Chapter 333: One by One

"Elemental Hero Storm Earth Xia 's direct attack!"

"Ugh!"

At Yucheng Shidai's command, Storm Earth Xia 's hand cannon exploded against the face of one of the Domar duo, sending him crashing to the ground with a scream, his LP reduced to zero.

"We won!"

Yucheng Shidai made a cheerful gesture.

"What an interesting duel!"

"Ugh..."

Although Fujiki You Xuan's Dark Game barrier didn't gamble lives, it still inflicted real damage. The impact of Elemental Hero's face-to-face bombardment was no less painful.

"Damn it."

The black-robed man gritted his teeth. No wonder Night Shadow, their boss Necro, and even the Demon King—who had long abandoned all dignity—had all fallen one after another to these two students.

Indeed, they were strong. Elemental Hero's successive fusions and specialized spell/trap cards had completely suppressed him throughout the duel; he could deeply feel the gap in dueling skill—completely outmatched.

After barely watching his opponent exhaust his entire hand in one turn, the next turn saw him instantly draw Water Bubble Earth Xia from thin air, Special Summon Water Bubble Earth Xia to draw two cards, then draw two more with the Pot of Greed.

It was like alchemy turning stones to gold. No—it was creation ex nihilo, conjuring three cards out of nothing, with no regard for equivalence or exchange.

Yet when the guy glanced dejectedly at his teammate beside him...

"..."

"Continuous Trap 'Warlords in Conflict': as long as this card remains on the field, neither side may control more than one monster race."

Fujiki You Xuan smiled.

"You have the three 'Disruptor Tokens' on your field, so you cannot summon any monsters."

"Then I'll use Submarine Machine to attack directly."

"After Submarine Machine attacks directly, it switches to defense position. So sorry, but you won't be able to use your Disruptor Tokens to charge in and self-destruct."

"..."

Seeing his teammate furiously roaring at the trio lounging, sipping tea, eating snacks, and snoring on the field—powerless to act—his despair suddenly lessened.

Compared to his teammate, he suddenly felt his own experience wasn't so bad. Though he lost, it was still an interesting duel.

"Alright, as agreed."

Fujiki You Xuan clapped his hands and stepped forward.

"Lead the way. Where's your base?"

The two black-robed men exchanged glances, faces twisted in pain.

But finally, they gritted their teeth.

"Fine. Let's go."

They had no wish to betray their comrades. But the rules of the Dark Game were inescapable; they were powerless to resist.

There's an old saying: Life is like being stalked by a deranged woman—when you can't resist, you learn to enjoy it.

Indeed, that's the truth.

Since resistance was impossible, they might as well submit.

As the two stepped out of the Dark Star Club, a cold glint flashed in their eyes.

Then let their fellow brothers share their suffering.

"With our boss defeated and no orders from headquarters, the situation is grim."

The member codenamed Black Flame surveyed the room's occupants and spoke gravely.

"For now, I'll temporarily assume the boss's position until headquarters issues new orders. Any objections?"

The candlelight flickered strangely, shadows dancing across every face and casting eerie silhouettes on the walls. No one spoke.

"Very well. Then it's settled." Black Flame paused, then said, "The Demon King claims he's captured that Tengmuyouxuan —that's good news. 'Poison Fang' has already been dispatched and should retrieve the item soon."

"I've contacted headquarters and am awaiting a reply. Securing the 'Sealing Artifact' will surely count as a major achievement."

Before he finished speaking, someone entered the room.

"I'm back."

"Oh? Poison Fang? You took your time." Black Flame turned to him. "Did the old Demon King demand an outrageous price?"

"No. Something... went slightly wrong."

Poison Fang looked uneasy.

"What went wrong?"

Black Flame blinked, then frowned.

"Did he fail the mission?"

Poison Fang hesitated, then nodded.

" Tengmuyouxuan is still alive?" Black Flame frowned. "What's the Demon King playing at? Failed the job and lied about it?"

"But I've lured him to the designated location," Poison Fang whispered.

"Hmm. That's acceptable."

Black Flame nodded and spread out the Duel City map on the table.

"Then tell me—where is he now? What's your plan?"

"Actually... you might not even need the map."

Poison Fang's voice dropped even lower.

"He's waiting outside the door for you to come out."

"..."

Several seconds of silence.

Black Flame's expression twisted into fury: "Did you fucking bring this thing here?!"

"I—I had no choice! You know how Dark Duels work—lose, and you're forced into eighteen different poses. I had no option!"

One of the black-robed men at the round table leapt up, rolling up his sleeves: "Let's strangle this traitor first, then decide what to do!"

Poison Fang gasped and leapt back a step: "Brothers, calm down! I advise you to abandon futile resistance—I'm delivering a message from the Yellow Robe. If you lay a hand on me, think carefully!"

Black Flame grew even angrier: "You're enjoying this, are you?"

"..."

Amid the commotion, the door opened. Two figures in red and yellow uniforms appeared on either side.

"Oh oh! So many duelists!"

The one in red eagerly touched his dueling disk.

"This means we can test so many interesting decks!"

The one in yellow smiled.

"Don't rush. One by one. Who's first?"

Everyone in the room froze briefly.

Then Black Flame gritted his teeth.

"Hmph. Don't get too cocky. You think defeating Necro means we have no one left?"

Another black-robed man at the table slammed his fist on the table: "Exactly! Don't get too full of yourself, kid!"

No sooner had he spoken than Black Flame turned to him: "Fine! Ji Feng, you go first. Let this kid see our strength."

Ji Feng: "Huh?"

Before he could reply, Fujiki You Xuan nodded: "You're first? Fine. Get on with it. Duel."

Ji Feng glared furiously at Black Flame.

You bastard, you set me up!

"Whoever it is, just duel already!"

Yucheng Shidai also grabbed a random opponent.

"Duel!" x4

"..."

Four pairs found their opponents and began dueling. The room erupted with flashing lights, monsters flying, screams and roars rising and falling without end.

Black Flame watched Ji Feng screaming under the assault of the Submarine Machine, swallowed hard, and silently thanked his luck that he hadn't foolishly volunteered to fight himself.

But this was an opportunity.

Even if the Yellow Robe was strong, taking down his teammates one by one would take time. Now, while no one was watching, he'd slip away.

Yet as he slipped out the door, Black Flame froze—suddenly, the world spun, and he found himself back inside the room.

As if he'd just walked in from outside.

He looked up in shock, toward the duel field—and there, the Yellow Robe demon had paused his match, smiling directly at him.

"Don't rush. The duel isn't over yet. Where are you going?"

"I said—one by one. Everyone gets a chance. No need to run."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Unless you're all defeated—or one of you defeats me—no one leaves this room."

Black Flame shuddered, staggered backward, then collapsed helplessly onto the floor.

He had never in his life felt such utter despair.

(End of Chapter)