Is this the poker world?Ada thief!

【Ultimate Sealed God - Exodias】Although he was cut in half, he was still stronger than that white-haired guy who shouted that famous flag. Even though he was cut in half, he still managed to put his body back together and continued to stand on the field of Amon, looking completely unharmed.

【Ultimate Sealed God - Exodias】【ATK2000】

Just as Manjoume was about to command the monster to continue its attack, Amon suddenly laughed: "Heh heh, so you used a high-attack monster to damage me first? I'm really grateful for that, Manjoume!"

"Because of your [Heavenly Treasure], I drew this card from my deck, and then because of the attack from your monster, I took battle damage and activated the effect of [Party Night Knights] in my hand!"

"Special Summon it to my field in Defense Position! Then you can Special Summon any monster with an ATK equal to or less than the damage I have taken from my hand!"

【Party Night Knights Group】【6☆/Location】

[Warrior Race/Effect]

[2300/2100]

"I took 1300 battle damage! So I can Special Summon this card from my hand—[Dead Man Guardian] with 0 ATK!"

Two monsters suddenly appeared on the field, but unfortunately they appeared too late. Otherwise, when Manjoume summoned the [Primal Stone Dragon - Imperial Jade Dragon] earlier, he could have eliminated them as well.

[Necromancer] [4☆/Dark]

[Warrior Race/Effect]

[0/1900]

Upon seeing the appearance of [Dead Body Guardian], Wan Zhangmu's pupils contracted, recognizing the card's effect. However, he didn't say anything, only remaining silent for a moment before waving his hand and issuing the attack command: "[Primal Stone Dragon - Emperor Topaz Dragon]'s attack, the target is still [Ultimate Sealed God - Exodus]!"

If the attack of the [Original Stone Dragon - Imperial Topaz Dragon] hits, it can deal 600 points of combat damage to Amon. Although it is not much, it can still wipe out his last 300 points. But unfortunately, there are no ifs.

"What a pity, Manjoume, all your efforts have resulted in nothing!" Amon's lips curled up. "When a face-up monster on my field is targeted for an attack, the effect of [Dead Body Guardian] can change the target to this card!"

"With only 1900 defense points, it cannot withstand the attack of the [Primal Jade Dragon - Imperial Topaz Dragon] and will be destroyed. However, because it is in defense position, you cannot inflict combat damage on me!"

The beam of light that shot out from the mouth of the [Primal Stone Dragon - Emperor Topaz Dragon] was intercepted by the [Dead Body Guardian] halfway as it was about to strike the [Ultimate Sealed God - Exodus]. The petrified [Dead Body Guardian] crashed to the ground and shattered, but successfully protected Amon from further harm.

Not only that, a wisp of ghostly spirit flew out from the body of the [Dead Body Guardian] and entangled the [Original Stone Dragon - Imperial Topaz Dragon] that had destroyed it.

[Original Stone Dragon - Imperial Yellow Jade Dragon] [ATK2600→1600]

“When it is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, another effect of [Dead Man Guardian] activates, reducing the ATK of one face-up monster your opponent controls by 1000 until the end of this turn.” Amon paused, then spread his hands. “However, this effect isn’t very meaningful—because your monster no longer has the ability to attack, right?”

Manjoume's determined attack, while achieving some success and reducing Amon's life points to 300, failed to finish him off in this turn. In Duel Monsters, there is no room for "almost" or "close enough".

The final blow was blocked by Amon's [Dead Body Guardian], rendering his efforts in this round futile.

“Next time I’ll definitely bring the [Fireball] with me.” Manjoume sighed, but it didn’t condense into white mist in the air—not because the temperature around him had risen, but because his body temperature had dropped too low and his consciousness was somewhat unclear.

"But—I haven't lost yet. [Ultimate Sealed God - Exodias], which can no longer increase its attack power through attack declarations, can no longer threaten my monsters through battle. Next turn, I will definitely take you down!"

As Manjoume spoke, he placed the last two cards in his hand face down on the back row: "I'm ending my battle phase, and then in Main Phase Two, I'll place two cards face down on the back row."

"And I activate the effect of [Original Stone's Light] in my Graveyard. If there is an [Original Stone] monster on my field, I set this card from my Graveyard to my field."

"And so, I end my round." Although his body temperature was so low that he could barely see anything in front of him, the more this happened, the higher his fighting spirit became. He had no intention of giving up the fight and wanted to fight until the very end to determine the winner.

【万丈目准：700→100LP，手牌：4→3→2→0】

【Ice Barrier Dragon - Trident Dragon】(Psychic Sword)【ATK3300】

[Original Stone Dragon - Imperial Yellow Jade Dragon] [ATK1600→2600]

Backcourt: [Flip Card (Original Gem Light Penetration)] [Flip Card] x2
Although he used his strongest card draw card, "Heavenly Treasure," this turn, all his resources couldn't withstand Manjou's depletion, and his hand was empty at the end of the turn. However, Amon, who was opposite him, didn't have much more cards in his hand either.

[Amon Garram: 300LP, Hand: 5→4→3]

【Ultimate Sealed God - Exodias】【ATK2000】

【Party Night Knights Group】【DEF2100】

"Impressive resilience indeed, but unfortunately, the power of [Exodias] is invincible. You cannot stop my victory, Manjou Jun!" Amon drew a card from his deck, glanced at it, and laughed. "My turn, draw. Look, even Lady Luck is on my side!"

"You should know what your meager 100 life points represent in this duel that has turned into a dark game, right? Just standing there is probably exhausting you, so let me use this card to quickly end your suffering—Spell Card [Lightning Strike] activated!"

"I'll use this card to destroy all the monsters on your field, and then I can wipe out your meager 100 Life Points with any monster I attack!"

Seeing Amon unleash [Lightning Strike], Manjoume smiled contemptuously: "Fool, do you think you can take me down so easily? [Original Stone's Light Piercing] isn't just for show! This mere [Lightning Strike], watch me push it back!"

"If I control a Level 5 or higher [Primal Stone] monster, I can activate this [Primal Stone's Light] without revealing my hand, negating and banishing my opponent's [Lightning Strike]!"

The [Lightning Strike] aimed at Amon was met with a blue beam of light from the [Original Stone Dragon - Imperial Topaz Dragon], which retaliated by blasting back a powerful beam that pierced through the [Lightning Strike] and nearly shattered the [Lightning Strike] card on Amon's field.

However, Amon showed a surprised expression: "Is your brain frozen? You handed over [Original Stone Light] so easily. You should have been able to guess before that I was using other cards to consume this troublesome card. I see. It's not that you didn't want to keep it, but that you couldn't keep it. Because now you want to activate [Original Stone Light], the [Original Stone Dragon - Imperial Topaz Dragon] on the field is necessary."

"However, since you've already played [Original Stone's Light], it means I can play this card without worrying about it being banished—the card I'm going to play is the Quick-Play Spell Card [Burial from Another Dimension]!"

C1 [Lightning Strike] C2 [Light Piercing the Primal Stone] C3 [Burial from Another Dimension], Amon looked quite pleased with the card he played, explaining, "There aren't many ways to recover banished cards in my deck. After all, the power of [Exodia] is such that you only need to collect all the cards in your hand to win. Most duelists don't even have the chance to banish my cards."

"【Burial from Another Dimension】is one of the few ways in my deck that can recover banished cards. The effect of this card is to target up to three banished monsters from both sides and return those monsters to their respective owners' graveyards."

Amon pointed to the black and gold coffin that had appeared on his field: "And what I need to retrieve, of course, are the three [Sealed] monsters that were previously banished by your [Ice Barrier Dragon - Trident Dragon]!"

"As long as they return to my graveyard, the attack power of [Ultimate Sealing God - Exodias] will not continue to increase, because at that moment, the special victory rule of [Ultimate Sealing God - Exodias] will be activated, and I will win directly by collecting all five [Sealed] monsters in the graveyard!"

Holding two cards in his hand, Amon spoke confidently, as if he could already see victory coming.

However, just as he was about to send the three banished monsters back to the Graveyard, "Burial from Another Dimension" stopped and did not begin its effect resolution. The reason was simple—Manjoume had just removed his finger from the Duel Disk button and used a card to follow up with the effect's chain!
"I see, so that's another trick? Just eliminating him isn't enough to extinguish your idiot's ambition, even though you're just as weak as me." Manjoume pulled out a back row card and showed it off. "To deal with someone like you, it's better to use this card that you've used before!"

"I pay half my Life Points to activate the noble Spell Speed ​​3 Counter Trap Card [Divine Judgment], negating and destroying the activation of a Spell/Trap Card when it is activated!" This "Unacceptable" card, which Amon used to negate [Original Stone's Light] during Manjoume's last turn, appeared on Manjoume's field. However, this time, "Unacceptable" was on Manjoume's side. The white-bearded old man waved his hand repeatedly, negating the card on Amon's field that was trying to bring back a banished monster!

Furthermore, because [Divine Judgment] is a counter trap card, its high speed of three makes it difficult for other non-counter trap cards to follow its chain!

The "burial from another dimension" that Amon had placed so much hope in was rendered ineffective and destroyed, and sent to the cemetery!
Meanwhile, Wan Zhangmu, whose basic points were already scarce, was left with only 50 points after paying out half of them again!
【Manjou-moku: 100→50LP, Hand: 0】

"Ten thousand feet!"

Jaden was about to rush forward anxiously when he saw Manjoume almost kneel down after paying out his life points. But the next moment, Manjoume gritted his teeth and stood up, shouting without turning his head, "Don't come any closer, Jaden! Are you trying to interfere with my battle?"

"But, Manjoume, your body will die in this world's battle!"

“No matter how intense a duel is, it’s rare for the life points to be reduced to 50 points.” O’Brien looked at Manjoume and exclaimed, “That’s really… too much.”

"Although I didn't see it, Judai Yuki, are you looking sad? Idiot! Even if something happened to me in the duel, it was my own choice. Who gave you permission to take the blame?" Without turning around, because Manjoume had little strength left, he said, "Besides, for duelists, such intense battles are proof of honor and glory!"

"Don't provoke me with that regretful look! Besides, I haven't lost yet!"

As Manjoume said, having successfully prevented Amon from retrieving the [sealed] monster, he was not yet at the point of defeat. Although he was basically at the point of being easily broken, Amon's monster could not break through his monster without external force. It all depended on whether Amon had any cards in his remaining two hands that could increase attack power.

However, Amon's expression was quite strange. He didn't show any frustration at having his winning strategy countered by Manjoume and being forced to use cards that boosted attack power to decide the outcome. Instead, he still had a confident expression.

"You successfully blocked the first one! Manjou-jutsu, I must commend your ability; it completely surpasses my previous impression of you." Amon said, playing a card that seemed "familiar." No, it couldn't be said "familiar," because less than a minute had passed since they last saw this card!

"—So, what are you going to do with the second one?"

"The Quick-Play Spell Card [Burial from Another Dimension] is activated again! Return my banished [Sealed Left Leg], [Sealed Right Leg], and [Sealed Exodia] to my Graveyard to achieve the rule-based victory effect of [Ultimate Sealing God - Exodia]!"

"Break free from all shackles, break free of all constraints, and return to the world, [Exodias]!"

Previously, due to the arrival of Wan Zhangmu's [Ice Barrier Dragon - Trident Dragon], the giant in the iron gate behind Amon remained silent for a moment. However, as Amon played the second [Burial from Another Dimension], which seemed unstoppable, the ice on the iron gate suddenly shattered. The last two iron chains trembled as if they were about to snap at any moment, and the giant inside even reached out a hand to try to push the gate open!

"Hoo," he took a deep breath and exhaled. Wan Zhangmu looked at the giant about to break free of its seal with an extremely displeased expression. "Draw two 'Burial from Another Dimension' cards in a row? This deck is completely unwashed, isn't it? They have no shame. They might as well just start with five 'Sealed' monsters and declare you the winner."

"Although I'm not happy here, it seems I really don't have any cards that can negate [Burial from Another Dimension]. But losing like this is super frustrating, even though I managed to Synchro Summon it. This is completely different from the plots in those novels."

"Besides, I would accept losing to Jaden, but it has to be that annoying guy, Amon? That self-important face of his is horribly ugly. I absolutely cannot let that guy be so smug."

"You think so too, don't you, [Trident Dragon]? Giving up like this isn't my style, Mr. Manjoume. Do you want to drag that guy down the road to hell with me?"

Upon hearing Manjoume's words, the [Ice Barrier Dragon - Trident Dragon] turned and stared into Manjoume's eyes. After exchanging glances, its three heads turned back to Manjoume, revealing a bloodthirsty smile, as if in response to him.

"Go ahead and use our power to retaliate."

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—"

Let's burn this world to ashes!

Manjoume vaguely heard three voices coming from ahead. His vision was already blurred, so he couldn't see the [Ice Barrier Dragon - Trident Dragon] making eye contact with him. He simply pressed the button his finger had already placed there, saying, "Releasing my anger in this way is truly delightful, like wearing brand new underwear to welcome the first morning of the new year."

Once again, Amon's "Burial from Another Dimension" stopped before its effect could be processed. Manjou's card followed the chain, and with the reveal of his last face-down card, a collar with a string of grenades strapped to the neck of "Ice Barrier Dragon - Trident Dragon" appeared on his field!
"That card is!?"

Because it was so iconic, Amon recognized Manjoume's trap card at a glance, just by its highly recognizable design. He glanced at his own "Burial from Another Dimension," which hadn't yet activated, and then at Manjoume's card: "How is this possible? No, it's impossible. Why would you activate that card here? How could it be that card!"

"Stop! Jun Manjoume! Even if that card is activated, what can it change? I can stop this duel, even if it's a dark game. We don't need to go this far. I haven't fulfilled Eko's wish to become king, and the power of [Exodia] hasn't been fully extracted and become my own!"

"Don't use that card!"

Because of the angle, Judai and the others standing behind Manjoume couldn't see what card Manjoume opened, and the wings of the [Ice Barrier Dragon - Trident Dragon] also blocked the changes that appeared on its neck.

"Manjoume, what card did you use?" A sense of foreboding suddenly rose in his heart, and Jaden was about to rush forward. This time, even O'Brien couldn't stop Jaden. "Manjoume, what did you do! What card did you play!"

"I merely played a card that could deliver a blow that could uphold dignity. And also—it's Mr. Manjoume!"

He barely managed to turn his head to the side, raised his hand, and pointed a finger at the sky, saying, "One, ten, hundred, thousand!"

"Manjou-me Lightning (sir)!"

The long tail of the [Ice Barrier Dragon - Trident Dragon] slammed into the ground, leaving an ice wall between Jaden and Manjoume, blocking Jaden from getting any closer. Then, the three-headed ice dragon calmly looked at Manjoume, as if it were about to witness its master's final blow.

"Calm down, Manjoume!" Amon was still trying to persuade Manjoume. "There's no need to be so extreme. Think carefully, have I done anything to wrong anyone? Like I said, I can end this dark game. There's no need to use that card!"

However, Manjoume smiled upon hearing this: "Calm down? Sorry, actually I've been angry from the very beginning, so I can't calm down at all. If you have to blame someone, blame me for being inexplicably angry lately, so it's reasonable for me to take some extreme measures, right?"

"Although it doesn't have a card as powerful as Hayato-sensei's [Summoning Exophysis], I'm glad I still included a card in my deck that can provide 'burn damage'. At least I dragged you down with me—I may lose the duel, but you won't win either!"

"One last thing to correct—it's Mr. Manjoume!"

With a wave of his hand, Manjoume shouted with his last strength, "Trap Card [Destruction Wheel]! Destroy one face-up monster on the field, and both players take damage equal to the destroyed monster's ATK!"

"Self-destruct, [Ice Barrier Dragon - Trident Dragon], then use your power to take me and Amon Garlem with you!"

"This is a necessary sacrifice!"

Clearly, we are only one step away from the [Buried from Another Dimension] taking effect;
Clearly, we were just a few steps away from achieving victory under the rules of [Ultimate Sealed God - Exodus];
Clearly, he was about to gain control of Exodia's power—

But why, why is there a "Destruction Wheel"?! Why is Manjou's backcourt card a "Destruction Wheel"?!
Amon stared at the card behind the Manjoume. The Exodia in the iron gate behind him had already stretched the chains out of shape, but due to the absolute rules of the duel, it was ultimately no match for the speed at which the Destruction Wheel would take effect.

The collar around the neck of the [Ice Barrier Dragon - Trident] exploded with a bang, and an even more intense freezing aura than when the [Ice Barrier Dragon - Trident] appeared before instantly swept across the entire world. Even though the [Ultimate Sealed God - Exodus] had invincible "all resistance", its controller, Amon, did not have all resistance and took all the damage!
On Manjoume's side, he was also instantly engulfed by the damage from the self-destruction of the [Ice Barrier Dragon - Trident Dragon]. On the other hand, Jaden and O'Brien were not harmed immediately because of the ice wall left by the [Ice Barrier Dragon - Trident Dragon].

The power of the self-destruction of the [Ice Barrier Dragon - Trident Dragon] was not limited to temperature. Jaden and O'Brien saw that the surrounding air cracked as it exploded. The whole world was like a glass ball that had been hit hard, with cracks spreading everywhere. In just a breath, the group watched as the whole world shattered. Suddenly, the two of them returned to the forest they had entered when they were looking for Amon.

However, neither Amon nor Manjoume returned, as if they had vanished into endless dimensions along with the shattering of the world that sealed Exodia. (End of Chapter)