Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

"If I cannot punish him in the real world, then I will use the power of this [Hero of Destiny] to punish the criminal in the underworld!"

Withdrawing his arm, his expression returning to calm, Edward spoke again: "And so, I became a professional duelist, constantly traveling the world in search of the culprit..."

"But, Edward... if even the authorities haven't found any trace of him... aren't you just looking for a needle in a haystack?" After listening to Edward's explanation, Jaden Yuki immediately raised his own doubts.

The world is so big, Edward... how do you plan to find that person accurately?

Do you intend to spend the rest of your life in this vortex of revenge?

"Heh, about that... the culprit who killed my father possessed the only card in the world that only that guy had—the original and strongest Ultimate D...!"

Placing his hand on his chest, trying to calm the anger welling up inside him, Edward squinted and looked up: "No matter what, I can't forgive that criminal's actions... no! I should say I can't forgive those guys who do evil with a clear conscience!"

"If no one else can punish them, then I will."

“Ed...don’t you realize that this behavior is using the hero your father painstakingly left behind as a tool for revenge? Did your father really want you to do these things?”

"Don't talk like you know everything, Judai Yuki!"

Past sorrows and memories of his father flooded back, and large tears welled up in Edward's deep blue eyes: "If you didn't understand... I'll say it again! It's infuriating! Someone like you who only uses hero cards because he dreams of looking cool!"

"All I need is a dark hero who can give me the power of revenge! I have neither the time nor the inclination to enjoy the so-called campus life like you!"

"Having never experienced such despair, you cannot understand my thoughts, and you have neither the reason nor the ability to persuade me!"

Their paths cannot intersect, and their opinions are mutually exclusive, making understanding and tolerance impossible.

Jaden Yuki's words could not reach Edward's heart, and Edward would not change his principles of conduct because of other people's words.

Perhaps at some point in the future, the girl who has personally achieved her goal of revenge will be able to overcome her inner turmoil and transcend this long-standing sorrow.

But nowadays, that's impossible.

"Ha... The battle has begun! This is the final battle!"

"Go! Shining Phoenix, Destruction Phoenix... Attack! Unleash my anger, my resentment, and my will!"

Amidst Ed's sorrowful cry, two phoenix beings, one radiant and one shrouded in darkness, nodded to each other, and simultaneously their bodies erupted in raging flames.

Wreathed in flames of different colors, the two heroes, transformed into phoenixes, soared into the sky, flapping their wings and carrying a rain of fire as they charged straight toward Jaden Yuki's front field.

Accompanied by a loud phoenix cry, black flames and light flames swept across the entire arena, instantly transforming it into a fiery inferno.

Under the influence of the Phoenix Destroyer, the Thunder Giant, whose attack power was still 800, was immediately pierced through by the Phoenix Flash with an attack power of 4300, turning into specks of light and disappearing from the field.

Meanwhile, Jaden Yuki, affected by the aftershocks, also lost all his life points, suffered a regrettable defeat, his deck scattered all over the ground, and his body fell backward.

(Yujo Judai LP: 3000 → 0)

"……it's over."

"...Tenth Generation!!!"

Having delivered the final blow, Edward turned and left without hesitation, leaving only his back view to the crowd who rushed to the stage.

Unbeknownst to her, the influence of the Light of Destruction that Saiou had previously attached to the deck was transferred to Yuki Jaden as well.

Thus, in the eyes of the fallen Jaden Yuki, all he saw were the blank cards scattered around him.

The connection with the Duel Spirit, and the bond with the deck, all vanished with the defeat in the duel, turning into pure white nothingness...

"Aibo...Aibo!"

Half-asleep, half-awake, Yuki Jaden entered his own world of consciousness.

Surrounded by a pure white world, he instinctively reached out to touch the winged chestnut ball floating not far in front of him.

However, a transparent wall suddenly appeared, blocking his movements and making it impossible for him to touch his partner's body no matter what.

At the same time, the enormous projection of the fierce-looking King of the West quietly appeared behind him.

Although he had never met Saiō in person, Judai Yuki instinctively sensed an ominous aura emanating from him.

"Yuki Judai, your fate is now in my hands. No matter how much you struggle, you cannot escape!"

Under the astonished gaze of Yuki Judai, Saiou's figure gradually grew larger, and the expression on his face began to lean towards exaggerated facial expressions.

With an extremely smug and confident tone, he made his final announcement directly.

"Fate... I... I can't see my card anymore?"

With Saiō's words echoing in his ears, Yuki Judai's consciousness returned to his body. Supported by the people who had rushed over, he looked at the cards on the ground.

The back is normal, but the card image on the front, and even the information on it, has become a blank.

"What do you mean I can't see it? Isn't it displayed normally?"

Holding the most iconic [Winged Kuriboh] card in his hand and shaking it, Yusei asked in a puzzled tone, "Jaden, you didn't lose the duel, so you can't accept it and are confused?"

"No, I really can't see the card anymore."

Shaking his head slightly, Jaden Yuki spoke in a deep voice to the crowd that had gathered around him: "Well... there's nothing wrong with my body, and there are no aftereffects of the Dark Duel, it's just that the cards all look like blank sheets of paper... In that case, I can't duel anymore... Ah! By the way, I can't hear the Spirits' voices either."

"Huh? Is that so? But we can see it very clearly. What's going on?" Blinking, Asuka's eyes also showed a look of doubt.

If we were to pinpoint the reason for this, it would probably be the duel with Edward.

But... it's just a loss in a duel, is it really possible for a situation to become impossible to duel?

"Hahaha... This is really a headache. I never expected it to turn out like this."

With the help of others, Jaden Yuki picked up his deck from the ground, then shrugged and gave a wry smile.

He had considered the possibility of losing, and he could accept the outcome... but contrary to his expectations, he was now unable to engage in his favorite duel...

Faced with this cruel reality, even the optimistic Jaden Yuki found it hard to accept for a moment.

"I'm sorry, I need some peace and quiet..."

"Judai, I have a solution to your problem."

"……Knot?"

"Huh? Acting principal? What do you mean by that?"

Just as Jaden Yuki was waving his hand, indicating that he wanted to be alone for a while to process the sudden blow that had befallen him, the voice of Yuu Amamiya suddenly echoed in his ears.

"You will be affected not because of the blow of defeat, but because of other factors."

Approaching Jaden Yuki, the acting principal, narrowed her eyes slightly and slowly spoke: "The Light of Destruction, you may not have heard of this name, but the reason you can't see the card information and can't communicate with the spirits is indeed caused by it... I think it must have attached itself to Edward's deck through some means before, and then transferred to you, Jaden."

"Hmm? Such a confident tone... Could it be... that you have a solution?" Looking at Ms. Yu at this moment, Yusei couldn't help but ask curiously.

“There is indeed a way, but… you’ll have to find it yourselves.” A slight smile played on her lips, and Miss Jie’s face revealed an expression that the time was right.

463 The Arrival of the White Light

"Everything in the universe has its counterpart, and the Light of Destruction also has its enemies. As long as we find the corresponding darkness, then the problem of the Tenth generation will naturally be solved."

"Light...and darkness? That's..."

"In short, what you need to do next is to find the darkness that protects the universe. For that... as the acting principal, I'll be giving you a long break for now."

Seeing the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, Tengu Yui paused for a moment, then took out a note she had written in advance from her pocket: "Judai, and Yusei, you should return to the main island for the next few days, and then take this note to the headquarters of Kaiba Entertainment Group to borrow the White Dragon Shuttle from President Kaiba."

"I've already given you advance notice, so you can just go over there directly. If you have any questions, you can ask the president directly."

"Wearing... a shuttle???"

Completely bewildered by this peculiar term, Jaden Yuki scratched his head in confusion: "What is that? Is it some kind of spaceplane or something?"

"Well... how should I put it? President Kaiba spent a lot of money to build this advanced technology so that he could go to the Underworld to play cards with Pharaoh Atem (Yami Yugi)..."

Miss Jie placed her finger to her lips and said softly, "...Through it, you can go to any world outside of Earth... If you're interested, you could even go to the Underworld."

Everyone: "..."

Upon hearing this information for the first time, everyone's faces couldn't help but show a mixture of speechlessness and shock.

Indeed, the interests of the wealthy are beyond the comprehension of ordinary people!

A space station and a custom-designed shuttle were specially built specifically for playing cards...

This is... something a normal person could possibly think of.

Asuka: "But why did you have to make Yusei come along too?"

Yosawa Sora: "I think, as fellow heroes, it's probably so we can look out for each other on the road, right?"

Manjoume: "Is that so...? Then it's indeed inconvenient for me to come along! Hmm..."

Suddenly, a disruptive yellow appeared: "Aaaaaah... Jaden can't hear the Spirits' voices anymore! That's so pitiful~~~ If Manjoume-nii becomes like that too, I can't take it!"

Manjoume: "You bastard, shut up!"

……

In short, amidst the noisy farewells of everyone, Yusei and Jaden, carrying their simple luggage, took the introduction slip given to them by Tengu Yui and boarded a regular ship, leaving the island where Duel Academy was located, heading to the Kaiba Corporation on the mainland.

With the temporary departure of Osiris Red's only two capable fighters, Professor Chronos and Coach Napoleon, having spotted an opportunity, began to hatch their own schemes once again.

"Hehehehehe... After those two troublesome guys, Yusei and Jaden Yuki, left, Osiris Red now only has Manjoume as a fighting force. As for trash like Marufuji Sho, they are not worth fearing at all!"

"Yes! If we're going to make a move against Osiris Red, now's probably the only time! Judging from the acting principal's attitude, she clearly doesn't care about our plans... In that case, we absolutely can't miss this opportunity!"

"Speaking of which, Professor Chronos... Edward's agent, that guy named Saiou Takuma, seems to be coming to our school!"

"Oh? Lord Edward's manager... Wait! In that case...!"

"Hehehe... You thought of the same thing as me? That's right, since Lady Edward doesn't agree with our previous proposal, why don't we just go directly to her agent?"

"Propose a task to him, asking Ed to duel with the representative of Osiris Red, risking the fate of their dormitory. That way, Ed won't be able to refuse!"

"Oh my god!!! There's another way! Coach Napoleon...you're really wicked!"

"Hehehe...Not at all...You flatter me!"

"Hahahahaha...!!!"

"Hehehehehehe...!!!"

In a secluded corner unknown to anyone, Professor Chronos and Coach Napoleon were plotting their next move against Osiris Red.