Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"Because you have a monster Special Summoned to your field, this card on my field has finally met the time to activate!" Yugi laughed, flipping over the card he had set face-down long ago. "【Dark Magician Resurrection Coffin】! Tribute the 【Man-Eating Insect】Special Summoned to your field and the 【Sacred Spirit】on my field, absorb the power of darkness, and resurrect from the Graveyard by residing in the body of the Sorcerer!"

"My most loyal servant, Blackmare the Shrimp!"

After many twists and turns, the game's ace monster—[Dark Magician]—was finally summoned to the field. Making his second appearance, this time he was no longer a corrupted and evil [Cartoon] monster controlled by Pegasus, but a powerful magician wielding magic.

This time, he's going to settle accounts with Pegasus for the things he was previously controlled.

[Black Magician] [ATK2500]

Chapter 173 The invincible buff is ready.

"So it's [Dark Magician]? You've finally summoned your ace monster, Yugi Muto? But it's too slow, too late!" Pegasus grinned wickedly. "[Narcissus] has been summoned and has absorbed enough nutrients to grow stronger. Its attack power far surpasses your [Dark Magician]!"

"I can see very clearly that you don't have any cards in your hand that can further enhance the attack power of [Dark Magician], and next turn, even your [Dark Magician] will become nourishment for [Sacrifice Magician] along with Kobayashi Hayato's [Sky Magician]!"

“Indeed, I don’t have a monster in my hand that can help me defeat you.” Yugi didn’t deny Pegasus’s words, but he still firmly pointed to Pegasus’s [Requiem Demon] on the field. “But you say my [Dark Magician] can’t defeat [Requiem Demon]? That’s not necessarily true!”

"【Dark Mage】, unleash your fury and attack the 【Sacrifice Demon】! Dark Mage!"

"You're courting death, Yugi Muto! [Sacrifice Demon], Shield of Sacrifice!" Pegasus's hair defied gravity and billowed upwards. With his command, the [Sacrifice Demon] folded its outstretched wings, using the [Sky Magician] it had absorbed earlier as a shield. "The [Sky Magician]'s attack power was 2800 points. Take this 300 points of reflected damage, Yugi Muto!"

Pegasus watched helplessly as the magic bullet fired by the Dark Magician struck the Nasagi, but the Nasagi's expected counterattack never came. The energy cannon fired by the Sky Magician only offered slight resistance before being dispersed by the Dark Magician's attack, and the area where the Nasagi was located was covered in smoke and dust.

"How could this be?"

"Hmph, Pegasus, the purpose of activating [Trap Booster] just now wasn't just to activate [Flip and Reuse] from my hand." King Yu sneered, picking up a card. "As the price for activating [Trap Booster], I sent [Dark Demon - Kilpha Demon] to the graveyard."

"If this card is sent to the Graveyard, it has an effect that can be activated. It can be equipped as an Equip Card to any monster on the field, and that monster's ATK is reduced by 500. Since your [Requiem Demon] likes to steal other people's cards so much, I'll give you a hand."

[Sacrifice the Demon] [ATK2800→2300]

Just as Yugi was about to pick up the [Dark Demon - Kilfa Demon] and return it to the graveyard, he looked at the duel platform in front of him and suddenly froze.

"W-Why is this happening?" The card of [Dark Demon - Kilfa Demon] was firmly attached to the dueling platform and could not be removed. Excluding the possibility of a malfunction in the platform, there was only one possibility for this to occur—

The [Sacrifice Demon] equipped by the [Dark Demon - Kilfar Demon] was not destroyed?!

"Wow, that was really dangerous. Excellent dueling awareness. Even the cost of activating a card effect can be turned into an advantage for yourself. As expected of Yugi Muto."

Pegasus clapped his hands, as if approving of the series of brilliant maneuvers before the game, "But unfortunately, [Nasagi] is invincible!"

"Although in terms of attack power, the [Dark Magician] is superior to the [Sacrifice Demon] whose attack power has been reduced, the one that just received the attack from the [Dark Magician] was not the [Sacrifice Demon] at all!"

As the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, the game was shocked to discover that a large bump had appeared on the spot where the Dark Magician had struck the [Sacrifice Demon]. Somehow, the [Rainbow Kuriboh], which had transformed into a rainbow to trap the [Sacrifice Demon], had also been devoured by it and even used as a shield for "Defense Descent"!

"Kuri..." Having suffered too much damage, Rainbow Kuriboh let out its final mournful cry, turning into specks of light and being sent back to Hayato's grave. Along with it came the damage that had been caused by Dark Magician and should have been borne by Pegasus.

[Hayato: 4000→3800LP]

"Ugh!" Hayato almost cried out from the sudden, intense pain. It was only 200 points of damage, but it brought a pain far exceeding what the virtual projection system could simulate.

I sensed something was amiss when Pegasus summoned the [Nasagi Demon], and now I've confirmed it with my own body—and sure enough…

"Be careful with this game. After Pegasus summoned that [Sacrifice Demon], this game turned into a dark game!"

"The Dark Game?!" Wang Yang was also surprised upon hearing this.

Unlike regular duels where you only feel pain, Dark Games put a real physical strain on duelists. In severe cases, a single large injury can be fatal, even without depleting your Life Points.

I already knew that I had to try my best to avoid damage, but Pegasus's [Sacrifice Demon] on the field was so powerful that avoiding damage was easier said than done.

"Not only can it steal monsters and absorb the effects and power of other monsters, but it can even reflect damage back to others?" Looking at [Nasagi], Yugi felt for the first time that Pegasus might be right.

Such a powerful [Sacrifice Demon] might truly be an invincible monster.

"Two cards are covered in my hand. My turn ends..."

[Game: 2300LP, 2 cards in hand]

[Black Magician] [ATK2500]

[GaiKa] [Dark Demon Race - Kilfa Demon] [GaiKa] [GaiKa]

"My turn, draw a card." Pegasus drew a card and casually moved it back to his back row. His only normal right eye wandered around Hayato and Yugi's field, as if searching for the next prey.

"Activate the effect of [Sacrifice Demon] to absorb monsters as nourishment!"

Pegasus's eyes were fixed on the only remaining [Dark Magician] on the field. Just when Yugi thought his [Dark Magician] was about to be absorbed again, Pegasus suddenly looked at Hayato's field: "I've chosen [Entertainment Partner - Sky Apprentice]!"

"Instead of choosing the more powerful [Dark Magician], they chose [Sky Apprentice] instead?"

"Hmph, the existence of the [Dark Magician] poses no threat to the invincible [Narcissus], but the [Sky Apprentice], which has the ability to directly destroy monsters, is a rather troublesome monster."

Pegasus grinned wickedly: "Swallow the [Sky Disciple], [Sacrifice Demon], Dark Cave!"

Just like when it absorbed the Sky Magician, the Sky Apprentice was captured by the purple psychic power emanating from the single eye of the Nasa Demon. Its abdominal maw opened wide and swallowed the Sky Apprentice in one gulp.

[Sacrifice Demon] [2300/2000→3100/2800]

"Attack power, 3100 points!" the game player exclaimed in surprise. "That's already surpassed the [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]!"

"Go forth, my strongest monster, [Narcissus]! Attack [Dark Magician]!"

"Fantasy Magic Ensemble!"

On the two bone wings of the [Sacrifice Demon], the master and apprentice [Sky Magician] and [Sky Apprentice] appeared. Their eyes were lifeless as they raised the rings in their hands, and six magic cannons were fired, instantly engulfing the game's [Dark Magician].

Chapter 174 [Sacrificial Demon], Extermination

The attack of [Nasagi] was successfully launched, but Pegasus frowned. He noticed that Yugi Muto's scoreboard on the dueling platform still showed his base score at 2300 points, unchanged.

“When [Requiem Demon] launched its attack, I activated a face-down card.” Hayato said, pointing to the face-down card that had just been activated, “[Support Shot], this card can only be used when your monster launches an attack.”

"Its effect is to increase the ATK of the attacked monster by the same amount as the ATK of another monster on the field. In other words, the ATK of [Dark Magician] will increase the ATK of [Help Princess] on my field."

[Dark Magician] [2500→3700]

"Hmph, then I'll use the [Dark Demon - Cherufa Demon] as a substitute for the [Nasagi Demon]." As the smoke dissipated, Pegasus saw the [Helpful Princess] standing beside the [Dark Mage], helping him to defend against the attack.

He wasn't annoyed; he just coldly smiled and sent the [Dark Demon - Cherufa Demon] that the game had forcibly given him back to the game's graveyard, along with the 600 points of overflow damage.

[Sacrifice the Demon] [ATK3100→3600]

[Game: 2300 → 1700 LP]

"Cough!" The pain that Hayato had experienced was now being experienced by the game. Although it was only a mere 600 points of damage, because the personality he was in at the moment was the relatively weak-tolerant Outer Game, he almost fainted from the pain. He only managed to hold on by sheer willpower.

"Aibo, my turn!" came Yugi's voice from within the Millennium Puzzle. "The Dark Games are putting too much strain on your mind!"

Forcing himself to stay awake, Yugi grabbed the armrest of the dueling ring and stood up. "I... I can hold on a little longer, my other self. I'll keep going until you think of any possibility of defeating Pegasus!"

The returned [Dark Demon - Cherubim] was sent back to the graveyard, and the game did not activate its effect again. Previously, due to a misunderstanding of the [Sacrifice Demon]'s effect, the game reduced its attack power but failed to destroy it, instead releasing the [Rainbow Kuriboh] from its restraints on the [Sacrifice Demon].

Equipping [Cheerful Demon] to [Narcissus Demon] will be completely useless. Pegasus can take advantage of [Narcissus Demon]'s ability to use absorbed monsters as substitutes to launch a suicide attack. In that case, it will be Hayato and Yugi who lose life points.

"Oh? You've felt the pain of the Dark Game, Yugi Muto? Remember this pain, for this is the damage your cherished 'bonds' and 'friendships' have brought you!" Pegasus's face twisted in a grimace. "End of turn."

[Bekas: 4000LP, 0 cards in hand]

[Sacrifice Demon] (Sky Magician, Sky Apprentice) [3600/2800]

【GaiKa】

"My turn, draw a card!"

"Then use [Pot of Greed] to draw two more cards!"

Hayato drew two cards from his deck and looked at them, but felt a sense of unease.

Despite the [Sacrifice Demon]'s current attack power of 3600 points, making it seem invincible, Hayato has actually assembled a combination powerful enough to defeat the [Sacrifice Demon].

However, all of that came at a price. Hayato looked at Yugi, suddenly smiled, and resolutely activated the effect of the card in his hand: "I activate the effect of [Gransol] in my hand. If I have exactly five EARTH monsters in my Graveyard, I Special Summon them from my hand!"

Five monsters appeared on Hayato's field. Thanks to the [Power Wall] he had activated earlier, he was able to gather five Earth-type monsters from the graveyard. Thunder roared, the earth trembled, and a colossal spirit awakened from the ground, absorbing the soul power of the five monsters before roaring to the heavens!

【Grantor, the Earth Spirit】】【ATK2800】

"On the turn that [Earth Spirit] is Special Summoned, activate its Special Effect to revive a monster from the Graveyard!" [Earth Spirit] raised its arm and then forcefully plunged it into the ground, as if to pull something out from the depths of the earth.

"Is this your true trump card monster, [Earth Spirit God], Kobayashi Hayato?" Because of the appearance of [Earth Spirit God], Pegasus's right eye regained its clarity for only a moment before it was quickly covered by madness again. "But it's useless. No matter what monster you revive, it's impossible to defeat [Nasagi Demon]!"

"Even a god would only become its nourishment!"

Hayato felt a constant pain in his temples. It was the second time he had used the Earth Spirit in the Dark Game, and Hayato still couldn't adapt to the heavy burden that came with it. His breathing became much heavier.

Forcing himself to stay alert, Hayato gave Pegasus a defiant smile: "Sorewadokana?"

"Although there aren't any powerful monsters in my and Yugi's graveyard, the [Earth Spirit God's] control over the graveyard includes you, Pegasus!" Hayato laughed, pointing to Pegasus's field. "You've been waiting for this opportunity to avenge your master, haven't you?"

"Rise from the graveyard, Blue-Eyes!"

"what?!"

A dazzling holy light burst forth from the underground passage opened by the Earth Spirit God, accompanied by a resounding dragon roar, dispelling all darkness, and a white dragon, seemingly the embodiment of light, made its appearance!

That was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which Pegasus had stolen and thrown into the graveyard at the very beginning of the duel!

[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] [ATK3000]

"It's... Blue-Eyes!" Even Yugi was shocked. Watching the white dragon soar into the sky and roar at Pegasus, the sense of security it provided now was just as immense as the oppressive feeling he had when facing Blue-Eyes directly.

"To deal with you, I can't do it without Haiba." Hayato played his last card, "Activate the Spell Card, [Inherited Power]! Yugi!"

"Take it and use it, Hayato!" There was no need for much communication; Hayato and Yugi's understanding was so deep that a single glance was enough.

"Unleash the [Dark Magician] to boost [Help the Princess]'s] attack power!"

[Help the Princess] [ATK 1200 → 3700]

"Attack power exceeding that of the [Nasagi Demon]?" Pegasus's eyes widened in surprise. "This is bad!"

He understood Hayato's plan, but he had no way to stop him.

"Show us your power, Pegasus!" Hayato waved his hand forward. "First strike, [Help the Princess]!"

"Yahoo!" Infusing the surging magical power inherited from the [Dark Mage] into the staff in her hand, [Help the Princess] aimed and, like throwing a javelin, hurled the staff with its middle finger raised at the [Narcissor], hitting it precisely in the eye!

"Damn it, I'll use [Sky Apprentice] instead!" Pegasus retorted defiantly. With a reflection of black light, [Sky Apprentice] returned to Hayato's graveyard, thus lowering Hayato's base score.

[Sacrifice Demon] [3600/2800→2800/2000]

[Hayato: 3800→3700LP]

"It's not over yet! Second strike, [Earth Spirit God - Gransol]!" Hayato, seemingly oblivious to the damage, roared with fighting spirit, "God Fist Crushing Strike!"