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

Her first reaction to everyone was always harsh words and sarcastic remarks.

But only You Yang knew that it wasn't malicious, but rather an instinctive self-protection she felt after the disaster, like a wounded young animal.

The reason their relationship gradually thawed and they even leaned on each other was simply because they recognized each other through their broken souls—they were essentially the same kind of people struggling in despair.

However, in this dreamlike scene before my eyes, all suffering ceases to exist.

Lilith's fair cheeks were flushed with a healthy blush, and the corners of her mouth turned up in an unguarded smile, her face beaming with an extremely bright and genuine smile.

Her eyes, which had been dull and wary, were now crystal clear, filled with a starlight-like joy and the carefree innocence that belonged to someone her age.

"Dad! Mom!"

Lilith waved her slender arms joyfully, like a bird returning to its nest, running eagerly and expectantly toward the school gate.

Following her longing gaze, You Yang stiffly turned his head and saw two familiar figures standing on the other side of the zebra crossing.

Those were Lilith's parents in the real world, who had already died in that cruel disaster.

The father, dressed in a sharp and neat suit, was waving at his daughter with a smile in his eyes.

The mother was wearing a soft beige trench coat, her long hair gently lifted by the breeze, and she was carefully carrying the box of pastries that Lilith loved most.

The mother's eyes were filled with an unyielding, deep-sea-like love as she looked at her daughter.

"Slow down, Lilith, be careful not to fall."

The mother's gentle, slightly reproachful voice drifted on the breeze into everyone's ears, each syllable clear and distinct, so real it made their hearts clench.

"Know it!"

Lilith responded sweetly and then threw herself into her parents' warm embrace.

She hugged her parents tightly, like a little animal that would never grow up, and rubbed against her mother's trench coat with a heartbreaking sense of satisfaction on her face.

Just then, a burst of lively laughter came from not far away.

Several boys and girls dressed in the same style of sailor uniforms ran over laughing. They were Lilith's friends in the real world who had been lost forever because of that cruel disaster.

"Lilith, we agreed to go check out that newly opened dessert shop today, don't even think about standing us up!"

A girl with a ponytail grinned and hugged Lilith's shoulder from behind, giving her a affectionate shake.

"That's right, Uncle and Auntie, we'll borrow Lilith for today!"

Another girl playfully joined in the teasing.

Unconditional pampering from elders, and unreserved companionship from close friends.

As dusk fell, the warm and gentle sunset cast long, long shadows of them, close together and chatting, on the asphalt road.

There was no sudden disaster, no heart-wrenching loss, and no devastating, cruel reality.

Here, there is only the ultimate happiness that remains forever in the most beautiful moment.

Every wisp of temperature in the air, every smile, everything was so perfect it was breathtaking.

What a tender, yet cruel dream it was!

For a child who has lost everything, no matter how much sincere companionship there is among friends, how can it compare to the deep, selfless love of parents that is thicker than blood?

This lost and regained perfection is precisely the strongest cage that imprisons her.

Staring intently at the scene before him, You Yang slowly lowered his head, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

He gripped so tightly that his knuckles turned a ghastly white, and his long nails were almost digging into the flesh of his palms, yet he seemed to feel no pain whatsoever.

Standing behind him, Ling Shiqing also bit her lower lip tightly until it turned pale.

She turned her head slightly, a strong sense of reluctance and sorrow flashing in her eyes.

The gray-haired Youyang beside him exuded a violent aura capable of destroying everything, like a volcano about to erupt, growing increasingly turbulent and powerful on the edge of this gentle illusion.

"Do you see clearly now, outsider?"

The Queen of Hearts' voice, sickly sweet yet icy cold, echoed eerily in You Yang's ears like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.

As her words fell, the bright sunshine and cheerful laughter that filled the campus before her eyes instantly crumbled and disintegrated in mid-air, like stained glass shattered by a giant hammer.

As the illusion faded, the cold, dark red Heart Hall, filled with a suffocating sense of oppression, was like a ferocious beast with its jaws wide open, once again mercilessly devouring and engulfing everyone.

On the magnificent yet cold throne, the Queen of Hearts leaned lazily, casually playing with her sharply manicured nails painted with scarlet cinnabar.

She looked down at You Yang, her scarlet lips curving into a mocking arc filled with pure malice.

"This is the place she longed for deep down."

The Queen's soft laughter echoed in the empty hall.

"The real world has given her endless pain and despair, but in the world under my control, she can be that carefree princess forever."

She narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone carrying an arrogant air of condescension:

"There is no death, no separation; all the regrets and imperfections of reality are perfectly repaired here."

After speaking, the Queen leaned forward slightly, her magnificent skirt swaying as she did so.

Her scarlet eyes were fixed on You Yang's gaze, a strange, bewitching light flickering deep within them, like a demon's.

"She is living a life of unparalleled happiness here, and willingly, forever remains immersed in this beautiful dream that I have woven for her."

The queen suddenly opened her arms, her voice rising sharply, exuding a deadly allure.

"If you are willing to kneel and become my servant, I can also grant you this power to change reality!"

Seemingly fearing that You Yang would remain unmoved, the Queen of Hearts snorted coldly and slammed the strange cane in her hand heavily onto the hard ground once again.

"clang--"

With a dull thud, the scene beneath everyone's feet and around them underwent another dazzling and dramatic transformation.

The dark red faded, replaced by a patch of blue data squares that emitted a cold, eerie light and whose outlines were barely discernible.

The densely packed squares floated in the void like a honeycomb, and each transparent square imprisoned a human who had fallen into a deep sleep!

You Yang's gaze swept over the faces of those people who looked like specimens, and his pupils suddenly contracted—he actually discovered an unexpectedly familiar figure in this chilling matrix: Luna!

Gazing at the countless spoils floating in the sky, the Queen of Hearts slowly opened her arms, a look of extreme morbid ecstasy on her face.

"Humans are such a weak, yet fascinatingly powerful creature."

She took a deep breath, as if savoring the sweet despair in the air.

“I could crush you all as easily and effortlessly as crushing an ant at my feet.”

"However, within your fragile bodies lies an incredible power that even the gods would take notice of."

The Queen's gaze pierced You Yang like a sharp blade. "Someone like you is a one-in-a-million exception."

She sneered as she paced before the throne: "However, there are far too few individuals as powerful as you."

"But so what..."

She pointed to the vast blue sea of ​​data, her voice brimming with a frenzied ambition:

"I can accumulate little by little."

"When I unravel and gather these tens of thousands of soul powers together, even the so-called guardians of the virtual world are nothing but this before me!"

As the Queen’s arrogant declaration was made, and You Yang and the others remained silent for a long time, a series of uniform clanging sounds of metal clashing erupted in the hall.

All the poker card guards standing in formation around the perimeter simultaneously pointed their gleaming halberds at You Yang in the center.

The palpable killing intent surged down from all directions like a raging torrent.

"Come, you lowly insects, I grant you the right to look me in the eye and challenge me."

The Queen of Hearts slowly rose from her throne, her layered, wide, and elaborate skirts billowing and flowing down the steps like a boiling sea of ​​blood as she rose.

She suddenly raised her right hand, and in a burst of dazzling and eerie scarlet light, the energy in the void rapidly materialized.

In the blink of an eye, an extremely luxurious duel disk, its surface covered with jet-black thorns and dark red heart-shaped patterns, was firmly attached to her arm.

She stretched out her arm, adorned with a duel disk, looking down at You Yang, her fingertips, stained with scarlet nail polish, pointing directly at him, and arrogantly delivered her verdict:

"Struggle to your heart's content in despair, and then face a miserable defeat!"

"Humph!"

A cold snort of utter disdain seemed to emerge from the depths of an abyss.

Gray-haired Youyang could no longer suppress the violence in his heart, and he suddenly raised his arm.

In an instant, a raging black flame, seemingly capable of burning everything in the world, burst into flames and soared into the sky, centered on him!

Amidst the blazing black flames, a phantom of a phoenix, bearing broad wings and radiating an aura of destruction, appeared.

It appeared prominently behind him, its imposing aura and violent pressure even causing distorted ripples in the surrounding space.

He really couldn't take it anymore!

Listening to this arrogant and conceited babbling on and on, his only thought at that moment was to rush up and beat this self-righteous idiot in front of him to a pulp!

However, just a second before Gray Youyang was about to go berserk and launch an attack, Youyang stood in front of the Queen with a blank expression.

Facing the forest of halberds and the queen high above him, You Yang slightly raised his eyelids, his deep black eyes calm and undisturbed.

"Actually, I came to this godforsaken place just to find someone."

You Yang's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears in the tense hall.

"I have absolutely no interest in your petty squabbles of ruling the land."

"At worst, I'll beat you up to stop messing around in the real world."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the azure squares, and a complex sigh actually escaped his lips.

"To be honest, I am still somewhat grateful to you."

"After all, your realistic illusion did allow me to relive that unattainable happiness that I hadn't experienced in a long time."

The moment the word "happiness" was uttered, You Yang's demeanor suddenly changed.

That tranquility shattered instantly, replaced by a sharpness colder than ice.

He abruptly raised his head, staring directly at the Queen of Hearts on the throne, his cold gaze seemingly able to pierce through her soul.