Betting Everything on This Card Draw!

"Recently, there have been a number of missing persons cases in the city, and the police have opened a case and launched an investigation..."

Cosmo watched the news report on TV with a serious expression.

"It's none of your business." A hand patted his shoulder. "You're not a god, you have no responsibility or obligation to save everyone, that idea is unrealistic. But if you want to find out the reason behind it, I will give you all the help I can."

"...Thank you." Cosmo's face flushed red, and it took him a while to utter those two words.

Luming Lady frowned. She wasn't in a loli form anymore, so why was she blushing? Shouldn't Flame-Chasers's level of immunity be able to perfectly resist my Charm Buff?

Ah, Eden doesn't count.

"...Actually, I'm not entirely clueless." Cosmo pulled out a few photos from his inner pocket. "I investigated the last known locations of those missing people and the possible connections between them... Look at this."

Little Griseo peeked her head out from the sofa. "How strange, Cosmo doesn't usually talk so much in one go. Hmm, this angle is perfect for drawing. Sister Jilin, shall we draw together?"

Jilin hurriedly picked up the easel, unaware that she had just taken advantage of Griseo.

Haiyi and Stardust went to Atlantis to bring back seafood. Wendy is keeping an eye on the Arin Sisters to prevent them from causing trouble. Brother Jie is catching a cat that's stealing fish.

"Meow! Brother Jie, how many times have I told you, I'm not a cat! Don't pinch the scruff of my neck!"

"Um?!"

"Haha, we were wrong. You can pinch me all you want, just spare my life. I promise I'll never steal fish again..."

"You want a next time?!"

"Waaaaah! Don't kill me!"

(Please imagine the scene and the tone of voice of the two people.)

Back in the living room, Xing looked through Cosmo's investigation results, her lips twitching slightly. "Are all these missing people good at cards?"

"Yes, perhaps it's because he lost the Duel Ceremony that his soul fell into eternal darkness..." Before Cosmo could finish speaking, the girl gently tapped him on the head with a chop. "Stop being silly and get to the point."

"I investigated their duelist network and found that they were all connected to a powerful duelist, and..." Cosmo looked at the seemingly harmless boy in the photo, "I saw him in an alley on the night the First One missing person disappeared. He was carrying cards with him, and the number was clearly two decks. If only I had noticed..."

"It's not your fault." The girl cupped his face and rubbed it vigorously. "Most people wouldn't think of that possibility, right? Maybe you secretly hid in a corner with two decks to practice dueling... Amo, why are you blushing?"

"...Never mind." Cosmo pulled her hand off his face. "I'm planning to investigate him today, wanna come along?"

Luming looked around and, finding no one there, pointed to herself in confusion.

"Yes, it's you." Cosmo nodded seriously.

"Hmm~ The powerful and adorable Luming Lady is at your service~ (TM, why am I saying this so naturally?)" The girl looked very happy, making a heart shape with her hands, and even her eyes were sparkling.

"And me!" Kane rushed out from the side, standing between the two. "I'll protect Luming!"

Cosmo ruthlessly pressed a hand against his face, forcibly stopping Kane, who was sprinting forward. "Your melody is no match for ours. You'd better stay here."

Kane looked completely bewildered. "Can you please stop talking in a way I don't understand?"

Xiaoyue jumped out of the bracelet and kindly translated for him. "What Cosmo's subordinate means is that you are not very suitable for this kind of mission. Just stay here and do your homework. If you need extra combat power, we will teleport you over."

Kane: "..."

I'm just careless most of the time, but when it really matters, my IQ will never drop! Luming, you agree, right? Luming!

Kane watched helplessly as his partner grabbed Cosmo's hand and skipped away, so angry he felt like spitting blood. He wanted to knock himself unconscious. Damn it! Why Luming so nice to this newbie? I was treated terribly back then, and Luming only changed her opinion of me later!

I also really want to have my face rubbed, my head patted, and my hand shaken by Luming!

Kane shoved his way into Little Te's lab, yelling, "Little Te! Can you make a second-stage upgrade item for Cross-Z?"

The expressionless red-haired doll sat on the table, staring at the constantly fluctuating data on the screen, without even turning its head. "Just wait patiently. At least we need to finish Luming's first, and then it'll be your turn."

Kane: "..."

Second riders have no rights... Wait, what is a second rider?

(Be content, young man; Croz is one of the better-treated secondary riders.)

The Jackal flipped through the Card album the boy handed him, throwing out card after card while muttering, "Trash, trash, trash... It's all trash. Can't you find something good?"

The boy sighed and picked up the scattered cards one by one. "Please, Sister Jackal, there's an old saying in Shenzhou that no one is perfect. I prefer to find people with good card skills. Their Honkai Energy adaptability might not be high. They can be used as test subjects, right?"

"Then what do I need you for?" Jackal impatiently threw the Card album in his face. "Don't forget your identity and who gave you your power. If you don't satisfy me, ha, you know the consequences."

The boy slowly picked up the Card album and bowed respectfully to her. "Yes, madam."

The Jackal snorted coldly, turned and left, looking at the exquisite cards displayed in the cabinet with disdain. "I really don't understand what's so appealing about these worthless pieces of paper..."

What she didn't see was a hint of resentment in the boy's respectful eyes.

—On how to enrage Yu-Gi-Oh!! players—

Within the black-and-white field of vision, no trace of Honkai Energy could be hidden. The girl, like the best police dog, tracked down the traces left by the enemy.

"(Although foxes are indeed canines, strictly speaking, I have some cat genes.)"

With that thought in mind, he and Cosmo traveled through a remote area of Sky Dome City until they arrived at the place where he had witnessed the boy the night before.

"If it really involves him, what would you do?" Cosmo suddenly asked her.

"Hmm, isn't the answer obvious?" The girl smiled and pulled out a gun. "Kidnapping so many people, they should at least be beaten up and locked up, right? If the circumstances are serious, then let's put them to death under the law."

"...I understand." Cosmo quieted down and walked with her into the dark corner. Even in the darkness, the girl was dazzling, like an alien star that had fallen to earth.

As night fell, the aroma of beef wafted through the dimly lit alley. Xing spread a carpet on the ground, invited Cosmo to sit down, and pulled an electric cooker from under her skirt. Under the boy's dumbfounded gaze, she started cooking hot pot.

"Hehe, upholding justice is one thing, but heroes also need to eat~" Luming Lady always had an approachable smile on her face, and Cosmo didn't pretend to be polite, and started eating heartily, but for some reason he felt a little sorry for Zombie Buckle.

In the Kamen Rider Branch World, General Fu was making Keiwa Jinghe's late-night snack, happily snapped his fingers.

The target didn't keep them waiting long. Once darkness had completely engulfed the area beyond the reach of the city's neon lights, a boy appeared in their sight with someone of similar age.

Cosmo gently touched the girl's arm to indicate that it was him, and then made a gesture to hold back, indicating that he should observe the situation first.

As if they had arranged to play cards here, they didn't waste any time and decisively took out the latest version of the Sky Dome City Duel Disk, inserted it into their decks, and began a thrilling duel (details omitted here).

The boy, who was originally somewhat frivolous, became incredibly serious once he entered the duel, focusing all his attention on the battle, and ultimately ended up winning.

"Damn it!" His opponent pounded the ground in a fit of impotent rage, while the boy yawned boredly. "Whew, I won again. How boring. Am I just too strong after all? Hey, you promised me a lot of money if I won, and if you lost, I'd send the money to the hospital. As for you..."

The boy, with an innocent expression, pulled a blank card from his pocket and slowly approached his opponent. "Be a good boy and become part of my collection~"

An eerie blue light shone in the boy's eyes. The card in his hand seemed to connect to another world, unleashing a powerful suction force. Ordinary humans were powerless against this force, instantly losing consciousness and fainting. Their bodies gradually shrank as they were sucked into the card, becoming yet another addition to the boy's collection.

That's how the story should have gone.

Gunshots shattered the tranquility of the night. The boy stared in astonishment at the dimly lit corner, where a dazzling Idol Lady, holding a Magnum gun, walked out with elegant steps. A torn card fell to the ground with a soft thud.

"Turning others into cards isn't a good habit, little brother~" Luming blew on the still-warm gun barrel, her gaze lingering on the unconscious, innocent passerby. "Well, although the success is a bit surprising, you've been responsible for all the missing persons cases lately, or at least some of them, right?"

"Hey, I know you!" The boy looked at the unexpected guest with surprise. "Aren't you Luming? Why would the popular new idol from Sky Dome City appear in a place like this at this time?"

"Well, let me make a cameo appearance as Detective Luming." With her left hand behind her back, she gave Cosmo the instruction to observe for now. Luming's expression turned serious. "Could you hand over the others you turned into cards, little brother? Of course, I'm not some naive heroine. Let's duel, one match to decide the winner. If I win, I'll return them all. If I lose... well, I'll just have to accept the Defeat CG ~"

The boy's brain went blank for a moment. Just as rumored, this Idol Lady had a hobby of cosplay. But so she was also a duelist? Her hairstyle didn't look like she was good at playing cards. Thinking this, he didn't rush to accept the challenge. "But isn't it a bit too few for one person?"

"Hmm?" The Idol Lady's eyes narrowed. "I'm a rare find, you know how valuable I am, right? By the way, let me ask first, are those people you turned into cards still alive? If they're forever turned into cards..."

"... Then you're of no value to me either." The Idol Lady's lighthearted words carried a chill that sent a shiver down the boy's spine. Indeed, with that aura, this girl was no ordinary person!

"Well..." The boy stared intently at the smiling Idol Lady, changed his deck and inserted it into the Duel Disk, while his opponent was also ready to fight.

Duel!

"Ladies first! I'll take it on first!" Luming Meng swiftly drew six cards from her deck. "I'll Normal Summon Queen Knight! Then, since there's a Queen on the field, I Special Summon King Knight from my hand! Activating its special effect, while there's a Queen on the field, when this card is Summoned, you can summon a Guard from your Deck!"

The three knights appeared in perfect unison on the girl's field, startling the boy and Cosmo, who was watching the battle. "Queen, King, guards, could it be?!"

"That's right! It's that Masaga! The Three Knights who call upon God have been gathered!"

Note: Japanese puns

With her hands on her hips, Luming proudly announced, "I activate the Spell Card Double Summon! You can perform up to two Normal Summon this turn!"

The girl's expression was solemn and dignified. She raised the card in her hand and chanted loudly. The three knights turned into specks of light and disappeared, offered as sacrifices to the gods.

"When the sky is filled with thunder and chaos, gather the ancient magic books within the chain, their power will be limitless! When good and evil collide, begin the ritual to summon the judge of hell!"

"I unleash the Three Knights as sacrifices! Descend, Obelisk the Tormentor!"

The night sky was covered by thick, dark clouds, with thunder and lightning. A crimson dragon ripped through the sky, its enormous head looming over the battlefield between the two, its deep roar enough to instill fear in mortals.

The boy stared at the Slifer the Sky Dragon, one of the Egyptian God Cards, his heart pounding. He swallowed hard, thinking, "To summon a god in the very first round... No wonder it's Luming..."

Note: Animation effects

"I set a card face down, and then activate Spell Card from my hand, Grasp of the God Hand. Both players can draw up to 6 cards from their hands!"

The boy, embarrassed, drew a card. "Hey, Luming, isn't your luck a little too good?"

Luming glanced at the six cards she had just drawn, her expression unchanged. "End of turn."

Osiris's attack power: 6000

The boy pondered: was it a matter of holding back his hand or preserving the power of the god? Regardless of the method, he couldn't afford to slack off. With Osiris on the field, summoning monsters had become more difficult, but who said he absolutely had to summon monsters?

"I activate Spell Card from my hand, Card Destruction. Both players discard all their cards and then draw that number of cards!"

"Next, I'll summon a monster using the Override!"

Because a monster appears on the opponent's field, Osiris's passive ability is activated - Thunder Bullets.

A smug smile spread across the boy's face, "The monster I summoned is the Harpie Lady! Due to its effect, it deals 1000 damage when flipped!"

Luming LP: 4000→3000

Note: The actual effect may differ from reality. Also, just have fun playing cards; don't worry too much about deck building!

"Then..."

After a series of actions the author was too lazy to think about, Luming Lady's health reached 2000, but due to the effect of the opponent's card, she could not attack directly.

"My turn, draw a card!"

"Since I have three Magnet Warriors in my hand, I Tribute them all to Special Summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior! Then I activate its effect! I Tribute Valkyrion the Magna Warrior itself to Special Summon the three Magnet Warriors (α, β, and γ) from my Graveyard! And then Tribute them again!"

Luming appeared completely unfazed, holding up a new card and chanting:

"When it arrives, scorching winds will sweep across the land, and the living will become corpses! When light and darkness meet, begin the ritual to summon the obelisk!"

"I offer my Magnet Warrior as sacrifices to the gods! Descend, Slifer the Sky Dragon!"

The ground cracked open, and a gigantic hand burst forth, slamming heavily onto the ground. Then, an incredibly large giant was revealed, so large that even its upper body alone was enough to blot out the sky.

"Then—" A golden eye pattern lit up between the girl's eyebrows, "I activate the Spell Card Monster Reborn! I resurrect the god who just entered the graveyard due to the Card Destruction!"

The boy and Cosmo exclaimed simultaneously, "Could it be?!"

"That's right, that's it!"

"The spirits sing, the ancient power governs all things! Their life, their soul, and even their bones. When heaven and earth meet, the ritual to summon the sun god begins!"

"Descend, the Winged Dragon of Ra!"

A round, golden egg, radiating a dazzling light, pierced through the clouds. Its shell opened and transformed into a giant golden bird, its radiance so brilliant and dazzling that it resembled the sun—no, it was originally the sun god!

The boy's body trembled uncontrollably, a biological instinct of fear urging him to leave this place, but he didn't. Instead, his eyes widened with immense excitement. What a rare opportunity it was to be able to face the Trisolaran Egyptian God Cards at the same time!

(Of course, this is not unusual at all in reality.)

"It's not over yet! Now that the Egyptian God Cards have gathered here, it would be a shame not to do that too! I activate the Spell Card 'The True Name' from my hand! Declare the top card of your Deck. If the declaration is successful... you can add one God-attribute card from your Deck to your hand!"

"My declaration card is—"

"The Golden Coffin!"

The top card was flipped over, revealing a golden chest that sealed the beginning of everything. The girl took a deep breath, drew her deck, and retrieved the card that declared victory.

"I'm adding the final god to my hand!"

"Impossible!" the boy roared in exasperation. "With the Egyptian God Cards all present, where could there be anyone else... Could it be?"

"In the Pharaoh... cough cough, in the name of Chen Xilumeng, release the Egyptian God Cards simultaneously!"

The Egyptian God Cards, sacrificed as offerings, merged into one, and in the light, a sacred and colossal goddess descended to earth, heralding the end of darkness.

"What is this?! This duel has no sense of process at all!" The boy felt wronged and wanted to cry, but unfortunately he couldn't come over through the internet and beat up the author.

"Alright, I won~" The girl grinned and held out her hand to him. "Then, as agreed, let's return those people."

The boy lowered his head and remained silent. The proud boy never expected that he would be defeated, let alone that he would be defeated in such a dramatic way. How could he accept this?

"... You didn't win!" Like a drowning person's last effort, an eerie blue light flickered in the boy's eyes, brighter than ever before. "So what if you won? Become my collectible! You brain-dead idol sister!"

Luming —no, Xing—sighed, covering her forehead. "Child, what do you think my purpose was in playing cards with you? Sometimes I want to resolve things peacefully, but why is it so difficult?"

Snap—

A blank full bottle was placed against the boy's forehead. His eyes widened, and a sense of powerlessness spread throughout his body. Blue light particles detached from his body and flowed into the blank full bottle. A card pattern appeared on the bottle, and the full bottle itself turned blue.

Yuki shook the bottle, a look of surprise on her face. "Card Full Bottle? This is truly an unexpected gain. I originally only wanted to Honkai Energy from your body. Could you say it was an unintended consequence?"

"Give it back!" Sensing the loss of his power, the boy lunged at her, only to be casually kicked away by the girl. "Well, with this, you can free them from the cards, right? Finding those cards isn't difficult for me, as for you..."

The cold muzzle of the gun pressed against his temple, the Idol Lady's face still bearing a gentle smile. "I hate anyone who dares to mess with me. You're worthless now. Goodbye~"

"Wait!" Cosmo hesitated for a long time, but pulled her away just as she was about to pull the trigger. "Don't do this, it's just a child..."

"So we absolutely cannot let him go." Xing calmly looked at Cosmo and interrupted him. "To be so indifferent to life at such a young age, how do you know what he might do in the future? It's best to eliminate potential threats before they arise, and besides, I also..."

Before he could finish speaking, taking advantage of their distraction, the boy pulled the trigger of the Smoke Gun hidden in his clothes, and his figure disappeared into the smoke.

"..." Xing slowly lowered the hand holding the Mortal Tribulation Difficult to Cross, and patted Cosmo's shoulder helplessly, "Besides, I didn't want to kill him, I just wanted to erase his memories and correct his personality."

Cosmo froze, his face flushed red, filled with shame and self-reproach. He wanted to slap himself for what he had just done.

"Alright, they've already gotten away. Even if I put a collar on you, it won't help." Xing took out the Smoke Gun's energy tracking device. "That thing can't have gone far, chase after it!"

—Ahem, this is just some random writing for a duel, some card effects are a bit confusing, please don't mind—

The boy fled back to his home in a disheveled state, smashing everything in sight in a fit of rage. As he gradually calmed down, the house was a complete mess, with everything destroyed except for the cards.

"Huff, huff, that guy is definitely the 'troublemaker' Jackal mentioned. Damn it, he actually stole my power. But do you think that's all I have?!"

The eerie red light returned to the boy's eyes, and blurry shadows emerged beneath his feet. Sensing their power, the boy's expression twisted, and a grotesque laugh echoed through the room...

Author's Note—

I don't know what's wrong with me, but lately I just don't feel like writing. If I force myself to write, the plot is already bad, and this just makes it more padded.