Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

"My turn ends here. At this moment, the Thousand-Eyed N'Zoth, Special Summoned by Easy Fusion, will be destroyed and sent to my graveyard... and the Icebound Warlord Nidhogg equipped by it will also return to your graveyard."

With a wave of his hand, Jaden Yuki ended his turn and handed the initiative over to Amnar: "Alright, it's your turn."

Amnar: "..."

Instead of rushing to draw a card, Amnar stopped in place upon hearing the sound, making no move whatsoever.

Judging from his expression, he seemed to be thinking about something.

"Oh! Pharaoh...where are you going!"

"That's...danger!"

Just as everyone was puzzled by Amnar's condition, the Pharaoh, who had been standing beside Yusei and the others, suddenly...

Then he took a step and rushed towards Amnar.

Seeing the Pharaoh's bewildered actions, Hayato and Sho couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

However, to their surprise, the Pharaoh, who was rather averse to outsiders, nestled affectionately in Amnar.

At its feet, it struck a pose like an obedient cat.

It was as if this last seven stars called Amnar were an old acquaintance of its...

"What...what's going on...why is the Pharaoh targeting you..." Frowning at the current situation, Jaden Yuki suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "Could it be...that your true form is...?!"

He suddenly thought of an unbelievable possibility that surprised even himself.

Could it be that this man named Amnar is actually...?

"Ha...that's right! Just like you imagined!"

With a soft chuckle, Amnar shrugged and then removed the mask covering his face, revealing his true appearance to everyone without any concealment: "I am... your Daitokuji-sensei!"

Everyone: "...!!!"

What appeared before everyone was a familiar yet unfamiliar face.

The familiar squinty eyes, the familiar smile, the familiar personality and aura...

And unfamiliar white hair, unfamiliar disfigured face, and that unfamiliar aura...

The person before us is both the last of the Seven Star Kings—Amnar, and the teacher of everyone present, Daitokuji!

"What happened... If you are Daitokuji-sensei, then who is that corpse...?"

With this question in mind, Jaden Yuki turned to Amnar... no! It should be said that it was Daitokuji-sensei who asked, "What exactly happened? Explain it to us clearly, Daitokuji-sensei!"

Why, why did you do these things?

Why hurt everyone... and stand against us?

“That body…” Daitokuji-sensei chuckled as he looked at the mummified corpse lying in the coffin beside him. He squatted down and stroked the Pharaoh’s head as he explained, “…that body is my self that I once sacrificed, and it is also proof that I said goodbye to the past.”

Yusei: "The past...?"

“That’s right, it’s the past…” Nodding, Master Daitokuji continued, “Simply put, it’s that I used the power of alchemy to resurrect the dead.”

Yuki Judai: "So... that corpse and you now are both Daitokuji-sensei, right?"

“…That can also be understood that way.” Holding the Pharaoh, Master Daitokuji stood up and smiled slightly: “My physical body was destroyed a long time ago. Now, I… have used the power of alchemy to attach my original soul to this body.”

"...Huh?" Hearing Master Daitokuji's explanation, which was a mix of magic and science, everyone looked at each other and simultaneously uttered sounds of doubt.

Is it really possible to transfer one's soul into another body, something that sounds unbelievable?

Master Daitokuji: "I originally traveled the world as an alchemist, my goal being to find the Philosopher's Stone..."

Everyone: "...The Philosopher's Stone? What's that?"

Master Daitokuji: "The Philosopher's Stone is a legendary gem sought after by alchemists. It is said to possess the ability to turn lead into gold, transforming all metals into gold, or creating potions that grant immortality..."

"...Immortality? Is that really possible?"

Hearing this outrageous effect, Yusei couldn't help but utter a sound of doubt.

However, after seeing the current state of Daitokuji-sensei, he couldn't help but feel a sense of agreement.

"Hehe... Throughout history, many rulers have been searching for the Philosopher's Stone in order to realize their dream of a thousand-year-old kingdom... Therefore, during a certain period, alchemy, which received support from various countries, experienced explosive growth."

"This remains unchanged to this day."

With a nostalgic look on his face, Master Daitokuji gazed at the ceiling above him: "I was also conducting this research under someone's orders..."

"Just like Pegasus found Duel Monsters in the ruins in the past, my alchemical research, after countless twists and turns, has returned to Duel Monsters."

Everyone: "..."

Master Daitokuji: "But... just when my research was taking a turn for the better, my body succumbed to fatigue from the long journey and I developed an incurable disease."

"...Therefore, I entrusted my soul to an artificial life form created by alchemy, namely, an artificial human."

"That kind of thing..."

After listening to the story told by the teacher from Daitokuji Temple, everyone couldn't help but show some emotion on their faces.

To die before achieving one's goal is a regret that many heroes cannot avoid...

"But in the end, this artificial body is just a fake body... Recently, it has also begun to decay, and my lifespan will soon come to an end."

Pointing to the bulging veins on his face, Professor Daitokuji shrugged helplessly: "That's why I chose to leave you all to speed up my experiment."

“I am not afraid of my death... I am just worried that my experiments will not be able to continue after I die.”

Touching his own face, feeling his life force gradually draining away and his skin peeling away, Master Daitokuji said slowly, "Before death comes, even for the sake of those who support my research, I must obtain the power to control the ultimate spirit!"

"...The ultimate spirit?" Yusei repeated the adjective, unable to help but ask, "Could it be that you're planning to control the three legendary demons?!"

“Heh…that’s right.” With a slight smile, Master Daitokuji bluntly admitted his purpose: “By mastering the power of the Three Phantom Demons, I can use them to create the legendary Philosopher’s Stone and then obtain the power of immortality.”

"is that a lie……"

Upon hearing this, Judai Yuki clenched his teeth, and his body began to tremble slightly: "So, you're saying that you've been deceiving us all along... that all the memories we've had during this time were fake, that you were just using us on purpose?"

"...How could this happen? Are you kidding me???"

"..."

Remaining silent in the face of Jaden Yuki's accusations, Daitokuji-sensei placed the Pharaoh he was holding on the ground and raised the Duel Disk again: "...Let's begin the second round and continue our duel."

419 Synchro Summon, Baroness of Flowers!

"...Teacher! Answer my question!"

Yuki Judai, his face contorted with anger, shouted a questioning cry at the unmoved Daitokuji-sensei.

"...Judai Yuki, if you want to save the three people trapped by Grandmother's Book of Darkness, then defeat me in a duel! This is the final test I have prepared for you!"

Without directly addressing Jaden Yuki's question, Daitokuji shook his arm and explained the significance of the duel.

The two sides' ideas clashed, and neither could convince the other.

At this point, only the victor of the duel can determine the course of events...

If Jaden Yuki intends to save Manjoume, Asuka, and Fubuki, then he must defeat Daitokuji, the last of the Seven Star Kings, to bring their story to a close.

"Heh... If you fail this exam, then all your souls... will become my experimental subjects!"

With a smirk, Daitokuji's blood-red eyes snapped open. The man who had always kept a squinty gaze finally revealed his true face, radiating a terrifying aura: "My turn, draw a card!"

"At this very moment, the effect of [Nightmare of the Mirage] activates, and I draw four cards from my deck!"

"Next, I opened the Ambush Card in my back row again and activated the Quick-Play Spell Card - [Extraordinary Food]! It sent [Nightmare Mirage] on my field to the Graveyard to restore 1000 Life Points."

Seizing the opportunity when Daitokuji-sensei drew a card, Jaden Yuki chained together his abilities, avoiding the negative effects of [Nightmare of the Mirage] while restoring 1000 HP.

(Yujo Judai LP: 3000 → 4000)

"Ha...just playing petty tricks!"

A gust of wind swept up, and with a large swing of his arm, Daitokuji-sensei suddenly drew a card from his deck. He turned his gaze to the card he had just drawn, and a pleased smile appeared on his lips: "...Here it comes!"

As he said this, Master Daitokuji affixed a card to his Duel Disk: "First, I Normal Summon the Level 1 Tuner Monster in my hand—[Jet Synchron]."

A small robot with a rocket head appeared before everyone's eyes as Daitokuji moved.

On its body, one can vaguely see the outline of an airplane's jet nozzle.

"...A Tuner monster?" Watching Daitokuji-sensei's actions, Yusei, who was observing the battle, couldn't help but show a look of surprise: "A 1-star Tuner monster, plus a 9-star monster... Could it be...?"

“That’s right! Just as you thought!” Giving a positive answer to Yusei’s guess, Daitokuji raised his arm and began the next round: “...I will use the 1-star [Jet Synchron] and the 9-star [King Kaio vs. King Hal] to perform a Synchron Summon!”

"What?! Synchro Summon?!"

As a teacher at the Fusion Academy, he actually led the way in apostasy...

Sho and Hayato both wore speechless expressions upon seeing Daitokuji-sensei's actions.

"O One-Eyed King dwelling on the World Tree! Together with the Synchrons, symbols of hope, let us become a new force!"

"...Summon Synchro! Appear! Rank 10 - Baroness of Flowers!"

Pink petals rained down as Daitoku-ji's words fell, instantly dispersing into the air.

After that, a heavily armored knight riding a magnificent warhorse and wearing red armor descended upon Master Daitokuji with great imposing presence.

-

【The Flower Baroness】

(Warrior/Wind/10-star/Attack: 3000/Defense: 2400)

Synchronization/Effect:

One or more Tuner monsters plus non-Tuner monsters

The second effect of this card can only be used once per turn.

①: Once per turn, you can target 1 card on the field; destroy that card.

②: This effect can only be activated once while this card is face-up on the field, when the effects of a Spell/Trap/Monster are activated. Negate that activation and destroy it.

③: During either player's Standby Phase, you can target 1 Level 9 or lower monster in your Graveyard. Return this card to its owner's Extra Deck and Special Summon that monster.