Chapter 114: Reflection of Destruction

[You Xuan, LP 4000 → LP 2500]

Xie Er: "."

Watching You Xuan abruptly pull out that "Abyssal Herald," the muscles in his face twitched several times; for a long moment he seemed about to speak but held back, unable to find the words.

Abyssal Herald—from its effect description, it was clearly a player-targeting card; it forced the opponent to send one of their own monsters to the Graveyard, much like a duelist tributing their own monster.

In other words, this thing could deal with those all-resistant big brothers that were "unaffected by any card effects."

Just moments ago, they had said that a duel was a collision of souls, that through dueling one could read each other's hearts and achieve mutual understanding.

So if one could read anything from dueling this fellow opposite them, it was probably that his entire soul was saying: I don't care for all that nonsense; I just want to win.

And if, while winning, he could happen to create a little joy along the way, so much the better.

"But thinking you can finish off the King of Despair with such tricks won't be that easy!" Xie Er shouted. "I activate my face-down card, the Trap Card 'Mirror Swamp Man'!"

"Declare one Attribute and one Type; this card becomes a Normal Monster of the declared Type and is Special Summoned."

"I declare 'DARK Attribute' and 'Fiend Type,' and Special Summon 'Mirror Swamp Man' as a DARK Attribute Fiend-Type Trap Monster!"

[Mirror Swamp Man, ATK 1800]

"Now comes the resolution of 'Abyssal Herald's' effect! With this, I now have two DARK Attribute Fiend-Type monsters on my field."

Calmly, Xie Er drew that Swamp Man Trap Card once more and sent it to the Graveyard zone of his Duel Disk.

"Therefore, I choose the 'Mirror Swamp Man' that has become a DARK Attribute Fiend-Type and send it to the Graveyard."

The Swamp Man that had just appeared was immediately swallowed by the abyss, dragged into the boundless darkness. With a substitute taking its place and leaving the field, the King of Despair was preserved.

"Ah, even that move was neutralized," Judai said with regret. "This guy is truly strong."

You Xuan: "Then I Normal Summon 'Warrior of Zera.'"

Xie Er: "!"

The effect of that thing—

He remembered: both monsters involved in battle were removed from play. A violent board-clearer; if it came up and slashed once, his King of Despair would not survive.

"Tch, another troublesome monster," Xie Er said grimly. "Then I activate my face-down card, the Trap Card 'Trap Hole': when your opponent Summons a monster with 1000 or more ATK, destroy it immediately!"

And so Warrior of Zera never got the chance to show her prowess, falling straight into the deep pit and exploding into fragments.

But You Xuan paid it no mind, simply raising another card in his hand.

"Then I banish from play two monsters from my Graveyard: the LIGHT Attribute 'Warrior of Zera,' and the DARK Attribute monster 'Stubborn Old Magician' that was earlier discarded to the Graveyard by your 'Morphing Jar.'"

"The souls of Light and Darkness are sacrificed within the field of Chaos, calling forth the descent of the legendary strongest warrior! The heavens and earth open—

—Chaos Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, Summon!!!"

The souls of Light and Darkness merged into one; chaotic magical power erupted skyward. Blades of light and darkness cleaved through the curtain of light, soaring particles coalesced into powerful arms, and heavy armor plated with golden patterns appeared as the blade swept down with the force of splitting heaven and earth.

[Chaos Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, ATK 3000]

"So you have finally appeared, the spirit of the legendary warrior."

Xie Er said in a low voice.

"Then in this duel, I shall claim this spirit as well."

"If you can win, of course," You Xuan said, waving his hand. "Battle Phase! I attack 'King of Despair · Demis' with 'Chaos Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning'!"

"Beginning Double-Slash!"

Judai, standing aside, held his breath and watched intently.

He knew that Envoy of the Beginning had an effect that granted an additional attack after destroying a monster in battle. With Xie Er's Life Points at 2500, if the King of Despair was destroyed by battle and the follow-up attack went through, a single strike from Chaos Soldier would decide the duel!

But of course Xie Er had a counter: "I open my face-down card! Quick-Play Spell 'Command Silencer'!" (Anime-original card)

In the original work, this Quick-Play Spell was used by Kaiba against Yugi in the Sky Arena; Kaiba described it as being able to revoke a duelist's attack declaration. He said that even Osiris, if it could not hear its master's attack command, would be unable to attack.

"By the effect of 'Command Silencer,' you cannot declare an attack with 'Chaos Soldier' this turn!" Xie Er said. "Chaos Soldier cannot receive your attack command, and thus will not launch an offensive."

"Furthermore, after that, I may draw one card from my Deck."

Although it was an anime-original card that had never been printed as a real card, its resolution was roughly comparable to "Threatening Roar" targeting a single monster. The difference was that "Threatening Roar" could only prevent an attack if used before the attack declaration, whereas this card could revoke the command even after the attack had already been declared.

Analyzed from the perspective of the real card game, it was somewhat unscientific; one might call it a card with distinct anime flavor.

"Then the Battle Phase ends, and we enter Main Phase 2," You Xuan said. "Since the attack declaration was not conveyed, Chaos Soldier is treated as having not attacked this turn."

"Therefore, I can use Chaos Soldier's other effect: once per turn, banish one monster on the field from play!"

His target once again locked onto the King of Despair.

"I banish 'King of Despair · Demis' from play!"

"Chaos Dimension Slash!"

Chaos Soldier drew his sword; one side of the blade shone with light, the other with darkness. Wherever the sword-light passed, space cracked open, leaving a shattered sword scar. Boundless, overwhelming gravity was unleashed; even the King of Despair, bringer of the end, could not resist and was sucked into that sword scar.

"Beautiful!" Judai praised. "If it's banished from play, the King of Despair is as good as utterly annihilated! Surely now you've come to your senses a little?"

Indeed, as the world-ending demon king's form vanished, the blue flames enveloping Xie Er dissipated as well. He staggered slightly, yet his breathing grew even heavier.

You Xuan drew two more cards from his hand.

"I set two cards face-down on the field. Turn end."

Xie Er paused for several seconds, as if gathering his strength.

Then he slowly raised his arm once more.

"My turn. Draw," Xie Er said grimly. "From my hand, I activate the Spell Card 'Preparation of Rites.'"

"Select one Ritual Spell Card from my Deck, and then select from my Deck or Graveyard the Ritual Monster corresponding to that Ritual Spell; add both cards to my hand."

He drew one card each from his Deck and his Graveyard.

"I add the Ritual Spell Card 'World End' and the Ritual Monster 'Goddess of Destruction · Luin' to my hand."

Judai had not given up: "Why do you refuse to face your own heart? Deep down, you still love dueling, and you still want to believe in your monsters!"

"Silence," Xie Er said in a low voice. "Even if I wanted to believe, what of it? The very meaning of trust's existence is to be betrayed someday."

"Heroes are destined to be alone. As long as you hold a sword in your hand, those you care about, those you protect, are destined to drift further and further away."

He paused briefly, gazing at Judai a moment longer.

"You are right: a duel is a collision of two souls, allowing both sides to understand each other deeply. Precisely because of that, through this duel I have come to understand you."

"What is your name?"

"Judai Yuki."

"Judai Yuki, is it... Perhaps you truly are very much like me," Xie Er said. "On the surface, you appear warm-hearted, always willing to stick your neck out for others, willing to sacrifice for them, seeming like comrades with everyone around you."

"But in reality, you have never truly let anyone get close to you, have you?"

Judai was taken aback, frowning. "I don't understand what you're saying. I'm not like you; I have many friends I can trust..."

"Is that so?" Xie Er said coldly. "Once, I was just like you. I was the chosen one, the one in our generation who inherited the power of the Phoenix."

"I, too, was always surrounded by many friends. I stood up for them, helped them countless times, and I was even willing to give my life for them."

"But in the end, when I had to plunge into darkness to obtain power, when I truly gained the strength to protect them and fought through blood and toil, I discovered that everyone had already left me."

Xie Er smiled self-mockingly and closed his eyes.

"Quite ironic, isn't it? I sold my soul to demons precisely to protect them, yet all I received in return was alienation. After that, rumors even spread that I was the one who had brought the enemies and disasters upon us in the first place."

"Those I once considered closest friends, those comrades for whom I had sacrificed countless times—they all believed it. In the end, it became what you see now."

Judai: "How could this be..."

"Later, I realized it wasn't only their problem; I had my part in it too. I treated everyone with apparent warmth, yet I never truly let anyone approach me or understand me."

"Perhaps that was precisely why they were able to drift away from me so easily in the end."

Xie Er's tone had returned to calm, as if he were an outsider recounting something unrelated to himself.

"I can feel that you and I are the same kind of person. To protect those around you, you are forced to take up the sword, but at the same time, you push them away."

"This is the fate of heroes. If you continue down the path of the warrior, one day you may become just like me."

"That will not happen," You Xuan interrupted.

Xie Er frowned. "What?"

"I say you are wrong; that will not happen," You Xuan said calmly.

Xie Er pondered for a few seconds, narrowing his eyes as he sized You Xuan up for a moment.

Only then did he slowly speak: "You're not about to say it's because you're here, are you?"

"What do you think?"

"Heh heh... Hahahaha!"

Xie Er threw back his head and laughed, then his expression twisted once more.

"Absurd. You won't even survive this turn; what could you possibly do?" Xie Er shouted. "This is a cruel world; you simply do not understand. How long do you think that cheap game of friendship can last?"

"Fine! If you can do it, then try surviving this turn for me first!"

Xie Er revealed the two cards he had just searched, along with another, holding them all out together.

"I activate the Ritual Spell 'World End'!"

"I tribute the Level 8 'Beast King Barbaros' from my hand as a Ritual Tribute to perform the Ritual Summon of Destruction!"

"The interweaving of destruction and rebirth, the goddess who controls the fate of all things—descend upon the end of the world!"

"—Goddess of Destruction · Luin, Ritual Summon!!!"

Within the ritual of the apocalypse, amidst a vortex of world-ending energy, the goddess's figure gracefully emerged, white hair fluttering, each step like a countdown to annihilation.

[Goddess of Destruction · Luin, ATK 2300]

"And Luin also accepts the power of the Orichalcos barrier, increasing her Attack Points!" Xie Er nearly screamed, his voice ragged.

[Goddess of Destruction · Luin, ATK 2300 → ATK 2800]

Judai steadied his turbulent emotions and forced himself to focus on the duel: "But even with her Attack Points increased, she still can't match You Xuan's Chaos Soldier."

"My resolve is not something so shallow."

Xie Er raised another card in his hand.

"Equip Spell 'Psychic Sword'!"

"Pay Life Points in multiples of 100, up to 2000, to equip one monster on the field; the equipped monster's Attack and Defense increase by the amount of Life Points I paid!"

he gritted out.

"I trade my blood, my soul... for final power!"

"Paying the maximum 2000 Life Points, all converted into Lu Yin's Attack!!!"

[Xie Er, LP 2500 → LP 500]

[Goddess of Destruction – Lu Yin, ATK 2800 → ATK 4800]

Judai: "Attack 4800."

"That's right; this is my final attack, fueled by my burning soul!"

Xie Er steadied legs that could barely hold him and shouted.

"Furthermore, 'Goddess of Destruction – Lu Yin' can attack once more when it destroys an opponent's monster by battle."

Judai immediately realized what that meant.

Chaos Soldier's Attack was 3000; if destroyed in battle, it would inflict 1800 damage, leaving You Xuan with 700 Life Points.

If the second attack went through, one of them would fall right here.

"Bonds, friendship games—none of it matters before power," Xie Er snarled. "Without power, all fine words are just empty boasts!"

"If you're as confident as you claim, prove it this turn!"

"Battle! Goddess of Destruction – Lu Yin, attack 'Chaos Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning'!"

World-ending power, mingled with the divine might of Orichalcos, surged into the goddess's hand, becoming a heaven-shattering, earth-rending strike. Chaos Soldier braced himself, but at his current strength he clearly could not withstand it.

You Xuan: "Then as you wish."

"Activate Set Card! Trap Card – Trap in the Darkness!"

"When your Life Points are 3000 or less, pay 1000 Life Points to banish another Trap Card from your Graveyard; gain that Trap Card's effect!"

A golden stream of light rolled across the Trap Card, which quickly transformed into the image of another Trap from the Graveyard.

"The card I'm becoming is, of course, this one—"

"—Trap Card 'Magic Cylinder'!"

[You Xuan, LP 2500 → LP 1500]

Trap in the Darkness transformed into Magic Cylinder; the ornate, lethal twin barrels of magic materialized on the field.

The certain-kill strike of Goddess of Destruction – Lu Yin rebounded at once, becoming Xie Er's own finale!

"I see... so this is... *cough*... the answer you give?"

By this point Xie Er could barely stand, as if sheer will alone kept him on the field.

"But... it's not enough!"

Blue flames ignited in his eyes, bloodshot veins spreading across his pupils.

"Activate Set Card! Trap Card 'Ring of Destruction'!"

"Destroy one monster on the field; all players take damage equal to that monster's Attack! (Old effect)"

"I choose to destroy... *cough*... Goddess of Destruction – Lu Yin!"

[Goddess of Destruction – Lu Yin, ATK 4800]

[Xie Er, LP 500]

[You Xuan, LP 1500]

[Judai, LP 1100]

"Seeking mutual destruction?" You Xuan frowned.

"If you cannot stop me, it proves your resolve is only this much!" Xie Er said with a ferocious grin. "In the end, you can do nothing!"

"That's not certain."

You Xuan cut in, flicking his hand to flip the last card in his back row.

"Quick-Play Spell – Painful Choice of Souls!"

"When your opponent activates a card effect that would inflict damage to you, that damage is instead inflicted to your opponent!"

Xie Er's pupils contracted.

After reflecting the attack, they can even reflect the damage!?

"By the effect of 'Ring of Destruction', damage equal to the destroyed monster's Attack—namely, Goddess of Destruction – Lu Yin's 4800 Attack—is shared by both sides."

"Under team rules, effect damage to our side is treated as AOE damage to both members of our team. But the portion we would take is reflected by 'Painful Choice of Souls'. Therefore, the damage you ultimately take is 9600 points."

You Xuan said.

"You have lost."

The explosive flames of Ring of Destruction swept across the field, but the fire surging toward You Xuan and Judai's half was intercepted by the Spell Card in the back row, then rebounded along its original path to devour Xie Er.

Xie Er opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something.

But in the end he said nothing, gently closing his eyes.

[Xie Er, LP 500 → LP 0]

(End of Chapter)