Duels should be played with a smile.

"A sacred relic imbued with a cold, radiant light, reveals its demonic nature amidst despair, calling for the arrival of beings from another world!"

Two golden mirrors flew out of the cemetery, reflecting a red shadow in the center. The ice crystals surrounding the mirrors subtly hinted at the original appearance of this sacred object.

The mirror returned to the deck, becoming a new hope, and also entrusted the power to pave the way forward to Leyou.

"Now, I hold the future in my hands!"

"First! Even evil things, as long as they have light in their hearts, will be of use to me!"

"Secondly! When the golden spirit is insufficient to illuminate my path, I will forge ahead in the wilderness with a will of darkness!"

"Activate the Ritual Spell Card 'Relic Soul Mirror' from your hand! Pay 500 Life Points (Level x 500) to perform the Ritual Summon!"

"Third! If the future is shrouded in darkness, then even if it costs us our lives to create it, we must bring light back to the world!"

"I pay 3000 LP to ritual summon a level 6 [Evil Relic Mind Ogre]!"

[Leyou LP: 5000 → 2000]

"The hope that survived the flames of war, with the will to sacrifice itself, is willing to plunge into darkness to drive out the enemy! Now, with this evil holy relic as a catalyst, I offer myself and call upon your name!"

"Azure Witch, descend with your demonic form, [Evil Remnant Mind-Body Ogre]!"

Crimson energy flowed from Leyou's body, outlining the shape of a girl in the air. The grotesque Soul Writing Mirror absorbed the girl and then emitted a burst of dark green light.

A magic circle descended from the sky, and the originally cute girl appeared here in the form of a demon.

[Water - 6-Star - Aquatic - Attack 2500 - Defense 2000]

"The effect of the Evil Legacy Mind Ogre: When this card is Ritual Summoned, select up to 5 cards from both players' Graveyards and return them to their respective Deck."

[Leyou Deck: 2→7]

"I select 5 cards from my graveyard and return them to my deck. Now, hope has been shown, and the next step is to pave the way forward!"

"I activate the Spell Card 'Marine Salvage' from my hand, adding two WATER monsters with 1500 or less ATK from my Graveyard to my hand. Thank you for your help, 'Ghostly Appearance'!"

"I've added [Phantom Relic Sorcerer] and [Shadow Relic Sorcerer] to my hand. Now, the formula for victory is almost complete!"

"As long as you have cards in your hand, there is still hope. Even if the cards end up in the graveyard, the bond will not disappear!"

"I activate my magic card!"

"[The Dead Resurrected]!"

Chapter 45 Now, my future is in my own hands.

"Targeting the [Relic Abyssal Shark] in the cemetery, the dead are resurrected!"

Divine light pierced through the underworld, bringing the shark-headed, human-bodied warrior back from the graveyard.

"When this card is successfully summoned, you can search your deck for one [Relic] monster with 1000 or less DEF, other than the same card. I want to search for the second [Shadow Relic Caster]!"

The cards currently in the deck were all picked up from the graveyard, so Leyou knows exactly what's in it.

"If the deck represents the future, then my future is already open to me!"

"The effect of [Shadow Relic Sorcerer]: Discard from your hand and search for one [Relic] Ritual Spell Card."

"This effect is not limited to once per turn. I currently have two copies of Yi Shui Jing in my deck. To ensure the smooth progress of my next plan, I discard two copies of Shadow Relic Sorcerer from my hand and search for two copies of Yi Shui Jing."

The merman, leaning on a cane and wearing a long robe, slowly returned to the cemetery, but their departure brought back the sacred artifacts.

"Then comes the effect of [Phantom Relic Sorcerer]: Discard from your hand and search for one [Relic] Ritual Monster."

"What I need to retrieve is the [Evil Remnant Soul Giant] that I previously recovered from the cemetery!"

The sorcerer, also resembling a merman, returned to the graveyard in the same manner, but this time, his departure was exchanged for a demon resurrected by the power of a sacred relic.

It wasn't until this moment that Isis realized that, without her noticing, Leyou's hand had grown from 4 cards to a full 7.

Moreover, he has not yet had the opportunity to use the normal summon.

Although most ritual decks have the disadvantage of being card disadvantaged, any ritual deck that is even slightly viable has corresponding resource management or profit-making abilities—those that don't have these abilities are generally not viable.

"It's a pity there's no background music, otherwise I could have really hyped it up."

"Normal Summon [Relic Beast]!"

A surge of seawater appeared, and a dark green beast carrying a sacred relic appeared on the field. It raised the relic high and once again awakened its companions in the graveyard.

"When a [Relic Beast] is successfully summoned, Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower [Relic] monster from your Graveyard in face-up Defense Position."

"Hear the call from the depths of the ocean, return once more from the graveyard! [Shadow Relic Mage]!"

With Abyss Shark, Relic Beast, Shadow Relic Sorcerer, and a Wicked Relic Mind Ogre, Leyou now has a total of four monsters in the front row.

Isis should have been somewhat panicked after the FTK plan failed, but this time her deck responded to her call, allowing her to still have energy left after completing the reversal of the present and the underworld.

Her back row is covered by the powerful trap card [Divine Shield - Mirror Force]. No matter how many or how powerful the monsters are, they cannot break through this defense, not to mention that she also has a warrior in front of her that is capable of slaying dragons.

"You don't think this is the end for me, do you? I haven't touched any of the resources I just retrieved."

"Watch closely, what I hold in my hands is the return and the present I have retrieved from the darkness. Now, I will forge the future!"

"Ritual Spell [Relic Water Mirror]: Tribute monsters from your hand or field up to the same Level as the Ritual Summoned monster, and Ritual Summon Ritual Monsters from your hand!"

"O sacred relic imbued with cold radiance, illuminating the path forward amidst despair! Today, with the power of our own kind as a sacrifice, we summon the arrival of beings from another world! Sage, bearing the power of shadow, reveal your true form here!"

"If the effect of [Shadow Relic Sorcerer] on the field causes a WATER Ritual Monster to be Special Summoned, you can use this card as a Tribute for the Ritual Summon."

"I offer the Shadow Relic Sorcerer as a sacrifice! Ritual Summon! LV8 [Evil Relic Soul Ogre]!"

A golden relic hung high in the sky, a ritual array was set up, and a merman-like sorcerer walked into the center of the array, opening his arms to welcome his rebirth.

"The nameless sage, upholding the will to protect, has transformed into a villain who devours souls! Now, using the sacred relic as a guide, I offer my remaining body and call upon your name!"

"Descend, [Evil Remnant Soul Ogre]!"

A dark green beam of light shone down from the sacred object, enveloping the sorcerer. The sorcerer, who had summoned the otherworldly creature, embraced a spirit of sacrifice and absorbed the creature's power into his own body.

A sound of flesh swelling was heard, and when the sacred object left, the originally hunched body had become incredibly strong.

It is also incredibly sinister.

[Water - 8-Star - Aquatic - Attack 2800 - Defense 2800]

"Next is the final ritual summoning."

"My second Ritual Spell is [Relic Water Mirror]. This time I don't have any monsters to replace it, so I'll release my Level 4 [Relic Abyss Shark] and Level 6 [Evil Relic Mind Ogre] to Ritual Summon [Evil Relic Soul Giant]!"

4 + 6 = 10. Someone who didn't know better might think it was a Synchro Summon.

"O sacred relic imbued with cold radiance, illuminate the path ahead once more!"

"A hunter who lurks in the abyss, a demoness who preys in the sea, aided by forbidden arts of the dead, transforming into a colossal spirit that tears apart souls! Now, with sacred relics as my guide, I offer my remains and call upon your name!"

"Descend, [Evil Remnant Soul Giant]!"

The golden relic was stained with an ominous color. The ritual circle included both the hunter and the witch. The demon's forbidden magic was drawn within the circle, tearing the sacrifice apart in the most cruel way and mixing them together as food for the giant spirit that was about to descend.

"Roar----"

A colossal spirit with scarlet demonic wings descended from the sky. Its four enormous arms crushed the food in the array into a ball, and it devoured the offering with a hearty laugh. It nodded in satisfaction, then turned its gaze to the enemy opposite it, revealing its bloodthirsty desire.

[Water - 10-Star - Aquatic - Attack 3200 - Defense 0]

The ogres and giants stood like two incredibly powerful barriers in front of Leyou, radiating boundless fighting spirit.

“I can sense their power, but they don’t seem to be enough to pave the way for you,” Isis said calmly, looking at the two formidable monsters.

"That only shows that you haven't really felt where their strengths lie."

"Ogre's effect: I discard [Relic Sorcerer Noelia] from my hand and select [Mudora] from your field to return to your deck!"

"Devour souls!"

The ogre devoured Noelia's soul, turning it into a source of power. At the cost of one soul, it bounced Isis's only monster back into the deck.

What's the use of high attack power if you have no resistance?

"Then I need to thank you a second time, you were a huge help!"

"The effect of Soul Giant: Pay 1000 Life Points, draw a card and reveal it to both players. If the revealed card is a monster with 'Relic' in its name, select 1 card on the field and return it to its owner's Deck."

[Leyou LP: 2000 → 1000]

"My future is crystal clear because I have shaped it with my own hands."

At this point, all the remaining cards in the deck are [Relic] monsters.

At this point, Isis had only one face-down card left on the field.

"Giant Spirit, crush that last obstacle on the field!"

"Now, my future is in my own hands."

Chapter Forty-Six: I Understand Too

"Can you see my future?"

Isis did not answer, but simply smiled and shook her head.

"So, have you seen your future?"

Isis still did not answer. Without any cards in her hand, she could not surrender by overwriting them. So she took out her entire deck, ending the duel that had already been declared over.

"I lost."

Isis slowly walked up to Leyou, took out three chip plates and the invincible Netherworld card from her bosom, and handed them to Leyou.

“Through this sacred ceremony, the millennium-old jewelry has shown me a brand new future.”

"Oh? What kind of future?"

Leyou couldn't help but be curious. He also wanted to know what kind of future this ancient artifact could have after the appearance of the four members of the Taiyi group.

There shouldn't be a hopeless situation like a battle between two tankers, right?

"The future... a completely new future is just a blank page."

"Hmm? No, you said before it was a fog, now it's a blank space. What's the difference between the two?"

"The difference probably lies in whether the future can be changed, right?" Isis took out the millennium jewelry again and gently rubbed it in her hand.