"Storm Summoner... Great Saturn..."
Keith raised his head to the sky, collapsed on the ground, and before him was the deep, endless night sky above Duel Academy.
As a professional Elf Hunter, he had spent his life plundering. He had taken so many elves and cards that he couldn't even remember.
But being backfired by his own stolen card, this was absolutely the first time.
He lay on the ground, and after a moment, a face appeared in his vision.
So handsome, yet shadowed in the moonlight, eyes like blades, cold, sharp, and seemingly mocking.
"You..."
Keith struggled to speak.
"You knew all along..."
"You knew I would take your monsters, you deliberately summoned the Storm Summoner and Great Saturn. These two monsters were traps themselves, your... your plan all along was for me to take them..."
This was already quite obvious.
Otherwise, who the hell would use such self-destructive monsters as trump cards?
When the Storm Summoner is destroyed it burns its own life, and Great Saturn's life burn functions like a human Destruction Wheel, but it had to be triggered by "opponent-controlled card effects". This goal that requires cooperation from the opponent showed a rather clear intention.
In any case, when Keith looked at Yugen again, his ominous face was full of two words.
Targeted.
The Storm Summoner and Great Saturn were openly dug pits that he eagerly jumped into, voluntarily burying himself and erecting his own gravestone, deluding himself into thinking he gained a huge advantage...
Looking back now, this duel was a huge pit from the very beginning. In the opponent's eyes, he probably looked like a clown, complacent and oblivious.
But Yugen just looked at him, condescending, his expression indifferent yet relaxed, calmly saying.
"Indeed, that was my plan. I knew your Elf Hunter tactics and strategies. The outcome of this duel was fated from the start, just like your fate and the fate of all Elf Hunters."
Keith frowned, "What?"
Yugen smiled.
"You plunder so many elves, do you really think you can forever avoid retribution and not be counterattacked by elves?" Yugen said, "This duel reveals your destiny.
You plunder with dirty means, control with violence and technology, but all this will erupt one day.
Those who cannot harness elves with the right heart simply have no place as a duelist."
Keith sneered at these words.
"The right heart? Are you that kind of boring duelist too, Fujiki Yugen?"
"You think I haven't tried? You think I don't want to take that broad path you speak of?"
"But I can't do it!"
He became agitated, trying hard to stand, but weak and exhausted, he collapsed back, pounding the ground with a fist.
"People like you just don't understand! Betrayed by your own cards, unable to be favored by cards! Elves... humans are simply unworthy of heartfelt bonds.
Duelists with such pure and righteous hearts... don't exist..."
As he spoke, Keith's pupils suddenly constricted, his mouth agape, as if he saw something exceedingly terrifying.
And indeed, from his perspective, it was.
He saw... elves.
Not one or two, but a thick swarm, constantly appearing in his view, groups of elves continuously emerging, some looking cold, others with hostility.
He recognized them all.
They were all elves he had harmed, captured.
"No... don't..."
Keith began to panic.
He swung his hands in front of him, shouting sharply.
"Stay away from me!"
"Don't look at me with those eyes!"
"Don't..."
But it was useless. All those elves, captured by him and now freed by his defeat, suddenly turned into pure energy. That energy gathered into dazzling white light, one after another rushing into his body.
"Aaaaahhhh—"
Keith let out a heartrending scream, his body began twitching, enveloped by the energy until he himself became pure white light, and started to slowly dissipate.
Yugen watched expressionlessly.
Mina seemed a little frightened by the scene, couldn't help but whispered, "Um... boss, should we stop this? Or...?"
"There's no need."
Yugen calmly replied.
"Since he chose to become an Elf Hunter, he should understand what it entails. When he plundered, harmed elves from countless duelists, he should have expected a day like this."
He paused and added sinisterly.
"This guy also inherently possessed the 'Elf Affinity' ability of a duelist. Being a duelist, he should understand the rules of being one. He made his choice and should know the cost of that choice."
Ultimately, the light the elves became completely engulfed the hunter, turning into specks of light that disappeared in the wind.
Looking on from behind, Ammon couldn't help but swallow hard.
As the strongest spy of the Galem Financial Group, Ammon naturally knew elves had powers beyond reason. If not, the group wouldn't have sent him to Academy Island to investigate the mysterious elf card Kobra possessed.
But even for him, it was the first time witnessing a human killed by elves, seeing up close the dangerous power of elves.
Indeed, relying on technological devices to suppress and control elves like the Elf Hunters is essentially playing with fire. This mindset bears resemblance to the genius designer Franz of the International Fantasy Association who was in charge of the Winged Divine Dragon project.
Except, compared to the hunters, that guy played on a much larger scale. The hunters just captured ordinary elves, while he aimed to capture a Phantom God.
If Yugen hadn't nipped that dangerous thought in the bud, perhaps today's grass on Franz's grave would already be meters tall.
Yugen stepped forward, bent down, and took the card deck from the Duel Disc left by the Elf Hunter.
But not only this, he continued to search the person, rummaging through his body, and indeed found more cards.
Most weren't powerful cards, many were One-Star or Two-Star, even utterly worthless Mortal Bones. But no matter how weak or unremarkable the cards, they all shared a characteristic.
They were all elves.
The elves now also peeked from within their cards, floating around, their gaze fixed on Yugen.
"I know most of you are plundered elves."
Yugen calmly said.
"I'm not an Elf Hunter, but I am willing to take in any elf... of course, given you wish to stay.
For those wanting to return to your original owners, I will use my resources to help you find your original holders, restoring you to them."
Yugen paused, glancing at them all.
"So now, does anyone wish to leave?"
The elves looked at one another, none showed a desire to depart.
Ammon once again swallowed hard.
Although most of the elves present weren't strong, their numbers were enough to call them an army.
He then glanced at the direction where only a Duel Disc of the Elf Hunter remained, recalling the gruesome scene of that hunter's disappearance...
Ammon shook his head.
If there's one crucial thing he learned from today's encounter, it's definitely this—
—No matter what, never provoke the Duel King.
Otherwise, the consequences might be unimaginable.