Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

Witnessing the dramatic changes in the world, Marufuji Sho, lacking the courage to confront the mastermind behind it all, decisively chose to flee: "...If the Three Phantom Demons really revive, then the entire island will be swallowed up by them!"

"What are you saying, Sho!" Seeing his underling so pathetic, Yuki Judai's face immediately showed a look of disappointment: "Right now, the only ones who can stop the Seven Star King are us, okay!"

"...We can't run away. What we should do now is hurry up and fight the final Seven Star King!"

"I think so too."

Nodding in agreement with Jaden Yuki's suggestion, Yusei continued, "...We can't turn a blind eye to Manjoume and Asuka. I intend to rescue them no matter what."

It is "I", not "we".

In other words, even if everyone else present had second thoughts, Yusei was already prepared to set off alone.

"Mmm...you're right..."

Speechless after being spoken to, Marufuji Sho shrank back somewhat awkwardly.

His choice in such a crucial decision was indeed very disappointing.

Recalling the words that had just slipped out without thinking, his face slowly began to flush red.

“There’s only one King of the Seven Stars left… which means…” Turning his head, Yusei squinted and glanced in the direction of Jaden Yujo.

"Ah! I know..." Jaden Yuki, arms outstretched and Duel Disk spread wide, had a look of fierce determination on his face: "I feel it too! This... is our final duel with Seven Stars!"

……

The old school building of Duel Academy.

In a laboratory hidden deep underground.

In the pitch-black space, the mysterious man who had left the sealed place and returned here also keenly sensed that Yusei and the others were rushing towards him.

Just as Stand users are drawn to each other, there is also an unseen connection between the guardians of the seal and the thieves of the key.

Without any deliberate search, once the mysterious man made no attempt to hide himself, his location was exposed to the elves' senses.

"Hmph... Come here quickly! My most promising student in this life—Yuki Judai!"

The mysterious figure, draped in a gray cloak, stretched out his arms freely. He didn't call out Yusei's name, but instead revealed a strange obsession with Yuki Jaden.

After he said these words, alchemical symbols appeared in front of him and on the roof of the old school building.

As if afraid that Yusei and the others wouldn't be able to find him, the mysterious man, just like he had done when he lured Manjoume, deliberately used alchemical symbols to show them the way.

Hey! Come here right now, my chosen duelist!

Come and accept this final trial, which I will guide you through!

……

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Following the trail of alchemical symbols, the group crossed the jungle and arrived at the old school building.

Standing once again in this place of destiny, gazing at the eerie building shrouded in gloom, Yusei couldn't help but show a look of emotion.

"The final battleground... is it really here?"

He originally thought that after Asuka defeated Titan and retrieved Fubuki's memories, he would no longer have the opportunity to come here.

However, guided by fate, the group eventually arrived at this place.

"The marker disappears here, does that mean this is our final destination?"

Stepping inside the old school building and feeling the quiet, empty atmosphere, Jaden Yuki, holding a flashlight, couldn't help but ask in confusion, "So, where should we go next?"

"Next..."

“Meow~~~!”

Before Yusei could even speak, Pharaoh let out a meow and ran towards the basement.

"Hey! Pharaoh! Where are you going?"

"...That direction leads to the basement? Isn't that where we fought the Titans before?"

"The last King of the Seven Stars, is he there?"

Following behind the Pharaoh, the group headed down to the lower levels of the building. After navigating winding passages, they arrived at an underground space that was completely different from the previous basement.

"This is...an alchemy laboratory?"

"It just feels... kind of creepy..."

Looking at the bottles and jars piled up in the room, the various machines whose names were unknown, and the huge alchemical array engraved in the center of the floor, the people who came here immediately felt a deep chill.

"That round stove...it looks like a furnace? Is it used for distillation?"

Standing in front of a large iron sphere, Jaden Yuki, his face full of curiosity, couldn't help but ask this question.

"This... must be someone's laboratory."

After glancing around at the surroundings, Yusei's gaze lingered on a rather incongruous coffin in the room: "Could there be a vampire or zombie lying in here too?"

“…Open it and you’ll see.” Mustering his courage, You Chengshi walked up to the coffin, sorted out his thoughts, and then called over You Xing. Together, they pushed the coffin lid open with all their might.

Then he saw a truly bizarre sight.

Inside the coffin lay a tall, imposing corpse.

"This is... a corpse?"

"...Why are there corpses here?"

With this question in mind, Judai Yuki then pointed his flashlight at the inside of the coffin: "I have a feeling that this corpse..."

"This body looks familiar... like I've seen it somewhere before..."

Curious, Jaden Yuki reached out and examined the inside of the coffin, immediately noticing the markings on the white shirt.

The name is “DAITOKUJI (大德寺).

"...Master Daitokuji?"

Raising an eyebrow, Yusei looked at the scene with curiosity in his eyes.

Could it be that Master Daitokuji lost in the Dark Duel and that's why he looks like this?

"How could this be... impossible!" With disbelief in his eyes, Judai Yuki quickly shone the light on the corpse's face.

Then, just as he had expected, he saw the face of Daitokuji, which was as withered as a dried corpse.

There was no reaction; it just lay there quietly.

The teacher at Daitokuji Temple has lost all signs of life.

"...Welcome to my laboratory, Jaden Yuki~!"

Just as everyone was puzzled by what they were seeing, the room lights suddenly turned on automatically, and a slightly frivolous voice...

Its echoes reverberated in the silent space.

"Who goes there?! Who's there?"

Following the direction of the sound, everyone turned to look.

Then, they saw the figure of someone who had appeared in the room at some point and was standing not far behind them.

His body was covered by a gray cloak, and his face was covered by a black mask.

Above the mask, several more bandages were wrapped around it.

The man, who looked like a foreign alchemist, let out a cold laugh: "Hehehe... I will neither run away nor hide, Judai Yuki... I have been waiting for you here."

Yuki Judai: "You..."

"That's the guy! That's the guy who killed Brother Manjoume!"

Upon seeing the man in the gray cloak, Huang immediately jumped out of the card, pointed his finger forcefully at Yusei and the others, and complained: "Yusei, Judai... you must take him down and avenge Manjoume-nii!"

"...Revenge, please? They're not dead yet." Yusei corrected Huang's statement, finding it rather distasteful.

If your elder brother, Wan Zhangmu, heard this, do you think he would have a good outcome?

"...Did you really do this?" Yusei asked the mysterious person opposite him tentatively.

“…That’s right, I am the seventh SevenStar you’re looking for—Amnar!” Amnar announced his name, stretching out his arms.

“Amnar? You're the one who gave Manjoume to…” Upon hearing this, Judai Yuki’s eyes narrowed.

"...Not only him, but also Tenjouin Asuka and Tenjouin Fubuki."

Taking out a gangster artifact—Grandmother's Book of Darkness—from his pocket, Amnar added, "...Their souls are currently sealed within this book."

"Although they are all duelists with great potential, they are not as strong as I expected..."

"That's why I've set my sights on you."

As he commented on the three, Amnar raised his head, looking over Yusei and the others towards where Jaden Yuki was: "Jaden Yuki... if you want to save them, then come and defeat me!"

"Amnar, right? Did you forget one? What about Daitokuji-sensei?" Pointing towards the coffin, Yusei asked, "You're the one who turned Daitokuji-sensei into this state, aren't you?"

“Unfortunately, that’s not the case…” Shaking his head, Amnar answered frankly, “This laboratory was built by the very Daitokuji-sensei you mentioned… through alchemy.”

Jaden Yuki: "What's going on? If that's the case... then who is Master Daitokuji who's been with us all this time...?"

"The upper realm contains things that already exist in the lower realm, and the lower realm contains things that already exist in the upper realm..."

Holding the Book of Darkness in her hand, Amnar spoke as if showing off: "This book of darkness in my hand is the ultimate artifact possessed by the strongest alchemist... Jaden Yuki, if you really want to know the truth of the matter, then accept my dark duel before this book of darkness that records the true darkness of the world!"

"Just like I said before, defeat me in a duel, and all the answers will be revealed."

"Judai, go ahead." Yusei nudged Yuki Judai with his arm, indicating that he could go.

"...Oh! I couldn't be happier!"

Raising his arm, Jaden Yuki, who had been singled out by Amnar, stepped forward without hesitation to the front of the crowd: "Bring it on, Amnar... This is our final duel with the Seven Stars!"

416 Wang Zhan's Stage (5K)

"Ha! Enough talk... Let's get started on the duel!"

With a cold laugh, seeing that Jaden Yuki was ready, Amnnar also raised his Duel Disk: "Duel!"