Duelists Never Surrender!

"In short, that's how it is. Go assist him."

"And... is it surveillance at the same time?"

A hoarse voice echoed from the other end of the phone.

Zhuxiu paused for a moment before replying, "It's not surveillance. Hara Shichi is a student at our academy. I want to believe in him."

"I understand."

"..."

"I say, you knew about this all along, didn't you?" As soon as they left the office, Ai couldn't help but lean in and ask Hara Shichi.

"Knew what all along?" Hara Shichi blinked, not understanding what Ai was talking about.

"Playing dumb, huh?" Ai playfully smacked Hara Shichi's back with her small, soft fist. "Just now, I asked you what you were going to do with the deck you won, and you said something about being a hero of justice. It made no sense."

"Now I get it. You're not planning to defect that kid and have her join your team, are you?" Ai poked Hara Shichi's face.

Though, due to her being a spirit, she couldn't actually touch him.

"I do have plans to get her to defect, but it has nothing to do with some five-on-five kill count match." Hara Shichi nodded, explaining as they walked, "Actually, ever since Julie told me those Crimson Lotus Society guys were sending people to cause trouble again, I've been thinking about making a proactive move."

"After all, we can't just keep getting beaten passively, that would be too stupid."

"But if it were just me, I'd be spread too thin, to be honest. So when I heard Yukikaze say Nero didn't do anything to her, I started thinking."

"If Nero isn't some irredeemable villain, then I'll find a way to get her to defect and help me deal with those Crimson Lotus Society folks."

"And what if she is?" Ai asked.

"Then I'll force her to be my dueling tool." Hara Shichi took out the deck he won from Nero and waved it in front of Ai. "From the start, she had no right to refuse, unless she didn't want her deck anymore."

"Indeed, we can't be dealing with every Tom, Dick, and Harry who shows up ourselves." Ai nodded in agreement. How could a noble god not have a few enforcers? "It wouldn't be bad to have Nero help us deal with some troublesome duelists."

"Are you going to find Nero now?" Ai asked, looking at the setting sun that was almost gone. "It's getting a bit late. How about we find her tomorrow?"

"Let's go now." Hara Shichi said faintly, holding his head. "Otherwise, if we go too late, she might get devoured by those jackals."

"Jackals? What are you talking about?" Ai's silver hair swayed slightly with her small head. Were there animals in the academy?

"When a strong lion is injured, those jackals naturally won't miss the opportunity. Moreover, that lion might have a history of wrongdoing." As he spoke, Hara Shichi headed towards a hidden passage in the academy.

"You mean... someone will kick her while she's down after she lost her deck?" Ai finally understood Hara Shichi's meaning.

"Isn't that inevitable?"

Chapter 43: If You're Scared, Let's Go Together.

In an unknown alley, Nero's frail body leaned against the cold wall, surrounded by several tall girls who formed an impenetrable barrier, cornering her.

"What do you want with me?" Nero's black eyes calmly swept over the girls in front of her.

"You've got some nerve. Have you forgotten what you did to us?" The leader, a black-haired girl, bent down, her voice hoarse as she spoke close to Nero's face.

"I don't recall interacting with you." Nero frowned slightly, her cute brows furrowing.

"You haven't interacted with us, but your Crimson Lotus Society has done a lot of 'good deeds.' As a member of the Crimson Lotus Society, you can't possibly say it has nothing to do with you!"

"I understand." Nero nodded. "It's time for a duel, right?"

"Duel? Hahaha! Your deck is gone, isn't it?!" The leading girl burst into laughter. "What are you going to duel us with? Are you going to pick up a deck from that trash can over there to duel us?"

Nero silently took out a deck from her waist. "Although it's not as good as my previous deck, my backup deck is enough to deal with duelists at your level."

"Backup... backup deck?"

"She has two decks?!"

"You... you were hiding something?!" The black-haired girl instinctively took a step back.

Hiding something? Isn't it normal to have multiple decks? Nero looked strangely at the group, who had been aggressive but were now somewhat hesitant, and said, "If you're scared, it's okay for all of you to come at me at once."

"You mean... even if all of us attack you, we're no match for you?!" The black-haired girl seemed enraged, her small face turning ashen. "Fine, let me see what gives you the right to be so arrogant!"

"You said it yourself, so don't blame us for being rude!" The others also raised their Duel Disks.

"Duel!"

"Duel!"

"Duel!"

"..."

Nero slowly raised her left arm, her expressionless face saying, "Duel."

"I'll go first!" The black-haired girl unhesitatingly placed a monster on her Duel Disk. "I enter my Main Phase! I Normal Summon Senju God!"

"When this card is Normal or Flip Summoned: You can add 1 Ritual Monster from your Deck to your hand!"

Nero was slightly taken aback. Seeing the monster that suddenly appeared on the field, a ripple stirred in her black eyes. She looked at the black-haired girl and asked, "Your name?"

"My name? Hahaha! As expected, you don't remember! Well, the name of a mere branch family like mine isn't worthy of being remembered by a high-and-mighty figure like you." The black-haired girl sneered. "However, the dueling arena doesn't change because of lowly status. Victory only favors the strong!"

"Let me show you my duel!"

"I add Evil★Twins Ki-sikil & Lil-la from my Deck to my hand!" The black-haired girl searched for a monster from her deck. "Next, I activate the Spell Card - Ritual's Soul Mirror. It is necessary for the Ritual Summon of a Ritual Monster. You must pay LP equal to the total Levels of monsters that are Tributed for the Ritual Summon x 500!"

"My Evil★Twins Ki-sikil & Lil-la is a Level 6 monster, so I pay 3000 LP! Ritual Summon—Evil★Twins Ki-sikil & Lil-la!"

A monster with a human upper body and a squid lower half appeared on the Duel Field, twisting its countless tentacles.

Black-haired girl: 4000 LP → 1000 LP.

"Cough, cough!" It seemed like she paid too much LP at once, and the black-haired girl was slightly shaken, but she still laughed wildly, "It's not over yet! Evil★Twins Ki-sikil & Lil-la's effect: When this card is Ritual Summoned successfully, look at up to 2 cards from your opponent's hand at random, and return 1 of them to its owner's Deck!"

"I'll check the two cards on your far right!"

Nero flipped over the two rightmost cards to show the black-haired girl. They were Hand of the Six Samurai and Preparation of Rites.

"I choose to return Hand of the Six Samurai to the Deck!" A hint of disgust flashed in the black-haired girl's eyes as she pointed at Hand of the Six Samurai and shouted.

Nero silently returned Hand of the Six Samurai to the Deck.

"Next, I activate the Continuous Spell Card—Marincess Stage, set one card, and end my turn!"

"My turn, draw!" another girl said, then drew a card from her Deck. "I enter my Main Phase, then activate the effect of Magicalized Fiend King, sending Magicalized Fiend King of the Swamp from my hand to the Graveyard, and adding the Spell Card—Fusion from my Deck to my hand!"

"Then I activate the Raidraptor effect, discarding one Raidraptor from my hand, and adding up to 2 Raidraptors from my Deck to my hand!"

"Finally, I activate the Spell Card—Fusion! I send the two Raidraptors in my hand to the Graveyard, and come forth—Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!"

Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon: ATK 2800 / DEF 2100!

"Now it's my turn!" a short-haired girl said. "My turn, draw!"

"I Normal Summon H.A.M.P.E.R. - Needle Bee, and activate its effect. This effect can only be activated when this card is Summoned/Special Summoned. Add 1 "H.A.M.P.E.R." monster from your Deck to your hand, except "H.A.M.P.E.R. - Needle Bee"!"

"I choose to add H.A.M.P.E.R. - Twin-Cross Bow Bee to my hand, then I activate Twin-Cross Bow Bee's effect, Special Summoning this card from my hand!"

"Then I activate H.A.M.P.E.R. - Pinpoint Bee's effect. If you control an Insect monster, you can activate this effect. Special Summon this card from your hand!"

"Then, according to its second effect, during the Main Phase, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the number of "H.A.M.P.E.R. - Pinpoint Bee" you control × 200!"

A sharp bee stinger suddenly pricked Nero's fair hand.

Nero: 4000 LP → 2800 LP.

"3 + 2 + 1 = 6! I tune the three monsters on my field, Synchro Summon—H.A.M.P.E.R. - Scythe-Hook Bee!"

"It's not over yet! I banish two Insect monsters from my Graveyard, and Special Summon Devil Excavator Worm from my hand!"

Two giant insects let out roars, inspiring awe.

"End of turn!"

"My turn, draw!"

"I activate the Field Spell Card—Sea! Then I activate Brute Force Prediction to Special Summon from my Deck... Then I activate Monster Reborn... Tribute Summon—Sea Dragon - Tydalrus!"

"..."

By the time everyone's turn ended and only Nero was left, the narrow alley was filled with terrifying and powerful monsters, each baring its fangs and claws at Nero, as if they would rush forward and tear her to shreds at any moment.

"So these are your Ace Monsters?" Nero scanned the giant monsters before her and said softly.

"That's right! If you surrender now, we might be kind enough to let you go!" the black-haired girl said triumphantly, hands on her hips.

Nero didn't reply, just silently placed her hand on her Deck: "My turn, draw."

Chapter 44: Caged Bird.

Nero inserted a Spell Card into her Duel Disk and said, "I activate the Spell Card Preparation of Rites, adding Demise, King of Armageddon from my Deck to my hand."

"I activate the Spell Card Terraforming, adding the Field Spell Card—World Destruction to my hand, then I activate World Destruction." As soon as Nero inserted World Destruction into her Duel Disk, she casually placed a monster on the field: "I Normal Summon Hand of the Six Samurai, and activate its effect to add Demise, Supreme King of Armageddon from my Deck to my hand."

"Tsk, you still drew it?" the black-haired girl clicked her tongue. She had shuffled it back, yet she still had one, or perhaps... she just drew it?

"I activate the Spell Card—World Immortality, Tributing the Hand of the Six Samurai on my field, Ritual Summon—Demise, King of Armageddon."

"When Demise, King of Armageddon is successfully Summoned, due to the effect of World Destruction, I can draw one card. Then I activate Demise, King of Armageddon's effect. When this card is Ritual Summoned successfully, destroy one monster on the field. I choose to destroy your Evil★Twins Ki-sikil & Lil-la on your field."

"As expected, you're coming for me first?" the black-haired girl said coldly, then opened her Set Card, "I activate the Trap Card Call of the Living Dead, return to the field, Evil★Twins Ki-sikil & Lil-la!"

"No, it's just that Demise's effect is mandatory, I just chose a monster that was closer," Nero shook her head and continued, "Then I activate World Destruction's effect. You can target 1 Ritual Monster you control. Reveal 1 Ritual Monster in your hand until the end of this turn. The Level of that revealed Ritual Monster becomes the same as the Level of the target monster until the end of this turn."

"I target Demise, King of Armageddon on my field, and reveal Demise, Supreme King of Armageddon in my hand. The Level of Demise, King of Armageddon becomes 10."

"Then, I activate the Spell Card—Apocalypse, Tributing Demise, King of Armageddon on my field, Ritual Summon—Demise, Supreme King of Armageddon!"

A giant monster clad in armor appeared on the field, wielding a silver great axe. A chilling aura emanated from him, causing everyone present, except Nero, to shiver.

"When this card is Ritual Summoned, I Chain the effect of Demise, King of Armageddon in my Graveyard, targeting Demise, Supreme King of Armageddon on the field. As long as that monster remains face-up on your field, your opponent cannot activate card effects in response to the activation of your Ritual Monster's effects."

"This way, you won't be able to Chain to my Demise, Supreme King of Armageddon's effect," Nero said, then waved her small hand and coldly continued, "I activate Demise, Supreme King of Armageddon's effect. Once per turn, you can pay 2000 LP. Destroy all other cards on the field, and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the number of cards destroyed on their field × 200."

"Crush everything, Demise!"

"What?!"

"How is this possible!"

The girls had no time to be surprised. The giant axe was raised high, and then... it slammed down!

"Bang!"

Amidst the chaos, only Demise stood on the field in the once crowded alley.

"Don't give up! Her LP is only 800 left! She can only use that powerful effect once! As long as we take her remaining 800 LP..." the black-haired girl trailed off, her throat seeming to seize up, unable to make a sound.

Because Nero, without a care, revealed her remaining LP: 2800 LP.

"How is that possible?! You should have paid 2000 LP!"

"Demise, Supreme King of Armageddon's third effect states that the Life Points you pay for the activation of this card's effect, which was Ritual Summoned using only Ritual Monsters, become unnecessary," Nero explained.

"On a side note, its second effect is that as long as this Ritual Summoned card remains in the Monster Zone, your Ritual Monsters cannot be destroyed by battle."

"...Monster."

"No way, why do you have such a powerful card..."

"Damn it!"

Nero ignored the girls' voices and said, "I enter the Battle Phase, direct attack!"

Ten minutes later, Nero looked at the girls lying defeated on the ground from the impact. She put away her Duel Disk and said to the black-haired girl, who was barely supporting herself against the wall, "You're absolutely right, victory only favors the strong."

"It seems I'm a bit stronger right now."

"Don't... don't get cocky... you caged bird!" the black-haired girl gritted her teeth, panting. "Before I came... I already wrote and sent a letter to my family about your crushing defeat... losing your family's deck!"

"Just you wait! It won't be long... until my family sends someone... to put you back in your cage... Hahaha... Hahaha!"

Nero stiffened, her delicate face instantly losing all color. After a long moment, she replied faintly: