Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Not long ago, one of his trusted assassins, Khachi, reported to him that someone he had described had appeared in the vicinity and had been captured.

As he rushed here, [Brown] felt fear, anger, and excitement all at the same time. He was terrified that the dangerous guy had returned, but he was also excited that he now had the chance to take revenge!

When he saw "John" riding the Sonic Duck and trying to escape from a distance, "The Mad King of the Dark World - Brûlé" was extremely excited—there was no mistake! Although his clothes had become very ordinary, that hair was definitely that of the person who had almost killed him. Naturally, he did not hesitate to order his accompanying troops to open fire and kill "John"!

After confirming John's complete death, the Mad King of the Dark Realm showed no signs of mental change beneath his seemingly insane exterior. In reality, he was extremely happy, especially if there were people around who could activate the five negative emotion amplification beads he also carried—the kind of items "necessary" for completing the "Hyperfusion."

It was precisely because he was in a good mood that he accepted Judai's provocation with such confidence.

"This thing? It was something that brat dropped when I first encountered him not long ago. I kept it as 'spoils of war'." When he mentioned "spoils of war," [Brown] was actually quite guilty, but his expression didn't change at all. "Now that I've already killed him, it's not wrong to say that it's the relic of that brat who, although he had some strength, ultimately couldn't defeat me!"

"...John, you killed him!?" Judai's eyes widened, his gaze instantly losing focus, as if he were lost in thought.

"Of course, that brat's screams before he died were quite melodious. Who else could it be but me who killed him?" Recalling the tragic death of "John" just now, [Dark World Mad King - Brûl] felt pleased.

As a result, he misinterpreted Jaden's words as asking "whether he killed John." Otherwise, he might have been puzzled by Jaden's question about whether John was dead when "John" had died right in front of him, and realized that the misunderstanding between the two was due to the difference in information.

But there are no "ifs".

"Unforgivable...unforgivable! You killed John!" Jaden's eyes were bloodshot, filled with grief and rage. He glared at [Brown] and shouted, "Now that the duel has begun, I will not let you escape! This world will no longer allow you to live!"

"Hahahaha, anger and sadness won't make you any stronger, not even a fraction of a second. Save those useless threats for when you're facing my Dark Realm and you're not so scared that you fall off your feet!"

[The Mad King of the Dark World - Braum] sneered, drawing his card first: "I'll take the first turn, Draw!"

"First, I'll activate the Spell Card [Hand Elimination]. Both players discard all their cards from their hands, and then draw the same number of cards from their respective decks as the number of cards they discarded." [Bron] mercilessly sent his five cards to the Graveyard. "We both discarded five cards, so we can both draw five more!"

[Brown: 4000LP, Hand: 5→6→5]

[Yujo Judai: 4000LP, Hand: 5→5]

Extreme anger caused Jaden's expression to turn cold: "So, you're forced to discard all your cards with [Hand Elimination] right from the start because of the poor quality of your hand?"

“Judai…it’s not like that.” Because right behind Judai, Asuka, who had also heard the news of “John’s death,” could clearly feel Judai’s grief and anger. She couldn’t help but speak up to remind him, “In ordinary decks, using [Hand Elimination] is indeed mostly for resetting the hand, but the [Dark World] deck also exists in our world. [Hand Elimination] isn’t used to change the hand; instead, it’s used for powerful plays!”

"That's right!" [The Mad King of the Dark Realm - Bronn] laughed wildly. "The common characteristic of [Dark Realm] is that it can only be activated when a card is sent from the hand to the graveyard by an effect. And all five of my initial cards were monsters from [Dark Realm], but the card I drew first was [Hand Elimination], which can make use of everything!"

"Without a doubt, if there are gods of 'luck' and 'fate' in this world, they are on my side right now. No, or rather, I am about to become a god!"

In the graveyard area where the Duel Disk worn by [Brown, the Mad King of the Dark World] was located, five beams of light shot out. Jaden, seeing this, couldn't help but grit his teeth: "You actually... right now! Here!! Using John's Duel Disk!!"

"The first one to activate is this one, [Spellcaster of the Dark Realm - Snow]. If this card is discarded from my hand by an effect, I add one [Dark Realm] card from my deck to my hand." Ignoring Jaden's angry expression, [Bron] took a card from his deck. "I choose this Field Spell Card, [Gate to the Dark Realm]!"

"What?!" [Sylva, the God of War of the Dark World] was stunned by the card name [Bron] mentioned. "How could it be that card?"

"Why is that forbidden card in your hands, [Brown]!" [Gold, the God of War of the Dark World] also questioned.

"Didn't you two get caught in the AOE attack and get killed before?" Manjoume complained from the side.

"'Forbidden' cards? The [Dark Gate] isn't that dangerous. In the end, it's just a bunch of weaklings who are afraid of the real 'forbidden' things sealed behind the gate." [Bron] laughed contemptuously. "If you're amazed by something like this, it would really diminish my sense of accomplishment."

"There's more than one card that can activate its effect by sending it to the Graveyard with the 'Hand Elimination' effect! Next up is 'Dark World Mentor - Seruri'. If this card is sent to the Graveyard by an effect, Special Summon this card to your opponent's field in Defense Position!"

Following "Snow" (Snow White) [Dark World Sorcerer - Snow], comes "Cerulean (Azure)," a short demon wearing a blue cloak and leaning on a staff, who appears on Jaden's field and brazenly occupies one of his monster zones.

【Mentor of the Dark World - Serulli】【1☆/Dark】

[Demon Race/Effect]

[100/300]

Judai's first reaction to this was—

"Damn it, how despicable!" Jaden said angrily, looking at the monster that had been thrown onto his field. "They actually threw a monster onto my field and sealed away my [Hero's Arrival]!"

Chapter 1854 Sweat? How could I possibly be sweating?

Jaden's "Hero Arrives" is often used to Special Summon "E·Hero Bubble Man", and then he can use the special effect of "E·Hero Bubble Man" to draw two cards, which is equivalent to using half of his Life Points to gain cards.

However, all of this is predicated on his ability to activate "Hero's Arrival". But after "Dark World Mentor - Serulli" was placed on his field, he can no longer pay Life Points to activate "Hero's Arrival" because he has monsters on his field.

It's hard to evaluate Asuka. Is it good or bad that Jaden can't pay the base score? It's a life-threatening duel, was it necessary to use such extreme tactics?

But [Bron] sneered and said, "No, [Cerulli]'s true power has not yet been unleashed, because this is only the second chain. [Cerulli] will only be able to unleash its power after the current chain is completed."

"After [Sino] and [Cerulli] is this one, [Blau, the Hunter of the Dark World]!"

"If this card is discarded from my hand to the Graveyard by an effect, I draw one card from my Deck."

In the distance, from within the "Overlord Army," a remarkably tall [Hunter of the Dark Realm - Brau], seemingly a leader, drew his bow and fired an arrow in this direction. The arrow flew into the hand of [Mad King of the Dark Realm - Brau], increasing his hand size once again.

[Brown: 4000LP, Hand: 6→7]

"And this card, 【Dark World Vanguard - Becky】, if this card is sent from the hand to the graveyard by an effect, this card is Special Summoned to my field."

【Becky, the Vanguard of the Dark World】【4☆/Dark】

[Demon Race/Effect]

[1600/1300]

"Finally, this is the last card—【Dark World Demon King - Renn】! This card can only be activated if it is discarded from my hand to the Graveyard by an effect. Add one Level 5 or higher 【Dark World】 monster other than 【Dark World Demon King - Renn】 from my Deck to my hand."

"The card I chose is this one, [The Hermit of the Dark Realm - Pearl]."

(The original work says that the hierarchy in the elven world is determined by rank, but it makes the 4-star Braum the ruler, and even allows him to use Rein, who is of a higher rank than him.)

[Brown: 4000LP, Hand: 7→8]

After the [Hand Elimination] card was used, [Bron]'s hand not only did not decrease but increased to a full eight cards. [Bron] even Special Summoned a monster. However, Fubuki and the others noticed that when [Dark World Demon King - Rein] appeared among the cards discarded by [Bron], the faces of the Gold and Silver Demons who had fled with them became very ugly and twisted.

"Lord Renn...why is Lord Renn's card in your hands, Bronn!"

"You're just a low-level 4-star monster. You were only ranked alongside us as 'Gold, Silver, and Bronze' because Lord [Rein] valued you. Could it be that Lord [Rein]'s death was related to you?!"

Faced with questioning from his former comrade, [Brown] readily nodded and admitted, "Ah, it was indeed me. Who told him to know too many secrets I needed?"

"But you say I'm just a low-level 4-star monster? No! My weak past self is long gone. Thanks to the secret I obtained from [Rain], I've evolved to a level you can't even imagine!"

Recalling the card that [Brown] had just retrieved, [Sylva, the God of War of the Dark World] widened his eyes: "Could it be—!?"

"That sealed evil—that evil dragon, have you released it?!" [Gold, the God of War of the Dark Realm] stared at [Bron, the Mad King of the Dark Realm], whose muscles were beginning to swell strangely. "You let that thing reside within you?!"

"It's not about possessing it; I'm absorbing it to obtain the key to evolution!" After correcting himself, [Brown] held up a card in his hand. "Instead of describing it with words, let me personally step onto the stage now and prove it all!"

"The chain reaction of [Hand Elimination] is complete. Next comes the effect of [Mentor of the Dark World - Seruri], which was Special Summoned to the opponent's field. If that card is Special Summoned by the effect of a [Dark World] card, this effect is forcibly activated, and the opponent discards one card from their hand!"

Discarding the card he was holding up to the graveyard, [Dark World Mad King - Brûl] sneered, "However, from the perspective of [Dark World Mentor - Serulli] right now, 'the other side' refers to me, so I'm going to discard this [Dark World Dragon God - Grafa] from my hand!"

"When a card is discarded from the hand to the graveyard by an effect, the effect of [Dark World Dragon God - Grafa] targets one card on the opponent's field and destroys that card. What I want to destroy is naturally [Dark World Mentor - Seruri] on the opponent's field." [Bron] paused, pointing to Jaden's hand, and continued, "Moreover, since [Dark World Mentor - Seruri] is currently a monster on the opponent's field, its effect is naturally 'the opponent's effect'!"

"If a card is discarded by the opponent's effect, [Dragon God of the Dark Realm - Grafa] gains another ability - randomly check one card in the opponent's hand, and if it is a monster card, then I can Special Summon it to my field!"

"The Usurper of the Heavenly Wind!"

A dark storm blew in from [Brown]'s direction, and Jaden could barely open his eyes. When he opened them again, [Mentor of the Dark World - Serulli] on his field had been destroyed and returned to [Brown]'s graveyard, and he was also missing a card in his hand.

"You're looking for this card? Hmph, that's why I said fate and miracles are on my side." Holding a card in his hand and waving it around, [Brown] placed it on his Duel Disk and shouted, "The card confirmed by [Dark Dragon God - Grafa] happens to be a Monster Card, so I'm going to Special Summon this card—[E·Hero Necromancer]—to my field!"

[Yujo Judai: 4000LP, Hand: 5→4→3]

【E·hero Necromancer Dark Knight】【5☆/Dark】

[Warrior Race/Effect]

[1600/1800]

Even Jaden himself rarely summons [E·hero Necromancer Dark Knight], which is mostly used for sending monsters to the Graveyard to use its effect. [Brown] snatched it and summoned it to the field, but [Brown] frowned: "Hmm? It's not a Fiend-type monster but a Warrior-type monster? But it doesn't matter, DARK attribute is still usable."

Looking at the reduced number of cards in Jaden's hand, [Brown] felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"The stage is ready for me, so now I will return [Dark Realm Vanguard - Becky] from my field to my hand and Special Summon [Dark Realm Dragon God - Grafa] from my Graveyard – that is, my current evolved self!"

On the field of [Bron], [Dark Realm Vanguard - Bege] was swallowed by darkness. After the black mist devoured the monster, it did not dissipate but instead expanded to [Dark Realm Mad King - Bron], who controlled it, and even completely included the [Black Fighting Dragon] that it was riding.

Amidst the chilling sounds of bones breaking, the unsettling creaking of flesh and blood, and the maniacal laughter of [Brown], several long bone spikes emerged from the mist, forming a framework. The mist then transformed into a membrane, transforming the spikes into a pair of large wings. A ferocious dragon head emerged, looking down at Jaden and the others on the ground.

"【The Mad King of the Dark Realm - Braum】? That's all in the past... I have now shed my mortal body and ascended to become a 'dragon' - 【The Dragon God of the Dark Realm - Grafah】!"

Having devoured the dragon that originally rode beneath him, the current [Bron]... no, [Dragon God of the Dark Realm - Grafah] soars arrogantly through the sky, his aura terrifying!

【Dragon God of the Dark Realm - Grafa】【8☆/Dark】

[Demon Race/Effect]

[2700/1800]

"It's actually a Level 8☆ Upper-level [Dark Realm]!"

Upon hearing the words of [Sylva, the God of War of the Dark Realm], [Grafa], after transforming, stretched out his ferocious and powerful claws: "Hmph, are you afraid of this divine body?"

"That's not a god, [Bron]...that's just a demon." [God of War of the Dark Realm - Gold] denied. "There was a reason why He was sealed away in the first place. You not only plotted against Lord [Rain], but now you've even broken His seal?"

"What's done is done. Do you expect me to pick another auspicious day?" [Grafa] admired his arms, now covered in dragon scales and no longer as thin as before. "There's a reason this power was sealed—because [Rain] was afraid! Afraid of [Grafa], who is also a Level 8☆ but still has room for evolution—that is, me now!"

"However, the deceased [Rain] will not have the chance to see it, but I will not hesitate to show you my body in its more perfect evolved form—this evolved, strongest dragon god!"

A card was played from his hand, and [Gerafa] shouted: "Spell Card [Fusion]! This card contains the most common yet strongest power, and now I will send myself on the field—[Dark Dragon God - Gerafa]—and the DARK monster [E·Hero Necromancer] as Fusion Material to the Graveyard!"

"The history of the dark world is etched to shape the present incarnation of God. The sacrifice I offer will summon omniscience and omnipotence, and all glory will be bestowed upon me, thus initiating a divine evolution!"

"Fusion Summon, Level 10☆!"

"Descend—[Dragon God King of the Dark Realm - Grafa]!"

After the power of fusion covered the field of [Grafa], Jaden's [E·hero Necromancer] was also integrated into the former's body. [Grafa], which had just retained its half-human, half-dragon form, changed its body again. Not only did it gain a pair of wings on its back, but it also grew a pair of small wings on its head. Its lower body became four-legged, and the scales on its body became even more ferocious.

【Dragon God King of the Dark Realm - Grafa】【10☆/Dark】

[Demon Race/Fusion/Effect]

[3200/2300]

"This power...unparalleled!" Feeling the power within him, [Grapar] was extremely satisfied. "Such a powerful Powder—now I am omnipotent!"

"Come, let us rejoice for the first time this great power has been born into the world!"

However, instead of being amazed and shocked, Jaden showed a familiar expression when he saw his evolved form: "Ah, I recognize this card. Hayato-sensei used it many times when he used the 'Tears of the Goddess' deck."

"W-What? Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Grafa's first reaction was that Jaden was talking nonsense. "This power was sealed until the death of the Demon King of the Dark World - Raine. Even before it was sealed, this power existed in the form of the Dragon God of the Dark World - Grafa. How could anyone have seen me in my current form!"

"No, that's entirely possible. After all, Hayato-sensei always manages to pull out some really weird cards," Fubuki retorted. "You're just making a hasty conclusion because you don't understand the value of Hayato-sensei's skills."

"I can even recite your effects. When the opponent activates a monster effect or a normal spell card or normal trap card effect, I can modify that effect to 'the opponent chooses one card from their hand and discards it.' Also, the second effect triggered when the opponent leaves the field allows me to Special Summon one 'Dragon God of the Dark Realm - Grafa' from the Graveyard and banished monsters, and have all duelists with cards in their hand discard one card from their hand."

Jaden easily listed the two effects of [Dark World Dragon King - Grafa], not forgetting to complain, "I was particularly impressed by the second effect. It can be triggered not only in battle or when the effect is destroyed or banished, but also when released by [Lava Demon God].