No, where's your dragon?

Even without any prior explanation or guidance, Yu Ming felt he had completely adapted to the logic here.

Things like sacrifices, conspiracies, or offerings were all illusory, mere "details" that didn't warrant much concern.

In this place, all contradictions and conflicts would ultimately lead to one outcome:

A duel!

"My turn, draw!"

And of course, there was the unavoidable first turn.

Observing the five ethereal card images that appeared without so much as a greeting, Yu Ming silently drew five cards from his deck.

What could he say? He was used to it. After all, it was still a card game, wasn't it?

So, the question remained: what was important in a card game?

"Ah, I can feel it. This is the power of the Evil Dragon."

Naturally, it was the deck.

"It has filled me, it flows within me... We have become one!"

Setting aside Ogorou Daimon's bizarre, almost orgasmic growls, his nonsensical ramblings completely exposed the composition of his deck.

After all, it was the Five-Headed Dragon.

If the Five-Headed Dragon was the ultimate goal, then his deck's theme was obvious.

"Dragon-type..."

"I summon Jinzo - Returner."

Jinzo - Returner (LV3)

Attribute/Dark

Type/Machine

ATK/600 DEF/1400

"Huh?"

Yu Ming's head began to buzz as he watched a cyborg with a head so large it looked like it was about to explode appear on the opponent's field.

"Wait, where's the dragon?"

He couldn't help but look at Ogorou Daimon, only to see him spread his arms as if showcasing something.

"Come, kid, witness the terror of the Evil Dragon's power!"

"So, where's your dragon?"

Before Yu Ming could fully vent the urge to complain in his mind, he saw a streak of black light shoot out rapidly.

The next moment, a tearing and impact sensation, as if even his blood was evaporating, vibrated through his body.

"Quick-Play Spell – Psychic Wave."

In the excruciating pain that felt like it was stripping away his consciousness, he clearly heard Ogorou Daimon's voice.

"When Jinzo - Returner is on the field, you can send one Jinzo from your hand or deck to the Graveyard, and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK of the chosen card (Original effect)."

In the dimness, he could see Jinzo standing behind Jinzo - Returner in its classic crossed-arms pose.

And then...

Boom!

An explosion swept through instantly.

Amidst the billowing smoke, Ogorou Daimon's mechanical face broke into an uncontrollable, unrestrained laugh:

"This is the power of the Evil Dragon."

He sighed, as if savoring a fine glass of red wine at a high-class banquet.

"With this power, never mind Noah Kaiba and them, even the Necromancer King, I can..."

"So, why the hell aren't you using the Evil Dragon?"

However, a sudden voice interrupted everything.

Ogorou Daimon couldn't help but widen his eyes, but he only heard the complaining voice coming from the very center of the smoke.

"You talk about the power of the Evil Dragon, but you're using a Jinzo deck. I don't even know how to describe this."

Hoarse, burning.

When the smoke, which even the brightest candlelight couldn't penetrate, cleared, the injured figure was fully revealed.

"Yu Ming..."

His skin was shriveled like a zombie's, as if all the moisture had been drained from his body, but even so...

"You can still stand?"

"Why not? The game isn't over yet, is it?"

Yu Ming took a deep breath.

"Jinzo has 2400 ATK, so I'll take that much damage from Psychic Wave."

[Yu Ming LP: 4000→1600]

He exhaled a murky cloud of smoke that billowed from his mouth, shrouding his face like a veil before dissipating into the surrounding gloom like a reverse waterfall.

Then came the most straightforward question:

"Do you have any other moves?"

Watching Yu Ming's calm expression, Ogorou Daimon suddenly felt an inexplicable unease.

"You..."

That nagging unease prompted the former champion to look up, gazing at the shadowy Evil Dragon hovering directly above.

And then...

"Hmph."

He chuckled.

What was he afraid of, anyway?

"I'm winning this ritual, kid."

"Mm."

"Even though I couldn't attack on the first turn, I've successfully cut more than half of your Life Points."

"Mm, so do you have any other moves?"

"...Tch, I'd like to see how long that composure lasts."

Facing Yu Ming's unyielding attitude, Ogorou Daimon crossed his arms again.

"Next, I'll set one card and end my turn."

As Jinzo's mechanical, gloomy voice completely faded, Yu Ming already had his hand hovering over the top of his deck.

"My turn, draw."

Clutching the card in his hand, Yu Ming's gaze slowly shifted to the Jinzo - Returner that had appeared directly in front of him.

"The Jinzo series..."

Thinking about it, he probably should have realized this earlier, especially since Ogorou Daimon was now presenting himself as Jinzo.

However, it wasn't a major problem.

Although reality seemed to deviate from his previous conjectures, his deck itself wasn't a specialized counter-deck.

In short, he'd play the same way regardless.

"When there are no monsters on my field, I can activate the Spell Card—Unexpected Dai."

A raspy voice summoned a rift in space, from which a shadowy figure emerged.

"By this card's effect, I Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster from my deck—Spirit of the Books."

Black mist spread outwards, gathering into a furry sphere.

"Kuri?"

[Spirit of the Books (lv2)]

[Attribute/Dark]

[Type/Fiend]

[ATK/550 DEF/400]

The small furball looked around, its harmless appearance naturally inviting malicious attacks from the opponent.

"Hmph, just a weakling monster, huh."

It was a classic line; Yu Ming remembered basically every villain who didn't know their place would shout something similar.

"Don't be so quick to judge; you'll soon witness the power of your 'weakling.'"

Of course, their fates wouldn't be too good, because whenever such a flag was raised, there would always be karmic retribution from the plot and strategy.

And now, Yu Ming intended to do just that.

"Equip Spell—Frontline Revival Compensation."

A flash of silver light, and a dog tag appeared in the small monster's hand.

It held the tag in both hands, looking a bit bewildered, seemingly completely unaware of how to use it.

But just as it was looking around, a beam of light absorbed it.

"This card can send one Normal Monster from the field to the Graveyard, then Special Summon one monster from the Graveyard."

"But you don't have any other monsters in your Graveyard."

Suddenly, Ogorou Daimon seemed to grasp something.

"Could it be..."

He looked at the light projected by the dog tag, only to see a figure identical to his current self emerge within it.

"I will Special Summon Jinzo from your Graveyard to my field."