"This is too much... just too much..."
The Four-eyed Demon slumped to the ground, his expression twisted in agony.
This had to be the most grueling game of cards he had played in his long, demonic life.
It was laughable, really. He hadn't even been able to play his cards; he couldn't do a thing.
How could something as outrageous as Mystical Refpanel exist in this world?
Speaking of which, Yugen suddenly remembered that Mystical Refpanel was also one of Yugi's cards.
Who said the King of Games' deck lacked power? There were clearly so many interesting things in there that could bring a smile to one's face...
Having finished the business at hand, Yugen walked forward calmly. However, with every step he took, the crowd of demons behind him trembled instinctively, retreating a step in unison.
In this scene, it was impossible to tell who the real demon was just by looking at the field.
Initially, a few demons had wanted to help their boss up, but seeing Yugen approach, they froze in their tracks.
A realization suddenly struck them. Wait, that's not right. Now that the match was over, their boss wasn't the boss anymore.
The person standing across from them was their new big brother.
And so, the clever demonic underlings began to silently drift toward Yugen's back. Within moments, Yugen was leading a pack of demons as they surrounded the grieving, helpless Four-eyed Demon on the ground, looking for all the world like a bunch of bullies...
The Four-eyed Demon let out a long sigh but said nothing.
What was there to say? If you bet, you had to accept the loss. Besides, this was a place where the strong ruled. He had lost the duel, so it was only natural for his underlings to defect. From this day forward, he no longer had the final say here.
"I lost," the Four-eyed Demon said dejectedly as he stood up. "According to the rules, you can take any one card from me."
Yugen frowned. "Only one?"
The Four-eyed Demon's eyelid twitched as he looked at him in shock.
What else do you want?
"Didn't you just say that the winner gets to set the rules? Then how about this," Yugen offered. "Now that I've won, I'd like to make a slight modification to your rules. From today onward, a duel means wagering the entire deck."
"Huh? But that's..." The Four-eyed Demon looked troubled. He glanced around before lowering his voice. "Big brother, you're new here, so you might not know. Do you know why those of us serving here haven't had our decks confiscated, and why we're allowed to determine our status through strength internally?"
"Oh? Why is that?"
"Because it's a requirement of their Church," the demon whispered. "This bunker serves as a prison, but it's also fitted with a barrier designed to absorb Duel Energy. The energy generated by our internal duels is sucked up by the seal to serve as nourishment for The Great Leviathan while it sleeps. That's why they want to see us in conflict, but killing each other or taking someone's deck through a duel is strictly forbidden..."
"And what happens if someone breaks those rules?" Yugen countered.
"Uh..." the demon stammered. "Then, naturally, they would face the bunker's sanctions."
"So, is there anyone actually strong in here?"
The Four-eyed Demon was momentarily stumped. After a moment of thought, he said, "I know that at the very least, the Warden is incredibly powerful on a completely different level from us. If things go too far, he might intervene personally..."
Yugen's eyes lit up.
There's a catch that good?
That was even better. Once he finished confiscating all their decks, he wouldn't even have to go through the trouble of searching for people who could play cards in the bunker. He could just deal with whoever came knocking one by one.
"Alright, I understand." Yugen nodded in thanks. "In that case, hand over your deck first."
The Four-eyed Demon stared. Is this guy crazy? Did he not hear me? How does he dare openly defy the bunker's rules? Isn't he afraid of the sanctions?
"What? You have an objection?"
"No... no, I wouldn't dare."
The Four-eyed Demon glanced at Gearfried the Iron Knight, who hadn't disappeared after the duel ended. Currently, the iron knight's sword was resting against his neck.
Did it look like he was in a position to object?
And so, Yugen took the deck.
Most likely, there wouldn't be anything valuable in a deck like this, but it didn't matter. It was free, after all. Trading this many cards for money would still fetch a decent sum.
"Alright. Now, you mentioned there are other duelists in the bunker?"
"Yes..." the Four-eyed Demon replied weakly.
"Lead the way," Yugen commanded.
The demon was startled again, but he quickly realized the man's intention.
Does he really plan to go after every single one of them?
The Four-eyed Demon began to tremble uncontrollably. He started to doubt himself was this really just a newly captured prisoner?
Is he the demon here?
Oh wait, I'm supposed to be the demon...
"Reluctant?" Yugen narrowed his eyes.
The iron knight's blade seemed to move a millimeter closer to the demon's throat.
"I'm willing! More than willing!"
The Four-eyed Demon scrambled to his feet.
Forget it; he didn't care anymore. He was being coerced and forced into this; it wasn't like he was intentionally betraying his fellow inmates.
Besides...
That pain from the duel just now, that unprecedented feeling of powerlessness... how could he be the only one to enjoy it?
At the thought, the demon's lips curled upward as he walked, revealing a perverted, sinister grin.
Heh heh heh... I have to make sure my brothers get to experience the 'joy' of dueling as well...
Along the way, Yugen took the opportunity to ask the local demons about the situation.
"You're from the outside?" the demon asked, looking at him in surprise.
He grew increasingly curious about what kind of place could have bred such an evil duelist.
"Well, it's quite surprising that anyone would come here now," the demon noted.
"Let me guess. The Orichalcos invasion slaughtering and capturing the locals?" Yugen asked.
"Exactly." A flash of resentment appeared in the demon's eyes. "Those minions of the Evil God leave nothing but ruin wherever they go. They burn, kill, and pillage without restraint."
The Four-eyed Demon gnashed his teeth in hatred. "Damn it! Those things were supposed to be our specialty!"
Yugen raised an eyebrow. "Specialty? Burning, killing, and pillaging?"
"We, the noble Fiend race, are the true masters of this land! Everything here has been our slave since ancient times!" the demon roared. "Those wicked villains actually stripped us of our birthright, occupied our territory, and enslaved us just like we used to enslave those commoners!"
Yugen remained silent.
It sounds like you lot aren't much better than them.
It turned out this dimension was just a case of dog-eat-dog.
"What's even more loathsome is that some of our kind actually forgot the honor of being a demon. They bowed down to that detestable God and voluntarily became its lackeys, bringing shame to the demon blood in their veins. Hmph, I despise those guys more than anyone. Even if I die in this bunker, I will never betray my noble lineage to join the Evil God's camp."
As he spoke, they arrived at a large square that appeared to be the prisoners' activity area. The square was mostly occupied by Fiends, but there were also duel spirits of other races there was even a Fish hopping around on land wearing a prison uniform.
The Four-eyed Demon led the way, ignoring the strange looks from the other spirits. He marched straight to the inner side of the square.
Then, he put his hands on his hips and shouted with a broad smile.
"Hey! Brother, you there? Come out, it's time for a duel!"
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