Tragodia vanished.
Only a single round of clash, a showdown between two of the world's top creatures. The result was clearly a thorough defeat of Little Lobster, almost to the point of being easily crushed.
The moment the Chaos Phantom Demon struck, Little Lobster's domain crumbled, and he was scattered into nothingness.
Of course, calling them "two of the top creatures" isn't quite fair. Because on Little Lobster's side, there's only one, while the opposite side is actually a trio...
...Oh, hold on, to be more precise, Little Lobster doesn't even count as a whole one, just half. He hasn't retrieved his heart yet.
From a conventional perspective, even without a heart, Little Lobster is a rare and powerful creature, but that's just from the average person's point of view.
And in the eyes of the Three Phantom Demons, beings of a similarly high threshold, Little Lobster is likely seen as a cripple, spending the entire day racing wheelchairs against them...
Moreover, Yugen has actually completed most of the work for the trio.
Through a Dark Duel, he defeated Tragodia, though the opponent momentarily cheats death, he's practically lost most of his life. Already disabled and running on fumes in a wheelchair. On the Phantom Demon's side, the trio is in a merged Chaos Phantom Demon state. If even this couldn't result in a swift victory, then the so-called Three Phantom Demons' reputation would be so lackluster that they might as well go back, dig a hole, and bury themselves together.
Of course, most of the stakes in this showdown are beyond the understanding of ordinary students.
They only saw the opponent finally erupt into a lobster-like creature, so massive that even the minor monsters facing M78 Civil Servants in those childhood special-effects TV shows pale in comparison. Its aura itself is a suppression of a higher life form, only filling people with awe, invoking immense fear by instinct.
However, before this fear could even fully manifest, not even given the chance to be properly felt, they saw their Duel King rise, instantly defeat it, feeling as though he squashed a mosquito with a slap.
Up till this point, many students finally realized that being the so-called Duel King doesn't just mean being exceptional at card games.
This person truly already holds a power that can overturn the world.
Yugen put away the Duel Disc, and the image of the Chaos Phantom Demon dissipated with it. As he put away the Phantom Demon Cards on the Duel Disc, he paused slightly, smiled.
"Thank you so much for today."
But there was no response.
Perhaps the Phantom Demon trio holds themselves in such high regard that casually responding would demean their status.
Yugen didn't mind, he simply smiled and put away the three cards.
Principal Jiaodao looked towards the direction where the Chaos Phantom Demon disappeared, momentarily dazed.
"Chaos Phantom Demon... can the Three Phantom Demons actually be fused?"
Even he, who was entrusted with the seal of the Phantom Demons, was unaware of this.
In the original work, President Kagemaru, who used the Phantom Demons, may not have known either. When the Phantom Demons first appeared in Kagemaru's hands, they weren't fused.
However, aside from fusion, Phantom Demon supplementary cards akin to Chaos Phantom Illusion were not available either, Kagemaru had only drawn Lost Paradise — of course, this card was strong enough.
Many key cards for the Phantom Demon system operations, including the ultimate power of the triple fusion of the Phantom Demons, were unlocked by Yubel in the later Otherworldly Dimension Chapter after digging out the Phantom Demons. Before this, no one knew of the potential the Three Phantom Demons possessed.
Principal Jiaodao's mind couldn't help but recall the rumors he heard about these three cards when he was entrusted with the seal of the Phantom Demons years ago.
Unimaginable evil power, so strong it must be sealed, once revealed could plunge the world into endless chaos...
From then on, Principal Jiaodao had understood deeply that this was a terrifying power that must never be released. Liberation would certainly bring chaos to the world.
But now, it seems, not only has the prophecy not come true, but this power has even prevented the world from falling into chaos.
Principal Jiaodao watched Yugen, who was already surrounded by students cheering and worshipping, momentarily at a loss for words.
"Truly a remarkable young man, right Principal?"
A voice sounded in his ear.
"It seems our era of old folks has truly passed."
"Indeed."
Jiaodao sighed softly.
"Even the changes in Liang made me start wondering if I'm truly getting old now?"
"Perhaps my policies are outdated. Perhaps it is indeed a new era, where the young people in the world of dueling can develop wider pathways, doing better in every aspect than we can."
"Certainly." said the person beside him, "This is what they call 'the young can be awe-inspiring'. Fujiki Yugen is not only an incredible Duelist but also an unorthodox Alchemist.
Whether in dueling or alchemy, he has the determination to forge ahead, with a spirit of exploration that's unrestrained and fearless.
Though I never thought I'd say this, I believe he will surely be a better Alchemist than me."
"Hahaha, that really makes one look forward to it... wait, Alchemist?"
Principal Jiaodao suddenly felt like something was off. He looked back in confusion, and following that, saw Teacher Dade Temple standing beside him with arms akimbo, half-transparent like a phantom floating in mid-air.
Principal Jiaodao's mind blanked out for two seconds.
Teacher Dade Temple? Wait, wasn't he already dead...
Realizing this fact, the bald Principal's eyes widened, unable to suppress a shout of fear.
"Ghost aaah!!!"
Dade Temple: "..."
...
...
"Supreme Sun, Dark Sun, a tactic constructed around the core ability of infinite rebirth..."
Returning to his room, Yugen lay on the bed, checking tonight's spoils.
The silver-haired girl sat on the bedside, attentively peeling the apple's skin. As her fingers gently moved, the fruit knife seemed to come alive, automatically slicing the apple into pieces.
Her fingers moved again. Two forks flew automatically, each picking up a cut piece of apple.
One flew to her mouth, while the other was sent to Yugen on the bed.
Naturally, it was Silence, who traveled a long way from the Elf Realm to settle down. However, she was now dressed in student attire, impossible to recognize her as an elf unless one was exceedingly familiar and looked closely.
"The weakness is fearing removal methods aside from destruction, but this deck is quite interesting."
Yugen vividly remembers when Little Lobster used this deck, the observing teachers and students were amazed at its peculiarity, never having heard of any of its cards.
At that time, Little Lobster proudly claimed that this deck was the embodiment of his own strength, the only one in the world, a symbol of his fate. Just as humans are destined to be the "insects", this deck is the embodiment of his dominion over the fate of all things.
Well, now this fate evidently is under Yugen's name.
Silence directed the fork that brought another piece of apple, simultaneously tilting her head with a gesture.
"Yeah, I know. Tragodia may have perished, but his influence still lingers. A few cards from the Planet Series are still outside."
However, after a brief pause, he soon smiled.
"But don't worry... it won't be long."