Duelists Never Surrender!

A silver-haired woman identical to Silent Magician appeared on the field, but unlike Silent Magician, she had an ATK of 3500.

"Just a vanilla monster," Julie sneered inwardly, then continued, "I enter Main Phase 2 and activate the Spell Card—Fusion!"

"I send Mezuki and Gravekeeper's Shaman from my hand to the Graveyard, Fusion Summon—Dragon's Demise!"

Although Julie looked confident, she actually summoned Dragon's Demise in Defense Position. After all, her LP was only two thousand, and attacking in Attack Position would easily lead to taking damage.

"I end my turn like this."

"My turn, Draw Phase." The Gloomy Woman said, drawing a card from her Deck.

"I enter Main Phase and Normal Summon Silent Magician LV4."

"I Chain the effect of Jack-o-Bolan to Special Summon Silent Magician from your Graveyard to my field in Defense Position!"

"It dodged again, how troublesome." The Gloomy Woman said with some annoyance, "I enter the Battle Phase and attack your Silent Magician with Aqua Spirit."

"Next, I attack your Dragon's Demise with Silent Magician LV8!"

"I activate Dragon's Demise's effect!" Julie calmly activated Dragon's Demise's effect, "When this card battles a monster, at the end of the Damage Step: That monster's ATK becomes 0, and if it does, Special Summon 1 'Dark Soul Token' (Zombie/DARK/ATK?/DEF 0) to your field with the same Level and original ATK as that monster."

"The ATK of Silent Magician LV8 on your field becomes 0, and then I Special Summon a 'Dark Soul Token' with 3500 ATK to my field!"

That's right, the equation for victory was complete! Julie wiped a bead of cold sweat from her forehead. Her opponent's LP was only 3200 left. Silent Magician LV8, which had attacked once, couldn't be switched to Defense Position. Next turn, she could use the Token to attack Silent Magician LV8 and win the Duel!

"I see, it seems I underestimated you." The Gloomy Woman was slightly stunned, then inserted a card into her Duel Disk, "I activate the Spell Card—Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy your Zombie World."

As Zombie World went to the Graveyard, the skulls on the Duel Field disappeared.

"Next, I activate the Spell Card—Forbidden Grimoire. I add Grimoire of Ice and Fire to my hand, and activate Grimoire of Ice and Fire's effect to send Silent Magician LV8 on the field to the Graveyard, and draw two cards from my Deck."

"She resolved the crisis in an instant?" Julie's relieved heart tightened again.

"It's not over yet. I activate Level Up! I send Silent Magician LV4 on the field to the Graveyard, and Special Summon—Silent Magician LV8!"

"I'll set one card and end my turn."

"I activate Jack-o-Bolan's effect, and Jack-o-Bolan returns to my field." Julie put Jack-o-Bolan back onto her Duel Disk, "Then it's my turn, Draw Phase!"

Then, she saw it, the card in her hand—Varon Gaus.

"Gulp."

Julie couldn't help but swallow. She could win, if she used this card, she could win!

Whether it was banishing the opponent's Silent Magician LV8 or Aqua Spirit, she could win!

"No, at this moment, it's better to play it safer." Julie shook her head.

"So there's only one answer." Julie calmed down and sent Jack-o-Bolan on the field to the Graveyard, "I enter Main Phase, and Tribute Jack-o-Bolan on the field to Normal Summon—Varon Gaus!"

"Chain activation." The Gloomy Woman revealed her Set Card, "When you are about to Normal Summon, I activate the Trap Card Torrential Tribute, to destroy all monsters on the field!"

"?!"

A huge torrent swept all the monsters on the field into a vortex, clearing the Duel Field completely.

"They played that card? But it's fine, I still have resources in my Graveyard." Julie looked at her Graveyard. Unfortunately, Zombie World was destroyed by the opponent. Otherwise, she could use Mezuki to summon her Ace Monster, Dragon's Demise.

"I banish Mezuki from my Graveyard to Special Summon Jack-o-Bolan, then I enter the Battle Phase and attack directly with Jack-o-Bolan!"

Gloomy Woman LP: 3200 → 1700.

"I end my turn like this."

"My turn, Draw Phase." The Gloomy Woman said, drawing a card from her Deck. "Hehehe... It seems the Goddess of Duels is on my side."

Saying that, the Gloomy Woman inserted a card into her Duel Disk, "I activate the Spell Card—Monster Reborn!"

The only monster in the opponent's Graveyard that posed a threat to her was Silent Magician LV8. The Zombies in her own Graveyard could be revived by Jack-o-Bolan's Quick Effect to avoid it... Wait! Her target is...

The Gloomy Woman showed a cunning smile and pointed at Julie, "I choose to Special Summon Dragon's Demise from your Graveyard to my field!"

The great dragon of the underworld roared on the Gloomy Woman's field. Seeing her former Ace Monster appear on the opponent's field, an unnamed rage surged within Julie, but she had to suppress it for now. "I Chain Jack-o-Bolan's effect to Special Summon Gravekeeper's Shaman from my Graveyard in Defense Position."

"Hmph, just keep prolonging your struggle." The Gloomy Woman waved her hand, "I enter the Battle Phase, Dragon's Demise attacks Gravekeeper's Shaman!"

"Because of Dragon's Demise's effect, Gravekeeper's Shaman will not be destroyed by battle, and a Soul Token will be Special Summoned to your field." Julie gritted her teeth.

"Hmph, you don't need to tell me." The Gloomy Woman said, Special Summoning the Soul Token in Defense Position, "I end my turn like this."

Julie placed her hand on her Deck and found her hand trembling slightly.

Is this... fear?

Yes, Julie knew one thing clearly: her Deck contained no monsters that could destroy Dragon's Demise.

The only monster that could contend with Dragon's Demise, Varon Gaus, had already been used. What should she do... Wait, there was still hope. As long as she drew that card, there was still hope!

If, if there truly was a bond between a Deck and a Duelist, between a Duel Spirit and a Duelist, then respond to me here!

"My turn!"

Julie suddenly raised her head and shouted, "Draw!"

Chapter 73: Which One Should I Choose?

"Swish!"

Julie drew a card sharply, slowly turning it to face herself.

From the start of the duel until now, she had already used ten cards. The only monster that could turn the tide now was one, so was the chance of hope one in thirty?

No, absolutely not!

A deck is a deck because the cards can interact and exchange resources with each other; otherwise, it's just a pile of cards!

"There are two more Mezuki, three Zombie Necromancy, one Foolish Burial, and if I stretch it, two Growing Flowers plus the monster itself..." Julie muttered, "That's a 3/10 chance!"

Julie flipped the card over abruptly, and then she saw it, that familiar card—Mezuki.

Here it comes!

"I enter my Main Phase!" As if performing a thousand practiced moves, Julie unhesitatingly placed the Mezuki in her hand onto her Duel Disk, "I Normal Summon Mezuki, then, I activate Mezuki's effect to send one Zombie monster to the Graveyard!"

"Hmph, a dying struggle," the Gloomy Woman scoffed. It was simple logic; if Julie's deck had a powerful monster comparable to Dragon's Demise, she wouldn't have used Mezuki to send a Spellcaster monster to the Graveyard on the first turn.

Even so, the Gloomy Woman stared intently at Julie, as her remaining LP wasn't exactly generous.

"I send Nine-Tailed Fox from my Deck to the Graveyard!" Julie ignored the taunt from her opponent, picked up the newly acquired Nine-Tailed Fox from her Graveyard, and continued, "Next, I activate Nine-Tailed Fox's effect, Tributing Mezuki and Gravekeeper's Shaman on the field to Special Summon it from the Graveyard!"

[Nine-Tailed Fox (Level 6) FIRE]

[Zombie/Effect ATK: 2200 DEF: 2000]

"A mere 2200 ATK is nothing compared to Dragon's Demise's 3000 ATK." The Gloomy Woman breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Julie's aggressive posture, she had expected some kind of powerful monster to be summoned, but it seemed she had overthought it.

"Of course, Dragon's Demise is my Ace Monster, but... what about your Dark Soul Token on the field?" Julie said calmly.

"You can destroy that thing if you want," the Gloomy Woman glanced at the Dark Soul Token on the field. A monster with only 400 ATK was useless except for defending against an attack in Defense Position.

"Since you say so, I won't hold back." Julie commanded the Nine-Tailed Fox, which had successfully been summoned for the first time, "I enter the Battle Phase, Nine-Tailed Fox attacks Dark Soul Token!"

"A meaningless move." As soon as the Gloomy Woman finished speaking, she suddenly felt a pang of unease deep within her heart. She looked blankly at the dueling field, only to see the bewitching Nine-Tailed Fox, after piercing the Dark Soul Token with its claws, charging towards her with glowing golden eyes!

"Wait! What's going on?!" The Gloomy Woman frantically tried to dodge, but it was too late. Nine-Tailed Fox, with its sharp claws, fiercely swatted the Gloomy Woman to the ground.

"I forgot to tell you, when this card is Special Summoned from the Graveyard and attacks a Defense Position monster, it inflicts battle damage equal to the amount by which its ATK exceeds that monster's DEF." Julie walked up to the Gloomy Woman and looked down at her, "2200 minus 200, and your remaining LP is 1700. This duel, you lose."

"I lost?!" The Gloomy Woman exclaimed in shock. As her LP hit 0, the surrounding black mist coiled around her like fish sensing blood.

Then, the Gloomy Woman laughed.

She raised her hands as if to embrace the coiling mist, her bloodshot eyes seeming to bulge out. With a mad cackle, she giggled, "Wrong! I have returned to the embrace of the God!"

She grinned at Julie and whispered like a demon:

"Hehehe... I look forward to our next meeting!"

"When that time comes... I will drag you into the true abyss!"

With that, her head lolled to the side, and she became still.

"Still spewing threats before dying, how annoying," Julie kicked her twice impatiently, then took Dragon's Demise from the Gloomy Woman's Duel Disk. She wiped it a couple of times with her hand before putting it back into her Deck.

...The timeline returns to the present...

"It's a shame we can't enter the mist to watch. Are we just going to wait outside?" Hara Shichi said, looking at the black mist before them.

He had actually reached out to enter the Dark Duel earlier, but the mist had repelled him.

"At times like this, all we can do is trust and wait with hope," Julie leaned against a large tree, her expressionless.

It wasn't that she was cold; it was just that if she wanted to continue on the path of a Duelist, Dark Duels were unavoidable, and partings were inevitable.

"You can," just then, Ai, who was floating in mid-air, spoke up.

"What?" Hara Shichi didn't react immediately.

"I said, I can let you enter the Dark Duel," Ai said, crossing her arms.

"You can do something like that?" Hara Shichi asked, slightly surprised.

"I am a God, after all. Isn't it easy to do such a small thing?" Ai winked.

"Then can you stop the Dark Duel directly?" Hara Shichi looked at Ai expectantly.

"That is 'its' domain. Unless I was in my prime, no one can stop a Dark Duel," Ai shook her head, seemingly not wanting to continue the topic. "Even so, I don't recommend you go in to spectate."

"Why?" Hara Shichi asked, confused.

"A duel is a personal matter. Even if you enter the Dark Duel, you can only watch from the sidelines. Not only will you be unable to help, but you might also cause your companion to feel nervous and pressured," Ai stated calmly. "Given that, what difference is there between being inside and outside?"

"There is a difference," Hara Shichi answered without hesitation.

"Just as you said, a duel is a personal matter, but... if someone is cheering you on, if someone is supporting you, won't loneliness and fear be dispelled?" Hara Shichi said earnestly.

Ai paused slightly, seemingly a bit surprised. "I didn't expect you to say something like that."

"Because Ai has always been by my side," Hara Shichi said as a matter of course. "If you hadn't accompanied me, I probably wouldn't have lasted this long. On my first day in this world, I would have collapsed from loneliness and fear."

"Is that so?" Ai lowered her head, a slight smile forming on her lips.

"Of course, it is."

And so, Ai came before Hara Shichi. Her long white dress swayed gently in the breeze. Her sapphire-like eyes reflected Hara Shichi's image. "So, where will you go?"

"Hmm?"

"So, Yukikaze and Sera, which side will you choose?" Ai tilted her head and asked.

"We can only go to one side?" Hara Shichi asked curiously.

"Of course, you can only choose one side for two duels." Ai tapped Hara Shichi's forehead. "Don't tell me you can split yourself in two?"

"Let's go with Yukikaze," Hara Shichi said after a moment of hesitation.

"Yukikaze has experience with Dark Duels, but that little kid Sera is having her first Dark Duel, right?" Ai said with dissatisfaction. "Shouldn't you be looking after the 'newbie' at a time like this?"

"Then... Senior Sera?" Hara Shichi hesitated.

"You ungrateful wretch! Yukikaze treats you so well normally, yet at a crucial moment, you want to go be with another woman, is that it?" Ai punched Hara Shichi.

"??"

Chapter 73: Flashy Stuff, Negated!

"So this is what a Dark Duel is like."

Although Sera had heard of Dark Duels before, this was her first time actually experiencing one. She looked curiously at the boundless black mist surrounding them, sensing something was off. "It feels like the space has been distorted. The space by the river isn't that big, is it?"

Sera asked the man across from her, "Is this distorting the original space, or creating a new independent space?"

How would I know that?!

The man frowned. What was with this little girl? Normally, even if someone wasn't scared stiff during their first Dark Duel, they should at least be trembling with nervousness. Why did this girl look more relaxed than him? Or was she just a harmless-looking kid on the surface, but actually a Dark Duelist with a higher level than him?!

No, no, how could that be? She's not even as old as my daughter.

The man shook his head, throwing the absurd thought out of his mind. Impatiently, he said, "I believe it's your turn to go first. If you don't make a move soon, I'll consider it a time-out violation."