Instinct

Under a gloomy sky, an ominous crimson light radiated.

On the seemingly unchanging, desolate land, an ancient sacrificial ritual was underway.

Amidst the wails and cries of countless souls, the demon opened its eyes.

Beneath a magnificent cape, a pair of scarlet eyes stared directly at the five-colored brilliance at the center of the ritual.

After the light dissipated, five distinct figures appeared.

Tall, short, fat, thin—even their species varied, but here, they shared a single designation:

"Humans."

The demon's voice was low.

"You failed. You didn't bring back a single sacrifice."

He narrowed his eyes, a cruel glint showing through the scarlet slits.

"It seems you've disappointed His Majesty."

"No, that's not it, please let us explain."

A panicked voice came from within the light.

"We were supposed to succeed, but there was an unexpected turn."

"Oh? Unexpected?"

The demon slightly raised its voice, with a hint of malicious curiosity.

"Yes, we had already gathered all the information, designed different tactics and targeted decks for those Duelists, but…"

"Enough. I'm not interested in your second-hand accounts."

The demon slowly raised a hand, and the five former titans of the business world instantly froze like puppets on strings.

In their terrified gazes, viscous streams of light flowed from their bodies, gradually merging into the demon's mind.

"Mako Tsunami, Bandit Keith… Hmph, and that incompetent old man."

When the frail figure of a certain three-eyed demon appeared before its eyes, the demon sneered.

"I didn't expect him to still be alive and kicking…"

But before he could offer more criticism of his old acquaintance, a flash of white caught his attention.

"So why the hell didn't you use Evil Dragon?"

It was at this moment that he felt a subtle, instinctive sense of something being amiss.

"Is this the new 'human'?"

It wasn't that the image of white hair and black clothes was out of place; the sense of discord was more about something abstract and intangible.

And ordinary people would describe such a thing as this:

"The dueling atmosphere is completely different."

"So where's your dragon?"

"Do you have any other moves?"

The face, shriveled from blood evaporation, was utterly calm, and there was no tremor in its sunken eye sockets.

"The game isn't over, is it?"

"This guy, he actually has no fear?"

Staring at the unfamiliar figure, the demon frowned deeply.

"Even severely injured, he doesn't care at all, even treating a sacred battle as merely a game…"

"So you see, this guy is completely abnormal."

Just as the demon was deep in thought, he heard a trembling voice.

Looking straight ahead, the weak faces of the Big Five, including Ogorou Daimon, who had once been human, showed a hint of fawning.

"My lord, I truly never imagined I'd encounter someone like this. He can even freely use other people's cards, I truly…"

But facing the unchanging malice, he immediately corrected himself:

"But I also never thought of backing down. I wanted to fight him to the death, but…"

Ogorou Daimon's speech grew faster and more agitated.

"That is to say, that Evil Dragon… Five-Headed Dragon simply didn't give me a chance. At the last moment, I don't know what happened, but it just brought us directly back here."

"Hmm, I saw it."

"It even released the sacrifices that were already in hand."

"Hmm…"

Seeing the demon nod, the Big Five couldn't help but let their mouths curve upwards. At this moment, the previously icy atmosphere seemed to lighten considerably.

But before the joy of surviving disaster could spread, the demon spoke:

"But that's exactly why it's hungry."

The moment those words fell, the smiles vanished from the Big Five's faces.

"Sir, you must be joking…"

Ogorou Daimon couldn't help but gulp.

"You… you shouldn't be lacking sacrifices. Didn't you just break through the defensive perimeter? There… there should have been other defenders there besides the machines."

"Indeed, there were…"

"Then you shouldn't be lacking sacrifices."

"Theoretically, yes."

"Then why…"

"Because I didn't receive their souls."

"What…"

In that eerie silence, the demon couldn't help but sigh:

"Though I don't know why, when we broke through the defensive perimeter, it was actually empty. The souls were neither absorbed by the bone tower nor scattered."

Hearing the demon's reply, Ogorou Daimon wanted to say something, but heavy pressure on his tongue prevented him from speaking.

In that eerie silence, only the demon's regretful lament echoed:

"You actually make for very useful subordinates, but…"

The Big Five slowly looked up, seeing the familiar cunning that never changed.

"What a pity."

Shadows gradually enveloped them, and the figure of the Evil Dragon emerged behind the demon.

Five heads, ten eyes, glowing with famished, bloodthirsty light.

"No… no!"

The next moment, echoing cries of agony rose one after another.

"Ahhh!"

The elders of Kaiba Corporation, the Big Five who had once dominated the business world with various tactics, were thus devoured without resistance.

Perhaps they indeed had legendary pasts, but the essence condensed by those years ultimately gathered in the demon's coarse hand.

Gradually, a blue card appeared.

[FGD Five-Headed Dragon (LV12)]
[Attribute/Dark]
[Type/Dragon]
[ATK/5000 DEF/5000]

"So that's it, were you afraid? So you succumbed to instinct and chose to flee."

Under the Evil Dragon's roar, the demon gently stroked the trembling card.

"Although it's just an empty shell temporarily revived through my magic ritual, to make the ancient Evil Dragon instinctively fear, and to command Graffer's subordinates, whom I conquered through violence, as if they were my own limbs—I never expected there to be such a human wizard proficient in 'Red Magic' now…"

"Lord Hades! Lord Hades!"

Accompanied by a sharp cry, an ugly familiar flew over.

"We'll reach our destination in one hour!"

But before it could fully approach, even before its sharp shriek completely faded, a sudden burst of golden lightning enveloped it.

In the flickering electricity, the familiar's body fell helplessly to the ground, emitting a scorched odor.

The demon showed no mercy, simply stepping over its body.

"Accelerate the march further! The Necromancer King is eager for those powerful souls!"

Boom!

Lightning roared, its brief flash illuminating Hades's withered face, like that of a corpse.

Beneath his hood, his crimson eyes gazed into the distance, where various grotesque figures spread across a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, as common as everyday meals.

Skeletons, evil spirits, demons—an unstoppable, brutal army advanced across the vast landscape.

"So, how will you, who have been hiding, face me?"

"Achoo."

After an involuntary sneeze, Yu Ming couldn't help but rub his nose.

"I didn't expect to sneeze even in a place like the Underworld."

And when the fleeting itch dissipated, he felt the gazes from around him.

"Uh… you don't need to mind me, my nose just tickled a bit."

To this, Noah, still sitting in the center, couldn't help but sigh.

"With such a formidable enemy before us, how about being a little more serious?"

"And is there a possibility that I am, in fact, quite serious?"