Looks a Little Silly

Though he started completely clueless, he'd been through a battle.

Then, gradually, he came to understand the current state of the world. To save it and restore peace to the land, he chose to join the local resistance, aiming to defeat the Dark King.

Reflecting on it, everything that had happened so far wasn't unfamiliar, and it sounded perfectly fine—like most of it could be found in classic game storylines.

But where had things gone wrong?

Thump

Thump

Thump

As the heavy, unsettling footsteps echoed, Yu Ming couldn't help but wonder.

I didn't even hit the fast-forward button, did I?

But no matter what Yu Ming grumbled internally, he had already seen the figure in the dust.

Nearly two meters tall, its dark golden flesh seemed to meld with its armor.

Clearly, this was a form no human could possess.

"A demon..."

In fact, in some ways, he even recognized this appearance.

Because it was a card:

"Dark Invader."

However, Mr. Invader didn't seem interested in him.

"Noah Kaiba."

From the moment it entered, the demon's crimson eyes had fixated on the boy.

"Your days of hiding and obstructing the Underworld Legion's great cause are over."

It extended a hideous hand, and a flash of blood-red light flickered in its terrifying eyes.

"Hand over Red-Eyes."

Hearing this, Noah Kaiba slowly rose from his seat:

"If you want it, come and get it yourself."

He calmly clasped his hands behind his back, his seemingly childish words betraying no hint of yielding.

"You should understand the rules of this world."

"Hmph, I knew you'd say that."

Alright, alright, so this is a demon, huh?

Watching the two face off, Yu Ming couldn't help but reach up and cover his head. He even felt as if the demon's stomping footsteps formed some kind of drumbeat.

But setting aside these hot-headed thoughts, there was probably only one thing to do now, wasn't there?

Thinking this, Yu Ming silently reached for his card pack.

But before he could even touch his deck, he saw a scorching, malevolent light gathering in the demon's hand.

"It's time to end this game."

"Huh?!"

Wait, where are the cards?

Yu Ming instinctively wanted to complain about something, but the intense energy was already upon them.

Boom

But the next moment, a rising energy barrier, like a mirror, defended everything.

Thud

"Mirror Force."

Noah slowly held up a card.

"Trying such petty tricks in front of me, aren't you being a bit too presumptuous?"

"Hmph."

Not at all ashamed of its sneak attack, the Invader merely sneered.

"You are indeed a dangerous enemy."

It spoke, but then its tone shifted:

"But now that you're locked in a standoff with me, you can't move, can you?"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed, but the demon had already given an order:

"Attack! Get rid of Noah Kaiba!"

Accompanying that heavy voice, strange ripples surged through the space within the barrier.

As the rift opened, another shadowy figure appeared directly inside the barrier.

"Awooo!"

"Oh no…"

By the time Yu Ming reacted, the other invader had already leaped high into the air.

"Die!"

Accompanied by a beast-like roar, a massive, chilling greatsword, as if wrapped in something, came crashing down.

But just as the blade drew near, Yu Ming noticed something—the blade didn't seem to be aimed at Noah Kaiba.

Which meant…

It was aimed at me?

"Hey!"

Bang

Instinctively reaching out to block, Yu Ming's arms were firmly braced against the sword's crossguard and hilt, with the blade wedged tightly against his shoulder.

However, this powerful strike wasn't as forceful as he'd imagined.

But precisely because of that, it gave him a chance to counterattack!

"Get out of my way!"

With a sudden shove, Yu Ming pushed the warrior's blade upward, then kicked the attacker out of the Mirror Force barrier.

Boom

With a black arc, the warrior's body crashed directly into the rubble.

"Seriously."

After wiping the sweat from his forehead, Yu Ming couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"Not much strength, yet yelling so loudly. I thought I was going to die."

But when he came back to his senses, he found the atmosphere rather strange.

Even though Mirror Force was still clashing with the intense fluctuations, both Noah and the Dark Invader, who were directly involved, had their gazes fixed on him, a look of wanting-to-speak-but-hesitating astonishment in their eyes.

Then…

"Thank you."

"…"

At Noah's words, Yu Ming fell silent instead.

Was there a possibility this damn thing was actually after me?

He really wanted to say something sarcastic, but unfortunately, certain people didn't give him the chance.

"Tsk, what's going on?"

Looking towards the barrier, a clear look of displeasure appeared on the Dark Invader's face.

"Damn it, what are you doing?"

Amidst the reprimand, there was movement from the rubble piled with scrap metal.

Rumble

The broad figure crawled out of the wreckage in a dishevelled state.

Only then did Yu Ming get a clear look at the guy's face.

His muscular body was almost entirely covered in grotesque steel armor, but rather than being 'armored,' it was more like he was completely imprisoned by the six-winged armor.

"The Dark King."

In a way, he was an old acquaintance.

And now, this dishevelled old acquaintance clutched his chest and abdomen, where the armor was already cracked.

"Noah Kaiba is so strong…"

"…"

At that moment, Yu Ming even saw an indescribable pause on the Dark Invader's inhuman, grotesque face.

"But you weren't attacking Noah Kaiba."

"…"

For a moment, the Dark King also fell silent, a confused look appearing in his normally bloodthirsty crimson eyes.

"I wasn't?"

Unable to help himself, the Dark King scratched the back of his head and stared intently at Yu Ming.

"Don't lie to me! I didn't hit the wrong person, that's Noah Kaiba! He makes me feel very dangerous."

"It really wasn't…"

"Bullshit! My instincts and my soul are never wrong!"

"But you got it wrong."

"...Didn't you tell me Noah Kaiba was the strongest one here?!"

Yu Ming watched the inexplicable argument unfold among the demons, unsure what to say.

Then, he looked at the boy beside him.

"Are they always like this?"

"..."

But Noah didn't respond.

At some point, the green-haired boy had drifted off.

"What's wrong?"

"No, nothing."

Snapping back to reality, Noah simply coughed lightly.

"It's just a difference of opinion, happens all the time."

Then why do I feel like I've gone from a conventional fantasy set to a third-rate comedy?

"Enough!"

Finally, Dark Invader roared.

He seemed unable to tolerate Dark King's utterly brainless words, directly reaching out and dispelling the beam of light he had been holding.

"I underestimated you, Noah Kaiba."

"See, I told you, he's Noah Kaiba..."

"..."

Yu Ming could clearly sense the Invader's rising blood pressure as he watched the golden demon close his eyes.

After several deep breaths, he seemed to calm himself down.

"I didn't expect you to recruit such a powerful individual in so short a time."

Then, that insidious gaze swept over.

Yu Ming felt goosebumps all over, as if he were being stared at by a poisonous snake.

"Why would a powerful individual like you associate with these sorts of people?"

In a trance, Yu Ming felt a vibration.

"With your abilities, associating with these weaklings is a complete waste of your talent. You should join our cause."

"We will create a new order, a world where status is determined solely by power."

"No need to continue hiding in the shadows."

"You won't be forgotten."

"Believe me, with your power, you can achieve a remarkable position even within our 'Underworld Legion'."

It was as if something was prodding his mind, his nerves, accompanied by a low whisper, as if something was forcefully trying to change his thoughts.

However...

[Mental Attack detected. System has blocked it. Click for details...]

"Wait, I have a question."

Brushing aside the System's prompt, Yu Ming scratched his head.

Then, he pointed at the demon—the Dark King.

"If I join you, will my brain turn out like that?"

"..."