Yu Ming's Excellent Mental State

「Skull Servant (LV1)」

「Attribute/Dark」

「Type/Undead」

「ATK/300 DEF/200」

"He's actually using my familiar to summon such an idiot?!"

The moment that clean, slender monster appeared, Hades, who had previously shown no emotional change, let out a roar that seemed capable of shaking the heavens and earth.

"You know you're facing me, yet you still put such useless trash in your deck!"

The sharp sound seemed to tear through the air, not only vibrating Yu Ming's ears but also assaulting his mind.

After recovering from that brief moment of distraction, Yu Ming was left with only one thought:

"So you're this easy to provoke?"

He reached up and dug at his ear.

"You were acting like a deaf person and spouting nonsense earlier, I thought you were trying to toughen up and switch professions to a Superheavy Samurai, turning your butt to others…"

"Who taught you to do this?!"

"…"

"Tell me who!"

Facing Hades's gaze, which seemed ready to devour him, Yu Ming really wanted to say something, but he realized he didn't seem to have a chance.

"Are you… traumatized?"

"Was it him!"

"Oh…"

"Was it that Holy Knight!"

"…"

Finally, on this day, countless days after his death, Yu Ming understood a very profound truth:

Deafness and brain damage, it seemed, were not mutually exclusive; they could perfectly well appear in the same person.

"It must be him!"

"It must be him, only he would look down on me, only he would hate me so much."

Perhaps because he had been cut earlier, Yu Ming suddenly felt so tired.

He felt he shouldn't have habitually run his mouth. What kind of trouble had he stirred up now?

This person, they weren't even on the same wavelength when arguing!

"Holy Knight, I never lost to you, do you hear me!"

"I didn't lose then!"

Watching this scene, not only Yu Ming himself, but even Mr. Skull Servant, who had just been summoned from the hand to the field, couldn't help but scratch the back of its head.

"I'm still too weak."

That sigh, much like an old man's, made Yu Ming involuntarily turn his head:

"You can actually talk?"

"Just now."

"Was it because Hades's craziness provoked you?"

"…Not exactly."

After a moment of silence, Mr. Skull Servant couldn't help but reply.

"It's just that after being by your side for so long, the energy absorbed is quite…"

"Never mind, it's not really important."

"…"

Yu Ming wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he always felt that Skull Servant's slightly lowered head resembled those nameless meme images he used to see.

Very melancholy, and a bit helpless, but those things didn't really matter.

"Anyway, I have an idea, see if it works."

Just as Skull Servant fell into a strange silence, Yu Ming spoke.

"What?"

"You rush over and punch him, knock him out with your fist that can reach 10,000 ATK, and then we finish this duel."

"Master, is there a possibility that my card clearly states that my ATK is very low?"

"But isn't 'Skull Servant' supposed to reach 10,000 ATK?"

"…Is it possible, Master, that your mental state isn't much better than that guy opposite?"

"How is that possible? My mental state is perfectly fine."

"But you're talking to me right here."

"Huh?"

By the time Yu Ming came to his senses, Skull Servant was completely silent.

The creature stood steadfastly at the very front, not even turning its head, as if their previous conversation had never happened.

Could my mind really be playing tricks on me?

"Hard to say."

"…Were you talking again?"

"No, you misheard."

"…"

After staring at Skull Servant's thin back, draped in a tattered cloth, for a long while, Yu Ming finally refocused his attention on his opponent.

"That bastard! I am the exalted Pluto! How dare he look down on me? How dare he!"

Mr. Hades.

Well… how to put it?

Let's just continue the duel.

But what was the plan again?

"Oh, that's right."

Yu Ming glanced at his simple hand, rinsed the strategy he'd almost flushed down the toilet, and put it back into his mind.

"This turn, I haven't performed a normal summon yet."

"Are you getting a new companion? I thought the warrior to my right earlier was very strong."

"So annoying, Skull Servant, shut up…"

Yu Ming paused for a moment.

"I summon Warrior of Darkworld - Dark Blade."

Warrior of Darkworld - Dark Blade (LV4)

Attribute: DARK

Type: Warrior

ATK/1800 DEF/1500

A dark cape fluttered in the scorching demonic winds as the summoned warrior slowly raised its twin blades, as if ready to defend its master.

But unfortunately, beside this cool spectacle, a certain skeleton was muttering softly:

"You told me to shut up, but you still summoned it."

"That's why you're so annoying… And then I set one card in my back row."

"I activate the spell I set earlier!"

"Huh?"

Just as Yu Ming inserted the card into the Spell/Trap Zone of his Duel Disk, a loud shout came from ahead.

The almost deafening roar made the entire Pandemonium rumble, making his ears ring.

"I thought you didn't care about this duel, completely lost in your delusions, but you still…"

"By sacrificing my life, I can temporarily summon a Demon slumbering in my graveyard!!"

Of course, in a way, he might not have been wrong.

Once again interrupted from his internal complaining, Yu Ming couldn't help but sigh.

He ignored Hades's eccentric ramblings and simply looked at the card flipped up in his opponent's back row:

Demon's Roar!

A specific graveyard special summon card for Demon-type monsters. Although Yu Ming hadn't seen anyone use this card, he knew its effect.

"Activate by paying 500 LP. Special summon one Demon monster from your graveyard."

Although Hades's explanation was as abstract as ever, it was largely accurate.

"But I'm really so tired…"

"OOOOOHHHH!"

Finally, Yu Ming was even deprived of the chance to sigh.

Before he could even let out a breath, Hades's roar, as if enduring immense pain, covered everything.

Even though the guy only lost 500 LP.

Hades LP: 4000 → 3500

"Return, Berserk Demon!!"

Berserk Demon (LV6)

Attribute/Dark

Type/Demon

ATK/2000 DEF/0

The Minotaur Demon, which had previously been sent to the Graveyard, reappeared on his field directly in front of Yu Ming.

However, unlike its previous healthy state, it now appeared in a translucent, ghost-like form, with cracks all over its body that gave off a sense of fragility completely at odds with its physique.

After all, that Trap Card wasn't without its drawbacks.

"A monster summoned by Demon's Roar cannot be Tributed and will be destroyed at the end of the turn…"

On its own, this seemed like a drawback, but combined with Pandemonium currently on the field, it presented an opportunity to search.

However, for now, that didn't seem to be the most critical issue.

More importantly, it appeared this situation could be avoided.

Thinking this, Yu Ming refocused his gaze on his monster.

"Skull Servant, if you had just stayed quiet like I told you, would I have gotten away with it?"

"..."

"Skull Servant, how about you say something? I wouldn't hurt you."

"Then can you tell me what your Set Card is?"

In response, Yu Ming merely shrugged.

"Too bad, looks like there's nothing to discuss then."

And then…

"Turn end."

BOOM

The moment the words fell, Berserk Demon shattered.

Amidst the firework-like explosion, the Minotaur Demon, who had just returned, once again returned to its faithful abyss.