Thus, the legendary cursed Death God Card arrived in Yugen's hands.
However, Yugen had no novel tactical plans for this card at the moment. Which is understandable, given that although it's called the Death God Card and possesses a tremendous power that can grant Divine Drawing Power in exchange for souls, it is essentially just a Mortal Bone with 0 attack and 0 defense.
How to make a 0 attack Mortal Bone useful, even he had no clue at the moment.
So for him, the Death God Card's value was more in research than practical use. The abilities of this cursed elf are quite worth studying. Although the cost is life-draining, the power acquired through the trade is indeed formidable.
Tachibana Ikaku was originally just a dropout from the branch school with an unremarkable dueling talent. But the Death God was able to grant such an ordinary person the Divine Drawing Power akin to a Duel King, truly a case of you get what you pay for.
The power of the elf is indeed worth researching.
Now with Saio's troubles temporarily resolved, he could finally handle some matters he had plans for but never found time to take care of.
For instance, that evening, a contact from the Hanuo Knight side gave Revolver a call.
"Boss, the person you asked us to keep an eye on... that world champion 'D.D.'?"
"Yes, what about him?"
"He should be returning from Europe next week."
"Oh?"
Yugen had previously instructed others to monitor this person's movements. D.D., originally just an average duelist with no particular talent, suddenly gained extraordinary power as if enlightened, and swept the professional circle, capturing the world champion title.
That is Ed's father's murderer, the one who took the Blood Demon D card in the past.
For years, he never dared to publicly use the Blood Demon D; after all, it's stolen property, and both the police and Ed never gave up on pursuing the culprit, so he certainly didn't dare to openly display it.
In fact, D.D. is still Ed's guardian in name, and Ed has been grateful for his care over the years. Unbeknownst to him, the reason he did so was just to be able to legitimately stay close to Ed and keep track of the investigation progress regarding his case.
And even without ever truly pulling out Blood Demon D in a duel, he became the world champion, showing the immense boost the Ultimate D card gives to a duelist's Destiny Power. It's no wonder he went as far as to commit murder to seize this card, since it's indeed a card capable of rewriting a life's destiny.
Yugen instructed the Hanuo Knight side to continue monitoring D.D., to report his movements upon his return. The animated version of Blood Demon D wasn't as powerful as the actual card, but that made it even more exploitable for development.
Even though the Light of Destruction that once inhabited the Blood Demon D has been transferred, the Blood Demon D's elf still has the capability to enhance strong Destiny Power, possibly related to the changes the card underwent due to the Light of Destruction. This is also a research-worthy topic.
However, during this waiting period, a new situation emerged at the Duel Academy.
"..."
"The Light Association?"
Yugen frowned slightly. Across from him was Mina, who came specifically to report the situation.
He now found the thieves' group lurking in the Duel Academy for years actually quite useful. Despite their comic relief reputation, they had been undercover for so many years, boasting impressive intelligence-gathering abilities.
Moreover, Yugen had given them access to resources from the Hanuo Knight organization, so they were often the first to know about any strange happenings or rumors within the Academy.
"Yes." Mina said, "Ever since Saio's downfall, our Hanuo Knights have been investigating the remnants of his Light Association, haven't they?"
Hearing her say "our Hanuo Knights" felt a bit odd, but Yugen didn't mind and just nodded, "Yes. Any progress?"
"Yes! The GX Tournament is happening at the Academy recently, right? We compared the latest batch of participants from outside with our recent investigation results.
And guess what? Drumroll, please!"
She somehow pulled a piece of paper from somewhere on herself.
Yugen took it and saw it was a handwritten list with elegant handwriting that looked like Mina's own writing.
"This is the latest batch of participating contestants." Mina said, "According to the Hanuo Knight's investigation, we are certain that some known members of the Light Association have infiltrated it."
"The Light Association?" Yugen raised an eyebrow.
Is it the leader's disappearance, prompting the association to attack the Duel Academy?
"What are their intentions?" Yugen put down the list and asked.
But Mina just shook her head.
"Who knows. But if we let these guys participate in the tournament, it will definitely be dangerous."
That's for sure. Although Saio is gone, the Light of Destruction's forces on earth aren't done for. These members of the Light Association are still dangerous; their dueling skills aren't weak. Once defeated by these people in a duel, victims would undergo brainwashing, wholeheartedly accepting the baptism of light and dedicating their lives to the cause.
This can be considered the Light of Destruction's passive effect, any individual infected by the light can spread it to others through dueling, almost like missionary work.
"Do we know how many of them are there, or who they all are?" Yugen asked.
"Not yet, we only have a handle on several members' identities. We are certain that there must be more association members among the other contestants, but their identities remain unknown." Mina said, "So what do we do? Do we inform Principal Jiaodao to halt the tournament first?"
"Not necessary."
Yugen shook his head, thought for a moment, and said.
"If things get out of hand, doing so might be unavoidable. But I don't think it's come to that yet."
"Really?" Mina doubted, "But if we let these guys in the Academy, the students participating in the GX Tournament..."
However, Yugen just slightly smiled, interrupting her.
"This is the Duel Academy, don't underestimate the students here." Yugen said.
"They are warriors, not weak sheep that need protection."
However, as he said this, he paused suddenly as Marufuji Shou's timid image flashed inexplicably in his mind.
He pondered for two seconds before adding.
"Well... okay, at least not all are weak sheep."
"Those guys from the Light Association may be considered decent in the dueling realm in terms of skill, but to call them top-notch would be an exaggeration. I've duelled with several prominent ones among them and have a fair estimate of their level."
"Is... that so?"
Mina pondered for a moment.
"So, what are you suggesting..."
Yugen smiled mysteriously.
"Do you still have the list of students we compiled for this semester?"
Mina's expression turned a bit odd.
"You mean your 'Underworld Plan'?"
"Yes, yes, that one." Yugen said with a grin, "Gather the students on the list, let's hold a small strategic meeting. It's time to show our faraway guests the Duel Academy's warm hospitality."