"..."
"I activate my Continuous Trap, Royal Decree. Every other trap effect on the field is now negated," Yugen said calmly.
"Next, I'll activate the Equip Spell, Big Bang Shot, and equip it to your monster, Gil Garth. The equipped monster gains a 400-point attack boost. However, I will now discard the water-attribute Sinister Serpent from my hand to activate the effect of Abyss Soldier on my field. Once per turn, by discarding one card, I can return one card on the field to its owner's hand."
"I return Big Bang Shot to my hand. And according to the effect of Big Bang Shot, when it leaves the field, the monster it was equipped to is banished from the game. Farewell, Gil Garth."
The spirits gathered around the square watched, their mouths slowly hanging open.
Wait, was that even allowed?
"Now, I'll re-equip the Big Bang Shot I just returned to my hand to my own Abyss Soldier," Yugen said with a thin smile. "Both Abyss Soldiers, attack directly!"
"..."
In just a few short minutes, another demon had lost its dreams and its deck.
But at least this demon didn't have to live with the grief of losing its cards—this time, it had lost its life as well.
Back when Yugen had fought the Four-eyed Demon, he hadn't quite grasped the situation of this place. Seeing that the other party hadn't intended to kill him, Yugen had held back when his opponent's Life Points hit zero, deciding to ask questions first.
Now that he had a handle on the setting, he understood that the situation in this dimension was simply a case of "Skinny Snakes" and native fiends locked in a dog-eat-dog struggle. Neither side was particularly good. Since that was the case, there was no reason for mercy; it was much easier to plunder a deck after cutting the owner down.
Seeing their fellow inmate turn into a shower of light right before their eyes, the surrounding prisoners were scared out of their wits.
This man actually dared to commit public murder inside the Bunker! Did he have no fear of the Warden?
The Four-eyed Demon, in particular, felt its limbs go cold. It realized just how closely it had brushed against the God of Death moments ago. To have dueled such a devilish person and escaped with only a plundered deck... its ancestors must have begged for mercy before Satan himself to grant it such luck.
Yugen calmly pocketed the new deck and glanced around with a hint of confusion.
"Why hasn't the Warden shown up yet? The security level of this Bunker needs some serious improvement..."
He shrugged. If the Warden wasn't coming, he wasn't coming. He'd just stick to the plan and find the next target.
"You mentioned there were two other spirits with dueling capabilities?" Yugen looked back at the Four-eyed Demon and beckoned. "Come on, keep leading the way."
The Four-eyed Demon trembled violently but didn't dare disobey. It could only bite its lip and lead on.
Brothers, don't blame me. I really have no choice...
*Boom!*
Just then, a thunderous roar echoed from somewhere unknown. The entire Bunker seemed to shudder under the force of it.
Immediately after, an icy voice rang out through the air.
"All prisoners, recreational time is over. Return to your respective cells immediately, or forced measures will be taken. I repeat, return to your cells immediately..."
The imprisoned spirits scattered instantly, pushing and shoving as they scrambled to get back to their cells. It was clear they harbored a deep-seated terror for the Bunker's jailers.
The Four-eyed Demon huddled close to Yugen and whispered, "Big brother, look, maybe we should head back to the cell first? It won't be too late to duel next time. Otherwise..."
It stopped mid-sentence. It had wanted to say that they might be punished if they annoyed the guards, but then it remembered that this "big brother" hadn't shown the slightest respect for the guards since the moment he arrived.
"That was quite a loud bang. Sounded like an explosion," Yugen mused. "Do you think it's a prison break?"
"Huh?" The Four-eyed Demon stared at him, stunned. "Well, it's not impossible. In the past, strong individuals have tried to lead troops to storm the prison, but most failed. It hasn't happened in a long time..."
Yugen nodded in understanding and continued, "So, if someone dares to show up for a prison break now, they must be pretty strong, right?"
"Indeed. Unless they had massive confidence in their strength, they wouldn't come to the Bunker just to die. Wait... big brother, what are you planning?!"
The Four-eyed Demon looked horrified. Is that a look of expectation on your face? Are you serious?
Yugen was indeed feeling a bit expectant. If it was a powerhouse from the Spirit World, they surely had a decent deck, didn't they?
A few minutes earlier, deep within the Bunker, in a conference room.
The heavy iron doors blocked out all the noise. The dim, yellowish firelight barely illuminated the corners of the long table, casting eerie shadows across the walls and ceiling.
The Warden sat at one end of the table, his expression grave. The crimson moonlight filtering through the narrow windows splashed across his face like a mask of blood.
"I'll be blunt," the Warden said, leaning forward and resting his chin on his hands, his voice low. "As you all should know, the Great Orichalcos God has dispatched a special messenger to our world."
His gaze swept over the high-level officials.
"The messenger's identity is unknown. It is even possible that the higher-ups intentionally withheld this information from us. We have no way of knowing their race, gender, or what form they will take. But for the coming period, I want everyone to act under the assumption that anyone could be that messenger."
"Every word and action must be executed with extreme caution."
"Understood," the officials nodded one after another.
A secret inspection by a messenger was a standard, unavoidable procedure for any Bunker—or any stronghold established after surrendering to the God. Every so often, an audit would occur; sometimes they were overt, and other times, like this, they were covert.
After all, the higher-ups knew that many natives of these dimensions hadn't truly converted to the faith of the Orichalcos God; they had simply buckled under the weight of overwhelming power. Some were merely faking their loyalty to survive. If the cult's control over a region slipped, these strongholds would likely defect or vanish overnight.
"I've heard that some races are skilled in transformation and disguise, and some can even achieve it through magical power," one official said, looking around at his colleagues. "Perhaps the messenger is already here. They might even be in this room."
The group began to exchange suspicious glances, eyeing the people sitting next to them.
"Could it be one of the jailers?"
"Think bigger it's not impossible for them to be hiding among the new prisoners."
Many remained silent, but suspicion was written clearly on their faces. Would a messenger really go as far as pretending to be a prisoner?
"Regardless, we cannot ignore any possibility," the Warden concluded. "Be vigilant in the coming days..."
*Boom!*
At that exact moment, the Bunker lurched violently, struck by a massive blow from the outside.
The Warden's expression twisted. "What's happening?"
A fiend came sprinting into the room, gasping for breath.
"A prison a prison break! Someone is breaking in!"
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