"Ahhhh!!!"
The burly duelist, resembling a rugby quarterback, was knocked down by the "ghost" in the haunted house in just a few turns, scattering his card deck all over the floor.
...It really felt like losing a Dark Duel.
Just now, upon finding out that he could pass through by "dueling with ghosts," this burly guy, leaning helplessly against his girlfriend and scared out of his wits, suddenly regained his vigor. He boasted that his dueling skills were unrivaled, claiming even Duel King was just so-so, confidently wanting to restore his image in front of his girlfriend that might have sunk to the Mariana Trench.
And then...
...Then he failed.
In the end, energetic young Judai took the stage, relying on a brilliant thrust with "Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman" to successfully defeat the opponent, leading the team to clear this level.
The staff pretending to be a ghost quickly exited through a secret door after being defeated. A wooden door, originally locked, was popped open with a light "click" sound in front of them, obviously pointing to their next route.
Youyu roughly noticed something was off at this moment.
After passing through the door, progressing not far, Youyu couldn't help but turn his head back for a glance behind.
"What's wrong?" Chinai quietly asked.
Youyu frowned, thought for a moment: "Don't you think this place looks a bit familiar?"
"Huh?"
"Feels like we've been here before."
Chinai hesitated for a moment, awkwardly shook her head.
Her sense of direction has always been terrible, like someone who takes a cab for the shortest route between two points level of bad. Moreover, in the haunted house, she's been clinging to Youyu's arm the entire time, not daring to raise her head; how could she remember if they've been to any place or not?
Being directionally challenged doesn't bother her; it doesn't matter.
Wherever Youyu goes, she'll follow.
"..."
Alright, should've known asking Chinai would be pointless.
They continued down the narrow corridor. On the left was a blank white wall, paint chipped away extensively. To the right were a row of locked classroom doors, their locks rusty.
Somewhere, undoubtedly, emitted a constant chilling wind sound, alongside incessant "clang clang" of metal scraping, sounding like a loose window rattling within a frame eternally.
Still an eerie atmosphere, akin to scenes from a horror movie set with sound and light effects. Others might have noticed something, but Youyu sensed something amiss.
He felt a sense of dissonance, as if stepping blindly into an unknown realm. A restless instinct surged forth like a spring, his consciousness caught the scent of pervasive gloom in the air.
They arrived at the same place for the third time.
Youyu was now certain it wasn't merely his imagination.
The scenery was identical, a replica corridor. Every door, every window's position was unchanged, even the spider webs and cracks on the windows were exactly as before.
Other tourists murmured, contemplating if the organizers deliberately set this up to enhance the horror atmosphere. But Youyu realized it wasn't the case.
"Master."
The ghostly Dark Magician Girl hovered beside Youyu.
"Someone's tampered with space in this area."
"Space?" Youyu muttered.
This wasn't a merely deceptive loop created by design, nor some psychological trick. They were genuinely stuck repeating the same scene, caught in an infinite loop of space.
Similar to a field inescapable from the Darkness Game.
Youyu immediately ruled out the chance this was an intended setup by the organizers—President Haima is averse to all supernatural elements, it's impossible he'd hire a dark game expert to play tricks here.
Could it be... Aigami?
One year past the conclusion of the "Yu-Gi-Oh! DM" timeline, Aigami was the only possible boss Youyu could think of now.
Aigami debuted as the antagonist in the "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions" movie, wielding an object claimed as the "Eighth Great Millennium Item." Aigami's displayed powers could indeed relate to spatial manipulation; he might truly be pulling tricks here.
But the problem is, if the one plotting behind the scenes is indeed Aigami... what does he want with Youyu?
It doesn't add up! Shouldn't he be after either Yugi or Kaiba? How does someone just happen to bear the surname You suddenly become involved?
In the space ahead, waves began to ripple.
Like a stone thrown into a lake, a black figure rose from beneath the water. It was a slender person dressed in black tight clothing, barely distinguishable in terms of gender by physique.
He wore a helmet-like headgear, a black mask covered most of his face, with deep black goggles shielding the exposed eyes.
The bystanders looked bewildered one by one.
Could this be the next segment's ghost impersonator?
But with this outfit... there's no element of horror at all.
It rather seemed like a high-tech warrior from some sci-fi set.
The black-clothed man snapped his fingers.
A massive and obscure shadow emerged behind him, a dragon head lifted within the abstract contour, letting out a fierce roar!
The sound was majestic and powerful, like a thunderous explosion. Dust fell from the teaching building's roof, spider webs broke apart, all glass simultaneously shattered into pieces amidst the screams.
The domineering impact rampaged like a devil traversing the sealed corridors, sweeping the bystanders off their feet.
Chinai clung tightly to Youyu's arm, holding the bewildered young Judai in her other hand.
Until now, everyone realized—
— That was not a holographic image!
The colossal shadow behind... genuinely had the power to kill them!
"What's happening? Is this also part of the organizers' design?"
"Unlikely! How could a holographic image exert such powerful force?"
The black-clothed man ignored their cries and anxiety, slowly made a gesture.
Probably a sign to "act."
The shadow moved again. A head emerged from the darkness, illuminated by its self-produced fire. A stream of flames surged forth like magma spewing from a volcanic vent, closing in amidst the sealed corridors.
Everyone's inner beings screamed danger signals, akin to desperate pleas of hopelessness in the face of death.
If hit by that...
...They would really die!
"Huh!"
The scorching impact met a shield of flowing water head-on. The azure and refreshing water quickly heated up, evaporating swiftly, forming a large cloud of white steam.
A water-blue armored warrior crouched on the ground, positioned before Youyu, both hands conjured a water shield to block the fiery assault.
Masked Hero: Mist Water!
Perhaps overlooked by others all along, maybe it was too dim; now someone seemed to finally recognize Youyu's identity.
"Masked Hero?"
"It's the Masked Hero! So this guy is..."
"Duel King Youyu!?"
"Were we really with Youyu all along!?"
Sss~ The master was by my side.
Chinai timely let go of Youyu's arm, pulled young Judai aside. Youyu stepped forward, facing the black-clothed individual.
"Who are you?"
The person didn't directly answer, simply raised the Duel Disc in his hand.
"Duel King Youyu."
He spoke, his voice raspy and murky beneath the mask, sounding as if spoken through water.
"Dare to accept the challenge?"