Yugioh [321-325] (Patreon)

Chapter 321: The Final Turn?

"It's my turn! Draw!"

Jaden drew a card.

There were only two letters left for Destiny Board—meaning he only had two turns left to act.

But in this turn, because of "One Day of Peace," he couldn't inflict any damage, in any form. So in reality, he only had one actual turn left to do anything meaningful.

With that in mind, Jaden quickly glanced at his hand.

Then, a thought struck him.

No, maybe it wasn't that he couldn't do anything at all.

Even if he couldn't deal damage, that wasn't his only option. Destiny Board was a continuous trap; each turn, a continuous spell representing a letter of "DEATH" would appear from the deck.

Only when all five traps and spells were on the field would victory by effect be declared.

So perhaps…

Jaden had an idea. He resolved himself and revealed a card in his hand: "Activate Spell Card, 'Hero's Legacy'! If you have at least two Level 4 or higher 'HERO' monsters in your Graveyard, draw three cards from your deck!" (Manga effect.)

Jaden drew three cards.

"Here it comes!"

His eyes lit up as he played another card from his hand.

"Spell Card, 'E - Emergency Call'! I can add any 'Elemental HERO' from my deck to my hand!"

Jaden pulled a card from his deck.

"I add 'Elemental HERO Avian' to my hand! Then, I activate the Spell Card 'Polymerization'!"

A fusion vortex appeared. Avian's figure materialized on the field and, along with Wildheart, was enveloped in golden light and sucked into the vortex. Two rays of light intertwined; a transparent storm erupted, and feathers drifted down like snow.

"Elemental HERO Wild Wingman, Fusion Summon!"

[Elemental HERO Wild Wingman, ATK 1900]

"Wild Wingman's effect: I can discard a card to destroy any Spell or Trap on the field!"

Jaden discarded a card to the Graveyard.

"Destroy the continuous trap, 'Destiny Board'!"

"So that's your plan—to target my back row since you can't deal damage this turn," the Necromancer realized. "If Destiny Board is destroyed, all the 'Death Message' cards disappear. And if you also destroy 'Gravity Bind' next, my attack lockdown will be gone too."

If that happened, the duel would turn around instantly. The Necromancer's slow, turtle-like defensive tactics were all based on Destiny Board's countdown to victory.

Once Destiny Board was gone, he'd lose his win condition and would be in real danger if Jaden went on the offensive.

"Destiny Board and the Death Messages may result in a rules victory, but they're just spells and traps—destroy them and it all collapses. Heh, did you really think I wouldn't prepare for such an obvious weakness?"

The Necromancer laughed loudly.

"I activate my set card, Counter Trap 'Divine Wrath'!"

"Huh?" Jaden was stunned.

The trap flipped up, and a golden bolt of lightning struck Wild Wingman. In an instant, Wild Wingman was blasted to pieces.

"Divine Wrath! By discarding a card, I can negate a monster's effect and destroy it," the Necromancer boasted. "Too bad. Wild Wingman could destroy back row by discarding cards—you could have cleared my entire back row in one turn if you had enough ammo. He was the perfect hero to break this situation, and summoning him now was impressive. But this is where it ends; my dueling is just a step ahead."

His eyes narrowed as if savoring the sight of his prey's struggle.

"Struggle with all your might. The more desperate the struggle, the more beautiful defeat—and death—become. Kekeke…"

"So even Wild Wingman couldn't break through… I'll set one card face-down and end my turn," Jaden said, slightly disappointed.

"Not bad. But death's footsteps won't stop," the Necromancer said, his smile chilling.

"At the end of this turn, Destiny Board's effect continues. Come forth—the penultimate Death Message!"

Yet another ghostly spirit appeared, carrying a new letter.

The letter T.

Now, "DEAT" had assembled on the field—just one letter, "H," remained. When Jaden's next turn ended, the final letter would appear, and everything would truly be over.

"Eh?"

Jaden suddenly noticed something odd.

"Wait a second… Destiny Board and three Death Messages occupy four Spell/Trap zones. And you still have 'Gravity Bind' and a set card back there…"

Everyone knows there are only five Spell/Trap zones. The Necromancer's back row should already be full. This was another weakness of the Destiny Board system: to assemble all five Death Messages, you had to fill your whole back row, which could clog your own field.

"Heh, only now do you notice? Normally, yes. But for us, the chosen ones, this duel is beyond the bounds of common sense."

The Necromancer raised his voice.

"'Seal of Orichalcos' has another effect—the controller can use their Monster and Spell/Trap zones interchangeably! I can summon monsters in Spell/Trap zones, and activate spells and traps in Monster zones!"

"Ooh, so that's what it does," Jaden said, surprised. "Wow, that's awesome! You could summon ten monsters, or set ten spells and traps that way."

"Feel the pain, struggle, and then despair! Be consumed by power! Hahahaha—!"

The Necromancer laughed loudly.

"And now, it's my turn. Draw!"

The Necromancer drew, then smirked.

"First, I activate my set card: Continuous Trap—Safe Zone! This card can only be equipped to an Attack Position monster, so I equip it to my 'Marshmallon' in Attack Position!"

A golden barrier shielded Marshmallon.

"While protected by Safe Zone, this monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, and it cannot be targeted by card effects!"

"Can't be destroyed or targeted by any effect, huh," Jaden said. "That's as solid as a wall—impressive."

"Exactly. Now, I switch Marshmallon to Defense Position. It's now my ultimate shield," the Necromancer sneered. "It can't be targeted or destroyed. To defeat me, you must first break through this absolute defense."

He glanced at his hand.

"Well, even though I'm pretty much invincible now, I'll play it safe."

He set another card and ended his turn.

Chapter 322: Provocation

"Alright, my turn! Draw!" Jaden declared, still full of fighting spirit.

The Necromancer frowned.

Destiny Board was his favorite strategy, not just because he was good at it, but because he enjoyed watching opponents being cornered step by step, their futile struggle turning into despair and madness as death closed in.

He loved watching his opponents struggle.

But this boy—even at this point, his fighting spirit hadn't faded. In fact, the more desperate the situation, the stronger his will to fight seemed to become.

After a moment, the Necromancer couldn't help but ask, "Don't you ever feel scared?"

"Huh?" Jaden was puzzled. "Scared of what?"

Scared of what? Wasn't it obvious?

The Necromancer felt this guy's brain was wired wrong. "The loser in this barrier loses their soul. Don't you know that?"

"Oh, that? Yeah, I know." Jaden nodded. "If you're asking whether I'm afraid to die—of course I am! Dying's scary, right? If I die, I'll never get another chance to duel!"

Necromancer: "…"

No, that's not the point…

"But right now, I'm having an intense duel with a legendary, one-of-a-kind deck," Jaden grinned. "Doing something this fun—I don't have time to be scared!"

Necromancer: "…"

What is he even saying? I can't understand this guy…

He was sure now. This guy's a total card fanatic—logic completely out of whack.

"And besides, you say I'll die if I lose, but if I win, then problem solved!" Jaden said carelessly.

"Heh, what a joke. This is your last turn. When it ends, the Death Message will complete, and you lose. How are you going to win?"

"I don't know!" Jaden replied cheerfully.

Necromancer: "?"

"That's why it's exciting! Even I don't know how to break out of this. But that's what makes dueling fun. Who knows what will happen next?" (Welcome to Kakegurui Jaden. lol)

Necromancer: "???"

Seriously, now I really don't get it…

"First, I'll trust this card—Spell Card, 'Fusion Birth'!" (Manga card)

Jaden played a spell card.

"Send the top five cards of your deck to the Graveyard. If they include the correct Fusion Materials, you can Fusion Summon using them!"

Necromancer frowned. "You're leaving everything to luck?"

"It's not luck—it's skill! I'm confident in my draws," Jaden said confidently. "I don't know what those five cards will be, but I always believe in my deck! Draw!"

He milled five cards.

Jaden's eyes lit up. He immediately revealed two of them.

"'Elemental HERO Bubbleman' and 'King of the Swamp'—who can substitute for any Fusion Material!" Jaden said. "I substitute 'King of the Swamp' for 'Elemental HERO Avian' and fuse with Bubbleman! Wings that ride the wind combine with the power of water—"

"—Elemental HERO Mariner, Fusion Summon!"

[Elemental HERO Mariner, ATK 1400]

"Mariner?" The Necromancer was confused.

A Fusion HERO with only 1400 ATK…

"I set a card from my hand," Jaden smiled. "Mariner's effect: If there is a face-down card in my Spell/Trap zone, it can attack your life points directly."

The Necromancer understood. "I see. Since you can't break through Marshmallon, you're going to bypass my front line and attack me directly."

He smirked. "But Mariner only has 1400 ATK. Even with a direct attack, I'll have 1100 Life Points left. And if you can't defeat me this turn, you still lose."

"I know. But the five cards 'Fusion Birth' sent to the graveyard weren't just Bubbleman and King of the Swamp," Jaden said.

A translucent HERO appeared behind him.

Elemental HERO Necroshade.

"I also sent 'Elemental HERO Necroshade' to the graveyard. When Necroshade is in the graveyard, I can Normal Summon a Level 5 or higher 'Elemental HERO' without Tribute, once."

Jaden slapped down another monster.

"Therefore, I Normal Summon 'Elemental HERO Bladedge' without Tribute!"

[Elemental HERO Bladedge, ATK 2600]

The Necromancer's expression changed. "That one's effect…"

"That's right—Bladedge deals piercing damage when it attacks a Defense Position monster," Jaden said. "Even if the monster isn't destroyed, you still take battle damage!"

Marshmallon's DEF is 500. Bladedge attacking Marshmallon deals 2100 piercing damage. Add Mariner's direct attack and that's 3500 damage!

[Necromancer LP: 2500]

"I see, so your total attack output really does reach that high. But aren't you forgetting something?"

The Necromancer narrowed his eyes.

"Both Bladedge and Mariner are Level 4 or higher. Under 'Gravity Bind,' they can't attack."

"I know," Jaden replied. "So I activate my face-down Trap—'Trap Stun'! This turn, all other traps on the field are negated."

"Hahahaha!" The Necromancer laughed. "Nice! Such a counterattack in your last turn… You're even better than I expected."

His expression grew even more twisted beneath his laughter.

"That only makes you a more delicious prey! So, before 'Trap Stun' resolves, I chain another trap—'Taunt'! This can only be activated during your Main Phase 1. Choose one of my monsters—this turn, all your attacks must target that monster!"

"Huh?" Jaden was stunned.

He could only attack a specific monster—in this case…

He looked at Marshmallon.

"Haha, that's right. This turn, your Mariner can't attack directly—it has to attack my Marshmallon," the Necromancer chuckled.

"And Mariner doesn't have piercing, so I'll only take Bladedge's 2100 piercing damage. I'll still have 400 life points left."

And you have no other way to attack.

This trap forced him to deal with Marshmallon first.

"It's really impressive that you made it this far, Jaden. Just off a blind 'Fusion Birth,' you managed a desperate counterattack. No wonder you're so confident in your draws—I can see why."

The Necromancer smiled darkly.

"But it's useless. Your struggle is meaningless—just makes your despair more dramatic. When this turn ends, Destiny Board will complete, and you'll have no chance left!"

Jaden: "Yeah, this is a bit of a problem…"

"…Or maybe not."

A voice came from the side. Both duelists reflexively turned to look.

When the Necromancer saw who it was, his pupils shrank.

Fujiki Kira?

Chapter 323: The Shadow HERO of Justice

The Necromancer was shocked.

Fujiki Kira?

The mission target appeared directly?

"Kira!" Jaden was also surprised, scratching his head sheepishly.

"Ahaha, you caught me. But this opponent really is tough—he's using a legendary duelist's strategy. Amazing, huh?"

Kira smiled.

Destiny Board, huh. Just seeing it triggered nostalgia for Battle City, and a faint memory of Zorc in the heavens.

"There are people who are already dead, but just don't realize it yet," Kira said casually, glancing at the Necromancer and smiling gently.

"Marshmallon looks like an impenetrable wall at first glance. But you should know—there's no such thing as an unbeatable monster, or an absolute deadlock. Even the legendary Egyptian Gods were overcome by the King of Games."

Kira smiled, eyes narrowing.

"You've seen my soul, my ace. You should get what I mean, right, Jaden?"

Jaden blinked.

Kira's soul and ace—the BLS?

But he didn't have anything as strong as BLS. A monster with such easy summoning conditions, with both field-clearing and finishing effects… Even in all of Duel Monsters, that was…

Wait—could it be!?

Jaden's eyes lit up.

Suddenly, he understood what Kira was hinting at.

He couldn't help but grin, then burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! Only you, Kira… That's just your style!"

Kira folded his arms and smiled, saying no more.

Sure enough, Jaden had watched so many of his duels, he'd picked up his way of thinking.

Only the Necromancer was still in the dark. "What are you two talking about?"

"Oh, nothing. Just discussing a fun way to finish you off," Jaden said cheerfully.

"Heh, what are you talking about?" the Necromancer scoffed. "With my absolute defense, once this turn ends—"

"Sorry, but it looks like this turn will never end," Jaden grinned. "I activate my set Spell Card—'Miracle Fusion'! I can banish monsters from my graveyard to perform an 'Elemental HERO' Fusion Summon!"

He revealed two cards from his graveyard.

"I banish 'Elemental HERO Wildheart' and 'Elemental HERO Necroshade' from my graveyard to Fusion Summon—"

"—Elemental HERO Necro Shaman!"

[Elemental HERO Necroid Shaman, ATK 1900]

A shaman-like figure appeared, wild red hair and a fearsome mask, exuding an ominous aura.

A Fusion HERO with 1900 ATK.

The Necromancer frowned. "I don't know what you're up to, but even if you summon more monsters, with Marshmallon out you still can't break through."

"It's not the effect—it's the cost," Jaden smiled. "Necroid Shaman's effect: When Special Summoned, tribute an opponent's monster to activate its effect—then I can Special Summon a monster from your graveyard to your field!" (Anime effect.)

Necromancer: "…"

WHAT!?

Tribute an opponent's monster to Special Summon a monster from their graveyard?

This was the original anime effect of Necroid Shaman; the real card was changed to "destroy an opponent's monster, then Special Summon a monster from their graveyard."

To a new player, the difference might not seem big, but actually, it's huge.

"Tribute an opponent's monster to activate"—that's the cost, just like using Lava Golem to eat an opponent's monster.

That's why Kira used his "soul and ace" as a hint for Jaden.

Can't be targeted, can't be destroyed? No problem—just eat it.

Even full immunity, "unaffected by all effects"? Still works.

"So, I tribute your Marshmallon," Jaden said with a grin. "Then revive another 'Marshmallon' from your graveyard—in Attack Position, of course."

Necroid Shaman's ritual swept Marshmallon away, along with the Safe Zone protecting it, turning them into points of light that vanished in the magical storm.

Then, those lights gathered and re-formed into Marshmallon, now in Attack Position.

[Marshmallon, ATK 300]

"And of course, your Marshmallon is affected by the Seal of Orichalcos and gains 500 attack points," Jaden smiled.

[Marshmallon, ATK 300 → 800]

But that boost barely mattered. The little Marshmallow stood there, surrounded by three big HEROes, looking helpless and weak.

"What the hell!?" the Necromancer shouted in disbelief.

Elemental HEROes even had cheap tricks like Lava Golem?

A shadow HERO, huh?

Necro Shaman, with its eerie mask and underworld magic, really did have a sinister vibe.

"Time for battle!"

Jaden punched the air.

"Elemental HERO Bladedge, Elemental HERO Mariner, Elemental HERO Necroid Shaman—attack Marshmallon!"

[Elemental HERO Bladedge, ATK 2600]

[Elemental HERO Mariner, ATK 1400]

[Elemental HERO Necroid Shaman, ATK 1900]

[Marshmallon, ATK 800]

The little Marshmallon was pinned down by three burly heroes, unable to fight back. Water flowed over its soft body, a blade sliced through, and finally, a blast of dark shamanic energy finished it off.

Even though Marshmallon couldn't be destroyed by battle, the damage went through just fine. The HEROes' attacks pierced right through Marshmallon and struck the Necromancer, blasting him across the dueling field and into the green barrier, then down to the ground like a rag doll.

[Necromancer, LP 2500 → 0]

Chapter 324: Duels Should Be Fun

[Necromancer, LP 0]

Necromancer stumbled and knelt on the ground, his face still full of unwillingness even as his LP hit zero.

It was so close.

He had reached the final turn of Destiny Board's activation. He only needed to survive until the end of this turn, and if he could trigger the final message of death, victory would be his.

If only he could reach the End Phase…

But that tiny difference became an eternal chasm. That End Phase would never come; he would never see the moment Destiny Board was completed.

Even in his last moments, Necromancer's eyes glared fixedly at the Necroid Shaman on Jaden's field.

Necroid Shaman.

It was this damned Elemental HERO that tributed his unbeatable Marshmallon, stealing away his chance at victory.

Sacrificing an Elemental HERO, can you believe it?

Is that really what an Elemental HERO is supposed to do?

As the barrier closed in, Kira stepped forward, smiling as he lightly bumped fists with Jaden.

"Not bad, Jaden," Kira said with a smile. "Looks like you've understood what I meant."

"Haha, it's because I've seen your 'Lava Golem' a few times, Kira, so I thought of it right away…"

Jaden's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"But this card really is amazing. I think I'm starting to understand why you like 'Lava Golem' so much, Kira. Even monsters with this level of defensive resistance can be dealt with easily—it's really fun and gives a great sense of accomplishment."

Necromancer, whose soul was already being drawn away by the shrinking barrier, heard the two chatting just before he passed, and felt his blood boil—

—Sense of accomplishment, your ass.

In that instant, Necromancer understood. The joy of dueling is always built on the pain of your opponent; accomplishment is built on your opponent's frustration.

For every bit of happiness you have, the other side has an equal bit of depression.

Necromancer let out a long, bitter sigh.

Oh, gods, forgive me. I really did my best.

If, in his dying moments, he had any last regret or wish,

it would be that the so-called "bottom dweller of the Red Dorm," Blackflame, who boasted so much, would hurry up and get sent here to accompany Lord Serpent.

Bottom dweller? Last place? That jellyfish-haired guy?

F*ck you!

"…"

Necromancer collapsed facedown, completely lifeless.

Jaden looked at the person lying on the ground, at a loss for words.

"What's wrong?" Kira smiled, stepping forward and patting him on the shoulder. "Don't you think that was an interesting duel?"

"Ah, well…"

Jaden glanced uneasily at Necromancer, who was now completely unresponsive.

"Umm, how should I put it. Although I felt the fun of dueling, and it was an interesting duel in itself, I just feel like… maybe this isn't the right time to say so."

Kira was surprised.

Wow, you actually know when something's not appropriate to say?

He'd always thought that was Jaden's natural taunting skill.

 "Dueling should be fun after all; it should be something everyone can enjoy together." Jaden shook his head. "But duels where someone has to pay with their life…"

Kira glanced sideways. Are you going to say this isn't even a real duel?

Actually, Kira didn't feel too strongly about Jaden's "dueling should be fun" philosophy. After all, in the world of Yu-Gi-Oh, dueling is inherently cruel—across generations, there have always been duels with heavy burdens, and perhaps such things have always been brutal rituals to determine victory.

And even putting that aside, even just as a card game, Kira realized early on that this was a harsh game.

How harsh?

So harsh that only one person ever really gets to play, and the other just gets played.

What kind of "everyone's happy together" duel is that?

Jaden looked at Kira and suddenly declared, "Kira, we have to defeat this organization and stop them from going any further!"

"Of course."

Kira nodded firmly.

"For the sake of protecting what dueling stands for, and the future of the dueling world, this dangerous organization with these wrongheaded ideas must be crushed."

With a smile, he bent down and pulled Necromancer's deck from his duel disk.

As someone using dark powers, Necromancer's deck could never be allowed to remain. Even if Kira didn't take it, the management—KaibaCorp—would come and confiscate it.

Once confiscated, the deck would naturally go to KaibaCorp. Given his relationship with Mokuba, Kira figured that if he asked, getting such a deck would hardly be an issue.

So by doing this, he was just saving everyone some trouble.

When the cleanup crew arrived, they wouldn't have to confiscate the deck, nor do inventory, registration, etc. Kira wouldn't have to apply, and the staff would be spared extra work.

The result was the same; the process was just streamlined. Everyone wins.

At the same time, Kira found a puzzle card on the corpse, representing entry to Duel City.

But he didn't keep this card—instead, he handed it to Jaden.

Jaden had won this duel, so the puzzle card naturally belonged to him.

"And here are the rare cards," Kira said, spreading out the deck he'd just taken. "Pick whatever you like."

Jaden shook his head. "I don't want any of them."

"Well, the tournament rules say otherwise. If you really don't want to, just pick one at random, eyes closed."

After some polite pushing, Jaden drew one at random to satisfy the rules.

Though interested in the Destiny Board deck, he only cared to face it as an opponent. He himself was a die-hard HERO user, never once considering changing his main deck.

"But I really didn't expect it—they were after me, but even targeted you." Kira frowned.

Jaden asked curiously, "Why are they after us?"

"I have something they want," Kira replied. "I guess they think we're close, so they tried to use you against me."

"That's scary!"

Jaden sucked in a breath.

He didn't care much about himself—even a shadow game with his life on the line could be fun, to him. But if his friends were involved, he became immediately anxious.

"Yeah." Kira shook his head repeatedly.

"Truly shameless—stooping so low just to deal with two completely ordinary Duel Academy students…"

"Exactly!"

Jaden was indignant.

"To use such tactics on ordinary students—can those really be called duelists?"

"Right? That's why letting these people run amok is too dangerous. Fortunately, I'm working with KaibaCorp, and we already have leads."

"Then let's go, let's go together!" Jaden agreed. "We can't just let people like that have their way!"

Chapter 325: The Demon King

"The boss is dead too…"

At the hideout, the black-robed group exchanged glances, seeing only confusion in each other's eyes.

Things were nothing like they'd imagined.

It had started as a simple mission: kidnap the Ra Yellow student from Duel Academy. But Yemo went and got himself instantly defeated, dying pathetically like some jobber.

Then they tried to grab a Red Dorm rookie as a hostage, so the boss personally stepped in—and promptly got killed, dying at the hands of the hostage.

What on earth is up with this year's Duel Academy?

Just these two students would be big shots in their own underground circles!

Is this supposed to be average or bottom-tier for Duel Academy?

Maybe they should all just go home and get some sleep.

"…We can't keep going like this," someone said seriously. "This is the organization's top mission. If we keep making no progress… we can't just sit here. We have to do something, or we'll be blamed."

He didn't finish, and silence fell for several seconds.

"I'm praying those two don't find us."

"…"

Again they exchanged glances, seeing only deep resignation in each other's faces.

They couldn't win.

It wasn't their fault they were weak—the opponents were just absurd. Supposedly ordinary students, but even the boss was dead…

"Well, since headquarters specifically wants these people, it's not surprising they're special."

The black-robed man codenamed Blackflame pondered for a moment.

"By the way, has there been any word from headquarters?"

It really seemed like they needed backup from the pros upstairs.

"…They said someone's already on their way, but it's not clear if they've arrived."

A nearby black-robed man hesitated.

"The experts may be already in Duel City…"

But as lower-level operatives, they knew almost nothing about their superiors and had no right to ask. They didn't even know what their superiors looked like; even passing them on the street, they wouldn't recognize them.

For all they knew, a top boss could already be right beside them.

"But they haven't contacted us," someone said.

"Maybe they're operating independently and don't need our help," Blackflame mused. "Maybe headquarters wants us to act as a distraction, making it easier for the real pros to move in the shadows…"

He cut himself off.

Because he and many others had thought of the same crucial term for their role—

—Cannon fodder.

Maybe, from the start, this was a mission with an unwinnable target. The goal was an unbeatable opponent.

A futile struggle, using every trick and effort, only to inevitably die at the hands of Kira and Jaden—that was their unavoidable fate.

"Ugh, no choice… there's one last move," Blackflame said heavily.

Everyone turned, listening intently.

"You have a plan?"

"Yes, but it's risky."

Blackflame glanced around, lowering his voice.

"The guy from the city's underworld—if it's him…"

Faces changed.

"You mean…"

The speaker reflexively lowered his voice, as if afraid of being overheard.

"…the Demon King of the Darkstar Club?"

"That's right." Blackflame nodded. "Darkstar Club is the fastest-growing dark club around here lately, and its founder, the Demon King, is a big reason."

"He really is strong."

A teammate nodded but soon frowned.

"But he's only a surface-level ally. Even the boss, at his peak, wasn't confident against him, which is why we never fully absorbed Darkstar into the organization. He's not really on our side."

Blackflame waved a hand. "It's just a matter of interests. No permanent friends or enemies. Things are dire—the boss is dead, HQ offers no support, so seeking outside help is our only choice."

"So that's all we can do…"

…

Darkstar Club.

Colorful lights flashed like rainbows and meteors, dancing on the walls and flowing across the floor, creating a dreamy and mysterious atmosphere.

Pale-skinned dancers swayed to the music, their skin almost glowing under the soft lights, their graceful curves like carefully sculpted statues. Skirts fluttered with each movement, elegant lines appearing and disappearing in the light—a living painting in motion.

Of course, for the gentlemen present, few cared about the dancing itself; most only had eyes for the long legs and booba.

"…You want me to handle your enemies?"

The man known as Demon King was half-sunken into the sofa, arms around two women, frowning in thought.

"Your organization is so powerful, when did you need me to bail you out?"

The two black-robed men glanced at each other, embarrassed.

"Uh, you might not know. We do have a lot of experts, but our network is worldwide. No one's available right now…"

The Demon King sneered, "So HQ thinks you're useless and you're just cannon fodder, right?"

The two: "…"

Ouch, hit right on the mark.

"Ahem, but if you'd help us out, we'll definitely remember this favor," one said. "And you'd be well compensated…"

"Heh, spare me. I'm half-retired; I don't need anything." The Demon King snorted.

Both men looked helpless.

They'd heard the stories. The Demon King had once made a fortune in the underworld with his card skills, then tried to go legit, only to lose everything and end up deep in debt.

Left with no choice, he returned to the underground scene, unsealing his deck and burying his creditors in darkness.

Business wasn't for him; cards were.

Then he opened the Darkstar Club. Though he returned as a dark duelist, he rarely dueled himself—a semi-retired state.

"But you said the target is a young genius?" The Demon King narrowed his eyes.

One black robe nodded eagerly.

"That's right. He's a Duel Academy freshman, but ridiculously strong."

"And good-looking, you say?"

"A pretty boy, smooth skin—definitely your type!"

"Heh, interesting."

The Demon King brightened, an evil grin spreading across his face.

"I have to meet this one."