"Duel King... Youyu!?"
Seeing this figure, the masked man's entire body was instantly dominated by fear. A cold, paralyzing sensation seemed to surge from the depths of his soul, almost overtaking him in that brief moment.
Clearly, the masked man was an invader not belonging to this island. He had landed on Duel Academy's island about two hours ago, and chose to operate in the forbidden area away from the academy to avoid attracting attention.
Damn it! Wasn't the intel saying the Duel King himself rarely visits the island throughout the year?
Could I be so unlucky that the Duel King just happened to come for an inspection today?
The thought of escaping was extinguished in a flash—as past rumors of the Duel King effortlessly defeating various deities might have even half truth, he knew he couldn't possibly escape from this master.
So he only had one opportunity left!
The masked man gritted his teeth and shouted fiercely, "If you want this young girl to live, don't come any closer!"
He was clearly referring to the unconscious Asuka lying on the ground.
"Oh?" Youyu raised an eyebrow.
He knew the man's background; he was one of the early characters in GX.
The man, codename "Titan," claimed to be a Dark Duelist, a mercenary of sorts. But in reality, he was merely a con artist, using blinding techniques and hypnosis to pose as a Dark Duelist and deceive others.
However, his tricks were exposed during his duel with Yuki Judai in the animation.
This guy wouldn't be trying to use blinding techniques to fool me, would he?
Just as Youyu had this thought, he saw a flicker behind the big man—a semi-transparent figure flew out from behind him.
The body enveloped by bones, crackling electricity, skeletal armor, and claws—it was none other than "Infernalqueen Archfiend" from the Duel Monsters—a monster Titan had summoned during his duel with Yuki Judai in the original animation.
A spirit?
No, not a spirit, but rather... the monster was materialized purely via the infusion of dark powers?
Youyu was a little surprised.
Wasn't Titan supposed to be just a street fraudster skilled in blinding techniques?
Now it seems like he actually has some skills?
Infernalqueen Archfiend's terrifying body nearly brushed against Asuka. She maintained a half-crouch position, her skeletal fingers resembling sharp white claws poised near Asuka's delicate throat, just a few millimeters away from tearing it.
"Don't move!"
Titan warned Youyu once more, feeling as if his breath was being cut off.
—Damn it, I'm actually threatening the Duel King!
Though he had done many thrilling things and provoked some fearsome characters...
...this was pushing madness to a new record!
But Titan was stuck now, with no choice but to tough it out.
"The Duel King, huh? I know you're strong, and I've heard stories about you, but I'll have you know that I... I'm not afraid of you!"
He was trembling even as he spoke.
"If you step any closer, I'll..."
Titan's pupils suddenly contracted, swallowing his words as if he had bitten his tongue.
Sometime during his animated speech, steel-cold claws appeared at his throat—he nearly offered his neck in his emotional fervor.
It was a hero, entirely black, with solid armor, its helmet resembling a ravenous wolf, blades flashing coldly affixed to its arms and legs.
Masked Hero Dark Claw.
Before Titan could blink, Dark Claw's blades were already at his throat.
He didn't doubt for a second, before he could order "Infernalqueen Archfiend" to attack, the Masked Hero's claws would unhesitatingly tear open his throat first.
The instinctive desire to survive activated his body's potential, releasing a surge of dark energy inside him, triggering ancient rules within this very limited space—a game, a duel ritual.
"Interesting." Youyu squinted his eyes, "Challenging me to a Dark Duel?"
Titan was crying out internally.
I'm not, I didn't, I really didn't want to face you in a card battle...
But it was unavoidable—during the initiation of a Darkness Game, both players were forbidden from directly harming each other. It was his instinctive survival mechanism as Dark Claw's icy blades visited his soul in death.
"Alright."
Youyu confidently agreed, pretending to rummage inside his coat's inner pocket before pulling out a card deck effortlessly inserting it into the Duel Disc.
Rumor had it Duel King Youyu's dark coat was stitched with pockets from top to bottom, with a different deck stuffed into each one.
Otherwise, there was no explanation for why the card deck he pulled out after rummaging was always different every time...
"Perfect for me." Without hesitation, Youyu opened the Duel Disc, "Regarding your identity and your purpose, I still have a lot to ask.
This simplifies matters. Losing the dark game means you must obey me and tell me everything you know, got it?"
In the anime, Professor Chronos hired this so-called "Dark Duelist" to get Yuki Judai expelled, due to being associated as an antagonist.
But now, since the professor knows Judai's identity, Titan likely wasn't hired by him. So Youyu still needed to interrogate this guy further.
Moreover, Youyu was quite interested in how a street fraudster became a true Dark Duelist.
Titan activated the Duel Disc reluctantly, feeling utterly defeated.
Luckily, the legendary Duel King seemed decent, apparently not mentioning to wager lives.
With his plans ruined, Titan's attitude was resigned to fate. Even being caught and subjected to consequences was acceptable, as long as the Duel King spared his life.
Then, if possible, he hoped Youyu would go easy on him. Despite his stature and the imposing name "Titan," he was really afraid of pain...
"Duel!" x2
[Youyu, LP 4000]
[Titan, LP 4000]
"I'll take the first turn."
Seeing the indicator light turn green, Youyu started the first turn by drawing a card.
"It's my turn, draw."
Titan held his breath.
As a "professional Dark Duelist"—he had boasted to his employers—he wasn't someone completely ignorant of his own limits like some of those reckless, foolish villains.
Titan knew well that as a minor character, he likely wasn't worth Youyu bringing out his legendary "Hero" deck.
Now the question was, what deck was he using...
"I Normal Summon 'Duza the Meteor Cubic Vessel' from my hand, in attack position," Youyu announced.
The massive mechanical arm stretched out like iron willow, its glossy black spherical casing emerged from the ground, authoritatively standing amidst the swirling dust.
[Duza the Meteor Cubic Vessel, Attack 1600]
Titan's eyelids twitched.
The Duel King's deck—Cubic?