Divine Strike!
Evil God: Divine Incarnation transformed into the form of an angel, but even though its form changed, its body remained in that pitch-black state. The heavy hammer in its hand was wrapped in ominous black fog, the hammerhead as enormous as to seemingly cover the sky.
The hammer from the Angel of Strength descended, releasing purely the power of the Evil God. The pitch-black hammer fell in the enclosed dueling field, making the whole world seem to scream.
All sounds vanished, as if every noise had been swallowed by boundless darkness, leaving a suffocating silence. Then the light disappeared too, the blood-red sky seemingly smeared with ink.
A crisp cracking sound, the virtual space began to collapse, like a mirror shattering, with every flying shard reflecting a world in the midst of destruction, refracting the last light.
Paradox could no longer feel his own body. He lost control and floated into the air, his body light and weightless. At first, he felt immense pain, as if the darkness consuming his body hid countless blades tearing him apart, but it was only for a moment. Soon after, he lost even this sensation, as if his body no longer belonged to him.
Darkness surged like a tide, erasing the dueling field, the sky, and the earth, as if the entire world had been wiped away by an eraser. Virtual data streams struggled in the darkness, and through the fragments before they disappeared, he seemed to see a world in flames.
Ruined debris resembled a post-apocalyptic world. He and his last remaining companions stood on the remnants of a vanished human civilization, vowing to save everything, to turn the tide.
Indeed, he had sworn to reverse the future, even if it meant bearing the sins of an entire world. But even so, he failed.
Often, Duelists are indeed idealistic; willpower and faith, a resolute goal, these can transform into power to take you further, making you feel omnipotent.
But that is ultimately an illusion.
Belief might indeed let one erupt with immense power, but there is ultimately a limit. Not everyone can be a protagonist like Kaiba. Sometimes the disparity in strength is an insurmountable chasm; sometimes power is simply despairing.
Just like now.
In the last moment before falling, Paradox strained to lift his head, looking toward the Evil God that had changed back from an angel to a black sun. That horrific overhead posture, looking at the boy who commanded the Evil God, his gaze momentarily dazed.
In his scattered consciousness, he suddenly felt the boy and the Evil God behind him had merged into one. So evil, so powerful, so terrifying. That figure momentarily overlapped with the apocalypse in his memory, as if it was this Evil God that destroyed the future.
Even those in the same research team as Yugen were silent at this moment.
"Evil... Evil God..."
Someone licked their lips, speaking with a dry throat.
Previously, when Yugen fought against the Three Evil Gods, the battlefield was in the Elf World, and it was a sealed-off place. That battle was known only to a handful of direct participants and the Elves present, while the outside world knew nothing.
So even people from Keihei and Kaiba Group were seeing the descent of the Evil God for the first time. Of course, it was through the screen. But even watching that enormous figure through a screen, everyone couldn't help but feel a chill, as though their souls were gripped.
The power of the gods is indeed more metaphysical. During the first Duel City, the Game manipulated the Sky Dragon and Kaiba's Giant Divine Soldiers in the Sky Arena, and the entire duel was supposed to be broadcast live throughout the city.
But the duel between the two gods was too fierce, the terrifying divine power was unleashed, and the electronic screens and TVs exploded on the spot. That's why the audience at the time couldn't see the duel's outcome live. It was only later, when Kaiba Group released the recorded discs, that people were able to see the entire duel process.
The power of gods cannot be comprehended by ordinary logic. Even indirectly seeing the form of a god could cause adverse reactions in ordinary people. Sometimes, you don't even need a concrete image; even the simplistic abstract doodles on Ancient Egyptian stone tablets could induce shivers.
And this generally refers to the Phantom Gods. Even though the Phantom Gods have intimidating divine might, they generally don't affect ordinary people as long as they aren't provoked. In contrast, the power of the Evil God is more violent, its divine might unrestrained, and its impact on people is more intense.
"That guy Yugen actually managed to... even command the Evil God," Keihei muttered.
Compared to others, Keihei had a deeper impression of the Evil God. He still remembered the events of the past when the Three Evil Gods controlled Pegasus Nightwalker and took over their entire Kaiba Group, locking him and his brother out. Afterward, his brother fought the Evil God and suffered one of the rare defeats of his dueling career.
It was such a terrifying Evil God, and yet Yugen actually tamed it...
Keihei couldn't help but marvel: "That guy is becoming more and more powerful."
Was Paradox really so weak?
Keihei, unlike Yugen, hadn't seen the movie version, so he didn't know this individual was dubbed the "bravest villain in history." He didn't know the opponent, but to him, this person seemed quite formidable.
Casually summoning monsters with over four or five thousand attack points, using all legendary-level Elves from various eras, and even using his brother's Blue-Eyes. Such a card deck was already beyond common sense in this era.
Gathering the power of so many legendary Elves was already incredible, and his recent performance, at least in Keihei's view, was not bad.
Even after being suppressed by Yugen like that and subjected to multiple layers of constraints, he didn't give up hope in a desperate situation, and he tenaciously found opportunities to counterattack...
This guy, is strong.
Whether it be as a Duelist, the strength of his card deck, the blessing of the Elves, or even his belief and willpower, all were quite strong.
But it seemed to have no effect.
At least from what Keihei saw in this duel, it was a Duelist's tenacious struggle, an indomitable warrior giving his all, using every trick up his sleeve, wishing to burn every last bit of his belief...
...and yet still unable to defeat the Evil Demon God.
Sometimes the world is just this cruel, reality won't change because of your will. If you can't fight back, you can't fight back; sometimes light is destined to be swallowed by darkness.
It was originally a Dark Duel, and with a top-tier Evil God: Divine Incarnation having an attack power of over ten thousand pounding on him, by rights, even if Life Points were left, this single strike should have been enough to reduce someone to a mosaic.
But after a moment of darkness in front of Paradox's eyes, he soon felt his body gradually regain sensation. Every cell in his body ached, but his consciousness became clear.
He... still alive?
Realizing this, he struggled to adjust his breathing, sitting up, with a few hints of wariness and confusion in his eyes as he looked at Yugen.
"Why?"
Yugen tilted his head: "What?"
"...You intentionally held back," Paradox said in a deep voice. "Why?"
"Is there a need for why?"
Yugen replied as if it were obvious.
"Or rather, why would I want to kill you? Do we have a grudge?"
Paradox: "..."