Red-Eyes

"Ugh..."

Perhaps it was the pain from the sword wound, or perhaps the drain caused by the loss of Life Points.

After taking the Holy Knight of the Black Dragon's direct attack, the Archfiend suddenly seemed to lose all his strength. His bloated body had no choice but to lean against the altar as it slowly slid down.

The black flames lingering on his chest continued to scorch the wound, while fluid spilled out and dripped onto the ground.

Sizzle.

Drip.

But it was not blood.

At least, blood as Yu Ming knew it had never been such a chaotic mix of colors.

Yellow, purple, and red swirled together in a nauseating mess. Worse still, maggots writhed within it.

Even so, Hades's withered hand still clung desperately to the grotesque altar.

"It's... not over yet."

Forcing his bloated body upright, he staggered to his feet with the support of the altar.

"I haven't seen him yet. There are still so many things... I need to ask him!"

"So that's why you kept going on about obsession and wishes."

Watching Hades struggle to remain standing, Yu Ming spoke.

In a sense, Mr. Pluto was indeed the best embodiment of all the nonsense he had been spouting earlier.

"Your body has already become a nest for bacteria, viruses, and maggots. I've only seen people in that state among mindless zombies, yet you're still driving your own body with nothing but obsession."

"Ugh..."

"Honestly, I'm curious what it feels like to be in that state... but I'm tired of this already."

Yu Ming took a deep breath.

"Pointless madness and riddles, a tedious process—this is the kind of third-rate garbage some idiotic author desperate to throw out foreshadowing would write. Let's just get this over with."

"But your Battle Phase has already ended, and next turn—"

"So there won't be a next turn, Mr. Hades."

In an instant, crimson light flashed.

Amid the flames, the silent black knight raised his sword high.

"After the Battle Phase, I activate the effect of 'Paladin of Dark Dragon.' I tribute this card to Special Summon one 'Red-Eyes' monster from my Deck."

At that moment, Hades's eyes seemed to be filled with different paints, the pupils at their center looking as though they might bulge out.

"A Red-Eyes monster... could it be..."

"Yes. Just as you thought."

Though the "Red-Eyes" archetype would later gain quite a few other monsters—basically every monster Joey Wheeler used or fused with Red-Eyes got one.

But here, at least for now, there could be no clearer answer.

"The dragon with Red-Eyes that symbolize possibility, burning everything in sight to ash with black flames."

As if struck by inspiration, his fingers swiftly slid to the bottom of the Deck.

But the scorching sensation nearly made him pull them back at once.

"Ah, so you're angry?"

The moment he drew the card, coiling black flames completely engulfed the knight on the field.

From within the frenzy emerged crimson eyes as magnificent as gemstones.

"Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

"Red-Eyes Black Dragon (Lv. 7)"

"Attribute/Dark"

"Type/Dragon"

"ATK/2400 DEF/2000"

The jet-black dragon roared toward the heavens, its black flames replacing the demons' signature lightning in an instant.

Like a legendary dragon building its nest, it did not land properly on the field. Instead, it perched atop a sharp pillar overhead.

In that moment, the paradise that should have belonged to the demons became the black dragon's nest.

Roar.

As the dragon lowered its head, it did not look at its enemy. Instead, it turned its gaze upon its master.

"Yes, yes, I know. It was my fault for bringing you out so late... but I'm not apologizing."

Facing the black dragon's somewhat strange gaze, Yu Ming merely shrugged.

"Don't you think your stats are awkward? As a Level 7 monster, your attack is completely inferior to 'Summoned Skull,' and with the same number of Tributes, 'Tri-Horn Dragon' is much more useful than you..."

Boom!

Dragon breath suddenly exploded beside him.

A scorching black mist spread through the air, making Yu Ming's nose itch.

"Alright, alright, you get mad just because I told the truth... but whatever."

After staring at the black dragon's clearly scar-covered face for a long while, he merely shook his head.

"Anyway, you'll probably have plenty of chances to appear from now on... even if it's only because of this card."

In the anime setting, some cards could only be described as brutal.

For example, Five-Headed Dragon, which physical card players saw as nothing more than a graveyard-filling accessory, or the early Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which was no different from a Vanilla Monster.

Naturally, the card in Yu Ming's hand was the same.

"Spell Card—'Inferno Fire Blast.'"

Though it had activation restrictions and imposed a self-restriction, that was already enough.

"Target the Red-Eyes Black Dragon on my field and inflict damage to my opponent equal to its original attack."

"Guh."

Hades desperately raised his head, only to see the lofty black dragon already staring down at him.

Upon its scar-covered face, its sole crimson gem radiated the brilliance of destruction.

"One eye..."

There was no time for further thought. Flames of destruction had already erupted.

Black fire coiled around him, nearly swallowing everything.

Within the darkness, Hades finally closed his eyes.

"I see... so it was you who ended everything for me once again... Holy Knight of the Black Dragon."

Hades LP: 1600 → 0

Rumble.

The moment the bloated body fell, a crisp tearing sound rang out.

Beginning from the central altar, the Temple of the Kings began to collapse.

Thunder and black flames danced together, destroying everything around them. Cracks spread not only across those grotesque landmark structures, but into the sky itself.

Staring at the apocalyptic scene before him, Yu Ming took a deep breath.

The heat gradually faded, and the familiar chill returned once more. When he looked around again, the surroundings had already reverted to the barren and empty landscape he knew.

Amid decay and desolation, Yu Ming looked behind him.

In this Undying World that could only be described as silent, only the Machine Motor still rumbled with familiar noise.

"Yo, looks like you won?"

At its head, the free-spirited man in a bandana greeted him openly.

"Yeah."

"Then go count your spoils yourself. I won't be helping you with something that trivial."

Looking at Keith acting like some kind of lord, Yu Ming did not know what to say.

Calling him a good person would be a stretch, given his terrible attitude, but he had not shamelessly jumped out to demand a share either.

"Then I won't be sharing any of these benefits with you."

"Yeah, yeah, take it all. It's not like I can use any of this stuff anyway."

"Is that so? Then I won't hold back."

Drip.

Just as Yu Ming started walking, he suddenly heard a crisp dripping sound.

"Hm?"

He instinctively looked over and saw dark pus continuously dripping from his body.

At some point, the wound on his chest had already begun to fester.

"Why is the wound still there?"

Then a world-spinning wave of dizziness hit him.

"No, I should have already won..."

He could no longer tell direction apart, nor could he even sense where the ground was.

"Yu Ming?"

"Won..."

In the end, he sank completely.

Thud.

"Yu Ming!"

Congratulations to the host for defeating the duelist 'Hades, the Awakened Demon King.' This duel awarded a total of 0 Duel Points