Masked Hero Dark Claw, the final blow!
The ultimate strike of the Dark Hero shredded the body of Doomking Balerdroch, and the residual power, undiminished, struck Bakura directly with a black vortex.
The violent wave caused the Millennium Ring hanging on Bakura's chest to spin wildly, his clothes pulled taut by the air currents, and his facial muscles distorted into an unnatural expression under the high-pressure impact...
... commonly known as "gag face."
But even at this level of a Darkness Game, despite the 2400 points of Life Points damage, Bakura was surprisingly resilient and endured it.
He staggered on his feet, his knees buckled almost to the point of collapsing, his whole body emitting black smoke, yet the annoying smile remained at the corner of his mouth... still trying to act tough.
"Heh, this level of a tickle can't bring me down..."
The pretentious words weren't even finished when Bakura suddenly saw the streamlined jet-black armor appear before him, a steel leg shot forth accompanied by a whistling gust and an arc of dark energy, rapidly enlarging in his field of view.
"...Eh?"
Bakura was momentarily dazed, and the next second, his face was struck by nonhuman strength. Masked Hero Dark Claw's powerful leg strike hit him in the face, the force spreading in ripples across his cheek, distorting his facial muscles into an even more grotesque state.
Bakura's head tilted—a moment when he seemed to hear the crack of his own neck bone. The force exerted on his head pulled his entire body backward as if he were a human cannonball fired by a Masked Hero, soaring across the entire hall and shooting straight into the far back wall.
Boom!
A deafening crash, dust erupted all around. Along the way, Bakura even smashed through a thick support pillar, the collapsing column shattering into three or four pieces on the hall floor, dust and debris falling from the roof.
Finally, he crashed directly into the innermost wall, his posture exaggerated to the point of looking almost comical, embedded in so deep that it couldn't be pried out.
The onlookers around were dumbfounded, even the players were a bit shocked—
—The duel is over, his Life Points hit zero, and yet the Monster continues to bludgeon him?
Damn Youyu, isn't this too ruthless?
Not playing by the rules!
Yet it's not over!
With Youyu's thought, Dark Claw propelled itself off the ground, the black figure shot through the air like a ravenous wolf, heading straight for Bakura!
Unlike other spirits, the Masked Hero is a manifestation spawned from Youyu's power through duel after duel, being closely linked with him.
This is somewhat like the spiritual connections seen throughout the Yu-Gi-Oh! DM series—there's no need for spoken communication; information can be transmitted through thoughts.
However, this particular Masked Hero spirit seems newly born and seldom initiates feedback to Youyu. Generally, it only receives commands from Youyu unilaterally and executes them faithfully.
If faced with a life-threatening situation, when Youyu doesn't have time to summon other spirits, and they can't come to aid immediately, with a single thought, he can release any form of Masked Hero spirit to battle.
...A concept akin to a "Stand" in certain anime settings.
Surprised, aren't you, Bakura? My Stand is a Masked Rider!
Bakura was still embedded in the wall, possibly dazed and unable to see clearly, when Dark Claw had already rushed over, landing a brutal barrage of punches upon Bakura's face.
In an instant, dust billowed, and debris flew within the hall, the entire structure seemed to tremble unceasingly. Masked Hero's fists relentlessly pounded Bakura, driving his body deeper into the wall with each punch, eventually engulfing both their figures in dust, rendering outlines unrecognizable...
The onlookers couldn't help but gulp.
Especially those Doma henchmen, already intimidated by Youyu, now witnessing such a brutal scene, each involuntarily took a few steps back, away from Youyu.
They couldn't help but imagine—if they were the ones being beaten into that wall, at which punch would they be pulverized into a mosaic?
Too terrifying, too terrifying, never provoke this short-tempered Duel King again in this lifetime...
Youyu stood with hands in his coat pockets, watching Dark Claw relentlessly beat Bakura in the wall, yet he frowned.
He was just trying this out of a fluke, honestly.
However, he estimated... this might not be of any use anyway.
Who is Bakura, after all?
The Great Evil God Sock, the final BOSS of Yu-Gi-Oh! DM. He's been defeated numerous times in Darkness Games, lost his soul and body in wagers, endured a "Thunderforce Attack" from "Slifer the Sky Dragon" in top-tier Darkness Games, and took a "Divine Power Flame Cannon" from "The Winged Dragon of Ra" in another game of the same level...
...Yet right up to the finale, he's still lively, neither missing an arm nor a leg.
This guy is like an indestructible cockroach, ordinary Darkness Games can't possibly obliterate him, not even the power of the Three Egyptian Gods.
Here, Youyu took the opportunity while Bakura was defeated in a Dark Duel, at his worst, to let Dark Claw seize the moment and land as many blows as possible.
Although the logic says it won't kill him, but what if?
Or if at least he's severely wounded, needing rest for ten days, half a month, then he'll have no time to go to Egypt to cause trouble for Yugi, which seems rather good.
In any case, there's no harm in giving him a good beating first.
Bakura had an "MMP" to say...wait, many things to say, but couldn't find the chance just yet...
Of course, the distinguished Great Evil God Sock wouldn't possibly get Ora Ora-ed into a mosaic straight away.
"Enough!"
A weighty, resonant shout exploded in mid-air of the hall. It wasn't in Bakura's voice, but something deeper, as though coming from somewhere in the void.
An immense force erupted suddenly from Bakura's location, golden light shooting in all directions—that was the glow of the Millennium Ring!
The Masked Hero Dark Claw grunted, abruptly sent flying backward, rolling down the hall steps in a rather awkward state.
The golden glow originated from the Millennium Ring on Bakura's chest. He slowly stood up, cracking his twisted neck back into place, realigning his dislocated arm, and staggered forward.
For ordinary people, they'd have been beaten dead countless times over, but Bakura seemed unaffected, his injuries rapidly healing at a visible rate.
The Millennium Ring hanging from his chest had somehow fused into his flesh, as if becoming a part of his body. The clothing on his chest tore, revealing skin with bulging veins, the Millennium Ring melded with the visible sinew.
"The Great Evil God... truly a monster." Youyu commented, "Just lost in a Darkness Game, yet able to unleash power of this level instantly."
"I should be saying I underestimated you." Bakura sneered, "Youyu... it seems you're even more intriguing than I thought."
He tried to speak nonchalantly, attempting to stand upright, but paused midway, coughing violently, blood oozing from his mouth.
He wiped away the blood from his mouth with a tut: "Tch, human bodies are such a hassle, is this the limit... hmph, whatever."
He raised his head and looked at Youyu again.
"Originally, I intended to finish you off right now... but I've changed my mind. Killing you now would be too boring, heh, you've earned the right to partake in the upcoming grand show."
Youyu: "?"
What does he mean by the upcoming grand show, could it be...
Thinking this, he saw Bakura wave his arm, tossing a small golden item through the air.
Remaining vigilant, Youyu didn't catch it himself, but let Masked Hero Dark Claw catch it instead.
Dark Claw handed it over to him, revealing a pure golden metal eye resting in the black gloved hand.
It was the Millennium Eyes, one of the Seven Great Millennium Items!