Yugen immediately thought of a famous monster from Yu-Gi-Oh! Level Series. The Phoenix God of Nephthys had once been strong, able to revive after being destroyed by effects and clear the back row, and had even been limited. Later, it developed into a full Deck theme.
"That was many years ago," the mage Spirit continued. "I only know the stories. The place has been abandoned for as long as anyone can remember."
"They say it was once a powerful tribe. The faithful who worshiped the Phoenix God guarded treasures passed down through generations. They could speak with the divine, receive its protection, and even call upon its manifestation."
"But no one knows what happened. Some say a disaster wiped them out. After that, the tribe vanished, leaving only the Ruins of the village and this forgotten statue."
A Spirit carrying an axe added, "If the tribe of the phoenix were still here, perhaps with their guardian's power and our alliance, we might have resisted the Dark God."
"Who can say," the mage sighed. "Perhaps the Dark God saw the phoenix's power as a threat and destroyed them first."
The Spirit fell silent.
As he descended the mountain, Yugen looked back once more at the giant phoenix statue. Though worn and dim with age, it still carried dignity and a sense of life. The eyes were carved especially vividly, as if they had watched countless sunrises and sunsets.
He decided to remember the place and come back before leaving. If nothing else, perhaps his handsome face and sunny personality might move the Phoenix God to wake up on the spot.
Or, failing that, he could return with Judai Yuki. If the Phoenix God would not give him face, surely it would show proper respect to Judai Yuki with Innate Card Affinity and the bearing of a true overlord.
They soon arrived at the town of the Spirit. When the townsfolk heard that the captured warriors had returned, they were overjoyed. After learning that the prophesied hero had defeated Bone King, they all looked at Yugen with awe and admiration.
He did not recognize a single one of them, and they seemed like ordinary civilians of the Spirit World. If turned into cards, most would probably be low level vanillas.
But when a blond Marauding Captain in armor stepped forward to greet him, Yugen recognized him at once.
Was that not the famous Marauding Captain?
Because it was such a commonly used monster card in the outside world, and he had seen it several times before, Yugen was sure he was not mistaken. The one standing before him really was Marauding Captain.
Or rather, it was that monster, just in a slightly different form. He still wore the same armor from the card art, but there was no sword in his hand. Over the armor he had tied a white apron, and on his head sat a chef's hat, giving him a strangely cheerful look.
So Marauding Captain apparently had a hidden identity as a cook besides charging into battle. Yugen's expression turned odd as he vaguely recalled seeing this outfit in some card illustration.
"I have already sent people to search for the companion you mentioned."
After leading Yugen to what looked like a warrior camp, Marauding Captain warmly invited him to sit and personally brought him a bowl of hot soup.
"Here, give this a try," Marauding Captain said with a broad smile. "I have some interest in the culinary arts and am fairly confident in my skills. This is a new dish I developed today, and everyone who has tried it has given it high praise."
A passing warrior muttered under his breath, "Because the ones who did not praise it are still lying down and cannot speak."
Marauding Captain turned around with a cold face, and the warrior hurried off.
Yugen fell silent.
Now he remembered. There was indeed a card called Marauding Captain, and its artwork showed Marauding Captain cooking in a camp.
By the outside world's time it should still be the middle of the night, and after all the commotion he was a little hungry. But whether food from the Spirit world was compatible with humans had never been tested, so to be safe he politely declined.
"We gathered all the Spirits in the nearby area who were capable of fighting," Marauding Captain said. "But the subordinates of the Dark God were too strong. Our forces kept retreating and suffered heavy losses. If not for the hero arriving at just the right time..."
He turned solemnly. "On behalf of the comrades who were rescued and everyone in this camp, I must express our gratitude."
"There is no need. I was just passing by, and I do not plan to stay long," Yugen said honestly. "If you expect us to remain and help you fight, you may be disappointed."
"It is all right. We understand. The true body of the Dark God is in Duel World. If the source is not dealt with, defeating one Bone King will only lead to another The Agent being raised."
As he said this, Marauding Captain suddenly grew serious.
"But what I truly wish to say is this."
He stood up and walked to a sealed box at the side of the camp, unlocking it with great care. From the way he handled it, it looked as though he were about to draw the finest sword in the village. Yet when he opened the box and strapped the item onto his arm, it turned out to be a peculiar Duel Disk.
It was shaped like a sword and normally rested in a thick sheath. If carried on the back, it would look just like a greatsword.
Yugen could not help imagining it. A wandering swordsman sees injustice, shouts, pulls the blade from his back, only to reveal a Duel Disk, loads a Deck, and challenges the opponent to a duel.
Perhaps this was simply how things worked in the Spirit world.
"I have heard that the hero defeated Bone King with ease and possesses rare and powerful strength."
Marauding Captain dropped to one knee, his expression sincere.
"Please teach me the secrets of Duel!"
"It was because I was too weak and too useless that so many comrades fell and so many were lost. I do not want to continue like this."
"I want the power to protect everyone and protect our home!"
Yugen was speechless.
After a moment of thought, he said, "It is true that I defeated Bone King. But the way I conduct Duel may be somewhat different from yours."
Even the Duelists in the outside world were already quite straightforward. From what he had observed, the Spirits were even more so when it came to dueling.
He had once thought that if a Deck was truly an extension of a Spirit's being, then their bond should be perfect and their topdeck luck even stronger than that of Duelists. Yet in reality, those who stood at the pinnacle of the path of cards were always Duelists. Compared to fighting personally, the Spirits seemed to perform better as warriors under powerful Duelists.
If one lacked strong topdeck luck, Yugen did have some ways to achieve quick results in dueling. But he was wondering whether such methods would be considered crooked by these straightforward Spirits.
However, Marauding Captain seemed to misunderstand him.
He probably took it to mean that power required a price. In many cases that was true. In the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!, many powerful cards demanded powerful souls to control them, and cards that granted extraordinary destiny to a Duelist often carried severe side effects.
Determination flashed across Marauding Captain's face.
"No matter what becomes of my body or mind, it does not matter! If I can gain the power to protect everyone, even if I must sell my soul to a demon, no, even if I must become a demon myself, I will not hesitate!"
"No, that is not what I meant," Yugen said.
After thinking it over, he stood up.
"Forget it. Waiting is still waiting. If you truly wish it, let us have a Duel. I will demonstrate."