"Ahhhhhhh!!!"
The Dark Cubic God with twelve thousand attack points was so overwhelming that Titan nearly wet himself.
He called himself a professional Dark Duelist to others, but deep down he knew it was all nonsense. It was just an act to fool outsiders, as he initially entered the trade by using blinding techniques to swindle those who were clueless, never even finding the threshold to becoming a Dark Duelist.
He only became a real Dark Duelist because of the employer who hired him for this task.
The employer saw through him easily but didn't seem to care. This mysterious figure bestowed upon him extraordinary power—a real dark force different from the blinding techniques he used to deceive people—giving him abilities to initiate Darkness Games and even briefly materialize Monsters.
So, in a strict sense, Titan hadn't been a Dark Duelist for very long.
Someone as inexperienced as him had never seen such a display of power. The Dark Cubic God's twelve thousand attack points, combined with the force of the Dark Duel, left him paralyzed, his mind filled with "I'm done for" and "Mom, I love you."
Suffering a pain beyond what he should bear.JPG.
He watched as his demon was cleaved in two before him, the golden-edged blade swinging like a long shooting star. After that, his mind went blank, feeling as if he were about to be vaporized.
Only then did Titan physically experience the terrifying nature of what was called "dark power."
In that brief moment, he felt immense darkness flooding his entire body like a tide, then quickly drained away, taking all the remaining energy from every cell in his body.
In the end, drenched in sweat, he lay limp on the ground, unable to move a finger.
Is this... the duel of the Duel King?
Flawless, leaving no room for counterattack.
At this moment, Titan realized deeply, even with the power bestowed by that mysterious figure, even though he had grown stronger, he was still undeniably a miserable loser in the presence of a true King.
This wasn't even a duel!
Titan once thought that for this Duel King, dueling him was probably as simple as recounting stories to a piece of broken stone...
This stark realization of the power gap also made him infinitely grateful that he was still breathing.
Titan quickly resolved to himself that as long as he could keep his life, it wouldn't matter if he had to work like a horse or sell out his integrity!
Youyu put away his Duel Disc and just stepped forward when he saw the strong man struggling to get up, with a fierce and grim face, as if summoning the last ounce of strength in his body, forcing himself to stand up through sheer willpower.
Youyu was a bit surprised.
Whoa, I thought he was just a side character. Didn't expect this guy to have such a strong fighting spirit.
Does he still want to fight to the death in this state?
Unexpectedly, Titan gritted his teeth and got up, then trembled as he controlled his shaking hand...removed his Card Deck and handed it respectfully to Youyu.
"Please, Master Youyu! I really mean no harm!"
The big man's deep voice had a sobbing tone, making it somewhat comical.
Youyu: "..."
So you used all your remaining strength to get up...just to plead for mercy before I took your Card Deck?
Alright then, young man, your survival instinct is fully charged, isn't it?
Youyu silently accepted the Card Deck handed to him and said, "As I said before, I need some answers..."
Titan shivered all over, as if recalling something terrifying, and, with a tear-stricken face, said, "Ask, feel free to ask, I'll answer everything truthfully to the best of my knowledge! But please, please don't go into my mind..."
Youyu looked puzzled: "What are you talking about?"
"Huh? I heard from the guys on the street that the Duel King is omnipotent, and even has the ability to probe into people's minds and view their memories. But those who have undergone such treatment would lose their sanity forever..."
"?" Youyu was a bit baffled.
Where the hell did this rumor come from? I'm not that creepy Marik who loves to mess with people's minds.
You guys are making baseless assumptions!
"Who told you that nonsense?" Youyu said with a stern face.
"Huh?" Titan was a bit dazed, "Because the guy said that after facing the Duel King, many Ghouls members went mad or became vegetables. And there are ways to verify that these are facts..."
Youyu: "..."
That was those idiots being messed up by their master Marik, what's it got to do with me?
Damn it! Wrongfully accused without reason.
The more Youyu thought about it, the angrier he got. He felt this couldn't be left unresolved. Next time he sees Mr. Malik, he'd make sure to collect some compensation from him...
But that's not the main point right now.
This Titan did turn out to be quite honest, fully cooperating with Youyu's inquiries. Youyu noticed that in his current state, asking him to run naked around the academy for a week might not even be an issue.
However, from the questioning, Youyu quickly understood that Titan might indeed be just a small pawn, someone who knows next to nothing.
Titan said that a few weeks ago he received a package containing a large sum of cash and a letter. The letter mentioned that the employer was interested in his "professionalism" and asked him to go to a specific location to accept an assignment.
Titan said that when he reached the location, he saw no one, but mysteriously lost consciousness. When he awoke, he discovered that he had been granted extraordinary powers, along with a simple communication device at his side.
Since then, this mysterious employer communicated with him through the machine, assigning him tasks, with the payment mysteriously appearing in his mailbox in the form of packages.
He had never seen the appearance of the employer, nor even the courier delivering the packages. His communication with the employer relied entirely on that device, the mysterious boss being like a virtual entity living on the other end of the machine, a ghost, with no trace to follow.
Youyu naturally demanded the communication device, to which the big man obediently fished it out of his pocket.
But when he took the device in hand, he couldn't help but let out a pale-faced "Ah."
The device was already broken.
Its compact silver-white casing had cracked open, exposing the broken interior. The circuit board was charred black, and when Youyu took it, it still retained some warmth.
"I swear, when I arrived on the island, this thing was intact," Titan said.
Youyu ignored him and examined the gadget carefully for a moment.
Destroyed remotely when they sensed something wrong, huh...
Truly a meticulous character.
However, Youyu still temporarily put the pile of scrap into his pocket. Although its circuitry appeared severely burnt, perhaps the indomitable President Kaiba might find a way to repair it?
Believing in the President's sci-fi expertise might lead to a solution.
"So, your boss wanted you to come to the academy's island?" Youyu asked.
Titan nodded repeatedly.
"Did he tell you what to do?"
"He told me to wait on the island for further instructions... but he mentioned looking for an opportunity to monitor a specific target's activities."
"Specific target?" Youyu thought he might have found a clue, "Who is that?"
"Since I received the message only after arriving on the island, I haven't had a chance to find out who it is. I only know a name. Could be a student, could be a teacher," Titan tried to remember. "The name is... it is...
...Yuki Judai, yes, that's the name."
Youyu raised an eyebrow.