Prelude

''Sorry, Kubo, I'm walking home with my sister here, don't you see? Stop pestering me for the same thing all the time, please.''

(Why? Why is it that when I try to get close I end up getting pushed like this? Mizuno…)

The young boy was reminiscing of the events from earlier today, as he tried to invite one of his classmates to walk home together. ''Haha, so sorry for you Kubo, she's out of your league.'' And also the taunts of his classmates. Even though he had worked up the courage, it had missed the mark.

''I'm home…'' Kubo weakly called out as he got home, but no one answered. His parents worked away from home as archeologists, so the boy spent most of his time alone.

They occasionally bought souvenirs from their excavations back home. Although Kubo used to enjoy opening these foreign gifts when he was a kid, his mood was not up for that anymore. Still, one particular item, a dark grey box wrapped up in 4 different ropes from all angles caught his attention.

The item was of rusty appearance, with faint egyptian carvings painted on its sides which looked wasted due to its age, it was undoubtedly a very old piece, as could be felt on the fragile-looking clay it was made of. Therefore, Kubo untied the box and opened it with absolute care. The box was as small as his two fists joined together, but when he looked inside it was pitch-black as if the contents were hidden deep within it. When he peeked inside nothing could be seen.

''Let's make a deal.'' As the boy attempted to close the lid of the box, something suddenly called out to him.

''What?1 Who's there?'' He called out as he stopped his interaction with the item, but no one answered immediately. Kubo looked around the house in silence, but no other noise could be heard.

''I'll comply with any one wish you have. In exchange, let me walk on this earth again, young man.'' The same hoarse voice as before rang in Kubo's mind. He could not pinpoint the location of it, until he looked down at the kitchen table where the old box was lying.

''You're…''

''You will obtain it yourself. I'll let you inherit the games of darkness to do it. However, that could come with a price...''

Turn 1: Reach (Part I)

The weather had been showing signs of rain during the day, and it finally broke down as the last bell of the day rang on Seiya Junior High. As the sky darkened, the thin raindrops fell on the city of Shinjuku, troubling the students who had not brought an umbrella with them as they could not leave with the current weather.

Despite the fact that classes were done for the day, some classrooms were still crowded with students that waited for the rain to subside. Some of them were passing the time simply chatting, or playing with their phones. One of the tables of the 1-B classroom, though, had a bit of an audience surrounding two girls, both wearing the same school uniform with only the color of their ribbon being different from each other, red and yellow, indicating their respective year.

One of the 2 girls picked up a card from the stack closest to her, and looked at 4 other cards that she was already holding beforehand, as if considering her options. Some of the students surrounding the two had not seen these cards before. ''Hey, what are they playing?''. ''Don't you know? It's Duel Monsters! It's apparently a very popular game overseas.''

Duel Monsters.

In this game, 2 players build a stack of at least forty cards from their collection, and use them to compete in a strategical battle in which the objective is to use a combination of Monster, Spell and Trap cards to deplete each other's Life Points. The competitors, referred as ''duelists'', alternate turns to attack and defend their Life Points.

''I will play this card. Griffore.'' Monster cards, the titular protagonists of the game, had various attributes and characteristics. Among which were their attack strength (ATK) and defense strength (DEF). They were the direct indicators of how strong a monster is in combat. A monster could be put into play in either attack or defense position. Griffore was put in attack position, with an attack strength of 1200.

''Um… Yes, my turn. I'll meet your card with this one, Fairy's Gift, attack strength is 1400.'' The younger one, as could be told by the yellow ribbon she was wearing, put a monster in play. She already had 2 other monster cards, the 1000 ATK Akakieisu and the 1300 ATK Brave Scizzar, ready to wage battle against her opponent's creature, so it was 3 against 1. ''I will attack, sis, okay?'' The older one nodded. ''Fairy's Gift, attack Griffore! Go!'' Feeling as if winning was at reach, she yelled out as she declared her attack. At this rate, the 1200 ATK Griffore would be defeated.

''You didn't need to be so impatient. I reveal my trap card.'' Said the older sibling as she reached for a card that had been lying face-down on the game field.

''Wha-?! A trap card now?'' Traps are a type of card that can be used during the opponent's turn, generally as a means to defend or disrupt their attacks. However, they have to be put on the field face-down for one turn before they are allowed to be used, so it's possible to predict what sort of trap a player has prepared if you read carefully enough into it.

''Reinforcements. The attack strength of Griffore is brought up by 500, causing an upset.'' Bringing the ATK of her own monster up meant that the tables had turned on Haruka. The deficit between the now 1700 and 1400, 300, was taken from her Life Points. At this point in the duel her Life was already down to 1000 from the initial 4000.

Seeing how her attack had been denied, Haruka ended her turn, looking noticeably disappointed.

One of the students that was watching approached the younger sibling. ''How do I say this… you've lost a lot to your sister, haven't you, Mizuno?''

''I ha-haven't lost yet!'' Her mood turned around in a moment. ''The bonus given by Reinforcements only lasts for one turn. I'm far from beat.''

The older sibling, Yui Mizuno picked another card from her deck. She already knew which cards to play to end the match. ''I play Sleeping Lion, in attack mode.'' Another monster came out. its ATK strength was low, at only 700. Its speciality was its DEF stat, which was at a high 1700. ''Then I'll play this Spell card, Shield&Sword.'' The older sibling declared as she put the card from her hand behind her monsters. This card switches the ATK and DEF of each monster on the field for one turn. ''My monsters' DEF is higher than their attack. This is the best way to turn a pinch around.''

Once again, the tables had turned on Haruka. The attacks from Yui's monsters, which made use of their naturally higher DEF stats, depleted Haruka's last remaining Life Points in one go.

When a duelist's Life Points drop to 0, the duel is over.

The older sibling calmly commented on her win. ''Looks like I won again.''

Haruka scratched her head dramatically. ''I can't believe I played into your trap again. Aaaargh...!'' She stopped and sighed. ''I guess I should've seen it coming, it was weird that you hadn't used it until that point.''

The older sibling was stoic, but secretly happy as she explained her strategy. ''For the one lying the trap, that is exactly even more of a reason to be suspicious of it.'' Her sound thought process amazed even the bystanders that didn't know much about the cards themselves. That is, the only few that remained in the classroom, as most had left during the match. However, her younger sister was not impressed, as she knew that was the type of person her stoic sibling is. ''Looks like the rain let up as well.''

''Ah, you're right.'' Though the skies outside were still dark, the sound of the rain had subsided, and a quick glance outside let the two sisters know that the weather had calmed down for a moment. ''Let's go home then. It'll be bad if it starts raining again.'' After that, the two sisters left the classroom, bidding their polite farewells to the other students that had stuck with them.

Everyone had left quickly as soon as the weather had calmed. The corridors were now rather empty.

''I'll stop by the restroom.'' Commented Haruka, breaking the silence between the two sisters. The older one gave a nod in acknowledgement and waited patiently for her sister to return.

As the seconds ticked by, she became impatient. She waved silently with a faint smile at some students that were still passing by, but minutes passed, and they quickly piled up. 10, 15, 20 minutes had passed by. As Yui decided that it'd been too long and decided to take off to look for her sister, she heard the sound of her phone indicating that she'd received a text.

Yui, I'm in the art classroom. Can you come quickly, please?

(...Something's off. Wasn't that classroom looked due to repairs recently?)

The older sister quickly headed to the other side of the school wing, carefully reading the signs at the doors of each classroom she came across hoping not to miss it. Given the time that had passed, the lightning outside was illuminating the otherwise dark halls again, signaling that the rain would soon start again. Feeling frustrated that the weather would start acting up, but not letting it show, she wondered just what her sister could be doing at this moment.

When she reached the art classroom at the very end of the corridor she slid the door open and stepped inside without knocking. She didn't see Haruka at first glance, but after scanning the room through the many mannequins and shelves that contained tools and brushes, she noticed her sitting in a corner, with her eyes seemingly closed.

''Haru?! What's up?'' She hurried up to her side, realizing that she was indeed sound asleep. Two soft slaps to her face weren't enough to wake her up. Yui was feeling a strong confusion at the moment.

''I'm glad you're here, Senpai.'' The short boy came from behind the door and closed it behind him. Yui recognized him, as she'd seen him a number of times in Haruka's classroom, and he had invited Haruka to 'walk home together' yesterday. Shoji Kubo was his name. The boy had a cellphone with a pink key strap, which was immediately recognized by Yui. That was her sister's phone.

''What's this about, Kubo? Is this your doing?''

''That's right.'' The short boy nodded, and was met with Yui Mizuno's glare. ''Don't be so angered, Senpai. I was waiting for you. We can't start unless you are here, you see.''

''What?'' Kubo's finger pointed at one of the tables in the middle of the classroom. Yui hadn't realized it, she'd overlooked it, but right there was a 2 player playmat for Duel Monsters. ''You…''

''Let's duel, Mizuno. It's always the same thing: I promised sis I'd go home with her. 'We agreed to spend the day together. We're eating lunch together today! You're always between me and her, Senpai…'' Kubo's voice carried a deep envy, sounding calm and low as was his usual self, though he was not hiding his disdain anymore.

''Don't be stupid, we're leaving.'' Ignoring the boy's comments, Yui turned back and tried to walk towards her sister, but she was stopped before she could take a single step. Something was pulling her leg, preventing her from moving it. As she looked down, she found her ankle being tightly grasped by purple, translucid, ghostly hands that appeared from the floor. It was only one, but before she realized more and more appeared. A gasp had escaped from her throat.

''You have no choice. They won't let you out of this room until we're done...'' Kubo took his seat at the table, and invited Yui to sit across him with a hand gesture. ''With this game of darkness!''

The older sibling was frozen in place. The otherworldly hands were pulling at her, as if trying to drag her to the other open seat. ''How are you doing this, Kubo? Answer me.''

''Aren't you bold for someone in your position, Senpai? You have your cards with you, so don't be boorish and let's get started!'' At Kubo's demand Yui let herself be dragged to her seat. ''That's better. I guess this is too much even for the stoic Mizuno, right?''

Even when sitting, the ghostly archaic still had Yui tightly stuck to the floor. She wasn't getting out of her seat.

(I'm completely stuck. That Kubo is somehow doing all of this… But how and why? If I find out, what can I do about it, when I can't even move…?)

Yui's train of thought was interrupted when she saw Kubo's pile of cards, his deck, being put in front of her. ''I've shuffled it. There are no tricks, but you can cut it if you'd like.''

''Kubo, are you really going to play a game with me? Under these circumstances?''

''That's why I called you here.'' Kubo picked up his deck after the upperclasswoman had finished with the cut shuffle process. She took her deck from her skirt's pocket and shuffled it as well. Kubo did the same cut-shuffle and returned it.

Feeling very unsure about everything, Yui Mizuno drew her starting hand of 5 cards. ''In this duel, Senpai, we're going to wage something. Keep that in mind.''

''What are we going to bet?''

''You'll find out as the game progresses. There's no stopping us since we've started already.'' Kubo also drew his starting hand as Yui stared at him, trying to read into his expression to get a better grasp on his words. ''If you think you know what I'm after, by the by, you're off the mark.''

''No, I was only thinking that I'd never played with you before, Kubo.'' True, finding out Kubo's intentions was one of the things Yui was hoping to learn, but she wouldn't admit it to his face.

''No wonder, you're only with Mizuno, your sister, all the time.''

''Are you strong?'' She asked, trying to gauge his answer.

''If nothing else, I'm going to win today. There's nothing left for me if I don't.'' Both players had finished drawing their initial cards. Their Life Points were at 4000 each as the duel had started now.

Both of them roared out.

Duel!

With that as the kickstarter, Yui drew a card as she took the first turn. Even under these circumstances, dueling was like second nature to her. She could play subconsciously without focusing or thinking one or two steps ahead and she'd still perform incredibly well. If, despite the current situation, they were still playing a normal card game, then Yui would trust her game sense to bail her out of this pinch. With that hope in mind, she put down a monster card from her hand. ''Silver Fang in attack position. 1200 ATK. Your tu-'' As the card came in contact with the playing board and left Yui's hand, the illustration in it vanished in a flash. After a beastly roar resounded in the room, purple mist covered the floors of the classroom. ''Wha-? Is this another of your tricks, Kubo?!''

''No, Senpai. This is the type of game we're playing.''

From below the purple mist, a silver-colored wolf appeared from behind Yui. It's body was translucent, however, it had the volume and detail of a real animal. It didn't take long for Yui to realize that this beast was indeed the Silver Fang she had just played.

''It works. Just as he said it…!'' The older Mizuno could not ignore her bewilderment, however, Kubo carried on with the game by picking his next card. ''My turn. Draw!'' He placed a monster on the field without hesitation. ''The wild raptor, Uraby, in attack position!'' The dinosaur appeared from the card as well. ''Come on, we're battling!''

Both monsters jumped at each other. The Silver Fang tried to bite the dinosaur while Uraby took its approach head-on and quickly turned around to hit the wolf with its tail. The Silver Fang hit the floor behind Yui and vanished into thin air.

''Wow…'' The confrontation had been fierce, but it was as quick as you'd expect from a clash between two powerful beasts. Deadly and to the point. Uraby's attack strength was 1500, while Silver Fang's was 1200. The difference of 300 was subtracted from Yui's Life Points, but 3700 still remained.

Under normal circumstances, the upperclasswoman would not be feeling pained or pressured. However, this clash from a different dimension had indeed left an impact on her mind.

''It's not like you to play such a weak monster, Senpai.''

''Well, it's just my usual strategy. It simply means my stronger cards are still waiting.'' Ignoring Kubo's taunt, she shot him a soft, but confident smile.

(It… had the opposite effect? She was looking distraught just a moment ago, but the moment she responded to my taunt it felt like she'd gotten back on her feet!)

''I take it it's my turn then…'' Yui picked a card from her deck. As if she didn't need to stop even a moment to consider her options, she quickly placed it face-down in the zone corresponding to Spells and Traps.

(She set it. Is it a trap card?)

''I will also summon this card, Kubo. Come on, Fiend Reflection!'' A green bird popped out this time, holding a large mirror in its claws. Fiend Reflection's ATK strength was only 1300. It was no rival to Uraby, however, Kubo braced himself, expecting a Spell card to come out from Yui's hand that could power it up. However, Yui made a hand sign that signaled the end of her turn. ''Turn end. Go, Kubo.''

''...Are you sure, Senpai? Leaving that weak monster in attack position? Aren't you scared of the consequences of another clash?''

''What could you mean with that?'' Yui asked, almost disinterested.

''Just think about it. If I destroy your monster, your field will be wide open, Senpai. When that happens, I can attack your Life Points directly.'' As Kubo said, the most common type of battle was that which was waged between monsters. However, if a player had no more monsters to defend with, a direct attack to the player's Life Points is also allowed. In this case, the player takes the full brunt of the monster's attack strength. ''True, you won't lose just yet, as you have essentially all your Life Points… but in this game of darkness, it might just be different, you know?''

''But that also applies to you, right?''

''What?'' Kubo was not expecting this answer to come from his rival, and was definitely taken aback.

''I'm saying that I already considered that. Kubo. If the claws of my monster reach you, it'd be possible to… reach an outcome. Even if the duel itself isn't over.'' Although Yui maintains a neutral expression, she's gazing directly at the short boy's eyes. He, who is naturally inclined to be shy, struggled to stare back at her.

(She considered that…? And she still chose to play a weak monster? Why…)

It was then that Kubo realized the card lying face-down behind the Fiend Reflection's card. If that card was a trap, such as Reinforcements, then it was entirely possible that Yui was aiming to get Kubo to attack and turn the tables on his monster that way. Of course, it was also possible that she was just bluffing…

But that could only be possible according to a normal situation.

The circumstances and dangers created by this game of darkness are unnatural. They are abnormal. What Kubo had said earlier was no bluff and what Yui had said was true; If a direct attack connects, it'd be possible to reach an outcome without needing to finish the duel. Even if one had Life Points left, it would be meaningless if they cannot continue playing.

The shock of the earlier clash between their monsters could definitely be felt all across the room. The impact was more than just real. The claws and sharp fangs of the monsters could definitely tear one apart.

(W-Why am I the one worrying now? I should be able to make this game end right now… if I just put down another monster…!)

But suspicion had made its way to Kubo's heart. Yui's composure had caused it.

In truth, the girl's face-down card was not a trap card, but instead, a Spell card, Stop Defense. It was not a card that could stop Kubo's attack. Not just that, but her hand was also not good. The 4 cards she held right now were 3 monster cards, Tyhone, Monstrous Bird, and Mystical Sheep #1. She also had an Equip Spell Card, Mystical Moon, which could be used to bring the ATK of a monster in the beast-warrior tribe up. However, none of the cards she had available right now could be combined with the Equip. It was not a good hand at all, even though it was so early in the game.

With her hand in this state, and her face-down being a dud, Kubo would have had a golden opportunity to end the game quickly. However, this bluff did not look to be a bluff to him, for he had the chance to see Yui using Reinforcements on repeated occasions when she was playing with the younger Mizuno, his classmate and crush.

''...I set a monster in defense mode. I won't attack this turn. So go.'' A single Reinforcements could very well bring Fiend Reflection #1 to 1800 ATK. Kubo, who had no cards that could bring his current monster to more than 1800, chose not to attack into her opponent's trap in hopes of eventually finding a way to play around it.

Yui's bluff had been successful.

(I… d-didn't actually think that far ahead. If that's true, then this is atrocious.) The older Mizuno was relieved that her play worked, although she had not considered the situation in the way Kubo had described it. (I just bluffed because that is what I usually do… Er, what I would have done in this situation, anyway… But because I managed to keep it cool, at least on the outside, I got a little bit into his head…)

Her neutral expression helped it, but, by making Kubo think that she was aware of the danger, and to still make a bold bluff despite that, was enough to sway Kubo to think that he was actually against a dangerous trap.

(But that changes nothing. If I don't do something this turn, Then, with no doubt, he'll come at me next! When that happens, this bluff will fall apart…)

Yui Mizuno picked her next card, hopeful of the outcome. She glanced at it, and immediately saw her way out. ''Alright! I summon Tiger Axe!'' From her card popped her next creature, a humanoid tiger wielding a huge Axe. Its ATK is 1300. ''Because Tiger Axe belongs to the Beast-Warrior type, I can use this card in a combo with him: Mystical Moon!'' The powers of the great moon could bring the ATK of a single Beast-Warrior up by 300. Its ATK had been brought up to 1600 in a single moment.

''Tch, so you did draw a feeble combo like this, but so what?''

Tiger Axe has 1600 ATK now. It won't be easily defeated in combat, and can easily destroy Kubo's Uraby now. However, Yui saw a chance, a crack in Kubo's mind. She knew that getting inside her opponent's head was the best way to assure victory, so she went for it. She'd make Kubo know, she'd let him know that her read on her was wrong.

''I open the face-down Spell I set last turn.''

''A Spell, you said…?!''

Stop Defense. One monster on the field is forced to abandon the defensive position and change to attack mode.

''This is the card you were so scared of, Kubo.''

''I wasn't scared… You're just a reckless fool if you don't respect the possibility of a counterattack.'' Kubo's face-down monster was the Two-Mouth Darkruler. A reasonable card to be used as a throwaway wall for turtling given its mere 900 ATK.

At this moment, the upperclasswoman launched her combo attack, aided with a rush of spell cards. The powered-up Tiger Axe against Uraby. It is a total of 1600 versus 1500, so Uraby was destroyed in an instant with a single swing from the axe wielded by the tigerman. Similarly, Fiend's Reflection had no trouble throwing around the feeble Two-Mouth Darkruler as it pecked at it with its sharp claws from above. It was 1300 versus 900. In total, Kubo took 500 damage from both attacks, leaving him with 3500 Life Points. He was still far from beat, but the playing field had completely changed, as he was now facing two creatures while he lost the two he had previously, even though he was in the lead.

''Don't think about running away now, Kubo. This is my turn to put on the pressure.''

For his next turn, Kubo took a card from his deck and placed it in his hand. He did not have a monster that could turn the tables on Tiger Axe, nor any Spells or Traps that could let him fight back in a different manner. Thus, the priority was to prevent Yui from getting as big of a lead as possible.

''Destroyer Golem, 1500 ATK. Go!''

The stone man-made golem used its right arm to crush Fiend Reflection. 1500 against 1300. Yui lost 200 Life Points from the battle, bringing her to 3500 as well. However, she was not in the same situation as Kubo. Not just that, but her draws were getting better as the game progressed.

''My turn. I summon Faith Bird in attack position. Attack Strength is 1500.'' The turquoise bird of mystical light, Faith Bird, appeared in place of the previous winged beast. ''Surrender now if you don't want to get hurt, Kubo. Whatever you were planning on doing, you made a mistake in calling me out to come here.''

Yui moved into battle quickly. The Destroyer Golem was a tough creature, but it was not strong enough against the Tiger Axe's empowered slashes. It was quickly chipped away and defeated, bringing Kubo's Life to 3400 after taking the deficit between 1600 and 1500.

''How did I get cornered like this so quickly… it makes no sense!''

''Concede the match now, Kubo! Faith Bird will attack directly!'' With this direct attack, if Kubo does not concede the match, he will be impaled by the claws of the bird. Though that sounds cold-blooded, Yui was certain that the boy, who had started to lose confidence as the tables turned, would surrender on the spot.

Even if Kubo would still have 1900 Life Points after this direct attack connected, just as he had said before: It's all meaningless if he is in no condition to continue.

Kubo tried to reach out for his deck with his arm extended. Placing your hand on top of your deck equals a surrender.

What happened was different. And from one moment to another, the storm outside had grown stronger, as if signaling a change in the tide.

Kubo was pushed away from the path of the bird. In his place, a melting, diffusive, translucent looking body took the attack for him. Its body, which looked as if it was made of something akin to miasma, wavered after getting hit by the claws of the bird, but it quickly took back its original shape.

''Kubo… What is…?'' Many things had happened in such a short period of time. Yui and Kubo's card battle had not even lasted 10 minutes as of now, and yet, in this period of time so many unnatural things occurred.

''You're truly a shame, young man. We had an agreement, but it is all for naught if you lose the game of darkness. After I took the trouble of setting it for you.''

''You…. it's clear you're not a natural existence. Where are you from?''

The shadow figure ignored Yui and continued making harsh remarks towards the boy. ''You lack brilliance. You were so quick to get on your high spirits, but immediately broke down when the situation turned out unfavorable. Someone like that won't ever handle the powers of darkness that I hold.'' Then, the shadow figure turned to face Yui. Or so it felt, even though the source of the hoarse, dry voice had no features to speak of. ''You on the other hand impress me. So close to being pushed, yet you made an impressive bluff. Not just anyone can put themselves at risk in that way. But it's natural, it's just natural. One can't deceive another without putting oneself at risk.''

That is the nature of risk. It is not a foreign concept to dueling, where most decisions are made based on the relationship between risk and reward.

''I was wondering about it. Why had Kubo brought me over? If he wanted to take my sister away then it would have only been logical to keep it secret.''

''Did you figure out the reason behind that?'' Asked the shadow figure.

''No. But I'm certain it has something to do with you…'' Yui tried to get up from her seat, but the same ghostly hands still had a tight grip on her.

''Do you know what is being waged on this duel, young girl?'' The question was met with the girl shaking her head. ''Then I'll tell you. This duel was instigated not by the disgrace that is lying on the floor now, but by me. In this battle, this game of darkness, the two of you were betting your bodies.''

''What's that mean?! You…!''

''In the land of Egypt… we were the ones who commanded the powers of darkness, it was us who stood the closest to the realm of the gods, the kings! However, our powers were sealed by the priests who commanded the same magic as us, and thus, the games of darkness that decided the fate of men and kings alike were put to rest.''

It is said that the history of games dates all the way back to Ancient Egypt. Tools and various artifacts were said to be used as parts of various games that would settle the destiny of towns and kings. That's just one part of the many faces of the history of Egypt.

''But that was so long ago… And now I can tell that the times are different…'' Despite not having eyes, at that moment, Yui felt a chill as she thought that the shadow figure was somehow looking at her, through her. ''...But if there's one thing that doesn't change is the courage required to win a game of darkness. Entrusting yourself to your own judgement is not a task for the frail of mind. Still, you are of a fragile body. You won't last long in a true battle where your life is at stake!''

''This is…'' Yui paused for a moment to take a breath. ''...a game to settle our fate, then? What do you want to do with…''

''I want to walk on this star again.'' The shadow approached Kubo, and grabbed it strongly by the neck. ''You are unfit to continue this game of darkness. Comply with me for a moment…'' The shadow took a box that Yui had not seen before, and brought it closer to Kubo's body that struggled to escape the grasp of the shadow figure. Yui could not move from her seat, being forced to remain where she was as the shadow slowly disappeared, fading to the ground.

Kubo's body stopped moving for a second.

His hand then clenched the clay box on the floor and closed the lid. He got up and took his seat again.

''Now, young miss…'' The same hoarse voice was coming from Kubo's small body, a voice that was clearly not his own. ''...we'll continue with this game of darkness until one of us cannot continue!''

The Life Point totals were 3500 to 1900. In Yui's favor. However, she knew that the rest of this match would be different from the flow it'd had until now.

''I won't lose. No matter what you say about ancient magic or whatever, as long as we're playing Duel Monsters, there's no way I am going to let it end easily…!''