"What a shame—this duel ended and you only got to play a single card," Kisaragi teased with a grin.
"How… how could this happen…? I couldn't answer her strategy at all…" Dark Bakura muttered, his eyes unfocused.
"Alright. The duel's over. You can go back to the Dark World now."
"No… impossible! I won't lose! In the end she's just an ordinary person!"
Dark Bakura grit his teeth and forced the Millennium Ring on his chest to strike at Kisaragi.
"Bakura—you're pathetic!" Yami Yugi snapped, igniting the Millennium Puzzle to block the attack.
"Damn it!"
"Bakura. You lose a duel and then try to attack another player—do you think the Darkness Game is a joke?" Yami Yugi's voice dropped.
The dark space warped. The surrounding darkness surged like a living thing, wrapping around Dark Bakura and gnawing at him.
"N-no… don't!"
After a long scream, the darkness withdrew. Moonlight returned to the forest, pure and cold. The real Bakura lay on the grass—his face no longer twisted with malice.
"Looks like it's over," Kisaragi said.
"Yeah. The dark persona inside the Millennium Ring probably won't be able to come out for a while," Yami Yugi replied.
Just then, Kaiba walked over, his expression unusually serious.
"What happened?" he asked, looking down at the boy on the ground.
"Nothing. Just some irrelevant troublemaker," Kisaragi said lightly.
"Is that him?" Kaiba stared at Bakura.
"It's him—and not him. He was just possessed by something filthy. But you don't believe in supernatural nonsense anyway. Bottom line: everything's back to normal," Kisaragi said.
"Hmph. Of course I don't believe in that boring garbage," Kaiba answered.
How does she know I don't believe that stuff? Kaiba frowned—then a possibility flashed through his mind.
…Has she been paying attention to me the whole time?
That thought lifted his mood, though he refused to show it.
At the campsite, Jōnouchi rubbed his head as he woke. "What happened?"
"Yeah… I remember Yugi was about to duel Bakura, and then we passed out," Honda said.
"Everyone, it's fine. An uninvited guest showed up. It's already been handled," Kisaragi reassured them.
"Who was it—" Anzu started, but a shriek cut her off.
"AAAH—!"
"That voice—Mai Kujaku!" Jōnouchi bolted toward the sound. The others rushed after him.
When they arrived, Mai was kneeling on a duel platform as it descended slowly to the ground.
"Mai—what happened?! Are you okay?!" Jōnouchi demanded, immediately at her side.
"Jōnouchi… and everyone…" Mai's voice trembled.
"Ho ho… looks like the cast is all here. Saves me the trouble of hunting you down one by one."
A burly man stepped out behind her.
"I-I'm sorry… I lost the duel… I lost all my Star Chips…" Mai sobbed.
"You—! You dueled Mai and stole her Star Chips?!" Jōnouchi shouted, stepping in front of her.
"You're a duelist hunter sent by Industrial Illusions, aren't you?" Kisaragi asked.
"That's right. I'm Pegasus's duelist, sent to challenge you. Finding you lot was a pain, so I warmed up on Mai Kujaku."
He glanced down at Mai. "Mai. You've lost all your Star Chips. Tomorrow morning, get off this island."
"Damn you!" Jōnouchi roared.
"Alright—you four. Who's dueling me? I don't care which one. Heh heh heh!"
Kisaragi's lips curved upward.
"Jōnouchi. You go," she said.
"Me?" Jōnouchi pointed at himself.
"Yeah. You only have four Star Chips right now. Isn't this guy basically an EXP pack meant to hand you a pile of chips?"
Then she leaned in and added quietly, "And this is exactly the moment for a hero to save the beauty."
Jōnouchi looked at Mai—his face instantly turning red.
"Heh… guess I don't have a choice!" He turned to the hunter. "I, Jōnouchi Katsuya, will challenge you!"
"Jōnouchi…" Mai stared at him. Something long-dormant in her chest began to beat again.
"Fine. I'll crush you first, you small fry—then I'll deal with the rest of you one by one!"
Yugi stepped forward and handed Jōnouchi eight Star Chips. Jōnouchi accepted them without hesitation.
"I'm betting twelve Star Chips!" Jōnouchi bellowed.
"So that's the tactic Pegasus said you'd use in this tournament? If Pegasus approves, then so do I. I'll bet my twelve too!"
"Then—let's duel!"
"DUEL!" ×2
Duelist Hunter LP 4000
Jōnouchi Katsuya LP 4000
"Jōnouchi, you can do it!" Anzu shouted.
"Be careful… he's not easy," Mai murmured.
"I'll take first move!" the hunter declared.
"My turn—draw!"
"I activate the effect of Dark Commander in my hand. By sending it to the Graveyard, I add Pandemonium—Castle of Dark Illusions from my Deck to my hand!"
"Then I activate Field Spell: Pandemonium—Castle of Dark Illusions!"
The field warped into a demonic palace built from pale white bones.
"This field looks terrifying… like something awful is lurking inside," Anzu shivered, rubbing her arms.
"Hahaha! Jōnouchi—prepare to become prey for my demons!"
"Quit the spooky act and duel already!" Jōnouchi snapped.
"I summon Dark Queen of the Flames in Attack Position!"
Dark Queen of the Flames (900/1500)
"I set two cards. Turn end." (Cards in hand: 3)
"Chess Archfiends…" Kisaragi said.
"Chess Archfiends? What's that?" Honda asked.
"They're like chess pieces—queen, king, rook and so on. Many of them share a common drawback: during your Standby Phase you must pay Life Points to maintain them, or they're destroyed."
"So it's easy then," someone said. "Even if Jōnouchi doesn't attack, the hunter will drain himself dry."
Kisaragi shook her head.
"Not with Pandemonium on the field. That card can let them avoid paying their upkeep during the Standby Phase."
"What?!" everyone gasped.
"Hahaha! Exactly! Jōnouchi—my demon army will devour you slowly!"
…
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 126)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter134)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 87
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 79
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 73
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 49
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 45
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 45
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin