A few months ago, Egypt.
Beneath a wilderness seemingly forgotten by time, a history buried for millennia lay hidden.
Then, within that eternal darkness, a crack suddenly appeared.
"Wait, I think I found something…"
There were voices outside the fissure.
"Over here! Right here, under this spot!"
The sound of tools striking stone—the crack widened quickly. A beam of modern light pierced millennia of silence, unveiling the darkness. In this sunless depth, the air was damp and ancient.
A team of archaeologists poked their heads in, their helmet lights cutting through the gloom like golden swords.
Excitement was on every face—as if they were making history.
"The local legends were true… There really is something here."
"Careful, we've heard the stuff inside is dangerous."
"Relax. Even if it was, it's been thousands—maybe tens of thousands—of years. Time takes care of everything." Someone joked.
They moved cautiously through twisting tunnels and chambers, their breaths and heartbeats echoing eerily in the claustrophobic space.
At the very depths, what awaited them… was a stone tablet.
Covered in the marks of ages, moss and mud intertwined, ancient and terrifying. The carvings seemed to depict a demon—drawn in a simple, almost stick-figure style, but somehow its crude lines conveyed an uncanny sense of dread.
Each team member glanced at the tablet once—then instinctively turned away, too afraid to look again.
"Hey, look over here."
Someone pointed to the stone wall beside the tablet. Everyone crowded closer. Ancient letters were inscribed there.
"Eddie, you're the expert," someone said. "Can you read this?"
"I'm not sure, but I'll try."
The man named Eddie shone his light on the text, squinting at it.
"I think this is the tablet's name? It seems to be called…"
Eddie adjusted his glasses.
"…Zorc."
The moment the word left his lips, all the lights suddenly went out.
As if speaking the name had broken a taboo, awakening something that had slept for millennia.
And in the last moment before darkness fell, the simply drawn demon on the tablet… seemed to open its eyes.
…
A few months later, present day.
Kira had to admit—he'd overlooked something.
He treated Duel Academy like his own backyard; most of the time, he was aware of everything happening on the island. But thanks to Yubel, he realized there were still blind spots.
On this very academy island, at the foot of a volcano, was a hidden outpost—like a hunter's blind.
Boom!
Silent blasted open the door with a single Mega Burst. Kira stepped through the swirling dust and smoke, taking in the scene.
A shady base.
That was his first impression.
The walls were covered in incomprehensible writing, resembling ancient hieroglyphs. Crude murals dotted the room, abstract depictions—perhaps of rituals, with a giant demon emerging in a stormy sky above an altar.
"I recognize that name."
The Eye suddenly stared intently at the wall's carvings.
Kira glanced at it. "Didn't know you were so cultured. What's it say?"
"Ruler of Darkness, the End of All Things," said Eye. "Zorc."
Kira frowned.
Zorc—the Great Evil God? The one who'd fought Atem for three thousand years?
That guy would be a top-tier threat. But as far as Kira knew, Zorc had been destroyed by the Creator of Light—eradicated completely.
Was it possible for him to come back?
Was this "Advent Church" actually worshipping Zorc?
At that moment, a voice spoke from the shadows.
"Just an empty shell."
Kira turned to see a man standing silently by the door, face gloomy.
He walked into the room as if no one else was there, stopping beside Kira to gaze up at the murals.
"The ultimate demon, once even gods were trampled beneath its feet, able to drag the world into eternal darkness… But so what? It lost—utterly erased. All that remains is a sorrowful shell, a vessel that once hosted the Great Evil God, now empty."
Kira sized him up. The man looked ordinary, dressed in casual clothes, sunglasses, messy blond hair. He stared at the inscriptions and murals, as if lost in thought.
"So, who might you be?" Kira asked.
"Me? You can call me Eddie."
Eddie didn't even glance at him, just walked over, picked up a duel disk from the table, and strapped it on.
"But who I am doesn't matter. What matters is—I need the spirit you possess."
Kira: "So, you're with the Advent Church?"
"Something like that," Eddie replied.
Eye: "Careful, he's got a strange vibe."
"I know."
But since a duel had been declared, there was only one thing to do—fight.
"Duel!" x2
[Kira, LP4000]
[Eddie, LP4000]
"I'll go first. Draw."
Kira had randomly gotten first turn, and didn't hesitate to take it.
"I activate the Spell Card 'Graceful Charity'—draw three cards, then discard two."
He drew, then discarded two cards.
"I set a monster facedown in Defense Position," he said, "and set a card face-down in my back row. Turn end."
"My turn. Draw."
Eddie's face was expressionless. He glanced at the monster he drew and summoned it immediately.
"I Normal Summon 'Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands.'"
Despite being an Angel-type, Manju's appearance was hardly angelic—scary face, glaring eyes, arms everywhere. Its hologram was the stuff of nightmares for kids.
[Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands, ATK 1400]
"Manju's effect: When Normal Summoned, add a Ritual Monster or Ritual Spell from Deck to hand.
I'll add this Ritual Spell—"
He searched his deck, revealed the card, and added it to his hand.
"Ritual Spell 'Advanced Ritual Art' added to hand."
…
PS: 2 Bonus chapters at 500 PS