Yugen woke up unusually early the next day.
He felt he slept well that night, and his spirits were very high upon waking up. However, when he recalled the dream from last night, seeing Muto Yuugi in his semi-sage state and experiencing such an unscientific dream visitation with a gifted card, he increasingly found it bizarre after waking up and began to doubt the truth of it.
"Silence?"
Yugen called out Silence. Turning his head, he saw Silence obediently kneeling on the bed beside him, tilting her head and waiting for his instructions.
Yugen asked, "Did you visit me in my dream last night?"
Silence nodded.
Yugen asked again, "Did we meet Muto Yuugi? Was all that real?"
Silence nodded again, then thought for a moment and pointed her little hand towards the card box on the bedside.
Yugen understood her meaning, realizing she was saying to verify by checking the card gifted by the other party. So he approached and picked up the card box; upon opening it, the top card seemed to be the one obtained in the dream.
But when he drew the card out, he saw it was still coated with a layer of golden light, just like in the dream. The light shimmered like a veil, obscuring the card's contents. Through the light, he could vaguely make out images and text, but it was too blurred to discern clearly.
Yugen sighed.
"Another card of unclear significance, huh..."
Large eyes floated out to one side, and with displeasure, said, "Who are you calling of unclear significance?"
Yugen thought, since the card was given by Yuugi, it likely had special meaning, and considering the circumstances, it might be related to confronting the Evil Gods. After all, Yuugi had fought against Evil Gods back in the day.
However, upon thinking again, the card Yuugi gave Judai was the Feathered Chestnut Ball. Although it was a valuable spirit and a crucial companion to Judai, its practical value was not very high, making it hard to say.
Regardless, Yugen decided to put the card away first, considering contacting the Kaiba Group or Illusion Association later to see if the power of technology could clarify the card's purpose.
Yugen got up to wash and have a simple breakfast at the hotel. When he went downstairs to the lobby, Malik and his sister were already waiting there.
Malik politely asked, "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Very well," Yugen replied, "not only did I sleep well, but I also had a chat with Mr. Yugi."
Initially, they both thought he was joking. But as Yugen shared his experience from last night and displayed the card glowing with golden light, the smiles on their faces gradually vanished, replaced by a look of incredulity, as they couldn't help but be amazed.
After a while, Malik said, "It has been many years, Mr. Yugi's state right now is probably beyond what we can imagine."
Isis said, "Since Mr. Yugi gave you this card, it's likely to help with future events. You should keep it."
"That's exactly what I wanted to ask," Yugen said. "What's the plan? Proactively attack, go after those Evil Gods?"
Isis replied, "Indeed. The Evil God's seal breaking is imminent, and even if we let it be, it's just a matter of time, and the longer it drags, the stronger their accumulated power will be.
Since the decision is made to eliminate obstacles, it's better to act early. Their forces aren't fully restored, maybe they'll be easier to deal with."
Malik chimed in, "But the issue lies in the location of the Evil God seal. That place, right now, perhaps only the responsible Guardian Spirit can find it."
Yugen looked down at the Duel Disc. An eye floated out with a hint of tension, "Huh? You mean... me? But I can't remember anything..."
Malik continued, "The Tomb Guardian Race recorded some ancient rituals. Among them are those that can communicate with spirits, and those recorded as assisting spirits in developing power, or stimulating evolution. We studied some of these rituals thoroughly and found one that might help spirits retrieve memories."
The eye widened, hesitated for a moment, then nervously asked, "Will it... hurt?"
Yugen glanced at it, directly ignoring the question, "Alright, lead the way. Let's settle this quickly."
The eye protested, "Ignoring the subject's will!?"
"This way, the car is already waiting outside," Isis said, "The ritual needs to be performed at the family's altar. I already had preparations made last night."
The three were about to turn and leave the lobby. But after taking a few steps, someone was already blocking the doorway.
It was a man in black clothing, broad and sturdy, with a face full of fierce features, yet he lacked any blood color on his complexion. His facial muscles were rigid like a zombie, without expression, but sharply contrasting this was his eyes filled with murderous intent, as if a desire for slaughter was ready to erupt at any moment, containing abyssal darkness within.
All three of them were seasoned Duelists, and sensitive to darkness and hostility. They came to a halt, their gazes fell on the man.
Malik asked sternly, "Who are you?"
The man didn't answer. Yugen squinted, "As expected, they don't let us act freely."
Yugen paused and said, "Can I guess, Evil God, right?"
His words caused Malik and Isis to be taken aback, scrutinizing the person before them more cautiously.
"Last time it was Eraser," Yugen continued asking, "So who are you this time? Root of Fear? Or is it the Divine Incarnation itself?"
The man remained silent for two seconds before activating his Duel Disc.
He stepped back a few steps, then stood firm and said, "You're correct. I am the Divine Incarnation, the supreme Evil God. However..."
His expression turned more sinister, speaking in a deep tone.
"To deal with mere humans, there's no need to use the Power of Evil God."
"Is that so? Then I'm looking forward to it."
Yugen raised his arm, signaling the others to retreat, and also activated his Duel Disc.
Malik and Isis exchanged a glance, knowing their skills were not on par with Yugen, so they didn't voice any challenge, simply stepped back.
"Duel!" x2
[Yugen, LP4000]
[Evil God, LP4000]
Yugen: "Then I'll go first, draw a card."
Yugen drew a card, then immediately played the card from his hand.
"Magic Card 'Pot of Greed', draw two cards from the Card Deck."
Yugen drew two cards again. The Evil God mumbled something, unclear what he was saying.
"Set one Monster in Face-down Defense Position. Then set a Covering Card, my turn ends."
Yugen waved his hand, setting the cards and ending his turn.
Evil God said, "Then it's my turn, draw a card."
He slowly drew a card, frowned slightly, then directly drew two cards from his hand and displayed them.
One of the cards in front was surprisingly a Sister card.
"Fallen Angel Ishtar's Monster Effect," the Evil God said, "Discard this card and another Fallen Angel Card to draw two cards from the Card Deck."
His fingers moved, showing the card behind Ishtar, revealing it as another Fallen Angel Card.
"Send two Fallen Angel cards to the graveyard, draw two cards from the Card Deck."
The seemingly ordinary card exchange made Yugen's expression grow slightly serious.
It's actually Fallen Angels, huh.