I'm in Yu-Gi-Oh!, but I'm also in Machine Ascension.

Youfeng: "You son of a bitch..."

53. The merciless sun, the sun god's egg descends!

Soon, on this towering duel arena shrouded in dark mist, where a dark duel was taking place.

Seeing Yuuka completely imprisoned in place by the cage that had fallen from the sky, Katsuya Jonouchi, amidst everyone's shock, struggled to his feet.

And the first thing he said upon waking up was, after seeing his good friend Youfeng fall victim to Malik's underhanded tricks, that he launched into a tirade of profanities:

"Malik, I'll f*** you!"

In an instant, accompanied by this sharp shout that seemed to pierce through the clouds and break rocks, everyone's expression froze for a moment.

All eyes were instantly fixed on the angry-looking "yellow-haired boy" named Liao Zhi.

"Jonnouchi...are you alright?!"

Amidst the concerned voices of Kyoko Masaki and Mai Kujaku, Katsuya Jonouchi, who had just recovered from his "vegetative state," still looked somewhat pale.

But at this moment, with anger completely taking over his face beneath his long blond hair, the trembling Shiroi Katsuya quickly broke free from the support of his sister and Yugi Muto.

He took a very serious step forward and pointed his finger at Malik in the distance:

"I * & ...%￥＃!"

...

"JIO Neki, don't do this..."

Soon, the instant after Masaki Kyoko signaled that Shizuka was still watching him, Jonouchi clenched his fists indignantly.

"Hmm... Youfeng, we're in danger now. That kid's fighting style has completely surpassed our expectations in terms of treachery... It's absolutely disgusting..."

Then, while the boy inside the castle still looked angry, Yugi Muto gently patted the blond-haired boy on the shoulder.

"Within the castle... at this moment, we should still give our companion, Yuuka, enough trust..."

As Yugi Muto's deep voice resonated, Mai Kongzak slowly nodded:

"That's right, Jonouchi, Yuuka... will definitely be able to defeat that bastard!"

Soon, amidst the peacock dance, hands on hips and a firm voice...

Jonouchi finally managed to suppress his rage and nodded temporarily.

...

At that very instant, in the Sky Arena atop the Duel Tower, Malik, shrouded in black mist, saw that Joey Wheeler, whom he had seemingly "destroyed," was actually... He was so shocked that even his white hair, which was fluttering in the air, trembled slightly.

"No...impossible. I clearly shattered this rabid dog's willpower completely, and its soul was severely damaged..."

"To think I could wake up at this very moment..."

"..."

Accompanied by Malik's furious outburst, his face contorted in a grotesque expression, Katsuya Jonouchi in the audience immediately looked at this dark-skinned "sunny boy" with utter disdain:

"Hmph, what do you know... This is precisely the testament to the power of friendship we've forged through trials..."

"Someone like you will never have any friends."

As Jonouchi spoke, he made a disgusted "go away" gesture to Malik from afar.

Malik: ...

...

After a brief silence, the gloomy-looking boy slowly nodded again, revealing a sinister, twisted smile.

"Is that so... It seems I need to intensify this fire even further!"

Soon, accompanied by Malik's gloomy voice, he also brandished the divine weapon, the Millennium Staff.

In an instant, within the cage enveloping You Feng, a colossal demon god appeared, its body cracked and radiating hellish magma. Its pair of burning arms instantly reached out towards You Feng within the cage.

A huge flame also quickly rose from the bottom of the cage, completely engulfing the handsome duelist Youfeng in scorching heat.

"Well..."

Upon feeling the intense, towering heat, Youfeng frowned slightly.

...

At that moment, everyone's gaze froze on the monster card that Malik had just played from his hand—an 8-star, 3000-point monster that was considered a high-rarity card in the current DM environment.

【Lava Demon】

[Race: Demon]

[Attribute: Fire]

[Star rating: 8]

[Attack power: 3000]

[Defense: 2500]

The moment Seto Kaiba saw the card's sinister form, he frowned slightly, having calmly watched the match since the start of the turn. He shook his head dismissively at Malik's monster card with a hint of annoyance.

"This kind of monster card from the underworld has the exact same attack and defense capabilities as my loyal servant, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. No matter how many times I see this kind of monster card, it's really infuriating!"

As the president, Seto Kaiba, snorted coldly, the crowd staring at this terrifyingly powerful monster card hesitated slightly.

"Hmm...this card...can be summoned by tribute of monsters on the opponent's field...it's pretty monstrous."

"But, aren't the two [Mounts] that Malik put into the Wind's field at the start of the round not allowed to be used as tributes?"

As everyone gasped in surprise, Katsuya Jonouchi, who had just woken up and was still angry, immediately nodded nervously:

"Hmm...indeed, the tactics we just prepared summoned two monsters, which were immediately sacrificed by this kid..."

"However, according to Malik's [Swift Mouse] on the field... emmm... according to what the rules say again..."

"..."

While he was deep in thought, scratching his head, Kongque Wu beside him shook her head helplessly.

"...You probably meant to say 'self-howling,' right... Orange..."

"Ah, right, right, right..."

Soon, after the blond-haired boy scratched his head with a sheepish grin, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and a slightly relaxed atmosphere immediately filled the venue.

...

Faced with the doubts of the crowd, Malik gave a slight, cold smile:

"Hmph... This card's summoning condition does indeed require sacrificing two monsters on the opponent's field, and after being summoned, it also has a self-destruct effect that prevents normal summons this turn..."

"But it actually uses the effect of a [Special Summon]..."

"So, Yuuki, please feel the intense heat from the flames!"

In an instant, accompanied by Malik's faint voice, he immediately played another card from his hand onto the field. Then, under everyone's gaze, it immediately crossed the field and entered Yuufu's field.

Soon, a hideous green mask pierced by countless steel nails was instantly prepared and placed on the [Lava Demon] card that Youfeng had placed at the beginning of his turn.

"Wind! This [Equip Spell] card, [Cursed Soul Mask], prevents the equipped monster from attacking."

As Malik's voice faded, Jonouchi clenched his fists nervously.

"Damn it... This means the opponent can't use the monster card's 3000 ATK power at all..."

"I have to say—this kid really does have a certain talent for mastering underworld duels..."

"..."

Soon, amidst Jonouchi's pale and tense expression, Malik, having accomplished the astonishing feat of consecutively placing two cards onto the Windwalker's field, ended his turn:

"Well then, the turn is over—Wind... Right now, I have a surprise hidden inside this card for you!"

The moment Malik emphasized the word "surprise" with a "sunny" smile that contrasted sharply with his skin tone, he immediately ended his turn.

...

At the very moment this round changed, the flames that were almost enveloping the wind suddenly expanded into an even more raging heat.

In an instant, in the instant that this enormous, towering flame, capable of burning everything to ashes, surged forth.

A burst of damage, totaling 1500 points, quickly lit up on Youfeng's silver-white duel disk.

Because Yuuki lost 500 LP in the previous round due to the effect of [Swift Squirrel], the black mist rising from the ground like vines fixed Yuuki in the distance, and then sealed him in the steel cage.

You Feng had no choice but to endure the soul damage, letting out a soft groan.

[Wind Speed: LP3500→2000]

Seeing Yu Feng's discomfitured expression, Malik, as his opponent, let out another sinister laugh:

"Hmph... Yufeng, this [Equipment Monster] card, like [Lava Demon], deals 500 damage to the controller of the equipped monster."

"So, 1000 + 500, every round, I can burn 1500 points of your health!"

"Yufeng, it looks like in another round, you won't be able to stand here and fight me at all~"

Soon, following Malik's deep gaze, he also looked at the other person with amusement, as if watching a "joke".

"...In this way, no matter how high the attack power of your Cyber ​​Dragon deck is, it will completely lose its ability to function under my 'Burning' flames..."

"not to mention--"

Soon, after glancing at the powerful monster cards in his Duel Disk deck that seemed to be radiating a faint divine power, Malik's eyes gleamed with increasing smugness.

Youfeng: ...

...

At the same time, after a brief silence, Youfeng sighed helplessly and complained:

"Good grief, half his health was gone in just two rounds... Malik, you've got some skills after all..."