Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

"According to my divination, no matter how much you struggle, the future will ultimately choose my victory!"

"...By now, you should have seen it, shouldn't you? The final act of fate!"

Changing his tone to one of persuasion, the King continued, "Wouldn't it have been better if you had just handed me the key from the beginning? That way, you wouldn't have had to endure such humiliation."

As he spoke these words, King Sai slowly walked toward the key located between the two men.

As Zahid approached with the key, Edward, influenced by his enchanting words, couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt.

perhaps……

Just as the Prince of Sai said, no matter how much he resisted, it would be a meaningless act...

Perhaps, the original Saiō, whom he had always known but could never respond to, has vanished without a trace...

"...Ed! Don't let the Prince of Zayed take the key!"

Seeing that Edward was in a strange state, Yusei quickly reminded her loudly.

However, due to the deliberate manipulation of the King of the West, this voice could not reach Edward's heart.

"My body...can't move..."

"Oh no... that key is going to be taken by the Prince of Zaiwang..."

"Ugh... I can't accept this outcome!!!"

As the demons appeared, the effects of the Light of Destruction spread throughout this underground space.

Now, those affected by this power are unable to resist even when they see that the King intends to take the key.

"..."

Lost in her inner darkness, Ed stood motionless. In the dim light of her mind, she seemed to see another figure of the King of the West, his back turned to her, in the space of her heart.

At this moment, the evil-minded Saiō, who called himself the Will of Destruction, had already bent down and reached his arm toward the key.

He was about to achieve his goal and retrieve the key that the other king had given to Edward…

646 The spirit behind him appeared

"Um……?!"

“This feeling is…”

Just as Evil King's arm reached for the key to the satellite control device on the ground, he suddenly sensed a very familiar yet unsettling aura.

Sensing the change in aura, Evil King instinctively frowned, quickly abandoned his attempt to retrieve the key, and retreated behind him.

"You guy..."

Looking at Edward, who was still standing in the same spot, Evil Saiou narrowed his eyes, a very solemn expression on his face: "The other me...you bastard, you've returned? At this time!"

"You're...you're back?!"

"What? You're back?"

Seeing the somewhat inexplicable actions of the King of the West, the group, now freed from their previous restraint and having regained control of their bodies, couldn't help but have a series of question marks popping up in their heads.

Judging from this, it seems that King Jai sensed some danger from Edward, so he decisively gave up this great opportunity to seize the key.

Because his mind became disordered, the restrictions imposed on everyone's bodies also disappeared, and everyone was able to be freed from the abnormal state they had just experienced.

"My turn, draw cards."

Edward, who was being stared at intently by the malevolent Saiō, did not respond to his opponent's question.

He simply straightened up slowly, and then calmly drew a card from the deck with a wave of his arm.

However, even so, even though Edward did not display a particularly fierce aura, everyone could clearly feel that her personal aura had undergone a dramatic change at this moment.

It's as if she has become a completely different person.

"Next, it's my turn."

With a calm and composed expression, Edward drew a single card from his hand and held it in his palm.

From the perspective of the evil-minded Saiō, a blurry figure could be faintly seen behind Edward at this moment.

The being that appeared behind Edward like a ghost was the original main personality of Saiō, which had separated from his body earlier.

After leaving his own body, he possessed Edward's body, waiting for the right moment to arrive.

And it was only at this moment, when Edward was dueling with the evil Saiō and facing a crisis due to various unfavorable factors, that he finally chose to appear and, in place of Edward who was in a state of despair and doubt, raised the sword of resistance against his other self.

The story that he started will ultimately be ended by him.

"...I release my [Destiny Hero - Discman] on the field, and summon [Destiny Hero - Sprinter] (Warrior/DARK/Level 6/ATK: 2100/DEF: 1000)!"

Edward (Saiou) placed the card in his hand onto the Duel Disk deck in place of the Disc Man, clenched his fist, and said, "The effect of [Destiny HERO - Sprinter] activates, allowing me to Tribute one monster on my field, increasing its ATK by 1000 until the end of this turn..."

"I release [Arcane Power 3 - Queen] (ATK: 1300) that you Special Summoned to my field, and convert it to the Dasher attribute!"

(【Destiny Hero - Sprinter】Attack Power: 2100→3100)

Evil Prince: "Tsk! Attack power 3100..."

As Edward's voice fell, the black warrior on the roller skates also received a corresponding boost, temporarily gaining basic attributes that surpassed those of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

At this moment, even when facing the [Mystic Power 15 - Demon] with an attack power of 2500 on the battlefield, he had the ability to resist.

"Battle has begun! Charge at the demon, lightning strike!"

With his arm outstretched, pointing directly at the [Mystic Power 15 - Demon] on the altar, Edward issued the order to attack.

Upon receiving the instruction, the charging man lowered his body and charged straight at the demon in the next instant.

Dodging the demon's outstretched arms, the dashing man leaped straight into the air, then, using the momentum, cleaved the demon's body in two, shattering it into black, ethereal dust.

"...Ughhhhh!!!"

Simultaneously affected by the injury, Saiō instinctively crossed his arm in front of him while feeling the pain.

(Zaiwang LP: 3500→2900)

"...[Destiny Hero - Sprinter] will switch to defense position after the battle ends...I'll end my turn like this."

Tears welled up in his eyes for no apparent reason. Edward, who had cleared the entire front of the palace, subconsciously reached out and placed his hand on his cheek.

At that moment, Edward also sensed the familiar aura of the King of the West.

He did not disappear, but stayed by his side, protecting his safety as a spirit.

"Prince Zhai, have you come? You've come to my side..."

Slowly closing his eyes, Edward's consciousness sank into the torrential rain of his inner world.

To the monk who resided somewhere within his inner world, Edward uttered a heartfelt sigh: "I thought it was my turn to help you this time, but in the end, you're the one who helped me."

“I’m sorry, Edward… I’ve dragged you into this trouble.”

In response to Edward's words, the phantom of the King of the West appeared in Edward's inner world.

He opened the black umbrella in his hand and held it above Edward's head.

"...What are you saying, Prince Jaejoong? Isn't helping a friend the right thing to do? Why are you apologizing to me?"

Unable to grasp the King's thoughts for a moment, Edward's face showed a puzzled expression.

In truth, all of this was a ray of destruction, an event triggered by another personality of Saiō.

King Jai himself was also a victim. Not only did he not do anything wrong to himself, but he also handed over the key to himself.

He didn't do anything wrong, so why should he apologize?

"Ed..."

Looking at the silver-haired girl before him, Prince Sai sighed and continued, "I am not worthy to be your friend..."

"Sai Ou…"

"I saw through my destiny of inevitable destruction, so I have been desperately searching for a way to transcend that fate... And through the results of divination, I learned of your existence, so at that time, with a purpose in mind, I came to your side after you lost your father and took the initiative to greet you."

Avoiding Edward's gaze, Saiou turned his head and looked directly into the darkness where the rain was pouring down: "I wanted to escape from this doomed fate, so I deliberately approached you..."

"I am insignificant and powerless, and in the end, I am just a slave to fate... Because I was born with the special ability to see the future, Misuzu and I have been ostracized as outcasts since childhood. People are afraid of our abilities and treat us as monsters."

"Even when we seek warmth in the world and ask others for help, all we get in return is lamentation and rejection... Perhaps, these experiences, without our realizing it, have plunged me into the abyss of loneliness and given rise to the darker side of my current personality..."

"At that time, because my heart was filled with despair, I could only choose to submit to fate... no, I should say depend on fate? After all, I firmly believed that only by doing so, only by following the guidance of fate, could I keep my mind from being corrupted and avoid becoming one of those who take revenge on society..."

"Without realizing it, I began to use the power of tarot cards to see into other people's hearts and live my life. Ed... the same is true for you."

"Isn't this nice?"

After listening silently to the King of Zai's confession, Edward then said the following.

Despite his upbringing, Prince Jai-wang still retains a kind heart. What more can be said about him?

"Ed?"

Upon receiving the unexpected reply, the surprised King Sai widened his eyes in astonishment.

Then Edward spoke up, sharing his own thoughts.

“King Zhai, although I cannot truly empathize with your suffering, you must already have other things that are indispensable enough to support your life, right?”

"Me too... Initially, I was driven by revenge, and I used the [D-HERO] heroes left to me by my father as tools for revenge and to fulfill my selfish desires... However, now, those heroes created by my father have unknowingly become my friends and indispensable to me."

"After my father died, when I thought there was nothing left in the world I could trust, only the cards did not betray me, so I trusted those cards."

"At my father's funeral, I met you siblings for the first time and felt warmth, a warmth similar to that I felt on my card."

"So, I'm really happy to have met you two siblings."

After pausing, staring directly at the astonished Saiou, Edward spoke with utmost sincerity, word by word: "You and Misuzuchi... Meeting you is the greatest fortune of my life... It is because of meeting you that I was able to emerge from the grief of losing my father and truly embark on the path of my destiny."

“…King Zhai, since you say I am the one who can help you escape your doomed fate, then I will save you from that doomed fate!”