Fallen

Yu Ming had once said that he really liked "Yata-Garasu."

That was not flattery or empty praise. It was the truth.

"Yata-Garasu (LV2)"

"Attribute/Wind"

"Type/Fiend"

"ATK/200 DEF/100"

Judging by its stats alone, it did not seem particularly strong, and it also had the common drawback unique to Spirit Monsters: returning to the hand at the end of the turn.

However, its effect was enough to make up for that flaw—when this card inflicted battle damage to the opponent's Life Points, the opponent skipped their next Draw Phase.

And when this card came out completely unhindered, it meant that the seemingly valiant Mr. Demon King had utterly lost the right to play Yu-Gi-Oh!

"You're not allowed to play Yu-Gi-Oh!"

Yu Ming had never imagined that this somewhat teasing phrase would fit the situation so perfectly.

This was not merely having his combo interrupted. From this moment onward, Mr. Demon King had lost the right to draw cards.

"Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, attack the player directly."

Pitch-Black King LP: 5000→2200

"Yata-Garasu, attack directly."

Pitch-Black King LP: 2200→2000

What was this?

Peck.

What was this?

Peck.

As long as Yata-Garasu remained on the field, Mr. Demon King was doomed to stay at zero cards in hand.

He could make no moves at all and could only passively take the beating.

If there was anything fortunate about this, it was probably that his opponent was not quite so cruel.

"Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, attack the player directly."

"..."

Pitch-Black King LP: 2000→0

There was no torture, no shaving away 200 Life Points at a time. Instead, he chose the higher-ATK Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi to finish things quickly.

Yu Ming felt that he had already been quite kind.

Congratulations, Host, for defeating the Duelist team: 'Pitch-Black King & Dark Invader.' You have gained 350 points from this Duel.

"It was finally over..."

Of course, it would not have been wrong to say he was tired.

After all, drawn-out duels like this were truly boring when they lasted too long, especially when the opponent could no longer react at all.

Bzzzt...

On the other side, flames still danced. The Pitch-Black King's once-menacing sealed armor was roasting his body like meat on an iron griddle.

Even though the Duel had completely ended, the lingering flames of the Eastern fire god still cheerfully coiled around him.

In the end...

Crack.

The crack that had originally only been on his chest began to spread outward. A wisp of liquid-like black smoke rose up, solidifying the collapsing armor into a card.

After picking it up, Yu Ming saw the image of a fiend emerge upon its artwork.

Its face was hideous, seemingly cold, arrogant, and proud, yet it also bore pain and torment, as though it were enduring something.

Spell Card—"Fallen."

"Honestly, I thought it would be 'Dark King.' Turns out it isn't even a Monster Card."

"Mm, it looks like something on him was stripped away."

"Then that means..."

Casually stuffing the card and Mr. Demon King's deck into his pocket, Yu Ming looked straight ahead.

As the armor crumbled, Mr. Demon King's body and hair returned to their normal colors.

When he raised his head again, Yu Ming saw a familiar face—familiar in the same way Dark Invader and the Demon King had been familiar.

"Warrior Dai Grepher."

A Normal Monster Card, and an old card from the early days as well.

Notably, several cards in Yu Ming's possession featured him in their artwork, such as Unexpected Dai.

"I... where am I?"

Upon hearing his own name, the somewhat bewildered and groggy warrior seemed to find his bearings.

"You... who are you people?"

The warrior asked in a low voice, looking utterly confused.

But before he could receive an answer, pain and exhaustion flooded his mind, causing this warrior, said to possess hidden potential, to collapse to the ground once more.

A moment later, thunderous snoring filled the room.

Though he appeared seriously wounded, his extremely steady breathing proved that his health was not in any serious danger.

"So... should I congratulate you?"

After shifting his gaze away from the warrior, Yu Ming looked at Noah.

"This guy feels like some not-completely-fallen... great warrior?"

By the end, even he could not help adding a question mark to that description.

Whether he was great or not was hard to say, but judging from the official cards related to him, he was rather comical.

"But no matter what, his earlier performance was pretty commendable, wasn't it? Besides, there should be quite a few things on him worth digging into."

"I know. I'll make arrangements for those matters."

Watching Graffer sleep, Noah slowly closed his eyes.

"Their plan, their objective, and more importantly, exactly how they..."

Thud.

The sudden impact stirred a trace of unease. When Yu Ming turned around, he saw the boy, who was supposed to be elegant, suddenly collapse to the floor.

"Noah?"

"Mm..."

Fortunately, he had not completely lost consciousness.

When Yu Ming tried to help him up, his small, childish hand grabbed the edge of the tablecloth.

Supporting himself stubbornly like that, he slowly stood up.

"I'm fine. I'm just a little tired."

Within that inexplicable gloom and shadow, an indescribable weariness appeared on his pale face.

"After all, a Shadow Game is quite a burden for me as well."

"Mm."

"..."

Perhaps because Yu Ming's response was too simple and direct, and he did not ask anything further, Noah instead did not know how to continue.

He opened his mouth several times as if to say something, but in the end, he merely sighed.

"If possible, please do not tell anyone else about this. I have always wanted to present a perfect image to others."

"Mm, I understand. As a leader, you cannot let others see your vulnerable side."

"It's wonderful that you understand. Thank you very much."

He casually switched on the desk lamp. It was green, just like the color displayed by a Duel Disk.

After taking several deep breaths, Noah's complexion gradually improved, and that elegance naturally returned to his face.

He slowly walked over to the still-intact floor-to-ceiling window and looked down upon the city that belonged to him—New Domino City.

At that moment, the entire city had lost its former tranquility.

Factories had become seas of fire, while black water churned in the harbor.

The city, which was supposed to be sophisticated yet was inexplicably retro, had already fallen into chaos and become a battlefield of disorder.

"Chaos Emperor Dragon."

"Lesser Fiend."

"Evil Knight Dragon."

Dark shadows darted through the streets, and fiends ran rampant.

With a single glance, Yu Ming could even see several recognizable monsters wandering about.

"I'm sorry."

Just as Yu Ming surveyed the sight that seemed like the collapse of order itself, he heard Noah's voice.

"I had wanted to personally show you around this city that makes me so proud, but it has turned into this instead."

"Then... do you need help?"

Noah turned around.

Under the green glow, the shadows not only failed to disperse, but seemed to grow even more solid.

An inexplicable sense of unreality spread through the air, as if the boy standing before him was nothing more than a pure illusion.

Fortunately, Noah's words shattered that illusion.

"No need. We can handle it."

Boom.

In an instant, an even more violent tremor rang out.

Within the burning factories, steel motorized giants slowly rose. From the churning black water, enormous combat vessels burst forth.

Cannons roared and spirits howled. Amid smoke and dust like volcanic ash, the residents of New Domino City finally launched their counterattack against the invaders.

Ring-ring-ring.

The telephone began ringing.

This time, Noah did not pick it up directly. Instead, he reached out and pressed the speakerphone button.

Then, a voice came clearly through the phone.

"Brother Noah."

The voice sounded mechanically synthesized, making Yu Ming feel that it was unfamiliar.

However, Noah revealed a faint smile.

"What is it? Do you want to report your results?"

His voice clearly carried a trace of intimacy.

But...

"Something happened, Brother Noah."

"Mm?"

"Our forward base has fallen."

"What?!"

"Uncle O'Brien sent a report about the front line earlier."

A synthesized voice should have been emotionless, but Yu Ming could hear a trace of bitterness within it.

"He... he said that the frontline battlefield had completely collapsed. The defensive line we established had fallen, and then..."

The voice seemed not to know how to continue, but that brief pause only made one's heart clench tighter.

No matter how calm someone was, they could not help asking.

"And then?"

"Uncle Gozaburo stayed behind to cover the others. His fate is currently unknown."

At that moment, time seemed to stop.

In the deathly silent office, not even the faintest sound of breathing could be heard.

Only after an unknown amount of time did Yu Ming hear someone take a deep breath.

"Gather representatives from all sides. I will hold a combat meeting in half an hour... no, one hour."

Under the green light of the desk lamp, Noah's eyes swept toward him, carrying a deep, shadowy gleam.

At that moment, Yu Ming saw an almost identical light in his eyes.

"Yu Ming, you should attend as well."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because you're a Duelist too, aren't you?"

What kind of ridiculous reason was that?