the battleground. All duels rely solely on Duel Monster cards. The loser must surrender the star chips they hold to their opponent, and betting rules are permitted.”

Pausing for a moment, Beckus looked at the earnest faces of the duelists below and smiled.

“Most rules are too complex to memorize easily, so I have prepared an exhibition match applying the official new rules to demonstrate them all.”

“Step forward, Moth boy~”

Under the watchful eyes of numerous duelists, two men in black standing behind Moth nudged him forward. Reluctantly, he stepped out from the crowd to the front.

“Hey, isn’t that the champion of the Duel Monsters Japan division?”

“Moth the Insect—rumor has it he’s very skilled at using spell cards to empower his insect monsters.”

“But why are his eyes so dark around the edges? Like a panda.”

Beckus smiled mysteriously as he looked down at Moth but didn’t turn around. He whispered behind him, “Hayato boy, I’ve already fulfilled your request~”

“Don’t act like you got nothing out of it, Beckus,” Hayato’s voice came from behind the terrace where Beckus stood. “Whether it’s more balanced Duel Monsters rules or inspiration for more card designs, my mind has been completely drained.”

“Although the Millennium Eye shows me the truth within you, Hayato boy, I still feel you’re holding something back,” Beckus said with a gentle smile. Neither the black-clad guards nearby nor Hayato would mistake Beckus for an easygoing man. “But never mind, Hayato boy, enjoy your duel with Moth boy. Duel Monsters truly is the world’s best game~”

Though the castle Beckus occupied resembled a classic Western European fortress, Beckus was the head of the International Illusion Society and a genius game designer, not an outdated relic. Beneath the seemingly ordinary castle lay cutting-edge technology.

Under everyone’s gaze, the ground tiles before the castle split apart, revealing a large rectangular void. From beneath the castle, a massive device swiftly rose—a duel platform equipped with Kaiba Corporation’s virtual projection system!

The duel platform was divided into two differently colored fields. On the left was a simulated lush forest; on the right, a plain covered with dense grasslands. The left field was empty, reserved for Moth, while Hayato already stood on the right, waiting for Moth to join.

“This exhibition match features Moth boy, the reigning champion of Japan’s national tournament, against our special guest Hayato boy from the Duel Kingdom tournament. Though less known, in my eyes, Hayato boy is also a master of Duel Monsters~” Beckus, temporarily acting as referee, introduced the competitors from the terrace.

From the moment they stepped onto the duel platform, neither Hayato nor Moth paid attention to anything else.

“Hey, insect bastard, no problem betting two stars, right? This time, I’m going to kick you right out of Duel Kingdom!”

“You despicable Kobayashi Hayato, I haven’t forgotten what you did yesterday. Dream on—it’s you who’ll be kicked out!” Moth touched the socket of his eye where the pain still lingered. “No, being banished from Duel Kingdom isn’t enough. If you lose, you’ll never be allowed to touch anything related to Duel Monsters again!”

“Suit yourself. But our stakes are equal—deck, chips, and future. I’m going to teach you a lesson!”

Beckus could hear their fierce threats clearly. Seeing that the rivals’ “friendly” exchange had reached its limit, he raised his hand.

“Then I declare the Duel Kingdom tournament’s exhibition match, also the official first match, officially started!”

“Duel!” *2

[Hayato: 4000 LP, 5 cards in hand]

[Moth: 4000 LP, 5 cards in hand]

“I’ll take the first turn!” Moth acted faster, drawing five cards first and seizing the advantage of the first move. Looking at his hand, Moth gave a sinister smile. “Hayato, the pain you’ve caused me won’t be erased unless I torment you properly.”

“Summon a monster in face-down defense position, then set three face-down cards. My turn ends!”

[Moth: Hand 5 → 6 → 2]

“If you can manage that, come and try. Better show me your usual hand — it’s only fun to crush you in your own domain.”

“My turn, draw!”

Hayato surveyed his six cards with satisfaction. All green and deep red—no monster cards at all. Hmm, perfect hand.

“First, I activate the spell card, ‘Rough Anticipation.’ It can only be activated when I control no monsters. I special summon a monster with 4 stars or fewer from my deck.”

“Darkness, pitch black, descend from the abyss—I summon my Tamashi!”

“‘Death Stalker,’ Skull Stalker!”

[Death Stalker] [3 stars / Dark] [Warrior / Normal] [900 ATK / 800 DEF]

A venomous scorpion warrior clad in armor appeared amid the lightning flashes of the spell card. Just as it rejoiced at being the vanguard once more, Moth’s card joined the chain immediately after the summon.