Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

"At the end of the round, due to the negative effect of [Thousand Energy], both [Royal Guardian] and [Pharaoh's Servant], whose attack power was increased, will be destroyed..."

Watching his monster leave the field, even though he was filled with regret, Abidas III could only helplessly end his turn, giving the initiative to Jaden Yuki on the other side.

"Well! You've seen my full power, haven't you!" Avidas III, having successfully inflicted damage on Jaden Yuki with his arms crossed, boasted with a hint of arrogance.

Unlike the previous duels, the outcome of this duel was entirely determined by my own actions; there was no element of intentionally losing!

"Heh... still a long way off!"

Lowering his arm that had been blocking his way, Jaden Yuki's face revealed a fearless expression.

The injury he had just suffered only fueled his fighting spirit, making his heart burn like a raging fire.

"Hmph! ...Such a stubborn mouth!"

"Whether you're just being stubborn or not, we'll find out soon enough!"

After ending his verbal sparring with Abidas III, Jaden Yuki placed his finger on the deck and slowly closed his eyes.

"Damn! Abydas III missed his chance... It looks like he'll have to send it soon..."

Yusei shook his head slightly and gave his guess.

Those familiar with Jaden Yuki's behavior know that at this moment, he's about to pull off a miraculous draw!

"My turn, draw a card!"

The card traced an arc in front of Jaden Yuki, finally stopping at his upper right.

Slowly opening his eyes, Jaden Yuki gazed at the card he had just obtained, a knowing smile spreading across his face: "Here it comes! This is exactly the card I needed!"

【Monster Resurrection】, a Normal Spell Card, whose effect is to revive one monster from both players' Graveyards to your field.

At times, this card can be surprisingly effective.

Abydas III: "...The dead resurrected? But there are no monsters in our graveyards with attack power exceeding that of the [Pharaoh's Spirit]! Even if you were to awaken those worthless monsters from the graveyard, it would be meaningless! They would be no match for my monsters!"

"No! The outcome of the duel won't be known until the very end!"

After saying this, Jaden Yuki immediately inserted the Spell Card from his hand into the back row of the Duel Disk: "Spell Card [Monster Resurrection] activated! Revive from my Graveyard! [Elemental HERO Wingman] (ATK 1000)!"

"Monsters with attack power of 1000 and 800... what exactly are you planning to do?" Abydas III, whose mind was still stuck in the past, had not yet realized the seriousness of the problem.

"That's of course... fusion!"

With a smile, Jaden Yuki gave his answer as if it were a matter of course, pulling a spell card from his hand: "Spell Card [Fusion] Activated! Send [Elemental HERO Wingman] and [Elemental HERO Nendoroid] from the field to the Graveyard as Fusion Materials to perform a Fusion Summon!"

"Come forth... [Elemental Hero Earth Warrior] (Attack Power 2200)!"

The ground on the golden ship suddenly shattered as Jaden Yuki shouted.

Then, a mechanical orbal giant, covered entirely in brown iron and seemingly transported from a next-generation deck, emerged from the shattered floor and appeared before everyone's eyes.

The giant's body was inlaid with brown beads of various sizes.

The giant's arms are equipped with powerful cannons capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks!

Behind it, there is a pair of huge jet ducts used to increase the impact force, providing it with a continuous source of power!

When the monster that Yusei once summoned reappeared, it still possessed extremely high deterrent power!

"...Fusion Summoning! And...Earth Knight?"

Upon seeing the new summoning method again, Abydas III's eyes shone brightly.

What he saw and heard tonight has already surpassed his thoughts and ideas, becoming the most dazzling memory in the past three thousand years.

The new possibilities brought about by integration opened the door to a new world for him, allowing him to see entirely new scenery he had never seen before!

"[Elemental HERO Earth Knight]'s effect activated! When this card is Fusion Summoned, target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; until the end of this turn, that monster's ATK becomes half of its current ATK, and this card's ATK increases by that amount!"

Raising his right hand, Jaden Yuki pointed at the monster opposite him: "My chosen target is naturally the [Pharaoh's Spirit], which has the highest attack power!"

Abidas III: "...?!"

Driven by his own body, the dark red gem embedded in the surface of Earth Knight's body began to emit bursts of light, continuously drawing power from the Pharaoh's spirit.

The attack power of [Pharaoh's Spirit] is 2500. If we reduce it by half, it becomes 1250...

And the part that was cut off will be added to Earth Knight's attack power...

As the Pharaoh's spirit weakens, the Earth Knight's power begins to increase.

In just a short while, their positions completely reversed!

(【Pharaoh's Spirit】Attack Power: 2500 → 1250)

(【Elemental Hero - Earth Warrior】 Attack Power: 2200→3450)

"Battle has begun! [Elemental Hero - Earth Warrior] Attacks [Pharaoh's Spirit]!"

Having gained new power, Earthman, under the instruction of Jaden Yuki, immediately raised the cannon on his arm towards the monster that he had previously used as a power bank.

The dark, gaping openings faced the spirits of the pharaohs, their cold, mechanical bodies reflecting the deathly pale face of Abydas III opposite them…

Realizing he was about to lose, he seemed to find it hard to accept the outcome.

However, the current situation is what it is.

In any case, he was no longer able to put up any resistance.

(Abidas III LP: 1500→0)

The weakened Pharaoh's Spirit was engulfed by the crimson light of Elemental Hero Earth Knight, and Abidas III himself also suffered solid damage from Earth Knight's attack power, which amounted to 2200 combat damage!

"I won! What an interesting duel! It seems that only a serious duel can bring joy, Your Majesty!"

With his signature mocking gesture directed at Avidas III, Jaden Yuki, his eyes half-closed, revealed a bright smile: "I'll take this duel!"

"Heh... Judai Yuki, you bastard..."

Hearing Jaden Yuki's completely incomprehensible and bewildering remarks, Abidas III, who had gotten up from the ground with a slightly surprised expression, couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.

A look of relief appeared on his face.

yes……

Although I lost, I did experience a joy I had never known before!

This is something he could never buy no matter how much money he spent in the past; it's something he's longed for all these years...

Happiness, or rather, pleasure...

He had never sought this unique feeling amidst the constant false victories of the past.

However, at this moment when he was facing defeat, Abydas III unexpectedly encountered it, and they met each other...

"Why...why did I become a Dark Duelist?" Raising his head, Abidas III couldn't help but sigh, "All I wanted was to have serious duels with powerful duelists..."

"Your Majesty..."

"Just once, I want to duel a man like you..."

Standing before Abydas III, Jaden Yuki quietly gazed at the pharaoh whose body was gradually becoming ethereal.

The loser in a dark duel will pay the price.

Having fulfilled his long-cherished wish, Abidas III's soul will be freed from this long period of time and, like Atum, will return to the underworld.

"A duel, you're having a great time, aren't you?" After thinking for a moment, and glancing at the crowd around him out of the corner of his eye, Jaden Yuki composed himself and decided to bid farewell to the king in his own way.

“Yes, I’m very happy.” Nodding, Abydas III gave an affirmative answer: “Now I can ascend to heaven in peace and leave this world.”

"Really? That's fine then."

"But...aren't you coming with me?" Abidas III, holding Jaden Yuki's right hand in both, cradled it against his chest, his eyes filled with hope as he looked at Jaden Yuki: "I...want to have many more duels with you!"

"...Would you be willing to accompany me to the end of this journey?"

"Huh?" Upon hearing Abidas III's homoerotic words, Yusei couldn't help but have a big question mark pop up above his head.

As for the person involved, Jaden Yuki, whose right hand was being tightly gripped, had a rather troubled expression on his face.

“Because… it would be such a waste if such a joyful duel ended in just one round! So…” Abidas III approached Jaden Yuki’s face, awaiting his reply.

“Even if you say that…” Jaden Yuki scratched the back of his head with his free left arm and tentatively suggested, “Um… could you wait for me for about a hundred years?”

"After that, I could become your opponent at any time..."

The normal lifespan of a person is generally less than one hundred years.

Jaden Yuki's answer, to put it simply, is equivalent to "I'll definitely do it next time!"

Sigh! It's not that I don't want to go, it's just that I have other things to take care of right now, so this needs to wait...

Your Majesty, you understand what I mean, right? Hmm?

“I see… 100 years?” After blinking and receiving a clear answer, Abidas III released Jaden Yuki’s hand and nodded slightly: “Well, compared to three thousand years, it’s just a blink of an eye… Alright, I’ll wait for you until then.”

"oh oh……"

……

And so, after making a promise to meet again with Jaden Yuki, Abydas III released everyone and then sailed away from this world aboard the golden ship.

Before leaving, he specifically handed over the dark artifacts he had to Jaden Yuki.

On the one hand, it is about making a clean break with one's previous wrong choices.

On the other hand, it is also to show sincerity to Jaden Yuki.

"That's great, Judai... After you made a promise with that Pharaoh, you'll definitely become a Buddha when you die~" Walking on the way back, Yusei, with his arms crossed, couldn't help but tease Yuki Judai beside him.

"Oh! You should all come with me then, to tell that king about more and more interesting duels." Jaden Yuki suggested to the group with a smile, playing with the dark artifact in his hand.

Even in the afterlife, we should all stay together!

"Kotovalo (I refuse)! Even if I die, I will not go with you!" As expected, Manjoume continued to make his arrogant statement.

"What does it matter? Aren't we friends?"

"...Who says I'm your friend, Judai!"

"...Hahaha!!!"