Is this the poker world?Ada thief!

Chapter 1888 The Overlord Opens His Eyes (8K)

"You bastard, you used us!" O'Brien glared at the [Skeleton Priest], his gun poised to fire. "The 'Kellert' we encountered at the beginning wasn't you, was it? You only started transforming into the [Dark Realm Demon - Kellert] at our attacked camp?"

“That’s how it is~” [Skull Priest] demonstrated his transformation ability, instantly becoming [Dark Realm Demon God - Kelet] and then [Demon Lord] – although the [Skull Priest] card in Duel Monsters is just an early Fusion Ordinary Bone card, and its attack power of 2650 points is not outstanding, as a Duel Monster, especially a Level 7☆ high-level Duel Monster, it has considerable power.

(In the original work, the Skeleton Priest became the Demon Lord.)

"【Chaos Wizard】After all, he is one of the 'Four Heavenly Kings of the Overlord Army' who are on par with me. Even I dare not underestimate his proud 'Chaos Magic'. I have to find someone to test him, right? Otherwise, if I get dragged down with this guy and we die together, wouldn't that be a huge loss?"

"But now, you are of no use to me anymore, so just die!"

Seeing O'Brien quietly point his gun at him, clearly intending to distract him with a conversation and launch a sneak attack, the Skeleton Priest confidently raised his shield, easily deflecting the incoming bullets. In his other hand, he gripped a longsword held high, the blade wreathed in surging magical energy.

Jim, disregarding the fact that most of his monsters were so large that they couldn't move freely in the castle's main hall, summoned his trump card—the [Paleogene Fossil Knight - Skeleton King]. This was the monster with the smallest disparity in size and strength that he could summon. Even so, the [Paleogene Fossil Knight - Skeleton King] was still four or five meters tall, like a small giant.

Almost at the same moment that [Paleozoic Fossil Knight - Skeleton King] was summoned by Jim, [Skeleton Priest] also swung his longsword. Although "Priest" sounds less prestigious than "King," in reality, [Skeleton Priest] was far more imposing in the fight. [Paleozoic Fossil Knight - Skeleton King] met the slash head-on, but was completely unable to defend against the attack. He was locked in a stalemate with the slashing wave, being pushed further and further back, and it looked like he was about to collapse!
Even so, Jim gritted his teeth and persevered, buying time for the others who had just had all their monsters eliminated to summon their own.

Seeing the situation was dire, O'Brien grabbed the struggling Jim and leaped to the side. The Paleozoic Fossil Knight - Skeleton King had just reached his limit and was sent flying with a heavy slap. The Skeleton Priest's slash was not neutralized; it was merely redirected by the Paleozoic Fossil Knight - Skeleton King and sent hurtling into the sky.

The problem is that they are fighting indoors, which means that after Jim and O'Brien fell to the side, the ceiling of the main hall was ripped open by the [Skeleton Priest]'s slash, like a demolition, and large pieces of rubble and debris fell from the sky, separating O'Brien and the others from Jaden and the others in just an instant!
Jaden, who had just recovered and summoned [E·hero Flame Wingman], shouted anxiously, "Obryan, Jim!"

Fortunately, neither of them was hit by the falling debris and killed instantly. O'Brien shouted through the wall, "We're alright, Jaden, but this wall is blocking our way!"

"I'll blast it!"

Just as Marufuji Sho was about to do something, Jim shouted, "No! This wall is doing some weight-bearing work right now. If we destroy it, we might really not be able to get out!"

"Don't worry about us, Judai. We're not seriously injured right now, but you must be careful of the [Skull Priest]!"

"—You're right, you should definitely be careful of my attacks." Just as Jim finished speaking, a voice came from behind Jaden, along with a whooshing sound. [E·hero Flame Winged Man] delivered a flying kick that collided with the attack. The one who ambushed Jaden was none other than [Skull Priest].

Unlike the powerful attack that [Chaos Wizard] unleashed using its own effects, [Skeleton Priest], being a blank fusion monster with no effects, was able to deliver the attack entirely through its own power. Since it didn't overdraw anything, it didn't suffer any negative effects. So, another blade of light flashed from its blade, and what appeared to be a powerful field-clearing attack was actually just a normal attack to it!

"boom!"

Although 【E·Hero Flame Wingman】was Jaden's beloved 【Hero】, it was ultimately just a Level 6 monster with a power of 2100. Jaden wanted to gamble that since 【Chaos Wizard】 and 【Skull Priest】could unleash powerful abilities not written on the card itself, his 【E·Hero Flame Wingman】might also be able to unleash power exceeding the card's own power. However, it was clear that his calculations were wrong. To be precise, the power of 【Skull Priest】was too great, exceeding Jaden's imagination.

"Don't back down! You were full of energy just now, how come you're facing a completely different opponent now than the Chaos Wizard you assassinated?" One strike after another, the E-hero Flame Winged Man, who was locked in close combat with the Skeleton Priest, was completely unable to contend with him. None of his attacks could penetrate the shield, and even the flames spewed from the launcher on his right arm were sliced ​​open by the opponent's blade.

The terrain here also gives the Skeleton Priest a huge advantage. Once a large monster is summoned, it could trigger a secondary collapse, preventing Jim and O'Brien from summoning their powerful monsters, not to mention Marufuji Sho's "Machine". Only monsters the size of a normal person can join the battle.

While Jaden bought some time, Asuka once again summoned a monster through ritual. The Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law rushed forward to clash with the Skeleton Priest, relieving pressure on E. Hero Flame Wingman and preventing him from being killed outright. However, even fighting two against one, the Skeleton Priest still gained the upper hand, forcing the group into a retreat.

Initially, there was a playful, cat-and-mouse mentality, but as Jaden and Asuka worked together to withstand attack after attack, the [Skull Priest] became somewhat impatient. Suddenly, a shield bash knocked the two monsters in front of her back a certain distance, and then she raised her long sword again, seemingly to charge up for an attack.

The attack that Jim's Paleozoic Fossil Knight - Skeleton King couldn't withstand just now hadn't even been fully charged up. Judai couldn't even imagine how powerful the attack that the opponent was charging up for several breaths and hadn't yet unleashed was!

'This can't go on!'

Asuka frowned, glanced at Judai beside her, made a decision, and gritted her teeth, saying, "Judai, and Marufuji, you two cooperate with me in the future!"

"【Solemn Dragon Sage - First Dragon】, 【Solemn Dragon Sage Princess - Saphira】, lend me your power!" Although she only summoned one monster, it didn't stop Asuka from borrowing power from the other monsters and activating the card, "【Solemn Barrier】, separate the inside from the outside!"

Before Judai and Sho could even understand how Asuka wanted them to cooperate, Asuka had already completed her preparations. She opened the barrier halfway and then opened it in time, with several circular magic circles converging in front of her, just in time to meet the attack swung down by the [Skull Priest]!

"Clang!"

"Squeak, squeak, squeak—"

First came a loud crash, followed by a chainsaw-like cutting sound. This time, the Skeleton Priest didn't even swing the blade, but instead kept it on the blade and slashed directly. The magic on the blade clashed fiercely with the Barrier of Solemnity, and it looked like it wouldn't last long.

—But Asuka doesn't need it to last too long; just this one moment is enough.

The Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law suddenly "betrayed" Judai, kicking him away with the backs of his twin swords. He sent both Judai and Marufuji Sho flying!
Asuka's "sudden betrayal" caught the two off guard, but they quickly realized that it was not a "betrayal" at all. On the contrary, Asuka deliberately sent them flying towards the wall where the [Paleogene Fossil Knight - Skeleton King] had crashed into!

After [E·hero Flame Wingman] smashed into the same spot, it shattered the already dilapidated wall, revealing a large hole. Judai and Sho were pushed away by Asuka—she clearly intended for Judai and Sho to escape first!

And she herself—

The Barrier of Solemnity suddenly opened, allowing the Skeleton Priest to rush in. It was so sudden that even the Skeleton Priest couldn't control its strength and almost stumbled. However, it reacted immediately and parried the attack of the Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law.

At the same time, the [Barrier of Solemnity] was fully activated, with several circular magic circles surrounding the [Skull Priest] and Asuka. Rather than defending against external attacks, the actual purpose of this "barrier" in Asuka's hands was to imprison her and the [Skull Priest] together and prevent him from catching up with Judai and the others.

Marufuji Sho also understood what Asuka meant. He summoned the [Gyrobot] in mid-air and grabbed her in time to stop her from flying backward. With his other hand, he grabbed Judai.

(Here, Marufuji Sho's role is similar to that of a dolphin.)

"Asuka!" [E·hero Flame Winged Man] was hit hard, which caused Jaden some injuries, but those injuries were nothing compared to the pain Jaden felt when he could only watch helplessly as Asuka and [Skull Priest] fought each other.

Suddenly, a sentence came to mind, though I don't know who said it: "Death is painful, but the pain of witnessing someone else die is even more enduring." Asuka breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Judai being pulled back from the brink of death by Marufuji Sho. "I experienced that kind of sorrow and pain once, watching my brother stay behind to cover our retreat."

'Perhaps I'm just a coward, unable to confess my true feelings to Judai even at the brink of death, and unwilling to experience that pain again. So, I'm sorry, Judai, I will bear the pain of death.'

Turning around, Asuka raised her Duel Disk and faced the Skeleton Priest, saying, "Bring it on, Skeleton Priest!"

Although the [rotor robot] held the two of them back, Marufuji Sho's [robot] was still too cartoonish in style, resulting in low actual performance. Unless it was a fusion of monsters, a single [robot] could not compare to the original vehicle.

Just like now, the gyroplane, carrying Judai and Sho Marufuji, was already pushing itself to its limit just by using the force Asuka provided to fly out, and when it landed, it looked like it was about to crash. After putting Judai and Sho down, the gyroplane, panting heavily, shouted "Man! What-can-I-say?" and then disappeared.

"Big brother!" Marufuji Sho, disregarding his own "Mamba Out" [gyrobot], rushed over to Jaden, who had knelt on one knee after landing, and asked with concern, "How are you? I saw you coughing up blood just now!"

"Asuka, she went a little too far..." Forcing himself to make lighthearted jokes as usual, Jaden couldn't manage a smile.

Looking back on this failed operation, they realized they had been completely exploited, like knives in the hands of the "Skeleton Priest." Asuka and her brother Fubuki risked their lives to cover their retreat, while O'Brien and Jim were left behind in the castle, their fates unknown...

Once again, he lost his companions. Unlike the previous times, he wasn't by John's side, Caesar and Edward were definitely still alive, Manjoume chose to perish together with Amon in their duel, and Fubuki and Kenzan were left behind when he wasn't there...

This time, he lost a direct confrontation with the other side and was unable to protect Jim and the others, so Asuka chose to sacrifice her life to allow herself and Sho to escape.

Moreover, this sacrifice could have been avoided. If he had listened to Jim and O'Brien, if he had heeded Asuka's advice and turned back when she realized something was wrong, perhaps none of this would have happened, and he would have lost one comrade after another...

"Leave, Xiang."

Judai suddenly looked up and smiled at Marufuji Sho in front of him, "Let's go back to the world of the bird-beast race, go back with Misawa and the others, go back to the human world. There... can't be any more sacrifices..."

"At this time?" Marufuji Sho looked at Jaden with a puzzled expression, but didn't refute anything. "I understand... So, can you stand up, big brother? I'll help you. And then, shall we summon a monster again as a vehicle? Although I'm useless in battle, leave the summoning of monsters for transportation to me—"

However, when Sho reached out to help him up, Judai pushed him away: "No, I mean you should leave, Sho."

"Huh?" Marufuji Sho was stunned. His first reaction wasn't to question Judai, but rather to wonder if he had gone deaf and couldn't hear what Judai was saying, so his mind was making up some nonsense. He quickly checked, "Big brother, what are you saying?"

“From Professor Cobra and John to Caesar and Asuka, the dangers they encountered all stemmed from me. I was reckless, radical, arrogant, disregardful of others, and self-centered. They all died because of me…” Jaden’s eyes darkened. “Without power, I can’t become a hero or protect anyone.”

Looking at the boy in front of him, who was no longer the spirited, confident, and enthusiastic man he used to be, Marufuji Sho could hardly connect him with his older brother "Yuki Judai," whom he had known for three years: "Big brother, what... what are you talking about?"

"Leave here, Sho, before the [Skull Priest] catches up." Judai stood up, turning his back to Marufuji Sho and no longer looking at him. "Leave here and become a real man."

"Unlike me, who only idolizes heroes but has long lost the possibility of becoming one myself, you have a long future ahead of you, and I believe you can definitely become—"

"I don't understand!" Suddenly, Marufuji Sho interrupted Jaden. "I don't understand that at all. What 'dying because of you'? Everyone came to the Spirit World with the intention of sacrificing themselves, right? No one would blame you for the sacrifice of others. I don't understand that kind of self-pitying talk!" "As for staying behind to cover the retreat, I was prepared for the same thing after coming to this world with you. You deserve to go back alive more than me, don't you? If anyone should stay, it should be me. You leave!"

"Wake up, Sho!" Jaden said, looking at the agitated Sho Marufuji. "We've been through more than one or two battles in this world. We've fought with our lives on the line! We'll die!"

“…Everyone has died before.” Marufuji Sho’s expression was resolute. “I can do it well too.”

"Xiang..."

Seeing that Judai still wanted to say something, Marufuji Sho, who, like everyone else, had been subtly affected by the "Evil Heart Orb," also became agitated. While Manjoume and Kenzan became impulsive due to "anger" and "hatred," and the Tenjouin siblings, burdened by "suffering" and "sorrow," became self-destructive, Marufuji Sho, influenced by "doubt," unusually stopped doubting himself and became decisive in his actions.

"I don't understand. I don't understand any of the strange things you're saying, but you understand even less. We clearly agreed that we were partners, so why did you take on so much responsibility, trust us as partners, and try to rely on us?"

Sho looked at Judai and said, "There's only one thing you're right about, brother. What Manjoume said is true: you're too arrogant, to the point that I can't even gain your trust?"

“I can see that you’re not feeling well right now, but it’s okay. I will definitely take you with me, even if you don’t believe me…” Clenching his fist, Marufuji Sho shouted, “I believe in myself too! Not that I believe in the me that you believe in, but that I believe in myself!”

"Whoosh-"

As they were talking, Jaden and Sho simultaneously heard a whooshing sound. Marufuji Sho immediately drew a card from his deck and played it like a true duelist.

The Kite Machine Man instantly leaped out of his hand, blocking the incoming attack. The Skeleton Priest, who followed closely behind, launched another attack, which was also blocked by the Kite Machine Man a second time.

"Hmm? That monster actually has such power? But it's still as fragile as paper, crumbling at the slightest touch and completely powerless."

Upon seeing the appearance of the [Skull Priest], Jaden's eyes widened: "How could it be so fast... Asuka, could it be...?"

"Tsk, that little girl is really troublesome. She actually came up with the idea of ​​locking me up, but she doesn't have the power to defeat me. How long can that method work?" Landing lightly, the [Skeleton Priest] caught up with Judai and the others in no time. However, he could still see the signs of battle on his body—his armor was tattered, his cloak and the shield in his left hand were gone, and even the tip of the sword in his right hand was broken off.

"And that Chaos Wizard guy, even after I cut him in half, he still struggled and refused to die. He even ambushed me while I was trapped in that barrier, damaging my equipment. But even so, it's enough to deal with you two brats."

"As long as I'm here, I won't let you get a single step closer to Big Brother!" Marufuji Sho stepped forward without hesitation, blocking Jaden's path. "This place is big enough for me to summon monsters!"

"【Super Transportation Robot - Invisible Combination】!"

Jaden and Sho are now on the edge of a cliff. The area here is much more open, so there's no need to worry about the effects of summoning a large monster. Sho Marufuji, who had been preparing long before the [Skull Priest] attacked, quickly summoned his ace monster. The giant four-in-one robot rapidly assembled its body and immediately unleashed a powerful punch at the [Skull Priest]!
Large size means large mass, and mass acceleration equals destructive force. However, after the [Super Transportation Robot - Invisible Combined] delivered a giant punch, the [Skull Priest] managed to withstand the attack with a single sword and then forcefully pushed it back!

"Resist to the bitter end! Since you want me to kill you, then I'll just finish you off quickly!"

With a single slash, the Skeleton Priest struck the Decoy Robot that jumped out from the Super Transport Robot - Invisible Fusion. The attack failed to achieve its intended effect; instead, the Skeleton Priest was hit by another punch from the Super Transport Robot - Invisible Fusion!

"I'm not so easy for you to take down. I need to buy my brother some time to get away!" Marufuji Sho said, turning his head to Judai and shouting, "Brother, I've always been grateful for your care. Now it's my turn to protect you. Get out of here quickly!"

"Xiang!"

Although hit by [Super Transport Robot - Invisible Fusion], [Skull Priest] was excessively strong for a Normal Monster—perhaps this was also due to the negative effect of [Super Transport Robot - Invisible Fusion] itself having its attack power halved when attacking? In any case, after being hit, he acted as if nothing had happened, and even took the opportunity to charge up a "Serious Slash" that violently destroyed the body of [Super Transport Robot - Invisible Fusion]!

"Ugh—!" Marufuji Sho couldn't help but take two steps back. The basic score panel made a dropping sound, but he couldn't judge how much it dropped, nor did he have time to judge, because he immediately played another card: "Madama Madama! I'll use the power of [Blender Man] again to gather the power of the fallen [Machine Men]—don't even think about getting past me, I can hold out against you all day!"

"My ultimate trump card—[Ultimate Fighter King - War God Robot]!"

The ultimate five-in-one [machine] descended, its immense power almost flattening the terrain around the cliff. The [Skull Priest] was truly helpless against it and was chased around in all directions.

Before Marufuji could even catch his breath, the air in front of him suddenly twisted eerily for a moment, and then a hand grabbed his neck and lifted him off the ground!

"A whole day? I don't have time to waste on a nuisance like you." Looking at Marufuji Sho, who was trying to pry his hands off but was rendered powerless due to lack of oxygen from being choked, the [Skull Priest] glanced at Judai not far away and suddenly revealed a cruel smile. "But, he called you 'Big Brother'? What a useless big brother. Didn't he completely fail to protect his little brother?"

“But this has given me some inspiration. I’ve come up with a brilliant little entertainment idea—” Grabbing Marufuji Sho by the neck, the [Skull Priest] swung his hand and lifted him to the edge of the cliff. Marufuji Sho was standing on a misty, foggy ground, the depth of which was unknown, but there was no doubt that he would die if he fell.

"You bastard?!" Judai's eyes widened, and he forced himself to step forward.

"Crack—" Casually crushing the Duel Disk on Marufuji Sho's arm to prevent him from summoning a monster, the [Skull Priest] laughed as he watched Jaden seem about to make a move: "Only thinking of saving him now? Too late. Just watch your little brother die without a burial place. This is the fate of the weak!"

"Say goodbye to your big brother, you piece of trash—and die!" With that, the [Skeleton Priest] casually tossed Marufuji Sho down!
At that moment, Judai had barely taken a step, because the Skeleton Priest's actions—from stealthily ambushing Marufuji Sho to lifting him to the edge of the cliff—were so fast that Judai couldn't do anything in such a short time.

—He failed to protect anyone again.

Before falling into the deep valley, Marufuji Sho looked at Judai and made brief eye contact with him.

What was in that look? Jaden didn't know. He wasn't the kind of mind reader who could see through a person's thoughts with his eyes. He could only vaguely sense Marufuji Sho's thoughts by relying on his little bit of "new human" abilities.

Shock, despair, resentment, sadness? All of these were present, but what was missing was his questioning of Judai. Instead, he seemed to be thinking about Judai escaping as quickly as possible.

—Once again, Jaden lost his comrade, watching helplessly as Marufuji Sho died, unable to do anything about it.

—Because that's obvious, isn't it? I'm too weak, I have no power, of course I can't change anything, I can't save anyone.

Jaden Yuki is currently "angry," angry that the [Skull Priest] killed his important friend;
Yuki Judai is now "hating" because of the enemy's despicable nature and the blood debt he owes;
Judai felt incredibly "sad"; he had lost a friend once again.

Jaden's heart was filled with "pain," and this bloody reality made him experience the pain of loss again and again;

He wanted to "question" the world because things shouldn't be this way. What led to the current outcome?

He heard "him" say, "Don't you really know the answer?"

In a daze, he saw himself seemingly in a dark world, with countless cards floating in it, each card bearing the face of someone who had formed a bond with Jaden. But wherever Jaden looked, the cards shattered one by one, as if Jaden himself had brought destruction upon them.

A dark figure stood behind him. "He" said, "You admire heroes, but in the end, have you accomplished even a fraction of what a hero would do? You haven't protected anything at all, have you?"

"Because you lack awareness, you're still playing 'hero' games, unaware of your responsibilities and your own weakness. What's needed to fight against darkness isn't useless passion and friendship, but strength! Strength is the only truth!"—he said.

Yes, power.
The words of [Wandering Warrior - Freed], the mad treason of [Dark Realm Mad King - Braum], Amon's thirst for [Exodia], the [Chaos Wizard]'s cruel killing of others, the [Skeleton Priest]'s betrayal of his allies—aren't they all pursuing power?
I never want to be powerless like this again. This world is a cruel world where the strong prey on the weak. I have already proven this with the sacrifice of all my companions. I must use power, and only power can control it!

In Jaden's deck, the spirit of [E·hero Neos] tried to appear from the very beginning, but he couldn't even leave the card. This was because a card next to him, which had somehow infiltrated Jaden's deck, was constantly absorbing the dark power within Jaden's heart. That power was inexhaustible and rapidly increasing the completion rate of this card, which originally required the power extracted from five souls whose minds were affected by the "Evil Heart Orb" and countless lives.

Although still incomplete, the power of this card has gradually taken effect, continuously impacting monsters in Jaden's deck such as [E. Hero Winged Man] and even Fusion Monsters like [E. Hero Flame Winged Man], forcibly transforming them with the dark power drawn from Jaden's heart released by that card. And the first to bear the brunt is [E. Hero Neos].

As the "Darkness of the Universe," [E·hero Neo-Universe] was born with the power of Jaden and possessed extremely strong attribute adaptability from the very beginning. He was able to be compatible with the power of the six major attributes and thus "contact and fuse" into different forms. However, this characteristic at this moment made him completely unable to resist the dark power that was forcibly stuffed into his body in a form of near fusion.

(Same special effects as the Hunter Knight Sword)

Unlike the power of [N·Dark Panther], the magic that entered [E·Hero Neos]'s body was violent and tyrannical, transforming into black and gold armor that was forcibly put on his body. At the same time, Jaden in the outside world also suddenly appeared with armor-like attire!

The original duel disk has been replaced by a device that resembles a demon's arm blade, and a blood-red cloak flutters behind him with the updrafts from the cliff edge.

The sudden "transformation" startled even the Skeleton Priest, who stared wide-eyed at the drastically changed Judai and demanded, "You bastard! What just happened? Who are you?!"

"This world is wailing, wailing for its own cruelty and the emptiness of the throne that reigns over it. In response, I will stop all this wailing, with absolute pain, with ultimate power!"

When Jaden reopened his eyes, his originally brown pupils were completely covered by amber. He declared expressionlessly, "I am the king, for I possess ultimate power and use it to rule over all things on earth; I am the demon king, for no mortal in this world possesses the power to oppose me."

"My name is—Overlord!"

Pay off the missed updates in one go~
A clever little detail in the plot—the voice actor for the [Skull Priest] is Yuto Kazama. Although he's not very well-known personally, he's a regular voice actor for a famous character: Yamato Ishida, the holder of the Crest of Friendship in the original Digimon series. Therefore, this book includes a plot where he betrays his ally; after all, those who know about the Crest of Friendship understand (laughs).

Of course, he's also the voice actor for characters like Garurumon, and he even voiced a nameless announcer in Yu-Gi-Oh! DM. He's also voiced the Card Vanguard, making him a veteran in the card game world.