Yugioh [296-300] (Patreon)

Chapter 296: The Enemy’s Source

Past the illusionary mist, the path widened further, but the air was thick and heavy. Dim light barely filtered through cracks, casting patchy shadows.

A chill wind blew, making water droplets and vines on the walls rustle.

Even stranger, as he walked, Kira saw ghostly shadows flicker in the cave.

They looked like white, translucent spirits with blurry outlines, glowing faintly in the dark.

Most just floated nearby, watching silently as Kira passed. They didn't block his way.

Once in a while, one would rush up to him, but Kira didn't react at all. The spirits would suddenly stop, stare for a moment, then drift aside.

As he walked, the spirits behind him vanished into thin air.

Kira wondered: was it this easy for everyone, or just for him?

Or maybe the ghosts recognized something about him and let him through?

Or did his own spooky aura make the ghosts think he was one of them?

Either way, he faced almost no obstacles.

The ghosts eventually disappeared. At the cave's deepest, darkest point, it was silent as the end of time.

But there, in the deepest dark, a light appeared.

Like a spotlight on a stage, it shone on the heart of the sealed area: an ancient altar.

The altar was built from huge stones, covered in intricate totems and symbols, exuding an ancient, mysterious vibe. And at its center was a golden, inverted-triangle pendant, shining in the light. The Eye of Horus emblem looked alive as if watching all who approached.

Whoa—is this the Millennium Puzzle?

Kira went closer and, on closer inspection, realized it wasn't.

First, as a beginner dark duelist, he could sense powerful Shadow Charm—but this Millennium Puzzle lookalike didn't have that world-ending aura.

Second, it was too small.

It looked just like it, but smaller—a finely-made, miniature replica.

Kira stepped onto the altar and gently touched the Eye of Wdjat on the little puzzle.

In that instant, the eye flared with golden light.

It almost swallowed him whole, the light flooding everywhere. Images appeared, dragging his mind into them, like watching a movie firsthand.

He saw an apocalypse.

The sky shrouded in thick clouds, sunlight blocked, only a dim gray glow shining through. Winds howled through ruins, dust swirling. Lightning split the sky, lava shot up, tsunamis crashed onto land—the world was on the brink.

With a roar of thunder, the sky split apart. A huge shadow appeared among the clouds, slowly coming into focus.

It was a gigantic serpent god.

Its body coiled like a mountain, scales gleaming like metal, eyes glowing red. It descended from the sky, its twisting body shaking the earth.

Is this… the future?

Is it showing the coming apocalypse when the Orichalcos serpent god arrives?

But Kira soon realized—it wasn't the future, but the past.

This had already happened.

Because next, in the direction of the serpent's roar, a temple appeared. At its far end sat a king on a throne—his face vague, but his presence overwhelming. He slowly raised his hand.

His fingers spread, making a gesture.

As if saying, "Sit."

Instantly, the king's pendant exploded with golden light. The serpent god roared in defiance, but its body twisted, as if sucked into a washing machine.

After a long, unwilling scream, the sky-darkening serpent shrank to a speck, disappearing into a cup-like vessel.

The sky turned blue again, the earth calmed, and the sea stilled. Everything returned to normal.

Kira began to understand.

Eight years ago, the Orichalcos god was sealed by the Pharaoh. But at that time, Atem already knew its true nature, and that the serpent god would return.

Even if the old serpent god couldn't break free, as long as darkness existed in people's hearts, it could always be reborn in new forms. And if someone like Dartz, with ambition and power, manipulated things, the process would accelerate.

Atem, having returned to the afterlife, couldn't come back to stop it.

So he left a backup plan.

He used the key to the Millennium Puzzle—to seal the evil god.

He believed that even if he was gone, there would always be new duelists willing to stand up. With this mini Millennium Puzzle, they could borrow the Millennium Puzzle's power, and fight the serpent god.

At the end of the vision, the apocalyptic scene and the serpent god vanished. In the darkness, golden flames burned, and in the fire, a blurry figure appeared.

From memory, Kira recognized him—probably Atem, the Pharaoh who was gone.

He seemed to smile at Kira and nodded.

But soon, his form faded with the flame.

Kira: "…"

The Pharaoh's look said, "I leave everything to you, kid." It looked cool, but Kira could only think, "No, Pharaoh. Even if you give me a relic, I don't know if I can handle that serpent. Wouldn't it be better if you came back yourself?"

Just as he thought that, the ground shook, and the whole valley seemed ready to collapse.

He felt a pressure so strong it was hard to breathe as if a god-like force had descended on this dimension.

Something was coming.

Silent Magician and BLS both emerged, looking tense.

"What's happening?" Kira asked.

"The Sealing Device was activated—it's been sensed," BLS replied gravely. "IT is coming to this dimension, as we speak."

"IT?" Kira frowned.

BLS nodded seriously.

"…The enemy's source."

Chapter 297: Don’t Even Dream of Leaving Unless You Kill Me

Kira quickly retreated from the cave along the path he had come, facing almost no obstacles along the way.

Almost.

The ghosts in the cave, just like before, didn't hinder him at all. But as he neared the exit, a burly figure suddenly blocked his path.

"The 'Sealing Device'... You really found it, huh?"

It was the King of Yamimakai. He looked rather surprised to see Kira again.

He had thought those who entered first were just cannon fodder, basically sent to die. He himself was still stuck at the cave entrance, tangled up with illusions and ghosts, but this guy actually went in and came out with something?

"Not bad, not bad. Getting the 'Sealing Device' is a huge achievement—might even get you straight under the Main HQ's Three Swordsmen."

The King of Yamimakai's eyes sharpened, his expression turning hostile as he stepped forward.

"But unfortunately, I was the one who found it. Sure, you, my subordinate, played some minor part, but too bad—you won't be leaving this cave alive.

Don't worry though, the great god will remember your sacrifice."

Kira: "..."

The meaning couldn't be clearer. This guy wanted to backstab him, eliminate the real achiever, and hog all the credit for himself.

In the Orichalcos cult, everyone was just lackeys from all sorts of spirit worlds, with no discipline or loyalty. A move like this was only natural.

Only, he might have picked the wrong target.

"You think you're leaving here unless you kill me, huh?"

"Be smart and hand over the 'Sealing Device.' At least I'll let you die painlessly," the King of Yamimakai cracked his knuckles. "Oh, and your deck too.

Since it's been blessed by the god, it'd be a waste otherwise. But don't worry, I'll put your cards to good use."

Kira just smiled: "Interesting."

"Hmm?" The King of Yamimakai frowned. "What's interesting?"

"It's the first time anyone's said that to me. Since you're asking so nicely, let's do this."

Blue lights gathered, and a stream of data morphed into a Duel Disk on Kira's arm.

"I'll end this in three minutes."

The King of Yamimakai scowled. "So you're choosing the painful way? Challenging me to a duel—you don't actually think you have a chance, do you?"

He activated his own Duel Disk.

"Then I'll show you the absolute gap between us!"

"Duel!" x2

[Kira, LP 4000]

[King of Yamimakai, LP 4000]

"I'll go first—draw!"

He waved and set two cards.

"I set a monster in face-down defense position and one card in my back row. Turn end."

"My turn—draw."

Kira drew, glanced at his hand, but didn't attack.

"I also set a monster in face-down defense, and three cards in the back row. Turn end."

The opponent set two and ended, but Kira set four and passed, making the King of Yamimakai a bit dumbfounded.

"Didn't draw a monster you could attack with, huh?" The King of Yamimakai sneered.

"I won't hold back. My turn—draw!" He said, "First, flip my set monster.

Flip Summon—'Scapegoat'!"

[Scapegoat, ATK 0]

Kira raised an eye brow.

 'Hmm, a Tuner monster…'

He remembered this card was a Tuner in reality, introduced in the Synchro era.

Of course, in Yu-Gi-Oh!'s world, Synchro Summoning wasn't discovered until 5D's era, but Tuner monsters' spirits couldn't have just appeared out of nowhere then.

So, Kira had noticed: this era wasn't completely without Tuners, just that the concept didn't exist yet.

For example, this "Scapegoat" should be a Tuner in the future, but right now it's just an effect monster.

So he guessed Tuner spirits always existed, just with unrealized potential, appearing as ordinary effect monsters to duelists of this era.

That was one of his research interests. If Yusei Particles were discovered and the Synchro era began, he'd be ready to seize the lead in that field.

"When 'Scapegoat' is flipped, I Special Summon any number of 'Black Sheep Tokens' to my field." The King of Yamimakai declared. "I Special Summon four 'Black Sheep Tokens' in defense position!"

[Black Sheep Token, DEF 0] x4

"Then I tribute 'Scapegoat.'" The King of Yamimakai roared. "Mighty swordmaster of the Demon Realm, lend me your strength and descend—

 —Beast of Talwar!"

A strong green body, like a poisonous swamp. Curved devil horns like sharp daggers, huge blue wings, and a massive scimitar glinting coldly.

[Beast of Talwar, ATK 2400]

"Beast of Talwar is the greatest swordsman of the Demon Realm! Crush that wall monster!" The King of Yamimakai commanded, "Attack the set monster!"

Beast of Talwar's wings stirred up a dark whirlwind. The scimitar slashed with a flash, cleaving the set monster cleanly in two.

[Nimble Momonga, DEF 100]

"You destroyed 'Nimble Momonga'." Kira said, "When a monster is destroyed in battle, I activate my set card, the trap 'Michizure'!

When a monster is sent from the field to the graveyard, destroy a monster on the field."

He pointed at Beast of Talwar.

"Destroy Beast of Talwar."

Boom!

A beam shot from the trap card, piercing Beast of Talwar's chest. The demon tried to block but failed. An explosion turned Beast of Talwar to ashes.

"Talwar!" The King of Yamimakai gritted his teeth.

His rare demon ally, gone after one attack...

"And 'Nimble Momonga' is a Beast." Kira showed another card. "'Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest': when a Beast you control is destroyed, pay 1000 LP to Special Summon it."

[Kira, LP 4000 → LP 3000]

"Pay 1000 LP, Special Summon Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest!"

The muscular green baboon leaped out, covered in lush fur, pounding its chest and roaring.

[Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest, ATK 2600]

"Next, 'Nimble Momongas' effect activates. When it's destroyed in battle, I gain 1000 LP and can Special Summon any number of 'Nimble Momonga' from my deck in face-down defense."

[Kira, LP 3000 → LP 4000]

He drew two more cards.

"Special Summon two more 'Nimble Momonga,' face-down defense."

Two more set monsters appeared on his field.

"Tch, attacking just let you set up." The King of Yamimakai grumbled. "I set another card and end my turn."

Chapter 298: Shadow Monarch

"My turn—draw."

Kira drew, and quickly revealed a card.

"Spell Card, 'Graceful Charity.' Draw three cards, discard two."

He drew, then discarded two.

"One of the discarded cards is 'Card of Compensation.' When it's sent to the grave, draw two cards."

Kira drew again.

"Then I switch my two 'Nimble Momonga' to attack position."

[Nimble Momonga, ATK 1000]

"Battle Phase. Green Baboon, attack 'Black Sheep Token'!"

The baboon roared and punched.

"Activate Trap 'Relieve Monster'!" The King of Yamimakai declared. "When an opponent's monster attacks, return a monster you control to hand, then Special Summon a Level 4 monster from your hand.

I target the 'Black Sheep Token' you attacked."

"Tokens can't return to the hand," Kira replied.

"True." The King of Yamimakai said, "The token is destroyed, but the Special Summon effect still applies.

I Special Summon a Level 4 monster from my hand."

He took a card.

"I Special Summon 'Twin-Barrel Dragon'!"

[Twin-Barrel Dragon, DEF 200]

"When Twin-Barrel Dragon is Summoned, I target one card you control. Toss two coins—if both are heads, destroy that card."

"Testing your luck, huh?" Kira smiled. "Trying to take out the baboon?"

"Ha, that thing's immortal—even if destroyed, it comes back. I'm targeting your set back row instead."

Twin-Barrel Dragon's guns aimed at Kira's back row.

"Clearing the back row first, I see." Kira snapped his fingers. "I activate my set card, 'Super Rush Recklessly.' Destroy a Beast I control, return one monster you control to your deck."

"Destroy 'Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest,' return 'Twin-Barrel Dragon' to your deck."

The baboon, roaring, charged the dragon and exploded. Twin-Barrel Dragon turned into golden light and returned to the King of Yamimakai's deck.

"Destroy, then return to deck, huh..." The King of Yamimakai gritted his teeth.

"Then, my other Green Baboon's effect in the graveyard. When a Beast is destroyed, pay 1000 LP to Special Summon Green Baboon!"

[Kira, LP 4000 → LP 3000]

The baboon revived instantly, roaring.

[Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest, ATK 2600]

"And the revived baboon can attack this turn." Kira gestured, "Green Baboon and two 'Nimble Momonga,' attack the remaining three 'Black Sheep Tokens'!"

The baboon and squirrels attacked, clearing the field.

"Damn baboon," the King of Yamimakai grumbled,

 'No matter how many times I get rid of it, it comes back. Used my trap to blow it up and it just revived. And now he's left another baboon in the graveyard, so even if I get rid of the one on field, the other will come back as long as he has LP left...

I can't even launch a proper attack—every move just triggers more traps. My whole field got wiped in a blink…'

"Set three cards, turn end."

Kira now had three back row cards.

"..."

The King of Yamimakai winced.

 "His monsters keep multiplying, his traps keep stacking..."

A deep, cold voice sounded in his ear.

Kira subtly frowned, as if sensing something.

A massive, shadowy figure, like a ghost, loomed behind the King of Yamimakai. Black mist cloaked his body, making him hard to see—only a pair of blood-red eyes glowed in the darkness.

Kira quickly realized it was another spirit.

A spirit much stronger than this King of Yamimakai.

"You need power," the voice said. "Without my help, you can't win."

"Ugh..." The King of Yamimakai gritted his teeth.

Lose? Die here?

Don't make me laugh!

"Understood," the King of Yamimakai said reverently. "Please, lend me your strength."

"Power isn't free. You know the price."

"..."

The King of Yamimakai clenched his teeth.

"I understand... One price, one chance. Fair enough."

"Good."

The red glow in the black mist's eyes flared, the shadow body turning more solid. The mist wrapped around the King of Yamimakai, and a powerful aura erupted from him.

"RAAAAHHH!!!"

A surge of dark energy exploded from him, and Kira could feel the immense fate-force of this spirit spike sharply.

It was like he'd used a forbidden technique.

"My turn—draw!

I activate Spell Card 'Spell Books from the Pot'—both players draw three cards!"

With a full hand, the King of Yamimakai's cards radiated with ominous energy.

"Activate set card, Continuous Trap 'Embodiment of Apophis'! It becomes a monster and is Special Summoned.

Appear now, Trap Monster 'Embodiment of Apophis'!"

[Embodiment of Apophis, ATK 1600]

"I tribute 'Embodiment of Apophis'..."

He revealed a card brimming with dark power, the black mist forming a giant shadow in the air, its red eyes hungry for souls.

A deep purple light split the sky, like a falling star. The trap monster vanished in the light, a huge form coalescing—a demon from the abyss, formed from the shadows of night, exuding cold and terror, with dark energy swirling in a black vortex, devouring all.

"Embodying destruction, breaking the chains of bondage, awakening from endless darkness—

 —Caius the Shadow Monarch, arise!!!"

Chapter 299: Duel of the Monarchs

Caius the Shadow Monarch, Summon!

[Caius the Shadow Monarch, ATK 2400]

Kira immediately raised an eyebrow.

So the true form of that dark spirit was Caius.

How convenient.

How did you know I was collecting Monarchs?

The strongest early Monarch just delivered himself to his door, and even comes with a spirit.

Kira now looked at the King of Yamimakai with a gentler gaze—thankful that the guy had jumped out himself. Otherwise, if he'd just left after getting the artifact, he would've missed such a huge bonus.

The King of Yamimakai, however, was intoxicated with his newfound power, oblivious to Kira's change in attitude. He laughed loudly.

"With the power of Caius the Shadow Monarch, you have no chance! Caius's effect activates!

When Tribute Summoned, banish any card on the field!

Banish 'Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest'!"

The King of Yamimakai's face twisted wickedly.

"That immortal baboon is troublesome, but before Caius's might, it's nothing! Disappear, trash!"

Caius crossed his hands, a dark energy wave distorting space and hitting the baboon. The baboon roared but was quickly sucked into the darkness and vanished.

"Now it can't revive," the King of Yamimakai's eyes flashed red. "Next, I activate Equip Spell 'Dragon Nails'!

Equip to Caius—ATK increases by 600!"

[Caius the Shadow Monarch, ATK 2400 → ATK 3000]

"Also, while equipped with 'Dragon Nails,' Caius can't be destroyed by opponent's card effects.

Even if destroyed by battle, Caius is revived immediately and re-equipped!"

The King of Yamimakai raised his arms, laughing maniacally.

"With Caius's power, I'm invincible! Shadow Monarch, continue to crush his field! Attack 'Nimble Momonga'!"

Caius charged a dark energy ball in his palms.

"Can't be destroyed by effects, revives if destroyed by battle—too scary."

Kira snapped his fingers.

"I activate set card, Trap Card 'Phoenix Wing Wind Blast.' Discard a card, target a card your opponent controls, and return it to the top of their deck!"

He pointed at Caius.

"Caius, back to the top of your deck."

The King of Yamimakai's eyes almost popped out.

"What!? Not destroy, but return to deck?

Nooo!"

A phantom of Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys appeared, its wings stirring a fiery storm. Caius was engulfed, turned to shadow, and flew back to the top of the deck.

"AAAAAAHHHH!!!" The King of Yamimakai howled.

Back to the deck—again!

"With Caius gone, 'Dragon Nails' is destroyed." Kira smiled. "But it's still your turn. Go ahead."

"..."

Several seconds of silence.

The King of Yamimakai gritted his teeth and continued.

"I set two cards and end my turn."

He exhaled deeply.

It wasn't over—Caius hadn't completely abandoned him.

His set cards were his last hope.

"My turn—draw," Kira said. "Activate Trap, 'Destruct Potion.' Destroy a monster I control and gain LP equal to its ATK.

I destroy 'Nimble Momonga' and gain 1000 LP."

One Nimble Momonga exploded, its energy absorbed by Kira.

[Kira, LP 3000 → LP 4000]

The King of Yamimakai's face darkened.

LP gain... No, that's not the point.

"Then, another 'Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest' in my graveyard—its effect activates. When a Beast is destroyed, pay 1000 LP to Special Summon Green Baboon!"

[Kira, LP 4000 → LP 3000]

From the grave's vortex, the wild baboon jumped out again, howling.

[Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest, ATK 2600]

King of Yamimakai: "Again with that thing..."

"Green Baboon, direct attack."

The baboon roared and attacked.

Now!

The King of Yamimakai's eyes glowed red.

His last chance! His counterattack!

"Trap Card—Counter Gate!" He was surrounded by dark energy. "When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack, negate the attack, draw a card. If it's a monster, you can Normal Summon it in attack position!"

"Oh? Counter Gate?" Kira nodded.

"That's right." The King of Yamimakai grinned. "And thanks to you, we both know the top card of my deck is a monster!"

"But Counter Gate is a Normal Summon. If it's Level 5 or higher, you need a tribute." Kira reminded, cutting off any attempts at cheating. "Even if you draw Caius, you can't summon it."

"Hahaha, you think I didn't plan for that?" The King of Yamimakai shouted. "Chain—Continuous Trap 'Tiki Curse'! It can be Special Summoned as a monster!"

[Tiki Curse, DEF 1000]

"So you prepared another Trap Monster just for this." Kira nodded.

"Now resolve Counter Gate. Baboon's attack is negated, I draw!"

The King of Yamimakai drew, then shouted.

"Tribute 'Tiki Curse,' and once again, from the darkness, grant me your might—

 —Caius the Shadow Monarch, Summon!"

In a dark storm, Caius returned!

[Caius the Shadow Monarch, ATK 2400]

"Caius's effect—Tribute Summon, banish one card on the field!"

The King of Yamimakai roared.

"Banish the second immortal Green Baboon!"

Caius fired a dark wave, banishing the baboon.

"Now your graveyard has no baboons—immortality broken!"

The King of Yamimakai cackled, finally feeling vindicated.

"How's that? Now you can see the true power of Caius the Shadow Monarch!"

"Impressive, both baboons gone." Kira sighed, faking a tough decision.

"No choice—activate Trap, 'Dark Advance.'

Return a monster with ATK 2400+ and DEF 1000 from your graveyard to your hand, then Tribute Summon a monster from your hand with ATK 2400+ and DEF 1000.

So, I return the card I discarded with 'Phoenix Wing Wind Blast' last turn..."

Kira pulled out a card.

"'Raiza the Storm Monarch' returns to hand.

Tribute my last 'Nimble Momonga' to Tribute Summon! Ruler of the Storm—

 —Raiza the Storm Monarch, Summon!"

A green tornado shot up, and the wind monarch appeared with arms folded.

"Hmm?" Caius's eyes sharpened.

A fellow Monarch?

"When Raiza is Tribute Summoned, return a card on the field to the top of its owner's deck." Kira smiled. "So, Caius, back to the top of your deck—again."

The King of Yamimakai's smile froze.

"...Huh?"

His smile faded into horror.

He looked at Caius as if begging: "Caius, use your divine power to save me!"

But Caius just looked helpless.

As if to say: "It's not that I won't help, but I really can't do anything here."

This clownery is beyond my pay grade.

So Caius once again turned to black mist and returned to the top of the deck.

The King of Yamimakai clutched his head, howling in pain.

Caius got bounced again!

The only one left was Raiza, arms folded, reigning supreme.

So, who's the real king of the underworld now?

"Raiza, direct attack," Kira said.

A green storm swept the King of Yamimakai into the air, slicing him with a thousand winds, before dumping him to the ground.

[King of Yamimakai, LP 4000 → LP 1600]

"Ugh…!"

The mighty King of Yamimakai was about to cry.

There was pain, and grievance.

He'd used forbidden powers, sold his soul to the Shadow Monarch, and still had to suffer like this.

Was there any point to his sacrifice?

"Alright, my turn's over." Kira smiled. "Your turn."

"..."

"Not drawing?" Kira grinned. "That's not right. Even if you're empty-handed and fieldless, a duelist always has hope as long as there are cards left in the deck.

What if your next draw changes everything?"

The King of Yamimakai twitched.

Hearing that, he almost wanted to cry more.

As if you don't know what my next card is?

I'm empty-handed, fieldless, and drawing Caius... What's the point?

He gritted his teeth.

"Fine, draw."

He drew the top card.

Sure enough, Caius the Shadow Monarch.

His strongest card, the embodiment of forbidden power, the ace with an evil spirit.

But now, with his ace in hand, both sides were silent.

The King of Yamimakai looked constipated, staring at his only card, wanting to tell Caius: "Can you get lost?"

You're bricking me!

But Caius was also helpless.

 "I'd love to give you a miracle draw, but Raiza's got me locked here. What can I do?"

"If you don't play anything, it's my turn again." Kira smiled. "Draw.

Raiza, direct attack."

"..."

[King of Yamimakai, LP 1600 → LP 0]

Chapter 300: God

Kira put away his Duel Disk and clapped the dust off his hands.

His opponent was a bit stronger than he'd initially expected. The main surprise was when, midway through, the opponent drew an "Caius the Shadow Monarch"—not that this card alone had a huge impact on the duel, but rather because it was inhabited by a spirit.

In terms of spirit strength, Caius the Shadow Monarch didn't feel weak. Even without being summoned, simply bestowing fate energy upon the duelist was quite a hassle.

But it was fine—nothing too hard to deal with. In the end, Kira managed to win rather easily.

"How could this be…"

King of Yamimakai collapsed to the ground, his breath weak, his body beginning to emit a golden glow. This was the fate of a defeated spirit duel participant—even the corpse would disintegrate and vanish.

"I actually lost, even after borrowing Lord Caius' power…"

 "Calm down, you're not the first, and you won't be the last."

By now, Kira had dispelled his magical disguise and was back to his original self.

 "You… you're not… cough, cough…"

King of Yamimakai's eyes widened.

 "Right, I'm not."

Kira admitted cheerfully.

 "You… cough… spy, infiltrator…"

 "Yeah, yeah, that's me."

Kira continued to admit it openly, and as he spoke, he bent down and pulled the deck from King of Yamimakai's Duel Disk.

This action caused the already dying King of Yamimakai to cough up more blood.

 "You… you… urgh…"

With a final spurt of blood, King of Yamimakai collapsed completely, eyes wide open, breathless.

Then his whole body began to disintegrate, turning into golden light particles, vanishing into the air.

Kira took the deck, continued walking out, and fished out the key card as he walked.

Caius the Shadow Monarch.

A cloud of black mist drifted out, gradually forming a phantom image of the evil god. Those crimson eyes peered at Kira through the swirling darkness, their gaze both fierce and faintly confused.

 "Who exactly are you?"

By now, Caius had realized something. The reason this duel had been so one-sided wasn't just because of some traps.

He could sense that this person hadn't even used his full strength.

But where had this wild-card duelist come from?

He thought to himself: though King of Yamimakai was nothing special in his eyes, with Caius' blessing he shouldn't be someone that just anyone could bully. Yet this person had not only won but completely dominated both of them.

Caius pondered for a moment.

He was a spirit who knew how to adapt. Teaming up with King of Yamimakai was just an organizational assignment, and now that guy was dead, and this new guy seemed to have ideas after taking the deck, Caius's mind quickly became active again.

As a wise spirit, he should know when to seek a new path for himself.

But as the dignified Shadow Monarch, he still had to keep up appearances. So he coughed, hiding in the mist, and put on a mysterious air:

 "To have killed the duelist who possessed me—you're quite bold, boy."

But before he could finish, Kira cut him off.

 "Shut up first, I'll deal with you later."

Kira simply shoved him back into the deck and stuffed it into his pocket.

Caius: "…"

By now, he'd exited the cave, but the outside world had changed dramatically.

The pitch-black sky was covered by massive black clouds, like waves of darkness rising from an abyss; thunder rumbled like ancient beasts roaring and shaking the earth.

Then, from deep within the clouds, a surge of power burst forth—at first like a black sword splitting the world, but then it revealed itself: a giant, winding serpent!

A terrifying serpent god, its body winding across the sky. Its deep, cold eyes reflected the entire land, its massive maw bared sharp fangs, and it let out a deafening roar.

The God of Orichalcos!

"It's already revived?" Kira frowned, his expression tense.

This thing had only been defeated long ago by the combined power of the three Egyptian Gods. Now, with them gone, if it had truly revived, it would be a real problem.

"No, that's just a remnant image. Its true body is still sealed," said BLS, floating out and speaking in a low voice. "But it's probably coming for us—or rather, for the thing we just found."

Kira understood.

A Millennium Puzzle derivative, huh…

It was easy to imagine that, after being defeated by the Pharaoh last time, the serpent god would utterly hate this sealing artifact. Even in a crippled, sealed state, as soon as it sensed its presence, it would rush over, even if it had to crawl.

The minions gathered in the valley had already been scared silly. The Lich King was the first to grovel on the ground, shivering, chanting their master's name and praising his power, hoping flattery would win them protection.

It was useless.

Even in a crippled state, the serpent god's manifestation was draining. In midair, its huge body writhed as it summoned a massive hexagram barrier that blotted out the sky. All the followers linked to Orichalcos had the hexagram appear on their foreheads and were lifted into the air.

No one could resist. Their eyes widened as they felt their souls being pulled from their mouths, ripped out of their living bodies, turning into green light that shot into the vortex in the sky.

The soulless bodies then fell like puppets with their strings cut.

The serpent god inhaled the souls of all its minions at once, its phantom body growing slightly more solid, baring its fangs and roaring at the valley!

"Tch, what a mad god."

Kira frowned slightly.

BLS drew his sword, ready to fight. Silent Magician also appeared. Jinzo looked reluctant, but seeing his teammates getting ready, he had no choice but to put on a brave face.

But looking at the giant serpent in the sky, Jinzo's feelings were written all over his face—

 —Fight the serpent god? Seriously?

Even if it's crippled, it's way out of my league, right?

Just then, Kira felt a warm sensation at his side.

It was the artifact he'd picked up—a Millennium Puzzle derivative. The Eye of Wdjat began to glow.

Kira focused.

Sensing the serpent god's arrival, the artifact activated on its own?

In the dark, thunderous sky, a golden beam of light shot from the Eye's mark, piercing the darkness, like the sun's fire erupting from the earth's core!

The golden light soared into the clouds, instantly dispersing the darkness, rising to the serpent god's height before exploding. At first, it was a rapidly expanding fireball, but then a shape began to emerge from the flames.

In the center of the fire, a blurry figure appeared. It was the outline of a divine bird, slowly spreading its wings, its body covered in flames like burnished gold. Its head slowly rose, and its eyes, burning with holy fire, opened.

The serpent god screamed—part rage, part fear, part fury.

Because it recognized its opponent: from ancient myth, thought to have vanished from the world, a god at the pinnacle of Duel Monsters.

The Sun God—The Winged Dragon of Ra!