The sword light of the Chaos Warrior descended, and the black mist that made up the Little Lobster's body finally couldn't hold on any longer, beginning to gradually contract and collapse, just like a puddle evaporating under the sun.
"Damn it... forget it. Anyway, I've almost absorbed enough power from this place. Even if I stay longer, I can't gain more..."
The Little Lobster glared icily at Yugen.
"You're lucky this time, but I've remembered you, Duelist. We'll meet again soon..."
He paused as he spoke, his voice growing even colder.
"Perhaps much sooner than you imagine..."
By the time he finished speaking, his figure had completely faded, disappearing into thin air.
"Is this guy... the real culprit behind all this?" Iwao murmured as he gazed at the vanishing darkness.
"It should be."
Yugen silently drew out the card deck that the Little Lobster had just used, stood up, and returned to his motorcycle.
"Let's go, don't we have a plan to execute?"
"Oh yes... Let's hurry."
Iwao quickly turned around. The power station was already right in front of them, and the two of them charged ahead at full speed.
From what was said earlier, Yugen thought that the zombie crisis here was likely also the work of the Little Lobster. Referring to the comic, the Little Lobster was dug up by an archaeological team known as the animation massacre engine, but he remained in a half-sealed state even after emerging, with only a tenth of his original power.
Perhaps he turned this town into his personal dining hall, a source of nutrients for his revival. Every "zombie" was a tool to help him absorb more sustenance, and everyone attacked and absorbed by darkness would become the next zombie.
Speaking of which, the process of the Little Lobster being sealed was quite humorous.
He used to reside within an astrologer, and while attempting to sneak into the Pharaoh's Forbidden Palace, where Duel Monster Stone Tablets were stored, he was caught by the priests.
The priests summoned the Elf "Feathered Chestnut Ball," and from the comic, you can see that the feathers on the Feathered Chestnut Ball at that time were pure white. The Chestnut Ball had the ability to extract the criminal's heart and place it on the priests' "Thousand-Year Balance" for judgment of their sins.
The Little Lobster sneered as he watched the priests take his heart and place it on the Thousand-Year Balance. The priests were shocked to find that once the criminal's heart was placed on the balance, the one side of the balance immediately crashed onto the floor with a bang, representing that the darkness within him had surpassed the measuring limit of the Thousand-Year Balance.
It was then the Little Lobster triumphantly laughed and revealed his true form, arrogantly saying, "Fools, stupid priests? Tremble under the might of the grand master!"
In the end, the priests took out the Thousand-Year Divine Artifacts and easily subdued him, which left the Little Lobster realizing that his strength could only manifest less than half of its usual power, shocked and bewildered.
Wait? Where's my heart?
Without a heart, I can't exert strength?
He realized the humor point only then.
Just now, to show off his unfathomable inner darkness, he allowed the Feathered Chestnut Ball to take away his heart, place it on the Thousand-Year Balance, and forgot to take it back...
Thus, the Little Lobster roared unwillingly, sealed by a few priests working together...
Cause of death: showed off and sold his heart.
Possibly the most humorous reason for a boss car crash in Yu-Gi-Oh! history...
But even so, the priests were more shocked to find that this creature, even sealed in a stone tablet, managed to retain consciousness, cursing them inside the tablet across generations. Such powerful creatures were rare even in the priests' careers.
At that time, every priest couldn't help but wipe their sweat.
Close call, it was fortunate this being was so mighty, yet seemed mentally challenged, otherwise, there wasn't a guarantee of victory in a face-to-face match...
The Little Lobster said they would meet soon again, making it clear it wasn't his true form encountered here. Although this fragment possessing the body was eliminated, the true form's whereabouts remain unknown.
Additionally, this world isn't entirely consistent with the comic, and how much Tragodia has revived is unclear. If he already found his lost heart from three thousand years ago and returned to full form, that would be truly tricky.
In that case, another way to exploit his mentally unsharp weakness must be considered.
For now, however, the focus should remain on the immediate task at hand.
Boom!
The wall collapsed with a loud bang, and the Silent Magician emerged from the broken wall.
All the zombies were drawn to attention, shrieking as they converged toward this direction. Floating in mid-air, the Silent Magician waved a magic staff, and Magic Light Bullets scattered like a rain of blossoms in the air.
The continuous blasts accompanied by the zombies' horrific screams filled the entire hall with the scent of explosion smoke and dust in an instant.
The remaining tasks were all too simple.
The Silent Magician alone almost held off all the zombies, covering the two as they both stormed into the control room.
Iwao was the first to dash into the control room, while the Silent Magician cast a massive array at the doorway. The Wizard Zombies merely touched the array's edge, getting repulsed, unable to approach at all.
"We did it!" Iwao exclaimed.
Inside the power station, the machinery roared to life, and electricity quickly spread through cables, delivering power to every corner along the complex routes.
"Ha, easier than expected," Iwao laughed heartily, "Let's go."
The retreat route was planned long ago with the power station map, and next, they only need to leave through the emergency passage. At the retreat point, new motorcycles already awaited. From there, they'd ride back to the base...
...It's meant to be like this.
Yugen walked ahead, leaving first through the emergency passage exit.
Iwao followed right behind. But just as he saw the exit looming near, he heard a thump.
His only escape route, the metal door merely steps away, ice-cold closed before him.
Iwao paused, then hurried forward to the doorway.
Through the iron window, Yugen stood silently on the other side, moonlight casting an eerie chill across his face.
Having left first, Yugen shut the door without a second thought, trapping Iwao on the other side.
"You... why!?" Iwao asked incredulously through the iron window.
"I've already removed the magic array isolating zombies on the other side of the passage; in about thirty seconds, they should arrive here."
Yugen looked at Iwao, locked inside, and said leisurely.
"Why!?" Iwao's eyes were nearly splitting, "Aren't we teammates!?"
"I don't quite recall anything like that."
As they spoke, zombie noises emerged from the corridor behind.
Several quick-running ones had already squeezed into the corridor, advancing step by step towards where Iwao stood. Within ten seconds at most, he'd probably be overwhelmed by the zombie horde.
"Open the door!"
Iwao angrily thumped the door.
Yugen waved his hand: "Wish yourself good luck."
With those words, he turned to leave, leaving behind the burly man's enraged howls, door thumping sound, and the sound of zombies in the background.
But he hadn't walked far yet.
Bang!
Astonishing energy erupted from behind the sealed iron door, with the deformed metal panel blasted outward like a discarded slip of paper.
"Tsk, can't be dealt with that easily, huh..."
Yugen stopped in his tracks, turning back towards the direction.
Seeing the panel blasted away by brute force, Iwao stepped out slowly, an eerie green glint in his eyes. The zombies surrounding him had all collapsed in a disorderly heap.
The entire aura around him had clearly changed and was now distinctly different.
"I knew it," Yugen looked at him unsurprised.
"You're not Iwao, right?"
"Iwao" halted several meters ahead of him, sneering coldly, lazily asked.
"When did you start suspecting?"