Another Kind of Five-for-One

It's unclear who made the rule, but duelists in the Underworld all seem to carry Card of Demise as a powerful means of replenishing their hands.

However, if you delve into the lore, it actually makes sense.

After all, in this wretched place known as the Underworld, cards seem to come from only two sources:

One is the modern, self-developed approach:

Representative figure: Noah Kaiba

Representative works: Mecha Force, Gear

Although Yu Ming had no idea how Noah Kaiba managed to conjure up an entire Mecha army out of nothing, his results were undeniable.

The other is the traditional approach:

Representative figure: Hades

Representative work: Demon Deck

Unlike Noah Kaiba, who built modern cities in a fantasy world, Hades, despite once being Pluto, had a clear and relatively easier-to-understand origin for his deck.

For instance, his monsters were his army, his subordinates, seemingly summoned through magic, while his spell and trap cards represented other magic he mastered.

In such a "worldview," the meaning of "demise" seems purer than the "chance encounters" and uncontrollable "destiny" that often imply miraculous turns of events.

"I sacrifice my future magical energy, my ability to use spells, in exchange for the power to cast numerous spells now!"

And so, a card that was originally supposed to be one of Seto Kaiba's signature cards in the original story became strangely common, simply because this world didn't have as many fancy ways to summon monsters.

However, this was also one of the few advantages here.

At least, in this environment, the virus's effect could be maximized!

"According to the effect of Crush Card Virus, I will check your hand."

Purplish-red liquid flowed, covering the flames erupting from the guillotine, revealing the contents of the four drawn cards.

Infernal Queen Demon

Dark Bishop Demon

Sudden Return

Foolish Burial

The virus swept through but didn't take any cards.

When the crimson wind dissipated, Yu Ming saw a triumphant old face.

"A spell that overdrafts life and sacrifices the future won't be broken by you so easily."

"Are you blaming me for carrying such a weak monster as Chess Demon?"

"Now I activate a burial spell, sending the waiting Demon General Star to the graveyard, then I activate the Fusion spell I set earlier!"

Hades waved his hand, and the Hell Soldier Demon on the field leaped into the vortex without a second thought.

Immediately after, the fifth card in his hand, which had never been shown, revealed itself.

"Trick Demon, huh."

"The demon guided by the humiliation of being infected by the virus will awaken the slumbering devil—Necro Duke!"

Necro Duke (lv6)

Attribute/Dark

Type/Fiend

ATK/2000 DEF/1700

Hmm, although it looked like a zombie, it was actually a Fiend-type, and a very old-school member at that, considering Bakura used this card in the anime.

However, the current focus wasn't on it.

"When Trick Demon is sent to the abyss, it can cast a spell to add a 'Fiend' to my hand!"

"The third one..."

"And Necro Duke needs to be in the graveyard to exert its effect, so I will strip it of its flesh and blood."

And the card that could achieve this effect was...

"Sudden Return—through this spell, I send Necro Duke to the Underworld, and reshape its flesh and blood into Summoned Skull!"

Summoned Skull (lv6)

Attribute/Dark

Type/Fiend

ATK/2500 DEF/1200

"Necro Duke will open a path in the graveyard, at the cost of itself (banished), adding a Fiend (Level 4 or higher) that would normally require a tribute to my hand."

Of course, for further maneuvers, he had only one choice:

"Come, Demon General Star, join my army and destroy your fragile comrade on the field!"

"Demon General Star (LV6)"

"Attribute/Dark"

"Race/Fiend"

"ATK/2500 DEF/1200"

Thump

An almost identical fiend returned directly from the graveyard and appeared, casually destroying the previous one while stuffing its remains onto the Pandemonium altar.

"Then, I will reshape the remains of 'Demon General Star' in my hand into 'Shadow Knight Demon'."

"Four… no, there are already five."

On the field, "Demon General Star" stood tall.

And when Yu Ming snapped out of his idly "counting demons" game, he saw a series of illusory figures appear behind the powerful fiend.

"'Shadow Knight Demon,' 'Infernal Queen Demon,' 'Dark Bishop Demon,' and 'Hell Soldier Demon.' Now, I have gathered these four cards in my hand."

Hades displayed his hand cards one by one.

"I imagine you're very curious why I absolutely had to gather them."

"No, I'm not curious at all…"

"This is a magical research project I've been conducting all along, a supreme masterpiece that could only be completed after my revival."

Speaking as if no one else was there, Hades took a deep breath.

"I originally intended to use it to challenge the Holy Knight's rule, and you are the first to witness its true form."

"I've actually seen it before…"

"Now, the ritual is prepared. It's time to reveal the trump card that has been hidden since the very beginning."

"Forget it…"

Seeing Hades's obvious excitement, Yu Ming sighed.

At least they'd finally reached this point, no matter what.

"The spell I initially set was 'Pre-Preparation of Rites.' With everything ready, I will now use it to perform the 'Evil Dragon Resurrection Ritual'!"

Flames erupted, and azure fire gradually converged in front of Pluto, forming a pentagram.

"Shadow Knight, your life shall become the raging wind!"

Whoosh

"Infernal Queen, your life shall ignite the blazing fire!"

Boom

"Dark Bishop, Hell Soldier, your power will bring me water and earth!"

Unbeknownst to Yu Ming, the four fiends had already occupied the four corners of the pentagram.

Now, only one remained…

"Demon General Star, your dark power will unleash true destruction!"

Boom

Five elements converged, and an angry roar came from the very center of the altar.

Under the tremor, the swirling sand carried by the strong winds made Yu Ming rub his eyes instinctively.

Clearly, this was a powerful monster, at least it looked very impressive so far.

"Evil dragon that once destroyed the world, transcend the five elements and appear on this battlefield!"

So the question was, did Yu-Gi-Oh! have a ritual monster that required such a cumbersome summoning process, a five-for-one exchange?

Actually, it did. At least in the anime, it not only existed but was also quite well-known.

"F.G.D…"

Yu Ming narrowed his eyes, gazing at the faint blue light emerging within the pentagram.

"Five-Headed Dragon!!"

What I've been writing lately feels a bit off. I had relatives visiting a few days ago, so I didn't have much time to write.

As a result, it's basically been written on a whim, with quite a few flaws in the plot structure and details, not to mention being too drawn out, as some of you have pointed out.

I'm trying my best to adjust my state, and I'll try to speed things up.

P.S.: I won't be writing about the Fiend archetype anymore. This damn thing not only lacks anime references but is also pretty bland.