"Elemental Hero Flame Wingman's attack!"
"Flame Wingman's effect, inflicting damage equal to the attack power of the destroyed monster on the opponent!"
"We won, what an interesting duel it was!"
Judai happily struck a pose facing the opponent.
Turning back, legendary Gambling God Joey was also brutally dealing with an armored demon soldier.
"The effect of the Reversed Monster 'Dice Pot' - both sides roll a die, and whoever gets the lower number takes damage equal to the opponent's roll!"
"Ahahaha! I rolled a six, and the effect of Dice Pot deals 6000 damage to the opponent player when a six is rolled!"
The demon soldier was instantly taken out by the die roll, turning into light dots and disappearing with a curse mumbled in some local demon dialect, likely saying something akin to "This damn duel..."
It's quite understandable, though. Anyone would react similarly if a die dealt 6000 damage, knocking them out instantly in a card game.
"Ah~ dueling is the best, it's truly exhilarating."
Judai stretched lazily.
"Yeah, totally."
Joey and Judai, arms around each others' shoulders. During their battles in the Other Dimension, they found themselves kindred spirits and had become close duel partners.
Here was the center of the Twelfth Dimension, the dimension where Overlord City was located.
After a long journey, Yugen and the others had projected their consciousness across the Other Dimension over mountains and rivers, resembling heroes on a quest to battle the Demon King, and had finally arrived at this final dimension.
The legendary Overlord was here.
Along the way, they witnessed the harsh lives of those oppressed by the Overlord Army across many dimensions. The army had essentially taken control over the twelve dimensions. Under the military rule of the Overlord Army, the native people lived in hardship.
The closer they got to the dimension where Overlord City was, the more unbearable the chaos became, further cementing their determination to defeat the Overlord on this quest.
"To be honest, I've seen all kinds of duelists."
Joey couldn't help but say.
"But duelists like you are truly rare."
Judai asked curiously, "Me? What's so different about me?"
"Well... it's hard to say. It's just... a feeling of passion?" Joey pondered, "Your dueling feels like there's something inexplicable in it, almost infectious."
"Is that so?"
Judai scratched his head.
"Ahaha, there's nothing particularly special about me. If anything, Yugen is the more unique one..."
"That is true."
Joey nodded, glancing at Yugen beside him.
"Duelists like you are also quite rare."
Yugen shrugged innocently.
As they spoke, the three had crossed a war-torn town, now left in ruins. From the rubble, they could faintly see the silhouette of a dark castle looming over a distant mountain, cutting a foreboding figure beneath the lightning streaks in the sky.
"Hey, could that be..."
Joey looked at the two of them.
"Yeah." Yugen nodded, pausing before saying, "Overlord City... right?"
The three silently regarded the dark castle in the distance, its looming silhouette enforcing a kingly majesty.
"That is... Overlord City." Judai murmured.
Instinctively, he clenched his fist.
Along this journey, he had seen so much - the chaos under Overlord's rule, the oppressed people, and the slain warrior rebels. He even made good friends with some of them.
But through Yugen, he also learned that the Overlord seemed to hold a unique connection to him.
Though Yugen told him that the Overlord was his darker self, to be seen as an opposite counterpart whose actions were separate, Judai still found it hard to come to terms with.
And as they got closer to the castle, he felt an unexplainable connection to the place deep down.
Vaguely, he sensed an existence within the castle that seemed to share a connection with him, transcending spatial boundaries. This solidified what Yugen said and instinctively made Judai feel this was his duty, his mission.
He felt like a hero from an old story, misadventuring into this Otherworld, tasked with defeating the Demon King. This responsibility was his to take on and see through.
He couldn't say why, but he had this gut feeling.
"Okay, let's rush in with all our might!"
"Let's do this tomorrow." Joey considered for a second before saying.
"It's the last day of the weekend today; we've been battling for twelve hours straight. We might need to rest for a bit."
Judai replied, "But I'm not even tired..."
"Mr. Joey Wheeler makes a valid point," Yugen also chimed in, "Continuous dueling is taxing mentally and physically; it indeed affects performance. We won't immediately face the Overlord in person upon entering Overlord City, and we'd undoubtedly face consecutive fierce battles.
Having come this far, we're just one step away, but there's no rush for one more night. We should rest well, adjust our card decks, and prepare to face him in our best state tomorrow."
Seeing Yugen also said so, Judai reluctantly nodded: "Alright."
With that, he took one more glance at Overlord City, extending his hand towards the craggy castle and clenching it tightly.
"I'll be back tomorrow."
For today, the three of them logged out and left it at that.
But on the same day, within Overlord City.
In the deepest part of the castle, surrounded by countless ferocious demons, the dark king slowly opened his eyes on his throne.
They were terrifying golden eyes, shooting sword-like light through the darkness. Those eyes held such majesty, making anyone that stared into them freeze with trepidation. Yet they seemed so hollow, as if missing an essential part of the soul.
"Lord Overlord."
A demon knelt on one knee, crouching low and cautiously asked.
"Do you have any orders?"
"About those otherworldly intruders previously reported," the Overlord stated coldly, "Have they been found?"
"Well... the dispatched scouts haven't returned yet, so we are not yet able to..."
"They are already here." The Overlord interrupted bluntly.
The demon was startled: "You mean... what?"
"They have arrived, nearby, I can feel it." The Overlord said in a deep voice.
But, after thinking about it, he waved a hand.
"Dismissed."
The demon felt as if pardoned, seeming to bear immense pressure just by speaking another word with the Overlord. He quickly nodded and retreated.
The Overlord slowly closed his eyes again.
They were very close; he could sense those intruders.
Or at least one of those intruders among them.
A name - Yuki...
...Yuki... Judai.