Chapter 333: Sorrow, Grief, Howls (Requesting Early-Month Guaranteed Monthly Tickets)

This is a story about a "hero."

Many years ago, as a child, Ed Phoenix was innocent and carefree, like other children, dreaming of heroes and imagining himself becoming an outstanding duelist.

For a time, he even fantasized about following his father's path—not becoming a duelist, but becoming a card designer for International Illusion Corp.

Yet everything changed on that day.

That evening, when Ed returned home, he did not find his father waiting for him, but his father lying on the floor, lifeless.

Around his father lay scattered cards; the windows of the house were shattered, and the cold wind pierced his body and soul like icy blades.

The only thing left to him was his father's final creation: the "Hero D Series."

On a hazy, sorrowful rainy day, at his father's funeral, he met Saiou, met D. D., and stepped into a new life that felt as if it were spinning in place.

His life stopped at that moment. The clock seemed pierced by a dagger, rendering time utterly motionless.

His physical strength, dueling skill, intellect—all continued to grow—but his heart remained frozen in that night.

He once considered relying on the police, but after endless waiting, he abandoned faith in them.

If the police could not find the killer, then he would do it himself!

Using the Destiny Hero his father left behind.

He disguised himself as a hero across the world, punishing those who robbed or stole cards, searching for his father's murderer.

He grew stronger through cards, even earning Beccas's praise.

But—

This was not what he wanted at all.

Ed Phoenix no longer wished to think about any of it.

He left Kaiba Corp's site, found D. D., and when he arrived, the spirit village was already filled with smoke and death.

Taking the "Seal" was not enough—D. D. used card power to annihilate the entire village, killing the TV reporters and professional duelists who had come with him.

Because of the Dark World's invasion, D. D. had the chance to unleash his inner destructive urges without restraint.

When Ed arrived at the scene, all he saw was D. D., laughing madly.

There was no need to think anymore—

Even if he refused to believe it.

When those screams and corpses appeared before Ed, he no longer needed to think.

D. D. had never been a kind, gentle man; his heart was filled with madness and destruction!

Yet, instinctively, he screamed at the top of his lungs to his adoptive father: "D. D!! What is the truth?!"

What he received was D. D.'s mad laughter—and the truth of that day.

Yes—

On that day, "D. D.," his father's "friend," felt the cards' call, heard that immense power, and his long-suppressed greed finally erupted—his envy of his father, his hunger for power, drove him to commit murder.

Friendship? Just false pretenses.

Adopted son? Watching Ed spin uselessly every day made him want to laugh!

"Why? Hahaha... Isn't the pursuit of powerful cards every duelist's instinct? Just like you—you're using Destiny Hero, something no one else can use, aren't you??"

"D. D!! For a reason like this?!" Ed roared.

He opened his dueling field and began a duel with D. D.

In that instant!!

He suddenly realized the scene before him had changed—everything around him vanished: the flames, the screams, D. D.'s mad laughter—all gone. Only a vast, pure white space remained.

He froze.

"Ed."

Ed Phoenix whirled around.

There, he saw his closest friend—a figure exhausted beyond measure.

"Saiou!?" he gasped. "Where is this? What did you do?"

Saiou ignored Ed's shock, forcefully interrupting his thoughts: "Ed—listen to me."

"Say it!" Out of trust in his last remaining loved one, Ed immediately suppressed all his doubts and nodded lightly.

"Ed... listen to me. The card in the hands of the man before you is the Card of Annihilation of Light—the first to descend upon this world years ago."

As Saiou spoke, his figure grew increasingly translucent: "Annihilation of Light is far stronger than we imagined—and evolves faster than we ever dreamed!"

Ed, still reeling from the revelation that his adoptive father had murdered his biological one, now heard his closest friend claim Annihilation of Light was even more powerful than he thought—his mind, already chaotic, grew even more muddled.

Then, he forced himself to calm down and listen to Saiou's explanation.

According to Saiou, Annihilation of Light was the root of all beings' "destructive urges," the origin of all madness and war. Originally, it existed only in their world—but with the advent of dimensional exploration, its power, amplified across countless dimensions, grew stronger and began spreading toward all dimensions.

Thus, its influence on humanity became ever more terrifying.

The "Ultimate D" carries the original power of Annihilation of Light when it first entered the human world—the most basic, purest source. If these powers are nourished by Ed's Destiny Hero and then returned to Annihilation of Light's current vessel, the resulting amplification may give birth to an even more horrific card.

"Ed... don't let your mind be clouded—don't... sizzle—don't let pain consume you..." Saiou's words were cut short as his body twisted and grew translucent.

"Saiou!?" Ed cried out desperately.

"No matter what you see, no matter what you do—don't let him control you!" Saiou's body grew ever more ethereal, fading into nothing but a voice. Ed reached out to grasp him—but the next instant, the scene around him snapped back to reality.

At this moment, D. D. had already summoned three Level 1 monsters and stood there, smirking.

Ed took a deep breath.

No matter what he saw, he must not lose his composure...

He was a relatively calm duelist, and he had endured separation and death—generally, nothing could make him so furious or pained that he lost control.

"Sacrifice the three monsters on the field for a Special Summon! Hahaha—Ed, this is the Ultimate D you've dreamed of night and day!"

"Special Summon: Destiny Hero Blood Demon-D!"

The three monsters erupted with wounds; then, from within their bodies, they split open, screaming in agony as their blood was ripped from their flesh and surged into the sky.

Countless spirits' blood and human blood converged from all directions, coalescing into a massive blood sphere—then, the sphere exploded violently, unleashing a terrifying rain of blood over the spirit village!

A warrior with bat-like blood wings slowly rose from the blood sphere; blood churned across the village, darkening the sky and driving away spirits who had come to scavenge.

The terrifying warrior slowly spread his wings, raised his right hand, and descended like the most horrifying demon of all.

Blood Demon-D!

Ed clenched his teeth.

This was the most important card his father created before his death.

But since it had been stolen, he had prepared himself for a direct confrontation with Blood Demon-D.

This level—

"Ed..."

Suddenly, Ed's eyes widened.

Within Blood Demon-D's wings, amidst the endless blood, he heard a familiar voice—a voice he had longed for.

"Ed!!" A figure emerged from within Blood Demon-D's body.

"Dad... Dad?!" Ed stood frozen in shock.

"Hahaha, what a beautiful reunion," D. D. laughed. "You didn't know, did you? Your father's soul has been tormented inside Blood Demon all this time. Hahaha... But it doesn't matter—I'll reunite you two!"

"... D. D.!!!" Ed's eyes glowed with eerie black-purple light; countless strange black vapors rose from his body. The light shone upon him, making his silver-white suit appear utterly black.

He could see—

His father wanted to tell him something, but was controlled by the evil force, writhing in agony, unable to convey his message.

"D. D!! I won't let you go!"

With that, Ed completely cast aside his friend's fate. Anger and grief shattered the final thread holding his sanity.

He no longer cared!

In a daze, he thought he heard a sigh.

He felt as if he were still a child, still trapped in that night—the night his father died before his eyes.

The chains of fate bound this tragic hero tighter and tighter.

Thirty minutes later.

Ed stood before the village now reduced to a sea of fire, holding a single card.

D. D. was indeed the strongest professional duelist in the world.

But...

That was in the past.

In the wind, D. D.'s mad laughter still seemed to echo.

Ed looked down at the "Blood Demon-D" in his hand—the card seemed to sneer, mocking him, despising him.

Within the card, "blood" flowed into his body, overwhelming and seizing control of the Hero powers that had once resisted darkness.

In the air, a voice still seemed to guide him.

Saiou's faint voice still whispered to him.

He still had a chance—a chance to break free from fate's chains—the voice repeated endlessly.

But...

At this moment, he could no longer tell that the voice was no longer his beloved friend's gentle tone, but a seductive, deceitful, gleeful whisper.

"The sun..."

(End of Chapter)