Flushing the Toilet

In the dark Duel Arena, the Minotaur Demon was panting heavily.

The battle-axe in its hand was entwined with shadowy resentful spirits, and each breath seemed to stir up a wail.

On its terrifying face, its eyes, filled with malevolent energy, emitted a captivating green glow.

Immediately, its detailed information appeared fully in Yu Ming's sight as it made its entrance.

Berserk Demon (Lv6)

Attribute/Dark

Type/Fiend

ATK/2000 DEF/0

As a 6-star monster, 2000 ATK was certainly not high.

And its method of special summoning, which was essentially a one-for-one card destruction, was certainly not a profitable trade.

However...

"The effect of Berserk Demon will activate now!"

Right, this card had an effect that could be activated immediately.

An effect that was completely unsuited to the environment in his memory, but could work wonders here.

"When Berserk Demon completely unleashes its ferocity, it will precisely calculate the ATK of the opponent's monster and use that as a standard to boost its own power!"

With the Demon King's declaration, a dark green specter condensed into the form of Summoned Skull, finally merging into the Berserk Demon's battle-axe.

"The ATK of that pitiful 'Demon' on your field is 2500, so Berserk Demon's final ATK will be increased by that value!"

Amidst a furious, seemingly irrational roar, the Minotaur Demon's body, accompanied by a demonic phantom, swelled rapidly, its power faithfully reflected by the rules of the dark duel.

ATK/2000 → 4500

But this wasn't the end!

"There's still one more..."

Yu Ming's gaze gradually shifted to the spear still stuck in the ground.

"Finally, the residual power of Demon Cavalry will activate."

That's right, Demon Cavalry had a "when sent to the Graveyard" effect.

"When Demon Cavalry on the field is sent to the netherworld by another's power, it becomes the guiding beacon for the slumbering demons in my Graveyard!"

On the ground, the spiral bone spear stuck into the earth rippled with a deep, shadowy veil. Within that veil, flesh and blood were gradually gathering.

As for the monster this Demon King was about to summon, it was clearly...

"Summoned Skull!"

Demonic lightning surged, and a demon descended from the mists of the netherworld.

And after receiving power from Demon Manifestation, the golden demonic lightning became even more violent.

Summoned Skull (Lv6)

ATK/2500 → 3000

"This ends it!"

Green, gold, purple.

The three-colored demonic glow reflected the Demon King's ferocious yet wild expression.

"Three monsters, and none of them have less than 3000 ATK. This is already a lineup capable of achieving an OTK."

Watching this scene, Yu Ming applauded.

"Impressive, truly impressive."

"Hmph, scared now, are we?"

The Demon King crossed his arms, an arrogant expression on his face.

"But it's too late. Now I..."

"So I activate my facedown card."

"Huh?"

The Demon King looked up in surprise, hearing only the sound of rushing water, growing louder.

The next moment...

RUMBLE

Like a breached dam, torrents surged and overturned, rapidly covering the entire field.

In that violent yet clear azure, only a single, heart-wrenching splash of red stood firm.

"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, of course, quite simple and brutal.

"Destroy all monsters on the field."

"But if you do that, your monsters will also be destroyed!"

Snapping out of his surprise, the Demon King couldn't help but exclaim.

"And when 'Demon Manifestation' is sent to the Graveyard, it can release the power it gained and return to the field in its original form."

When sent to the Graveyard by the opponent, it can Special Summon one 'Summoned Skull' from the hand, Deck, or Graveyard. That was the 'Demon Manifestation's' dying wish effect.

However…

"I won't let it go to the Graveyard."

"What?"

Swish!

"I'm chaining a second Trap Card to 'Torrential Tribute'."

Accompanied by the sound of a sword slashing, the blonde female warrior moved nimbly around.

Her tassel-like golden hair swayed, as if dancing with the blade, creating numerous spatial rifts.

"'Different Dimension Arena' – After this card is activated, this turn, monsters sent to the Graveyard are banished instead."

The moment her words fell, the female warrior landed silently.

She turned her head, a look of disdain in her eyes as she gazed at the Demon King.

"It was you?"

Facing the Demon King's shock, the female warrior simply raised her sword without a word.

The moment its sharpness gleamed, the rifts expanded into caves.

A surging torrent swept away everything on the field. No matter how vicious or terrifying they were, they couldn't resist the might of nature, disappearing like flushed toilets to the other side of the interdimensional rift.

"This way, 'Demon Manifestation's' effect cannot be activated."

"…"

The Demon King didn't immediately respond to Yu Ming's declaration.

The sudden 'Torrential Tribute' seemed to have not only swept away his monsters, but also flushed his brain down an interdimensional toilet.

In that deafening silence, Yu Ming could clearly see the blankness and astonishment on that ugly, hideous face.

Finally…

"No… that's impossible!"

The Demon King's throat was like a rusty engine, forcing out a harsh roar of words.

"How could such a thing happen?!"

The Demon King's crimson eyes swept over, like sharp blades.

Unfortunately, in this 'battle', that seemingly captivating hatred and roar were useless.

The only thing it could do was probably add some burden to Yu Ming's hearing.

"Sigh."

Reaching up to rub his buzzing ears, Yu Ming couldn't help but sigh.

"Nothing's impossible. Your last field had no resistance, so isn't it perfectly normal for it to be wiped out in one go?"

"…"

Faced with the response, the Demon King suddenly fell silent.

As for whether he was too angry to speak, or choked and unable to retort, it was impossible to tell from that face as dark as steel.

However, Yu Ming didn't care.

Right now, he only cared about one thing:

"Any more moves?"

He looked at the Demon King's hand; there was still one last card there.

"If you have more moves, please continue."

"…"

Yu Ming's words were simple and unadorned, but they struck the Demon King's heart like a heavy hammer.

He stared at the last card in his hand, his expression twisted.

"I…"

Struggling desperately like a drowning man, the arrogant Demon King finally managed to squeeze out a sound from his throat.

"I set one card…"

The dilapidated engine groaned as if it couldn't take the strain, but it was no longer able to move the old car forward, a car that had just survived a Torrential Tribute.

The early environment clearly couldn't provide him with a single card to turn the tide, and his deck hadn't given him the support to make a compromise play.

Ultimately...

"Turn end..."

The Demon King announced through gritted teeth.

"Don't think this is over."

The demons' roars, their humiliation, their unwillingness, almost assaulted him, but that ferocity couldn't shake the stable reality.

"It's over."

As for why...

"Now it's our turn."

Yu Ming looked at his teammate, Noah Kaiba, beside him. The boy in white returned a subtly strange look.

"You seem to have a lot of faith in me?"

"You represent the entire Resistance now, after all. You've got to put on a show, right?"

"Indeed."

Noah Kaiba slowly raised his Duel Disk. After confirming a face-down card through the program, he placed his hand on the card.

"Alright, my turn, draw."

Green indicator lights flashed simultaneously, announcing the official start of the turn.

"Since the audience is so eager, I won't disappoint their enthusiasm."

And unlike the deck he used before, the deck he was using now was...

"Let me show you the power of Creation of Heaven and Earth."

Immediately, a blast of icy wind swept across the duel field enveloped in black mist.

"Spell Card – 'Ice Age Chaos' (Original Card)."

As if in an ice age that destroyed all life, an ice sculpture slowly rose on the deserted field.

"If there are no monster cards on my field, I can Special Summon one EARTH monster with 4 or fewer stars from my deck (Original Effect)."

"Ah, hiss..."

Yu Ming couldn't help but gasp as he watched the rising ice sculpture.