Chapter 21

A hidden Gurus base somewhere in Jounouchi.

In the dim, chilly stone hall, the air reeked of decay and dampness. The candles within flickered without wind, their flames twisting unnaturally, occasionally spitting out tiny sparks.

Malik sat upon the throne, while Rishid stood below in attendance.

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Suddenly, a sound of bones grinding against each other came from the throne.

Rishid glanced sideways slightly.

"Damn it!" Malik roared.

"That guy Jonouchi keeps wandering around the city center—there's never an opportunity to kidnap him!"

Malik calmed himself.

Huh~ Forget it. I'll have to go myself—get close and control him directly with the Millennium Rod.

Rishid sweatdropped slightly.

Today, Master Malik seems unusually irritable.

"Hm? Who?!"

For some reason, Rishid suddenly adopted a combat stance, thrusting his Duel Disk toward the door as if facing a dire threat.

Malik: "What?!"

"Master Malik! Be careful!"

"Heheheh, the gatekeeper dog's got sharp senses."

In the dark corridor outside the hall, a white-haired figure had silently taken position.

Realizing he'd been spotted, the intruder dropped his disguise. He slowly walked toward the hall.

"You ask who I am?"

The man pulled open his light blue shirt, revealing the Millennium Puzzle beneath.

Malik's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Millennium Puzzle?"

Slowly, Mo Liang emerged from the shadows.

"Hand over your Millennium Items! I came here specifically for them."

…

An empty alley.

"Moshi moshi~"

"Hey hey hey~"

"Cough! Cough!"

In the alley, a young man surnamed You held a card, turning it over and over, examining it from every angle.

He looked like he was trying to find the monster's registered residence on the card.

"Tch! Could it be an illusion? Does this 【Masked Beast Death Guardian】 really not have a Card Spirit bound to it?"

You Tian held the card up to his eyes, rubbing his chin with his other hand.

Suddenly, he had an idea.

"Hey, this card was stolen from the Gurus—since it doesn't have a Card Spirit, could it be fake?"

"Maybe I should do society a favor and tear it up?"

No sooner had he spoken than he noticed the Death Guardian on the card twitch slightly.

Hmph! I knew it!

You Tian smirked wickedly.

He gripped the card with both hands and gently twisted it with his four fingers.

"Gonna tear it now~~"

Shhh!

"Master! Don't!"

Suddenly, a grotesque three-faced monster burst out of the card with a shhh!

"I'm not fake! I'm real! Real!"

The monster gestured with its hands, urging You Tian to look at it.

"Holy shit! So ugly!"

Although You Tian had seen the 【Masked Beast Death Guardian】's projection in several Duels, seeing its actual Card Spirit still startled him with its horrifying visage.

"Heheh! So you finally showed yourself!"

You Tian began circling the Death Guardian's spirit, studying it.

"I called out to you for so long, and you didn't even acknowledge me?!"

The Death Guardian looked embarrassed, clasping its claws together like a guilty eight-hundred-pound child.

"Master, it's not that I ignored you. It's just that your aura is too overwhelming—I dared not appear and disturb you!"

Whoa! You've got a sweet tongue, huh?

You Tian eyed the Death Guardian's spirit with malicious intent.

"I wonder how much this Card with a bound Spirit would sell for~~"

Hearing this, the Death Guardian's spirit clearly panicked.

He immediately prostrated himself, letting out a shrill, wailing cry.

"Don't sell me, Master! Waaaah! I want to stay with you! If you let me stay, I'll do anything! Waaaah!"

You Tian clearly froze for a moment.

Wait, are Card Spirits in this world that loyal? Just say "I'm selling you" and you react like this?

When I took you away from Light and Dark Mask—damn it! When I won you back—I didn't see you jump out to gank me then?

"I don't have to sell you."

Hearing this, Death Guardian seemed as if granted pardon, immediately stood up, all three faces beaming. "Thank you, Master! I love you, Master!"

"But~"

Death Guardian immediately knelt back down.

Watching how fast this ferocious beast knelt, You Tian's eyelid twitched again.

"I've never seen a Card Spirit before. What are you even good for? You can't just be a ugly pendant hanging on me forever?"

Hearing this, Death Guardian quickly lifted his head.

"Report, Master: we Card Spirits are projections of ourselves from another world. All we can do is accompany you in Duels!"

You Tian pursed his lips.

"Maybe I should still sell you."

"No no no, Master!"

Death Guardian's eyes spun wildly.

"In this world, many people possess supernatural powers."

"They use these powers for Dark Duels or violent acts."

"If you have a Card Spirit like me by your side, and you encounter such people, I can fight them for you! Protect you from supernatural corruption!"

Oh wow! I hit the jackpot!

You Tian had actually been worrying about exactly this.

According to the Original Plot, the eight finalists of Duel City will be: Malik, Rishid, Isis, Kongque Wu, Mo Liang, Jonouchi, Kaiba, Mutou Yugi.

Now, Sister Wu has already been defeated by me, so the Original Plot has changed.

But Malik and Mo Liang—unless something unexpected happens—will still make it to the top eight.

After all, one is the leader of Gurus, the other is the incarnation of the Great Evil God Zuo Ke; getting six Chip Cards is no big deal.

But this brings a problem before me.

That is, both of them use Dark Duels.

In the Original Plot, the ordinary Kongque Wu suffered severe physical and mental damage during her Dark Duel with Malik.

If I face these two in a Duel without any mystical power, even if I win, I'll probably be badly hurt.

Luckily, it seems I now have a guardian.

You Tian smirked at the Death Guardian's spirit.

"You're lying!"

Death Guardian visibly stiffened.

"No! Master, every word is true! I'd never lie to you! I really can protect you!"

You Tian stroked his chin.

"I don't doubt your ability to protect me—but why must you stick to me?"

"That doesn't make sense."

"You're not seriously saying you're following me because I'm handsome and dashing?"

"Your voice sounds like you're a male beast, right?"

Death Guardian awkwardly rubbed his hands.

"I can't hide it from Master anymore."

"Yes, I do have another motive."

You Tian nodded. "Go on."

"Actually…" Here, Death Guardian grew shy.

"I stayed by your side because of love."

Holy shit!

You Tian stepped back several paces.

So it really is because I'm handsome and dashing—you're hitting on me?!

You Tian stared at Death Guardian's terrifying, ugly face, and his legs began to tremble.

Death Guardian blinked.

"Ah, no no! Master, not you! The person I love isn't you!"

You Tian exhaled in relief.

"Don't scare me like that!"

He shot the spirit an annoyed look, but then a thought struck him.

Not me? But still wants to follow me… Could it be… Jonouchi?!

"Then who is it…?" You Tian asked cautiously.

"Actually, Master, there's another female Card Spirit residing in your deck."

Hmm! Another hidden power? Double luck?!

You Tian instantly brightened.

He quickly picked up his deck.

"Oh wow! Which one? Is it 【WindSpiritLaiYin】 or 【EarthSpiritOu】?"

"Or maybe it's 【Invader of the Throne】?"

You Tian gazed at the pure, cute girls in the card illustrations of these few cards and couldn't help letting his imagination wander.

Exactly! Traversing into Yu-Gi-Oh!, you've just got to have a monster card spirit girl by your side to feel pumped!

"None of them." The Dark Magician of Death spoke up again.

You Tian's brow furrowed slightly.

"None of them? Then which one is it?"

Just as he was speaking, a certain card in the deck in You Tian's hand lit up. Then, a monster You Tian was very familiar with appeared before him in the form of a spirit.

"It's me, 【Relinquished】."

……

You Tian fell silent.

He looked at the hideously ugly 【Dark Magician of Death】 on his left, then at the 【Relinquished】 on his right that had just popped out and looked like some bizarre fleshlight, and his whole being instantly dimmed.