"Your Highness!"
As soon as she spoke, the entire hall was thrown into chaos.
"Please reconsider, Your Highness!"
"Yes, if you leave, the castle..."
The Vampire Princess turned around, faced her subordinates, and said softly, "The castle wasn't going to hold out much longer anyway; we can't stay here forever.
I've known this for a long time, and you should too."
The vampires in the palace looked at each other, speechless for a moment.
"You've relied on me, willing to give your all to fight for me, and I've always been grateful for that. But the truth is, I can't do anything, and I can't protect anything either.
One day, the Overlord Army will send a real army here, or the Overlord himself will come to end our anxiety-filled days. It's only a matter of time.
From the beginning, we've only had one way out."
The vampires fell silent.
"So you've decided to... confront the Overlord?" asked the Cursed Vampire.
The Princess nodded.
"On my own, I have no chance of winning. I don't want to... and I can't take you with me to die meaninglessly."
She paused and looked sideways at Yugen and Judai.
"But these two, travelers from the Otherworld, extraordinary Duelists... I sense something different from them.
Perhaps it's something that could bring a glimmer of hope to defeat the Overlord. I don't know, but I'm willing to bet everything on it and offer my all."
Judai, confident, smiled and said, "Don't worry, the Overlord is something we can easily defeat. We promise to knock him down and make him search the ground for his teeth."
Politely, the Princess bowed in thanks to him, though her exquisite face showed no emotion. The red moon shone through the window, casting a glow on her pale face, which looked almost transparent.
The Blood Race looked between Yugen and their Princess. This turn of events came too suddenly, and they were naturally uneasy about their Princess deciding to run off with two unknown men. At that moment, none could think of how to dissuade her.
Only the Cursed Vampire, who had personally experienced Yugen's power, after a brief mental struggle, stepped forward.
"I understand. If this is your decision, and if this is the only way you see fit... then do what you think is right, Your Highness.
But remember, no matter where you are or what decisions you make, we are always with you."
"Thank you." The Princess nodded, "From now on, the castle is entrusted to you. And if I don't return..."
"That won't happen."
The Cursed Vampire shook his head, looking meaningfully at Yugen.
"For some reason... I believe in this warrior from the Otherworld too."
Judai, hands on hips, placed one hand on Yugen's shoulder, laughing, "See? I told you, you can always trust Yugen. He's the unbeatable Duel King."
Yugen gave him a quirky look, stepped aside to avoid his hand.
Unbeatable sounds like a debuff, something he definitely didn't want.
"Don't worry, before you return, I'll hold down the castle. Although I can't accompany you..."
The Cursed Vampire stepped forward, briefly closing his eyes. Blood mist gathered in his hands, as if splitting from his body, transforming into a card.
He handed the card over, knelt on one knee, passing it to the Princess.
"At least allow me to provide you with my strength."
"Alright."
The Princess nodded, accepting the card.
Suddenly she turned, closing her eyes for a brief moment. Her form became translucent amidst swirling black air, transforming into a card in Yugen's hand.
Yugen received the two newly appeared cards.
Cursed Vampire, limited edition original effect, with the infinite reviving ability.
Vampire Princess, trap cards and blood-for-attack abilities. More importantly, a card hosting a real elf.
Elf +1.
With a new elf joining the team, Yugen gladly accepted, especially as this Princess was accompanied by an army of vampires.
The location of the Overlord City was roughly known, but it was not within their current dimension. They needed to first head to the nearest rift in this dimension, connect with other dimensions, and enter the higher dimension to get closer to the Overlord City.
However, it was already late, and today's activities were almost done. After a discussion, Yugen and Judai decided to stay overnight at the Vampire Castle, log out for reality, and continue forward tomorrow night.
Judai, reluctant to leave, wished to play a little longer. But when Yugen reminded him of Professor Chronos's class and the upcoming quiz, he gave up the thought of catching vampires for a few duels and logged out.
Returning to reality.
Yugen got up from bed, removed the linking device, and threw it aside, heading to the bathroom to wash up.
A shadow drifted out from the Duel Disc he took off, transformed into a spirit body, silently standing in the dorm room.
The Vampire Princess blinked, slowly gazing around, curious about everything she saw.
This is the world the Heroes come from.
The dimension filled with Duelists, as spoken of in the Elf Realm's legends.
The Princess curiously looked around, then suddenly froze, a bit stunned.
Because she saw the White Robe Mage she'd encountered on the battlefield, fighting like an Unrivaled War God amidst enemy lines. With silver hair and immaculate white robes, they stood silently in the room corner, staring back at her.
Briefly puzzled, the Princess soon realized it was a senior, and waved her small hand politely.
"H... Hello," she said.
The Silent Magician still didn't speak, simply gazing at her.
Before she felt awkward, a voice sounded from behind: "Don't mind her, she's like that with everyone. Even the master hasn't heard her speak."
The Princess turned back and saw Artificial Human Soga had appeared behind her. She recognized him too, as being summoned by Yugen during the battle outside the castle against Dark Realm Knight Zor.
But before she could speak, a shadow revealing an evil aura appeared from the side.
Evil Emperor Gaius: "Heh, just another nobody trying to play the senior's role."
Initially arms folded and looking superior, Soga instantly became angry: "Who are you calling a nobody?"
"Well, who knows?"
"You better show some respect to the seniors," Soga's eyes flashed with dark light, indicating he was ready to fight, "or I'll teach you a lesson myself."
"Senior? You, who can't survive two rounds, dare call yourself a senior?"
"You think you're better than me?"
"I've claimed kills for the master!" Gaius exclaimed, "Have you?"
Soga angrily shouted, raising his hands ready to cast Telekinesis Wave.
"Wanna fight?"
Gaius wasn't afraid, poised to counterattack.
"Do I fear you?"
With both of them having 2400 points, there's no reason to fear each other!
About to clash, the bathroom door suddenly creaked open.
Yugen walked out yawning: "What's going on out here, you two causing trouble?"
Just exiting, he noticed Soga and the Evil Emperor were now showing a buddy-like stance.
"Nothing, master, just demonstrating our excellent team environment to the newcomer," Gaius boomed.
"Exactly," Soga nodded repeatedly in agreement.
The Princess: "..."
She suddenly began to doubt whether she had made the wrong decision.
The days ahead might be tiring...