Chapter 55: The Visitor of Darkness

"Oh no! Don't hit my face! Aah! Help! Sister!"

From Room 7, unceasing screams like a pig being slaughtered rang out.

Malik inside the room was utterly desperate.

Good news: You Tian is just beating me, not trying to humiliate me.

Bad news: He's really fucking brutal!

"It was you who reported me to the Public Security Bureau for robbery!"

"It was you who kept spamming Kimoji all day!"

"And you dare play Yami's game with me!"

Malik endured You Tian's wild punches while begging for mercy.

"It wasn't me! That was my dark personality!"

You Tian: "Hey! Still trying to shift blame? Did you get a psychiatric certificate?"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

At this moment, Malik felt so wronged he wanted to cry.

This disgraceful "enforcement of justice" lasted over ten minutes.

You Tian, breathing heavily, stared at Malik, who hugged his head and curled up at the bedside, unsatisfied.

That morning, after defeating Isis and leaving Room 8, he had already told her his intentions.

…

"Oh by the way, after I beat your brother, I need to do one thing!"

"Though I have no right to judge your brother for the beastly things he's done."

"But I must beat him up! In our hometown's words, death may be spared, but the living punishment cannot be escaped."

"Of course, I'll hold back."

Isis had looked hesitant at first, but ultimately agreed to You Tian's demand.

…

"Hmph!"

After beating Malik, You Tian felt a bit better, and collapsed panting onto the chair.

In truth, this beating had nothing to do with justice or injustice. Deep down, You Tian mainly wanted revenge on Malik.

I don't have any bushido spirit.

Where I come from, we believe in only one rule: every grudge must be repaid.

If you provoke me, you pay the price.

After a moment, You Tian stood up and slowly walked toward Malik again.

"Don't hit me anymore!" Seeing You Tian rise, Malik trembled and begged.

You Tian ignored Malik, walked straight to the bedside, picked up his Duel Disk, and pulled out his deck.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

You Tian pulled out the Lava Golem and waved it in front of Malik.

"You got no objections, right?"

Seeing this, Malik quickly shook his head.

"No objections! No objections!"

Seeing Malik was now terrified of him, You Tian softened his tone.

He sat back down in the chair.

Ah, how goes that saying? Give a slap, then offer a sweet date.

"Don't worry—I won't take your stuff for free."

"Have you heard of the 'Dark Mutual Devour' rule?"

Malik blinked, confused, and shook his head.

Tsk! Malik has been in the Dark Duel scene this long and doesn't know this?

Could Xia Dao be lying to me? Probably not.

You Tian fell into quiet thought.

"Hmm, let me put it this way: back home, our fortune-teller looked at your face and told me you'd have misfortune tonight."

"But since I took your card, it's like I've collected protection money—I'll ensure you're safe tonight."

After much thought, You Tian figured Xia Dao's mention of midnight, when someone would vanish due to the 'Dark Mutual Devour' rule, must refer to Malik.

As for why? After all, Malik had previously made a deal with Mo Liang, convincing him to temporarily leave the Millennium Rod alone.

But now that Malik's power is greatly diminished, Mo Liang no longer needs to honor that deal—he'll surely seize the chance to snatch the Millennium Rod.

At that time, Malik will likely meet his end.

Originally, You Tian didn't care about him, but considering the Lava Golem… no, considering Isis's face, he'd protect him once more.

Still, if things turn hopeless, You Tian would definitely turn and run.

Malik timidly lifted his face, marked with You Tian's size 45 shoe prints.

"You Tian… uh, no! Brother You! As long as you don't beat me, whatever you say goes!"

You Tian frowned.

"What did you just call me?"

Malik blinked.

"Bro…ther You?"

You Tian stood up again, clasping his hands together until they cracked.

"I saved your life before; now I have to shield you from disaster."

"Walk out that door and call me Brother You—I won't mind. But walk in here—what should you call me?"

Malik: …

"Sis… husband?"

You Tian:???

"I told you to call me Dad!"

"Dad! Dad! Dad!" Malik hurriedly said.

You Tian sat back down in the chair.

"Also, after we get off the Airship, dissolve that Gurus of yours."

"Give every poor soul you controlled a severance payment."

"You hear me?!"

"I hear you, I hear you!" Malik replied quickly.

You Tian gave Malik another long lecture on morality, and finally, satisfied, he left the room.

Hm?

Outside the room, You Tian saw Isis leaning against the wall, silently shedding tears.

You Tian frowned and walked over.

"Feel sorry for him?"

Isis lifted her head, revealing a face streaked with tears.

She turned her head away, not answering You Tian.

You Tian sighed helplessly.

"Malik's suffering was terrible—I admit that. But it's not an excuse for what he did afterward."

"If he'd only targeted the Game, I might have let it slide. But he dragged in too many innocent people."

Hearing You Tian's words, Isis merely pressed her lips together.

"Forget it. I already said—I have no right to judge him. I beat him purely out of personal grudge."

With that, You Tian turned and walked back to his room.

Isis watched his retreating figure, silent for a moment, then quietly returned to Room 7.

Thus, the Airship finally returned to peace.

Until midnight arrived.

Scratch! Scratch! Scratch!

The silence of night amplified every small sound from the day.

On his bed, Malik lay awake, staring at the ceiling.

At this point, Malik was already very tired—but he couldn't sleep.

One reason: his whole body ached from being beaten by You Tian during the day. The other: You Tian's mention of something called "Darkness Mutual Consumption."

When You Tian was there, he hadn't remembered. Only after You Tian left did he vaguely recall hearing of this principle in the Dark Duel arena.

In simple terms, this principle stated that those who wield Darkness would unconsciously fight each other.

If too many Darkness-wielders gathered in one place, all their Darkness would begin to swell.

When that power swelled to its peak, a violent conflict would erupt. Those caught in the conflict would vanish, annihilated.

"Could it be… Dad… damn it, You Tian wasn't lying to me?"

Thud!

"Who?!"

Malik sat bolt upright, terrified.

Isis was startled by Malik's violent reaction.

"It's me, Malik. I'm thirsty—came to get some water."

Hearing Isis's voice, Malik relaxed.

"Say, sis, what's your relationship with You Tian?"

In the darkness, Isis paused.

"Relationship? None at all."

Malik exhaled in relief.

Good, good—thank goodness there's no relationship. If there were, I might just spawn another Darkness persona.

"Listen, sis, You Tian is truly a beast!"

"This afternoon, he beat me so brutally!"

"One day, I'm going to kill him!"

Isis fell silent.

"Uh, brother, you have a bias against Mr. You Tian."

Malik:?

"Mr. You Tian is a deeply brave, upright, kind, and reliable man."

Malik:??

"Mr. You Tian risked his life to save you—you should be grateful."

"Of course, Mr. You Tian isn't the type to break a promise just because someone speaks ill of him behind his back, right?"

Malik:???

We're done—they're connected!

That's right! Sister's deck is monstrous, and You Tian is a monster himself. They're perfect for each other!

Clang!

Suddenly, the door to Room 7 was slammed open, and a white-haired figure stood frozen at the threshold.

"Hehehehahaha! Malik~ I've come as promised to collect my payment!"

"Mo Liang!" Though shrouded in darkness, Malik immediately recognized the intruder.

The rabbit-eared demon lord slowly stepped into the room.

"Hand over your Millennium Artifacts. I can sense—there's more than one in this room!"

Malik struggled upright at once, grabbing the Millennium Rod beside his bed.

The rod emitted a faint glow, barely illuminating Mo Liang in the darkness, halting his advance.

"Hehehehahaha! Looks like your power's been cut down a lot!"

Mo Liang stared coldly at the weak golden light from the Millennium Rod, undeterred, continuing toward Malik.

Isis also rose to her feet, placing her hands on her collarbones, activating the power of the Millennium Pendant.

Finally, Mo Liang's advance slowed.

But Isis had already used up nearly all the stored power in her Millennium Pendant that morning to play cards with You Tian.

Even together, brother and sister could not fully stop Mo Liang.

"Hmph! Pathetic fools—your power is only three-tenths of mine!"

With that, Mo Liang surged forward—his Millennium Gossip Wheel blazed with brilliant light, instantly overwhelming Isis and Malik.

Sweat beaded on Malik's forehead.

"Didn't You Tian say he'd protect me at night? Why isn't he here?!"

Isis struggled against Mo Liang's assault, too occupied to reply.

"Hehehehahaha! Unfortunately, I've sealed this room with the Millennium Puzzle. No one's getting in anytime soon!"

"No one's coming to save you! Surrender now—and hand over the Millennium Artifacts!"

"What?!" Malik's eyes widened in shock.

We're dead!

As his spirit wavered, Mo Liang seized the opening and intensified his attack.

Hum~

Damn it!

Malik cursed inwardly.

"Hehehehahaha! Die!"

But at this critical moment!!

Thud! Then—hum! Another surge of energy appeared in the room, blocking Mo Liang's assault.

"Nani?!" Mo Liang was startled.

"Who's there?!" He glared menacingly toward the source of the energy.

"Damn it, do I have to hit this thing to make it work?!"

Malik:???!!

Then, You Tian crawled slowly out from beneath Malik's bed, holding the Millennium Scale.

"Mr. You Tian!" Isis cried out in relief.

"I thought you weren't going to help us!"

Malik:??? Am I part of your little play too?

Hearing Isis's words, You Tian sighed helplessly and shook his head.

"In our homeland, there's a saying: A gentleman's word is binding—even four horses can't pull it back."

Isis laughed. I knew I wasn't wrong about You Tian!

Yet…

You Tian's inner monologue: Damn it, rabbit-eared demon lord, why the hell did you seal this room?! I'm trapped now! This isn't catching a turtle in a jar… damn it, locking the door to beat the dog… damn damn!

I'm so done with this.

Mo Liang glanced at the Millennium Scale in You Tian's hand, slightly startled.

What's this guy's connection to Shadi?

Thus, the three of them, relying on their numerical advantage in Millennium Artifacts, temporarily matched Mo Liang's strength.

But as time passed, You Tian's inner anxiety grew.

He hadn't expected Room 7 to contain four Millennium Artifacts.

This won't do. Mo Liang's control over artifacts—in power and experience—is far beyond what these three weaklings can match. If we keep going like this, we'll collapse first!

"Stop! Mo Liang—you won't defeat us anytime soon!"

Mo Liang raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Really? I don't believe you."

You Tian's eyelid twitched.

"How about this? Let's skip the middleman and play cards."

"If you beat me, I'll hand over all three Millennium Artifacts!"

Mo Liang paused.

These three are definitely weaker than me—but if this drags on, the Game might show up, and then things will get messy.

Slowly, he put away the Millennium Puzzle.

Seeing this, You Tian and the other two finally exhaled in relief.

But Mo Liang did not intend to give You Tian even a moment to catch his breath—he immediately set up the Duel Disk.

"Then, let's begin! Duel!"