It was still that broad round table, still that bright crystal chandelier.
In short, the Big Five's rebellion was nothing more than an insignificant interlude, barely causing a ripple.
Other than the meeting room being short five people, nothing else unexpected had happened, and neither the theme nor purpose of this meeting had changed.
The duelists had gathered here for only one thing:
"The time for battle has come."
As the young leader spoke, the projection on the table shifted constantly. At a glance, the densely packed red dots on display made one's scalp tingle.
"As you can see, the Necromancer King's army has already marched on our city, so I won't waste time on pointless formalities. In short... I hope every one of you will fulfill your duty."
As he spoke, Noah Kaiba's gaze swept across everyone present.
Demons, monsters, zombies, humans, machines—taking in these entirely different figures, he drew a deep breath.
"Deep within this hell, in this chaotic Undying World, we have no path of retreat. If even we fail, this forgotten world and every living being and soul within it will fall into the Necromancer King's clutches. There will be no peace left to speak of."
"So, you already have a plan to meet them, right?"
"Of course. O'Brien sent back plenty of information—enough for us to formulate an appropriate strategy."
In response to the Nine-Tailed Fox's question, Noah adjusted the projection's angle, and a tall figure soon appeared above it.
"This is the enemy we will face."
Green skin, a sinister hooked nose, ornate clothing—both the horns on its head and the face-like feature in the center of its chest, seemingly alive, radiated extraordinary cruelty.
And card players were clearly not unfamiliar with that image.
A demon proficient in magic, a wizard and monster fallen into hell. Its name was...
"Skill Drain?"
"What did you say?"
"Cough, cough. Nothing."
Faced with Noah's undisguised confusion, Yu Ming could not help coughing.
"I meant... isn't that Ha-Des?"
Setting aside all the later spin-offs that expanded its story and created contradictions, this card had actually appeared quite early.
As Yu Ming recalled, the original Doma Arc had featured this card in Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood's flashback—though, of course, they had stolen it from someone else.
"Although it does bear the name of an Underworld God, I have no idea why it looks like a goblin."
"Because that guy is a goblin who learned Red Magic."
Before Yu Ming could pull himself back from those trivial memories of the anime, another aged, hoarse voice rose from around the round table.
It belonged to an old demon.
He was short and hunched, with a savage face and such a bizarre frailty that he looked as though a gust of wind could knock him over. Yet at that moment, he could not stop himself from slamming his bony hands against the table.
"That usurper was only a little luckier than me! He seized my position while I had no power!"
Watching the Three-Eyed Demon fume indignantly, Yu Ming silently looked away.
But when his gaze shifted to Noah, the de facto leader of the resistance seemed to misunderstand something.
"He was once the ruler of this world. You can call him Pluto."
"Mm..."
Seeing Noah's eager expression as he introduced him, Yu Ming merely returned an awkward yet polite smile.
Pluto might have been an extremely exalted title in other settings.
Unfortunately, that was not the case here. This title felt more like a public toilet—anyone could sit on it and relax for a while.
For instance, the old Pluto had lost his position in an absurd fashion, and now...
"That goblin couldn't hold onto the throne either. Now he's reduced to working for someone else."
"Anyway, that's the situation. This is the enemy we will face."
After appropriately stopping the old Pluto's sarcastic venting, Noah lightly tapped the table and brought the slightly derailed discussion back on track.
"O'Brien's intelligence states that he was the one who broke through the defensive perimeter I designed, and he is now leading an army of demons and undead toward this city."
"Mm."
"Mm."
"Mm."
"..."
Just as Yu Ming nodded instinctively, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
"No, why are you saying 'mm'? What about the rest?"
"?"
"Didn't you say a lot of information came back?"
Under Noah's puzzled gaze, Yu Ming could not help asking:
"What else is there?"
"Isn't this enough?"
Were you seriously saying that?
Facing Noah's seemingly inscrutable expression, Yu Ming could not help opening his mouth wide.
"All we know right now is that the enemy is Hades, okay?"
"But isn't that enough already?"
"No, man..."
Yu Ming had just been about to speak when another voice came from around the round table.
"Indeed. Since we already know the enemy's identity, the rest will be much easier."
It was that big fluffy fox.
"We only need to send a powerful duelist to challenge Hades, and this crisis will resolve itself."
Oh no. They were seriously serious!
Using the Nine-Tailed Fox as a starting point, Yu Ming could not help looking around. He found that humans, demons, undead, and monsters—the four factions had achieved a strange harmony at that moment, completely united in attitude.
"What we need to consider next is the deck Hades uses."
"If he's a wizard, perhaps his deck mainly consists of Spell Cards?"
"So as long as we lock down Spell Cards, he'll be easy to deal with?"
"Hey, old man, didn't you have a conflict with Hades? Based on what you know of him, what cards make up the bulk of his deck?"
The discussion around the round table seemed to have entered its next phase, and everyone began talking animatedly.
Amid the clamor, the silent Yu Ming could not help turning his gaze toward Noah Kaiba.
"Though you may not have adapted to this yet, I hope you can enjoy the process."
Facing that complicated look, Noah merely rested a hand lightly on his duel disk—the symbol of his identity, and the identity of everyone present.
"We are duelists. To us, every strategy and idea can be completely integrated into the cards in our hands."
"..."
As Yu Ming looked at him as if to say, Are you fucking kidding me?, Noah's expression gradually turned serious.
"And when two duelists meet, the sacred ritual will provide the answer."
Before you continue