Want to play cards? I'll use my King's Deck!

Fortunately, with all our efforts, the final result was still good.

With the emergence of the victor, the Dark Duel program entered its final stage.

That is the punishment for the loser.

The darkness surrounding the dueling arena surged violently, as if it had smelled an extremely delicious meal, ignoring Yuki's presence and rushing towards Satomi Sho.

Even from a distance, Yuki could clearly hear Satomi Sho's terrified screams.

"Wait, wait! No, no! Don't come any closer!"

You Xi closed his eyes, unable to bear the sight of the horrific scene. After several seconds, when the screams gradually subsided, he opened his eyes.

On the other side, there was no trace of Satomi Sho.

To be more precise, only a mangled, charred body remained there, and the stench that filled the nostrils was nauseating.

The punishment for Dark Duels falls into two categories: one determined by the victor, and the other predetermined. This was demonstrated by Malik in his duels with Mai and Ryo Bakura in the Dark Duels series.

It seems that Satomi Sho chose the latter method, wanting to be burned alive, but in the end, he completely shot himself in the foot.

Beside the charred corpse, countless cards were scattered.

"This is……"

You Xi noticed that one of the cards was slightly different; it was a blank card.

As he picked up the card, under the moonlight, Satomi Sho's pained and desperate face was revealed in the previously empty square on the card.

You Xi quickly understood what was going on.

The body was burned to a crisp, but was the soul sealed inside the card? But even if the soul survived, where can it go without a body?

"—You Xijun!"

An urgent shout pulled You Xi's wandering attention back to reality, and he came to his senses. With the end of the duel, the surrounding space had already returned to normal.

The long, narrow corridor, with lights shining down from the ceiling, no longer had the terrifying atmosphere of a horror movie.

Just as Yu Xi looked up, she saw the blonde girl running towards her from the other side of the corridor.

"Miss Hoshino... um?"

Before he could finish speaking, both of his faces were grabbed.

"Are you alright, Yu Xijun? Are you hurt anywhere?!"

Xing Yewu cupped You Xi's face in her fair hands, her clear green eyes filled with concern and worry.

While asking about You Xi's safety, she looked him up and down, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that he was safe and sound. "Phew... thank goodness, it seems nothing serious happened."

"No, everything is fine, but Miss Hoshino, what brings you here?"

As his face was freed from the girl's clutches, Youxi looked somewhat embarrassed and puzzled.

The entire duel lasted no more than thirty minutes at most, so even if Xing Yewu was to notice something was wrong, it was too fast.

"It's because of Officer Ushio."

Someone answered You Xi's question.

Looking in the direction of the sound, it was not just Xingye Wu who had come; Akabane Ryo and the three members of the Morning Light Duel Academy had also arrived.

They didn't approach, but stood a little distance away. Akabane Ryo spoke on your behalf: "Shortly after you went to the restroom, Inspector Ushio called urgently saying you might be in mortal danger. So we came to find you immediately. But we were blocked by the barrier of the Dark Duel, and we couldn't get through on the phone, so we only arrived now. But it seems you don't need our help."

"Hahaha! You're really amazing, Yuki! As expected of my lifelong friend, you even managed to take down the Dark Duelist this time. I knew you were capable."

Chunhu crossed his arms and laughed heartily, his laughter filled with joy that Youxi had won another victory.

He looked down at the charred corpse on the ground and said with a sigh, "I wonder who this Dark Duelist is. Running into You Xi was really bad luck."

"...No, I think it's pretty easy to guess who this person is."

Standing at the back, Fei Yu had his hands in his pockets. His gaze swept over the cards scattered on the floor, which had been fireproofed and had luckily escaped being burned to ashes. His eyes then focused on a particular card.

That card is "Mech Colonel".

Throughout the entire city, only a handful of people are qualified to own it.

"Tsk!"

Fei Yu smacked his tongue hard, his face turning extremely ugly.

"Captain, we're probably in big trouble now."

"trouble…?"

Noticing Hiyori's solemn expression, Akabane Ryo's heart skipped a beat as he realized a possibility he desperately didn't want to admit.

"Could it be that!?"

Akabane Ryo suddenly turned around and looked towards Yuki's direction.

"Yuki, the dark duelist you fought could be...?"

"Yes, it's pretty much what you thought, Akabane-senpai. My opponent is that person."

Yuki nodded and raised his hand, the sealing card he held confirming Akabane Ryo and the others' guesses.

Akabane Ryo's brows furrowed deeply.

"What kind of stupid thing did that idiot do..."

Now, things have indeed become complicated in every sense of the word.

Chapter 80 This is a hidden effect (4k6)

The moon was bright and the stars were few. The silvery moonlight shone down and mixed with the lights of the city streets and towers, making the whole city even more dazzling and magnificent.

However, even in this bustling city, there are still some places where even the light cannot penetrate, and in those places, some terrible things often happen hidden beneath the surface of prosperity.

For example, this quiet, deserted square.

Neither the stars nor the moon, nor the city lights, could penetrate the area; a thick darkness, like a fog, enveloped a vast expanse. For ordinary people, staying in such a place would only cause various physical discomforts, and the longer they stayed, the more painful it would become.

However, the two people at the center of the darkness acted as if nothing was amiss, showing no abnormality whatsoever... well, strictly speaking, it's not that there was nothing at all.

Both the white-haired girl and the bespectacled man who pretended to be calm were covered in dust and injuries, and their auras were not as strong as they had been at the beginning.

Each of them has their own trump card monster dominating the battlefield between them.

Crimson Lotus's demonic dragon confronted the mechanical giant emerging from the steam civilization, their roars mingling with the whirring of gears, as this dark duel drew to a close.

"To have withstood my onslaught of 'ancient machinery' until now, it seems the title of 'ace of the Public Security Bureau' is truly well-deserved. But that's enough for now, Izayoi-kun."

Kno adjusted his glasses and smiled casually at the white-haired girl, "My 'Ancient Gear Chaos Giant' is unaffected by the effects of Spell/Trap Cards. With the Continuous Trap 'Ancient Gear Rumble' active, 'Ancient Gear Ultimate Giant' won't be affected by the monster effects you activate. Furthermore, if 'Ultimate Giant' is destroyed, it can revive the 'Ancient Gear Giant' in the Graveyard, just like the 'Ancient Gear Super Giant's' dying wish just now."

"Even the weakest of my trump cards, the 'Ancient Mechanical Giant,' has an attack power of 3000 points. Your 'Crimson Dragon' can't defeat me. How about giving up? If you surrender, I can guarantee you'll suffer less."

"...Perhaps that's true."

Izayoi Yuki did not refute Kno's statement; the facts were undeniable, and she couldn't deny them. Unless she could achieve the kind of evolution Yuki had described, it was indeed a very difficult task.

"However, there is something I want to ask you. Consider it as fulfilling the doubts of a dying person."

With her crimson eyes fixed on her enemy, Izayoi Yuki asked, "Teacher Kno, who exactly gave you your power? Is that person... related to the [Doomsday Bell]?"

"【Doomsday Bell】...I see. So your target is this organization. It seems the rumor about Izayoi Hoshi was true."

Kno suddenly realized.

【Doomsday Bell】 is a dark duelist organization that has become quite rampant in recent years. The organization's beliefs can be gleaned from its name.

Over the years, the people of [Doomsday Bell] have caused all sorts of tragedies. It is said that five years ago, the special-grade duel guard Izayoi Hoshi was turned into what he is now because he encountered the people of [Doomsday Bell].

To avoid further fueling the "Doomsday Bell" movement, the Public Security Bureau didn't explicitly name the culprit, only vaguely stating that it was the Dark Duelist. Now, the answer seems quite clear.

"I'm sorry, but I really wanted to tell you the answer, Izayoi-kun."

Kno said, "But my deal with that person only went up to becoming a Dark Duelist and a soul; I don't know anything more than that. After all, knowing too much wouldn't do me any good."

"Then you must know how to find that person."

Undeterred, Izayoi Yuki asked another question.

"Don't tell me you don't know, Professor Konno. If you didn't know, how could you have turned Satomi Sho into a Dark Duelist? That idiot doesn't have that ability."

"I just gave him a chance; whether he can seize it is up to him."

Kno said, "I do know how to find him, but I don't think it's necessary to tell a dead man. Is this all your last words, Izayoi-kun? Aren't you going to leave something for your parents and Yuuki-kun?"

"There's no need for that. I'll speak to them myself. Since you're unwilling to talk, it seems I'll have to force you to open your mouth. My turn, draw a card!"

After speaking in a clear and cold voice, Izayoi Yuki put two fingers together and pulled out a card from the top of her deck.

"Haven't given up hope yet? But I should tell you, with your 'Crimson Dragon'..."

Before Kno could finish speaking, he saw his two aces suddenly turn into countless points of light and vanish. His pupils contracted instantly: "What...!"

"Indeed, neither 'Chaos Giant' nor 'Ultimate Giant' are easy targets for me to deal with head-on. But conversely, I can easily overcome them by doing this—I will Tribute two monsters on your field to Special Summon 'Lava Demon' to your field!"

"Lava Demon, Level 8/Fire/Fire" "ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500"

Scorching magma erupted from the ground at high speed, transforming into a giant several meters tall. An iron cage imprisoned Kno inside, and wisps of white steam rose from the magma dripping at its feet.

"It's 'Lava Demon God'? How do you have such a card...?!" Kno exclaimed in shock.

In the duel data collected in the past, Izayoi Yuki has never used a monster like this.

"Didn't you know? After defeating certain special duelists, we duelist guards can choose some cards from the duelist's deck as a reward. 'Lava Demon' is one such card. However, I've never actually used this card in public."

The moment the "Lava Demon" appeared, the situation instantly reversed.

Previously, Kno could suppress Izayoi Yuki by relying on the resistant Ancient Giant Fusion Monster, but now that he has lost these advantages, the balance of power has changed.

"That Continuous Trap Card allows you to Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster that mentions 'Ancient Machine Giant' using monsters from your field or Graveyard as materials. However, regardless of whether it's the Cyber ​​Dojo, the Ancient Machine Giant archetype, or other legacy archetypes, aside from a few special cases, you can generally only have one Extra Monster deck."

Izayoi Yuki's cold and sharp gaze fixed on Kno, who was trapped in the iron cage, and asserted, "In the previous duel, you have already summoned all the Fusion Monsters. You can't use the effect of this Trap Card anymore."

"Tsk, so that's why you waited until now to use this card?"

Kno could see clearly that Izayoi Yuki's "Lava Demon" wasn't something she just drew this round; she must have gotten it several rounds ago. It's amazing she managed to hold out until now.

"But aren't you mistaken, Izayoi? 'Ancient Gear' is different from 'Cyber ​​Dragon.' Not having an Extra Deck monster won't affect its combat power too much. I still have many high-level monsters in my main deck that I can use."