This may be the pinnacle of the Dandelion Lion's life, never seen before or since.
Although it's just a small Dandelion Lion, its Attack Power has been stacked to infinity. With the Dark Duel enhancing the match, if an ordinary person faced this hit, even their soul might be shattered into pieces by the Dandelion impact.
Of course, Mr. T is not an ordinary person. As a mass-produced agent of Darkness, Mr. T is practically indestructible. Or it could be said that while this particular Mr. T was completely destroyed, there are countless others like him, all with a kind of neural synchronization system.
All the agents' consciousnesses are synchronized, and their memories update simultaneously. They will gather information about their opponents from fallen comrades and return stronger next time.
Crushed by the Dandelion impact, Mr. T's form disintegrated, turning into a mass of mist and scattering black cards.
Yet, although his form vanished, a voice still echoed from somewhere in the sky.
"Duel King Fujiki Yugen, you truly are a troublesome existence. But Darkness has remembered you, and I will be back."
The voice gradually faded, and by the time it spoke the last sentence, it seemed so far away it was barely audible.
Yugen watched the black fog drift away, standing still as he contemplated something with furrowed brows.
"Looks like another dangerous guy,"
Thousand Gold yawned lazily and said.
"Master, the odd people you attract are increasing, aren't they?"
"Yeah," Yugen said, "And have you noticed, the opponents we encounter now are getting harder to kill."
"Hmm... really?"
Thousand Gold tilted her head.
Yugen remained silent. But he had indeed noticed. The Evil God they defeated before was a consciousness projection, and the real body could not be harmed by conventional means... well, there wasn't much to say about that. After all, he normally roamed the Elf Realm unhindered using projections.
The entity using the "Dark Ruler Zok" was also missing. Now, this Mr. T was another agent like Smith, with a hive mind. If they don't find a way to confront the real Darkness, its agents are endless and can't be completely eliminated.
It seems that at a certain level, the boss demons all have their unique life-saving techniques, each with their own way to avoid death. Even in the Yu-Gi-Oh world, where the "Life Bet Card means certain death" rule applies, everyone has their own way to exploit loopholes. As long as one doesn't act recklessly, it's not easy to fail.
"What are you thinking, Master?"
Thousand Gold, curious about his thoughtful look, leaned over and waved her white-as-paper small hand in front of him.
"Oh, nothing," Yugen said, "I was just thinking, these Evil Gods, Lords of Darkness, and embodiments of light, they're all over the place, maybe even across different dimensions.
So I was thinking, is there a possibility that I, too, could create more consciousness projections, like using the Link System to project into the Elf Realm? That way, even if I can't defeat the opponent, at least I'll have more chances to probe their depths, right?"
Thousand Gold was stunned for a moment by his thought, then couldn't help but burst out laughing after a few seconds.
Yugen said, "What? You think it's too absurd?"
"No... no, I dare not, Master... haha..."
Thousand Gold laughed so hard that her umbrella tilted.
"Though the idea is a bit abstract, and the difficulty probably isn't something ordinary people can achieve, I think that if it's you, you might find a way someday.
It's just that... comparing yourself to Evil Gods and Lords of Darkness suddenly seemed a bit funny."
Is it funny?
Yugen tilted his head and pondered.
I think it's quite normal.
Seeing something good that others have, wanting one for yourself, isn't that just human nature?
Oh well.
Although there was this little interlude, Yugen managed to deal with Mr. T without any real danger... well, without much danger, let's say. Then he continued to follow the address left by Lixid and found the hotel where the Malik siblings were staying.
Both Tomb Guardians were legendary duelists, representing the Underworld in the first Duel City, the sunny boy Malik and his sister Isis, once considered the most terrifying legend in Yu-Gi-Oh history.
However, unfortunately, Mr. Malikma was not there, only Sister Isis who, upon hearing of Yugen's arrival, immediately came downstairs to greet him. They exchanged handshakes and acknowledged each other.
Isis didn't look much different from Yugen's memory of her animated image back then, except that, after these years, she had acquired an extra layer of mature charm.
After exchanging pleasantries, Isis apologized.
"I truly apologize, I had important matters previously, and wasn't able to come personally to welcome you. I had arranged for someone to meet you at the airport, but just moments ago, I inexplicably lost contact with them..."
Yugen suspected it was related to Mr. T. Darkness had ambushed him outside the airport, so those originally meant to greet him were likely in serious trouble now.
Yugen glanced around, "Is Mr. Lixid not here?"
"There were some urgent family matters; Lixid left last night to accompany Malik back to handle them."
Isis replied.
"I stayed here specifically to receive the Duel King."
Yugen said, "If it's inconvenient or if you have a lot on your plate..."
But before he could finish, Isis interrupted, "It's fine."
She smiled slightly.
"Our family affairs are always plentiful, and the Archaeology Bureau has constant assignments, it's hard to find leisure time."
Though their duty as the Tomb Guardian Race was fulfilled, the vast family with a 3,000-year history still remained. Malik's father, the family head, was killed by Malik's dark persona years ago, forcing the siblings to take on the family responsibilities at a young age.
There used to be traditional family rules that bound them to protect the Pharaoh's secrets, ensuring his return to the Netherworld, at least giving them a common mission. Now, with that mission accomplished, the family had no common goal, thus creating instability, which required the siblings' attention.
Malik has flown back to Egypt first, Isis wasn't in any rush.
That evening, she booked a local top-tier restaurant and prepared a grand banquet for Yugen as a warm welcome.
Yugen didn't know if her status as director of the Archaeology Bureau meant this feast counted as public expenses, but he wasn't shy. Both duelists refrained from alcohol and instead exchanged card techniques and duel stories from the past years, finding common ground.
After clearing several courses, Yugen finally went straight to the point, "I heard from Mr. Lixid that you have some information about the Evil God?"
Isis paused slightly and sighed softly.
"Yes. Back then, we thought that once we bid farewell to the Pharaoh's soul and returned the 3,000-year-old Thousand-Year Divine Artifacts and the Three Phantom Gods to where they belonged, everything should have ended.
But now it seems that finding peace in this world might not be so easy."
She put down the chopsticks and stood, looking out the window.
"The Evil God... is about to awaken."