Chapter 932: Never Give Up

“Could it really be that we can’t beat this guy?”

Just as Jack sank into self-doubt, a clear voice suddenly rang out.

“Don’t give up!”

Jack snapped awake and turned to look at You Xuan.

There, You Xuan’s gaze remained clear and steady as he said, “Don’t give up, Jack. Maybe we’re still immature, maybe our strength isn’t enough yet.”

“But no matter how many times you fall, isn’t the answer just to get up again?”

Jack: “You Xuan.”

“You Xuan’s right!”

Cro also spoke up from beside him.

“Think back, Jack. We grew up in the Satellite District, in Martha’s orphanage. Before the Alliance was formed, how many setbacks did we face? How many times were we defeated?”

“But no matter how many times, we always got back up, didn’t we?”

Jack: “Cro.”

“People from the Satellite District are like weeds by the roadside—anyone can step on us, over and over again. We’ve been knocked down countless times.”

“But in the end, we always got back up, didn’t we? We fell, then rose again because our comrades supported each other—again and again—until we became strong like we are now, didn’t we?”

“Or have you forgotten how far we’ve come, now that you’ve been king in the city for two years?”

Jack: “!”

The lone king gently closed his eyes.

Yes, that’s how they’d always been—wasn’t it?

Why had he forgotten that after becoming king?

Even if he didn’t land a decisive kill this time, he had still tried. He had still fought. Even in failure, he had left his teammates more possibilities.

Jack looked at the remaining cards in his hand.

His turn wasn’t over. His battle wasn’t over. Even if his deck was empty, even if there was no next turn, he still had a chance to pass hope on to his teammates.

Jack: “I set one card face-down. My turn ends!”

At the same time, the massive dragon on his field, wreathed in crimson flames, blazed even brighter and let out a roar of the Red Dragon.

Then the Savior Demon Dragon spread its wings, soared into the sky like a flaming meteor, and vanished into the heavens.

Jack said gravely, “The Savior Demon Dragon is powerful, but it can only remain on the field for one turn. At the end of the turn, it returns to the Extra Deck and special-summons ‘Crimson Lotus Demon Dragon’ from the graveyard!”

The light of salvation faded, and the pillar of flame erupted once more. Like molten lava coalescing into a dragon’s form, its wings of molten bone spread wide, and the dark red demon dragon returned to the field.

“Rise again, my soul—Crimson Lotus Demon Dragon!!!”

【Crimson Lotus Demon Dragon, DEF 2500】

Of course, this time it was in defense position.

Even if Jack emphasized offense and power, he wasn’t foolish. Gothwin currently had a monster with 4000 ATK on the field—the Crimson Lotus Demon Dragon couldn’t match it.

You Xuan smiled faintly: “The Savior Demon Dragon—rarely granted hope by the Red Dragon—was merely a fleeting blossom, extinguished so soon.”

“No, it hasn’t vanished!”

Jack declared firmly.

“Hope still exists—and it will continue to be passed on. Even if I fall, someone else will carry it and let it shine!”

“Oh?”

You Xuan nodded slightly again.

Good spirit. That’s the way.

He sensed Jack’s aura had subtly strengthened with his resolve—likely leveled up. He wondered if Jack could still surprise him further.

“However, because you special-summoned ‘Crimson Lotus Demon Dragon’ during your End Phase, ‘Demon Emperor Labiel’’s effect activates once more.”

You Xuan said calmly.

“When your opponent summons, special-summons, or flips-summons a monster, you may special-summon one Demon Token to your field.”

“Come forth—summon another ‘Demon Token’!”

【Demon Token, DEF 1000】

The three Demon Tokens previously on the field had been obliterated by the Savior Demon Dragon’s attack, but now a new one was summoned again through the Demon Emperor’s effect.

“My turn, draw.”

You Xuan drew a card, glanced at it, and raised his hand without hesitation.

“Activate the field spell ‘Paradise Lost’ once more. Once per turn, if you control a Demon, draw two cards.”

“Since ‘Demon Emperor Labiel’ remains on my field this turn, I draw two more cards.”

Watching You Xuan draw again through Paradise Lost, the others felt growing unease.

The unkillable Demons—though all three were Level 10 monsters and seemingly hard to summon—had kept reviving every turn no matter how many times they were destroyed. As a result, every single one of You Xuan’s turns featured at least one Demon on the field, and he never failed to activate Paradise Lost’s draw effect.

Cro: “The Three Demons are such a pain—no matter how many times you destroy them, they just keep coming back.”

“No, it’s not the Three Demons that are the problem—I’d say it’s Gothwin himself,” You Xuan said. “All three Level 10 Demon cards cannot be Normal Summoned; each requires a unique, restricted method to special-summon.”

“Normally, managing all three simultaneously would be nearly impossible—but Gothwin handles them as easily as his own limbs.”

You Xuan took a deep breath and spoke gravely.

“This man is dangerous.”

At that moment, You Xuan continued: “Activate the effect of ‘Demon Emperor Labiel—Heavenly Raging Fist’ in my graveyard.”

“Once per turn, if this card is in the graveyard, I can banish one monster on my field to return this card to my hand.”

“I banish the ‘Demon Token’ on my field to return ‘Demon Emperor Labiel—Heavenly Raging Fist’ from the graveyard to my hand.”

The Demon Token that had appeared alongside the Crimson Lotus Demon Dragon at the end of the last turn dissolved into light and was absorbed into You Xuan’s graveyard. In exchange, a card from his graveyard quickly returned to his hand.

“I’ve recovered Heavenly Raging Fist from the graveyard,” You Xuan smiled lightly.

Cro groaned: “Even that troublesome thing’s back again...”

Now they had to treat the Demon Emperor as a terrifying monster with 8000 ATK capable of attacking all monsters.

“Then, Demon Emperor Labiel.”

You Xuan gave a lazy order.

“Attack the Crimson Lotus Demon Dragon.”

As he spoke, he looked expectantly at Jack’s back row.

Come on—let me see what card you’re calling your ‘hope’ for your teammates.

(End of Chapter)