Yu-Gi-Oh!: This isn't a duel!

Countless slippery tentacles emerged from the chaos, waving wildly in the void.

Each strike leaves indelible, ink-like cracks in the space, as if the real world itself is being corroded by it.

It simply existed there, distorting and swallowing the surrounding light, and filling the air with a nauseating smell of rust and sulfur.

[Outer God Azathoth] [Tier 5] [Dark/Demonic/Xyz/Effect] [Attack: 2400 / Defense: 0]

The moment the Outer God Azathoth descended, a chill from the depths of the soul swept across the entire area.

The proud, lyrical birds on the Tsukuyomi Rion stage now seemed to feel an extreme fear coming from the top of the food chain—no, from beyond the dimension.

They lay trembling on the ground, not daring to utter a single cry, their wings tightly wrapped around their bodies, as if this would allow them to escape the ever-present gaze.

"What...is this...?"

Rion Tsukuyomi felt as if her throat was being tightly gripped, and countless tiny, frantic whispers rang in her ears—a deluge of information that the human brain could not process.

The fear in her eyes was so real that her vision began to blur, as if she were standing on the edge of an abyss.

The next moment, the chaotic shadow seemed to open its giant maw, about to devour her soul and reason!

Just as her consciousness was about to sink into darkness, a mournful yet exceptionally clear cry rang out in her heart.

That was a call from the depths of the cemetery.

A faint, seven-colored glow slowly rose in the darkness of the abyss—it was the remaining divinity of the [King Bird Smolph] and the light of bonds gathered by countless [Lyrical Robins].

The light was not bright; it appeared precarious even in the shadow of Azathoth and was gradually dimming.

But it is indeed the only light in the abyss!

"Ouch—it hurts!"

Rion Tsukuyomi bit her tongue hard, the intense pain and the taste of blood spreading through her mouth, forcibly pulling her back to reality from that terrifying hallucination.

She was panting heavily, her body already drenched in cold sweat, and her eyes still held a lingering fear as she stared intently at the indescribable monster opposite her.

"I never expected... that You Yang would summon such a... such a monster!!"

Roland, who was off the field, whose face was always adorned with a confident smile, finally lost all control at this moment.

He instinctively gripped the metal railing in front of him tightly, with such force that the hard alloy made a slight twisting sound, and his knuckles turned pale from the excessive force.

Gazing at the boy in the center of the dueling arena, enveloped in layers of thick, inky black mist, seemingly merging with the indescribable chaos behind him.

Roland's pupils trembled violently, and an unprecedented sense of disorientation surged within him, as if the boundary between reality and illusion was gradually blurring under the erosion of that evil force.

Chapter 262 When He descends, all things must fall silent! All monster effects are forbidden!

Separated by the light curtain slightly distorted by the collision of high-intensity energy, Roland outside the arena had a complicated expression, his gaze shifting between the memory of the prophecy tablet and the trembling reality before him.

Was that boy truly the savior chosen by the gods in the prophecy?

In the center of that endless, abyss-like churning black mist, Youyang stood proudly.

He rode the deity that symbolized the ultimate chaos, blindness, and folly of the universe, his figure becoming one with that indescribable terror.

Is this really the hero who can cut through the darkness and bring dawn to the world?

Or is it that... he himself is the demon of destruction, disguised in human skin, destined to drag this world into an abyss of no return?

Only the constantly rippling energy barrier at the edge of the dueling arena barely maintained the boundary between the two dimensions, isolating madness within the arena and allowing the three outside to retain their sanity.

In the center of the dueling arena, a silent but astonishing change is taking place.

"When He comes, all things must be silent."

As You Yang's icy pronouncement fell, the chaotic mass of flesh that had been writhing wildly in the center of the arena, seemingly devouring light, suddenly fell into absolute stillness.

This stillness was even more chilling than the madness that had just occurred.

"Buzz—!!!"

A low-frequency vibration, imperceptible to human hearing, swept across the entire area in an instant.

Then, the thousands of tightly closed eyes on the surface of the meat chunk opened simultaneously and in unison.

Tens of thousands of murky, bloodshot eyes, filled with extreme malice, were fixed on Tsukuyomi Rion and her monster.

"I activate the [Outer God Azathoth]'s entry effect!"

You Yang's raised arm seemed to point to the end of the judgment, and his voice pierced through the black mist:

"If this card is successfully Xyz Summoned, your opponent cannot activate monster effects this turn!"

Before the words were finished, under the gaze of Azathoth's countless demonic eyes, a morbid, withered, and annihilated gray color spread wildly outwards from Him as the center.

That's not a change in light and shadow, but a forced stripping away of all concepts.

The gray wave instantly engulfed Tsukuyomi Rion's monster area.

The Lyric Robins, who were originally leaping and dancing on the field, surrounded by musical notes, seemed to have their "souls" instantly ripped away the moment this irresistible gray wave touched them.

The lively light in their eyes went out, the originally colorful wing paint quickly faded, and the magical notes that danced on their bodies were frozen in mid-air before crumbling into dust.

In an instant, those vibrant dueling monsters were transformed into lifeless black and white figures, as if they had died under that indescribable pressure.

"A containment system...?!"

Rion Tsukuyomi felt a wave of dizziness wash over her as warm liquid slid down her earlobes—blood seeping from her ear piercings due to the pressure.

You Yang's voice came through the buzzing in her ears, sounding distorted and distant, but every word struck her heart like a heavy hammer.

【Outer God Azathoth】 and 【Outer God Nyarla】.

As a Horizon Duelist, she had certainly heard of the names of these two forbidden cards.

But she never bothered to read the words on them carefully, because she instinctively felt aversion towards the two cards.

That is life's instinctive rejection of the anti-life.

This was the first time she had personally experienced the terrifying effects of the Outer God Azathoth.

"Gu..."

Hearing the slippery, writhing sound coming again from the black mist, it was the sound of flesh and bone rubbing together.

Rion Tsukuyomi bit her lower lip hard, her nails digging deep into her palms, using the pain to force herself to look away, absolutely refusing to look directly at that indescribable thing.

Just a fleeting glance from the corner of her eye almost dragged her consciousness into that chaotic vortex and caused her to sink completely.

She held up the card in her hand, trembling, her breath rapid and broken, squeezing out a sound with all her might:

"I... I'm ending my turn!"

That was a last struggle in despair.

The blockade by the Outer God Azathoth is absolute.

Whether it's the monsters standing on the field, the cards held in your hand, or the beings sleeping in the graveyard or even wandering in the banished zone, all their effects are completely sealed by those countless eyes.

Right now, in this round, she has indeed become someone who cannot fight back.

But... it's not over yet.

Through her vision blurred by cold sweat, Tsukuyomi Rion looked at her ace on the field, who, though faded, still stood tall.

Her own [Lyrical Robin - Gathering Nightingale] is surrounded by an overload of artifacts!

That was a glimmer of light in the material, and also the last glimmer of hope.

As long as we survive this round, as long as we can live...

After all, the suffocating lockdown of the Outer God Azathoth can only be applied for this one round!

As Tsukuyomi Rion's trembling words, "End of turn," fell, the indescribable being perched in the center of the field—[Outer God Azathoth]—seemed to have heard some kind of decree of pardon.

His countless murky demonic eyes, which covered his entire body, slowly closed at the same time, and the maddening gaze finally dissipated.

The thick, asphalt-like black mist flowed back along the cracks in the ground, gathering again deep within His chaotic body.

The world seemed to have rediscovered its colors from a faded black and white photograph.

Although the monsters on Tsukuyomi Rion's field have regained their original gorgeous paint jobs, their vitality has not returned.

They huddled together, their wings drooping, as if they had just experienced a high fever that stripped their souls away, appearing listless, and even their originally clear chirps had turned into hoarse panting.

The air was still thick with that suffocating sense of oppression, the lingering scent of the superior predator.

"Then—it's my turn!"

You Yang's voice, cold and hard as iron, broke the brief silence.

"Draw a card!"

His fingertips sliced ​​through the air, creating a sharp whistling sound. His movements were swift and decisive, as if he were drawing not a card, but a sharp blade about to sever a head.

In that instant, Rion Tsukuyomi's pupils contracted sharply.

That is the last survival instinct that organisms unleash when faced with impending annihilation.

Without the slightest hesitation, she shouted with almost all her might:

"At this very moment!"

"I activate the effect of [Lyrical Robin - Gathering Nightingales] on the field!"

She pointed to the small bird or beast still trembling on the field, her eyes filled with a desperate determination.

"Remove her last excess material!"

The golden sphere that had surrounded the nightingale, like a last hope, instantly disintegrated, transforming into countless shimmering particles that attempted to weave an indestructible barrier.

"Until the end of this turn, 'Lyrical Bird' monsters on your field cannot be destroyed by battle or monster effects, and you take 0 battle damage. This effect can be activated during your opponent's turn!"

A green light curtain had just risen from the ground, attempting to shield the frightened birds under its wings.

However, at this moment, You Yang's lips curled into an extremely dangerous arc, a look of disdain and mockery of his prey's dying struggle.

"Do you think the same trick will work on me twice?"

He abruptly waved his hand, pointing to the long-covered card in the back room, his tone chilling:

"I'm opening the card!"

"Activate the counter-trap card—[Rapid Raptor - Phantom Claw]!"