Duelists Never Surrender!

Hara Shichi is a very, very powerful Duelist. He's strong, and he's going to get stronger, stronger than everyone else.

If I, who am weak, continue to stand by his side, I will only be an appendage. I won't be able to help him in any way, nor will I be able to step into his battles. I can only watch his back.

I hate this!

I want to get stronger too!

I want to become his strength and fight alongside him!

Goodbye! My timidity and cowardice!

"My turn, Draw Phase!"

Black-Clad Man #1 nervously watched the white-haired girl across from him.

Something felt different. His intuition told him the girl before him was exuding a dangerous aura right now.

No way... is my life going to end here?

Impossible! That's absolutely impossible!

If I can just survive this turn, I'll be able to attack next turn, and then everything will be reversed!

"I'll Normal Summon Rosemary of the Six Flowers, and by its effect, I'll add Snowdrop of the Six Flowers to my hand!" Yukikaze looked at her hand, her mind racing. Yes, with this hand, it's possible!

"Next, I activate the Spell Card—Six Flowers Brilliant! This card allows me to add a 'Six Flowers' monster from my Deck to my hand. I choose Heather of the Six Flowers!"

"This is enough," Yukikaze said, looking directly at Black-Clad Man #1.

"Enough... enough for what?" The black-clad man broke out in a cold sweat, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

Yukikaze didn't answer Black-Clad Man #1's question, but instead activated the effect of the monster in her hand: "I activate Snowdrop of the Six Flowers' effect! I can Tribute 1 Plant monster on my field to activate this. I can Special Summon this card and 1 Plant monster from my hand! I Tribute Rosemary of the Six Flowers on my field to Special Summon Snowdrop of the Six Flowers and Heather of the Six Flowers from my hand!"

"Because of the field Spell, Marincess World's effect, the ATK of all WATER monsters on my field increases by 500! So their ATK is now..."

Snowdrop of the Six Flowers: ATK 1200 → ATK 1700

Heather of the Six Flowers: ATK 2400 → ATK 2900

"Just as I expected?" Black-Clad Man #2 frowned. He needed to prepare himself to fight two opponents.

"You're kidding me? Is this what you meant by 'enough'? No, wait, I haven't even attacked yet. If it weren't for that mistake just now, I would be..." Black-Clad Man #1 looked dejectedly at the two monsters on Yukikaze's field.

1700 + 2900. That's enough to empty his LP.

"You're not going to attack me, are you? This is a Dark Duel! This isn't the duel training you do with your classmates at school! If you attack me, I'll curse you! I'll resent you! My soul will never rest until it has its revenge on you!" Black-Clad Man #1 threatened. "Because you'll kill me."

"Are you going to kill me?"

"Do you have the courage to kill?"

"Do you have... the courage to bear this sin?!"

Seeing Yukikaze lower her head in silence, Black-Clad Man #1 rejoiced inwardly and continued, "Hahaha! Come on! Kill me! Coward! Stain your hands with blood! What are you afraid of?!"

"Yukikaze... if you don't want to, I can..."

Hara Shichi was interrupted before he could finish speaking:

"I'm entering the Battle Phase."

"Snowdrop, Heather, direct attack!"

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

A wail erupted as Black-Clad Man #1 fell to his knees on the cold ground, black mist seeping into his body and soul.

"No... don't do this!" Black-Clad Man #1 desperately clawed at the black mist consuming him, but the mist was a formless beast, and his actions were futile.

"Save me! Save me!" He reached out to Black-Clad Man #2. "Aren't we comrades?"

"Didn't we say we'd get stronger together?"

"Why are you just watching! Save me! You bastard! Bastard! Bastard! I... I don't want to die!"

Black-Clad Man #2 silently watched Black-Clad Man #1 and spoke:

"This is our destiny. The day we used Dark Duels to steal others' souls, we should have foreseen this outcome. You're just one step ahead of me."

"Goodbye."

"N-no! I don't want to die! I don't want to die, I don't want to..." Black-Clad Man #1's body collapsed before he could finish speaking.

His soul had been completely consumed.

In the final moments of his life, there were no curses, no regrets, only infinite fear.

"Are you going to end the Battle Phase?" Black-Clad Man #2 asked Yukikaze.

"Aren't you sad?" Yukikaze panted, her eyes cast down. "Your comrade fell before you. Don't you feel sad?"

"As I said, this is an inevitable outcome. I will also face this day, but... it will not be today." Black-Clad Man #2 said coldly. "Come on, continue your turn."

Yukikaze looked at the cards in her hand and shook her head. "I'll end my turn like this."

"Then, it's my turn." Black-Clad Man #2 said. "My turn, Draw Phase!"

The man in black number two looked at the card he drew and smiled faintly. "I see. No wonder you destroyed my Fusion Regeneration Facility with Ghost Ogre back then. You guessed it, didn't you? You guessed I had that card. If I had successfully summoned it, your Tiramisu of the Tiara would have been defenseless."

"But it's no use trying to stop me." The man in black number two showed the card he had just drawn. "With just a simple Fusion Spell Card, I can skip the tedious setup and summon my ace monster."

Yes, the card in his hand was the Spell Card he had just drawn—Fusion!

"I'll first activate the effect of The Agent of Creation Venus, paying 500 LP to Special Summon 1 'Sacred Sphere' from my hand or Deck." The man in black number two didn't rush to activate the Spell Card, but first activated Venus's effect.

"A-Qi, he only has two cards in his hand!" Ai quickly reminded him from the side. "If you interrupt his effect now, he won't be able to gather the Fusion Materials. Hurry and activate Mage of the Madolche Night!"

Hara Shichi shook his head. "No, he's bluffing me."

"If I were him, I wouldn't show a newly drawn Fusion Card to my opponent like this," Hara Shichi explained. "Especially in such a disadvantageous situation, I would pretend to be nonchalant and unconcerned, maybe even frown slightly."

"Therefore, the unknown card in his hand is definitely not a Normal Monster."

"I Special Summon 1 Sacred Sphere from my Deck in Defense Position," the man in black number two operated.

Man in black number two LP: 3000 → 2500

"I thought you would activate Mage of the Madolche Night," the man in black number two said abruptly.

"Your performance was too exaggerated and doesn't match your previous demeanor. If it were your companion, I might have believed it a little," Hara Shichi said calmly.

"That makes sense. Perhaps next time I duel, I should have disguised myself as him from the start," the man in black number two sighed. "Then I'll proceed directly to the Battle Phase. I'll attack your Tiramisu of the Tiara with Knight of the Cornflower Centaur."

"Cornflower Centaur's ATK is only two thousand, why..." Yukikaze frowned.

Soon, the man in black number two answered Yukikaze: "Because Tiramisu of the Tiara's ATK is 2200, I will take 200 LP in damage."

2500 LP → 2300

"However, according to the effect of Knight of the Cornflower Centaur, this card with Xyz Materials cannot be destroyed by battle. Next, I'll detach 1 Xyz Material and activate its second effect. At the end of the Damage Step in which this card battles with an opponent's monster, you can pay 1 Xyz Material from this card to activate it. Return that opponent's monster to its owner's hand!"

"Chain!" Hara Shichi revealed his Set Card. "I activate Mage of the Madolche Night to negate the effect of Knight of the Cornflower Centaur!"

"Very well, I enter Main Phase 2, and then I perform a Normal Summon of Rescue Rabbit." The man in black number two finally placed the unknown card in his hand onto the field.

"A-Qi, you're amazing! You guessed right!" Ai clapped her hands. "We've definitely won this game!"

"Yes, this duel is over."

Hara Shichi looked at the Set Card he had kept face-down since the beginning and murmured.

Now, it was his turn to make a decision.

"I activate Rescue Rabbit's effect. You can banish this card on the field to activate it. Special Summon 2 Normal Monsters with the same name from your Deck that are Level 4 or lower. I Special Summon two White Rabbits from my Deck to the field."

Two adorable White Rabbits hopped onto the dueling field, but before they could even steady themselves, the man in black number two sent them to the graveyard.

"I activate the Spell Card—Fusion! Send the two White Rabbits on the field to the graveyard, and come forth, my ace monster—Ancient Dragon, the Progenitor Dragon!"

A colossal roar echoed as a giant dragon appeared on the dueling field, its gaping maw seeming ready to devour everyone.

"It's over! The Progenitor Dragon's effect states that it cannot be destroyed by battle with a monster other than a Normal Monster, and it is unaffected by the effects of monsters other than this card! And it has an ATK of 2700!" The man in black waved his hand. "Neither your Tiramisu of the Tiara nor her Six Flowers monsters can break through my Progenitor Dragon!"

"I activate The Agent of Creation Venus in Defense Position, and end my turn!"

"Yes, it's over." Hara Shichi nodded and drew a card from his Deck. "My turn, Draw Phase."

"Why are you so calm?" The man in black number two frowned, then his gaze suddenly fixed on Hara Shichi's field—a Set Card, he still had one Set Card!

"You noticed?" Hara Shichi revealed the card he had set since the first turn. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card—Forbidden Chalice. You can activate this card by targeting 1 face-up monster on the field. That monster gains 400 ATK until the end of this turn, and its effects are negated."

"So that's how it is. So that's how it is." The moment the man in black number two saw Forbidden Chalice, he lowered the arm holding his Duel Disk and gave a self-deprecating smile.

"I surrender."

Chapter Nineteen: Who Are You Dueling With?!

Black mist swirled around, consuming his soul.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Yukikaze couldn't help but ask.

The man in black number two looked at Yukikaze strangely. "What nonsense are you talking about? How could it not hurt? It's devouring my soul!"

"Then why are you so calm?"

"Because I know no one can win forever." The man in black number two said with self-mockery. "The moment I first devoured someone's soul in a Dark Duel, I knew this day would come."

"I just didn't expect it to come so soon."

"..."

"Honestly, more than the pain, I feel a sense of relief right now," the man in black number two said. "It's finally over."

"Is it painful?" Hara Shichi suddenly asked.

"It's very painful. The thought of dying if I lose makes me terrified. I toss and turn in bed, unable to sleep, wishing the next day wouldn't come," the man in black number two said, clutching his head.

"Then why do this? Isn't it better to be an ordinary duelist?" Yukikaze said. "With ordinary duels, it doesn't matter if you lose..."

"That way, you won't get stronger!" The man in black number two interrupted. "If I were just an ordinary duelist, I wouldn't have become this strong!"

"I wouldn't have mastered Xyz Summoning, nor would I have Xyz Monsters and the Progenitor Dragon. So, only through Dark Duels, only by joining the Sacred Fire Society, could I make a name for myself." The man in black number two's voice grew weaker, his soul dwindling like a candle in the wind.

He looked at Hara Shichi and smiled. "I truly envy you. You're so strong. I wish I had been as strong as you back then."

"If I had been as strong as you then, would I not be dying now?" He shook his head. "No, there are no 'ifs'."

The second man in black stumbled towards Hara Shichi, then extended his hand, a Duelist's deck resting quietly in his palm. "Don't go any further. The enemy ahead is not someone you can handle. Leave here... Also, I'm entrusting my deck to you."

After saying this, his body felt light, and with a thud, he collapsed onto the ground.

The black mist surrounding Hara Shichi and Yukikaze instantly vanished.

The Dark Duel had ended.

"I'll take your deck," Hara Shichi said, collecting the second man in black's deck, then handing the first man in black's deck to Yukikaze.

"Don't overthink it, it's not safe here, let's go back first," Hara Shichi said.

"Can I take it?" Yukikaze hesitated.

"Might as well take the spoils of war!"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out. Hara Shichi and Yukikaze turned their heads to find that Teacher Nafili had appeared behind them at some point. Beside him stood a girl with purple hair and red eyes, silently watching them.

"Teacher Nafili and Senior Julie?!" Yukikaze exclaimed. "What are you two doing here?"

"Julie brought me here, saying you encountered danger in the back mountain," Nafili said, pointing to Julie.

"Huh? Is that so?" Yukikaze quickly thanked her. "Thank you, Senior Julie."

"Ha? Thank me?" Julie opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, she frowned and said, "Never mind. Since I've led the way, I'll be heading back now."

"Wait, it's not safe for you to go back alone now," Hara Shichi interjected. "There might be other dangerous individuals in the back mountain."

"What classmate Hara Shichi said is correct." Nafili walked over to the two men in black lying on the ground, his expression disgusted. "I didn't expect insects to have infiltrated the academy. It's not safe for you to go back directly. Why don't you come with me? I want to see who dares to be so audacious."

"Okay, Teacher," Yukikaze nodded.