The instant Karasu's LP hit zero, the referee's voice boomed through the entire stadium like thunder.
"Duel over! Contestant Yusaku wins!!!"
The commentator's shout exploded out a moment later, overflowing with barely restrained excitement.
"He won! Contestant Yusaku takes it! Even against the perfect opening board Karasu put together, he still managed to reverse the duel with overwhelming force! And especially Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon's Graveyard effect - that was the move that decided everything in a single stroke, crushing Karasu's defenses completely! This was a textbook comeback, a duel for the history books! Yusaku's skill is simply unfathomable!"
The crowd erupted instantly. Cheers and applause rolled through the arena like a tidal wave, as everyone roared themselves hoarse over that unbelievable comeback.
On the field, Karasu stood frozen in place, completely lost, staring at the fading afterimages of Yusaku's monsters as they slowly vanished with the end of the duel. His eyes churned with unwillingness and despair.
Yusaku closed his Duel Disk and gave him one calm look, then turned and walked away, leaving behind nothing but a proud, solitary silhouette.
His figure disappeared beyond the arena doors. With a heavy thud, the noise of the stadium was sealed behind him, and at last, silence returned to his ears.
Yusaku lifted a hand and rubbed his temple. The tension wound tight through his nerves during the duel slowly began to ease, and several half-transparent spirit figures quietly appeared at his side.
Melo was the first to dart out.
"Master, where are we going now?"
Yusaku thought for a moment, then his voice softened a little.
"I haven't taken you all out to relax in a while. Let's head into the city and look around. We can pick up something good to eat too, then buy a lot and have a party tonight."
"A party? Yay!"
Reina and Melo instantly lit up and started spinning happily around him.
Watching the two little ones get so excited, Nymph and Hades exchanged a smile, their eyes full of warmth.
They had no idea how long they had walked when the spirits suddenly stopped in unison and turned toward a narrow, shadowy alley nearby.
Following their gaze, Yusaku looked over. The alley was dimly lit, and from deep inside came the faint hum of a Duel Disk activating and the sharp, brittle sounds of cards clashing.
He hesitated for only a moment before walking in. For a duelist, duels hidden in the forgotten corners of a city always carried a deadly sort of appeal.
At the far end of the alley, two duelists stood facing off in a tense standoff. One of them was already breathing hard, barely hanging on with just one monster left on the field and LP that had fallen below the danger line.
The other stood as steady as a mountain, his field packed with monsters and overflowing with pressure.
Yusaku had only just stopped to watch when the weaker side's last monster suddenly shattered, and their LP instantly dropped to zero.
"Duel over."
The winner's voice was low and hoarse, carrying a coldness that sent a chill down the spine.
Before the words had fully settled, the defeated duelist suddenly let out a shrill scream. The agony and despair in it sounded enough to tear his throat apart.
Yusaku frowned slightly. In front of him, that figure slowly turned transparent amidst the screaming, then became a brilliant yet icy streak of light that condensed and shrank into a single card, dropping to the ground with a sharp clack.
The man in the black robe bent down to pick it up, but in the very next second he spun around, his gaze sharp as a hawk's, locking directly onto Yusaku.
His whole body was hidden beneath a wide black robe, the brim pulled low enough that only a pool of shadow could be seen beneath it. His face was impossible to make out. The dead, oppressive aura around him felt as if it could freeze even the air itself.
Sensing Yusaku's stare, the robed man slowly raised an arm. The Duel Disk at his wrist whined to life, glowing with a sinister red light.
And then, just as he seemed about to issue a challenge, he stopped.
From beneath that shadowed hood, a sharp gaze swept over Yusaku, carrying scrutiny and the faintest trace of wariness.
A moment later, the man slowly lowered his arm, and the red light on the Duel Disk dimmed and went out.
"It won't be long before we meet again."
That hoarse voice sounded once more.
With that, the black-robed man did not linger. He turned and strode quickly toward the other end of the alley, the hem of his robe slicing through the air and leaving behind a fleeting blur before vanishing into the shadows.
"Weren't you going to duel? Why'd you run for it?"
Yusaku muttered under his breath as he walked toward the far end of the alley. He had just bent down to pick up the card when hurried footsteps suddenly came from the alley entrance.
"Found you!"
The voice sounded slightly anxious.
Yusaku looked up and saw a man in a blue combat outfit hurrying over. He had a hard, resolute face, eyes sharp as blades, and a Duel Disk on his wrist as well.
He rushed up to Yusaku. His eyes first swept over the card on the ground, then landed on Yusaku. Letting out an annoyed sigh, he said, "Still too late... Are you from Fusion Dimension?"
Before Yusaku could answer, the man suddenly raised his Duel Disk, and a bright blue light flared.
But just then, the spirit perched on his shoulder - Kuriphoton - leaned in and chirped something urgently into his ear. The man's movement stopped at once.
His eyes swept over the spirits gathered behind Yusaku, and his pupils narrowed slightly. The arm holding up the Duel Disk slowly lowered.
"So many spirits are willing to follow you... Then you're not from Fusion Dimension."
He muttered that to himself, then put away his Duel Disk. The look in his eyes softened a little.
"Sorry. I misunderstood. My name's Kato. I'm from Xyz Dimension."
"Yusaku."
Yusaku gave his name simply.
"Was there a man in a black robe here just now?"
Yusaku nodded.
"That explains it." Kato looked at the card on the ground, his tone grave. "That man in the black robe is a servant of Fusion Dimension. They use a special kind of duel to seal the loser into a card and drain their power. The only way to free someone who's been sealed is to defeat the person who sealed them."
Kato paused, then looked at Yusaku with a solemn expression.
"The people from Fusion Dimension are vicious and unpredictable. You need to be careful. Especially that man just now. His strength is absolutely not something you can take lightly."
After saying that, he bent down, picked up the card carefully, tucked it away, gave Yusaku a nod, and ran back out of the alley, quickly disappearing into the flow of people on the street.
After Kato left, Saya stepped out from among the spirits, worry in her voice.
"I saw people dressed just like that black-robed man in the ruins I visited before."
She lowered her head a little.
"There were several of them, all wearing those robes. They were looting the ruins and forcibly sealing the spirits guarding them into cards too. I'm a little worried about Labrynth and the others..."
Hearing that, Yusaku lifted a hand and gently ruffled her hair.
"Don't worry. Right after the match ended, Labrynth already sent me a message. The group they were tracking got wiped out by another faction. To avoid exposing themselves, they didn't keep following them. They're already on their way back, so we'll probably run into them here tomorrow."
He smiled softly, his tone light.
"So don't worry about it. Today, our top priority is relaxing. There seems to be an amusement park nearby. Want to go there and have some fun?"
At that, the tension in Saya's face finally eased, and she nodded.
"I see... then I'm relieved."
Reina floated over from the side and patted her chest.
"Exactly. Saya, don't worry so much. You know how good Labrynth is at running away. She's got a castle that can teleport whenever she wants, and her deck is famous for being an absolute nightmare."
She grinned.
"Back when spirits and human duelists used to duel her, which one of them didn't end up looking dead inside?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Melo chimed in too, tugging at Saya's sleeve.
"Master said they'll be back tomorrow. Then we can all play together!"
As she said that, she and Reina flanked Saya from both sides and pulled Yusaku toward the alley entrance.
"Come on, Master! If we wait any longer, the amusement park's going to close!"
The amusement park was packed and lively. Yusaku spent the whole time accompanying the spirits as they tried every ride.
On the carousel, they turned into trails of light, happily chasing one another around. Inside the Ferris wheel cabins, they pressed against the windows and stared down below with open curiosity.
Even on the roller coaster, though they were scared, with Yusaku there beside them, they still gathered their courage and rode it together.
By the time the sun began to set and the evening sky turned crimson, the crowds at the park had gradually started to thin. Only then did Yusaku leave with the spirits, all of them thoroughly satisfied, and return to the private room prepared by the Duel City tournament organizers for the contestants.
As soon as he got back to the room, Yusaku took out the Quantum Cube and gave it a light squeeze. The cube immediately burst with dazzling light, and as the glow spread, it built an independent space inside the room.
Within that space was a clear hot spring wrapped in rising steam, surrounded by lush green plants. The air carried the faint fragrance of grass and trees, making it feel like a paradise isolated from the rest of the world.
The instant she saw the hot spring, Melo let out a cheer, stripped off her clothes in a rush, and jumped straight into the water. Reina followed right behind her. The two of them splashed and played in the pool, scattering sparkling water everywhere.
Yusaku also stepped slowly into the spring and leaned back against the edge. The warm water wrapped around his body and instantly washed away the exhaustion of the day.
Off to the side, Nymph, Hades, and Saya looked at one another in silence. Their faces were flushed red, and none of them dared move forward.
Noticing how awkward they were, Reina curiously stuck her head out of the water.
"Aren't you getting in? It feels amazing!"
Melo stopped splashing too, tilted her head, and looked at them.
"Big sisters, aren't you coming in for a soak? It's really, really nice!"
Yusaku smiled faintly.
"Come in and relax a little. If you're shy, I can close my eyes."
"Shy?" Reina stood up without the slightest embarrassment and lifted her chin. "What's there to be shy about? It's not like Master hasn't seen plenty already."
"Exactly!" Melo nodded over and over. "I'm not shy at all, so what are you all being shy for?"
In the end, after Yusaku coaxed them a few more times, the spirits finally came in one by one with reddened faces, carefully stepping into the hot spring.
They avoided getting too close to Yusaku and curled up in the corner of the spring, sneaking glances at him every now and then before hurriedly looking away again, their cheeks red enough to drip.
Yusaku did not bother them. He simply soaked quietly and enjoyed the rare peace.
"Wow! Hades, yours are so big!"
Melo's voice suddenly rang out.
At that, Yusaku reflexively glanced over in curiosity.
But the moment he turned his head, he met Hades's cool stare.
Yusaku coughed dryly twice and quickly looked away again.
"They're like little melons! About the same as Nymph's!" Melo said excitedly, gesturing with her hands, then looked down at herself and muttered in a small voice, "Mine are so tiny... If they were bigger, would they hurt when something big bumped into them? I saw Master's hand on Nymph's before..."
The moment those words came out, Nymph, who had been sitting at the edge of the pool drinking fruit juice, nearly choked and burst into a fit of coughing.
"M-Melo!"
At her big sister's scolding, Melo instantly drooped and buried her whole face in the water, blowing bubbles.
But before long, her muffled voice drifted back out again.
"Saya's and Reina's are big too! I heard if you rub them more, they'll get bigger. Is that true?"
Nymph finally snapped and shot a look toward Siren at her side.
"Siren!"
Siren smiled faintly and tapped a finger through the air. A streak of blue light instantly flew out. Melo suddenly felt her throat tighten and immediately lost the ability to speak.
Watching the spirits fool around, Yusaku could only shake his head helplessly, though a smile still tugged at his mouth. He looked away again and continued soaking, enjoying the rare comfort.
After bathing, Yusaku busied himself in the quantum space for a while longer, bringing out the snacks and drinks he had prepared earlier. Before long, a small party was underway.
The spirits gradually let go of their shyness and started playing around him. Their silver-bell laughter filled that tiny little world once again.
In the middle of all the commotion, clothes of every color and design were tossed carelessly into the corner of the space.
Only late at night did the party finally wind down.
One by one, the spirits tired themselves out and fell asleep in a heap. Yusaku too lay down on the soft bed with a satisfied smile and slowly closed his eyes.
The next morning, the first rays of sunlight slipped in through the window and gently fell across Yusaku's face.
He slowly opened his eyes and was about to get up when he felt weakness in both legs and a deep ache all through his body.
"Looks like I can't go that wild next time."
Yusaku shook his head helplessly and slowly got to his feet, stretching a little.
He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already eight in the morning. There were only thirty minutes left until the semifinal started.
Pressed for time, he washed up quickly and was just about to head out when Hades sat up on the bed, rubbing her sleepy eyes, her voice still carrying the lazy softness of just waking up.
"Not sleeping a little longer?"
Yusaku smiled and reached out to ruffle her hair.
"You all get some rest. Especially you. You stayed up with me the latest last night."
The instant she heard that, a faint blush spread across Hades's cool face. She shot him a look, but did not push his hand away.
"Then be careful. If anything happens, call us."
"Don't worry."
Yusaku snapped his fingers with a smile, and his figure instantly disappeared from the quantum space, returning to the contestants' lounge.
After straightening himself up a little, he put on his Duel Disk and headed for the arena.
By then, the tournament organizers had already prepared breakfast at the top of the tower for both the contestants and the spectators.
Yusaku walked over to the buffet and had just bitten into a bun when a familiar cold aura suddenly spread behind him.
He whipped around at once and saw the same black-robed man from the alley yesterday now standing behind him.
The robed man walked up beside him slowly and let out a low, cold laugh.
"I told you. We would be seeing each other again very soon. In today's match, I hope you won't disappoint me."
With that, he gave Yusaku a meaningful look and turned toward the arena entrance.
"We haven't even drawn the bracket yet, and you already know you'll duel me? Interesting."
After finishing his bun in two bites, Yusaku also started toward the arena.
At that moment, the commentator inside the stadium was already giving the final round of warm-up commentary.
Once that finished, the host, Ishino, strode quickly to the center of the stage and pressed down on the draw machine, which looked just like Bingo Machine, GO! GO!. The semifinal drawing ceremony officially began.
Several golden balls marked with contestant numbers whirled and bounced rapidly inside the transparent glass chamber, clinking loudly against one another.
Two of them then rolled out one after another from the mouths of the sculpted Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon heads on either side of the machine and landed neatly in Ishino's outstretched palms.
He glanced down quickly at the names and numbers written on them, then raised both hands high.
"The first semifinal duel: Yusaku!"
"And... Nightshroud!"
The moment that name was announced, the arena instantly exploded into a wave of noise so loud it seemed to shake the heavens.
In the player tunnel, hearing the name of his opponent, Yusaku raised an eyebrow.
"So it really is just like he said... This draw is a little too convenient. Still, it doesn't matter. If you're from Fusion Dimension, then let's see what kind of strength you really have."
(End of Chapter)
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