Yugioh [326-330] (Patreon)

Chapter 326: Darkstar Club

"Hey, Kira… this doesn't seem like a place we should be?"

Inside Darkstar Club, Jaden followed Kira through the dazzling bar. Red lights burned, green ones shimmered, colors mingling like fireworks.

Girls in sparkling dresses danced as deep, mellow music played. The air was thick with the scent of alcohol and tobacco.

As they passed through the hall, some noticed them. A few scantily clad ladies' eyes lit up and tried to cozy up. Jaden was startled, quickly dodging and hurrying after Kira.

Kira chuckled, "Never been to a place like this?"

"I'm not even old enough to drink," Jaden muttered.

He didn't get the appeal of such places—mainly, he hadn't seen anyone playing cards.

What fun could there be without dueling?

"The dueling's not here—it's in the arena downstairs," Kira said with a smile.

"Oh!" Jaden's eyes lit up. "Let's go check it out!"

"That's not why we're here," Kira replied. "But if you want to, you can go see, and I'll call you when I'm done."

"Nah, I'll stay."

Jaden waved it off, then asked, "So, why are we here? Is this their base?"

He glanced around, seeing only drinkers and scantily dressed girls—nothing like what he'd imagined.

"No, but KaibaCorp's intel says this club also hides shadow duels," Kira explained. "Plus, they're allied with the local Doma group.

We might find more leads here."

"I see…"

As they spoke, they reached the back. A scar-faced man in a suit appeared, glanced at their uniforms, and nodded. "The Demon King is waiting for you."

Demon King.

Honestly, when Kira first heard the codename, it sounded a bit silly—like some monster lord from folklore.

They entered a dimly lit room, starkly different from the lively outside.

A young man lay trembling on the floor, face pale, looking drained and mumbling weakly.

Jaden rushed over, helping him up. "Are you all right?"

Kira frowned and looked toward the desk.

The man known as Demon King straightened up, watching the two with a cold smile.

"Hahaha, not bad." He nodded. "Those losers weren't lying—looks aren't bad at all."

His gaze shifted to Jaden, who also received an approving look.

"This one's okay too, just looks a bit dumb."

Jaden helped the weak youth, then stood and demanded, "What did you do to him?"

"Want to know?"

The Demon King licked his lips, eager.

"I'll let you experience it for yourself. Don't worry, it's very enjoyable."

Jaden was confused.

"Enjoyable… is it a duel?"

"Uh."

The Demon King was stumped, then burst out laughing.

"Haha, even more exciting than dueling."

Jaden raised an eyebrow, clearly thinking: I doubt it. How could anything be more fun than dueling?

"But you actually came looking for me—that I didn't expect…"

The Demon King stood up, strapping on his duel disk.

"You must be pretty good, or those Doma losers wouldn't have run to me…"

"So they did contact you," Kira limbered up. "Good. We're looking for them too—could you perhaps point us to their location, Demon King?"

"Sure, but information doesn't come free."

The Demon King spread out his duel disk, humming.

Kira nodded. "I figured—a duel, right?"

"Shadow duel, underground rules. But I won't take your lives—that'd be a waste." The Demon King grinned. "But if you lose, you'll be at my mercy.

Hehehehehe…"

His massive frame shook with laughter, making him seem even more sleazy.

"All right. In exchange, I want the same condition," Kira replied.

"Hahaha, if you win, I'll do whatever you say—any condition, I'll obey. If you can beat my deck."

"Deal." Kira readied his duel disk.

"Duel!" x2

[Kira, LP 4000]

[Demon King, LP 4000]

Jaden, who hadn't gotten a word in, opened his mouth, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Why did no one ever ask for his opinion?

He wanted to duel too!

"I'll go first. Draw!"

The Demon King smiled ominously.

"Not a great opening… I activate the Spell Card 'Graceful Charity,' drawing three cards from my deck and discarding two."

He picked two cards and sent them to the Graveyard.

"Then, I normal summon 'Gozuki!'"

[Gozuki, ATK 1700]

"Gozuki, huh," Kira murmured.

He knew this card well—it was one of their research products. But in this world, his opponent's Minotaur was the original anime version, a 'Yokai' monster.

The Zombie-type Gozuki was Kira's own lab creation—no one else in this world had one.

"Gozuki's effect: once per turn, send a Yokai from deck to the Graveyard!"

The Demon King searched his deck, briefly showed a card, and sent it to the Graveyard.

"I'll send this card—

 —Nine-Tailed Fox!"

The phantom of a nine-tailed fox briefly appeared on his field, letting out a high, piercing cry.

Nine-Tailed Fox, huh.

Kira wondered if it would use a Tailed Beast Ball.

Of course, he knew this Nine-Tailed Fox was from the anime—in the original, Misawa used it. It was one of the original manga-exclusive Yokai deck aces.

The man before him was partly called Demon King because he used the same Yokai deck as Misawa from the manga.

Most of the manga-original Yokai deck had been made into real cards, and their effects were similar to the original. But all the monster types and type-related effects had been changed from Yokai to Zombie.

"I set a card face-down and end my turn."

The Demon King finished and looked at Kira with a smile.

"All right, it's your turn. Let me see your duel."

Chapter 327: Yokai

"My turn. Draw."

Kira drew his card and smiled.

"Demon King's signature deck, made up of yokai from various myths and folklore. Because you can skillfully command the powers of all sorts of yokai, you're known as the Demon King."

"Hahahaha! Kid, you know your stuff."

Demon King burst out laughing, then waved his hand.

"The past isn't worth mentioning. And honestly, the reason they call me Demon King isn't just about the cards…"

He paused, then looked Kira up and down with a leering gaze, licking his lips.

"Well, you'll understand why after you lose."

Jaden, standing to the side, didn't quite get what he meant, but instinctively shivered, feeling a chill down his spine.

Kira continued, "A major trait of yokai is their undying nature—they can revive from the graveyard over and over. And as more yokai revive from the graveyard, it opens up all kinds of tactics."

"Oh, you've done your homework!" Demon King grinned. "Not bad, not bad. I'm starting to like you.

That's right. Building up yokai in the graveyard, then unleashing a relentless assault through constant revival—that's the key to mastering yokai."

"Naturally. Facing a famous duelist like you, how could I not prepare in advance?"

Kira smiled, slowly drawing a card from his hand.

"That's why I'll use this card—

—Continuous Spell: 'Dimensional Fissure!'"

Electricity crackled through the air, bolts of lightning slicing through space like blades. A pitch-black rift tore open across the field—a scar in reality itself.

"While Dimensional Fissure is on the field," Kira explained, "any monster sent to the graveyard is banished instead, for both players!"

Demon King's smiling face froze for about a second.

Then his grin slowly faded, and his jaw dropped open, stunned.

What… what did you say!?

Not sent to the graveyard—everything is banished?

It took his brain a few seconds to process what that meant, and when it hit, Demon King felt like he'd been struck by lightning. His CPU nearly crashed.

Huh?

First turn, and you just deleted my graveyard from existence?

Isn't that basically blowing up my entire deck?

Without a graveyard, how's my Yokai deck supposed to function!?

"Next, I summon 'D.D. Survivor.'" Kira announced.

[D.D. Survivor, ATK 1800]

"D.D. Survivor, attack 'Gozuki.'"

Only now did Demon King snap out of his shock, gritting his teeth. "Hmph, not that easy! I activate my set card! Trap Card—'Ghostly Reinforcements!'" (Manga card)

A yokai-only trap that never made it into real cards.

"Ghostly Reinforcements! By paying 1000 Life Points, I can Special Summon two Level 4 or lower yokai from my graveyard!"

[Demon King, LP 4000 → LP 3000]

"I'll revive the two yokai I discarded with 'Graceful Charity'!"

He quickly pulled out the two cards.

"Rise again! Cursed Crow Tengu, and Shadow Mara Demon!"

[Crow Tengu, ATK 1400]

[Onmoraki, ATK 1200]

"Yokai are strongest when they revive from the graveyard!" Demon King declared.

"Crow Tengu and Onmoraki, both activate their effects!

Crow Tengu, when Special Summoned from the graveyard, destroys one opponent's monster!"

He pointed at Kira's field.

"Destroy 'D.D Survivor!'"

A sinister current swept over Kira's cloaked warrior, shattering it instantly.

"And Onmoraki's effect!" Demon King continued. "When Special Summoned from the graveyard, I draw one card!"

"Whoa, he countered it!" Jaden commented from the side. "This guy's pretty tough too."

Kira just smiled and drew four cards from his hand.

"Then, I set four cards and end my turn."

With a wave, another dark dimensional hole opened on his field. The cloaked warrior that had just been destroyed reappeared on the field.

Demon King was shocked. "D.D Survivor… why? It was just destroyed by Crow Tengu's effect!"

"D.D Survivor's effect," Kira explained. "If this face-up card is banished, it returns to the field at the end of the turn."

[D.D Survivor, ATK 1800]

Demon King's eyes narrowed.

He could already see the shape of Kira's setup.

With Dimensional Fissure on the field, both graveyards were basically gone; all monsters sent to the graveyard were banished.

His own yokai deck's graveyard was basically wiped out, and most of his monsters depended on the graveyard, so his deck was almost completely crippled.

Meanwhile, under the same conditions, "D.D. Survivor" and "Dimensional Fissure" created an undying combo. No matter how it was destroyed, as long as Dimensional Fissure was up, it would be banished and then revive itself.

It was clear now—the opponent's whole deck was probably built around banishing.

So on his side, his ancestral grave was dug up, while the opponent's banished cards were just more resources.

What kind of anti-yokai tactic is this!?

Demon King's eyes turned red.

Now he truly understood what Kira meant by "studied your deck." It wasn't out of respect—he'd just sized up his opponent to mess with his mentality!

"Your turn, Demon King," Kira reminded. "If you don't play, you'll run out of time."

"Hmph, I know it's my turn. Draw."

Demon King now realized this opponent was no ordinary foe. His graveyard resources were low, and the longer the duel dragged on, the fewer options he'd have, while the opponent's banished resources would only grow.

He needed a plan.

But when he drew, his eyes lit up.

"Hahahaha!" Demon King laughed. "Did you think 'Dimensional Fissure' would keep my graveyard sealed forever? You're too naïve!

I activate Quick-Play Spell 'Mystical Space Typhoon,' destroying a Spell or Trap on the field."

He pointed at Kira's back row.

"Begone, Dimensional Fissure!"

Chapter 328: Cosmos Power

Quick-Play Spell—Mystical Space Typhoon, activate!

 "Dimensional Fissure, begone!"

Demon King's eyes widened as he watched that ominous rift vanish amid the windstorm and lightning. Only then did he relax.

"Haha, not bad. I can tell you've studied my Yokai deck. Using Dimensional Fissure to banish the graveyard does cripple most of my deck, especially if you can use cards that benefit from banishing. That would be dangerous for me."

He paused, then changed his tone.

"But my duel is still a step ahead!

I activate the Spell Card 'Nobleman of Extermination' from my hand!"

A swordsman appeared from the card's image, eyeing Kira's three face-down cards.

"Nobleman of Extermination destroys a face-down Spell or Trap and banishes it. If it's a Trap, all cards with the same name are banished from both decks."

Demon King pointed at the center set card on Kira's field.

"That one!"

The swordsman swung his blade, but just as it was about to strike, the trajectory veered, and it hit the leftmost set card instead.

"What?" Demon King exclaimed. "Why didn't it hit the one I picked…?"

Then he saw the card's image—a Trap.

"Trap Card, 'Card of Pandora,'" Kira smiled. "When your effect targets a Spell/Trap in my zone, it can change the target to this card. Then I draw two cards." (Anime card)

Card of Pandora shattered, and Kira drew two cards.

"Tch, so you had protection."

Demon King frowned.

Then a thought struck him.

Wait. Card of Pandora can substitute for any targeted Spell/Trap, which means when he used MST on Dimensional Fissure, Kira could have activated this but didn't.

Why?

Does that mean the set card was more important than Dimensional Fissure?

Demon King snorted inwardly.

But no matter what, as long as he got rid of Dimensional Fissure, his yokai system could work again. Whatever traps were left weren't nearly as oppressive.

No matter what those cards were, he had nothing to fear now.

"I activate 'Gozuki's' effect again: once per turn, send a yokai from deck to the graveyard."

Regaining some confidence, Demon King searched his deck for a monster card.

"I send 'Mezuki' to the graveyard!"

"Mezuki, huh." Kira nodded. "At the start of your next turn, you can banish it from the graveyard to revive a yokai."

Also the manga version, not Kira's custom Zombie version.

"Hmph, you're prepared. But knowing changes nothing." Demon King grinned. "Gozuki and Mezuki together can instantly summon the most powerful yokai.

No one can withstand such a combo!"

"Indeed, it's impressive." Kira nodded. "That's why letting Mezuki reach the graveyard is dangerous.

So I activate Continuous Trap: 'Macro Cosmos.'

While Macro Cosmos is on the field, any card sent to the graveyard is banished instead!"

Demon King's smile froze for a second.

Then, as if history was repeating, his smile vanished, his face twisting with pain and disbelief.

Are you kidding me? You have that too!?

Macro Cosmos… what the hell is that!?

Not that he should know—after all, it was developed by Lyman, and never released to the public.

As one of the most infamous banish cards in the modern meta, seeing it for the first time was a huge shock—especially for someone whose deck relied on graveyard resources.

"While resolving Gozuki's effect, Macro Cosmos is already active." Kira smiled. "So your chosen Mezuki isn't sent to the graveyard—it's banished instead."

A starry background appeared, a black cosmos filled with stars. Mezuki was swept away by gravitational currents, vanishing into the void. Demon King instinctively reached out, as if to save it, but quickly realized it was hopeless—it was gone, reduced to atoms.

"Damn…"

His fists clenched.

Demon King turned, voice low.

"Remember this, kid. When I win, you'll regret angering me like this."

Kira smiled silently.

Jaden watched, more and more impressed.

He really thought Kira was amazing—always coming up with new ways to make his opponents so furious they started making mistakes.

"I tribute Crow Tengu and Onmoraki!"

Demon King shouted, raising his hand.

"Undying Nine-Tailed Fox, show your earth-shaking power! Revive from the grave—

—Nine-Tailed Fox, summon!!"

A pillar of flame shot up, energy gathering and forming a burning figure. Nine fiery tails danced in the air, the flames coalescing into the form of the fox spirit.

[Nine-Tailed Fox, ATK 2200]

"Nine-Tailed Fox can be Special Summoned from the graveyard by tributing two yokai on the field!"

This effect was faithfully recreated in the real card, though modified. In the manga, it could only use yokai as tribute and revive as many times per turn as you liked.

In the real card, you could tribute any monsters, and summon from hand or grave, but the effect could only be used once per turn.

And when Nine-Tailed Fox is destroyed, it can Special Summon two "Fox Tokens."

Clearly, this monster's biggest feature is its undying nature. Every time it's defeated, it leaves two tokens, which can be tributed to revive it infinitely.

But with Macro Cosmos out, this main ability was stripped away.

If it gets taken down once, Macro Cosmos kicks it straight to another dimension—banished, unable to revive at all.

"Now I activate Equip Spell 'Power of the Guardians' on 'Gozuki!'" Demon King continued. "Every time the equipped monster battles, place a Spell Counter on this card, and it gains 500 ATK.

You can remove a Spell Counter to prevent the equipped monster from being destroyed by any means!"

He waved his hand.

"Battle! First, 'Gozuki' attacks 'D.D Survivor!'"

Gozuki charged, warhammer smashing down. The Equip Spell shone with golden light, armoring Gozuki with a transparent shield.

"At this moment, Gozuki's ATK increases by 500, and a Spell Counter can protect it from destruction!"

[Gozuki, ATK 1700 → 2200]

"Absolute destruction immunity from Power of the Guardians—troublesome indeed."

Kira waved his hand.

"Then I activate the Trap 'Karma Cut.' Discard a card, then banish one face-up opponent's monster.

Banish 'Gozuki!'"

Chapter 329: The Monarch

Demon King: "Wryyyyyy—!"

Banish! Banish! Always banishing!

Why do you have so much banish!?

The dimensional rift opened again, and an invisible force pulled Gozuki away. Even the Power of the Guardians shield couldn't save it; it was banished and the shield shattered.

"Agh! Then I'll attack with Nine-Tailed Fox—attack and destroy that thing!"

Kira's only monster was D.D. Survivor. Nine-Tailed Fox's nine tails gathered energy, firing a fireball.

This time there was nothing in the way. D.D Survivor was engulfed and quickly incinerated.

[Kira, LP 4000 → LP 3600]

"Nice, you actually hit my Life Points." Kira praised his opponent's efforts. "Keep it up."

Demon King: "…"

Even though his attack went through, the sense of helplessness only grew stronger.

Face darkening, Demon King set a card and ended his turn, teeth gritted so hard they nearly cracked.

"No need to get so worked up—it's bad for your health and for dueling," Kira advised kindly.

Demon King: "…"

"End Phase of your turn, 'D.D Survivor' returns. If this card was banished, it Special Summons itself at the End Phase."

[D.D Survivor, ATK 1800]

"And the card I discarded for 'Karma Cut' was 'D.D. Scout Plane.'" Kira said, "Thanks to Macro Cosmos, Scout Plane is banished instead of sent to the graveyard.

And its effect: when banished, it Special Summons itself in Attack Position at End Phase."

[D.D. Scout Plane, ATK 800]

"My turn. Draw."

Kira paused.

"All right, it's about time to end this."

Demon King's heart skipped a beat.

Kira's tone was so calm—not a victory declaration, not mockery, just a simple statement of what would happen next.

Kira glanced at his hand and smiled.

"Haha, don't worry—you'll get your turn to shine soon."

Only now did Demon King sense that Kira was holding something ominous.

Something so threatening that even unplayed, it radiated dread.

"First, I tribute 'D.D. Scout Plane' to Tribute Summon. Ice Monarch, freeze everything—

—Mobius the Frost Monarch, summon!"

Snow fell and an icy domain unfolded. The towering Frost Monarch descended amid the flurry.

Cold, pure power enveloped the field, freezing even the air into sparkling crystals.

Mobius struck, unleashing his ice domain. The ground froze instantly, spreading an icy armor over everything.

A fierce wind howled, carrying countless snowflakes and ice shards. Demon King's set card was frozen solid, then shattered like glass.

Trap Card: Storming Mirror Force.

On an opponent's attack, all their Attack Position monsters return to the hand. A lifesaving card, a last resort.

But under Mobius's power, it was useless. When Tribute Summoned, Mobius can destroy up to two Spells/Traps on the field.

"Even Storming Mirror Force couldn't save you…"

Demon King gritted his teeth, looking at Mobius.

But no, that wasn't the source of the ominous feeling.

That dark, evil power was still lurking in Kira's hand.

"I activate Continuous Trap 'Ultimate Offering,' pay 500 Life Points to Tribute Summon again," Kira said calmly.

[Kira, LP 3600 → LP 3100]

"I tribute 'D.D Survivor' to Tribute Summon."

He slowly drew a card from his hand.

The instant it hit the duel disk, it was as if some dark being broke free.

Darkness erupted, even dimming the stars of Macro Cosmos. Black clouds obscured the skies, but not ordinary black—this was a void so deep it could swallow everything.

Crimson beams pierced down like demonic tentacles. The ground trembled as if something unnameable was awakening. A massive shadow rose from the abyss, its outline forming from countless dark particles, with crimson eyes gleaming with evil temptation.

The invisible pressure peaked.

Demon King's eyes widened, body trembling.

He knew—that was it.

That terrifying aura, that source of evil power.

He looked at Kira in shock and fear.

He began to regret not scouting out his opponent more carefully. Looking back, it made sense—anyone Doma would go so far to target and even hire him for couldn't be simple.

But now it was too late for regret.

"Caius the Shadow Monarch's effect: when Tribute Summoned, banish any card on the field."

Kira glanced at Caius.

"Show your power."

Caius nodded, stretching out his hand. His black palm reached into the abyss.

Space twisted under his dimensional power, locking onto Nine-Tailed Fox. The once-immortal fox was powerless before Caius, its undying ability rendered useless, simply vanishing as space warped.

"When Nine-Tailed Fox is destroyed, it can summon tokens, but if it's banished, that effect doesn't trigger," Kira said.

The real card requires "destroyed and sent to graveyard" for the effect, but the original manga version triggered just by being destroyed. Even with Macro Cosmos, the original could still activate.

But Caius banished it directly, so there was nothing left to worry about.

"And of course, if it's banished, Nine-Tailed Fox can't revive. It can only revive if it's in the graveyard."

Kira smiled.

"Well, you never had a chance to use that effect anyway."

The Monarchs of Ice and Shadow crossed their arms, standing before Demon King like two towering mountains.

Demon King's expression was pure fear.

"You… you can't possibly be a student from Duel Academy…"

He looked with difficulty at the imposing Caius, unable to help but ask.

"Who… what are you?"

"Believe it or not, I really am just an ordinary student. See, I'm even wearing the uniform."

Kira laughed, shrugging.

"Mobius the Frost Monarch, Caius the Shadow Monarch—direct attack."

The combined might of ice and shadow struck, a double tornado tearing through to hell itself. Demon King screamed, engulfed by the storm as the duel ended.

[Demon King, LP 3000 → LP 0]

Chapter 330: Kira Rewards the Good and Punishes the Wicked

But as the Demon King fell, his heart was filled with grievance.

Yes, grievance. He had dominated his whole life, had faced opponents stronger than himself, and had lost duels before.

But this was the first time he'd ever felt so stifled after a fight.

His Yokai deck was built around graveyard operations. For example, the duo of Gozuki and Mezuki—masters of graveyard milling and revival—could easily pull any powerful yokai from the deck onto the field at a moment's notice.

Or the endlessly revivable Nine-Tailed Fox, and even the low-level monsters he'd just used—Crow Tengu and Onmoraki—all came with powerful effects when revived from the graveyard.

But he never even had a chance. His opponent's Macro Cosmos banished his entire graveyard, erasing it completely. The strength of his yokai never got to shine at any point.

This was also the first time he truly realized that a duel could feel like being thrown in jail.

"You won, Kira!"

Though he hadn't dueled himself, Jaden still diligently jumped out, striking a victory pose to celebrate Kira's win, smiling cheerfully.

"That was such an interesting duel!"

Demon King: "..."

Heh, interesting. Yeah, real interesting.

Whatever you say, he didn't dare object anyway.

As the duel ended, darkness surged all around. The pitch-black chaos seemed to be home to countless beings, all converging toward him.

Demon King's heart skipped a beat.

As an old hand on the streets, he knew exactly what this meant. To lose in a shadow duel could mean eternal damnation—some unlucky ones couldn't even enter the underworld and would wander in darkness forever.

"Wait, wait! What do you want to ask? I'll tell you everything!"

The Demon King cried out in panic.

"Naturally, you don't have the option not to."

Kira nodded, stepping forward to look down at the kneeling Demon King.

"New Doma hired you to deal with me?"

The Demon King nodded like a pecking chicken.

"Then it's simple. Tell me—where's their base?"

The Demon King hesitated.

"Hm? Don't want to say?"

Kira was puzzled. Didn't the winner of the duel get to ask whatever they wanted, and the loser had to answer? Could he actually choose to die rather than talk?

Maybe my darkness isn't strong enough?

Thinking this, the surrounding darkness pressed in even more, as if ready to swallow the Demon King whole.

Terrified, the Demon King quickly said, "It's not that I don't want to, Yellow-robed Lord! I really don't know. See, even though we're allies, I'm not in their inner circle. How could they possibly let an outsider know the location of their base?"

Kira thought for a moment and felt this did make sense.

But what's with this "Yellow-robed Lord"? Has my yellow dorm uniform become my signature look?

No matter. Kira instantly had a new idea.

"Even if you don't know the location, you must have a way to contact them, right?" Kira asked. "They hired you to take me out, so you must have a channel to notify them when the job's done?"

The Demon King nodded helplessly. "That... I do have."

"How do you contact them?"

"There's a dedicated line," the Demon King replied. He couldn't hide anything he knew. Having lost the duel, he could feel a strange force brewing inside him, shackling his soul.

Every word he uttered seemed to be watched by that power. Should he try to lie or hide anything, the shackles would tighten, as if gripping his soul in a vice.

Of course, he had no intention of lying for now.

"Do you contact them, or do they contact you?" Kira pressed.

"I contact them. Once the job is done, they send someone to verify and take something from you—though I don't know what it is. They just said you have something they want."

The Demon King said bitterly.

"After they come and complete the retrieval, then I get my payment. What happens after that has nothing to do with me."

"I see."

Kira nodded in understanding.

"Then it's simple. Contact them now, tell them the task is done, that I've been taken care of, and have them send someone over. Once they arrive, you're off the hook."

The Demon King froze.

Then quickly understood Kira's intent.

"You want me to betray my allies?" He narrowed his eyes.

Though he and New Doma were only surface-level allies, there was still that bond. In their world, loyalty meant everything. If word of this got out, how could he show his face in the underworld again?

"What, you have a problem with that?"

Kira smiled, not annoyed at all—just smiling kindly.

"If you don't want to, I won't force you. I'm a reasonable person."

"No, absolutely not!" the Demon King shouted.

For some reason, when this yellow-robed youth smiled and spoke in such a kind, understanding tone, it only made his hair stand on end.

Especially with the sea of darkness swirling around—a truly chilling sight.

In that instant, all thoughts of loyalty and brotherhood vanished. As the saying goes: "Better him than me." His own life was more important.

He also sensed that if he tried to resist, his fate could be worse than death.

"Fine, fine."

Kira patted his shoulder with a smile.

"It's rare for the great Demon King to see the light and repent. I'll be counting on you."

The Demon King forced a bitter smile.

See the light? Sure, maybe that's what it was. But why did it feel more like he was abandoning the light for the dark?

"Oh, right, one more thing."

Kira's smile faded, and he suddenly became serious.

Scared by the abrupt change, the Demon King held his breath and cautiously asked, "Is there something else, sir?"

"Even if you repent, that doesn't mean your past crimes are forgiven."

Kira said righteously.

"Duel Monsters aren't tools for bullying the weak, nor are they a means to seek profit. Using them to hurt others disqualifies you from being called a duelist!"

The Demon King blinked in confusion.

Huh? Yellow-robed Lord, are you talking about yourself? Because I feel like I'm the one being bullied right now.

"Using cards for evil, stealing lives—can't you hear your cards crying?" Kira continued his questioning.

He really couldn't.

The Demon King muttered silently but bowed his head and listened without daring to protest.

"Someone like you doesn't deserve to be called a duelist. I can't let you hurt more innocents with Duel Monsters."

Kira reached out.

"Hand over your deck."

The Demon King: "..."