In the dark dueling arena, the Berserk Demon panted heavily.
Its battle axe was wrapped in ink-black wraiths, and every breath seemed to stir a chorus of wails.
Within its terrifying face, its eyes, filled with baleful energy, radiated an eerie green light that seemed to seize one's soul.
Then, its complete data appeared before Yu Ming as it entered the field.
"Berserk Demon (lv6)"
"Attribute/DARK"
"Type/FIEND"
"ATK/2000 DEF/0"
As a Level 6 monster, 2000 ATK could hardly be considered high.
And its essentially one-for-one method of destroying a card to Special Summon itself could hardly be called profitable.
But...
"The effect of Berserk Demon activates now!"
That was right. This card had an effect that could be activated now.
An effect that was utterly unsuited to the environment Yu Ming remembered, yet could work wonders here.
"When Berserk Demon fully unleashes its ferocity, it will precisely calculate the opponent monster's ATK and increase its own power by that amount!"
Following the Demon King's declaration, dark green spirits condensed into the form of Summoned Skull before finally merging into Berserk Demon's battle axe.
"That pathetic fiend on your field has 2500 ATK, so Berserk Demon's final ATK will increase by that amount!"
Amid a furious roar that seemed to have lost all reason, the bull-headed demon's body gradually swelled alongside the demon's phantom, its power faithfully reflected by the rules of the Shadow Duel.
"ATK/2000→4500"
But it was not over yet!
"There's one more..."
Yu Ming's gaze slowly shifted toward the spear still left on the ground.
"Finally, the lingering power of Demon Cavalry activates as well."
That was right. Demon Cavalry had a final effect after being sent to the Graveyard.
"When Demon Cavalry on the field is sent into the underworld by another's power, it becomes a beacon for the demons sleeping in my Graveyard!"
On the ground, the spiral bone spear embedded in the earth rippled with a deep curtain, and within it, flesh and blood gradually gathered.
As for the monster this Demon King intended to summon, it was obviously...
"Summoned Skull!"
Demonic lightning leaped as the demon descended from the mist of the underworld.
And after receiving the power of Demon Manifestation, that golden demonic lightning became even more violent.
"Summoned Skull (lv6)"
"ATK/2500→3000"
"That settles it!"
Green, gold, purple.
The three-colored demonic radiance illuminated the Demon King's ferocious yet wildly arrogant expression.
"None of the three monsters have less than 3000 ATK. This is already a lineup capable of an OTK."
Watching the scene, Yu Ming applauded.
"Impressive. Truly impressive."
"Hmph, now you know fear?"
The Demon King folded his arms, a hint of arrogance appearing on his face.
"But it's too late. Now I..."
"So I activate my Set Card."
"Huh?"
The Demon King looked up in astonishment, hearing the sound of rushing water drawing closer.
The next moment...
Rumble!
As though a dam had burst, torrential waters surged backward and quickly flooded the entire field.
Within that violent yet crystalline blue, only a heartbreaking streak of red remained standing.
"Trap Card—Torrential Tribute."
Yu Ming spoke.
"This card can be activated when a monster is Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned."
As for its effect, it was naturally simple and brutal.
"Destroy all monsters on the field..."
"But this will destroy your monsters too!"
After recovering from his shock, the Demon King could not help but speak.
"Besides, when Demon Manifestation is sent to the underworld by you, it can disperse the power it gained and return to the field in its original form."
When sent to the Graveyard by the opponent, it could Special Summon one Summoned Skull from the hand, Deck, or Graveyard. That was Demon Manifestation's final effect.
But...
"I won't let it go to the Graveyard."
"What?"
Slash!
"I chain a second Trap Card to Torrential Tribute."
Accompanied by a sound like a blade cutting through the air, the blonde female warrior darted and weaved around her surroundings.
Her tassel-like golden hair swayed as though dancing alongside her sword, creating countless cracks in the void.
"Different Dimension Arena—after this card is activated, monsters sent to the Graveyard this turn are not sent there. They are banished instead."
The moment her words fell, the female warrior landed quietly.
She turned her head, and contempt showed in her gaze toward the Demon King.
"You?"
Faced with the Demon King's shock, the female warrior merely raised her sword in silence.
The instant its edge flashed, the fissures expanded into caverns.
The raging flood swept away everything on the field. No matter how vicious or terrifying they were, none could resist nature's might, vanishing through the rifts of another dimension as though flushed down a toilet.
"That means Demon Manifestation's effect cannot activate."
"..."
In response to Yu Ming's declaration, the Demon King did not answer immediately.
The sudden Torrential Tribute seemed to have swept away not only his monsters, but even his brain into a toilet in another world.
Within that deafening silence, Yu Ming could clearly see the blankness and astonishment appearing on that ugly, ferocious face.
Finally...
"N-No, that's impossible!"
The Demon King's throat was like a rusty engine, forcing out the grating roar called speech.
"How could this happen?!"
The Demon King's crimson eyes swept toward him like sharp blades.
Unfortunately, in this kind of "battle," that soul-seizing hatred and roar were completely useless.
The only thing they could probably do was burden Yu Ming's hearing.
"Sigh."
Reaching up to dig at his buzzing ear, Yu Ming could not help but sigh.
"There's nothing impossible about it. Your final board had no protection. Isn't it perfectly normal for it to get wiped out in one go?"
"..."
The Demon King suddenly fell silent in response.
As for whether he was too angry to speak or too choked up to refute him, there was no way to tell from that face as black as steel.
Still, Yu Ming did not care.
Right now, he only cared about one thing:
"Do you have any plays left?"
He looked at the Demon King's hand, where one final card remained.
"If you do, please continue."
"..."
Yu Ming's words were plain and unadorned, yet they struck the Demon King's heart like a heavy hammer.
His expression twisted as he stared at the sole remaining card in his hand.
"I..."
Like a drowning man struggling desperately, the once-arrogant Demon King finally forced out a trace of sound from his throat.
"I set one card..."
The broken engine gave a roar as though it could no longer bear the strain, but it could no longer drive the old car that had just survived Torrential Tribute forward.
The early environment clearly could not provide him with a single-card comeback, nor could his Deck support him in building a compromise board.
Finally...
"End turn..."
The Demon King announced through gritted teeth.
"Don't think this is over."
The demon's roar carried such humiliation and unwillingness that they nearly struck one in the face, yet its fierceness could not shake the firm reality.
"It is over."
As for why...
"Because now it's our turn."
Yu Ming looked toward his teammate beside him—Noah Kaiba. The boy in white returned a subtly strange look.
"You seem awfully confident in me?"
"You represent the entire resistance now. You have to put on some kind of performance, don't you?"
"Indeed."
Noah Kaiba slowly raised his Duel Disk. After using its program to confirm the Set Card, he placed his hand over his cards.
"Then, it's my turn. Draw."
Green indicator lights flashed at once, announcing the official start of the turn.
"Since the audience is so eager, I won't disappoint their enthusiasm."
And unlike the Deck he had used before, the Deck he was using now was...
"Let me show you the power of Creation of Heaven and Earth."
Then, an icy wind swept across the duel field wreathed in black mist.
"Spell Card—Ice Age Chaos (anime card)."
Amid an ice age that seemed to destroy all life, an ice sculpture slowly rose from the deserted field.
"If there are no Monster Cards on my field, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower EARTH monster from my Deck (anime effect)."
"Gasp..."
Watching the rising ice sculpture, Yu Ming could not help but suck in a breath.
Before you continue