The Cursed Vampire collapsed to the ground from a counterattack. Feeling life slip away was like having all strength drained from the body, and he lay limp as if his bones were gone, unable to muster even a thread of energy.
Completely defeated.
Yet, it did not feel like losing a normal duel.
He could already see that the opposite card deck never had any frontal confrontation tactic right from the start. Little monsters like Amazon Warriors and Magic Mirror Guides aside, even the supposed ace-level monsters turned out to be like this.
A Ten-Star Monster!
It was the first time he had ever seen a Ten-Star Monster in his life, and it seemed unsurprisingly it would be the last. However, this creature neither fit his past fantasy of a Ten-Star Monster in style nor in ability.
Can you believe a Ten-Star's withdrawal...
If Yugen heard this thought, he would find it amusing.
This is just the beginning.
Naive Otherworldly People, being deceived by something like Amazon Swordsmen and Yubel, felt they couldn't take it anymore.
If they ever hear of a card deck called "Witch," would they just drop dead from shock?
It can only be said that the Underworld path never appeared from nowhere in any era; it has never ended in Yu-Gi-Oh's long history. As the environment keeps accelerating, mainstream decks get stronger, and the nuisance keeps intensifying, always having a place in the environment.
Mainstream plays unfold faster and become more magnificent, while the nuisance's suppressive power grows daily, having a place in any era.
The Vampire's worldview even starts shaking accordingly.
The only Ten-Star big shot he met in life turned out to be a 0-attack self-isolator, making him wonder whether it's possible that his understanding of duels has been wrong all along?
Is it possible that the real master's duels are conceptually different from the chicken fights among lower-tier elves?
Maybe duels are supposed to be like this...
The more he thought about it, the more possible it seemed. Reflecting on the duel just now, the opponent not only crushed him on the field but also broke through his psychological defenses, making him more and more irritable as the battle went on. Calmly reflecting, it was an excellent psychological strategy.
Unfortunately, it seemed this was the end for him. Though possibly glimpsing the truly superior card prowess at life's end, he could only stop here.
"Sorry, Your Highness, I can't fight to the end for you..."
The Vampire slowly closed his eyes.
Then, he realized a problem.
Wait, why am I still not dead?
Logically speaking, in the Elf World life-and-death duel, life points reaching zero would mean his real life was exhausted, he should be dead by now...
Opening his eyes, he saw Yugen calmly walking up to him. He noticed Yugen wore a sinister pendant, surrounded by black aura, exuding a wicked yet dominant ruler aura that dared not be looked at directly.
"You... won't kill me?"
The Cursed Vampire said in a deep voice.
"We aren't part of the Overlord Army... Besides, you might be surprised to know we're on the same side."
Yugen walked up to him with a gentle smile.
"We're heading to Overlord City to cause trouble."
Heading to Overlord City...
The Vampire was shocked, eyes wide as if trying to see through the expression if this person was really spouting nonsense.
Going to find the Overlord? That invincible Overlord!?
It was said when the Overlord originally descended upon the lands, rebellions were endless, constantly having dissatisfied elves and local forces rise to challenge.
But ultimately, the Overlord crushed twelve dimensions with overwhelming power, all challengers without exception became corpses beneath the Overlord's throne.
At some unknown point, no one dared challenge the Overlord anymore. Even though the Blood Race kept resisting, nobody dared harbor the thought of challenging the ultimate throne.
Because it's impossible.
Overlord's strength was not of their dimension, which had become common sense. It was an invincible symbol, an undefeated War God, challenging him was seeking one's own death.
"By the way, if it's convenient, could you point out your Blood Race's whereabouts so I can check it out on the way..."
The Cursed Vampire was even more surprised.
He didn't even know where the Vampire Castle was?
If he were a local, that should be common knowledge. The castle had stood there for countless years, the nearby Overlord Army had attacked multiple times, yet till now couldn't breach it.
But rumors said the Overlord Army had called reinforcements from elsewhere, not knowing when they would attack again. It was precisely because of this the Vampire felt increasingly anxious, not knowing if their castle could withstand this calamity.
The man before him didn't even know the Vampire Castle's location, indeed looking like an outsider traveler.
Thinking of this man's strength, the Cursed Vampire also quickly imagined that if the reinforcement from the Overlord Army were someone like this Grand General, the castle might truly fall.
The Blood Race hesitated, but ultimately shook his head: "I won't tell you."
Though starting to believe the two were unrelated to the Overlord, he maintained a hint of caution.
Yugen understood, didn't ask further, just knelt before him and slowly extended his hand.
The Vampire watched this person squatting down, the eerie black aura tangled around the hand, the pendant's glow flickering, giving an ominous feeling.
His body instinctively wanted to retreat, but found hands and feet seemed bound by invisible black fog, unable to move no matter how much he tried, only able to watch the fingers gradually approach his face.
The cold sensation rushed over, making him feel like falling into an icy cave. He nervously asked: "You... what are you going to do?"
"Oh, I'm trying a new trick I learned recently. Don't worry, it's just about opening your mind to take a look." Yugen smiled.
"!?"
Would you listen to what you're saying?
He instantly realized it was a Dark Duel technique!
This was also a mere rumor in the Elf Realm. In the Elf Realm, although summoning monsters for duels was real damage, what duels could decide was only life and death. The winner could turn the loser into ashes, but that was all.
Yet, it was different for the rumored Dark Duelist. Through a Dark Duel, one could do far more than kill; it included control, mind-reading, soul-binding, and more.
However, only high-level strong people in the Elf Realm might master such power.
The Cursed Vampire truly felt something invading his mind, turning pale: "You... you're going to mess with my mind..."
"Don't move around, you won't get hurt. At most, it might just ache a bit... hmm, probably."
Judai watched Yugen, wanting to say something but ultimately stayed silent.
Just thinking, Yugen increasingly looks less like a good person...