The royal magnetic cannon king's sword cut through Tragoedia without any resistance. The body controlled by the little lobster was struck and flew backward, rolling on the ground in an exaggerated manner.
The darkness within him was almost expelled from his body with this strike, struggling and twisting in midair, like a face distorted by pain.
He lost.
This was a result that Tragoedia had not anticipated. Not long ago, he was full of confidence, believing his card skills were unparalleled, that a Duel King was nothing to fear and couldn't be his opponent.
Clearly, he underestimated things.
Traps were always Tragoedia's forte—from the very start of the duel, not summoning a single monster, setting two cards facedown, and passing without a move, it was manifest.
According to the original plan, it should have been his opponent unable to play cards, doubting themselves in the face of enormous pressure and absolute disparity, ultimately defeated...
.....somehow, the script ended up in his own hands!
Unbelievable, Muto Yugi's prowess in setting traps is even more despicable than him, a self-proclaimed professional dark entity! His traps were not only numerous but also intricately connected. Trying to dismantle them only led to more intense, inevitable chain traps...
And that's not all. What's most terrifying is that while setting numerous traps, making every step difficult, his card deck still maintained strong operation, sustainability, and burst ability!
Those damned Magnet Warriors refused to fall regardless of how they were attacked, disassembled and reassembled, reconfigured to disassemble again, each turn blowing up his field completely, aggressively to a ridiculous level...
The more the little lobster thought about it, the more shocked and angrier he became.
Damn! Am I the villain, or are you the villain!?
As a person of famous and righteous lineage—especially a founder figure of grandmaster caliber like the First Duel King, aren't you ashamed to use such despicable means?
Shouldn't a Duel King be summoning those elaborate and complex, virtually useless magnificent monsters to battle head-on??
Indeed, karma is a wheel. Long ago, the little lobster relied on dark pitfall tactics from the underworld to render the second Duel King Hibiki Koyo, who diligently played "pure hero" card decks, incapacitated, making him a puppet.
The tides have turned, and after so many years, the once-arrogant little lobster unexpectedly faced someone even more reserved. Thus, he finally tasted the pain others felt when he tricked them, even feeling the urge to shout "this is simply not a duel"...
The outcome of the Dark Duel was decided, and the darkness lingering around seemed torn into countless pieces.
Tragoedia knew he was likely on his way out, but he remained perplexed.
It doesn't make sense! Isn't Muto Yugi supposed to be just a mortal?
The Pharaoh had long left the mortal world, right? What was left was just a vessel, wasn't it?
Tragoedia seemed suddenly terrified by a realization, his gaze locked on the Millennium Pendant hanging on Yugi's chest, exclaiming in terror, "Could it be... could you actually be...!?"
Seemingly understanding the little lobster's thoughts, Yugi stepped forward, gently brushing the golden pendant hanging on his chest, and slowly said, "I am not him... not the Pharaoh. He has gone and will never return."
But before Tragoedia could react, Yugi continued.
"I sent him off personally."
Tragoedia: "..."
Wait a minute, doesn't that imply...
...even the legendary Pharaoh lost to him?
Damn!
The little lobster couldn't help but want to flip the table.
Why didn't you mention such an important thing earlier!
If you had said so earlier, I, I, I... I wouldn't have bothered dueling and just fled!
Finally coming to realize, the little lobster now saw this opponent as a god-level cheat, not within the human category at all. Had he known the Pharaoh had lost, he wouldn't have stubbornly engaged... at least not before restoring his full power and acquiring the Three Phantasm.
But now it's too late to say anything...
...although not completely.
He had a last resort, a backup plan.
"I once got careless and fell into the hands of those cursed Guardian Priests. It was my mistake, my shame... but it will not happen again."
Though already on the brink of collapse, Tragoedia grinned menacingly.
"Muto Yugi, your strength indeed exceeded my expectations. But you don't think... I bet everything on our duel, do you?"
To preserve most strength against Yugi, the one appearing here was largely Tragoedia's real body.
But for safety's sake, he left behind a clone, his final decoy.
Even if its power was less than a tenth of his true self, it was the last escape route he allotted himself.
"What have you done?" Yugi frowned.
"See, that's the part you've failed to grasp until now, Duel King." Tragoedia coughed, smirking coldly, "It's not what I've done, but rather... what I've already done."
...
Tragoedia didn't gamble everything on the duel with Yugi.
He didn't believe he would lose; the typical villainous arrogance made him truly trust in his invincibility. But the humiliations from three thousand years ago taught him caution, that one must always have a contingency plan.
So this time, he wised up.
As his real body landed on the island from one direction, intercepted by Muto Yugi, his clone had already controlled a student's body, infiltrating the island from another direction.
His target was clear, precisely the seal of the "Three Phantasm."
After all, those demons were said to rival the "Three Egyptian God," sealed by the two First Duel Kings and even Kaiba Seto, only second to the Duel King.
If he could acquire the power of those three cards, Tragoedia believed he would be unstoppable!
He located the dense forest behind the academy where the "Three Phantasm" was sealed—the absurdly festive crowd there baffled him, leaving him uncertain of his next steps.
Quickly regaining his senses, he knew time was pressing and had no time to loiter.
Without a second thought, he initiated an attack, unleashing dark powers, morphing into a massive lobster to rain destruction.
The group was dancing and playing, completely unalerted. Decimated without a chance to react, several surrendered precious revival chances.
There weren't many players at the base to start with, some were absent from the base, others offline; the unexpected assault culled several. The remaining players were clearly no match for a world-ending boss like the little lobster, exploding out before even drawing cards.
One fallen player pointed and cursed at him, accusing this villain of lacking card etiquette, relying on sneak attacks and deception, utterly despicable...
Naturally, Tragoedia ignored them.
The little lobster inwardly lacked confidence, too.
His previous attempt to test the Phantasm Seal had failed; he had no reliable knowledge of its strength and form. Additionally, with his true self detained by Muto Yugi, the one making it here was but a limited-skills clone, uncertain if he could forcefully break the seal.
But upon trying, he was surprised to find the seal... a lot less solid than expected.
In fact, it felt like a thin membrane, ready to break at a touch.
In no time, the seal was breached, and Tragoedia no longer had any doubts. He delightfully observed the red, yellow, and blue beams ascending to the sky, the giant Phantasm Seal releasing with a rumble, immensly elated.
They're here, they're here, they're here!
He had broken the seal, acquiring the Three Phantasm!
Mastering the Phantasm's power, he believed the world would bow before him! He would soon return to the shore, first dealing with Muto Yugi who had embarrassed him!
The terrain shifted, dust rose, and the mechanical structure sealing the Phantasm emerged from the ground. It slowly opened, revealing three slots—undoubtedly meant to hold the Three Phantasm cards.
...Yes, "supposed to."
But now, with the seal finally broken and the structure breached, what appeared in front of Tragoedia were three empty slots...
The seal was undone, yet there was nothing inside.
A futile seal.
Tragoedia stared blankly at the three empty slots before him, the monstrous grin freezing on his face.
...Damn, where are my Phantasm?
Those massive Three Phantasm cards? Where did they go???