Dark World had always been a cold place, metaphorically speaking. Being primarily inhabited by fiends, the dimension was practically void of morality and goodness. Dark World was a place where only the strong could truly thrive. Ultimately, the weak existed for no other reason than to be an example to all others: strength reigned supreme.

As an unwritten rule, any lesser being who wished to survive had to ally itself with a stronger being. As a result of this, Dark World society was structured into numerous hierarchies that were built solely upon power. The fact that a human child had been the one to end the Mad King was shocking, to say the least, but nothing revolutionary. The strongest warlords reigned supreme until they were killed off by other warlords. Maybe this was what made such a dark world so deliciously functional.

Amidst the icy blanket of fog, there was a small spot of the land that was smoldering. It had once been occupied by a pocket of rebels, led by a hot-headed spellcaster from some academy. Fifty or so revolutionaries were nothing of significance of course, but Haou took it upon himself everyday to ensure that peace was maintained in his new world. Yes, peace.

The charred rubble of the small fort built a cage of fears. Those fears were manifested in the near absence of life- a sheet of dark gray soot coated everything that remained. At the very least, the people of this settlement had been spared the sight of rotting bodies. As was the case in Dark World, the dead were nothing more than stardust. Even so, injury wasn't an alien concept. Some of the survivors still suffered from open wounds, splintered bones, and the like. Some of the victims had even suffered the pain of being disemboweled before they expired. Dueling may have been the elegant way to solve conflicts, but Haou had found many in his army preferred more rudimentary forms of combat. He had no preference himself. Every sacrifice was just another soul for Super Polymerization.

Maybe it was in each of the rebels' final moments that they noticed the frigid chill in the air and the sickly smell of burnt wood. To most, the assault on the senses alone would be more than enough to cause nausea and a piercing terror. Yet, blinded by their misguided passions, the small number of surviving rebels had entrenched themselves behind segments of wall and were currently pelting the dark army's soldiers with what was left of the fort's arsenal.

While the survivors were being picked off, their green-robed leader* was backed against a section of stone and staring with bulging eyes at the one before him. The identity of this one was a mystery to Haou, but he couldn't bring himself to wrack his brain for a card name. The mage's face appeared stoic for the most part, but the look in his eyes told Haou all he needed to know. Who wouldn't feel terrified? The approaching figure was a physical nightmare. The tyrant of tyrants; the warlord of warlords. A voice licked through the air, monotone and boy-like, but as smooth and cold as silk.

"Aldor..."

From behind his helmet, the king spoke the mage's name. As laid back and simple-minded as Jaden Yuki had been at Duel Academy, he was always well prepared here. Guardian Baou's little spies had made sure to get the name of whoever dared stand against their king. A rare smile crossed the warlords face as he noticed the mage's breathing stop for just a moment. Heavy boots cratered the soft earth as Haou approached. The brief moment of silence after he spoke would serve as a reminder that death was merely a moment away.

"Enough with your foolish campaign."

The dense smoke immediately around them almost seemed to disperse as Haou stepped forward as if to further tease the unfortunate mage. Haou's spiked duel disk hummed to life and Malicious Edge appeared by his side. The evil hero's face was mostly covered by a mask, but his eager smirk was still visible. The rebel mage did not have a duel disk, Haou noted. In addition, the spellcaster's left arm appeared to hang limp at his side. Everything about this encounter lacked any semblance of fairness. Then again, nothing about Haou's battles were fair. What other army in Dark World could honestly stand a chance against his own after all? The spellcaster had made his choice.

"Aldor, you will bow to me, whether willingly or in death."

"I will never bow to you!" The man's retort came out as a broken squawk, teeth bared nonetheless and his face twisted in new found rage. Even in his current state, a weak copper glow formed around his person and he pulled a plain steel dagger from beneath his robes. Quick as a cat, he darted forward. Maybe it was because of desperation. Maybe his judgement was clouded due to blood loss. If only he could get in one good stab around the neck- there were chinks in the warlord's armor, so such an idea wasn't improbable.

He would never get the chance to. Around the time the mage tried to rush forward, Malicious Edge slid towards the man, his bladed hands curled into fists. In one fluid motion, the evil hero pivoted away from the small blade and struck the mage in the gut with his right fist, his opponent buckling and breaking under the force. The shock on the man's face was only visible for a second before he dissolved into dust.

Another day, another would-be rabble rouser silenced.

"My King!"

Haou, the Supreme King, turned to find Witty Phantom standing behind him. Its head was slightly bowed, of course, though any subservient respect implied by the gesture was ruined by the ever-present smirk on the fiend's face. "The rebels have been defeated. The fort is yours."

"Yes, I see that. You don't have to tell me."

The fiend blinked owlishly at him. There was a brief pause, and the next words out of its mouth seemed careful and calculated. "Four of them are still alive, but they have surrendered and their leaders have all been taken care of. As of now, we're loading those few prisoners into the wagons."

There was an exasperated sigh and Haou raised his hand in a shooing motion. "Well, then go help with that!"

He watched as Witty Phantom visibly flinched, the fiend's pupils contracting slightly, then give a final bow and run off. A soft chuckle emitted from Malicious Edge, and the evil hero vanished. All of Haou's underlings had the foresight to make themselves useful, lest they end up as fodder for Super Polymerization. That Witty Phantom was something else. There was a difference between being loyal and licking your superior's boots. All that eagerness to please did make it effective though. It was weak, but it had still captured a good number of souls. He would have to consider giving it a small gift for its efforts, whether that gift be better food or a title of some sort. Weaker demons strived to curry favor with their betters. They reacted well to meaningless rewards.

Skull Knight walked up to him, eyeing the retreating phantom. As his leader's golden gaze fell upon him, he bowed his head. "My liege, we are prepared to leave." He glanced up to meet his leader's gaze, a knowing grin on his face. "Chaos Sorcerer has sent word that he's made progress with Super Polymerization as well."

None of his underlings were as effective as his five Death Duelists. Whether the five of them were truly loyal was up for debate - Haou had certainly sensed traitorous intentions from Baou - but none of them would dare make a move against him now. Even with as much progress as they had made, there were still enemies around them, from the Empire of the Archfiends in the south to the Fabled Kingdom by the eastern sea. The Death Duelists all knew it was better to work with their warlord rather than against him under the current circumstances. Haou was confident of that.

"Very well. I'll meet with him when we return."

Questions of loyalty and further conquests could all be addressed in time. As for now, it was time to return to the castle and enjoy the rest of the evening.

*While the leader of the rebel group has no direct card name, he's one of the three people on the equip spell card "Mage Power".