014 A Battle of Threats? (×) A Slaughterhouse! (√)

At Duel Platform 123, a burly giant was currently locked in a fierce duel with a tall, handsome young man.

"On this island now, 'duel assassins' like me are hunting contestants like you," the giant, or rather, the duel assassin, said as he gazed at his opponent, whose good looks far surpassed his own. An inexplicable irritation welled up from the depths of his heart.

"Yugi! Defeating you is one of my top-priority assignments!"

"Heh."

Yugi merely responded with a cold sneer at the rough-hewn giant before him. He had no fondness for this 'duel assassin' character from the original story. How dare he threaten the King? Eat dirt!

"A small fry like you—I truly can't fathom why the great Pegasus would pay you any attention! But since you've come to me, I'll be the one to remove you for Lord Pegasus! One year from today will be the anniversary of your demise, Yugi!"

Word from above was that among the contestants on this island, a boy named Yugi was one of Pegasus's key targets.

Hearing this, the duel assassin was baffled. What was so special about this unknown duelist, who had appeared out of nowhere, that he would draw Pegasus's attention?

"The yapping dog has finally quieted down."

With arms crossed, Yugi cocked his head slightly, his eyes brimming with contempt as he regarded the incessantly barking duel assassin before him.

"Hmph! All you can do now is run your mouth!"

Though being called a dog made him angry, the duel assassin's "good" upbringing kept him from lashing out immediately. He would return the insult in kind, once the duel was over.

"So long as 'darkness' exists, you cannot defeat me, Yugi! Not even after you've bested Mako Tsunami and Rex Raptor!"

His eyes flickered around, examining their surroundings as if confirming something. With a look of utter confidence, the duel assassin addressed Yugi.

"Darkness...?"

"Exactly! On this island, when night falls, there's no rest for duelists! If you're not careful, 'darkness' will strike mercilessly! Hehehe!"

He candidly explained to Yugi what 'darkness' was, ending with a bizarre cackle.

"Ambushing from the shadows—only cowards and thieves stoop to such lowly acts. Big guy, are you one of them?"

Though Yugi was neither as tall nor as powerfully built as the duel assassin, he spoke as if judging something less than human, his words laced with biting mockery.

"You wretched brat!"

First, he was called a dog. Now, a coward and a thief. The duel assassin could barely endure it any longer.

"I'll wager all my star chips on this duel! What about you, big guy?"

As he spoke, Yugi removed all ten of his star chips from his glove.

"Hmph! I'll stake all fifteen star chips I've taken from other duelists! As for your missing five... I'll substitute this instead!"

He brandished a glove twice the size of an ordinary duelist’s, embedded with fifteen star chips he had claimed as spoils. Since Yugi was short by five chips, the duel assassin intended to make up the difference another way—

Click, click.

With the sound of metal snapping together, Yugi glanced down to see shackles lock around his ankles, their supports emerging from hidden panels in the platform's sides.

Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, two jets of flame shot skyward! Two fierce tongues of fire erupted from concealed doors at either side of the dueling platform. At that angle, if the flames surged any higher, they would scorch Yugi directly!

"Hahaha! Frightened yet, Yugi? Let's see you—uh..."

The duel assassin laughed raucously, pointing at Yugi. But when he opened his eyes to look at his opponent, his laughter died instantly. There was not a trace of fear or panic on Yugi's face.

"So this is your trump card?"

Yugi glanced at the flames on either side, his expression unchanging.

Bathed in the firelight, Yugi's entire demeanor seemed to radiate an overwhelming, majestic presence that made the duel assassin uneasy.

"Tch!"

Annoyed, the duel assassin clicked his tongue and said no more, instead starting the duel at once.

Once your Life Points hit zero and this duel is over, I'll make you pay dearly!

"Duel!"

Duel Assassin: 2000 LP
Yugi: 2000 LP
The duel began, each drawing five starting cards.

I'll make you taste true terror in the darkness!

The duel assassin eyed his five cards, plotting his move:

"I summon 'Gloom City' in defense position! Its effect boosts the power of dark terrain!"

A dung-yellow, spired fortress was projected by the 3D system, a large blue character for 'Dark' emblazoned upon it.

(Gloom City, Level 4, Defense: 1930 → 2509)

As the fortress rose, waves of black smoke poured from it, engulfing the duel assassin's side of the field and creating a domain of darkness impenetrable to the naked eye.

"This card creates a 'Dark World'! So, what will you do now?"

He sneered at Yugi, but when there was still no sign of alarm on his opponent's face, he clicked his tongue, disappointed.

"My turn. I set a monster in defense position, then set a card face-down. Turn end."

Once again, Yugi played second. Unlike earlier matches, he didn't launch an immediate attack, but chose a face-down defense summon, preparing for a counterattack.

Heh! Outwardly calm, but inside he's already scrambling to deal with my Dark World! Ha!

To the duel assassin, Yugi’s move was a classic case of "all smiles on the surface, cursing me inside"—a total bluff.

"My turn—draw!"

He checked his new card. Ah, a normal monster.

"I summon a monster in attack position, then attack your defense monster! Plunge into utter darkness!"

Enshrouded in black mist, with only a pair of blood-red eyes visible, the monster darted at Yugi's field, striking the face-down card.

"Now! Clayman, counterattack!"

Yugi's set monster was none other than Clayman, the Elemental Hero with the highest defense among the Fantastic Four!

Surrounded by forest, Yugi's field was bolstered by the woods and earth, granting warriors born of the element of earth, like Clayman, a 40% power boost—just as in his duel with Rex Raptor that afternoon.