Yugioh [356-360] (Patreon)

Chapter 356: In the End, It All Comes Down to Dueling

Kira yawned, leaning against the bumpy window of the jeep, idly flipping through his cards.

These were all cards he'd picked up during Battle City—quite a haul. He was sorting them into useful, undecided, and for sale piles, thinking about new deck ideas.

It was barely dark, but the night was already thick like ink, with no moonlight. The forest seemed like a silent, ancient temple.

Branches twisted like skeletal arms reaching out in the dark. Leaves rustled with the wind, sounding like ghostly whispers.

The jeep bumped along a forest path, its headlights like faint fireflies. Wheels crunched over fallen branches and leaves with squeaky, creaky sounds.

The man in the front passenger seat turned to him. "You're a duelist?"

He was a local guide, and both he and the driver had been arranged by KaibaCorp to wait for Kira at the station. After arriving in the city, Kira transferred to this off-road vehicle, heading straight for Shimizu Town.

"Yes," said Kira.

"Impressive. I really admire you duelists—I could never do it," said the guide.

The driver joked, "With your brain? Forget it. Learn to play Karuta first."

"What's wrong with Karuta?" The guide puffed up. "It's hard, too!"

The driver just chuckled. "I don't know much about dueling, but I do know… Is there a monster called Dark Magician Girl? I've seen her—she's really huge."

Kira: "…"

"Pfft, what's the use of just being big?" The guide shook his head. "I prefer hard-working and capable girls."

The driver squinted. "If you're lowering your standards, you can drop 'hard-working' too, right?"

"Hah, you get me, man."

"…"

They joked for a bit, but seeing Kira uninterested, they fell quiet again.

After a while, the guide couldn't help but turn again. "So, big-city duelist, what brings you to a backwater like this?"

"I'll say this: if your company wasn't paying so much, I'd never come," the driver said. "A few people have gone missing here these past two weeks."

"Oh?"

That finally piqued Kira's interest.

"Yeah. Last week I came here with the police, looking for a missing traveler, but we never found them. Just ended up dropping it," said the guide.

Kira pondered.

Maybe KaibaCorp's hunch was right—something was up around here.

The trees grew denser. The jeep followed a side path and finally stopped.

"Let's rest a bit, get out and stretch. I'm stiff from sitting so long."

The guide got out, stretched, and pulled out a cigarette.

"Need a smoke?"

He offered Kira a cigarette.

"No thanks, I'm still underage," Kira declined.

"Good for you. Healthy habit."

The guide approved, then hummed a tune as he went to smoke.

Kira stayed in the car, sorting his cards.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but the night seemed even thicker. Even the wind had stopped. Every tree stood eerily in the dark, branches twisted like claws.

Ten minutes passed.

"Strange, he's not back yet?"

The driver muttered, getting ready to get out.

"I'll go check."

"I'll go," Kira said, opening the door.

The atmosphere felt off. But he wasn't worried—he had spirits at his command. There wasn't much in this world that could threaten him.

As always: no matter what monster it is, are they not going to duel?

He walked in the direction the guide had gone and soon noticed something.

A half-smoked cigarette.

Still burning, lying on the damp ground, the smell of smoke mixing with earth and tobacco—a strange scent.

A little further, there were drag marks in the grass and bushes, faint in the darkness.

Had the guy been attacked?

But it was so close to the car, and yet not a sound.

A few steps further, the marks ended abruptly, as if the man had simply vanished.

He went back to the car, only to find it empty.

Again, no sound, just a few steps away—and the driver was gone. This time, there weren't even signs of a struggle.

Darkness pressed in from the woods, wrapping around the car. The headlights were the only points of light, flickering like candles about to be snuffed out.

No, it wasn't his imagination—the darkness really was closing in.

It was a crowd of figures.

Staggering steps, strange postures, arms raised toward him as if by instinct.

Judging by their clothes, they were probably locals, but their eyes were empty, bottomless black whirlpools. In the headlights, the black circles under their eyes glowed like burning coals.

Their posture and movements made one think of zombies at first glance.

But not traditional zombies—more like the zombies from GX, when the whole academy was transported to another dimension and infected.

All they had on their minds was dueling.

Come to think of it, that sounded a lot like Jaden.

It looked freaky, but Kira wasn't worried.

"Silent," he called quietly.

White light flared from his body and a magic circle formed under his feet. Silent Magician flew out, spinning her staff, launching blasts of magic that exploded all around.

The explosions shredded the ground, sending the zombie crowd flying.

But when the smoke cleared, one figure was still standing at the back.

He looked like the leader of the group—mindless and swaying like the rest, but clearly stronger.

He staggered forward, squinting at Kira.

Then slowly raised his duel disk, groaning, "Duuueeell…"

Kira relaxed.

See? Nothing to be afraid of.

Even zombies have to duel.

Chapter 357: Duel with a Zombie

The zombie spoke in a dry, raspy voice, activating its Duel Disk and drawing five cards.

"Alright, let's give it a shot then."

Even for Kira, dueling a zombie—or something that at least looked like one—was a novel experience. He didn't mind trying it out.

"Then, I'll go first. Draw."

Kira drew a card, quickly scanning his hand.

"I activate the Spell Card 'Pot of Greed' to draw two cards from my deck."

Starting off with a banned card for a +2 draw—surely Mr. Zombie wouldn't have any objections.

Zombie: "..."

"I set a monster face-down in Defense Position."

Kira placed a monster card onto his Duel Disk.

"Next, I activate the Field Spell 'Catapult Zone.'"

A loud rumbling echoed as the forest vanished. A massive fortress rose in the background, and two enormous catapults made of heavy iron and wood landed on the plain like two impenetrable strongholds.

The dueling zombie squinted at the shifting scenery, occasionally letting out muddled groans from its nose. But it was unclear whether its brain could actually comprehend what was happening in the duel.

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Honestly, Kira was a little curious about how the zombie would duel, and how it would attack.

It wasn't that he expected any flashy combos or powerful plays—he was simply interested in how much dueling ability a zombified duelist could retain.

After all, traditional zombies are always labeled as undead, brainless creatures—once someone turns into a zombie, they're essentially dead and can't think. If that were the case, they shouldn't be able to duel at all.

"My... turn. Draw."

The zombie slowly drew a card, then squinted as if struggling to recognize its hand.

"Graceful Charity, activate." He said, "Draw three, then... discard two."

With grimy hands, he drew three cards, then clumsily picked two to send to the Graveyard. The whole process looked rather awkward.

"Continuous Spell 'Solidarity'... activate."

A green Spell Card shimmered into existence in the zombie's back row.

"Then, I summon Blue Thunder T45."

A bolt of lightning tore through the sky and landed in the catapult zone. The jet's body was a deep sapphire blue, sleek lines flowing across its frame as it descended with roaring engines.

[Blue Thunder T45, ATK 1700]

"A thunder... a fighter jet?"

Kira frowned, scrutinizing the zombie more closely.

"Don't tell me... you're Morita, the pro league duelist?"

Kira didn't know many pro players well; even if he'd seen some before, he rarely remembered them. But this Morita guy stood out because he remembered his deck featured several special fighter jet cards.

Like this Blue Thunder T45, which was based on the K company's arcade game 'Raiden Fighters,' and another called 'Big Blade Beta,' based on a ship from K's side-scrolling shooter 'Gradius.'

But why would a pro end up turning into a zombie in a place like this?

Morita ignored him, continuing: "Solidarity, ATK up."

Solidarity: If there's only one Type in your Graveyard, all your monsters of that Type gain 800 ATK.

Looks like his Graveyard is all Machines, so Blue Thunder's ATK increases by 800.

[Blue Thunder T45, ATK 1700 → 2500]

"Blue Thunder, attack the set monster."

The command sounded labored. Blue Thunder's engines roared as it launched, twin energy beams blasting toward Kira's face-down monster.

[Magician of Faith, DEF 400]

"Field Spell 'Catapult Zone' effect," Kira said. "When my monster would be destroyed by battle, I can send one Rock-type monster from my deck to the Graveyard instead."

The deck auto-searched, and a card popped out. Kira took it and displayed it.

"I send 'Tackle Crusader' from my deck to the Graveyard instead of destroying 'Magician of Faith.'"

Catapult Zone's effect acted like a stone barrier, protecting the magician. The lightning beams struck the stone, sending shockwaves through the field.

"Now, I'll resolve 'Magician of Faith's' effect."

Kira smiled, tapping the now-flipped magician.

"When this card is flipped, I can add one Spell Card from my Graveyard to my hand."

A golden light shone from his Graveyard, and Kira retrieved a card.

"I add 'Pot of Greed' from my Graveyard to my hand."

Morita Zombie: "..."

"Now, let's resolve 'Tackle Crusader's' effect," Kira continued. "When sent to the Graveyard, I can choose one of two effects:

Change one face-up monster your opponent controls to face-down Defense Position,

Or return one of your opponent's face-up Spell/Trap Cards to their hand, and they can't activate cards with that name this turn."

Kira pointed at Morita's back row.

"I'll return 'Solidarity' to your hand, and you can't activate it again this turn."

A phantom of Tackle Crusader flashed briefly on Kira's field. Golden light enveloped Morita's Spell Card, which turned into a beam and shot back to his hand.

Morita's hollow eyes spun around, thinking. His sluggish brain seemed to slowly grasp the situation.

With Catapult Zone on the field, whenever Kira's monster would be destroyed by battle, he could just send a Rock from his deck instead.

And by sending Tackle Crusader, he could either flip an opponent's monster face-down or bounce a back-row card.

In other words, every time his opponent tried to attack, he'd fall into a trap—one dug straight from Kira's deck.

The zombie stared wide-eyed at Kira.

"Oh? Not bad, you can at least read the board and understand the situation," Kira commented.

Makes sense, though. As he'd thought earlier, if you didn't have any intelligence, you couldn't duel.

So in Yu-Gi-Oh, zombies are less mindless monsters and more like brainwashed duelists. Their heads might be filled with nothing but dueling, and they attack others through card games—but at least they can strategize.

Turns out, even being a zombie in this world requires skill. You even have to use your brain.

Of course, this was just a theory. More testing was needed.

And the way to test it was simple.

Just play a couple more turns and see if he gets mad.

Chapter 358: Mr. Zombie, Give It Your All

"Before you end your Battle Phase, I activate a set card."

Kira snapped his fingers.

"Continuous Trap, 'Ultimate Offering'!"

The set card flipped face-up, and what looked like blood flowed from the dark card art.

"Ultimate Offering's effect can be activated during my Main Phase or your Battle Phase."

Kira slowly drew a card from his hand.

"So, I'll use its effect now. Pay 500 LP to Tribute Summon a monster from my hand.

I Tribute 'Magician of Faith' to Tribute Summon a monster in face-down Defense Position."

[Kira, LP 4000 → LP 3500]

Magician of Faith vanished in a shower of golden sparks, replaced by a mysterious face-down card.

Zombie Morita stared intently at the set card, letting out ambiguous groans.

The Battle Phase ended, and it was now Main Phase 2.

He squinted, laboring over his hand for a while, thick fingers brushing over each card as if doing eeny-meeny-miny-moe, before finally picking one.

"Set... end."

A gold light appeared in his back row as he set a card.

"My turn, draw."

"And first, of course, is the card I retrieved with 'Magician of Faith.'"

He immediately played a Spell.

"Spell Card, 'Pot of Greed'—draw two more cards."

He quickly drew two, then revealed another card.

"Spell Card, 'Spider Web'—I can add a card sent to the Graveyard last turn to my hand." (Anime card)

He pointed at Morita's Graveyard.

"I'll take your 'Graceful Charity.'"

White threads shot from Kira's Duel Disk, snatching the Spell Card from his opponent's Graveyard and returning it to Kira's hand.

"Now, activate 'Graceful Charity'—draw three, discard two."

Kira drew three and discarded two.

"But one of the discarded cards is 'Learning Elf.' When this monster is sent to the Graveyard, I draw one card." (Manga card)

He glanced at his draw, added it to his hand, then looked at the zombie.

Zombie Morita stared back with hollow eyes.

"So, you still have a clear grasp of the rules, but to what extent is your intelligence intact... let's check."

Kira flipped his face-down monster.

"Flip Summon the set monster. And it's..."

A massive monster, like a mountain made of stone, appeared on Kira's field, its sphinx-like visage exuding an imposing presence.

"Guardian Sphinx!"

[Guardian Sphinx, ATK 1700]

"Guardian Sphinx's effect: when this card is Flip Summoned, return all monsters your opponent controls to their owner's hand!"

For a split second, Morita's zombie eyes seemed to twitch, maybe even glaring at Kira.

Full-field, non-targeting, AOE bounce!

The massive Sphinx invoked its power. The Blue Thunder Fighter was helpless before it, forced to retreat back to Morita's hand under the statue's stern gaze.

Back row bounced, front row bounced...

Even though the zombie's face remained lifeless, his eyes now seemed a bit... resentful.

Or maybe it was just Kira's imagination.

Kira rested his chin on his hand.

Still needs more confirmation.

"Then, I Normal Summon 'Sentry Soldier of Stone.'"

[Sentry Soldier of Stone, ATK 1300]

Sentry Soldier of Stone, used in the movie by Yugi, is a new version of the classic "Giant Soldier of Stone."

And the original was famous not for power, but for its legendary hidden effect: it could attack the moon and cause the sea to recede...

"Battle Phase," Kira said. "Guardian Sphinx attacks directly."

The mountain-sized creature advanced, ready to crush with its sheer, overwhelming presence.

But the zombie had a counter, shakily raising his head: "Set card... Trap."

The set card flipped open—a Trap Card stood before him.

Trap Card: "Pinpoint Guard."

When an opponent's monster declares an attack, Special Summon one Level 4 or lower monster from your Graveyard in face-up Defense Position.

A golden light appeared in Morita's Graveyard, and a monster card sent there last turn emerged.

"UFO Turtle, Defense."

[UFO Turtle, DEF 1200]

The Sphinx's attack crashed down, but the little UFO Turtle stubbornly endured, not destroyed or sent away.

"Pinpoint Guard... cannot be destroyed."

The zombie croaked.

A monster Special Summoned by Pinpoint Guard cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn—a literal iron wall.

"Can't be destroyed, huh? Alright, I won't attack."

Kira shrugged, then smiled politely at the zombie.

"Main Phase 2, Guardian Sphinx's effect activates.

Once per turn, I can flip it face-down again."

He waved his hand over his monster.

"Good job out there—take a break."

The Sphinx's massive body quickly shrank back into a face-down card.

It rested quietly on Kira's field, but somehow emanated a chilling aura, like a hunter lying in wait.

Zombie: "!"

"Oh, you figured it out that fast?" Kira laughed.

Guardian Sphinx, thanks to its effect, could flip itself face-down once per turn.

And every time it was Flip Summoned, it could bounce all opposing monsters to the hand, no matter how many or in what position.

With Catapult Zone in play, even if you summoned a strong monster to attack, it was hard to beat. And attacking could trigger Catapult Zone's effect, sending a Rock from the deck to the Graveyard to replace a destroyed monster.

And those Rocks could have effects—like Tackle Crusader Crusader, which could remove back row or flip monsters face-down.

The whole setup was built around one idea—

—You're not really allowed to play Yu-Gi-Oh today.

The zombie's face remained blank, but his free hand had unconsciously clenched into a fist...

"Hmm, pretty smart, really."

Kira continued observing.

"See? You even know how to get mad."

Zombie: "..."

"As expected of a pro duelist turned zombie—your dueling instincts are top-notch."

Kira grinned, starting to look forward to the match.

"Let's hope you're smart enough to answer my questions after the duel—tell me what happened here, how you became like this, and where the person I'm looking for is.

So, Mr. Zombie, give it your all. Don't let me down."

Zombie: "..."

Kira drew two more cards.

"I set two cards and end my turn."

Chapter 359: Medical Miracle

"My... draw."

The zombie drew a card with a dull groan.

But before he could make his move—

"I activate a set card."

Kira waved his hand, flipping a card in his back row.

"Trap Card 'Mind Crush'! Name a card—if your opponent has it in their hand, they must discard all copies. If not, I must randomly discard a card."

He paused, smiling at his opponent's hand.

"Which card should I name... It's hard to choose... Alright, I'll pick this."

He crooked his finger.

"Continuous Spell 'Solidarity'—I choose that."

It was bounced back to his hand last turn, so of course it was there. The zombie stared at Kira's Trap, then at his hand, until the named card glowed gold, turned transparent, then vanished.

The zombie opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but couldn't—just groaning "mmnnnghh" in his throat.

He seemed... unwilling, maybe even aggrieved.

"I remember, in the league, 'Solidarity' was the key to your deck's offense, right?" Kira smiled. "If you got that going again, it'd be a pain to deal with."

Morita's deck was all fighter jets—Blue Thunder T45 and Falchionβ had only 1700 and 1200 ATK, but with Solidarity, they'd go up to 2500 and 2000.

Blue Thunder could summon token drones after destroying monsters, and Falchionβ had powerful effects to dump monsters to the Graveyard or revive them. With Solidarity, he could quickly gain the upper hand.

With two Solidarities, it'd be almost unstoppable—a great setup for both offense and endurance.

Of course, that all depended on getting the first Solidarity boost.

But now, with the bounce and Mind Crush combo, his whole plan was ruined.

The zombie looked wronged, but said nothing; after staring at Kira for a moment, he could only keep playing cards.

"Blue Thunder T45, summon."

The blue jet, bounced last turn, roared out again.

[Blue Thunder T45, ATK 1700]

"Level 8—Machina Fortress, discard."

He revealed his Level 8 'Machina Fortress' and discarded it. Another card in his hand glowed gold.

"Machina Fortress, Special Summon!"

A staple Machine engine, Machina Fortress could be Special Summoned from hand or Graveyard by discarding Machine monsters whose Levels total 8 or more.

[Machina Fortress, ATK 2500]

"UFO Turtle, switch to Attack Position."

[UFO Turtle, ATK 1400]

"Spell... activate!"

His moves were still slow, but just a bit faster than before, and his voice a little higher—like he was getting hyped.

"Burning Land!"

A surge of flames, like giant claws, ripped through the earth, engulfing the catapult field in a sea of fire. The two massive catapults burned and crumbled in the inferno.

Continuous Spell 'Burning Land'—when activated, destroys all Field Spells.

"Catapult Zone destroyed!"

The zombie seemed excited.

Now, Kira couldn't protect his monsters by sending Rocks from the deck anymore.

Morita entered the Battle Phase: "Blue Thunder... attack Soldier!"

Blue Thunder's exhaust flared as it launched, lasers firing towards Sentry Soldier of Stone.

But they didn't hit.

Because, once again, the massive, imposing Sphinx appeared to block the attack!

Zombie: "!!?"

He clearly attacked Sentry Soldier of Stone—so how did it turn into that Sphinx again?

"This time it's not Guardian Sphinx—it's my Trap Card.

Continuous Trap, 'Ordeal of a Traveler.'"

Kira smiled at the zombie.

"As a pro, you must have heard the legend of the Sphinx, right? The one about the riddle—what walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs at night?"

Zombie: "..."

"Never heard of it? Or don't understand?"

Kira looked disappointed.

"Or maybe your intelligence only works for dueling... oh well. Anyway, Ordeal of a Traveler activates when your monster attacks.

You have to guess the type of a random card from my hand—Monster, Spell, or Trap. If you guess right, the attack goes through.

If you guess wrong, your attacking monster is returned to your hand."

Kira held up a card, face-down.

"Go ahead, traveler—guess: Monster, Spell, or Trap?"

The zombie stared at the card for a long time, as if trying to see through it.

"...Spell."

"Is that so?"

Kira turned the card over with a smile.

"Too bad. It's Monster Card 'Gigantes.' Wrong guess."

"Blue Thunder T45 returns to your hand."

The Sphinx's eyes flashed red, golden light wrapped around the fighter jet, and it flew back to Morita's hand.

Bounced again.

Zombie: "..."

With no choice, the zombie continued: "UFO Turtle... attack."

"Once again, Ordeal of a Traveler triggers. Each time you attack, you have to guess a card. Guess wrong, and your monster bounces."

Zombie: "!!!"

His dark-circled eyes widened in disbelief.

"What's wrong? Surprised?" Kira smiled. "Ordeal of a Traveler is a Continuous Trap. Not once per turn. Every time you attack, it triggers."

Zombie: "..."

Attack, guess—get it wrong, bounce. As many attacks as you make, that many guesses.

If the zombie was still conscious, he'd probably be cursing:

—What kind of bullshit card is this!?

Incidentally, this card was used by Yugi's grandpa Solomon Muto in the KC Grand Prix against Joey, and even nearly broke Joey's spirit.

It's clear that Yugi's and Atem's playstyles are very different—maybe it's in the blood...

"Come on, guess."

Kira held up another card.

The zombie hesitated for a long time.

"...Monster."

"Ah, too bad. Wrong again."

Kira revealed the card.

"This time it's Spell Card 'Terraforming.' Sorry, UFO Turtle goes back too."

The Sphinx stood tall; UFO Turtle was wrapped in golden light and bounced back to the zombie's hand.

Zombie: "..."

His face was still blank, but a pound sign seemed to appear on his forehead.

"Machina Fortress... attack."

He pointed a trembling finger at Kira's set monster.

"Attack Sphinx."

Even this zombie brain calculated—although Sentry Soldier of Stone was in Attack Position, beating it wouldn't do much damage. But if he didn't deal with the Sphinx, next turn it'd just flip and bounce everything again.

He'd be completely screwed.

"Ordeal of a Traveler triggers again."

Kira shuffled his hand and held up a card.

The zombie hesitated for a while.

"...Monster."

"Oh? Still guessing monster?"

Kira nodded and revealed the card.

"Not bad, you got it right. This time it's Monster Card 'Gigantes.' So the attack goes through."

[Machina Fortress, ATK 2500]

[Guardian Sphinx, DEF 2400]

Machina Fortress's cannons blasted apart the Sphinx, the massive statue finally collapsing into rubble.

"Sphinx... destroyed!"

Maybe it was just that beating the Sphinx was so hard, but the zombie actually seemed excited.

"Not bad, you finally beat the Sphinx. But..."

Kira snapped his fingers.

"I activate my set card—Trap Card 'Time Machine.' Any monster destroyed by battle this turn can be Special Summoned in the same position.

I Special Summon 'Guardian Sphinx' from the Graveyard."

[Guardian Sphinx, DEF 2400]

Zombie: "..."

Beaten, but not really defeated.

"My turn. Draw."

Kira waved his hand.

"Guardian Sphinx's effect—once per turn, it can flip face-down again."

The Sphinx turned back into a set monster.

"And since it wasn't summoned this turn, I can Flip Summon it again.

So, Flip Summon 'Guardian Sphinx.'"

[Guardian Sphinx, ATK 1700]

"When Guardian Sphinx is Flip Summoned, all your monsters return to your hand."

Kira smiled, pointing at Morita's field.

"Machina Fortress goes back, too."

The fortress was enveloped in gold and followed its companions back to the zombie's hand.

The zombie's eyes widened to their limit, staring at Kira for a long time.

Then, gritting his teeth, he forced out words through his sluggish mouth:

"You... son of... a bitch..."

"Oh? You can speak outside of dueling now?" Kira was delighted.

A medical miracle.

"I have 'Gigantes' in my hand. I can banish an Earth monster from my Graveyard to Special Summon it.

I banish 'Tackle Crusader' to Special Summon 'Gigantes.'"

[Gigantes, ATK 1900]

"Battle Phase," Kira said. "Gigantes, Guardian Sphinx, Sentry Soldier of Stone—direct attack!"

His three Rock monsters attacked in turn, their solid blows knocking the zombie to the ground, black blood spurting from his mouth.

[Duel Zombie, LP 4000 → LP 0]

Chapter 360: The Infected

"Not bad... That's pretty impressive for a zombie."

Kira walked up to the zombie.

The eerie atmosphere remained, with an invisible darkness pressing from all around, like unseen walls closing in.

But this darkness no longer affected Kira.

Because now, he was the one in control.

He'd just won the duel. The power of the Shadow Game surged, wrapping around the zombie.

"Don't be afraid, it won't hurt. Well, it probably won't."

Kira paused, thinking he should be precise with his words. After all, he'd never experienced his own Shadow Game; he had no idea what it was like to lose and be twisted into all sorts of poses.

"Anyway, even if it hurts, it won't last long," Kira said. "I just need to ask a few questions. First: what happened here? How did you end up like this?"

The zombie lay on the ground, eyes wide open, staring unblinking—almost like he couldn't die in peace.

Suddenly, his whole body spasmed violently, thrashing like a fish out of water under the sun.

Next, his body began to collapse and dissolve, the insides oozing out like pus, until all that was left was a pile of deflated clothing.

"Huh?"

Kira blinked twice.

That wasn't his doing.

He had activated the Shadow Game, yes, but not at a lethal level. He figured this zombie was just a pawn—or perhaps even a victim—rather than the mastermind behind all this.

He only wanted to get some information; the Shadow Game was just a tool to make him talk.

But the guy simply... vanished.

So hardcore? Did he self-destruct just to avoid leaking information?

Kira stood up, frowning.

Maybe there was some sort of mechanism inside?

Perhaps, if an infected duelist lost to someone with shadow powers, it would trigger a self-destruct to prevent any leaks.

Just then, a rustling came from the woods behind him.

Kira stood up, turning cautiously. Silent Magician appeared in spirit form, staff at the ready.

But this time, it wasn't an enemy. In fact, it was someone Kira didn't expect.

A blonde woman.

A curvaceous, statuesque blond woman—so tall and voluptuous that she was nearly in the "can't see her own feet" club. Her long, shapely legs were clad in black over-the-knee boots; she stood at the edge of the forest path, eyeing Kira with a strange expression.

"You're... Mai Valentine?"

Kira sounded unsure.

Mai Valentine, now a legendary duelist. A classic DM-era pro—during a time when only gods clashed, she was a mere mortal with no special background or plot armor, but already a top-tier duelist.

And—sort of—Joey's girlfriend.

Though the anime never clarified where their relationship went, when Mai's voice actress got married, the official Yu-Gi-Oh animation director drew a congratulatory wedding illustration of Mai and Joey.

Naturally, Kira remembered that Mokuba had said Joey was supposed to be in the area, and asked Kira to try contacting him for help investigating the town. But Kira hadn't been able to reach him.

He wondered how things stood between Mai and Joey in this world.

"An outsider duelist?" Mai asked, eyeing him curiously, as if she wanted to say something but, after glancing at the oppressive darkness around them, changed her mind.

"Let's get out of here. It's not safe."

She said.

"Come with me. We'll talk later."

With no other leads, Kira followed her without hesitation—making sure to pick up the abandoned deck on the ground.

Kira walked behind her, the two of them weaving quickly through the dark underbrush.

"Are you a pro duelist?"

Mai asked, leading the way.

"No," Kira answered truthfully. "I'm a student at Duel Academy."

"A... Duel Academy student?"

Mai couldn't help but glance back at him in surprise.

She'd seen Kira duel just now, and it had left quite an impression. His dueling style was unusual, but her experienced eyes could see his strength right away.

She'd pegged him as at least pro level—maybe holding back, even, but certainly upper tier in the pro circuit.

But a Duel Academy student?

After a long pause, she finally said, "Well, you're certainly a special student."

Kira grinned. "Everyone says that."

Mai: "..."

No, she thought, special was putting it mildly.

She'd encountered these dueling zombies before, but always assumed they were just mindless, instinct-driven shells.

She never imagined one could get so angry it would curse out loud...

"What happened to that guy just now?" Kira asked.

"When an infected duelist is defeated in a duel, a self-destruct mechanism is triggered. Most other methods don't work on them."

Mai explained simply.

"I once saw a decapitated guy pick up and reattach his own head. They're practically immortal."

Kira: "..."

Wow. That's so Yu-Gi-Oh.

Only dueling can destroy the undead. Makes perfect sense.

"So how did he end up like that?"

"Who knows? I'd like to know myself."

Mai cursed under her breath.

"All of a sudden, the whole area turned like this. No one knows how it spread, but most people here are already infected.

If ordinary people are infected, they just become mindless, attack-on-sight types—you've probably run into a few already.

But certain special individuals can become duel-infected. Those are even more dangerous: they can manifest card effects in the real world, and their power is on a whole other level.

And only dueling can defeat them; knives and bullets do nothing."

A zombie virus, Yu-Gi-Oh style...

"By the way, is Joey Wheeler here too?"

Mai glanced at him. "You know Joey?"

"No, but a friend of mine does. Sent me here to find him."

"Figures, you're looking for him too." Mai frowned.

"So is he here?"

"How should I know? I wish I did."

She cursed again.

"If it weren't for that idiot, I wouldn't be stuck in this hellhole."