Ding!
The elevator doors slowly slid open amid the roaring storm, the crisp chime sounding especially jarring at a moment like this.
The wind at the top of the tower was more than ten times stronger than on the ground. In that instant, the gale carried icy rain into the elevator like countless tiny blades.
Without hesitation, Sasori stepped forward. His black leather coat snapped in the wind as his golden slit pupils locked onto the figure standing at the edge of the platform, laughing with their back turned.
He had been searching for the Shadow Duelist.
And now, he had found him.
There. At the very source of the city's distortion.
Dark purple energy churned like magma erupting from the depths of hell, gathering beneath that man's feet into a massive, writhing ritual circle. At its center, Hisaki stood with arms spread wide, reveling in the destructive rain.
"So it really was you… Hisaki!!!"
The name was forced out from deep within Sasori's throat, carrying not just rage, but three years' worth of poison steeped in injustice and regret.
The figure slowly turned around.
Under the flashing lightning, the gold-rimmed glasses on Hisaki's face reflected a chilling white gleam. He narrowed his eyes, a seemingly refined yet grotesquely twisted smile curling at his lips, like he was admiring an insect caught in a trap.
"Well, well~ if it isn't the stray dog from back then.
"Sasori boy~"
His voice pierced through the rain, dripping with mockery. His once handsome face was stretched into something exaggerated and grotesque from sheer excitement, like a cheap clown mask.
"What, prison food not to your taste? So you came all the way here looking for a little 'spiritual nourishment' from me?"
"Shut up!!"
Sasori stepped forward violently, water splashing in all directions.
"Three years ago… it really was you who hurt Yumi?!"
At the mention of that name, Hisaki's expression changed abruptly.
The madness vanished, replaced by a disturbingly gentle warmth… like a saint. His gaze softened, his voice lowering as if soothing a child to sleep.
"Ah… Yumi. My dearest, most beloved little sister."
He gently stroked the broken locket on his chest, as if it still retained some lingering warmth.
"She was so cheerful, so generous, always like a little sun.
"And as for her Soul Power… and that Destiny Power blessed by nature spirits… it was simply… the finest—"
His voice stopped abruptly.
The next second, his face twisted again, as if crushed by an invisible hand. His eyes burst with a nauseating fanaticism.
"Which is exactly why… she made the perfect sacrifice! Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHA!!!"
He threw his head back, laughing wildly in the rain, as if savoring some exquisite delicacy.
"Using a soul of that caliber as the key to pry open the gates of the Spirit World… that's the greatest honor for a member of the Kuga family! Don't you agree? Hm? Sasori boy~?"
"It's all your fault… Hisaki!!!"
Sasori's fists clenched so forcefully his nails nearly dug into his palms. That girl who used to share meals with him in the alley, smiling and saying she wanted to become everyone's idol… had been reduced to a 'tool' by her own brother?!
"My fault? No, no… how could that be called a fault?"
Hisaki wagged a finger, as if correcting a child.
"You should call it my achievement!
"Look. People have always lamented unfair fate, haven't they? 'No talent,' 'not chosen by spirits'… how pathetic!"
He suddenly turned, pointing toward the towering dark purple pillar behind him, his voice rising like a preacher delivering a grand sermon.
"But now! Look! The gates of the Spirit World are about to open!
"This is an opportunity. An absolutely fair opportunity I offer to all mortals! As long as you defeat the Duel Spirits that come through, you can seize their power directly and take their decks! How selfless, how magnificent is that? Sasori!!!"
"You…!!"
Sasori was enraged with his whole being. A dark violet aura erupted around him like flames, even forcing back the surrounding rain for a moment.
"For such a ridiculous reason… you'd take so many lives again, just like three years ago?! You'd trample on Yumi's soul again?!"
He raised his left arm sharply. With a mechanical transformation, a silver-red Duel Disk unfolded instantly. Killing intent burned tangibly within his golden eyes.
"What do you think human lives are worth?!!"
Bzzzt!
With a harsh electrical sound, the Duel Disk on his arm fully deployed. This was no ordinary activation; thick, ink-like black mist flowed down his arm, rapidly engulfing the entire dueling field.
This was a technique only those who had truly stepped into the abyss could wield:
A Shadow Game.
"Oh? A Shadow Game… looks like you haven't been idle these past three years. You've improved quite a bit."
Hisaki adjusted his glasses, a playful smile curling at his lips. He raised his hand slowly, and the writhing dark purple energy behind him condensed into a tangible Duel Disk, the embedded gem pulsing like a living organism.
"Then let's begin! My turn!"
His eyes burned with manic excitement, like a mad artist about to unveil his masterpiece.
"Let me show you… the power I obtained from that world.
"Power that surpasses mortals! Spell Card—[Card Destruction]!"
He slammed a card onto the field.
"Effect resolution: Both players discard their entire hands, then draw the same number of cards from their Decks."
As he spoke, he gracefully—yet nauseatingly—sent all four cards in his hand to the Graveyard.
"I offer up all the cards in my hand—[Shaddoll Beast], [Shaddoll Hedgehog], [Shaddoll Core], and [Shaddoll Fusion]—as sacrifices to this endless abyss… and draw four brand-new fates!"
Kuga's jaw tightened, saying nothing as he viciously flung all five cards from his hand into the Graveyard slot; He quickly drew five cards from the top of his Deck. His movements were rough and filled with killing intent, as if every draw was a blade swung at his opponent.
Hisaki's gaze swept over the cards Sasori had just sent to the Graveyard, letting out a sharp sneer.
"Hah… how unexpectedly nostalgic. After all these years, you're still keeping company with those stupid frogs and lowly insects? You really haven't changed at all. "That nauseating… aura of a weakling."
"Cut the crap! Just show me what you've got!"
"No rush. The real show is only just beginning."
Hisaki extended his slender fingers, moving them through the air like he was playing a piano.
"The 'Shaddoll' in the Graveyard are calling. According to the rules, we stack the Chain automatically—C1 [Shaddoll Core], C2 [Shaddoll Hedgehog], C3 [Shaddoll Beast]! Later effects resolve first!"
With a sharp wave of his hand, dark violet light shot up from his Graveyard.
"First, we resolve C3—[Shaddoll Beast]'s second effect: when it is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I also get to—draw one card!"
Swish.
A card slid smoothly into his hand, as if everything was proceeding exactly according to his script.
"Next is C2—[Shaddoll Hedgehog]'s second effect: add one 'Shaddoll' monster from the Deck to the hand. Come, [Shaddoll Squamata]!"
The Deck automatically ejected a card, and a grotesque lizard illustration fell into his palm.
"Finally, C1—[Shaddoll Core]'s second effect: recover one 'Shaddoll' Spell/Trap from the Graveyard. Return, the key that opens the gate—[Shaddoll Fusion]!"
From a single hand destruction, after this dazzling sequence of resource manipulation, Hisaki's hand not only didn't decrease… it swelled to a full six cards like a rolling snowball!
This terrifying resource engine made Sasori's brows lock together.
So this is… the so-called "power of Shaddoll"…?
"It's not over yet! Now comes the real highlight!"
Hisaki raised the Spell Card he had just recovered high into the air, the smile on his face twisting to the extreme, as if he had waited far too long for this moment.
"Spell Card—[Shaddoll Fusion], activate!!"
"I send [Shaddoll Squamata] and [Shaddoll Falco] from my hand to the Graveyard… intertwine those forbidden souls with shadow, and be born within that abyss of despair!!"
The air at the top of the tower instantly froze. All the rain was repelled in that instant by some terrifying force field, and a massive black vortex—seemingly connected to another world—slowly opened behind Hisaki.
"Fusion Summon!! Descend, my greatest masterpiece! [El Shaddoll Winda]!!!"
BOOM!!!
Violet-black lightning tore through the night sky.
At the center of the vortex, a figure riding a grotesque beast slowly emerged.
Sasori felt as if his heart was being crushed by an icy hand.
That figure… that silhouette in a tattered green dress… even as a lifeless puppet, still the one who haunted his every thought…
Her eyes were closed. Her once vibrant green hair had turned dull and withered, like dry grass drained of all life. Thick, visible purple threads pierced deep into her joints and spine, suspending her midair like a marionette.
"Yumi…?!"
Sasori's voice trembled; this was the first time in his life he had ever made such a broken sound.
Even as a card monster, even radiating an aura of utter death, there was no way he could mistake her.
That was Yumi!!
"What's with that expression?"
Seeing Sasori on the verge of collapse, Hisaki let out a delighted sigh.
"Overwhelmed by this long-awaited reunion, unable to speak? Look at her. How beautiful she is… This is the ultimate secret art I obtained from the Spirit World: Resh Shaddoll Incarnation."
Like he was showing off a priceless treasure, he gently tugged at the threads on his fingers.
The puppet called "Winda" stiffly raised her head, her once lively eyes now filled only with a chaotic violet glow, staring hollowly at Sasori.
"Though I didn't luck out like those others and just pick up some powerful monster card… who cares? I'm a genius! I figured out how to 'create' Shaddolls."
His voice was as gentle as if he were telling a bedtime story, while every word was a poisoned blade stabbing straight into Sasori's heart.
"All you need is a fresh body… filled with top-tier Soul Power. Simple, right? Efficient, right?
"Cheer up, Sasori! This is the reunion you've been longing for… so moving, isn't it? Hahahahaha!!!"
"You… monster!!!"
Sasori's eyes instantly became bloodshot, his golden vertical pupils shrinking into thin slits. Endless killing intent caused the black mist behind him to surge, as if it would solidify into a demon and tear the man before him apart.
Despite that, Hisaki stayed unmoved, still immersed in his performance.
"Oh my, don't be so angry. My turn isn't over yet."
He pointed to the Graveyard.
"The second effect of [Shaddoll Squamata] in the Graveyard activates: send one 'Shaddoll' card from the Deck to the Graveyard.
"I choose… a second [Shaddoll Core]! Unfortunately, Core's effect isn't once per turn. So—activate Core again, and recover that [Shaddoll Fusion]!"
That nightmare-like Fusion Spell returned to his hand once more, like a lingering ghost that refused to disappear.
After finishing all this, Hisaki gracefully spread his hands like a magician who had just taken his bow.
"And with that, I end my turn.
"Now then, your move, Sasori-boy. Facing your beloved 'Yumi'… can you bring yourself to strike?"
...
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